Chapter 32 Black's Dark Plan
"Was it helpful?" Bail asked as Boba entered the sleeping room.
"What?" Boba asked evasively.
"Your visit with Black…oh come now, do not look so surprised, you already know about Kale." Bail answered, "As soon as you entered the Detention Center, Kale contacted us."
"Oh yeah, I guess he would do that." Boba admitted, smiling, "Do you really think it was necessary to have me tracked?"
"Yes; we do not know that there is not another assassin just waiting out there. You are a member of this family, Boba, and just as vulnerable as any of us." Bail told him, "I do not wish to…"
"You're still thinking about what happened four years ago." Boba answered with a nod, "I understand; but I'm not a fourteen year old boy anymore; and I'm capable of taking care of myself."
"I know you think you are; but any…." Bail began, then sighed and changed his tact, "Boba, look at me; do you think me capable of taking care of myself?" Bail asked.
Boba looked at him quizzically, "What does that have to do with anything?" He asked.
"Just answer me; do you believe I am capable of taking care of myself?" Bail asked again.
"Well, yes, of course, but…." Boba began, suddenly realizing Bail had backed him into a corner.
"Yes; and yet, you see what happened to me." Bail reminded him.
Boba sighed and threw up his hands in surrender, "Alright, alright; I get you point. Even I'm not completely invulnerable." He conceded, "I guess I'll just have to learn to live with having a bodyguard for a while."
Breha smiled at him from the doorway, "Do not think of him as a bodyguard, Dear; he is more along the lines of backup in case you need it." She interjected.
"Alright, I suppose I can accept that." Boba replied.
"Good; now that we have settled that, why do you not tell us why you felt it necessary to see Black?" Bail prompted.
"You don't even know that I saw him." Boba replied evasively.
Bail shook his head and Breha crossed her arms as they both regarded him in silence, "Alright, so I did see him." Boba finally had to admit.
"You wanted to know how much you are like him." Bail surmised.
Boba nodded, "Yeah, I guess that was part of it; the other part was…well, I just wanted to…this is hard." He answered as he struggled to put his explanation into words.
"You wanted confirmation that you were not like him." Bail stated.
"Yeah; it was stupid, I know." Boba replied.
"No, not stupid; he looks just like you, like Jango, in every way. I cannot imagine how hard it must be for you to understand how you can be any different from him." Breha said as she entered the room to grip his arm, "You do know you are different from him, do you not?"
"I knew that, I think; I just had to be sure. I'm nothing like him." Boba answered confidently.
Bail smiled warmly, "No, you are not; I am happy that you can finally be sure of it." He said.
"What I still don't understand, though, is how he managed to get that weapon. I tore that armor up, and dismantled the weapons on it completely." Boba wondered.
"I think I can answer that." Mon Mothma said.
"I do not recall extending an invitation to you, Vice Chancellor." Breha replied as she turned to glare at the other woman who was now standing in the doorway.
"I…I'm sorry; your servant let me in….I did not mean to intrude, I apologize." Mon answered as she moved back out into the hallway and turned to leave.
"Vice Chancellor, wait." Boba requested, moving to stop her.
"It's alright, uh…Boba; I have never been one to stay where I am not welcome." Mon replied, "And after what I have done, it is understandable that I am not welcome here."
"I thought all that was settled." Boba questioned, turning back to look at Breha.
"There are some wounds that are hard to heal." Mon told him, "The one that I caused runs very deep."
"I'm sorry then; because I seem to be the one who caused all this." Boba replied apologetically.
"No, you haven't; my…biased attitude toward you has caused this. It is not one of my….better traits." Mon told him.
Breha sighed and seemed to give a little, "Very well; I cannot promise the friendship we once had, Mon, but I should at least be civil to you." She relented.
"Thank you; I truly am sorry for what I put him through." Mon said, "I only came here to tell you what we learned from Black; it seems your father…."
"He wasn't my father." Boba interrupted and then turned back to look at Bail, "He's just the one who had me cloned."
Bail smiled and Breha put her arm around him, "It has taken you a long time to realize that." She said.
"I know; I guess in that way, I am like Jango." He told her and then smiled when she looked puzzled, "I am very hard-headed."
"Yes, you are." She agreed, "I'm sorry, Mon; please continue."
"Oh, yes. Apparently, Black returned to Kamino after he deserted, pretending to be Jango; he managed to deceive the Kaminoans to gain access to his rooms. I'm not sure what he was hoping to find, but what he did find, he decided might be useful." Mon explained.
"Another set of armor." Boba surmised.
"Not exactly; but there were enough spare parts for him to construct that weapon. Were you not aware of that, Boba?" Mon asked.
"Well, I knew there were parts, sure; but I thought they would have gotten rid of everything when we didn't come back." Boba admitted.
"Apparently, they held out hope that Jango would decide he needed more funds and would return." Mon said.
"So he must have been planning to frame me for something all along." Boba observed with a shake of his head.
Mon gave him a sad look, "He has actually been doing that for some time now; he admitted that too. Only this time, it nearly worked." She informed them.
"How long?" Boba asked, "How long has he been trying to frame me?"
Mon sighed, "Five years, Boba." She answered.
"Five…if it had worked before now, before I...before I had people who believed in me, I…" Boba halted, unable to finish.
"Yes, you would have probably been convicted." Mon told him, "In a way, it was better it happened now then."
"Well, it would have been better had you not been so convinced of his guilt." Breha admonished, "Even with the help of the Jedi, we nearly lost him. However, at least we know it cannot happen again."
"Yes, I know; and again, I am very sorry." Mon answered, "And, you are right, it will not happen again; I will not let it."
----------
Three Jedi Padawans waited outside the Council Chambers; one to decide her future, the others to hear what their punishment would be. Zak, seated on the cushioned bench near the door, watched as both Dena and Ferri paced nervously, "That doesn't help, you know." He pointed out to them.
Ferri glared at him, "Don't you ever get anxious?" He wondered.
"Yes, but as you once told Boba, pacing is a waste of energy." Zak replied.
Ferri snorted, "That was different." He said.
"Alright." Zak answered and then closed his eyes in meditation.
Dena sighed, sat down next to him and tried to relax; after a moment, Ferri joined them. Half an hour later, Ga'al Heth appeared, "I have just been summoned, Padawan; it is nearly time." She announced.
Dena took a deep breath and stood up just as the Council door slid open; Stass Allie stood in the open doorway, "Master Heth, Padawan Korliv, the Council will see you now." She informed them.
Dena looked back at her two companions, gave them an uncertain smile and followed Ga'al into the Council chamber.
Ferri sighed heavily, now that Dena had been called before the Council, his turn would follow shortly after. But the truth be told, he would have preferred to face them first and get it over with; and he knew Zak felt the same. The trouble was, the Council apparently understood this, and so they were made to wait while Dena met with them first, "They're doing this deliberately, you know." He said.
"Yes; I guess they want us to think a little more about our defiance." Zak agreed.
"I wonder whose idea it was." Ferri replied.
Zak huffed, "Probably Master Windu's." He guessed.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Ferri concurred and then asked in a worried tone, "What do you think will happen to us?"
Zak turned to look at him and then patted his arm, "Don't worry, they aren't going to expel us." He said reassuringly.
"I hope not; I'd hate to think after all this time that I've blown my second chance at Knighthood." Ferri answered.
"Well, if that's the case, then I've blown my only chance at it." Zak told him and then smiled, "I don't sense it's going to come to that, though…although I'm pretty sure they've cooked up some kind of punishment for us."
"I'll take punishment over expulsion any day." Ferri replied.
"Relax, we aren't going to be expelled." Zak said.
Ferri sighed, stood up and started pacing again, "I hate waiting." He stated with exasperation.
----------
"How feel you, Padawan?" Yoda asked.
Dena hesitated for a moment; should she admit her nervousness? Ga'al put a hand on her shoulder; and she realized it was pointless to lie to the Council, "Nervous, Master." She answered.
"Nervous…hmm….nervous." Yoda echoed as he rubbed his chin, "An honest answer."
"The kind of relationship you have engaged in is forbidden; do you understand that you have violated the Code?" Plo Koon asked.
"Yes, Master." Dena admitted quickly and without hesitation.
"We cannot allow it to continue; you know this." Mace said sternly.
"Yes, Master Windu, I understand that." Dena told him.
"If you end it now, you may remain with the Order as Master Heth's apprentice; there will, of course, be counseling sessions to help you." Stass Allie informed her.
"I understand that as well, Master Allie." Dena answered.
"There will be no punishment if you stay, Dena." Anakin assured her.
Dena nodded, "The Council is very lenient." She replied.
"The Council members understand the temptation of the opposite sex; it is not easy for anyone of your age to resist those urges." Ki-Adi Mundi said.
Dena blushed, "I…I've never been intimate, Master Mundi." She countered.
"But you do love this boy, do you not?" Adi Gallia asked.
"Yes, Master." Dena admitted and looked down at the floor.
"Are you ashamed of this love then?" Shaak Ti asked.
"Oh no, Master Ti." Dena replied, "Only that my love for him has….has brought shame to the Order."
"There is no shame in finding love, Padawan; not everyone is meant to be a Jedi." Adi Gallia told her with a compassionate smile.
"Have you decided then, to leave the Order, Padawan Korliv?" Quinlan Vos asked.
Dena took a very deep breath as she turned her head to regard those masters she was facing, "I have meditated, consulted with Master Yoda and spoken with my parents…." She began and then faltered, feeling tears welling up.
"Understand we do, the difficult decision you have faced." Yoda told her sympathetically.
"Yes, Master." Dena whispered and then took a deep breath to regain her composure, "I…I believe it is the will of the Force that I….that I…" She gulped and Ga'al squeezed her shoulder.
Dena took a deep breath and released her tears but as she continued, her voice gained strength, "I have made the decision to…to leave the Order." She announced, feeling the Force swirling around her.
None of the Council members appeared to be surprised at her announcement, and several nodded in approval, "Very well; the Council accepts your decision and releases you from its service." Mace said, speaking for them all.
Dena breathed a sigh of release and closed her eyes; what she felt was a mixture of relief and concern, "You may remain affiliated with the Order if you desire, in another capacity; or you may break with us entirely. That decision is yours to make." Obi-Wan informed her.
"The Jedi Order is like my family; as long as I have the choice, I would like to serve it in any way the Council desires me to." Dena replied without hesitation.
"Guide you in this, the Force will, Padawan; warmed we are that remain close to us you will." Yoda said.
"As your future now appears to lie outside the Order, then your apprenticeship is now at end." Mace interjected.
"And my braid must be taken; yes, Master, I understand." Dena concluded firmly.
"Since the decision to leave was yours; you may sever your own braid." Shaak Ti told her.
"Oh…oh, that I…well, I thought…I thought Master Windu…" Dena stammered, "Should I do it now?"
"Had your apprenticeship been taken from you, then my position would dictate that I take the braid; however, this decision was yours, and yours alone to make. The decision of when to do it is also yours. What we do require, though, is that you relinquish your Jedi weapon." Mace explained.
Dena nodded and with just a tinge of regret, but much sadness, she unclipped her lightsaber. She rubbed her hand over the silver hilt, sighed heavily and held it out to the Horuun master. Surprisingly, he smiled at her as he gently took the weapon, "Do not think of this as an end, Young One; but as a beginning." Mace advised her.
Dena smiled back, "Yes, Master." She answered.
----------
An hour after Dena had disappeared into the Council Chamber, the door slid open and Dena exited. Both Ferri and Zak could sense great relief emanating from her, "It wasn't as bad as I thought." She told them as Ga'al joined her and they walked together toward the lift.
"Master Cortis; your time has come." Mace Windu's voice boomed from inside the Council Chamber.