Chapter 17 Springing the Trap
Bail and Obi-Wan returned to the entrance hall; Obi-Wan squatted down in front of Devan, "Madam, am I to understand that you know where this boy is being held?" He asked.
"Devan, you can call me Devan; yes, well, I have an idea, anyway." Devan told him
"Well, if you could tell me, then I can go find him; can you do that?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yes, I think so." Devan answered.
"Good, the sooner you tell me, the sooner we can rescue this boy." Obi-Wan replied.
After giving Obi-Wan detailed instructions to the place she thought Boba was being held, Devan stood up, "Well, I really must not take advantage of your hospitality; you have all been so kind, I just wanted to tell someone about that poor boy." She said, starting toward the door.
"Oh, no, Devan; we cannot send you back out tonight, it is full night. I will have a room prepared for you." Bail replied.
Devan smiled, "That really won't be necessary, Chancellor; it's not that far to where I'm staying." She told him.
"I insist, Devan; please, I do not wish any harm to come to you by traveling in the dark." Bail persisted.
"I really can't, Chancellor; I have someone waiting for me." Devan answered.
"Then you may contact him…or her to let them know you are staying here." Bail pressed.
"You can't keep me here against my will." Devan said desperately.
"Of course not, Devan; however, I am responsible for you now, and I think it would be in your best interests to stay." Bail answered, calmly smiling at her.
"I can't; I really can't." Devan insisted.
"Yes, you can." Obi-Wan said with a slight hand gesture.
Devan blinked and her eyes became slight unfocused, "Yes, I can." She repeated.
Bail glanced, slightly puzzled, at Zak and Zak grinned back at him and put his finger to his lips as a signal for Bail to remain silent until Obi-Wan was through.
"You will follow Commander Ged to your room." Obi-Wan instructed.
"I will follow Commander Ged to my room." Devan repeated.
"You are very tired, you should rest." Obi-Wan told her.
"I am very tired, I should rest." Devan repeated.
"Then tomorrow you can take us to the boy." Obi-Wan said.
"Then tomorrow I can take you to the boy." Devan repeated.
"Good night, Chancellor." Obi-Wan said.
"Good night, Chancellor." Devan repeated.
Obi-Wan glanced at Ged; the commander took Devan's arm and guided her to the stairway. She turned back once with a slightly bewildered look on her face and then allowed Ged to take her upstairs.
"It's a Jedi mind trick; it comes in handy sometimes." Obi-Wan explained seeing Bail's puzzled look.
"Yes, I see that. How long will it last?" Bail asked.
"Well, she thinks she is the one who decided to stay and I have convinced her that she is tired. After a while, she may wonder why she changed her mind and she then will doubtless want to get to this keeper so she can tell him we have rooted Micah out." Obi-Wan answered.
"Why did you tell her that she would take you to Boba in the morning?" Bail asked. "I will see to it that she does not leave here."
"I know you will; but just in case she manages to escape, at least she will not be able to warn her friends that we are coming ahead of schedule." Obi-Wan replied, "Now, we must not waste anymore time here while we have the element of surprise."
"Are sure you are up to this, Master Kenobi?" Bail asked.
"I will have to be, Chancellor." Obi-Wan replied. "For Boba's sake, I will have to be."
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Boba could feel his bonds loosen and sawed harder against the sharp edge to hasten the process. He had not thought through fully what he would do when his hands were free. His fingers were completely numb and he was not entirely sure he would even be able to remove the hood let alone untie is legs or remove the gag; and using the slug thrower he had stashed under the pallet was completely out of the question now. It didn't matter, he decided; with his hands free, at least he would be able to do a little damage before they dragged him off to become part of their bizarre hunt. Just thinking about smacking Moran in the face made him want to laugh….but he was getting ahead of himself. First things first, he continued sawing, feeling the rope become weaker with each pass.
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Devan sat on the edge of the bed trying to understand what had caused her to change her mind about staying. She wanted to tell Moran that his brother had been caught, so what was she doing still here? Then she realized it didn't matter, she could contact Moran now, couldn't she; she had a communicator.
"Moran, it's Devan." She said calmly.
"Devan? What are you doing? You were supposed to wait until tomorrow." Moran replied angrily.
"I know, I know; but something has happened that I thought you would want to know." Devan answered.
"What? What could be so important that you risked being exposed to contact me?" Moran asked, still angry.
"It's about Micah." Devan told him, "They have found him out."
"How? How could that have happened?" Moran wondered, more upset now than angry.
"I don't know, Moran; I just thought you'd want to know that they figured out he was part of the hunts." Devan replied.
"Do you know where he is?" Moran asked.
"No, not for sure; I think they are keeping him locked up somewhere here on the estate though. I did not get the impression they had moved him anywhere yet." Devan reported.
"Alright; just stay put and stick to the plan. I will come for Micah." Moran said.
"What about the hunt, Moran?" Devan inquired.
"That will go as planned; you lead the Jedi up here; Orlan and Kien will be ready for him." Moran told her.
"But you don't even know where to look, Moran." Devan protested, "It could take hours to search the grounds for him."
"Then I will think of something; I won't let them put my brother on a prison ship to Kessel." Moran vowed. "Contact us in the morning before you leave so we will know you're coming."
"Yes, Keeper." Devan promised, ending the transmission.
She put the communicator back in her pocket with the nagging thought that there was something else she should have told Moran.
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They moved together, Master and Padawan through the stand of trees near the base of the Heights. Following the directions they had been given, they soon came to the edge of a clearing. A primitive cabin stood in the middle of the clearing, well lit and apparently occupied. Silently, they made their way toward the back using the cover of the trees to mask their presence, the moon, even brighter than it had been the night before, would make it difficult to move across the clearing unseen. As they neared the rear of the cabin, the shed came into view and Obi-Wan reached out through the Force toward it. As he suspected, there was a presence inside. He looked at his apprentice and Zak looked back at him and nodded then moved off closer to the shed to wait. Obi-Wan moved back toward the front of the cabin, still staying within the trees; when he reached a spot he was satisfied with, he cast about for something to throw. Seeing several rocks strewn around the clearing, he closed his eyes, reached out for one and threw it toward the door. It hit the small porch in front of the door and there seemed to be no response; he picked up another rock and tossed it, this one striking the door. This time the door opened and one of the occupants looked around, puzzled, before closing the door again.
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"What was it, Kien?" Orlan asked.
"I don't know, Orlan; there was nothing there when I opened the door." Kien answered.
"Hmm…I wonder what it was." Orlan said.
"Maybe nothing." Kien replied.
"Well, I don't like it. You had better go out and check on our guest." Orlan decided.
"You've got to be kidding; that kid isn't going anywhere." Kien objected.
"No? That's what we thought before we found him inching his way out." Orlan told them.
"Well, Devan was responsible for that; besides, we staked him down and tied him to the wall. He's not going anywhere." Kien pointed out.
'BAM', another rock hit the door, "Something's going on; go out and check on that kid." Orlan ordered.
"Look, Orlan, only the keeper can give orders like that; if you're so worried, go out and check on him yourself." Kien said as he opened the front door again.
"Well, he's not here now, is he?" Orlan replied.
"That doesn't mean he left you in charge." Kien answered. "The kid can't get away; he was fine when Moran and I went out a while ago; still trussed up like a prized bird."
Orlan laughed, "Yeah, you're probably right; but someone's throwing rocks at the door. We really should try to find out who." He said.
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The last thread of rope gave way and Boba pulled away from the wall, with a muffled laugh of satisfaction. He moved his hands up and attempted to remove the hood, but his fingers were useless and it proved to be more difficult that he thought it would be. He was still struggling to remove it when he heard the door latch turn and, not wanting to be caught, he put his hands behind his back. He heard the door open and close; and then heard the footsteps as someone approached. He mumbled something, hoping to discover which of his captors had come to check on him; all he heard was an unidentifiable 'shh' and then he felt his foot move, he was being untied. Having lost track of time, Boba realized that it must be time for his part in the hunt to begin. With a muffled cry he brought his hands around and lunged at the person freeing him.
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Obi-Wan had accomplished his goal; two of them, neither of them the keeper, were out searching for the rock-throwing intruder. To further confuse them, he began to 'throw sounds' in several directions; causing them to fan out further from each other. He suspected the keeper was doing what he always did, watching to see what would happen; not wanting to spoil any game his hunters might be playing. All the better, Obi-Wan decided; separate these two, defeat them and the keeper will be on his own.
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Boba's target moved with amazing speed, blocking first one arm and then the other immediately after. With a muffled cry of surprise, Boba attempted to hit his opponent again, "Easy, Boba." A familiar voice said as he blocked another shot and then held on to Boba's arm. Boba stopped, tried to say his friend's name and then brought his free hand up to the hood, attempting to remove it again.
"Here, let me." He heard Zak say and felt the hood being lifted up and off.
He closed his eyes against the light; Zak had lit a lamp apparently left by one of the hunters. Yet, he breathed in the cool fresher air inside the shed.
"By the Force, Boba; what have they done to you?" Zak asked as he saw Boba's face; flushed from the stifling air inside the hood and pushed Boba's head down so he could untie the knot at the back of his neck.
Boba squinted at him as his eyes continued to adjust to the light and brought his useless fingers up attempting to help and then began to struggle in his eagerness to have the thing removed.
"Calm down, Boba, and stop struggling; you're not helping here." Zak told him.
Boba moaned once and became still allowing Zak to loosen the knot so he could undo it. As the cloth came loose, Boba reached up in failed attempt to remove it from his mouth, "I'll do it." Zak said and pulled it away. "Sss…it's split into the corners of your mouth." Zak observed, pulling a water bottle from his belt and moistening the gag cloth and carefully dabbing at the cuts.
"Water." Boba gasped as he reached for the bottle.
"No, here; you'd probably drop it." Zak told him as he held the bottle up and allowed him to drink a little at a time.
After a few sips, Boba pushed Zak away and attempted to free his legs, "Help me." He pleaded.
"Alright, hang on, and get your hands out of the way." Zak ordered, pushing them away as he deftly unknotted the rope.
"We have to hurry, warn the Chancellor about Micah." Boba told him urgently.
"It's alright, we know all about Micah, he has been arrested and is under guard; and we know that this was supposed to be a trap." Zak replied calmly.
"No, but you don't know who Micah is." Boba insisted.
"Yes, I just told you…" Zak said.
"No, Micah is Moran's brother." Boba informed him.
"Who's Moran?" Zak asked.
"The keeper; Moran is the keeper and Micah is his brother." Boba answered.
"Hmm…well, that would explain why he didn't want to tell us who the keeper was." Zak realized.
"But if he finds out you have Micah, he's going to want to free him. We have to warn the Chancellor." Boba persisted.
"There's no way he can find out." Zak assured him.
"Well, maybe you're right." Boba conceded, "How did you find me?"
"A woman named Devan came to the house and claimed she saw some men kidnapping you and tried to help; I knew she was lying, but we played along until she told us where to find you." Zak explained as he finished untying the knot and started to free Boba's legs, "Master Obi-Wan mind tricked her to think we aren't leaving until the morning and the Chancellor will make sure she stays put until you're safe. Then he's going to send the Clones out to bring the other hunters in…by way, how many are there?"
"Three counting Devan and then there's Moran. Zak, you didn't tell Devan about Micah did you?" Boba asked.
"Well, yes; but what difference does that make? She's not going anywhere, and the Chancellor certainly isn't going to let her use his holo-com." Zak answered.
"Oh Zak, what if she has one that she brought with her?" Boba replied, "We have to hurry, help me."
Having finished freeing his legs, Zak stood up and tried to pull Boba to his feet; his legs completely without feeling, Boba collapsed almost immediately, "It's no use; go warn the Chancellor." He said.
"No, I'll just support you until you get the feeling back. Come on." Zak urged as he took a centering breath and called on the Force.
"What are you doing? Get out of here; get to the Chancellor." Boba told him urgently.
"Shut up; you're breaking my concentration." Zak replied as he reached down, pulled Boba to his feet again and started to move.
"Wait, the weapon; get the slug thrower. I pushed under the pallet." Boba said.
Zak sighed, shifted Boba's weight and reached under the pallet. The weapon was just out of his reach, so he shifted his focus from Boba's weight to the slug thrower and called it to him. Shoving the weapon underneath Boba's belt, he refocused and half dragged, half-carried Boba toward the door.
"This is too slow." Boba complained.
"Ssh." Zak hushed as he moved closer.
Boba sighed and he let Zak support him as he tried to walk. A shot rang out causing them to halt for a moment and when no other shots were heard they continued. When they reached the doorway, they heard several more. Concentrating on supporting the heavier Boba, Zak could not reach out to determine if his master was in trouble or merely playing with the hunters. Leaning Boba against the door frame for a moment, Zak peered out in both directions to see if it was relatively save to move out into the open. He heard another shot toward the front of the cabin, telling him that Master Obi-Wan was keeping them busy out there so that Zak would be free to cross the open area back here between the shed and the tree line. Gathering the Force around him again, he took Boba's weight once more and they started across the clearing headed for the trees.
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Obi-Wan played the game with ease, throwing a sound in one direction and moving in the other. Even when the hunters resorted to the primitive slug throwers, it made little difference, he was never where they were aiming. Since he did not know how long it would take for Zak to get to Boba, free him and then reach the safety of the trees, he needed to, not only occupy the hunters, but take them out of the picture altogether. After a short time, he noticed that one of them was, for some unknown reason, backing toward him. Obi-Wan waited for just the right moment before reaching out, collaring the hunter with one arm, covering his mouth with the other and dragging him into the trees. The hunter struggled as he tried to bring his weapon up until Obi-Wan rendered him unconscious hitting a pressure point in the man's neck. The weapon dropped from the hunter's slackened hand; Obi-Wan lowered the man to ground and took the weapon before straightening up; a wave of dizziness hit him and he had to lean against a tree for a moment until it passed. He unloaded the slug thrower, shoved the empty weapon under his utility belt and slipped the slugs into an empty pouch on his belt. He squatted down, quickly ripped several pieces of cloth from the hunter's tunic, tied his ankles and his hands and then gagged him; fighting another wave of dizziness when he stood up.
"Orlan?" The other hunter called out.
Obi-Wan smiled, "Orlan is tied up at the moment." He said quietly as he moved in the direction the voice had come from.
He heard a rustle coming through the trees to one side, reached out with the Force and recognized the Force presence of his apprentice. A minute later, Zak appeared, supporting a somewhat-battered Boba and looking very relieved to see him.
As they approached Obi-Wan, both boys noticed the bound hunter lying unconscious on the ground, "That's Orlan." Boba told them.
"Yes, his partner is looking for him." Obi-Wan told him.
"A younger guy? Red hair?" Boba inquired.
"Yes, that sounds familiar." Obi-Wan answered.
"Yeah, I thought so; that would be Kien." Boba replied, "What about Moran?"
"There are only two of them, Boba; they are the only ones who came out of the house." Obi-Wan said.
"No, Moran has to be….no; oh no. We have to get back; we have to get back now." Boba said urgently.
"Oh, he's gone after Micah, hasn't he." Zak realized.
"Yes, we have to get back there now." Boba insisted.
"Who is Moran?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Moran is the keeper and he's Micah's brother." Zak explained, "He must have found out somehow that we figured out what Micah was doing. Master, Boba's right; we have to get back to the house now."
"Oh dear…alright; but this Kien is still a threat. The two of you go now. Zak, you know where the speeder is; take it and get back there as quickly as possible." Obi-Wan instructed.
"What are you going to do, Master?" Zak asked.
"I am going to take care of Kien; I will join you as soon as I can. Now, go on." Obi-Wan answered, "And Zak, may the Force be with you."
"Thank you, Master; and may the Force be with you." Zak replied, guiding Boba away and to the place where they had hidden the speeder.