Jedi Go Home
Part 2
Four days later, Ben had settled into the Maethum household so well that he was now considered part of the family. That very morning, Mrs. Maethum had even suggested that Ben refer to them as Uncle Fulk and Aunt Bedec, and he had accepted. He had also recovered sufficiently to walk with Rixi to Mrs. Geard�s and get not only the remaining clothes, but also the bicycle to transport them with. He couldn�t believe that he�d forgotten what such a thing was, let alone how to ride it, but had soon picked it up again, only falling over once or twice. Now it was Dr. Maethum�s evening off, and he was preparing to take Ben down to the pub to meet some friends, as he said."Can I come?�Rixi asked, pleading in her impish way.
"Certainly not,�replied Dr. Maethum evenly,�and stop twisting your hair. You�ll stunt its growth.�
"Maybe I don�t want it any longer, and why can�t I come?�
"Because you are not old enough.�
"I�m sixteen, dad! I�ll be seventeen soon!�
"As I was saying...�
"But I don�t have to drink. I mean, I could just have lemonade or something.�
"No, Rixi.�
"You never let me have any fun,�the girl pouted.�It�s a roaring wonder that you allow me to leave the house for school, let alone bicycle over to the ice cream shop in broad daylight!�
"I don�t want you to run into a Getter patrol and get sent to prison, Rixi.�
"What if Ben runs into one?�
"We�ll take that chance,�Dr. Maethum said.�Come on, Ben, time to go.�
When they were outside, walking along in the cool evening air, he said,�Normally, I wouldn�t be taking you, either, Ben, but we have to risk it. If we can�t find out who you are, then you�ll need an identity disc, and I know someone who can arrange it.�
"I appreciate it,�said Ben.�I know you�re taking a risk for me.�
"Well, it�s not the only risk I�ve ever taken in my life. You really should cut off that braid, you know. It�s horrendously conspicuous.�
"All right,�Ben shrugged.
"I don�t want you drinking anything, either, by the way. Stick to lemonade.�
"If you say so, Uncle Fulk,�Ben sighed.
"I do. You don�t know how alcohol will affect your head injury.�
"I thought you said it was pretty much healed. I don�t even have a headache anymore.�
"Don�t take chances. If you can�t handle your alcohol and you get drunk, you�re ten times as likely to attract attention, especially Getter attention. Don�t do it.�
"All right.�
The pub was several streets away. Ben found himself wondering why they had not taken the car, but he looked around as they walked, and realised that there weren�t any other cars on the street. Everybody was either on foot or on bicycle. Apparantly, being a doctor had certain advantages. He also found himself watching for Getter patrols, but there were none, and they entered the pub unmolested.
"A pint for me, and a lemonade for him, please,�said Dr. Maethum after they�d worked their way to the bar.
As the bartender filled the glasses, Dr. Maethum glanced around the room and nodded to several acquaintances. Ben also had the idea that he was looking for Getters, because he turned back to the bar with an almost imperceptible sigh of relief and asked,�Have you seen Wylan this evening?�
"In the corner,�said the man, jerking his head as he placed the glasses on the bar.
"Cheers,�said Dr. Maethum.
"Cheers,�Ben said, tipping his glass and drinking deeply in exactly the same way. The colourless liquid was sweet and bubbly.
"Come on.�Dr. Maethum took his glass and walked to the indicated corner, Ben following a step behind and to the right of him. Three men were sitting at a table and looked to be in earnest discussion until one of them looked up and caught sight of the doctor.
"Fulk, you old sock!�
"Wylan,�Dr. Maethum smiled.�Gentlemen.�
"How many did you kill to-day?�one of the other men asked.
"None. It wasn�t worth the bother, they didn�t have anything to steal.�Ben recognised that it was a harmless ritual greeting and smiled as Dr. Maethum laid a hand on his shoulder.�Wylan, I wanted to ask if anybody�s missing a young man who looks like this one here.�
The stocky middle-aged man rubbed a finger across his lips as he looked Ben up and down, his eyes finally coming to rest on the boy�s braid.�Why do you want to know?�
"I almost ran over him five nights ago when I was coming home. He hit his head on the pavement and now he doesn�t remember who he is.�
"Amnesia? Really?�
"Most cases clear up in a few days, but this one looks like it�s going to be permanent. We�re calling him Ben for now, but I was hoping you could put another name to him.�
Wylan considered him again and frowned.�There was a Getter in my office a few days ago, looking for someone with a braid like that. I didn�t pay too much attention, of course, but seeing it now...�
"A Getter?�Ben asked in alarm. So Dr. Maethum�s guess had been correct. He was a fugitive!
"Yes, a Getter. Looks like you�re a wanted man, son. And not only that, but it seems the Jedi are looking for you, too.�
"The Jedi?�Dr. Maethum asked, horror ringing clearly in his voice.
"Yeah, they�re here now, and guess what? They�re working for the Getters. Guardians of peace and justice, huh! If that�s true, why don�t they use those mind-tricks of theirs to force the Getters to give us true independence?�
"What�s a Jedi?�Ben asked.
"Beings with special powers,�one of the other men at the table put in, sounding both awed and mocking at the same time.�They can read your mind whether you want them to or not. Make you do things you don�t want to.�
"I heard they take people�s babies,�said the other man.�Sacrifice them to the Force in that Temple of theirs on Coruscant.�
"No, they don�t sacrifice them, they eat them, of course, right down to the bone.�
"They carry light swords instead of blasters, that�s one thing I know for certain.�
"It�s impossible to kill one of them.�
"The question is, what did you do that they�re after you?�Wylan asked, and his simple query stopped the conversation cold.
Ben shrugged, fascinated by this flow of information that also made him feel a tiny bit fearful.�I have no idea.�
"He ran right in front of my car like a whole horde of Jedi was after him,�Dr. Maethum said.�Luckily I wasn�t going very fast or I�d have killed him straight out.�
Wylan sighed and rubbed his lips with his finger again.�Sorry, Fulk, nobody�s been reported missing this past week, at least, nobody who hasn�t been accounted for with the Getters. I�ll check the older files if you like.�
"Do that. But in the meantime, I�d hate to see him end up in a Getter prison just because he can�t identify himself,�said Dr. Maethum.
There was a pause, and then Wylan nodded.�Come into the back with me.�
They left the main room of the bar and went down a short, narrow passageway to an office on the right hand side. Throwing a grey blanket to Dr. Maethum, Wylan said,�My contact will need a holo and a blood sample for the genetic code. Hold this up behind that chair over there. Ben, you sit down and I�ll find the camera.�
Ben took a seat while Dr. Maethum made the blanket into a backdrop behind him. After fiddling with an unusually strong desk lamp, Wylan found the camera in a drawer, raised it, then put it down again. Frowning, he walked over and flipped Ben�s braid behind his back, making sure it was out of sight. Then he went back into position, raised the camera, and said,�Smile if you want to.�
He took three or four shots, then nodded.�My contact will pick out the best one. You got any blood-letting equipment with you, Fulk?�
"Coming right up.�Removing a small item from his pocket, Dr. Maethum took Ben�s arm and pricked the inside of his wrist, then handed the probe to Wylan. He placed it in a large envelope along with the pictures, then asked,�What name?�
"Ben Maethum.�
"Maethum?�
"We�ll say he�s my nephew.�
"And just Ben? Not Tiorben?�
"No, just Ben.�
When everything was ready, Wylan unlocked the bottom drawer of the desk, placed the envelope inside, locked it again, then turned to Ben.�Do you play darts?�
"I don�t know,�he replied.�What are they?� "Can you forget darts?�Wylan asked Dr. Maethum, his face mirroring his incredulity. The doctor shrugged.�It�s possible. Rixi said he even forgot what a bicycle was.�
"I thought amnesia only happened on those cheap holo series that our teenagers are so fond of,�Wylan grumbled, leading the way back down the passage to the bar and asking the barman to hand over the darts. When they came, he showed them to Ben. They were long, thin metal projectiles, one end sharpened and the other feathered.
"There�s the board, over there on the wall. You stand here, behind this line, and throw it like this.� Wylan demonstrated, and his dart stuck in the outer ring.
"You should aim for the bull�s eye,�Dr. Maethum teased,�not for the broad side of a barn.�
"I�m getting warmed up,�Wylan protested.
"What�s a bull�s eye?�Ben wondered.
"The tiny ring in the middle. Here, you try.�
Ben took up position behind the line and hefted the dart between his fingers.�I should aim for the tiny ring in the middle?�
He threw, and there was an awed silence from both Wylan and Dr. Maethum as they stared at the dart quivering in the exact center of the board. Finally, Dr. Maethum smiled.�Beginner�s luck. Try again.�
When he�d finished throwing all the darts, and every one of them had landed inside the bull�s eye, Wylan groaned,�I don�t know about the rest of you, but I�d certainly remember being able to do that, no matter what else I forgot!�
"How does he do that?�one of the other men asked.�Hey, step back two paces and try it again.�
Ben did so, with the same results, and after a few moments, Wylan motioned for Ben and Dr. Maethum to join him in a quiet corner,�Ben, why don�t you come down to the station to-morrow and let�s see what you can do with a real weapon.�
"Wait a minute,�Dr. Maethum began.�Are you thinking--?�
"Why not? He�s already wanted, so I�d guess he has experience. He�s got the eye to be a crack shot. Who knows what other talents we�ll discover? He�ll be an asset to the team, Fulk, a real asset.�
Dr. Maethum nodded slowly, but then there was a scuffle at the door and a voice called out,�Getter patrol!�
"Ben! Go hide in the office!�said Dr. Maethum, giving him a shove in the right direction.�With any luck, they�ll stay here in the bar and not check anywhere else. Go!�
Ben raced down the hallway again and entered the office, looking for a hiding place. Through the open door, he could hear the normal sounds of the bar dwindle suddenly, and an oddly accented voice telling the men to produce their identity discs. Hastily, he squeezed under the desk, hugging his knees to his chest and pulling the chair just a bit closer. He knew he couldn�t be seen from the doorway, but he�d be visible if someone came into the room. Still, aside from standing behind the door, it was the only hiding place he could think of, and he forced himself to breathe very quietly, to minimize the chance of discovery. He only wished he could stop his heart from thumping quite so hard.
After several minutes, there were footsteps in the hall, but Ben resisted the impulse to stick his head out and ask if it were all right to come out. For a moment, there was silence and he felt a distinct tingle of fear, and then the footsteps turned and went back down the hall. Breathing a gentle sigh of relief, Ben nonetheless remained where he was, afraid of moving and calling attention to himself by making an inadventant sound. It was another several minutes before Dr. Maethum finally came into the room.�Ben? Oh, there you are.�
"Are they gone?�Ben crawled out and stood up.
"For now. They were asking about you, Ben.�
"Me?�
"They wanted to know if anybody had seen a young human male with a long, thin braid about this long. They said he might be dressed in a pair of boxer shorts, or he might have stolen clothes somewhere, and if we�d had clothes stolen in the last four days, or a bicycle, or especially a car, we should report it immediately. They said Mayor Ech-to-tha and a Jedi from Coruscant are looking for you. You must really be in trouble.�
"I don�t remember,�Ben said, shaking his head.�I honestly don�t remember.�
"I know. Don�t worry, we�ll take care of you. But you�ve really got to cut that braid off. It�ll give you away in an instant.�
"All right.�
"Come on, let�s finish our drinks and go. We�ve got to be back before curfew.�
At home, Bedec got a pair of scissors out from her sewing kit and snipped the braid off, then handed it to Ben.�You can keep it, if you like.�
"No, thanks.�Ben tossed it into the garbage can, then went upstairs to his room.
Slowly getting into his pyjamas, he laid down on the sofa-bed and stared into the darkness, wondering what his former life had been like. Why had he grown a braid like that in the first place, if it was so unusual? And who had he been before, that the Getters and even the Jedi were out looking for him when no one else seemed to be? No mother or father had come forward yet and filed a missing person�s report on anybody who even vaguely resembled him. Didn�t anybody care? Didn�t anybody want him?
He was lucky, he thought, to have met up with Uncle Fulk, Aunt Bedec and Rixi. They were his family now, he told himself, and the thought was warm and comforting. It felt good to know that they cared. After getting over her initial suspicion, Aunt Bedec was now always asking him if he�d had enough to eat, if his clothes were comfortable, if there was anything he wanted or needed. He�d gone shopping with her that morning, helping to carry the heavy things on his bicycle. And Rixi was always talking to him, telling him things he�d forgotten, showing him her schoolbooks and asking if he remembered enough to help her. In that way, he�d discovered that he was good at maths, computers, and other scientific or technological things, but not very good at Theosnen history or geography. They often sat together in the afternoons and studied until supper time, and he enjoyed Rixi�s companionship. Dr. Maethum was away most of the day, of course, tending to patients in his surgery, and occasionally going out at night to check on emergencies, but when he was there, he acted like a father to both of them, not just to Rixi.