by Watson, Jude
“I would not ask you to continue patrolling the city if I thought that,” Obi-Wan said. “I am not willing to sacrifice so many lives to get what we need.”
“But Decca and Omega—”
“We can handle Decca and Omega.”
She placed her spoon down carefully. “So you say. And yet a Jedi Master evaporated into dust particles just a few hours ago.”
“Yaddle died in order to protect your soldiers and the people of Mawan,” Obi-Wan said sharply. “That should tell you how far the Jedi are willing to go.”
There was a short silence. Feeana sipped her tea and made a face. “It’s cold,” she said. Then slowly, she nodded. “All right,” she continued quietly. “I’ll remain.”
With Feeana’s cooperation and the promise of Yoda’s arrival, Obi-Wan was able to convince the Senate to aid Mawan. He found it difficult to keep his temper cool and speak reasonably. He wanted to shout at everyone that Yaddle had sacrificed herself for their peace and security, so the least they could do was follow through. He knew that grief was making him short-tempered. His heart was heavy, and he was angry, too, angry that Yaddle had to die.
These were emotions he could not carry with him, for they would drag him down. He had to absorb them and let them go. Yet he felt as though he was struggling against a rising tide.
Anakin said so little. He could not get up the energy to address his Padawan’s need, either. And somewhere below, Granta Omega was biding his time, concocting his plan for revenge, and he would surely try to exploit Anakin’s sadness for his own ends. Omega had already killed a member of the Jedi Council. That had been his great goal, and he had achieved it.
How could Obi-Wan get rid of his anger when he knew of Omega’s satisfaction?
A silver streak in the sky told them that Yoda was arriving. They were on the lookout for it, and they hurried toward the landing site. The day had dawned gray and cold. A sudden dip in temperature had kept most beings inside. It was a lucky break. If Feeana’s security patrols didn’t have to worry about petty crime, it would be easier to keep them at their posts.
Yoda alighted from the cruiser. His gaze immediately went to Anakin.
“First, see it, I must.”
Anakin nodded. He knew immediately what Master Yoda was asking. Yoda wanted to see the place where Yaddle had died.
For long moments, Yoda stood underneath the spot where Yaddle’s life had ended. He leaned his head back as if to taste the air. He closed his eyes as if to feel the presence that still lingered. Obi-Wan imagined that he was saying a private, final good-bye to the friend he’d had for so long. He turned away, wanting to give Yoda the moment. Anakin’s gaze rested on the ground.
At last Yoda turned. “Ready, I am,” he said.
They headed back toward the command center. They found Swanny and Rorq waiting for them, sitting on the steps. They stood as the Jedi approached.
“Bad news,” Swanny said. “Decca and Omega have settled their feud. They’ve formed an alliance.”
“I was afraid of this,” Obi-Wan said.
“It gets worse. Now Omega has access to Decca’s fleet, and Decca has access to Omega’s weapons. They are planning an assault on the city.”
“We have no way to protect the city,” Obi-Wan told Yoda. “All we have are security patrols.”
“Then prevent the attack we must,” Yoda said. “The strengths they have are transports and weaponry? Then strengths we must attack.”
“I’m getting tired of saying that’s impossible,” Swanny said. “But this time, it really is. Decca just got a big shipment of fuel. It was part of the partnership deal—Omega supplied it. They just brought it below.”
“A shipment of fuel,” Obi-Wan murmured. “That might help us.”
Swanny looked at him, incredulous. “I don’t see how. But I have a feeling I will.”
“Keep the information about the alliance quiet for now,” Obi-Wan said. “If Feeana gets wind of this—”
“Uh, I think it might be too late,” Rorq said. He pointed to the distance, where Feeana was striding toward them, an angry look on her face.
“They have formed an alliance!” she exclaimed as she walked up.
“We know,” Obi-Wan said.
“And you are just standing here?” she demanded.
“A suggestion, you have for us?” Yoda asked mildly.
She noticed him for the first time. “Who’s this?”
“Jedi Master Yoda,” Obi-Wan said. “One of our most esteemed Masters.”
“Whatever,” Feeana said. “Maybe he can tell me what I should do when Omega and Decca attack my troops with transports and missile tubes?”
“Stop the attack before it starts, we will,” Yoda said.
“How?” Feeana demanded. “If you expect me to cooperate, I need more to go on.”
“Just trust us,” Obi-Wan said. “We need you to patrol all the airlift tube exits. As soon as we have control belowground, we will contact you.”
“I guess I have no choice,” Feeana said.
“Choice, you always have,” Yoda told her. “But the best one this is.”
A struggle still on her face, Feeana strode away.
“Well, I guess we’ll just say good-bye and good luck,” Swanny said, beginning to head off. Obi-Wan caught him by his collar.
“Not so fast,” he said. “You’re coming with us.”
Chapter Fourteen
Anakin was glad to go belowground. Being under the open sky where Yaddle had died had affected him. The sky had seemed to hang over him, pressing against his shoulder blades. Below in the tunnels, he felt safer.
Revenge was on his mind, and it frightened him. He hated Granta Omega, hated him with a burning rage that threatened to go out of control. He was grateful that Yoda had joined them. The presence of the great, perhaps the greatest, Jedi Master was as deep and huge as Anakin’s rage. Surely it would keep his anger in check. He would look to his Master and Yoda for the control he needed.
He knew that Yoda and Obi-Wan also felt anger and grief. He saw it in their eyes, felt it in the air around them, noted it in the way they moved and spoke. Yet they were not deflected from their mission. He had watched in awe as they exchanged information. Their shared glances told him that they had both come up with the same plan, at the same time. Yoda was obviously grief-stricken, yet he had traveled here to finish a job that Yaddle had begun, and he would let nothing stand in his way, not even his own sorrow.
He had been so wrong, Anakin thought suddenly. On Andara, he had briefly imagined what it could be like to have no Master, no Council to answer to. But he needed the Council. He needed his Master. They showed him how far he had to go.
Their inner calm was something he desperately wanted. He would learn, he promised himself. On every mission he was brought up short and shown what he needed to concentrate on. But he would learn.
If I can get Obi-Wan’s trust back.
Anakin felt as though he were drowning. Drowning in his guilt. Everything had changed for him now. Master Yaddle had died before his eyes, and it had marked him forever. He knew that as firmly as he knew his own name. As surely as he knew he would do anything now to be a Jedi Knight.
“Okay, here we are,” Swanny said, standing in front of a map of the wastewater transport system. “What do you have in mind? Are you going to flood the fuel depot?”
“We’d never get away with that,” Obi-Wan said. “Too many people around. I had something else in mind.” He pointed to the map. “Here’s Decca’s fuel depot. Where are the fuel storage tanks?”
Rorq pointed to a spot several levels above. “Here. The fuel is pumped into a big storage tank here, then into the individual tanks in the depot.”
Obi-Wan turned to Swanny. “Is there anyplace where the wastewater pipes come close to the fueling pipes between storage and the depot?”
“Sure,” Swanny said. “The pipes run this way and cross the wastewater pipes here.” He stabbed at a spot on the map.<
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“Where is that?” Obi-Wan asked. “Is it in Omega’s or Decca’s territory?”
“No, it’s close to where the Mawan tent city was,” Swanny said. He whistled. “I think I’m getting this.”
“Is it possible?” Obi-Wan asked.
“We’d have to cut through the pipes and do some hydro-welding,” Swanny said. “But that’s like a walk in the park for us.”
“It’s almost too simple,” Rorq marveled.
Yoda nodded. “The best plan, the simple one is,” he said.
Anakin saw what Yoda and Obi-Wan had already figured out on the surface. Decca’s fleet would fuel in the depot. But if they could replace the fuel with wastewater before it reached the depot, she would fill her transports with water instead of fuel. That would immobilize them completely. Even if they pumped out the tanks, it would take them days to dry out. Any water in the fuel would cause problems with the engines. It was beautifully simple.
“We’ll need to know if they start refueling, though,” Swanny said. “If we’re working on the pipes at the same time, we could end up hip-deep in fuel.”
“We’ll keep an eye on the fueling depot,” Obi-Wan said. “Anakin will be sure to protect you while you work.” Obi-Wan spoke to Anakin. “As soon as Swanny and Rorq are done, join us at the fuel depot.”
Anakin nodded. He was glad to have a task, even if it was only guarding Swanny and Rorq.
They split up. Anakin followed Swanny and Rorq through the tunnels toward the designated spot. Swanny stopped at a utility shed that had a serious locking device wrapped around the door.
“We need tools,” Swanny said. “We’ll have to break into this. It could take a while. If I had a fusioncutter I could break in, but the fusioncutter is in the shed.”
“Not a problem,” Anakin said. He activated his lightsaber and cut through the metal door in less than a second.
“I’ve got to stop underestimating you guys,” Swanny said.
He and Rorq reached in and grabbed what they needed. Then they hurried on. They reached the designated spot and Swanny and Rorq began to work. Rorq opened a small door set into the tunnel wall. Behind it was a crawl space that was crisscrossed with pipes.
“You sure you know which is which?” Anakin asked.
“Do I ask you if you know your job?” Swanny asked.
“All the time.”
“Oh. True. Well, trust me.” With a grunt, Swanny closed the valve on a pipe, then began to cut through the metal with a macrofuser.
The minutes ticked by. Anakin shifted from one foot to another. His comlink signaled, and he answered it.
“Decca’s crew has arrived. They’re going to start fueling,” Obi-Wan said. “How close are they to finishing?”
Anakin asked Swanny, who held up three fingers.
“Three minutes.”
“Make it two,” Obi-Wan said.
“Almost,” Swanny said, fitting a short length of pipe between the two pipes they had been working on. “We just need to fuse”—he bent over with the macrofuser—“and seal…”
“Hurry,” Obi-Wan said. “They’ve released the hoses.”
“…one more second…”
“They’re starting…”
“Done!” Swanny exclaimed. He slumped against the pipe.
Rorq patted it. “Let’s hope this baby holds,” he said.
Anakin felt a drop of sweat trickle from his neck and down his back.
He heard the gush of liquid through the pipes. Swanny and Rorq kept their hands on the pipe, listening.
“That’ll be the wastewater,” Swanny whispered, as if Decca and her gang could hear. He patted the pipe. “The seal is holding.”
“Looks like it’s a go,” Anakin said into his comlink. “I’m on my way.”
Leaving Swanny and Rorq with the pipes, Anakin raced along the tunnels. He found Obi-Wan and Yoda hidden behind a speeder directly inside the entrance to the depot.
“They’ve almost finished fueling,” Obi-Wan said.
Anakin saw Decca lumber into the depot and speak to her pilots. The technicians ran back and forth, replacing the heavy hoses and making last-minute checks.
The pilots left Decca and hurried to their transports. The first pilot started up the engine. It coughed and died. The next fired his up. Another cough, a sputter, and the engine wound down. One after the other, the transport engines whined and sputtered out.
“What is happening?” Decca roared in Huttese.
“We’ve been sabotaged!” one of the pilots said. “Engine checklight says the fuel tanks have a foreign substance in them.”
“Granta has double-crossed me!” Decca bellowed.
“Ah,” Yoda murmured. “Suspicion among thieves, one can count on always.”
Decca turned to the Kamarian by her side. “Send the seeker droid. We’ll find that slimy monkey-lizard and take every weapon he has. We’ll crush him!”
“Time I think to take the speeder,” Yoda said.
Obi-Wan slipped into the pilot seat while Yoda hopped in behind and Anakin jumped in the passenger side. They kept their heads low. Obi-Wan started the engine and quietly zoomed out of the depot. He idled outside, and the seeker droid appeared a moment later. It darted down the tunnel like a fast-moving bird.
Obi-Wan gunned the motor, and they took off. It was easy to keep the seeker droid in their sights. Decca could not move very fast, but no doubt she was gathering her troops to follow the trail of the seeker wherever it ended up.
The seeker suddenly slowed, so Obi-Wan did the same. It hung in the air, which meant it was keeping its target in sight without alerting him to its presence. Obi-Wan glided to a stop, and they jumped out of the speeder.
They hurried along the few remaining meters. The tunnel curved ahead. Omega must be somewhere beyond the curve.
Walking slowly and cautiously now, they rounded the corner. They had come to a large landing area. The doors were slid back into the walls, revealing the large open space. Omega stood talking to a man dressed in heavy armor.
Anakin saw rows upon rows of bins marked with their contents. Fléchette launchers. Flamethrowers. Missile tubes. There were enough weapons here to mount an invasion.
Which, of course, was the point.
“A troop of battle droids and some guards,” Obi-Wan murmured. “Nothing we can’t handle.”
“Prepared for this, he was not,” Yoda said.
The seeker buzzed closer. Suddenly, a shadow moved, and blaster fire erupted. The seeker exploded into shards of metal.
“Got it,” Feeana said. “Looks like we have company. Just as I told you.”
From behind Feeana, the battle droids appeared, rolling into attack formation. First one line, then another, and another. A grenade launcher rolled into place.
Omega smiled, and Anakin realized that he had known they were coming.
Feeana had betrayed them.
Chapter Fifteen
Obi-Wan saw at once they were hopelessly outnumbered. Behind the attack droids row after row of gang soldiers appeared, all of them armed with repeating blasters. They wouldn’t lack for additional weaponry. It was piled up around them.
Behind his troops, Omega stood on a gravsled with Feeana. Omega’s arms were crossed, as if in expectation of a staged battle for his pleasure, and a slight smile was on his face.
“Do we have a plan?” Anakin asked hopefully.
Yoda drew his lightsaber. “Time for strategy, it is not. Time for battle, it is.”
Obi-Wan felt the Force move, a giant wave that propelled him forward into the room. He caught the flow and felt it charge his first move, a devastating sweep at five attack droids at once. He cut a swath through them all and they clattered to the floor, smoking.
Omega’s smile slipped, just a fraction.
Yoda had moved forward with Obi-Wan and Anakin, but his style was less dramatic than Obi-Wan’s sweeps and Anakin’s whirling lightsaber. His arm barely seemed to move; his attacks seemed more flic
ks than stabs. Yet ten attack droids were on the floor in a heap of twisted metal.
Obi-Wan saw the heavy durasteel containers suddenly move, floating up in the air, propelled by Yoda’s use of the Force. As they hung above, the hinged lids opened, and flamethrowers spilled out in a fiery arc. Spewing fire, they rained down on the rest of the weapons. The blast of discharged explosives filled the air, smoke rose, and the remaining cache of weapons fused from the intense heat.
The line of gang soldiers stumbled back from the fiery spectacle, coughing from the acrid smoke. They wavered.
“Forward!” Omega screamed.
“Gladly,” Obi-Wan said, and he charged forward, Anakin and Yoda at his side. Their lightsabers were hums of glowing energy. The Force moved, and droids went flying. The others were reduced to scrap. They mowed through the second line of droids, and then the next.
The soldiers stumbled backward. Some began to flee.
“Hold the line!” Omega shouted. Then he turned his back and leaped off the gravsled.
Obi-Wan saw Yoda lift his hand and send a trio of attack droids smashing against the wall. Even Anakin now was using a Force push to clear his path to attack the next line of droids. Obi-Wan had time to admire his Padawan’s form, balance, and concentration. Clearly, Yoda’s summoning of the Force had brought something out in Anakin. He was fighting more brilliantly than Obi-Wan had ever seen.
So Obi-Wan felt confident in leaving him with Yoda to finish off the droids. Omega was about to escape.
He gathered the Force and leaped, clearing the attack lines of droids and sailing over the retreating gang soldiers, who did not bother to try to stop him.
A hundred meters ahead, Feeana was facing what appeared to be a smooth tunnel wall made of a plastoid material. She pressed something at the side, and a recessed door slid open. Omega and Feeana disappeared inside. The door slid shut behind them.
Obi-Wan raced toward it. He did not bother to search for the release, but plunged his lightsaber into the plastoid wall. He cut a hole in seconds and pushed his way through.