by Jude Watson
Obi-Wan looked at the horizon. A silvery clump of snow seemed to be falling fast against the white sky. But he wasn't seeing snowflakes. It was a cruiser.
"Surveillance," he said crisply to Anakin. "Drop down."
It was the only thing to do. There was no cover. They dropped to the ground, their faces in the snow. From above, their white survival gear would blend with the landscape. They heard the whirr of the engines above and stayed perfectly still. The ship was going slowly, tacking over the area in a sweep. Obi-Wan slowed down his breathing and his life processes, a Jedi technique. He knew Anakin would do the same. It would make it difficult for a life-form sensor to pick up their traces. The cold would help them, too.
Obi-Wan didn't think of the cold, or the imminent danger. He let his mind slow as his body processes had. He made himself a blank, just another piece of white against a white background.
The whirr of the engines softened and waned. They waited until they could hear nothing, concentrating so hard that Obi-Wan heard the tiny plink plink of the icy snowflakes hitting the ground beside him.
Anakin rolled over. Ice had caked in his hair. He blinked the snow off his eyelashes. "I feel like a frozen jujasickle."
"You look like one, too. But it's better than being shot at."
"If you say so." Anakin stood and dusted the snow off his legs.
"They'll be back. We'd better hurry." Obi-Wan consulted the map on his datapad. "We're close. We have to be careful now. We don't want to lead the Vanqors to the outpost."
"Let's hope they don't find the — "
A loud explosion suddenly sounded. Obi-Wan and Anakin turned back the way they had come. Obi-Wan put the electrobinoculars to his eyes. He saw a thin plume of smoke.
"They blew up our ship," he said.
They didn't need to say out loud what they were thinking. If the ship at the outpost wasn't operable, they could be stuck on the moon for some time. If the outpost was destroyed, they would have no shelter.
They found the strength to move faster. There wasn't much daylight left, and traveling in the darkness would be difficult. At least moving faster kept them warmer. The snow continued to fall and then turned into a blizzard. The falling temperature transformed the flakes into icy pellets that stung their cheeks. Despite his discomfort, Obi-Wan was grateful for the storm. It would hamper the search effort by the Vanqors.
"The shortest route will be over the glaciers," he yelled over the noise of the storm to Anakin. "It's also the hardest."
"Let's do it," Anakin shouted back. They both knew that the sooner they found shelter, the safer they would be.
The glaciers loomed ahead, tall blocks of ice hundreds of meters thick, some rising up to create mountains of ice. They began to climb upward, using their cable launchers to haul themselves directly up the sheer face of the ice. Despite their thermal gloves, their fingers felt frozen. It was hard to grab the cable and find purchase on the ice. Obi-Wan saw the effort and strain on his Padawan's face, and he felt it in his own body as he pushed forward, every meter a battle now.
After several hours of hard climbing, they were close to the coordinates of the outpost. The climbing was more gradual now, and they were able to move faster. The darkness grew around them.
Obi-Wan checked the coordinates. "The outpost should be right here."
He squinted ahead in the now-gloomy light. He saw nothing, just the same blank whiteness that they'd been traveling in since they'd started.
Had his eyesight been affected? He checked the coordinates again.
"I know where it is," Anakin said suddenly, striding forward.
Obi-Wan followed him. He relied on coordinates. Anakin relied on his perceptions. He couldn't see it, but he could feel it.
Ahead, what at first appeared to be a sheer ice cliff was really the wall of the outpost. Obi-Wan could now see that ice had completely covered the structure, which was made of a thick white material able to withstand extreme cold without cracking.
There seemed to be no entry, and no way to alert anyone inside that they were there. Anakin pounded on the wall. There was no response.
Now that they were standing still, the wind and cold cut into them, insinuating cold fingers inside their clothes. Obi-Wan wondered if they would have to set up camp and try again in the morning.
Just then the ice began to groan. A door slowly eased open, pushing against the ice that caked it. It stopped halfway.
A slender human woman stood, her hands on a blaster pointed at them.
"We are Jedi, sent by Typha-Dor," Obi-Wan said. "You must be Shalini."
He had studied the text docs of the crew during the journey from the Temple. Shalini was the crew leader. Her husband, Mezdec, was the communications officer.
Slowly, the blaster lowered. Shalini's silvery eyes sent them a sharp glance. "So our leaders have remembered we exist."
"They could not reach you. Your comm unit is down."
"I'm aware of that. It's been down for over a month. Glad they decided to check on us." She stood aside. "Come in."
Obi-Wan ducked his head to get through the doorway. They stood at the entrance to a small room. The lights were at half power. A weapons rack stood to one side. On the other was a console with surveillance and data equipment. Another console was near the doorway. Obi-Wan noted that it was damaged, with scorch marks indicating close blaster fire. Positioned around the room were four other crew members, all with blasters pointed at the doorway.
"It's all right," Shalini said. "They've been sent by Typha-Dor." She tucked her blaster into her belt.
One man leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He looked weak and pale. "About time."
A tall, muscular woman slipped her blaster into a shoulder holster.
"Past time."
The welcome wasn't quite the friendly one Obi-Wan had imagined. Then a tall man in a thick pullover strode forward. "Don't mind us. It's been a long haul. We're very glad to see you."
"This is Mezdec," Shalini said. "He's our first officer. I am Shalini, the leader of the group. The others are Thik" — the weak-looking man nodded at them — "Rajana, and Olanz." The muscular woman nodded curtly at them, and the other man, bald and as tall as Mezdec, raised a hand in greeting.
"But where are the rest?" Obi-Wan asked. "There are supposed to be ten of you."
"Not anymore," Shalini said. "We had a saboteur in our midst. Samdew was the communications officer. We discovered that he was a spy for the Vanqors. He destroyed our comm system right after we were able to intercept the Vanqor invasion plans."
"He also disabled our transport," Mezdec said. "So we've been stuck here. We're almost out of food, so we're especially glad to see you."
"In that case, let's begin with a meal." Obi-Wan reached for his survival pack. "We brought extra rations in case."
He and Anakin doled out the protein packs. The group sat down and split up the food. While they ate, Obi-Wan scanned the equipment. He took a second look at the damaged comm control console. "What happened?"
"It was the middle of the night," Mezdec said. He swallowed and pushed the rest of his food away. "I was awake, and I heard Samdew at the comm unit. I thought he was doing a sweep — we monitored the channels constantly, and I assumed he was checking to see if anything turned up. I was awake anyway, so I got up to see if anything was happening."
"There was quite a bit of chatter on the system," Shalini said. "The Vanqors knew we had been able to monitor their comm channels. In order to confuse us, they'd flood us with information. That made Samdew a crucial member of our team. He was our senior information analyst."
"I stood in the doorway. He didn't hear me," Mezdec said, his eyes clouding at the memory. "And I saw that he wasn't monitoring transmissions.
He was transmitting to the Vanqor fleet. I realized he was a spy. I blasted the console. I didn't know what else to do. It was the fastest way to stop him. I didn't want to kill him. But he turned and moved toward me, and the next shot hit him
in the chest."
"It's all right, Mezdec," Shalini said quietly. She put her hand on his arm.
"I heard the blaster fire," Rajana said, taking up the account, as Mezdec had fallen silent. "I heard Samdew fall, and I ran in. While he was on the ground, he tried to shoot Mezdec just as Thik came in after me. Thik was hit in the knee and went down." Rajana looked at Mezdec. "I was the one who fired the fatal blast. Not you."
"Samdew died," Shalini said. "What we didn't know was that before he died, he activated the fire system in the sleeping quarters. The room goes into lockdown, and all the oxygen is sucked out."
"He had disabled the warning siren, but not the procedure. Four of our crew were in there," Mezdec said. "They suffocated. By the time we realized what had happened, they were dead."
"He meant for all of you to be in there," Anakin said.
"Yes," Shalini said. "We imagine that he was sending his last transmission. He didn't need to be undercover anymore, and the easiest thing to do was get rid of us."
"If the Vanqors know your location, why haven't they attacked?" Obi- Wan asked.
Shalini shook her head. "We don't think they do. We think Samdew was in deep cover. He never sent a transmission before that night, and Mezdec stopped him before the transmission went through. All transmissions were coded and timed, so we would have known if he'd been in contact with the Vanqors. We assume that his mission was to remain until we had cracked the Vanqor code and learned something vital."
"Which we did," Rajana said.
"Yes, let's get back to that," Obi-Wan said. "What have you learned?"
"We have the details of the Vanqor invasion plans," Shalini said.
"Troop movements, coordinates, the invasion sites. We have it all on this."
Shalini held up a small disk. "It's crucial that we get the information to Typha-Dor."
"We'll have to leave from here," Obi-Wan told her. "We have good reason to believe that the Vanqors have destroyed our ship. I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before they find this outpost."
"Samdew sabotaged the transport," Mezdec reminded them. "I can fix anything, but I can't fix it." Anakin stood. "Let me try."
Chapter Three
Anakin disappeared into the transport hangar. Obi-Wan had no doubt that if anyone could fix the vehicle, it would be Anakin. He had a genius for fixing the unfixable.
Shalini looked worried. "Mezdec has tried for weeks to fix the ship.
With all possible respect for your apprentice, he'll never be able to get it up and running. Are you certain nothing can be salvaged from your transport? Maybe we should chance a walk there. We don't know for sure that Vanqor has set an ambush. There might be parts we could use. I'll go, if you can give me the coordinates."
"Shalini, no," Mezdec protested. "It's too dangerous."
"No, it's not," Shalini said. "It's necessary."
"You'd never make it at night," Mezdec argued. "Survival gear can't protect you from that kind of cold. Besides, you know the rule. We only go in pairs." He touched her hand. "As you and I do," he said in a gentle tone.
She smiled, but shook her head. "We should try every avenue. I am responsible for this disk." She touched her belt, where she had tucked the disk into a hidden slit. "I have another idea. We could return to the Jedi ship, expecting an ambush. A few of us could pretend to surrender. Then the others could attack the Vanqor ship. We could get off-planet in their transport."
"That's a highly unlikely scenario," Obi-Wan said. "And a last resort.
Let's give Anakin a chance before we make that decision."
Everyone ignored Obi-Wan. "Maybe we should split the team," Olanz said. "A few of us could go with Shalini at first light. We could take the missile tube and some flechette launchers."
"Our strength is in our numbers," Rajana argued. "We should remain together."
"Thik can't travel," Mezdec pointed out.
"I can travel," Thik said. "Just not very fast."
"And what of the ones who remain behind?" Rajana asked. "We're almost out of heating fuel. Whoever stayed would be facing death."
"We have faced death all along," Thik said.
"That doesn't mean we should invite it in," Mezdec said.
Thik smiled slightly. "Isn't this just like our home-world. We spend so long arguing about what's the best way to do something that we never get anything done."
"That doesn't mean we should be invaded," Rajana said sharply.
Shalini turned to Obi-Wan. "We've been cooped up together for too long," she said. She gave a tense smile. "When we haven't been trying to find a way to get off this moon, we've been arguing about the best way to do it. Thik has a point."
"Typha-Dor is lucky," Thik said. "We are rich in resources. We have abundant sunshine and water. Our world is large and varied. We have a large workforce. Yet we have never learned how to truly manage our resources and turn them into the wealth we need."
"Yes, yes," Rajana said impatiently. "And Vanqor is a small, dusty planet. Yet they have learned how to get the most out of what they have.
Their industries are booming. They are wealthier than us, despite their small size. That does not mean they deserve to conquer our star system!"
"I am not defending Vanqor's aggression," Thik said. "You know that, Rajana. Why am I here, if not to sacrifice my life if I must for my homeworld? I am just saying that even Vanqor could have lessons to teach us."
"The Vanqors are greedy and ruthless," Mezdec said darkly. "If they have something to teach us, I have no desire to learn it."
"It is that attitude that sets us up for conflict in the first place,"
Thik said. "If we had been more willing to negotiate years ago, we would not be facing invasion now."
Mezdec stood. "I am beginning to wonder who the traitor is here!" he bellowed.
Shalini put her hand on her husband's arm. "Sit," she said softly.
After a moment's deliberation, Mezdec sat down. "Would anyone like another protein bar?" Obi-Wan tried. Everyone ignored him again.
The tension was thick in the room. It was no wonder, Obi-Wan thought.
They had been together for over a year. They had been hunted by the Vanqors. There had been a saboteur in their midst. They were afraid they would never make it off-planet.
He understood their testiness, but he wasn't too excited about having to listen to it.
"I think I'll check on Anakin," he said.
The hangar was located in the back, past the utility rooms. There was only one transport and a few speeder bikes that had been dismantled for parts. All Obi-Wan could see were Anakin's legs, sticking out from underneath the transport. Obi-Wan leaned down.
"Any luck?"
Anakin's voice was muffled. "Maybe. But what I wouldn't give for a pit droid."
"Consider me a pit droid," Obi-Wan said. "What can I do?"
Anakin slid out. "You need some servodrivers for hands and a grease pump instead of a nose." He said the words grumpily.
"Well, let me do something," Obi-Wan said. "Have you pinpointed the problem?"
"Sure," Anakin said. "That's the easy part. It's the power generator.
The transfer wires from the sublight engine are fused together, which means that the fusion system is completely blown."
"Can you replace the transfer wires?"
"Sure. But then the backup from the power feeds would trigger a response."
"And that response would be.. "
"The ship would blow up."
"Not optimum," Obi-Wan said.
"I can see where Mezdec tried to improvise. But he keeps running into the same problem." Anakin tapped his finger on the shell of the ship.
"Here's what I can't figure," he said. "Why would Samdew disable the ship completely? If he killed all the crew here, how would he get off-planet?"
"Maybe he didn't need the ship," Obi-Wan said. "The Vanqors would pick him up."
"Okay," Anakin said. "But if I were a spy stuck on a remote moon, I'd want
a back door, just in case. I wouldn't assume that everything would go as planned."
"Things rarely do." Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully. "Meaning there must be a way to fix the ship."
"I just don't know what it is yet." Anakin ducked back under the ship.