Chapter 23 A Tragic Loss
Boba was holding a little girl in his arms; tears streamed down his cheeks as he cradled her. The other younglings huddled behind Boba, Obi-Wan could sense their fear. He reached in to take the child; Boba relinquished his hold and looked at him with desperate hope. Obi-Wan recognized her as the one he and Zak had coaxed from her cage. As he brought her out of the truck, one of her arms dangled lifelessly as it slipped from his grasp. Her eyes were half closed, her face was pale and her lips blue; the blaster bolt had hit her squarely in the chest and it was clear to Obi-Wan that she was dead, "I'm sorry, Boba." He said, his voice cracked with emotion.
"No, she can't be; it's not fair. No, no, no, do something. You're a Jedi, help her." Boba cried.
"I can't, Boba; she probably didn't even know what hit her." Obi-Wan replied.
"That brat killed one of my men." Melak said behind him.
Obi-Wan turned to see Melak and the remainder of his force pointing their blaster at him, "He was defending the rest of the younglings in the truck so that this" He look down at the little girl cradled in his arms, "didn't happen to the rest of them."
"YOU'RE DEAD; YOU'RE ALL DEAD. SHE WAS JUST A LITTLE GIRL; SHE COULDN'T HURT YOU. I'M GOING TO KILL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU." Boba screamed, brandishing his blaster at them.
"Boba, don't." A quiet voice said coming from the side of the truck.
Boba turned, "Why not, Zak? Look what they've done." He asked lowering his voice.
"I know, but more killing will not change that." Zak told him as he struggled to control his own emotions.
"But I told her it would be alright; I told her she would be safe." Boba said tearfully and then pointed his blaster at Melak. "You're the leader; you could have stopped him. I think I'll kill you first."
"Oh, yes, Off Worlder; kill me. But your interference in our affairs caused this. She would have been safe with Dr. Orin if you hadn't taken them from him. That death is on your head." Melak retorted.
"He kept them in cages like animals. He was experimenting on them." Boba replied angrily.
"Well, isn't that what you do with animals?" Melak asked.
Boba took aim, "That's enough; I'm ending this now." He said as he started to squeeze….and it flew out of his hand.
"No more killing." Anakin said as the blaster landed in his prosthetic hand. "And that goes for the rest of you; throw all your weapons on the ground, NOW."
Outgunned, the Belaridians quickly deposited their blasters in a pile on the ground; however, Melak showed no sign of giving up his, "You too, Melak." Obi-Wan ordered.
"I will not be dictated to by an Off Worlder." Melak replied.
"No? Well, maybe Master Skywalker and I can help you change your mind." Obi-Wan answered as a thought passed between brothers.
Anakin called the pistol to him and then he and Obi-Wan opened up on Melak causing him to drop to his knees.
"Boba, can I trust you not to shoot these people?" Obi-Wan asked.
Boba glared hatefully at Melak and then over at Zak before settling his gaze on Obi-Wan, "Yes, I promise not to shoot any of them." Zak pledged.
"Good; Anakin, give him back his blaster." Obi-Wan said.
"But, Obi-Wan…." Anakin started to object.
"It will be all right, brother; give it to him." Obi-Wan assured him.
With a shake of his head, Anakin returned Boba's blaster and Boba promptly pointed the weapon at Melak again, "I really want to kill you." He said and then lowered it and looked at Obi-Wan, "What do you want me to do, Master Kenobi?"
"Turn you anger on their vehicles. I want to make sure they cannot follow us." Obi-Wan instructed.
Boba nodded and when he was finished, both vehicles were so badly damaged that Obi-Wan doubted they could ever be repaired.
"How's that, Master Kenobi?" Boba asked.
"Perfect." Obi-Wan said, "Now, get back in the truck; we will be leaving."
"What about her?" Boba asked.
"Well, we will not leave her here. But I do not want to put her with the other younglings; they are frightened enough as it is." Obi-Wan answered, "I will put her in one of the speeders."
Boba nodded and climbed back into the truck.
"Zak, you go back up front." Obi-Wan told his apprentice and then he ordered the Clones to destroy the surrendered weapons.
"We are leaving now; this little one's death with be the last. There will be no more killing of younglings on this planet, none. You will remain here; I will be sure that someone comes for you. But your days as peacekeepers are probably over." Obi-Wan said as he carried his burden to Anakin's speeder, gently laid her in the back seat and then removed his cloak and covered her with it. "Let's get out of here, Anakin; I am sick at heart."
Anakin nodded and got into his speeder. Obi-Wan's last order was to have Melak and his men restrained. The Clones made them lie face down while they secured their hands behind their backs using their own handcuffs. Satisfied, Obi-Wan got back into the truck. Zak sat stone-faced and silent next to him; Obi-Wan could sense a mixture of sorrow, confusion and anger. He patted the boy's leg; but he could find no comforting words for him. The rescue mission, which had started out with such hope and promise, had ended in tragedy. They had managed to save the children from their terrible existence, but the loss of even that one four-year old girl was incomprehensible.
When they finally arrived back at the transport, Cody came down the boarding ramp to meet them. Obi-Wan was standing next to one of the speeders talking to Anakin, "Well, how did it go, sir?" Cody asked.
Obi-Wan sighed, "Not as well as expected, Cody." He answered.
"You didn't find the children then?" Cody asked.
"Oh, yes; they are in the back of the truck." Anakin informed him.
"Well then what did not go well, Master Kenobi?" Cody wondered .
Obi-Wan sighed and reached down to retrieve the cloak-covered child lying on the back seat, "We lost one." He replied sadly.
"I'm going to try and bring the others aboard the ship; I may need a little help though." Anakin said.
"Alright, let me take care of her first and then I will join you." Obi-Wan answered.
Cody suddenly looked relieved, "What, Cody?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Well, forgive me, sir; but for a moment I thought…well, that you had lost your apprentice." Cody told him, "Not that this is any better, but…well, I know Zak; and well, I would not want you to lose him…I am sorry, sir."
Obi-Wan gave him a melancholy smile, "I know, Cody, I understand." He said as he carried the child up the ramp and into the ship.
"Where did you want to put her?" Cody asked.
"Cargo hold." Obi-Wan answered immediately.
"But, sir, Zak's parents are…" Cody started.
"I know, but there is nowhere else to put her; I do not want to put her with the other younglings, this whole thing has been traumatic enough for them." Obi-Wan explained.
"Oh, I see." Cody said as he triggered the door to the hold.
Cody had been busy while they were gone; three seats had been brought from the passenger section and had been fastened to the floor. Zak's parents and his brother, Terak were secured to them.
"There you are Jedi; we demand that you let us go." Servus said as Obi-Wan entered.
"You have no right to demand anything." Obi-Wan said as he placed the youngling on one of the shelving units and removed his cloak, then deliberately moved away so that she was visible to them.
Sala gasped, "What have you done? You have killed a child?" She uttered.
"No, I would not lower myself to that level. This one was killed by one of your brother's men, Servus." Obi-Wan said.
"Liar! Why would a peacekeeper kill a child?" Servus replied.
"Oh, I thought you could tell; no?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Tell what? It's a poor murdered child." Sala questioned.
"Then you don't think she is a freak?" Obi-Wan asked.
"No, poor thing; it's just a child." Sala answered, weeping.
"Really; well I have news for you. She is like your son, Zak; or at least she was until…until she was taken and used for scientific research. We rescued her and more than half a dozen other 'abominations', intending to take them to Coruscant; but your brother, Melak, stopped us, Servus. One of his men fired into the back of the truck they were in and she died. But she looks like any other child, doesn't she."
Sala was sobbing uncontrollably now, "Take her out of here; can't you see you're upsetting my wife?" Servus said.
"I'm sorry, but there is nowhere else to put her. You see, the other children will be in the passenger compartment and we cannot put her in there with them. If it would make you feel better, I will cover her." Obi-Wan replied, "That way, you would not have to think about all the other Force sensitive children you buried in the killing field."
"I hate you, Jedi." Terak said venomously.
"Then I am sorry for you, Terak; because hate leads to suffering." Obi-Wan answered.
Cody had pulled a blanket from one of the storage bins and reverently unfolded it over her as Obi-Wan watched, "Sleep, Little One, and when we return to Coruscant, you will have a proper Jedi funeral so that you may become one with the Force." Obi-Wan told her and then looked back at Terak, "And you, son, will have a proper trial."
A Clone entered with Dr. Orin, "What should I do with him, sir?" He asked.
"Who is he?" Cody asked.
"The one who was holding the younglings." Obi-Wan told him.
"Oh, in that case, I will have another seat moved back here. I'm sure you don't want him with the younglings." Cody answered.
"You're right, I don't; thank you, Cody." Obi-Wan said.
He then left the ship to help with the younglings. Anakin, Boba and Zak had managed to coax and carry them out of the truck, but now they all huddled in a mass around them. The Clones stood off to one side; two of them carrying the sedated younglings. Obi-Wan could feel Anakin's Force love surrounding them, and now, it seemed the little ones were reluctant to leave its warm embrace.
"What are you waiting for?" Obi-Wan asked. "Why are you all just standing around?"
"They won't move and when we try to pick them up, they scream; look." One of the Clones said, bending down to pick up the nearest one.
As the Clone had predicted, he screamed in abject terror until the Clone placed him back on the ground, but outside the huddle. Quickly, he crawled back to join the others, "See?" The Clone said.
Obi-Wan stood there for a moment, arms characteristically crossed, "Hmm…this is good, my brother; but we really need to get them aboard the ship." He said.
"Well, I know that; but I can't figure out how to move it." Anakin answered.
"Ah, have you tried walking toward the ship, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Well, uh, no; it can't be that easy, can it?" Anakin replied.
"I don't know; why don't you try it and we'll find out." Obi-Wan answered.
Anakin took a tentative step toward the ship. The younglings shifted with him as Obi-Wan sensed the circle of love move. Anakin grinned triumphantly and took another step forward and again, the younglings shifted with him.
"Step it up, Anakin; I would like to be gone by morning." Obi-Wan said.
Anakin nodded and took several steps, but some of the younger ones were left behind and cried in panic, so Anakin had to stop.
"Alright, we'll just have to help the littler ones." Obi-Wan decided; and he picked up one of the stragglers and entered Anakin's circle. "Well, come on; help me here." He prompted the Clones.
In this way, they were able to finally bring all the younglings aboard and settle them into seats. Once they were settled, Obi-Wan and Anakin Force nudged them into sleep; sedatives were given again to the pair who was not responsive to the Force. The Clones who had been left in charge of the cremation at the killing field had returned to report that it was finished and that all the remains had been consumed.
"I think I will go back there one last time." Obi-Wan decided.
"Then I'll go with you." Anakin offered.
"No; stay here with the younglings in case they need to be settled again." Obi-Wan replied.
"I don't think you should go back there alone." Anakin told him.
"I'm not; I will take two of the Clones with me." Obi-Wan answered, reassuringly.
"Alright; but if you're not back in an hour, I'll be coming to look for you." Anakin said.
"Fair enough." Obi-Wan concurred.
"I need to go with you, Master." Zak said, overhearing their conversation.
Obi-Wan hesitated for a moment; he did not want to put Zak in yet another potentially dangerous position, but his Padawan, he felt, needed closure. Seeing the final result of their efforts would provide that, "Yes, I think you should." He agreed. "I will contact the Chancellor, and then we will go."
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"I am sorry to hear about the little girl. You can rest assured that steps will be taken to see that no other younglings will be harmed. I have already granted the Jedi Council's request to test all Belarid's children and take those with detectable Force sensitivity; and I am establishing a permanent garrison there to assure that this practice is enforced. I promise you, Master Kenobi, there will be no more killing fields on Belarid.
"As to the younglings you found at the test facility, those who are not suitable candidates for the Order will be fostered with families who will care for them properly." The Chancellor replied to Obi-Wan's report.
"Thank you, Chancellor. We also have the doctor responsible for those children in custody; did you wish me to bring him back to Coruscant along with Zak's parents and brother?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yes, by all means. I wish to meet this….doctor myself." The Chancellor answered, "Will you be returning soon?"
"Yes, I would like to take my Padawan back to the place where the younglings were buried. I want to see if there is still any Darkness remaining there. But we should be on our way within a couple of hours." Obi-Wan said.
"Good, very good; in the meantime, I will make temporary arrangements for the younglings until they can be placed with good, loving families." The Chancellor replied, "It saddens me to think that something like this was happening under my nose and I was unaware of it. Tell your apprentice that I am deeply sorry."
"I will tell him, Chancellor; but this has been going on for generations and you have been in power for less than a year. I suspect that Chancellor Palpatine was well aware of what was happening here; he may have even encouraged it since it added to more to the Darkness that prevailed while he was our leader." Obi-Wan told him.
The Chancellor sighed, "Perhaps you are right, Master Kenobi. Take care of that apprentice of yours; I have grown rather fond of him. I will see you when you return." He answered, ending the transmission.
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Twenty minutes later, Obi-Wan stood next to Zak surveying the field below them in the dim light of dawn. The fires were out, but the smell of the burning still lingered. The pile of bones and remains had been reduced to a small pile of ashes. As requested, after the fire in Mortus' home had run its course, the Clones had replaced the dirt that Obi-Wan and Anakin had removed; and now only a shallow hole remained. To Obi-Wan's great satisfaction, the oppressive, evil Darkness that had prevailed when they first arrived was gone now replaced by the sadness of what had happened here for so many years. He looked down at his young charge staring off into the distance, "Are they gone, Padawan?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yes, Master." Zak answered.
"They are where they should be; where they should have been a long time ago." Obi-Wan told him.
"I know." Zak replied. "We can go now; I just wanted to make sure they were all gone."
"I thought that is why you wanted to come back here." Obi-Wan said, placing a hand on Zak's shoulder, "And now, it is time to go home."
"Yes, Master." Zak agreed, now knowing without a doubt where his home, his true home was, "I'm ready; I don't belong here any longer."
"No, you have never belonged here." Obi-Wan said.
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When they returned to the transport, the truck was gone and the other speeders had already been stowed in preparation for departure.
"Let's go home, Anakin." Obi-Wan said as he lifted Zak out of the speeder.
"We're all set; you go ahead and get onboard while I stow this speeder." Anakin told him.
Zak staggered in exhaustion as he ambled slowly toward the transport; Obi-Wan bent down and picked him up.
"It's alright, Master; I can make it." Zak assured him.
"I know." Obi-Wan replied as he carried him aboard and lowered him into an empty seat next to Boba.
"Are you alright?" Boba asked.
"Yes, just tired." Zak answered.
"There you are all set." Obi-Wan said as he buckled Zak's harness, "I will be back to check on you once we are in hyperspace."
"Yes, Master." Zak murmured, his eyes already closing.
Anakin was warming the engines when Obi-Wan joined him in the cockpit.
"Are we ready to go?" He asked.
"Yes." Obi-Wan answered.
Anakin nodded and lifted the transport up out of the atmosphere and into space as Obi-Wan set the coordinates for the hyperspace jump. Minutes later, the ship flashed into light speed and disappeared.
