Chapter 18 He is Angry & Boba's Shocking Discovery

"Heh, heh, heh; that was fun; now I think we should…" Boba said, happily.

"Master Kenobi said you were to go back to the ship." The Clone said as he climbed into the driver's seat of their speeder.

"Master Kenobi wants me to get all the answers first. All I have now is a name." Boba countered.

"That should be enough for Master Kenobi; he can have him checked out through proper channels." The Clone argued.

"I don't think you understand how these people seem to operate around here. I've come across this kind of thing before; the minute an official investigation is started, the guilty parties disappear." Boba replied, knowledgeably.

"Now how would you know that?" The Clone asked.

"Well, because I've…er…been the guilty party…sometimes." Boba answered.

"Oh, I see; well, you may be right. Let's see if we can track this scientist down." The Clone conceded.

"Good, because if what he's done to Zak is permanent, I'm gonna kill him." Boba replied.

"I won't let you do that." The Clone told him.

"You could try; but I won't anyway, the Chancellor can deal with him." Boba said.

"Does it give his location?" The Clone asked.

"You mean where he is right now? No, but it does give his residence." Boba answered.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you have a smart mouth?" The Clone asked.

"Heh, heh, heh; plenty. Now, here's where he lives." Boba replied as he pulled out a pocket computer, "And if I plug that into here….yep, there it is."

The Clone studied the map the appeared on the screen for a moment, "Alright, I've got." He said starting up the engines.

"What are you doing? You know we can't take a speeder in." Boba told him.

"Well, smart guy; if you had noticed, there is a place to hide the speeder closer to where we have to go." The Clone answered.

"Oh, yeah, heh, heh; I guess I missed that, heh." Boba replied.

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As the Dark presence grew stronger and angrier, a sense of urgency gripped them as they conveyed the remains to a single area in preparation for their release into the Force. Even Zak could now detect the Darkness; Obi-Wan glanced over at his Padawan, "Zak, maybe you should go back up."

"No, Master, but you have to hurry; they say he is getting very angry." Zak answered.

"He?" Obi-Wan inquired. "Do they know who he is?"

"Yes, in a way; I think he's the reason they are here." Zak replied.

"You mean he's a Sith?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I think so; I think he's here too, somewhere." Zak answered.

"You mean buried here, with these younglings?" Obi-Wan wondered.

"Yes, Master; and he's using them to make himself stronger." Zak told him.

"That must be why he's so angry, then." Anakin said.

"Yes, he obviously doesn't want to lose all his power." Obi-Wan replied.

"Master," Zak said as he bent down for his crutches and then pulled himself up, "I think I know where he is."

"Zak, what are you doing?" Obi-Wan asked, concerned as Zak made his way to a stone mound off to one side.

"He's here; right here." Zak said, trancelike as he stopped in front of the mound.

Obi-Wan carefully put the little body he was carrying with the others and then walked over and put his hands on Zak's shoulders, "What are you doing, Padawan?" He asked.

Zak looked up at him, eyes glazed over, "He's here." He repeated.

Obi-Wan crouched down in front of him and put his hands on Zak's arms, "Is it the others that told you this? What do they want us to do?" He asked.

"He's here." Zak said again.

Obi-Wan shook Zak, "Zak, come back here now." He ordered and shook him hard again.

Zak blinked twice and then focused on Obi-Wan, "Destroy him and you destroy the Darkness." He said.

"How do you know this? Did they tell you?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, Master; I think…I just know." Zak answered, puzzled, "How do I know?"

"You know through the Force." Obi-Wan told him as he stood up and patted his shoulder, "Anakin, bring some of the Clones and help me here."

As Obi-Wan began to pull the stones from the mound, Anakin and several Clones joined him, Zak, unable to help, stood back and watched.

All the while they were dismantling the mound, the Dark presence was growing angrier and more agitated. When the last rock had been shifted, Obi-Wan grabbed a shovel and began to dig; Anakin joined in and before long, they had dug down several feet into the ground. The Darkness was so strong now it was suffocating; Obi-Wan looked up to see Zak staring down into the hole they were digging, "Zak, I want you to go up now; I don't want you down here any longer." He ordered.

"I can't, Master; I promised I would help them and I can't do it from up there." Zak insisted.

"I don't care; it's become much too dangerous for you here." Obi-Wan argued, "Go, now."

"Yes, Master." Zak replied obediently, stepping back from the trench.

Zak turned and ambled toward the foot of the outcrop; he could feel the Darkness now, thicker and more oppressive than ever. He wondered how bad it really was if he could feel it so deeply. How much worse was it for his master and Master Anakin. He was halfway there when it happened…

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Boba and the Clone walked up to the scientist's residence and knocked on the door. An elderly woman answered, "Yes, may I help you?" She asked politely.

"Yes, ma'am; we are trying to find Dr. Orin, is he at home?" Boba asked, equally as polite.

"Oh, well, yes; can I tell him who's here?" She asked.

"Yes, my name is Boba Fett; and I have heard that he has developed something I might be able to market for him." Boba answered, slickly.

"Who is it, Mara?" A male voice from somewhere in the house asked.

"Someone who is interested in your research, dear." Mara told him.

"Really? Well, bring him in, my dear; bring him in." The voice replied.

Mara opened the door wide enough for the pair to enter and ushered them into the common room where an elderly gentleman was sitting behind a desk. He stood as they entered the room, "Come in, come in; sit down, please." He said cordially. "Now, what is it you want to know?"

"Well, I have heard that you have developed a vaccine against…well, certain…abnormalities." Boba began.

"Oh, that; yes, I'm very proud of that. It was necessary, you know, to save the lives of the abominations." Orin said proudly.

"I'm sorry, Doctor; what abominations are you talking about?" Boba asked, innocently.

"The ones who are born differently. They can do strange things, things that are not normal." The doctor answered.

"What things?" Boba asked, continuing his ruse.

"Move things without touching them." Orin replied.

"Oh, you mean like the Jedi; well then I think we have some business to discuss." Boba said.

"Business? What business is it of the Jedi what we do here?" The doctor asked, suddenly becoming defensive.

"Oh no, Doctor; you misunderstood me. The people I do business with are interested in stopping the Jedi; they interfere where they aren't wanted and the…er…vaccine you have developed could help them." Boba explained.

"Well, that could be a problem, you see; the only test subjects I had to work with were from Belarid. I only intended it for use here, so they would not have to kill the abominations; I never bothered, to test in on off-worlders. In fact, it was only tested on one of them and appears that the effects are only temporary, you see." The doctor replied.

"Only one? When was this?" Boba asked.

"Oh, several years ago; a Jedi came here to claim an abomination. We gave it to him without his knowledge, but it seemed to have only lasted an hour or two. Since then, we have been developing it, but only on Belaridians." The doctor told him.

"I was doing some research at a hospital recently and was told it was used on another off-worlder." Boba led off.

"Oh, yes; a Jedi brought one of the abominations there to be treated. Claimed this boy was his apprentice or something. We gave each of them a dose; but they escaped before we could gauge the results." Orin said.

"Ah, so you really don't know if this thing works or not." Boba concluded, "I think our business here is finished." He got up and started to leave.

"No, I've been testing it all along; I admit, I have had some setbacks, but I've perfected it now at least on Belaridians. If I could get off-world test subjects, I'm sure I could extend the effects to them as well." Orin insisted.

"Who have you been testing it on?" Boba asked, "These abominations, as you call them?"

"Yes, would you like to see them?" The doctor asked, enthusiastically.

"You…keep them…here?" Boba asked, suddenly not at all sure if he wanted to know.

"Of course; I must keep my test subjects close. Come, I'll show you." The doctor answered, standing up and moving to a door at the far end of the room and beckoning them again, "Come."

Boba followed, somewhat reluctantly, as the doctor opened the door and walked into the room beyond.

Inside the room, cages lined the walls and in each cage was a child. Boba guessed these younglings were between the ages of four and seven. For a moment, the streetwise bounty hunter could not move; a sudden image of Zak in one of those cages appeared in his head. He quickly shook it off and resumed his guise, "So, how long have you had them?" He asked matter-of-factly.

"Some of them, about three years; the older ones came first, of course. This one," He said, pointing at an older girl the nearest cage, "came to me when she was four; she is now completely harmless." Orin explained.

Boba looked at the girl, dressed in a hospital gown, sitting on the floor; she gazed at him impassively.

"So, what will happen to her now?" Boba asked.

"Oh, I don't know; I have not really thought about it. She's never been outside." Orin answered.

"But…I mean you have been teaching them something, haven't you?" Boba asked, letting his disguise slip, just a bit.

"Why? There is no place for them in society; what could I possibly teach them?" Orin asked, "And what difference does that make to you?"

"Oh just curious, that's all…so all of these are now For…harmless?" Boba asked, regaining his composure.

"No, not all of them; we have a control group, you see; over there." Orin pointed to three cages against the far wall.

Boba noted that an older boy and a younger girl and boy occupied them; several items were placed in front of the cages and now, he observed the items moving on their own.

"How do you get them to do that?" Boba asked.

"They know if they don't, then they won't eat." Orin answered.

"Nice." Boba said under his breath.

"What?" Orin asked.

"Oh, I said that will entice them." Boba replied, "Well, this certainly is impressive. If I can get some off-world test subjects, what do you think the odds are you will be able to make it effective against them too?"

"Pretty good, I think; you see how effective it is against our own kind. Provide me with test subjects and I should be able to perfect it against them too." The doctor assured him confidently.

"Good, I will be in touch." Boba said as he turned to leave.

"Excellent, Mara will see you to the door." Orin replied, "I have to feed my subjects."

Once they were out of the house, Boba turned to the nearest bush, bent over and vomited. When he was finished, he turned to his Clone escort, "Let's get back to the ship; we have to stop this…now, and I can't do it by myself." He said.

They hurried to where the speeder was hidden and the Clone started up the engines and sped back. Boba was sick to his stomach and said nothing during the trip. When they arrived, the Clones who had been left to secure the ship were still standing guard; Commander Cody came down the boarding ramp to meet them.

"Boba, I was just wondering what had happened…" Cody began.

"No time, Commander; where is Master Kenobi?" Boba asked, cutting him off.

"Not back yet; what's the matter?" Cody asked.

"I need your help then; there is a place where younglings are being kept in cages. We have to get them out." Boba answered.

"We don't have the authority to do anything, Boba; when Master Kenobi…" Cody started.

"Where is he? I'll go to him then." Boba interrupted.

"He hasn't finished…" Cody began again.

"Then take me to where he is; he'll understand. He'll want to help them." Boba cut him off again.

"Well, I can't, I have to stay here, but I'll have one of my men take you there." Cody compromised.

"Fine, but I have to go right now." Boba insisted