Chapter 21 The Beginning of the End
"And what of young Ferri? Will he accept it?" Ket wondered.
Park sighed sadly, "He will come to understand its necessity." Park answered.
Ket nodded, "Perhaps in time, he will." She conceded, "When will it be done?"
"I have already sent word; she will choose the time. Care must be taken or she will fail." Park replied.
Before Ket could respond, they were joined by another Clan member, slightly breathless and obviously excited, "Another ship has descended near the Mound, Park." He announced, "Could it be the ship the little ones believe is coming for them?"
"It would be fortunate if it is, Havit; it would leave hope for our young Jedi's companion." Park answered, "Let us go to meet them."
"And you should send word of this to the Lodge, Park." Ket suggested.
"When we are certain they are the Jedi's people, then I will send word. We all agreed there must be certainty before this can be done." Park told her.
"And if they are here for these Jedi and word does not reach her in time?" Ket questioned.
But Park shook his head, "We cannot chance altering the plan unless we are certain they have come for their lost ones. The longer we delay, the more Power will come under Li's control." He argued, "And the more chance there will be of failure."
With a sigh, Ket conceded, "I see the wisdom of your words, Park." She replied.
Park touched his fingers to her cheek, "It was a decision agreed upon by the Clan; any alteration must be presented to them even if I could see the need to do so." He said and then turned to Havit, "Let us waste no more time."
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After Anakin returned to the ship, Obi-Wan remained alone inside the trashed shuttle in order to better focus on sensing the missing Jedi. At first he encountered the strange barrier he would later learn Zak had encountered; but unlike his less experienced Padawan, the Master Jedi was able break through to sense what was hidden beyond it. What he found both heartened and disturbed him. The younglings, Ferri along with Shel appeared to be located somewhere in the hills to the west of the crash site; he could sense no fear or worry from them. Apparently, Ferri must have led them to a save place to hide, but it should not be difficult to find them. His Padawan's location was northward, but his condition was puzzling; it was as if his presence in the Force seemed somehow stretched, something Obi-Wan had no explanation for. And this stretching seemed to be preventing him from connecting with him. Of greater concern and most disturbing to the Jedi Master, however, was the state of Zak's mental shields, or rather, what was left of them; whoever, or whatever Obi-Wan had felt on the cruiser as they were traveling here, had ruthlessly torn through them without concern for what damage might have been done to the mind of the young Jedi.
They had arrived with the mistaken belief that Ferri was the one whose life was more endangered. But it was evident now that Zak was obviously the one in greater peril, and so there was no question of which way Obi-Wan must go. He sent a gentle wave of reassurance to his apprentice through their bond, but it was not answered, making it unclear whether or not Zak had even been able to sense it. Cody and most of his men were waiting patiently for orders when he emerged from the shuttle, "We are ready to go when you are, Master Kenobi." Cody informed him, "Just point us in the right direction."
"It appears our missing Jedi have split up; most of them have hidden themselves in those hills." Obi-Wan began, pointing to the west, "My apprentice is located somewhere to the north. While it may take time to find those hiding in the hills, I sense that Zak is being held against his will and is in considerable danger." Obi-Wan explained, "However, we must not lose sight of the fact that Master Skywalker's apprentice is injured and in need of medical attention; therefore, I would like you to take about ten of your men into the hills. I will take the remainder with me to the north; we will most likely meet with resistance from whoever is holding him."
"Maybe it would be better if I came along with you; I think Bell can handle the search for the others." Cody suggested.
Obi-Wan rubbed his beard for a moment and then smiled, "You want the action." He guessed, his eyes twinkling with mirth.
Cody returned the smile, but shook his head, "You're going to need me if there's a fight, sir." He countered.
Obi-Wan sighed, knowing he had no good reason against the clone commander coming with him, and nodded, "Very well." He conceded.
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After half an hour of aimless wandering, Terak was beginning to realize what a mistake it had been to separate from Devan and Kien; they, after all, had been the reason, aside from his sudden obsession with Devan, why he had persuaded them to return here. They were the trackers, and without them, it appeared he was somewhat lost...well, alright, most likely hopelessly lost. He began to wonder if he would even be able to find their ship again let alone his freakish brother and his friends. He slipped in between two trees...and came face to face with a primitive creature similar to the one Devan had shot. The creature took a step toward him as it brought one of its enormous hands up; Terak stepped back and raised his blaster rifle. With a grunt, the creature waved his arm and Terak slammed into the tree behind him and slid to the ground with a heavy sigh, the blaster rifle slipping from his hand.
The growler stepped closer cautiously, nudged the unconscious stranger with his foot, and then bent down to pick up the stranger's weapon. He examined it for a moment then shrugged and, holding it by the barrel, smashed it against the tree trunk above the stranger's head then dropped it. Bending down once more, he wrapped his hand around one of the stranger's arms and dragged him further into the trees.
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The silver cruiser burst out of hyperspace above Belarid and its pilot eased it toward the moon a short distance away. Boba loved this ship, its sleek, streamlined design made it one of the fastest ships he had ever flown; with this ship, they had managed to arrive in over half the time it would have taken a larger cruiser. As he moved closer to their destination, Dena switched on the tracking device; it emitted a slow blip - the crippled shuttle. Boba set his coordinates to follow it and in moments, they were in the turbulent atmosphere. As Boba's ship was considerably smaller than the ship Cody and the Jedi had, the trip through the upper atmosphere was rougher; but it handled well, and minutes later, the blip's frequency turned to a higher pitch. Dena spotted the rear of the shuttle poking out of a mound of dirt and with a nod, Boba slipped his ship into a space between its larger sister and the dirt mound. Turning to the two passengers seated behind him, Boba grinned, "Time to face the music, kids." He announced with more than a hint of malicious glee.
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Bell and his search party had not gone far when they happened upon Park coming to greet them. Although Park seemed to be friendly and cooperative, Bell remained suspicious, and ordered his men to take him into custody; then contacted Obi-Wan. If there was any argument against the Jedi having families, the dilemma Obi-Wan now found himself in supported it. He needed Anakin to take charge of questioning the stranger Bell had encountered, but Anakin was back onboard their ship waiting for Boba to arrive with his rebellious sons; and Obi-Wan was reluctant to call him away even though he and Padme now knew the boys were in safe hands. As difficult as it was for him, Obi-Wan was forced to abandon the search for his own Padawan in order to join Bell to see how trustworthy Park actually was. Leaving Cody and his men to continue on without him, Obi-Wan turned in the direction of the hills.
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Anakin Skywalker watched, arms crossed, as his two wayward sons were ushered up the boarding ramp by Boba Fett. Even the normally recalcitrant Luke appeared subdued and ashamed. Anakin scowled down at them, waiting.
"I'm sorry, Dad." Luke murmured.
"You should be; get inside, both of you." Anakin answered sternly.
"We didn't think, Daddy." Hadrian interjected.
"No, you didn't; inside...now." Anakin instructed with controlled restraint.
Without protest, both younglings slipped past him; Anakin extended a hand to the Mandalorian Clone, "Thank you, Boba." He said.
"There's nothing to thank me for, Master Skywalker; if I had checked my ship before we went into hyperspace, this whole mess could have been avoided." Boba replied.
"Don't be so hard on yourself; you had no way of knowing what those two were up to." Anakin insisted, squeezing the young man's hand warmly, "This was not your fault."
Boba shook his head and changed the subject, "So, now that I'm here, where's the best place to start looking?" He asked.
"Obi-Wan is conducting the search, so you should contact him to find out where he wants you to be." Anakin suggested, "I know you usually work alone, Boba, but there's something strange going on here, and it would probably be best if you didn't this time."
Boba shot him a puzzled look, but he did not press for any further explanation, "Alright; I'll take your word for it." He replied and then turned and started down the ramp; when he reached the ground at the foot of the ramp he turned to look up at the Jedi Master, "Don't be too hard on them, Master Skywalker; they were only trying to find a way to help."
"I know what they were trying to do; but they were impulsive and reckless. What would have happened if Master Rega had not noticed them missing when she had?" Anakin countered, "There has to be some consequence to their foolishness."
"I guess you've got a point." Boba conceded with a nod and then headed for his own ship.
Anakin turned and moved back into the cruiser; he had two younglings to deal with before he could join the search for the missing Jedi.
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"Another ship has joined the one at the Mound, Li; and now several of these off-worlders are approaching the Lodge. This cannot be good." Evista reported.
Li sighed and clasped her hands behind her back as she turned toward Evista, "I fear they will bring chaos, and we cannot have that; it appears it is time to consider using the weapon." She replied, "Have the watchers continue surveying our intruders; if they come too close, they must be impeded."
Evista nodded and left; Li sighed again as she followed him out, but turned in the opposite direction. It was time once again to meet with Asjen.
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As Zak consciousness spread throughout the Lodge, he began to understand the systems that powered it; and with that understanding, came the discovery of what Zak could only conclude was a powerful weapon. What Li was doing, he realized, was terribly wrong, and must be stopped; Zak knew he was the only one who could. He no longer concerned himself with rescue, because he knew that there would be no rescue from what he had to do. When he was finished, there would be no more harnessing of creatures such as the one whose primitive consciousness shared his prison and this weapon would never be used against any living creature.
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Geon entered the harnessing room quietly; but Asjen sensed her presence, "I was not aware your presence here was necessary." She said without turning to face her.
"Since I had a part in bending the intruder's will, I wished to see how he is adapting to harnessing." Geon answered.
"Quite well; there was some resistance, of course, but now it appears his entire consciousness has assimilated into our systems. His control of the Power is remarkable for one so young, and it will be a great addition when his companion joins him." Asjen explained and gestured to several panels along the wall, "He took those over without my programming."
Geon stepped closer, "Truly? If that is so, then it will be very good for the Lodge." She speculated.
Asjen smiled, "Oh yes; and Li will finally be strong enough to gain control of the Cave Clan." She added.
Geon shook her head, "Perhaps it is best to leave the Cave Clan to its fate; they have shown us no aggression." She countered.
"They stand as a symbol of resistance; you know this." Asjen argued, "Surely, you are not questioning Li's wisdom?"
Geon hesitated; she realized she was treading on dangerous ground by questioning Li's judgment, but surely even Asjen could see that the Elder leader was becoming greedy, "I have never questioned Li's judgment, you know this; however, I believe her grievance with the Cavers has...begun to cloud it." She replied, "Even you must see that."
Asjen turned to face her comrade and narrowed her eyes, "That is dangerous talk, Geon." She warned.
"I see." Geon said with a nod, "That you have begun to share Li's greed."
"And you begin to sound like a dissident; it will grieve Li to know that one of the Four has turned on her." Asjen answered.
"The time will come, Asjen, when more and more Lodgers will become what you call 'dissidents'; there is already unrest." Geon informed her.
Asjen dismissed her with a wave of her hand, "Dissidence will be..." She began and but was interrupted by a warning alarm sounding from one of the control panels.
"What is it?" Geon asked.
"I do not know yet." Asjen answered, moving toward the panel.
Geon slipped closer to the console next to Zak's stanchion, "Perhaps your Powerful dissident is revolting." she suggested.
"That is not possible." Asjen denied as she waved her hand over the panel, "Stay away from there, Geon."
"Apologies; I thought I could help." Geon replied as she turned her attention to the dark-haired young man suspended within the stanchion.
A moment later, Asjen brought the errant system under control, "It was probably Tog; he has always been erratic."
"Hmm..." Geon responded distractedly as she continued to regard the captive Jedi.
"In time, I believe this one will learn to..." Asjen started and was again interrupted by another alarm from another panel.
"I will have to speak with Li; it appears Tog has become much too erratic to be useful." Asjen decided, moving to the second panel just as another alarm sounded, "This cannot be!"
Geon stepped back, reaching out to touch the mind of the harnessed intruder; and then smiled, "Well, I will not distract you any further; you appear to have your hands full." She said as she slipped from the room nearly running into Li.
"Apologies; I was curious to see how the intruder was adjusting." Geon explained.
"And how did you find him?" Li asked.
"Subdued and under control." Geon lied.
Li regarded her for a moment, "Truly; he will be a great asset for the Lodge." She replied.
"Truly." Geon agreed and then nodded and turned down the hallway; there was no longer a need to move the intruder, Zak, on.
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Padme resisted the urge to hug the two boys as they were ushered into the cockpit by their father, "Sit down." Anakin ordered as he sat down on the arm of Padme's seat and crossed his arms.
Neither boy protested as they took their seats, "Now, I'm not going to ask you why you have done this; it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that you have caused Master Obi-Wan to conduct the search for our Jedi alone. Did you even stop to think about that?" Anakin demanded.
"No." Luke mumbled.
"No; and did you for one minute think that you would not be missed at the Temple?" Anakin asked.
"No." Hadrian whispered.
"No; or that your mother would be sick with worry about you?" Anakin asked.
"No." Both answered together.
"So, you did not do much thinking at all, did you?" Anakin surmised.
"I guess not, Daddy." Luke admitted, "I'm sorry."
"Yes, you should be; not only have you gotten yourself and Haddie in trouble, but Leia as well. Oh, don't look at me like that; did you really think someone wouldn't figure out her part in this?" Anakin continued.
Both boys shook their heads and stared at the floor, "Now, apologize to your mother." Anakin ordered.
Sorry, Mom." Luke murmured.
Anakin put a hand to his ear, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that." He said.
Luke sighed, "I'm sorry, Mom." He repeated, louder this time.
Anakin nodded and stood up, "I am not finished with you; but I have been kept from my part of this mission too long already, and I haven't quite figured out what kind of punishment you deserve. I may just turn you over to Master Windu." He told them and then pointed a finger at them, "In the meantime, you are not to leave this ship; is that understood?"
Two heads nodded; neither of them would look up at their displeased father. A tear dripped onto Haddie's boot, but he remained silent.
"I am very disappointed with both of you." Anakin finished as he bent down to kiss Padme's head and then stalked out.