Chapter 17 Confrontation, Escape and Rescue
After waiting nearly three hours for Telia and her group to appear, Melak decided Terak had been right and that she more than likely had been caught and arrested; that left him wondering what information had been forced from her. If she had revealed where they had agreed to meet with the additional younglings, then their cause was in peril and they would have to abandon Telia and her followers to their fate; it was time to leave. Triggering the comm next to his bunk, Melak hailed the cockpit, "I don't think Telia is coming; get clearance and prepare to lift off." He ordered.
Silence.
"Janek? What are you doing up there, taking a nap?" He demanded angrily, "Answer me."
Silence.
"Damn it, answer me." He ordered and then huffed angrily when his order was followed by continued silence.
Melak launched himself off the bunk and slammed his palm on the door trigger. He had been hoping to send a runner to the cockpit to wake the bantha-brained Janek, but the corridor was empty. Muttering with annoyance, Melak stalked toward the forward section of the ship, "Going somewhere, Melak?" A voice inquired as a hooded figure stepped in front of him.
Melak pulled his sidearm and aimed it at the figure, "Oh, I would reconsider if I were you." Another voice advised from behind him.
Melak whirled around to come face to face with another hooded figure, this one holding the glowing weapon of a Jedi Knight before him. A hum behind him, and Melak knew without turning that a matching one had been powered up at his back, "Fools, I'm not alone you know." Melak declared.
The figure behind him chuckled and the one facing him reached up to pull his hood back, "Yes, we are well aware of that, Melak." He replied.
"Well, I should have known you would be here." Melak stated upon seeing the ginger-colored hair previously hidden by the hood, "Still watching out for your pet freak, Kenobi?"
"Where are they, Melak?" The other demanded.
Melak turned to face the other, still-hooded figure, "Not here." He answered.
"We sensed that much; where have you left them?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Where they belong, in exile." Melak replied.
"I can force it from you." The hooded one warned.
"Why can't you just leave us alone?" Melak asked.
"Leave you alone? You invaded our Temple, you murdered two Jedi, you stole our younglings; what makes you think you have the right to be left alone?" The hooded Jedi answered angrily, jabbing an accusing gloved finger at the extremist with every emphatic 'you'.
"Those little freaks belong to Belarid; if those Jedi hadn't tried to stop us, they would not have died." Melak insisted.
The gloved hand turned into a fist, and the hooded Jedi took a step toward Melak, "Easy, Anakin." Obi-Wan said quietly.
"I'm losing my patience." The hooded Jedi replied through clenched teeth.
Obi-Wan smiled, "You must forgive my friend; you see, the other apprentice you abducted along with the younglings is his. He also knows the boy was injured during during the attack, he felt it; so you see, he is not very happy right now. And certainly not very patient; if I were you, I would tell us what we want to know before he forces it from you, because that will be very uncomfortable." He explained with characteristic patience.
Melak backed up to the wall, "HELP!! INTRUDERS!!! INTRUDERS!!" He screamed.
Obi-Wan shook his head and sighed, "That was foolish, my friend." He stated.
When Melak turned to look at him, Anakin blindsided him with his prosthetic fist then pulled his hood back, "Now what?" He asked as the extremist crumpled.
"This is why we should have waited for Cody." Obi-Wan replied with another sigh as he bent down to pull the unconscious Belaridian upright, "Take his other arm; we should at least get out of site before his friends come."
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Bail stood on next to the sleek cruiser with his arms folded, "I wish you would at least take a squad with you, Boba." He said.
"There are plenty of men out there already, Bail; besides, a bigger ship would be slower. It's alright, I know what I'm doing." Boba insisted.
Bail sighed, "I know you think you do; but these people are ruthless, son. And with those two criminals out there with them, I..."
"I know, I know; but I'm older now, and stronger. I'll be alright." Boba insisted and then grinned, "And I'm taking my Jedi bodyguard with me."
"She is not a Jedi, Boba; you know that, she should not even be going with you." Bail replied.
Boba rolled his eyes, "Just because she left the Jedi doesn't mean she forgot everything she was taught. We'll be fine." He assured the older man.
Bail shook his head, "Just try not to be too reckless; you know how Breh worries." He said laying a hand on his stepson's shoulder.
"I know." Boba replied solemnly and then turned toward the ship, "I'd better get going, Dena will think I took off without her."
"Report in every hour; and if there is trouble, I want you to tell me." Bail instructed.
"Yes, sir." Boba answered.
Bail nodded and patted the young man on the back, "I will not tell you to be careful, because I know you will not be." He said.
Boba turned to face him, "I won't be reckless, Bail, I promise." He vowed sincerely, "I have too much to live for."
Again Bail nodded and clasped Boba's arm; Boba clasped Bail's in return and squeezed it firmly before both men broke their holds, "I won't tell you not to worry because I know you will." Boba said, "But I will report in regularly."
"Good luck." Bail answered in reply.
Boba smiled, "I'll need that." He admitted and then headed up the ramp into the ship.
Bail stepped back as the ramp closed and then moved away as the ship's engines whirred into motion and the ship lifted off and slipped out of the docking bay, "Be careful, son." Bail whispered as the cruiser banked and headed toward the Jedi Temple.
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Four-year old Jared squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears as the racket in the passenger compartment continued. In the cramped cockpit, the fear amongst the younglings was palpable. Ferri rushed to complete the task he had been working on when Shel had called him away; if he could at least get the comm and homing beacon working, he could try to summon help. Shel murmured words of comfort while trying to control her own mounting fear. Saeri yelped as a tremendous crash signaled the shattering of one of the transparisteel viewports; Tullie put a comforting arm around her just as another viewport shattered, followed closely by a third and fourth. It was only a matter of time before the behemoths gained entrance to the compartment, and they had no way of knowing how long the hatch between it and the cockpit would hold; Ferri took a deep cleansing breath and closed his eyes, praying that he had enough time to finish. Several thumps followed by grunts and rustling, and the young Jedi all realized the savage humanoids were now inside the ship, "Ferri?" Shel whispered anxiously.
"Got it." Ferri responded quietly and adjusted one of the controls.
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On Coruscant, the young Jedi manning the comm was the first to hear Ferri's transmission; a weak, broken signal, "This is Fe------tis, I d----------ere we---. Zak Per-------to try to find--------are, but--------turned. We-----der attack. Send----; hurry, I---t know how------hold out. I have-----ed to get------ing beac--wor----. Send help, hur..."
"Master Derek!" The young Jedi called excitedly.
Derek moved swiftly to stand behind his charge, "Can-----hear----. This----ri Cor---; un-----tack. Hom---Bea---wor----. Send he--; re----t, sen----."
"Can you answer him, Pel?" Derek asked.
"I don't think so, their comm must be damaged." Pel answered.
"That's unfortunate; there's no way for them to know they've been successful." Derek replied with a sigh, "It sounds as if he's managed to trigger a homing beacon though; are we getting that signal?"
Pel typed a code into his keyboard, "Yes, Master; it appears he's learned a thing or two from Master Skywalker." He said.
"Well, that's a piece of good news. Keep monitoring that signal; I'm going to notify Master Windu." Derek instructed.
Within minutes, Mace Windu had joined them and was rubbing his chin thoughtfully while listening intently to Ferri's broken message, "How long has he been transmitting?" He asked.
"About ten minutes, Master Windu." Derek answered, "And there is now an active homing beacon."
"And we cannot let him know we are getting this?" Mace wondered.
"No, Master; I've been trying without success." Pel confirmed.
"Well, I suppose it is enough that we now have something to track." Mace decided, "I will contact Master Kenobi with the beacon's frequency. Keep monitoring this and let me know if anything changes."
"Yes, Master." Pel and Derek replied in unison.
"-----run-------time; ---must h----, ------brea------. Hur-" Ferri's voice was suddenly cut off at the sound a muffled grumble.
Mace moved forward to look over Pel's shoulder, "Have you lost the transmission?" He asked.
Pel hit several buttons and then turned to look up at him, "No, Master Windu; the channel is still open." He answered.
As if to confirm Pel's assessment, several more strange rumblings were heard, followed by muffled voices, "What is that?" Mace asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine, Master Windu." Derek replied as he moved closer.
Mace shook his head in puzzlement, "Well, keep monitoring it; but whatever is going on, it is probably not good. We can only hope that Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker are not too far from that signal." He said.
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Melak mumbled a protest through the gag binding his mouth and struggled to free himself from the makeshift bonds holding him to the back of the chair he was seated on. When that proved unsuccessfully, he attempted to wriggle out of similar bonds securing his ankles both together and to one chair leg, "Save you strength, Melak; you're not going anywhere." Anakin told him.
Melak responded with muffled curses as he glared hatefully at the pair of Jedi holding him captive.
"We tried to do this the easy way, but now you've left us no choice." Anakin said, ignoring Melak's apparent obscenities.
With a shake of his head, Obi-Wan moved behind the extremist and placed his hands on Melak's shoulders, took a deep breath and closed his eyes; Anakin waited for a moment, "Last chance, Melak." He warned.
Melak struggled to free himself from Obi-Wan's grip and mumbled angrily; Anakin shook his head, "Alright, don't say I didn't warn you." He replied and then placed his hands on each side of Melak's head, breathed deeply, exhaled and then closed his eyes. Merging first with the Force, and then with Obi-Wan, he plunged into Melak's mind, ruthlessly ripping through the Belaridian's mental defenses. Melak moaned in protest and in pain as he tossed his head from side to side trying to escape Anakin's probe. With a final moan, Melak realized the futility of resistance and opened his mind to the Chosen One, revealing the much sought after location of the exiled innocents. As Anakin withdrew, Obi-Wan remained linked with the extremist, easing, as always, the rawness of the intrusion. Melak mumbled several weak protestations, but it was clear that the probe had drained the fight from him. He sat slumped in the chair and would no longer even look at the young Jedi Master standing before him, "I'm sorry, Melak; you left us no choice." Anakin said apologetically.
With a cleansing sigh, Obi-Wan then withdrew, "Master Kenobi, the ship is secure." Cody's voice sounded on Obi-Wan's comm.
"Thank you, Cody; and we have Melak Perrin and the location of the exiled Jedi. Turn your prisoners over to the local authorities until the Chancellor can send a transport to pick them up and return to the ship." Obi-Wan instructed.
"Very Good, Master Kenobi." Cody answered and ended the transmission.
"What do we do with him?" Anakin asked.
"Well, we can't leave him here." Obi-Wan replied and then removed Melak's gag.
Melak coughed, "Meddling freaks." He gasped venomously.
Anakin pursed his lips and shook his head, but remained silent.
Ignoring Melak's insult, Obi-Wan pushed the extremist forward, "I am not going to free your hands, but I am going to free your legs; if you fight or attempt to escape, however, I will be forced to bind you again and Master Skywalker and I will drag you back to our ship." He explained as he removed the bedding strip holding him to the chair, "Do I make myself clear, Melak?"
"Crystal clear, Master freak." Melak answered hoarsely.
Obi-Wan nodded and bent down to untie Melak's ankles, "Go ahead, Melak." Anakin urged as Melak tensed to kick out, "I'd just love to drag you back trussed up like prized swamp turkey."
Realizing the truth behind Anakin's veiled threat, Melak allowed Obi-Wan to untie him without a fight.
Taking him by the arm and pulling him to his feet, Obi-Wan guided the Belaridian to the door; Melak staggered off balance and Anakin took his other arm.
"Anakin?" Padme's voice echoed from his comm.
With his prosthetic hand gripping Melak's arm tightly, Anakin triggered his comm with his other hand, "Have Captain Antilles ready the ship; we know where they are." Anakin replied.
"Annie, they've had a transmission from Ferri; and he's managed to activate a homing beacon. Captain Antilles is receiving the signal now. It looks like one of Belarid's moons." Padme answered.
Anakin nearly dropped his comm, "Did you say they've heard from Ferri? Is he alright?" He asked.
"I don't know Anakin; the transmission wasn't that clear." Padme said, "But we can track them now; get back here so we can leave."
"They're on Bella; and since that homing beacon is working, we can go right to them." Anakin told her, "We'll be there in a few minutes."
"We'll be ready to leave as soon as you're onboard." Padme said, ending the transmission.
Anakin's eyes met Obi-Wan's, "We'll have them home in a few hours." Anakin stated, triggering the door and pulling Melak behind him as he entered the corridor.
"If the Force is with us." Obi-Wan replied as he followed Melak.
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Zak decided he had no more time to waste trying to reason with his captors. He needed to return to the shuttle; whatever these growlers were, Zak feared the injured Ferri would not be able to defend Shel and the younglings. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Zak focused on one of Obi-Wan's earliest lessons:
"Your focus determines your reality; focus on the muscles in your arms, relax them, tense them and relax them again, and your bonds will loosen."
Relax, tense, relax, tense, breathe; relax, tense, relax, tense, breathe...Zak put the lesson into practice, gradually feeling more and more freedom of movement until he was able to slip his hands through the loosened bonds. Triumphantly, he sat up and began to remove the tethers holding his legs.
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"I would not have thought that possible; his Power is great." Li observed as Zak began to free himself.
"Power to harness?" Geon asked.
"That may be; and the Power of his others? Together they could be useful against the Cave Clan." Li answered.
"If his others have the Power." Geon replied.
"If they do not, then they will go to the growlers." Li decided.
"I doubt he will betray them, and his will, as you have said, is strong." Geon countered.
"It is a shame he would not converse; we must break his will." Li replied as she continued to watch the young Jedi.
"And risk damaging him? We could lose his Power." Geon argued turning to the older woman.
Li sighed and tugged absently at a strand of her gray hair, "That is a truth; it would be wasteful." She admitted, taking her eyes from her captive to gaze at Geon, "We must find another way."
When the pair turned their attention back to their captive, the mat was empty and Zak was nowhere to be seen; with a wave of her hand, Li opened a pathway into the room and stepped in.
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Zak felt along the wall, trying to find another opening similar to the one Li had used on what he hoped would be an outside wall; reaching out, he allowed the Force to show him the way. Just as it had for Li, it opened for him; he stepped through and found himself, not outside, but in another, smaller room. Zak shook his head and sighed, "Not good, Zak; not good." He mumbled to himself, but before he could search for another opening, he heard Li's angry voice and then a clanging which, he decided must have been an alarm. Realizing he was running out of time, he quickly began to search for another opening away from the room he had just escaped from. It only took him a moment to realize there was no other opening; he was trapped. He heard several muffled voices now along with Li's; backing up against the far wall, Zak prepared to defend himself from the attack he was sure would come.
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"We are running out of time. You must hurry; they're breaking in. Hu..." Ferri stopped in mid-word as Shel laid a hand on his arm.
Turning toward her, and followed her gaze to the, now opened, hatchway. Standing in the doorway was one of the bearded giants; ignoring the pain in his leg, Ferri pulled himself up and moved between the creature and the younglings huddled around the control panel, "You can't have them." He said, picking up the bar Zak had used to pound on the door.
The savage took a step into the cockpit, grumbling as he raised a hand to fend off any assault Ferri might attempt, "I'm warning you, stay away from them." Ferri threatened.
The growler seemed to bark something and another appeared behind him in the hatchway, barking back; Ferri hefted the bar in his hands, preparing to defend the younger Jedi to the best of ability. He had already decided that Zak had become a victim of these vicious creatures, and was prepared to join his friend in death. The first giant took another step closer and the second entered crowding the first while a third now appeared in the doorway. Ferri licked his lips, took a deep breath and swung at the encroaching growler. The bar connected with the creature's arm and it howled in pain and swung back in defense, barely missing the young Jedi's head. Ferri swung again, striking the giant again, and again the growler howled, but this time reached out and wrapped the hand of his uninjured arm around the bar. The move threw Ferri off balance and he lost his grip on the bar. With a low grunt, the growler had the advantage and swung the bar at the defenseless Ferri. Ferri evaded the swing easily as the creature had only the use of one arm. Commotion in the outer compartment drew the giant's attention and he turned away from Ferri returning the advantage to the young Jedi who managed to wrest control of the bar away from it. And before the giant could react, Ferri downed the creature with a blow to the head. With a great moan, it dropped to the floor in front of the second growler who grumbled angrily and glared at Ferri as it moved to help his fallen companion. The noise in the passengers' section increased and the third growler, who had been watching the struggle within suddenly turned away with a startled bark. The second growler dragged his companion to the hatchway and peered out, yipped and then attempted to close the hatch. Not wanting to be trapped in the cockpit with two apparently hostile beings, Ferri launched himself forward driving the giant out of the confining space. Ferri waited, expecting the creature to launch another attack; but the commotion outside the cockpit ceased. Puzzled, he moved toward the hatchway, careful not to expose himself, he peeked out. The compartment was a shambles; seats had been ripped out and shards of shattered transparisteel littered the floor. But there was no sign of the bearded giants who had laid the siege. A small hand gripped the back of his tunic and he turned to see Saeri standing behind him, "Where'd they go, Ferri?" She whispered.
"Into the trees where they came from, Little One." Someone said.
Ferri held the bar before him, "I am not one you should fear, Young Warrior."
"Then come out so I can see you." Ferri demanded.
A figure dressed in homespun trousers and tunic stepped into Ferri's line of vision, "You see, nothing to fear. The growlers have gone, well, except that one." He said.
"Growlers?" Ferri questioned without moving from his defensive position.
"That is what we call them, yes; they came for your little ones." The stranger informed him.
"And what have you come for?" Ferri asked suspiciously.
"We saw your fall from the sky; this is not a safe place to be." The stranger answered.
"Yes, I've figured that out for myself." Ferri replied.
The man smiled and shook his head, "Oh, Young Warrior; the growlers are not the only danger here." He corrected, "The Lodge Clan will not take kindly to you invading their mound."
"What mound?" Ferri wondered.
"The one you are in now." The stranger explained.
"It's a pile of dirt." Ferri said.
The stranger sighed, "You know nothing; it is not safe here, you must bring your little ones and come with me." He instructed, somewhat impatiently.
"I don't think so." Ferri replied.
"The growlers will return for him; or worse yet, the Lodgers will find you." The stranger told him, "And they will want you."
"What is this Lodge Clan?" Ferri asked.
"We have no time for this; the Lodgers want your Power, it is what they have always wanted." The stranger answered.
"What?"
"You have the Power; I can feel it in you. Bring your little ones, and when we are safely back, I will explain everything." The stranger promised, "Please, time is short."
Ferri wavered, "I don't know..." He hedged.
The stranger closed his eyes for a moment, and Ferri felt him slip easily through his shields, "Where I come from, that is considered a violation." Ferri said.
"Apologies; we have no such restrictions. I merely wished to understand your reluctance; I see now that you are concerned for the one called Zak. He has been taken to the Lodge." The stranger informed him.
The growler moaned and shifted slightly, "He will not be down long; you must make your decision now." The stranger insisted, "What will you do, Young Warrior, Ferri?"
"I'm not a warrior, I'm a Jedi; and since you know my name, I think it's only fair that I know yours." Ferri replied.
"Name?" The stranger repeated, "That which we are called? Ah, yes, I understand; I am called Park."
Ferri sighed, "Well, I don't much like the sound of this Lodge Clan; and I really don't think I'm up to taking on any more of your growlers, so I guess I have to trust you." He decided.
"That gladdens me; bring your little ones and I will lead the way." Park instructed, "We must be swift, too much time has already gone past; and when we are safe, then I will tell you everything you wish to know."
Ferri nodded, "What about Zak, Ferri?" Kylin asked.
"We'll think of something." Ferri told her, "Let's just get out of here before those growler things come back."
"A wise statement, young Jedi." Park said as he waited until they were all out of the cockpit and a safe distance from the wounded growler.
With Park leading the way, and Ferri hobbling behind, the small party moved away from the shuttle, and away from the Lodge toward a cluster of large hills.