Chapter 19 A Noble Sacrifice
Zak sped past the perimeter guards who signaled for him to stop. He sensed that time was running out and he did not have time to stop and explain the situation to these guards; he also hoped that the guards would alert the others patrolling the grounds. Before he even came in sight of the manor, Zak maneuvered the speeder off to one side. He could sense Boba's confusion, "Zak, what are you doing?" Boba asked.
"I don't think we should announce ourselves by just waltzing up to the front door; do you?" Zak replied.
"Oh, heh, heh, heh; I guess you're right. But the surveillance cameras are all over the place; if Moran has any brains at all, he's probably monitoring all of them." Boba said.
"Maybe; I guess that's a chance we're going to have to take." Zak answered.
"It doesn't matter; there are only two of them, we should be able to handle them." Boba decided.
"What about Micah? We may have to deal with him if Moran managed to find out where he was being held." Zak pointed out.
"Well then, I'll deal with him. I have a score to settle with that traitor." Boba told him.
"Be careful, Boba; don't let your need for vengeance cloud your judgment." Zak warned.
"Yeah, yeah." Boba answered.
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Moran followed Haris out the kitchen door and down the main garden path. With Moran's blaster prodding him in the small of the back and the knowledge that Devan would kill everyone if Moran did not return, Haris felt he could do nothing to prevent Moran from freeing his brother, "Did you hurt the boy?" He asked.
"What?" Moran asked, distracted.
"The boy, Boba Fett; did you hurt him?" Haris clarified and asked again.
"What's it to you? He's just a bounty hunter." Moran replied.
"He is much more than that; did you hurt him?" Haris asked for the third time.
"Well, he's a fighter, that one; we had to rough him up a bit." Moran admitted.
Haris shook his head, "All of you belong on Kessel." He said as he turned down a side path.
"How much further?" Moran asked, ignoring Haris' comment.
"Just up ahead; there will be a guard." Haris informed him.
"Then I will just have to persuade the guard to open the door." Moran answered.
One more turn and Moran could see the shed; a lone guard stood before the door. He prodded Haris in the back with his blaster, "No tricks or you'll die followed closely by your companions in the house." Moran threatened.
"Dr. Averill, sir; what's going on? Who is this?" The guard asked.
"Don't ask any questions, just drop your weapon and open the door." Moran ordered.
"I'm sorry, sir; I don't know you and I don't have the authority." The Clone replied.
"Well, maybe you should rethink that; I'm holding a blaster to your good doctor here and if you don't open that door, I will kill him." Moran warned.
"Do as he says; he also has the Chancellor in the house." Averill said.
Reluctantly, the Clone let his rifle drop to the ground, unlocked the door to the shed and stood aside to let Moran open the door. Moran pushed the doctor to the ground and rammed his fist into the Clone's chest. The Clone doubled over and Moran struck him hard in the back of the head.
"How many more people are you going to hurt?" Haris asked.
"As many as it takes to get away from here." Moran answered as he opened the door, "Micah?"
"Moran? How did you find out what happened?" Micah asked as he came to the door.
"Devan told me; I'll explain later. Come on out of there." Moran replied.
Micah stepped out into the moonlight, "Dr. Averill, what are you doing on the ground?" He asked, pulling the doctor to his feet.
"Neither of you will get away with this." Averill said.
"Well, we'll just have to see. Micah, put those binders on him and drag him in the shed; we don't want him to be a nuisance and call more guards…oh yes, take his com too." Moran instructed.
"Right." Micah said as he snapped the binders closed around the Clone's wrists and pulled him into the shed; when he came out, he had the guard's com in his hand.
"What should I do with this?" Micah asked.
"Smash it." Moran answered.
Micah dropped the transmitter and stepped on, then picked up the Clone's discarded blaster rifle.
Moran pushed Averill back toward the house with Micah taking the rear.
"How do you plan to get away, Moran?" Micah asked as Moran opened the kitchen door and shoved the doctor inside before entering.
"I'm sure the Chancellor will be kind enough to loan us a speeder and we'll just take that little girl along to keep them honest." Moran told him.
"I don't think taking Gemma would be a good idea; you don't know her, she can be a handful." Micah warned.
"Well, then we'll just take his lovely wife." Moran suggested.
"You must be crazy if you think Bail would stand still while you took any member of his family." Haris said.
"Oh? Then maybe we should take you, doctor." Moran replied as they reached the sitting room.
"I don't think you're going to take anyone. You won't get the chance." Haris answered as Moran shoved him into the room.
"Any trouble?" Devan asked as she prodded the doctor over to a chair and pushed him down.
"None. How have our friends here behaved?" Moran asked.
"They've been real good." Devan told him.
"Well, now that I have my brother, we can all leave." Moran said.
"I do not know where you think you will go, Moran; you will never leave the system." Bail informed him.
"Really? As it happens, I was just thinking the same thing, wasn't I, Micah?" Moran replied.
"Yes, that's right, you were; and I believe you suggested taking an insurance policy with you." Micah answered.
"Wait just a minute; if you think you are going to take a member of my family, you had better think again." Bail warned as he started to stand.
Devan walked over and shoved him back down, "I don't think you're in any position to tell us what to do, Chancellor." Moran said.
Gemma, who had been clinging to Breha, turned and looked at Moran, a fierce look on her face, "Don't you hurt my papa." She said.
"Or what, little one? I'm bigger than you." Moran told her.
"Boba will get you; he'll get all of you and when him and Sackie get here, you'll be sorry." Gemma replied.
"Boba? Boba Fett? I've already taken care of him." Micah said, laughing.
"Well, you did, but it appears the Jedi cub went and set him loose." Moran informed him, "Probably with the help of our Jedi quarry, Kenobi."
"It's alright, Micah; we can handle them and still get away." Devan added.
"Devan's right, Micah; Orlan and Kien might have already taken care of Kenobi and I think we can handle the likes of Boba Fett and his friend if we need to." Moran assured him. "Where's your surveillance system, Chancellor?"
"In my office." Bail answered.
"Micah, go check it out; see if our young friends are coming to join us." Moran instructed.
"Good thinking; I'll be right back." Micah said as he left the room.
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Boba, with Zak right behind him, moved swiftly toward the house; when they reached it, both boys moved into the shadows as Zak pulled his grappling line out and shot it up just above one of the windows on the second level. Boba put his arms around Zak's neck and Zak triggered the ascension mechanism. In moments, they were level with the window and Zak focused on it through the Force, unlocking it and lifting it open. He swung back and forth a few times until he knew his momentum would carry them through before he let go of the line allowing them both to land safely on the floor inside the room. The room, was dimly lit, but almost immediately, he noticed the body of the guard laying on the floor near the bed his blaster lay on the floor near him. A sharp intake of breath from Boba told him that Boba had noticed it too. They moved cautiously toward him; a pool of blood surrounded his head and Zak bent down to touch his neck. He turned to look at Boba, shook his head and straightened up. Boba looked at the guard and then back at Zak, if they were willing to kill a guard….
"I'm sorry, Boba." Zak whispered.
Boba did not answer, then picked up the Clone's blaster and moved to the door. With the dead Clone's blaster in one hand and Devan's slug thrower in the other, he waited for Zak to trigger the door. Zak unclipped his lightsaber, looked at Boba who nodded and opened the door. Boba peered out, looked in both directions and then entered the hall and headed quietly, cautiously toward the back stairs. Zak followed looking back every few steps to ensure no one was coming up behind them. When they reached the stairs, Zak took one last look behind him before following the bounty hunter down. At the foot of the stairs, Boba again looked both ways before continuing down the hallway to the dining room.
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Micah returned to the sitting room, "Well, I saw a speeder parked out on the west lawn, but there wasn't anyone near it. They may have already come into the house." He announced.
"I haven't heard anything; are you sure you didn't see anyone out there, Micah?" Moran asked.
"No, I told you, just the empty speeder." Micah replied.
Breha put her hand on Bail's leg and squeezed it lightly and Bail nodded to her.
"Alright; either they are already in the house or they are very close. Devan, you stay here and keep an eye on our friends; Micah and I will check the house." Moran decided.
"No problem, Moran." Devan replied.
Micah followed his brother out the door and then stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, "I know this house, brother; let me take the lead." He murmured quietly.
Moran nodded and let his brother move ahead of him, "If they came in, it must have been from the second level or we would have heard them." He pointed out.
Micah considered that, nodded and headed for the backstairs near the kitchen, "Then they would have come down the back way." He said as he entered the dining room and moved toward the hall leading to the kitchen.
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Hearing movement near the dining room, Boba quickly pushed Zak into an open door midway down the hall; not daring to close the door, he pushed the young Jedi into the darkened recesses of what Zak realized was a utility closet and then edged in next to him in the shadows. It was not long before they could here the hushed voices of two men coming down the hall and then saw their shadows as they passed the open doorway on their way to the kitchen. Zak recognized one of the voices as that of Micah, and apparently, Boba did too; Boba started to move out of his hiding place. Zak pulled him back quickly and when Boba turned to object, Zak put a finger to his lips and shook his head, then mouthed "Not yet." Realizing that Zak was right, Boba relaxed and waited until the murmured voices faded as the pair entered the kitchen. Slowly, carefully, Boba moved toward the doorway and peeked out toward the kitchen; there was no one in sight and he moved into the hallway. Zak followed him and they moved swiftly down toward the dining room knowing that they must reach the hostages before Micah and, presumably, Moran returned.
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Micah climbed the stairs leading to the second level with Moran right behind him. When they reached the top, he peered into the hallway; it was deserted and he realized they would have to check every room. Moran, guessing the same thing, triggered the door to the closest room and looked inside. Micah, taking his cue, moved to the opposite side of the hall and triggered the door there. Methodically, they made their way down the hall, checking each door in turn until they reached the room Devan had been given. Moran opened the door; the body of the dead Clone lay where he had fallen, his head lying in a pool of coagulating blood. The window was still open and Zak's grappling line hung down from the top of the window, "Micah, they came in here." He called softly.
Micah, checking room on the opposite side of the hallway, turned and entered Devan's room, stepping over the Clone and coming to stand beside Moran near the window, "Well, this is where they came in, alright; but are they still up here hiding, or did they go down?" He wondered.
"Well, I assume we are nearly finished checking up here, why don't we continue searching the rooms before we go back down?" Moran suggested.
"Good idea; then we can go down the front stairs." Micah replied.
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Boba halted at the dining room door, peeked in, weapons ready, then moved in slowly to make his way across the room and peeked out into the entrance hall. When he determined that it was clear, he signaled for Zak to join him and together they entered the hall. They heard a woman's laugh coming from the sitting room and simultaneously moved in that direction. Zak triggered the door and Boba leaped into the room; Zak entered right behind him, his lightsaber powered up.
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Obi-Wan pushed the swoop as hard as he dared, sensing that his Padawan and his bounty hunter friend had felt the need to move before he could join them. He had told them not to move unless they felt it was necessary; apparently, they must have felt the need to move in sooner than he would have wished. When he saw the guard waving him down at the edge of the manor grounds, he slowed the swoop.
"Master Kenobi! Go on ahead; I tried to flag down your apprentice, but he went flying past us as if we weren't there; what's happened?" The guard asked.
"No time to explain now; gather as many men as you can find and get to the house." Obi-Wan said.
"Yes sir." The guard replied, moving to one side to let Obi-Wan through.
Obi-Wan raced past him toward the manor house; and then realized that Zak would not have gone straight in. He banked the swoop toward the left, trusting his instinct to lead him in the right direction. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the empty speeder came in to view.
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Devan whirled around bringing the blaster up only to have it knocked out of her hand by Boba, who then pointed both of his weapons to her head, "Hello, Devan." He said, grinning.
"You stupid, meddling, pest of a…" Devan sputtered.
"Yeah, yeah; just sit down and shut up." Boba told her as he poked the barrel of the slug thrower in her chest and left the blaster leveled at her head.
She looked down in astonishment, "But that…" She began.
"Yeah, recognize it do you?" Boba asked. "Were you going to kill me right there in the shed or lead me out somewhere and hunt me like you did Master Kenobi?"
"I…I..." Devan, unable to finish, changed tact, "Moran is here, bounty hunter; you and your young friend here have sealed you fate."
"No, I don't think so; once they figure out where we are, we'll have already freed my…these people and then I can contact the Clones and bring them in." Boba told her confidently. "Now, sit down and shut up."
He pushed her to the floor as Gemma left Breha's lap and started to run toward him, "No, Gemma; it's not safe yet, stay with…mama." He warned.
"Alright, Boba; but I just knew you and Sackie would come, I just knew it." Gemma told him as she went back and stood in front of Breha.
Zak moved toward Ged, cutting the binders and freeing his hands; then went to Averill who was closer before moving to free Bail. Averill immediately turned his attention to the unconscious commander and determined that the commander was not seriously injured; he stood up to check on Boba, "Are you alright, son?" He asked, seeing the bruises and split lip before resting his eyes on the bloody sleeve of his tunic.
"Fine, fine; we don't have time for this." Boba told him impatiently.
"But you're bleeding, son." Averill protested.
"I really didn't need you to tell me that; you're still all in danger here." Boba replied urgently.
Devan started laughing, "Do you really think it's going to be so easy, bounty hunter? Moran's not alone, you know; Micah is with him." She said.
"Yeah, I know; I heard that traitor when he and this Moran were going toward the kitchen. It was all I could do not to kill him right there." Boba answered.
Bail was up and moving as soon as Zak freed him, taking his wife by the hand and leading her toward the door, "Then we should leave the house now; and alert my guard so they can search it." He suggested.
"Yes sir; that's just what I was thinking." Boba replied, "We have to take care of her first or she'll warn the other two."
Zak walked up to her, ripped the sleeve of her tunic and, "Hey, don't…" shoved it in her mouth muffling the 'do that'.
"There, that should take care of it; now we just have to tie her up." Zak said as he ripped her other sleeve, pulled her arms behind her and bound them as she continued her muffled protests.
Boba squatted down next to her, "Not so fun when the shoe's on the other foot, is it?" He asked, "Heh, heh, heh."
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Having searched all the rooms on the second level, the brothers returned to the ground floor and were just about to reenter the room when they heard Boba's distinctive laugh. Realizing that it was a fair bet that Devan had been captured, they debated for just a moment on what to do and deciding that it was too risky to leave her in the hands of the Chancellor. Micah triggered the door with Moran timing his move to the precise moment and they leaped into the room one after the other, with their blasters at the ready. Breha screamed a word of warning and Moran aimed his weapon at her only to have Boba knock it away at the last moment causing the shot to miss her and strike the wall far above her head. He dropped both weapons as they grappled for the gun for a moment until Boba managed to get control, as he tried to wrest the weapon from Moran, it fired and Moran, with a look of shock and surprise on his face, sank to the ground as the bolt hit him in the upper leg.
"NO!" Micah cried and turned his blaster toward Boba.
However, seeing his action, the doctor put his shoulder into him and that shot, too, went astray. Micah pushed Haris out of the way and aimed again, but Boba, forewarned by Micah's first errant shot, fired Moran's blaster before Micah could get off a second shot. Micah blinked, looked down at the spreading red stain on his chest and dropped the blaster; his mouth moved as if he were trying to speak and then he collapsed. Moran managed to retrieve the blaster that Boba had dropped and before anyone could move to stop him, fired in Breha's direction. She screamed, shielding Gemma with her own body as Moran fired.
"NOOOOO!" Boba screamed and threw himself toward Breha forcing her and Gemma to the ground and landing on top of them.
Zak moved quickly, but not quite fast enough taking off Moran's hand just as he fired; Bail had turned just in time to see Boba fall on top of his wife. Moran, wounded in the leg and now without his hand, curled into a whimpering ball with Zak standing over him with his blazing blue lightsaber, "Don't move; don't you dare move." He commanded.
Boba felt strangely disconnected, he tried to roll off the queen; he wanted to, but he did not seem to have control of his body anymore. Then he felt himself being lifted up and he was suddenly staring at Lady Breha; the bodice of her pale blue dress was covered in blood, "I..I'm sorry, Milady." He whispered, not understanding why he suddenly felt so weak.
"Why?" She asked.
Why, maybe she did not realize she was hit. He reached up and touched her dress, "I…I tried." He murmured.
"Oh, no; I am not hurt, Boba. This is yours." Breha told him as she stroked his forehead, "Now, just lie still."
"What?" Boba raised his head and now could see the blood on his tunic; he turned his head slightly to see Bail kneeling beside him and Zak standing over him.
He managed a weak smile, "Hey, Zak, I…I…didn't pass…out." He said.
"Alright, save your strength; it will be alright." Bail told him as he put a hand on his shoulder.
"Sackie, is Boba gonna die?" Gemma asked.
"No, it's alright, Gemma." Zak assured her.
"Bail?" Boba mumbled, "I don't…think…I'm so…tired."
"No, stay with us, now, Boba; come on." Bail said.
"I…I can't." Boba replied, barely audible.
"Boba, look at me; you know who I am, don't you?" Haris said from his place next to Bail.
"Hey…Doc…I don't…heh, heh…" Boba replied and closed his eyes, "I'm tired."
"No, listen to me, Boba; you have to keep fighting, come on. I know you can do this." Bail urged.
But Boba felt the darkness closing in and Bail's voice faded into the background as it took him over completely.