Chapter 15 An Angry Mob
"Ellon Mothma! What would your mother say? A bounty hunter? I would have thought you would have been more discerning!" The Director exclaimed.
"He is not a bounty hunter; and you do not even know him, so you have no right to judge him." Ellon protested.
"His reputation is well known; imagine the scandal when this becomes public, your mother…." The Director replied.
"Yes, my mother; why do you think we had to be so secretive?" Ellon shot back, "All she thinks about is her public image."
"And she should…." The Director began.
"I hate to break this up, but I think there's more at stake here than the Vice Chancellor's reputation. Whether you like him or not, Boba Fett's life is on the line." Anakin interrupted.
Ellon straightened her back and looked at the Jedi, "I will do whatever is necessary to help him." She stated firmly and then looked at the Director, "Regardless of what it does to my mother's public image."
"Well, your friend is being arraigned in less than two hours; if you want to help him, you will come with us to present an alibi for him." Obi-Wan suggested.
"Yes, of course; I should have come forward before, but I did not think it would go this far." Ellon explained.
"So you are just going to leave school now?" The Director wondered.
"Yes, I have no choice; Boba should not have to pay for something he did not do. Mother will understand….eventually." Ellon answered.
The Director shook her head, "I hope you are right, Ellon." She replied, "I will relay messages to the instructors of your remaining classes; should I contact your mother as well?"
"No, I should do that myself." Ellon said.
"Very well; and can we expect to attend your classes tomorrow?" The Director asked curtly.
"As long as this is finished by tomorrow, yes." Ellon answered.
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"I don't believe it." Mon Mothma said as she paced the sitting room floor.
"Well, believe it, Mother." Ellon answered calmly from her seat.
"Why, Ellon? What are you rebelling against that you would take up with…with…?" Mothma trailed off, shaking her head.
"He isn't what you think, Mother." Ellon insisted, "He's kind and considerate; he has tried so hard to live down the reputation he inherited from his father. Why doesn't anyone want to give him a chance to prove himself?"
"But he's killed, Ell; and, Master Kenobi, did you not tell me that he was with Jango Fett when you tried to apprehend him on Kamino? And that he was the one who fired missiles at you?" Mon Mothma asked.
Obi-Wan sighed, "That was, what, eight years ago? He was only ten, and he was being raised by a bounty hunter; I would have been very surprised if he had not defended Jango, he thought he was his father, he still thinks of him in that way. As to killing, the only one I'm aware of is the other mercenary who was hired by the New Trade Alliance to sabotage the Air Corps on Naboo, and he has already answered for that; and since that time, he has become a respectable member of the Republic." He explained, "How much good does that young man have to do before he is finally free of the reputation he was saddled with by Jango Fett?"
The Vice Chancellor stopped pacing and rubbed her temple, "I don't know; perhaps he is being judged to harshly. But I have yet to hear an explanation for that weapon found up on that terrace." She replied.
Obi-Wan shook his head, "If you knew Boba Fett, you would know he would not be foolish enough to leave it where it could be found so readily. But then, you have been told this before, so apparently, aside from being a ruthless mercenary, you also think him fool." He answered.
Silence prevailed while Mon Mothma considered Obi-Wan's last statement, "Your words contain much wisdom, Master Kenobi." She finally admitted, "And now, I believe my daughter and I should meet with Bail's defender; I'm sure he will be relieved to know his client now has a small chance for exoneration."
"Very good, Vice Chancellor." Obi-Wan said as he stood and bowed to her, "We shall see you at the arraignment hearing then."
"Yes, Ell and I will both be there." Mon assured him.
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Boba had just slipped on the second boot when his cell door slid open and the examiner, Hannon, and two guards entered, "Stand up." Hannon ordered.
Boba obeyed without protest, "Now turn around and put your hands behind your back." The examiner continued.
Boba sighed and shook his head, but again, did as he was told, "I take it's time for my hearing." He said.
"Yes." Hannon answered, "Bind him."
One of the guards stepped forward and clamped a pair of binders around his wrists. Hannon checked to be sure they were tight and then took him by the arm and led him out of the cell. Four additional guards were waiting for them in the corridor, and Boba was escorted down hallway to the lift; and from there down another hallway to the waiting prison transport. Bound and surrounded by half a dozen guards, Boba realized he would have to wait if he hoped to have a chance for a successful escape. One of the guards moved ahead and stepped up into the transport to pull Boba inside; the guard led him to a seat toward the middle and pushed him down before he had a chance to seat himself. Another guard secured his shoulder harness and sat down in the seat next to him. Hannon made his way back to where Boba was, checked to be sure he was secured and then turned around to return to the front of the coach. "How long will this take?" Boba asked.
Hannon turned around and gazed at him coldly, "How long will what take? This trip? Twenty minutes or so. How long will your arraignment take? Well, with so much evidence against you, I rather doubt it will take more than five minutes for the advocate to decide to take it to the next level." Hannon answered, "Why don't you just confess and save the Republic the cost of a lengthy trial?"
"How about because I didn't do it." Boba answered.
"Right." Hannon retorted and turned his back on him.
Boba sighed and shook his head; he didn't stand a chance.
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Bail sat propped up with several pillows behind him; when his request for release from the medical center had been denied, he ordered a live feed be transmitted to his room. If he could not be there in person, at least he could witness the proceedings. Haris Averill, who had wasted no time when he heard what had happened and had taken the first available transport from Alderaan, was seated in Breha's chair near the bed. The Queen, along with Gemma, was already present in the hearing chamber; there had been no debate on whether or not they would attend. Bail shifted uncomfortably, impatient for the hearing to begin, and yet apprehensive at the almost certain outcome. And with that outcome, the question of what Boba would do. He knew his stepson well, and while he had softened measurably over the four and a half years he had been with them, he had lost none of his foolhardiness, "You are concerned that he will try to escape; aren't you." Haris said.
Bail sighed, "Yes, Haris; I fear he will try." He admitted, "And I fear what will happen to him if he does."
"Even though he knows we are all behind him, you think he will try?" Haris wondered.
"He is not stupid; he will know that all the support in the galaxy will not help him if there is no evidence to prove his innocence. Yes, I think he will try." Bail answered.
"I pray you are wrong." Haris replied.
"As do I, Haris; as do I." Bail concurred.
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The plaza surrounding the government complex was crowded with onlookers eager to catch their first glimpse at their Chancellor's assailant. Hannon shook his head; as if taking care that his prisoner could not escape wasn't enough, now he had to concern himself with his safety…not to mention the safety of his men. Who, he wondered, had leaked the news of the boy's arraignment? He made a mental note to seek out the fool and have him dismissed. As the prison shuttle docked, Hannon stood up and faced the six handpicked men chosen to guard Boba Fett, "Alright, if I had known we were going to have to face a mob, I would have brought more men; but we are going to have to deal with this as best we can ourselves. Be vigilant; take care that he does not bolt, but be extra careful he is not harmed; the last thing we want is to anger the Chancellor any further. He is already greatly displeased that this boy is implicated at all." He informed them, "Are you ready?"
The guards nodded, "Yes, sir." They confirmed.
"Very well, I want two of you in front of him, two behind him and one on each side." Hannon instructed.
The guard sitting next to Boba stood up and unfastened his harness then pulled him to his feet; another guard took him by the arm and led him forward.
"Alright, let's get this over with; move quickly." Hannon told them and then pointed to the two nearest to him, "You two, go ahead of him; push your way through…use force if necessary."
The two nodded and pulled heavy batons from their belts before moving to the front of the shuttle. Hannon took a deep breath and took Boba by the arm, "When we get to the door, I will go out behind the first pair; one of you take hold of him to be sure he doesn't fall. We will not move forward until everyone is off the coach and in place. Is that understood?" He continued.
Again the guards nodded and confirmed with quiet 'yes, sirs'; Hannon nodded in satisfaction and the pilot triggered the door. The first pair stepped off, pushing the crowd back to make room for the rest of them. Hannon scanned the crowd before stepping down onto the platform and reaching up to guide his prisoner who was unable to steady himself for the step down; the guard behind him kept a firm hand on his other arm until Boba was firmly down before stepping down himself, followed quickly by the remaining three guards. Boba swallowed as the crowd hemmed in around them; their faces hostile and full of hate. Under normal circumstances, he would not have been so nervous; but he was completely helpless to defend himself, and knowing Hannon and the guards shared the sentiment of the crowd, he had little faith they would protect him if the crowd turned into a mob. With the two guards in front shouldering a path toward the Justice building, the two on each side preventing the crowd from pushing in too closely and the two behind ensuring they were not mobbed from behind, they managed to reach their destination without incident. There were four wide steps leading up to the landing in front of the door; the first guards had climbed the steps and had just reached the landing when the first object flew toward them. It missed, but even as that sole object landed on the ground nearby, another followed, followed by another and another. Hannon's worst fear had just been realized, the crowd had turned into an angry mob, "Go, go, go." He ordered and pulled Boba up the remaining steps, pushing the lead guards toward the door. His only thought now was getting them all inside without injury. By the time the first guards had reached the door, the number of objects was such that it was becoming difficult to avoid them. Then, just as the middle guard, with Hannon and Boba between them, reached the door, one of those objects found its target and with a moan, Boba dropped, stunned to his knees, "Damn it." Hannon swore, dragging Boba to his feet, "Help me."
The guard on the opposite side took Boba's other arm and half dragged, half carried him into the lobby of the building. Hannon breathed a sigh of relief as the doors closed behind the rear guards and then turned back to his prisoner, still on his knees, but nodding to the guard squatting in front of him, "Is he alright?" Hannon asked.
"I believe so, sir." The guard replied as he stood up.
"Good, then get him up; we're late already." Hannon answered.
"Thanks for your concern." Boba said sarcastically, allowing the guard to pull him to his feet.
"You're lucky I'm here instead of Acken; he would have given you to them." Hannon told him as he led the way toward the lifts.
"That's comforting." Boba answered.
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At the Temple, Dena found it impossible to find her calm center. She was beginning to doubt that Ell would be capable of helping Boba alone. What if they didn't believe her? What if she wasn't enough? In an effort to ease her anxiety, Dena headed for the training floor; maybe extra exercises and sparring practice would help keep her mind from what was about to take place in the government sector. She kept telling herself what Ell had told her; over and over she murmured quietly, "It will be alright, it will be alright, it will be…."