Chapter 4 Too Late
Present Time
Boba paced impatiently as he waited in the visitors' lounge for the Council meeting to recess; he had only just arrived back on Coruscant after completing a government assignment near the Outer Rim when Bail had given him the news. He had then stopped at the suite he shared with the Organas only long enough to drop off his gear and change his clothes before heading to the Temple to see for himself what had happened. Rigid security precautions were in place when he arrived and he had to wait until Dena came to vouch for him before he was even allowed into the visitors' area; and not even she would give him any information about what had taken place the night before. What he knew had been told to him by Bail, who had not spoken with the Jedi since just after the invasion had happened; and at that point, very little was known. After taking him to the lounge, Dena had returned to the youngling dormitories where she had been before she had been summoned, leaving Boba alone with his thoughts.
"The Council meeting has just ended; Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker requested that I inform you they will be down to meet with you shortly." The polite apprentice announced.
"Can't you at least tell me if it's true that Zak Perrin is missing?" Boba asked.
"No, I'm not at liberty to say anything; that would be up to one of the Masters." The apprentice answered amiably, "I'm very sorry."
Boba sighed and continued pacing, knowing it was pointless to push for information; he did not have long to wait, however, because minutes later, the two Masters appeared, "I just got home and Bail told me what happened…well, some of it anyway. Is it true? Is Zak missing?" He asked.
Obi-Wan rubbed his beard and nodded, "Yes, both he and Ferri are among the missing." He confirmed.
"How could this happen? I thought this place was secure?" Boba wondered.
"Well, that is a little complicated. Why don't we sit down, and Anakin and I will try to explain it." Obi-Wan suggested.
"What are you doing about it? Are you trying to find them?" Boba demanded as he resumed pacing, "Do you know who took them?"
Obi-Wan sighed and closed his eyes as he ran a hand through his hair, "Boba, we have been up all night trying to unravel what happened; will you please sit down and give us a chance to tell you?" He requested wearily.
"I'm sorry; you're both probably exhausted." Boba replied apologetically.
"And unlikely to get much sleep in the near future." Anakin added tiredly as he plopped onto one of the cushions.
Obi-Wan joined him and after a moment, Boba relented and sat down, "How much do you know?" Obi-Wan began with a sigh.
Twelve Hours Earlier
"What about the rest of them?" One of the intruders asked.
"They're just kids; we've got what we came for…well, mostly." The leader answered.
"We haven't found all of them yet." Another pointed out.
"We've run out of time; so we'll just have to settle for the ones we have." The leader replied.
"And the ones that aren't here; are we going to leave without them as well?" Another asked.
"I'm not going for them, that's for sure; what Melak does is his business." The leader retorted, "After this, taking the others will probably be impossible anyway."
"Only if they figure everything out." A third argued.
"These Jedi may be freaks, but they're not stupid." The leader countered, "Come on, get a move on; Melak was right about one thing, we are running out of time."
The others nodded in agreement; the two unconscious Padawans were picked up and thrown roughly over shoulders and the younger captives were herded together and moved toward the escape passage.
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Khyber Raneau was at the other end of the wing when he felt the disturbance through the Force; dropping the data pads he was carrying, he raced to the dormitory. Ignoring any sense of danger, he broke a cardinal Jedi rule and moved into the doorway without even drawing his weapon, "What's going on here?" He demanded.
The leader shook his head, raised his weapon and fired, "Foolish boy." He said as Khyber collapsed in the doorway.
"Why are you doing this?" The Initiate asked.
"You're from Belarid; under the law, you must be exiled." The leader answered as he triggered the panel and shoved the girl into the passage and then turned back the other younglings, "And the rest of you will stay right here."
"Should we secure this door?" One of the intruders asked.
"Yeah, that will slow them down a little more." The leader agreed.
One of them moved Khyber's body just enough to allow the door to close then hit the control sliding the door into place before following the others into the escape passage.
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"Oh no; they are moving." Adi Gallia said.
"Where to?" Shaak Ti wondered, "There is nowhere to go."
"Oh yes, there is." Anakin corrected.
"The emergency passage." Obi-Wan interjected as he and Anakin moved away from the door and started back down the hallway.
"They can't; even the Chancellor doesn't know exactly where it is." Depa Billaba protested, although she, too, turned to follow the other two.
"Well, obviously someone else does." Another master replied and joined the group now heading back down the hallway.
"We can only hope we are not too late to stop them." Mace added.
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They were nearly to the end of the passage when the leader pulled the com from his belt and spoke to his pilot in position near the Temple. When they exited the passage just below street level, the leader again contacted the pilot who moved to meet them. Once the younglings were on board, the intruders unceremoniously dumped their unconscious burdens into the shuttle before climbing in themselves. The leader grinned when the shuttle pulled away just as several Jedi were making their way around to the end of the secret passage.
Present Time
"But why didn't you just chase them down? You had them and you let them get away." Boba protested.
Obi-Wan sighed for the umpteenth time, "We tried, Boba; but they were gone before we could give chase." He answered.
Boba shook his head, "I can't believe there was nothing you could do." He countered.
"Do you think we wanted them escape?" Obi-Wan asked.
The ex-bounty hunter stood up and walked to the other side of the room and then back, "No; I'm sorry, it…it's just….Zak is my friend." He said.
"And Zak is my apprentice. The fact is, we were unprepared for this, and now we and the foster families of those younglings are paying the price. And the only thing we can do at this point is track them down." Obi-Wan told him pointedly.
A small smile danced on Boba's lips, "I guess that's where I come in." He surmised.
"We could use your help, yes." Anakin replied.
"Alright; the first thing we need to find out is where they were going. Belarid would be the obvious choice, but I've been overseeing the security there, and I don't think there would be any place for them to hide." Boba deduced as he commenced pacing, "And they didn't just come in and kill them, so they must be taking them to be….what do they call it?"
"Exiled. So it would have to be someplace harsh; where they would be certain the younglings, at least, would not survive." Anakin continued.
Boba sighed and shook his head, "That could be a lot of places." He realized.
"Yes; and now you see what we are up against." Obi-Wan replied.
"But these are Belaridians; they aren't well traveled are they?" Anakin interjected.
"Hmmm….that's true; so chances are, they will choose a system that isn't very far from Belarid." Boba continued the thought.
"And yet far enough to escape the notice of the authorities." Obi-Wan added.
"Right; if we get close enough, can you find them through your connections to them?" Boba wondered.
Anakin shook his head, "No, they've dampened their Force sense somehow; all we have is a very vague connection." He answered.
"We know they are alive, but the connection is so weak there is no way to track it." Obi-Wan finished.
"Then these guys are smart; they must have known they'd have to do something like that. What about the younglings? Wouldn't their combined sense be enough to trace?" Boba questioned.
"If they could control it enough to concentrate together, yes; but most of them are too young to understand how to do that, even with Ferri and Zak helping them." Obi-Wan explained.
"Alright; do you think I can use your Map Room?" Boba asked, "If not, I'll just go back to my father's office."
"It would be better if you stayed here so could all work together." Obi-Wan answered.
Boba nodded, "That's what I was thinking." He replied, "But Bail says he will give you whatever you need."
"Yes, he was present at our last Council session." Anakin concurred.
"So, you already knew I was coming." Boba said.
"We would have been very surprised if you had not." Obi-Wan replied.
Twelve Hours Earlier
Zak's first sensation as the effects of the weapon wore off was that of movement; with a struggle, he was able to open his eyes to find himself sprawled on the floor of the shuttle. The younglings were huddled together in one corner; turning his head, with great difficulty, he was able to see the still form of Ferri lying next to him. Grunting with effort, he moved to check on his unmoving friend, "Hello, Zak; glad to have you back with us; now we won't have to carry you to the ship." The leader said with a smile, "None of your Jedi tricks, or I'll zap you again."
"What do you want?" Zak asked as he laid a hand on Ferri's neck, checking for life signs.
"I told you already; justice." The leader answered.
"Oh right, Belaridian justice; and just what does that have to do with Ferri?" Zak asked.
"Well, it seems someone else has a bone to pick with your friend, Ferri; you should be happy, he could be dead like your other friends." The leader retorted.
Zak shook his head, "How many did you kill?" He asked.
"Less than we thought; if it hadn't been for your supposed secret passage, it may have been more." The leader replied.
"So that's how you got out; which youngling did you terrorize to get that information?" Zak wondered as he tore another piece of his tunic and began to wrap it around the blood-soaked cloth already binding Ferri's leg.
"A little freak we found in the shopping complex; the same one we used to search your records and retrieve the images we wanted." The leader answered.
"Lida; you filthy…." Zak began.
The leader cuffed him on the side of the head, "Watch your mouth, boy." He threatened.
Zak glared at him, "And did you kill the younglings you didn't steal?" He asked.
"Well, first of all, we didn't steal anyone; we have a right to enforce our law. But that only extends to the ones from Belarid, so we didn't have the authority to do anything to the others; even if they are freaks, they aren't subject to Belaridian law." The leader answered.
"And Ferri; what law are you enforcing by taking him?" Zak asked.
"I told you; that has nothing to do with Belarid." The leader answered.
The young Jedi huffed and turned back to his friend who moaned and arched his back in pain, "Easy, Ferri." Zak said soothingly as he laid a hand on Ferri's forehead.
Ferri sighed and seemed to relax, but did not regain consciousness; Zak stroked his forehead and then pushed himself up, "Huh uh, you sit right back down there." The leader ordered.
"I'd like to comfort the younglings." Zak replied and then added, "They will probably be more cooperative if I do."
The leader thought about that for a moment before relenting, "Alright, just be quick; we're almost there." He said.
Zak moved to sit in front of them. Talking calmly and quietly, he answered their questions as best as he was able; and tried to assure them that everything would be alright as long as they did what they were told for the time being. Several minutes later, the transport entered the warehouse district and slipped into one of the abandoned buildings.