Chapter 6

Ari stayed with the children, hugging Ben. After their necessary conversations with guards and other diplomatic beings, Leia and Eean also turned their attention to their children. No one spoke, but no one needed to.

Eventually, the children, exhausted from what they had been through, fell asleep and they were tucked into blankets and placed on a mattress that had been moved to the main room. It was easier to guard and it had been decided to keep the three of them together, instead of separating them.

Once she was certain all of the children were tucked in, Ari went to join Mara.

"They're asleep?" The other Jedi didn't even look up from her work.

"Yes. They are exhausted."

"I think we all are," Mara responded.

Ari nodded. She had been tempted to lay down with them, but she knew that she needed to help Mara.

"You need rest?"

"Later," Ari said as she took a seat next to Mara.

Unlike Luke, who might have asked if she was sure or questioning her, Mara just nodded. "Well, I haven't found too much. There is a lot being said, but nothing useful. And I haven't heard from my contacts yet."

Ari sighed. "Probably just a lot of information about what happened at the dedication."

"And everyone is guessing at who is behind it. One of the guesses was a Hutt crime lord. I did a little digging and that was completely false. It also doesn't seem like any assassins."

"Why do you say that?"

"Assassins usually kill, not kidnap. And they do it in clever ways so they aren't announcing their presence. This was too big and unnecessary."

"So that cuts those ideas out, but that still leaves, hundreds maybe even thousands of possibilities."

"No word from Skywalker?"

Ari shook her head. She could have reached out to him, but didn't. She knew he was very capable, but didn't want to distract him from whatever he was currently doing.

"Heard from the Temple on Yavin. There are some messages for Luke and you."

Ari nodded and decided to use her passcode to access the messages. There were always messages from beings in need of help or counsel. Often, Knights had access to messages, to determine who might be best for a mission. However, the number of Jedi was still small and while it was growing, they couldn't be everywhere they needed to be.

Ari watched a few of the messages, saving them. They were basic messages about treaties or worried politicians. Nothing that needed her immediate attention.

Then one of them showed a young Pantoran female. The blue skinned alien had long light purple hair that she had pinned back. "Hello. I spent a lot of time wondering about contacting you, but I think it is the right thing. I think my daughter is Force sensitive. That probably means she needs training. I didn't want to lose her, but you are always assuring that parents won't lose touch with their children."

Ari nodded at the message, though it was recorded so the female couldn't see her. A lot of beings were hesitant about their children joining the Jedi, but knowing they could still see them and be in touch helped a lot. Ari was about to put the message with the others, nothing important. Yet, something was telling her to contact this being. Something in the Force, she supposed. She didn't know why it was important, but Ari had learned a long time ago to trust the Force. She connected to the location where the message was sent from.

The video connected and there were more people. Officials of some sort from what Ari saw of their uniforms. Their yellow eyes were all focused on her.

"I'm looking for Iionla Roltarn. Is this her residence?" Ari asked.

"Who is this?" a uniformed male with white hair demanded.

"I am Jedi Master Arianna Narabe. She contacted us." Ari might have felt annoyed about being spoken to so harshly, but she could immediately tell there was a problem.

"She took her!" Iionla appeared in the video now. Her light purple hair was in disarray and her blue skin looked a few shades lighter. "You stole my daughter!" she continued, glaring at Ari.

"Excuse me?" Ari had no idea what Iionla was talking about, since she certainly had not taken anyone's daughter. Jedi always had meetings with family members of the children. They had never just taken a child.

"You took my daughter. She was outside and you Jedi stole her from me! You took her!"

"I can assure you, we have not taken your daughter," Ari told her, but she was certain this was why the Force told her to contact this woman. Her daughter had been stolen. Ari could understand that. Afterall, she was trying to find her own daughter as well as her nieces and nephew.

"You did. You sent someone to come get her."

"Ms. Roltarn, I assure you that we would never just take a child. We would meet with you and discuss the options first."

"He dressed like one of you. He had a dark robe on. I couldn't even see his face. And he had one of your lightsabers. Only Jedi have those."

"Not only Jedi…" Ari felt sick to her stomach. It could only be the person that had stolen their children.

"When was this? In basic time," Ari added.

"Basic time, it was yesterday evening. She was playing outside. I heard her scream and I saw a Jedi with his hood over his face. He grabbed her and got into a speeder."

Ari's mind was racing. This conversation had Mara's attention as well. "A dark robe? With a lightsaber? Are you certain?"

"Of course!" Iionla snapped.

"None of our Jedi would just take a child. However, we know of one using the Dark Side who does. We just learned of this threat."

"And what are you doing about it? I thought Jedi were supposed to stop these things from happening!"

"We have government officials and the Jedi who are following leads who this person is. Once we find them, we will find your daughter. However, you can help us by giving us any details you have."

"I don't believe you," Iionla protested.

"Some of the Jedi have had their own children taken," Mara said, her voice softer than Ari had ever heard it. "So, it is not just you that has had a child taken. I promise that finding your daughter and the other children is the top priority of all of us."

"Was it one of yours?" Iionla snapped.

"My daughter was one of those taken," Ari said, feeling a sense of desperation coming over her. It wasn't just their children. She knew it had been a Dark Side user, but she had hoped it would have been for ransom. Yet, why take another child? They had taken the child during the night. She knew that Pantora was not too far. It would have been very possible for them to take a child from that moon and get to Coruscant in time for the dedication.

"Your daughter?" Iionla seemed stunned, her anger fading. "Truly?"

Ari nodded. "My daughter was taken, along with two of my nieces and one of my nephews. So, any information you could give us could help us bring all of them home."

Iionla nodded and closed her eyes focusing. "The man. I knew he was a man because he told me to stay back when I came to see why she was yelling. The speeder, they found it abandoned and there were no hints of anyone being in there, except from my daughter."

Ari nodded, though that wasn't much to go on.

"What is your daughter's name?"

"Talida."

"And how old is she?"

"She's eight standard years." She held up a picture of her daughter, who had her mother's eyes and hair. "Please…I just want her back."

"We are going to do everything we can to find her. I promise." Ari wanted to promise that she would find Talida, but she wasn't sure where to look. This dark side user had taken their children and the only thing they all had in common was Force sensitivity.

"If you get any more information, please do contact us," Mara said. "Any little detail you might remember could help us."

"The only thing I remembered is that he wore gloves and he was a little taller than six feet tall. Does that help?"

"It's a start," Ari said, trying to be positive. It wasn't much to go on, but perhaps it could become important later.

"Please, just keep working with authorities there. Any leads will help us. We will also be in touch with authorities when we have some more information they can help with."

"How will you find them?" Iionla asked.

"Through clues and facts we gather as well as the Force," Ari answered.

"And you will find her?"

"We will do everything we can for Talida. I promise that," Ari assured her.

This seemed to calm her a little and she nodded, looking like she wanted to cry. Ari could understand that. She was struggling with her own emotions when it came to the children being kidnapped. However, she was a Jedi and she was determined to get them back.

"We have to go, but please," Ari glanced at the government officials standing over Iionla's shoulder, "send us any information you might have, whether video or photos or anything you find. It will help us find them faster."

The officials said they would and the connection ended. Ari just started at the blank screen then slowly turned to Mara.

Even without the Force, they knew what the other one was thinking. This wasn't just about their children anymore. Tiri, the Solo twins and Reslina.

Ari thought back to what the Dark Side user had said. He had said two more. The unborn twins. She thought they were only wanted because they were Skywalker children. She was wrong. Someone was taking Force sensitive children, but why?