Chapter 3 Weston Carlyle
Captain Steg guided his speeder carrying Obi-Wan and Zak through the colossal open gates leading into the Carlyle estate. Another speeder, piloted by one of Steg's men with Clive and Ferri, followed close behind.
Zak's role had already been discussed; and Ferri, true to form, was openly displeased that so much hinged on someone he did not consider capable of handling it, forcing Clive Maru to, once again, put him in his place. Obi-Wan felt for Maru; the master had his hands full trying to keep his apprentice's almost ever-present resentment in check and he wondered if that resentment was widespread, or reserved just for his own Padawan. He was beginning to think that, far from bringing them closer, it was driving a bigger wedge between the two; every time Zak proved his competence, the older boy's resentment grew. If Master Yoda's intention had been to dissipate Ferri's antipathy, he may have made a mistake; Obi-Wan could only hope it would not be a fatal one….for any of them.
The speeders pulled up in front of the gatehouse before proceeding to the mansion; a huge castle-like structure made of what appeared to be native stone. A uniformed escort stood waiting for them at the top of the steps leading into the house, "You must be the Jedi; you are expected. Come this way." The man said as he led the way into the main entranceway; staircases flanked both walls and curved toward each other to meet in the middle several feet above their heads. The entire room was tiled in a marble-like white stone, polished to a mirror shine; ostentatious sculpture and carpets decorated the room, "Wait here; I will tell Lord Carlyle you have arrived."
"Thank you." Obi-Wan replied politely and waited until the man had left the room before turning to Zak, "Are you ready, Padawan?"
"Yes, Master." Zak said confidently.
Ferri huffed loudly and Clive shot him a stern reproachful look, "Sorry." Ferri said sarcastically.
Moments later, the escort returned, "You may come in now; Lord Carlyle is waiting for you." He said, gesturing for them to follow him through a pair of large wooden doors into a large office; also lavishly decorated.
"Come in, come in! Master Kenobi, is it?" A large jovial man said as he came around a massive desk with his hand extended.
Obi-Wan approached and took his hand, "Yes sir; and this is my apprentice, Zak Perrin," He replied as he put a hand on Zak's shoulder.
"Good to meet you, my boy." The man said, shaking Zak's hand vigorously.
"Master Clive Maru," Obi-Wan announced, gesturing to Clive.
"Master Maru, a pleasure." The man replied; taking Clive's extended hand.
"And his apprentice, Ferri Cortis." Obi-Wan finished, putting a hand on Ferri's shoulder.
"Pleased to meet you young Cortis." The man said holding his hand out to him.
When Ferri did not bring his hand up to meet Carlyle's, Obi-Wan squeezed Ferri's shoulder until he did.
"And I am Lord Weston Carlyle; shall we have a seat?" Carlyle asked, sweeping his hand toward a sitting area in a corner of the room.
Obi-Wan nodded and together they walked to the corner, seating themselves in the comfortable over-stuffed chairs.
"Now, can I get you anything? Something to drink, perhaps?" Carlyle offered.
"No, thank you, sir." Obi-Wan answered.
"Ah, right down to business; yes. I understand you are looking for my daughter." Carlyle replied.
"Yes, she and one of the other hunters managed to escape from custody on Coruscant." Obi-Wan said.
"We hope you can help us find her, and the one who fled with her." Clive added.
"I would certainly like to; but she has not been in touch with me since I hired her defender." Carlyle told them.
Obi-Wan glanced at Zak who nodded slightly, "Do you know if she has any friends she might turn to?" He asked.
"No; none that would condone what she did." Carlyle answered.
Again Obi-Wan glanced in Zak's direction and again Zak nodded, "I take it you didn't approve of her activities either." He said.
"Certainly not, I run a respectable business; I pride myself on honesty. Devan's activities were a disgrace to our family name; it's the only reason I provided a defender. It wasn't to clear Devan; it was to clear our name." Carlyle explained, "Devan was always a wild thing; she takes after my great grandfather, I suppose. Her mother and I always overlooked her behavior and perhaps that was a mistake. When she turned eighteen, she went to school to learn how to run the family business; it lasted four standard months before she took off and we didn't hear from her for another two months. She came home, packed up the rest of her things and left; she told us she had figured out what she wanted to do with her life, and it didn't involve running the family business. I think that's when she first met this Moran character; I sent out runners to see what she was up to and that's when I found out about the hunts. The first time she got into trouble, she cried and said Moran had tricked her and forced her into it; I believed her and the defender managed to convince everyone that it was true. She claimed she'd had enough, and that she was ready to come home.
"But she didn't come home; she ran off again. We didn't hear from her until she'd been arrested for the second time; and then she wanted another defender. I was reluctant at first; but when she said that Moran had abducted her before she could get home that first time and that he had forced her to break the law again, I foolishly believed her. That was nearly a year ago; when she ran off after that trial, I decided to have nothing more to do with her and that if she got caught again, I would just make her face the consequences."
"Then why did you hire a defender when she was arrested again?" Ferri asked.
"Well, I told you; I did that for the family name, not for Devan. She was not just accused of hunting protected species this time; she was hunting people and she was party to kidnapping and taking the Chancellor and his family hostage. Think about what that would have done to my business." Carlyle answered. "My defender would have gotten her off; however, she would have been brought back here and imprisoned quietly, justice still would have been served."
"With all due respect, Lord Carlyle; justice would have been served only if she had been convicted in a Republic court." Obi-Wan countered and then smiled amiably, "However, we are not here to judge your actions; if you do hear from Devan, you will contact us? She is very dangerous."
"Yes, I realize that now; I will certainly let you know if she contacts me and if there is anything I can do to help you in your search, please, do not hesitate to ask." Carlyle replied as he stood up.
"Thank you, sir." Obi-Wan answered as he rose from his seat and extended his hand.
"You're welcome, of course." Carlyle said shaking his hand, "My man will see you out."
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"Well, Zak?" Obi-Wan asked when they had returned to the ship.
"He was telling the truth when he said he didn't know where she was; and he definitely agrees that she's dangerous." Zak answered.
"But?" Obi-Wan asked.
Zak sighed and shook his head, "I don't know, I can't put my finger on it, Master; but he's being deceitful about something." He said.
"Why not? You know everything else." Ferri blurted out.
"Ferri, I'm warning you for the last time; change your attitude or I'm sending you back to Coruscant." Clive threatened.
"Go ahead; I can't work with this little…." Ferri began.
"Don't say it, Ferri; or you'll regret it for the rest of your life." Clive cut him off, "And understand this, if I send you back to Coruscant now, I will see to it that you go before the Council to explain your behavior; I doubt the Council will have as much patience with you as I do."
Ferri's face flushed and he turned toward to exit the ship.
"Where are you going?" Clive demanded.
"Out for some air." Ferri answered without turning back.
"No, you're not going anywhere until…" Clive ordered.
"Until what? You've done nothing but rub my nose in everything Perrin does; maybe you should have chosen him for your apprentice since he's so perfect." Ferri shouted, "I'm tired of listening to it."
"Zak, why don't we leave them alone for a bit?" Obi-Wan suggested.
"Yes, Master." Zak answered and started to follow Obi-Wan out.
"Master Kenobi, I'm sorry." Clive said, "I should have known this would happen and warned the Council."
"We both knew this could happen; it is just as much my fault as it is yours. Had I understood Ferri's true feelings on this matter, I would have pressed for reassignment." Obi-Wan replied, "I think, under the circumstances, it would be too dangerous to proceed further; I will contact the Council and inform them."
"Don't; I promise to keep my….my mouth shut." Ferri said as he stared at the floor.
"You must do more than that. I can't trust you, Ferri; when we go after Devan, Zak's life may depend on what you do." Obi-Wan told him.
"Well, the same can be said of him; can't it?" Ferri answered.
"Yes, but I can trust him to use proper judgment; I cannot say the same of you." Obi-Wan explained.
"It's alright, Master. Let him stay." Zak interjected.
"I can't, Zak; your life is too important." Obi-Wan replied.
"It will be alright; and we don't have time to wait for a transport to take him home." Zak answered.
Ferri's eyes narrowed as he glared at Zak, "Why are you standing up for me?" He asked suspiciously.
"I'm not; we have to go after Devan and Kien before any trail we might find grows cold." Zak answered, "We are running out of time."
"Very well; I will trust your instincts, Padawan." Obi-Wan replied reluctantly before turning to the other boy, "Ferri, you have a second chance; I suggest you make the most of it."
Ferri looked down at the floor, "Yes, Master Kenobi." He mumbled.
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While Tyrien was altering his stolen medical identification badge, he realized that the staff would more than likely know the doctor he had stolen the badge from, so he carefully altered that as well, using the name Vinton Adler. With his altered badge in place on the lab coat, he returned once again to the medical center and casually walked into one of the supply rooms. Once inside, he found exactly what he was searching for; two sets of patient restraints, the drugs he would need, the means to administer them and a doctor's bag. Placing everything in the bag, he left the room and scouted the hospital once again, this time to discover where the bounty hunter was. It did not take long, as a doctor, he had free access to the computer's data base; he located the boy's room and then carefully scouted the best route to exit the hospital quickly. He noted that a guard had been stationed outside the room and Tyrien knew that he would have to take care of that guard before he could leave with Boba; or he could make up a pretense for removing the boy, to run some tests, perhaps….yes, that could work, he would even be able to convince the boy if it. Tyrien smiled at his own ingenuity and boldly approached the guard, "Excuse me, sir." He said, smiling.
"Yes, Doctor, what can I do for you?" The guard asked.
"Boba Fett's doctor has brought me in as a consultant; I'd like to see the boy for myself, but I do not wish to disturb the family. Are they with him right now?" Tyrien asked.
"Yes, they probably will be for the rest of the afternoon; if you need to see Boba, though, I'm sure they would not object." The guard replied.
"No, no; that won't be necessary. I can come back later after they've gone; I understand how important it is for the family to be with him at a time like this." Tyrien answered, "Thank you for your trouble."
"No trouble, but I may not be on duty when you return; my shift ends in another hour." The guard said.
"Oh, well, I'm sure your replacement will be just as attentive as you are." Tyrien told him and turned to walk away then turned back, "I'm curious, though, why is it necessary to keep a guard on the boy; has he committed some crime?"
"No, nothing like that; we are here to protect him." The guard answered.
"I see; why? Is someone trying to kill him?" Tyrien asked.
"Possibly; but I'm sure there is no danger to you, Doctor, if that's what you're worried about." The guard assured him.
"Ah, that's good to know." Tyrien replied and smiled again, "Good day to you, sir."
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Shortly after the Jedi left, Weston Carlyle began to pace; if Devan's crimes were made public, he feared the family would suffer irreparable damage to its good name. He would have to do something about it, and it would have to be very soon before the Jedi caught her. He would have to catch her first, "Stewart!"
The man called Stewart came running, "Yes, my Lord?" He inquired breathlessly.
"I want my investigator to locate Devan and bring her to me as soon as possible; tell him that time is of the essence and that two Jedi Masters are also after her. Make sure he understands that he must find her before they do." Carlyle instructed.
"Yes sir; I will get right on it." Stewart replied.
"Make it clear that the Jedi must not get to her first." Carlyle added.
"I will make it very clear, sir." Stewart assured him, "Will that be all?"
"Yes, thank you, Stewart." Carlyle answered. "Oh, if the other one is with her, he must be taken as well; but if he proves to be too difficult, he should be eliminated."
"Yes, sir; what if the Jedi get to her first?" Stewart asked.
"Hmm…if that happens, have him contact me and I will decide what do to then." Carlyle replied.
"Very good, sir." Stewart answered and swiftly left the room.
"I will not let that willful child ruin the reputation of this family." Carlyle said to the empty room.
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"Well, since this turned out to be a dead end, I suppose the next place to check would be Kien's home system." Maru stated.
"I don't think we'll find anything on Danion either." Zak predicted.
"What makes you…?" Ferri began and then changed his tact, "I mean, how do you know that?"
"I sense it." Zak answered.
"You sense it? I'm supposed to buy that?" Ferri replied, "You've got to be kidding."
"Yes, Ferri; you are expected to buy that. Zak is seldom wrong when he gets these feelings;" Obi-Wan informed him, "perhaps in time, you will come to realize this."
"Alright, if not to Danion, then where?" Maru asked.
"Come on, Zak; you should be able to tell us." Ferri said, his characteristic sarcasm creeping into his tone.
"Careful, Ferri; you're beginning to step where you shouldn't." Maru warned.
"Sorry." Ferri replied, trying to sound as if he meant it.
"It doesn't work that way, Ferri; all I know is that a trip to Danion would be a waste of time." Zak told him.
"Alright; I suggest we contact the Temple; perhaps they may be able to guide us where to go next." Obi-Wan suggested.
"I agree." Clive said with a nod.
Ferri crossed his arms with 'humph' and sat down.
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Anakin prowled the gardens; something was nagging in the back of his mind, something about his nightmare that he missed, something he feared was important.
"Obi-Wan?" "I am here, brother; I am always here." "Your mission is in danger." "Why?" "You're going to be led into a trap." "Then I will be on my guard, Anakin." "There's something else." "What?" "I can't remember it; but it is important. Please be very careful." "I will, I promise." "May the Force be with you, my brother." "I am certain that it will be; may it be with you and your children." "Thank you; please be mindful of what is hiding from you." "I will."
Anakin sighed and joined Padme who had brought the twins out to play and Hadrian out for some air.
"You look worried, my love; what is it?" Padme asked, "Is it about your nightmare?"
"Yes; there is something important that I can't remember. I'm sure it has something to do with this mission, something that could mean….why can't I remember?" Anakin answered as he sat down next to her.
"Maybe you're thinking too hard, Anakin. Relax and maybe it will come to you." Padme replied and then held Hadrian out to him, "Here, hold your son."
Anakin smiled as he cradled Hadrian; the baby gazed almost in awe at his father and extended a tiny hand toward Anakin's face. Anakin lowered his head so that Hadrian could touch him and the baby cooed at him, "You are so lucky, Hadrian; you have nothing to fear, nothing to make you unhappy." He told the baby.
Padme put her hand on Anakin's leg and squeezed it reassuringly, "It will be alright, Anakin." She said.
"I hope so." Anakin sighed, "I hope so."
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Tyrien confidently guided a float down the hallway toward the guarded room, "Oh, you're still here." He said to the guard.
"No, I just came on duty, you must be mistaken." The guard answered.
"Oh yes; that was silly of me, yes of course. I'm Dr. Adler; Dr. Averill requested that I consult with him about Boba Fett." Tyrien told him.
"Of course, Doctor; his family has just left, though." The guard replied.
"Well, I really didn't need to see his family; I would rather have not bothered them while they were visiting. I just need to see the boy." Tyrien explained.
"I see; well, he's alone now, so you can go in now." The guard said, "And what is the float for?"
"I may not need it; but I may have to take him down for a few more tests." Tyrien answered.
"Well, I wasn't informed, so you won't be able to take him anywhere until I confirm that." The guard replied.
"I don't think you understand; time is critical here, he may need treatment immediately, so the tests will be important to determine how best to proceed." Tyrien insisted.
"I'm sorry; you're still going to have to have approval before I can permit you to leave the room with him. You must understand, I'm here to protect him." The guard stated firmly.
"Very well, but if his life is jeopardized by your unwillingness to cooperate, I will not be held responsible." Tyrien replied.
"I'll take that chance." The guard answered firmly, "You can go in to see him; but you can't take him anywhere without clearance."
"I understand." Tyrien said.
The guard triggered the door and Tyrien guided the float in; as the door slid shut, Tyrien smiled at Boba, "Hello, you must be Boba, I'm Dr. Adler."