Chapter 16 A Meeting of Two Minds
"Finished!" Boba announced, pushing his chair away from the terminal.
"I've got several more files, why don't you help me?" Del asked.
"I'm going to leave you to it, Del; I've got something I need to do." Boba answered as he stood up.
"What do you need to do that is more important than this?" Dena wondered.
"I'm going to Bella." Boba told her.
"What? Boba, the Jedi are already searching." Dena pointed out.
"Well, it's time I joined them." Boba replied.
"Why?" Del asked.
"Because Zak is my friend; and I'm tired of sitting around here waiting for someone else to find him." Boba explained.
"But what about Devan and Kien? They're probably just waiting for you to show up." Dena reminded him, "They hate you."
"You're as bad as Breha; I'm no longer a helpless, fourteen-year-old kid. And if Moran hadn't shot me in the first place, I wouldn't have been helpless then either; I think I can handle the likes of Devan Carlyle and Kien Valier." Boba assured her.
Dena stood up and walked toward him, "Then I'm going with you." She decided.
"No way; it's too dangerous." Boba said.
"Either I go with you, or I tell the Queen and she'll have the Chancellor ground you." Dena threatened.
"Heh, heh, heh; Bail would never do that. Nice try, Dearest." Boba answered.
"Then I'll just borrow a ship and follow you." Dena countered.
Boba huffed more out of frustration than anger, "Did anyone ever tell you how stubborn you are?" He asked.
"You; on many occasions." Dena replied with a coy smile, "I believe you have told me it's one of my best qualities."
"Did I say that?" Boba questioned, "You must have heard wrong."
"Really? Well, I'm going; whether you like it or not." Dena insisted with resolve.
---------------
"Couldn't you have found a bigger ship, Kien?" Terak complained as he tried to shift to a more comfortable position.
"Since you invited yourself to this party, I don't think you have any right to complain." Kien retorted.
"Hey, listen, this whole thing was my idea." Terak pointed out.
"Yeah, an idea I wanted nothing to do with." Kien answered resentfully.
"Well, no one said you had to come, tough guy." Terak countered.
"Alright, that's enough from both of you; I wanted to do this, and that's all that's important." Devan cut in, "Terak, quit complaining about the ship, and Kien, quit complaining about the game."
"Fine; how much further is it? My seat is numb." Terak questioned.
"Then stand up; there's plenty of room for that. Better still, jettison yourself so we don't have to listen to you anymore." Kien told him.
"There's not enough head room to stand up; who did you get this ship from anyway, a Jawa?" Terak responded.
"Terak, just shut up." Devan ordered, "You're giving me a headache."
Terak huffed and shifted again, "Relax, Perrin, we're nearly there." Kien said.
-----------------
"Obi-Wan?"
"Yes, I feel it; time to call in some back up." Obi-Wan replied in response to Anakin's thought.
"I don't think we have time to wait." Anakin said anxiously.
"It would be unwise to..." Obi-Wan began.
"To let them get away; and they will if we wait." Anakin finished for him.
"Anakin..." Obi-Wan sighed in exasperation, knowing he had already lost this particular battle.
"Fine, I'll contact Padme and tell her we're on to something so she can contact the others; but then I'm going in...with or without you."
Obi-Wan shook his head, "After all these years and you have still not lost your impulsiveness." He said.
"You're a fine one to talk; if I remember correctly, you're the one who dove through a window several thousand feet from the ground after a droid." Anakin recalled.
"Yes, well...that was a long time ago, Anakin." Obi-Wan answered.
"And when you confronted a known assassin without back up; when was that, Obi-Wan?" Anakin pressed.
"He was going to bolt." Obi-Wan replied defensively.
"And so is Melak; and this time there are two of us." Anakin argued as he pulled out his comlink before Obi-Wan could respond, "Padme?"
"Anakin? Anything?" Padme answered.
"Yes, I believe so; have all teams converge on our coordinates." Anakin replied.
"I'll do that right now...you are going to wait for them aren't you?" Padme asked.
Anakin looked at Obi-Wan who raised an eyebrow, "Don't expect me to give you permission to lie to her." Obi-Wan sent through their ever-present bond.
Anakin scowled, "We'll try." He told her evasively causing the other Jedi to sigh and shake his head.
"Which means you won't." Padme guessed, "Just be careful."
"We will be." Anakin assured her.
"Well, I know at least one of you will be; I'll send the others to you." Padme said and then ended the transmission.
"That's not fair; you're not always careful either." Anakin complained to his former master as he replaced his comlink.
"More often than you are, my old Padawan." Obi-Wan replied.
-------------
"Ferri?" Shel called from the passengers' compartment.
Ferri looked up from his work at the pilot's console to see Shel's figure standing in the hatchway, "What?" He asked.
"I think there's something outside." Shel answered.
Ferri sighed, carefully wove the two wires in his hands together and then pulled himself up with groan, "It's probably just Zak; he said he wouldn't be gone long." He guessed.
"I don't think so, Ferri." Shel disagreed.
"Well, let's just have a look." Ferri replied as he hobbled out of the cockpit.
All of the younglings were huddled in the corner as he entered the compartment and Ferri looked at them in puzzlement, "There isn't anything to be afraid of." He assured them.
"There's something out there; we saw it move." Tullie said.
Ferri smiled reassuringly, "I'm sure there is life out there; that doesn't mean it's dangerous." He answered.
"But it was looking at us." Doyen protested.
"It was probably just curious, I don't think it's..." Ferri began and then halted abruptly as he caught sight of movement outside.
Knitting his forehead, he hobbled closer to the viewport just in time to find himself staring at a bearded face; he staggered back as the thing blinked at him, grunted and then moved away, "What is it, Ferri?" Tullie wondered.
"Well, it looks human, sort of; but I don't think it wanted to hurt us." Ferri answered, looking down at Tullie.
"Uh, Ferri." Shel beckoned, her voice wavering just a little.
Ferri looked back to see that the bearded face had brought more bearded faces, he counted six, all of which were now staring intently in at them.
Ferri took a deep breath, "Okay, now I'm getting a bad feeling about this; I want all of you to calmly stand up and walk slowly toward me." He instructed.
"What do they want, Ferri?" A youngling wondered.
"I don't know; but as big as they are, I would rather not find out." Ferri answered, "So do as I ask, alright?"
And they were big; by Ferri's estimate, at least three meters since they appeared to have a clear view inside the shuttle. Added to their size, was their primitive, feral appearance; unkempt beards and hair that looked as if it had never been trimmed, groomed or washed. They were clothed, if what they wore could even be categorized as clothes, in nothing more than untanned animal hides. But even more disturbing to Ferri was the sudden realization that these creatures were, in fact, Force sensitive, that they could sense he wanted to hide the younglings from them and they didn't like it, "Get into the cockpit; get in there now." He ordered urgently.
"But, it's dark in there, Ferri." The youngest, Saeri protested.
"I have a beam; Shel, get them in." Ferri insisted.
Shel nodded and began to heard them toward the cockpit hatchway, "Do as Ferri says and it will be alright." She told them reassuringly.
It didn't take the Force to know that the bearded primitives were clearly angry that the younglings were moving into the darkened cockpit. One of them emitted a deep rumble and slammed a balled fist against the transparisteel viewport aggressively. That was enough for the younglings who quickly scrambled behind Ferri. With the younglings now between him and the creatures outside, Ferri backed awkwardly into the relative safety of the cockpit; the rumbling increased as the remaining primitives joined in and the sound of fists pounding on transparisteel reverberated throughout the craft. Ferri mentally triggered the door controls and when the hatch slid closed, the rumbles turned into outraged howls followed by harder pounding and the young Jedi wondered just how long the transparisteel would hold up under such an onslaught. These were the growlers.
-------------
Zak's awareness returned gradually; at first only the sensation that he was lying on his back in the dark. His head pounded, but when he attempted to rub his forehead, he discovered he was unable to move his arms. He felt a sudden wave of panic as thoughts of paralysis crept into his disoriented mind. Then, taking a deep breath to stave off the panic, he began to make a mental assessment of his faculties. He had feeling and he could wiggle his fingers and hands, but could not as much as raise either arm. It took several minutes for him to understand that his arms were tied to whatever he was lying on; which, upon further thought, must be a raised mat. Further experimentation with his legs revealed feeling there as well as limited movement, but that they were similarly bound. It was only then that he realized that it was only dark because he had not opened his eyes; it took several more minutes of intense concentration to regain control of facial movement, at first only the ability to lick his lips, then twitch his nose before finally, with great effort raise his eyelids. Then it was several minutes after that before he could properly focus. He had already come to the conclusion that he had been taken captive, so it came as no surprise that the first thing he saw was a ceiling above him; turning his head, he found the mat was against one wall and raising his head slightly, changed that perspective as he found himself looking at yet another wall – the mat was in a corner. A turn of his head in the other direction revealed that he was not alone, "Welcome to the Lodge; I would wish to converse with you." A female voice greeted.
Squinting to bring the voice's owner into focus, Zak could now see a woman with a mane of long gray hair; her face wrinkled with apparent age seated nearby. Licking his lips once more Zak struggled to speak, Wh...who?"
"Since you are the intruder, I believe it is my place to ask who you are." She answered.
Zak glared at her for a moment, struggled against his restraints and attempted to speak again, "Wh..why?" He stammered, his eyes moving toward his bound arms.
"Ah, I see you are confused. Apologies. You fell from the sky and intruded on us; why did you do this?" The old woman wondered.
Zak closed his eyes and took several deep breaths in an effort to reconnect his befuddled mind with his mouth, "We...we had...no choice. Our ship...our ship was...dis...disabled and we...hit...tur... turbulence... lost control." He answered with great effort.
"There are those among us who are not pleased that you invaded The Mound." The woman informed him, "However, I have explained that you most likely did not do so deliberately."
Again Zak strained against his bonds, "Not...necessary." He assured her.
"So you say; we know not who you are or why you are here." The woman replied.
"We...we were...taken...from our...our home; and...and exiled here." Zak answered.
"Our? You have said this before; there are others then?" The woman questioned.
Zak closed his eyes and groaned out loud; in his confused state, he had revealed the existence his fellow Jedi, "Others will...come for us." He insisted, lamely.
The woman sighed and stood up, "That would be unwise." She said.
"Why?" Zak asked.
"This is our Lodge; we will defend it." The woman replied.
"We have...no wish to...to take your home..." Zak told her, "Only...only to return...to ours."
"And then you will reveal us to yet more intruders." The woman concluded.
Zak squinted at her, "Why...didn't you just...kill me if...you think that?" He demanded.
"That would be wrong." The woman answered.
"But you would...hold me prisoner?" Zak questioned, "How would that be...right?"
For the first time, the woman smiled, "Ah, because you, intruder, have the Power." She replied cryptically.
"What power?"
"You feel things; can you not?" The woman surmised.
Zak laughed weakly, "You mean...the Force?" He guessed, realizing that she too must be Force sensitive.
"If that is what you call it; and it is against our way to kill such a one." The woman informed him, "And so you were not left for the growlers. Now, I will know what you are called."
"Zak...my name is Zak."
" I am pleased to meet the intruder, Zak; and I am called Li." The woman answered, then seated herself once more and leaned forward, "Tell me about your others now."
"Not unless...you remove...these." Zak said, indicating his bonds.
"That I cannot do, Zak; give us the knowledge we seek willingly or you will suffer." The woman, Li warned and then closed her eyes.
Zak felt her push lightly into his mind, and he pushed back then raised his shields against her, "Resistance; that was not anticipated. However, it will not last." Li informed him as she stood up and turned away, "I will leave you to think further on this."
An opening appeared in the solid wall before her and the old woman stepped through it then looked back at him, "You would be wise to reconsider." She advised.
Zak did not reply and the woman shook her head and turned away; as she did so, the opening closed leaving the wall solid once more.