Jedi Apprentice 13: The Dangerous Rescue (звёздные войны)

by Джуд Уотсон

  Obi-Wan felt frustration and worry battle within him. Yet he knew Tahl was right. The Jedi did not impose protection. And his mission was to find Jenna Zan Arbor.

  "Adi and Qui-Gon, contact me when you decide on your next move," Tahl finished.

  "Meanwhile, I am coordinating the search for Zan Arbor's ship."

  "It's a big galaxy," Qui-Gon said.

  "Then I'd better get going," Tahl said, and signed off.

  More and more, Obi-Wan had grown to appreciate having Tahl as a liaison within the Temple. When they rescued a blinded Tahl from Melida/Daan, he had never expected how important she would become in their lives, as well as their missions.

  "It's been a swell adventure, but we must be going," Cholly said.

  Adi turned to them. "We are grateful for your help. We regret that you were caught in a battle."

  Weez waved his hand. "It was nothing." "Especially when it was over,"

  Tup said, blowing out a relieved breath.

  Giving a last bow and a quick wave from Tup, the three hurried from the lab. No doubt they were anxious to get away from the Jedi, Obi-Wan thought. It was no wonder that Cholly, Weez, and Tup were such hopeless criminals. Their courage did not match their greed. At the first sign of trouble, they ran.

  Qui-Gon turned to Adi. "Did you and Siri discover anything that could help us while you were investigating Noor's disappearance?"

  "I don't think so," Adi said thoughtfully, "but let me tell you a little about him. Noor had a deep connection to the Force that led him to choose a life of meditation when he became an elder. He left the Temple and returned to his home planet, Sorl, where he planned to live in quiet seclusion. He built a simple home in the foothills of the great mountain range of Cragh. Things did not turn out quite the way he expected."

  "As they seldom do," Qui-Gon noted.

  Adi nodded. "When Siri and I reached Sorl, we discovered that to pass the time, Noor had begun to craft small landscapes out of stone, sticks, and vegetation. He made small animals and figures and placed them in these imaginary landscapes, places he had seen over his long life. We saw them in the yards and fields surrounding his home. They were charming. Beautiful."

  "Ah," Qui-Gon said. "And they began to attract some attention."

  Adi smiled. "From the children. They began to come by to watch Noor work. He began to make toys for them. Soon he was involved in the life of the community. His life of seclusion became a life of engagement."

  "'Life surprises you. Accept the gift,"' Qui-Gon recited. It was a Jedi saying.

  "So you see, all we know about Noor will not help us here," Adi finished. "I think we must concentrate on Jenna Zan Arbor. Yet so much of her life is a mystery…."

  Obi-Wan's comlink began to signal him. He stepped off a few paces to accept the communication.

  "My name is No Muna and I am a medic at the Med Center on Sorrus," a voice said. "I was given your name by Astri Oddo — "

  "Is Astri all right?"

  "I am afraid she is not. An accident — she is not conscious, I'm afraid. She gave me your name before she passed out. She asked you to come here. Yinn La Hi is the capital city of Sorrus, in the system of — "

  "Yes, I know where it is," Obi-Wan interrupted. "Thank you. If she awakens, tell her I am on my way."

  He cut the communication. The others had stopped talking and were listening to him. He met Qui-Gon's gaze.

  "I have to," he said.

  Qui-Gon frowned, but Obi-Wan knew it was a frown of concentration, not displeasure.

  "Yes," he said. "We cannot leave Astri on Sorrus alone. But the chances of finding Zan Arbor and Noor diminish with every moment of delay.

  Adi and I will remain here to begin the search. You go with Siri to Sorrus and escort Astri back to the Temple, if she is able to travel. We'll either meet back at the Temple or tell you where you must come." Qui-Gon seemed to recall that he was supposed to collaborate with Adi. He turned to her. "Do you agree?"

  There was a beat before Adi responded. "I agree." She turned to Siri.

  "I am sending you alone with Obi-Wan. This means I am trusting you not to engage with the bounty hunter Ona Nobis or pursue any lead unless you contact me."

  "The same goes for you, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon told him. "Ona Nobis will have revenge on her mind if she knows you are on Sorrus. Keep a low profile. Do not cause any disturbance. And contact us immediately after you see Astri. Now let's find you some transport."

  Chapter 7

  Sorrus was a large planet in a busy system, and it was easy to find a hauler making a direct run. After landing at the capital city of Yinn La Hi, Obi-Wan and Siri thanked the pilot.

  "Now we'll have trouble," Obi-Wan said to Siri as they exited the busy landing platform area. "There are no signs in the cities on Sorrus, and we have to find our way to the Med Center."

  "Why don't we just ask someone?" Siri asked.

  "We won't get very far. Sorrusians don't like strangers."

  "You make everything so hard, Obi-Wan," Siri scoffed. "You just have to be polite." She approached a Sorrusian couple, their arms filled with produce from the open-air market.

  "Excuse me," Siri said. "Can you tell us where the Med Center is located?"

  The couple gave her a blank stare, then moved on, chatting in Sorrusian as if Siri didn't exist.

  "That was rude," Siri said. She hailed a young Sorrusian who was strolling by, his hands tucked into his tunic pockets.

  "Excuse me. My companion and I are strangers here. We need directions to — "

  The young man wheeled about and walked away from them.

  "Do you believe me now?" Obi-Wan asked. "Are you sure you were polite enough?"

  "They're positively paranoid," Siri grumbled, running a hand through her hair. "How are we going to find the place?"

  "The center should be fairly large, and on a main street," Obi-Wan said, his eyes scanning the street ahead. "And the pilot said he thought it was close to the city center. It should be right around here."

  After only a few minutes of quick walking, Obi-Wan and Siri found the complex. Yinn La Hi was a teeming city, and the Med Center was spread out over a large area. Soon it would take up even more space. A new wing was under construction.

  "Now we'll have to get someone to tell us where Astri is," Siri observed as they walked through the doors into a gleaming atrium that swarmed with Sorrusians.

  "Why don't you try?" Obi-Wan asked. "You did so well earlier."

  Siri gave him an irritated glance. Obi-Wan walked ahead to the reception desk.

  "I received a message from No Muna that Astri Oddo was brought here for treatment."

  The Sorrusian clerk behind the desk said nothing, just continued tapping on the keyboard.

  Obi-Wan leaned over the desk in frustration. He spoke clearly and insistently. "My friend is hurt and I must see her!"

  The clerk looked up at him warily. "What did you say your name was?"

  "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

  A spark of recognition lit the clerk's blank gaze. "Ah, I was told to expect you. Please see Medic Rai Unlu. He is waiting for you over there."

  Obi-Wan saw a short, slender Sorrusian standing by a pillar. He wore a med smock and carried a small datapad. Obi-Wan and Siri hurried over, and Obi-Wan introduced himself.

  "Oh, yes, Astri Oddo. Sad case. We do not know how she received her injuries," the Sorrusian doctor said gravely. "Let me check to see her status." He pressed several keys. "Ah. She has regained consciousness. That is a good sign." I must see her," Obi-Wan said.

  "Of course. But first you must fill out registry information. All foreigners must do so on Sorrus. You will have to go to Wing A, Level 27, Room 2245X. Astri is in Wing M, at the opposite end of the complex. After you fill out the information, you can ask for directions to her room at the Registry Office."

  "Good luck," Siri muttered.

  "But that will take too much time!" Obi-Wan objected. "I need to see her now."

  "Why don't I fill out
the papers while Obi-Wan visits Astri?" Siri suggested. "Would that be all right?"

  Rai Unlu looked uncertain. "It is not procedure — "

  "I've come so far to see her," Obi-Wan said persuasively. "And she's been badly hurt."

  "All right," Rai Unlu said, looking around furtively. "But don't tell anyone. I will take you to Astri. Your companion can follow signs to Wing A. There will be signs to the Registry Office from there."

  Siri nodded. "Good luck, Obi-Wan. I will come to Astri's room as soon as I am finished."

  Siri strode off, and Rai Unlu beckoned to Obi-Wan. "This way."

  Obi-Wan followed him from the soaring atrium through a series of gleaming corridors. They stepped onto a moving ramp and were swept through wing after wing.

  At last, Rai Unlu stepped off the ramp at Wing L. "We must walk from here."

  They walked quickly through the wing, past the closed doors of the ward. Then they came to a sign that read NO ADMITTANCE.

  "Restricted ward for foreigners," Rai Unlu explained, hurrying through.

  To Obi-Wan's surprise, they stepped through a doorway into a partially completed hallway. Small graysleds with construction materials littered the corridor, and through the open grid-work of the ceiling Obi- Wan saw ducts and wires.

  "The Med Center is very crowded. We had to put her in the new wing,"

  Rai Unlu said.

  "But it's not finished," Obi-Wan said, stepping over a pail full of rivets.

  "She is still getting the best care," Rai Unlu assured him. "Sorrus has the best med facilities in the galaxy."

  It was a claim Obi-Wan had heard on other worlds. Had Astri been shuttled to this far wing because she was a stranger? Sorrusians weren't noted for their hospitality, but he expected a more sterile environment.

  "She is just through here, third door on your left," Rai Unlu said.

  "I must return. I have an emergency."

  "Wait," Obi-Wan said.

  "Sorry, must go," Rai Unlu said. "I'm being signaled. Emergency!"

  He turned and almost ran down the hall. Obi-Wan's growing wariness turned to concern. He felt a disturbance in the Force that alarmed him.

  Prepared for anything now, his hand went to his lightsaber hilt.

  Cautiously, he opened the third door on the left. Instead of a private room, he found himself in a partially built hospital ward. There were beams overhead and a durasteel frame. Only two walls had been constructed.

  He just had time to see a shadow flicker, nothing more. Obi-Wan stepped back, lightsaber activated, as the bounty hunter Ona Nobis suddenly flew from a beam overhead straight toward him.

  Chapter 8

  Obi-Wan had captured her laser whip back on Simpla-12. He was not happy to see that she had replaced it. It danced toward him, an arc of supple, lethal light. He struck out at the whip before it reached him. The two lasers tangled and smoked.

  He could not move as fast as Ona Nobis. That, he remembered. He could not defeat her with quickness. She was an astoundingly agile fighter with lightning-fast moves. Her mind was quick as well. She always had surprises up her sleeve.

  Cleverness. Acrobatics. Cunning. Flexibility. She had everything he had been taught was important in battle. His adversary did not have the Force, but she might have the advantage.

  In this partially enclosed space, he was too vulnerable. He must get out in the open. Obi-Wan drove Ona Nobis back with a furious flurry of moves, forcing her to concentrate on defending herself. When she was slightly off balance he vaulted to the top of the unfinished wall.

  Balancing for a moment, he leaped down into the construction site.

  Here there were obstacles — graysleds, drills, large piles of metal poles, blocks of stone, a durasteel skeleton of the exterior walls of the wing, a deep, muddy pit. Yet he could use them for defense and attack. Here the Force could help him.

  The whip snaked to the top of the wall behind him, curling around an exposed rod. A moment later Ona Nobis used it to haul herself up. Her head swiveled toward him in the black visor she wore to conceal her eyes. Then she leaped down, landing lightly, already furling the whip for another attack.

  Her lips curled back from her teeth. "I've been waiting for this,"

  she said.

  He was ready. Every sense was alert, every particle of his being focused on the battle ahead. He had to be. The trick was to get her close.

  From a distance, she used the whip to devastating effect. If he were closer, she would have no room to maneuver.

  The perfect attack begins with your attention. Every pebble can be an obstacle or an opportunity. Hone your focus. Add speed, timing, strategy, surprise. Do not forget the Force is with you.

  Obi-Wan leaped to his opponent's left side. He used a technique Qui- Gon called "false attack." He knew he would not win with this strategy, but he did not mean to. He wanted to draw her forward toward him.

  His lightsaber whirled and blurred as he moved, deflecting her curling whip with its spiked edge. He saw her hand move toward the blaster strapped to her hip and he blocked it with a flurry of moves so fast she had to concentrate to keep up.

  The ground was treacherous with mud and debris, but he used the Force to aid every step. He leaped on a pyramid of stone blocks and used the momentum to flip in midair and come at her left. Instead of stepping backward, she stepped forward, an unexpected move for anyone but Ona Nobis.

  Good. He had expected it, planned for it.

  He twisted in midair, adding momentum to his leap. He landed behind her. Now her back was to a sinkhole filled with mud and water. There was no telling if it was shallow or meters deep.

  He drove her relentlessly backward. He saw her lip curl with anger as she flicked the whip, sending it within millimeters of his flesh. He slashed downward. The lasers tangled with a buzzing noise.

  Suddenly the blaster was in her hand. He had only caught a blur of movement as she reached for ft. But he was ready, his lightsaber spinning in a continuous arc to deflect the fire. The Force surged in him, making every movement sure.

  But he could not concentrate on everything at once. He lost his connection to the ground. Chips of stone lay around the muddy surface, and they were slippery. His foot slid and he lost his balance. He caught himself before he fell but his loss of concentration cost him.

  She moved to his right and charged, firing as she went. Obi-Wan slid on the slippery stones, struggling to regain his footing as he deflected the furious round of fire, twisting his body. He felt the rush of air as the whip snaked around him.

  For the first time, he was seriously worried. He was outmatched and he knew it. He did not have Qui-Gon's perfect mastery of the Force. And he could not meet the dual challenge of the whip and the blaster. He could not get close enough to disarm her, and he doubted he would be lucky enough to capture the whip a second time. He had only managed to do so back on Simpla-12 because Astri had barreled down on Ona Nobis in a gravsled.

  Doubt is your first enemy. How many times had he heard that in class?

  Yet he knew deep within that this doubt was justified. With a whip as well as a blaster, she could keep him running while she remained still. Sooner or later he would tire. He saw how much he depended on Qui-Gon during a battle. He could pick up on Qui-Gon's strategy, but he could not formulate it himself. He would put up a good fight, maybe even wound her, if he were lucky to get close enough. But she would win. She knew this territory well and she had set the trap. He had walked right into it.

  All of these calculations roared through Obi-Wan's mind even as he regained his footing and faked a pass at Ona Nobis, forcing her to retreat a few steps. He knew it was a temporary victory.

  The hardest decision, Qui-Gon had told him once, is to walk away. He had not understood that. Until now. It went against everything he'd learned about battle, everything he was as a Jedi.

  Or did it? The mission was his first concern.

  Ona Nobis was not part of his mission. As far as they knew, she had no co
nnection to Jenna Zan Arbor now. She had picked a fight solely for revenge.

  Which meant there was no reason to fight. Behind Ona Nobis, tall girders framed a wall of the wing. He needed a few seconds, that was all Concentrating all his will, he reached out a hand toward a fusioncutter lying on the ground. He felt the Force move, and the fusioncutter slid along the mud and then flew with sudden momentum straight toward Ona Nobis.

  Surprised, she slashed at it with her whip. Obi-Wan felt the power in his legs as he leaped straight over her head toward the girder above. He landed, slipping just a bit from the mud on his boots. But he knew he would regain his balance. He bent his legs and leaped again, this time to a higher girder.