Runaway

14. Chapter

The first few hours after the attack, the ship had left as their mission was declared unsuccessful, I was completely overwhelmed. I couldn't quite grasp what had happened. I was left alone, my friends were gone. Quia could've died. But then that kiss. I didn't go back to the house that was left empty now once again, instead I went home with Quia. Exhausted I fell asleep on her couch.

When I woke up again the suns were already setting. I tried to get my thoughts straight and went through everything that had happened. The more I thought about it, the less sense it made. The battle droids should indicate that the attackers were separatists, that would've also made sense because the crew had stolen sensitive information from the separatists. But then who were the soldiers and most importantly, who had led them here?

Quia came to me and sat down next to me. "Xii is finally asleep", she said.
After a little pause she added: "I feel like there is a few things I should tell you".
I looked at her in fear. Was she the one who had called them?
"You remember what I told you about our mayor?", she asked me.
"Yes", I nodded.
"Well he's not just a mayor, he has some political connections. For most of the time I thought he worked with the separatists but a while ago I found out, that he is in touch with the Senate of the Republic. So I can't tell you for sure if the attackers were separatists or republicans but I'm fairly certain that he sent them"

"How do you know", I asked her.
"As I told you, the mayor was suspicious of me when I first got here, and a man who is suspicious against everybody often has something to hide himself. So I looked into it a bit. I watched him for a while. I went into his bureau, I even constructed a device that allowed me to listen to some of his calls", she told me.
"And what did you find out?", I asked further.
"Well, as I said he has connections to both the Republic and the Separatists. And actually he was talking about the same thing to both of them. When one of your friends said the separatists and the Republic were basically the same, I don't think this is what he meant but I I can almost assure you that they are. He was always talking about 'getting the first groups started', some kind of experiment, a test for something. Maybe that's what this was", she assumed.
I nodded. Then I stood up.
"I have to take a look at something", I said. And left the house, Quia followed me.

I went back to the landing place where the shooting had happened. Outside of his house Ren Paca stood with some of the older villagers. They seemed very upset but I ignored them and walked over to the dead soldiers bodies. I kneeled down into the hot sand and I took one of the soldiers helmet off. Even in the heat of Tatooines desert it felt like the blood was freezing in my veins, as I looked into my own face.