by Jude Watson
Compared to him, Ferus's hold on the Force was puny. Anakin reached out for it in the way he knew, reached for the Force in the stones and the dust and very air he breathed. The Force was part of him and around him.
His vision was sharper now, his control perfect. He didn't count the droids he dismantled. He didn't hesitate or second-guess his choices. He just kept moving.
Even while he moved, he kept track of the Padawans behind him and next to him. In battle, his problems with Ferus went away. They were fellow Jedi, and they had to cover one another.
The droids split off in a different formation. Darra, who had swung wide to attack, was suddenly surrounded. She whirled in an arc, keeping most of them at bay. Tru, who was closest, Force-leaped to help her, his flexible arms reaching out to slash his way toward her. Darra buried her lightsaber in the lead droid's control panel and it wheeled crazily astray, spraying blaster fire in random, dizzying circles. The stray fire caught Tru in mid-leap. He was wounded and fell, his lightsaber clattering to the floor. A droid stepped on it and kept going.
Anakin started to rush to help, but out of the corner of his eye he saw a flicker of movement. Something sinuous, flowing. Not the movement of a droid.
A cape. A dark-robed figure was moving quickly, keeping in the shadows, heading into the shadowy end of the hangar.
Granta Omega.
Tru was down. Darra had leaped to protect him. Now Ferus was moving in that direction.
The situation was covered. And Omega was getting away, no doubt heading for the same exit that Auben had told them about. This was his chance, his only chance. With a last glance at his friend, Anakin ran off into the darkness.
Chapter Thirteen
Ry-Gaul led the way. "When I couldn't get in, I followed the wall back into the mountain. There's an old landing hangar. It's enormous — maybe a hundred service bays on each side. I got in through one of the end bays.
That's where they are."
"The Padawans won't know it's a Sith," Soara said. "Until. "
They all finished the sentence in their minds. Until it's too late.
Ry-Gaul led them steadily downward. Obi-Wan could feel the mountain as if it were pressing on his back. The closer they got, the more dread he felt.
They were deep in the monastery now. Even though it was in ruins, Obi- Wan could see how different it was from the Jedi Temple. Although the Sith monastery had the same goals — study and training — it was clear that this had been a place ruled by fear. The Temple had grand rooms, but it also had quiet spaces, light-filled classrooms, gardens. The Jedi believed that beauty was a part of the Force, and encouraged it. The sound of water, the play of light, the grace of a curving stairway — the Temple had been planned as a place of comfort as well as rigor.
The lines of this place were harsh. The walls were high, but narrowed slightly as they rose, in order to create a sense of being trapped. Angles were slightly off in a way that Obi-Wan realized was deliberate. The monastery was designed to intimidate, to keep beings off-balance. There were no openings to air or light. There was only cold gray stone, massive columns, hard floors. Amid the weeping stones, Obi-Wan could still feel the fear that had ruled there, the many beings who had come to learn evil, the ones who had come naively, hoping for some kind of enlightenment, and had been trapped by their own desires.
He shuddered. It was as though he could feel each wasted life. Each terrible death.
The rest of the Jedi were silent. He knew they felt it, too.
At last Ry-Gaul stepped through a doorway into what had once been a service bay. They saw Auben cowering behind the wreck of an ancient vehicle. Wordlessly, she pointed to the curved arch that led to the hangar.
It was the silence that frightened them. They rushed out into the hangar.
It was littered with the remains of droids — so many that Obi-Wan staggered. Had the Padawans destroyed them all?
They could see that the battle had just ended seconds before. Tru lay on the ground. Ferus leaned over him, tending a wound with bacta. Darra whirled around and saw them, her lightsaber still activated. She shut it down as Ry-Gaul moved toward his wounded Padawan with his usual efficient speed.
Fear welled up in Obi-Wan.
Where is Anakin?
Darra saw the question in his eyes. "He ran that way — I think he saw something." She pointed to the darkness at the end of the vast hangar.
Obi-Wan started to run. He would have to rely on the Force to find Anakin. He opened himself up to it, hoping it would reveal to him what he needed to know. Was his Padawan wounded? Had the worst happened?
He had no doubt what Anakin was chasing. No matter what Anakin thought, he was not equipped to deal with a Sith.
Obi-Wan ran into the darkness. He could not risk a light, not even his lightsaber. The darkness seemed to invade his lungs, making it hard for him to breathe. He scrambled over fallen blocks of stone, engine parts, the shreds of machines and the skeletons of vehicles. It was difficult to keep his footing but he made no sound.
He saw movement ahead and realized he had found Anakin. Relief flooded him, rendering him weak for a moment. He had been so afraid, and now he wondered momentarily at his fear. It seemed out of proportion to what he knew of Anakin's skills. All he knew was that he had an overwhelming need to protect his Padawan from the Sith, to stand between Anakin and the dark side. Natural, he supposed.
Anakin was moving quickly, hugging the wall of the hangar. His focus was so intent that he did not sense Obi-Wan behind him. Obi-Wan noted this with alarm. How many times had he warned Anakin to never focus on the goal ahead only, but to cast his attention like a net, as far around him as he could? He should have sensed his Master. Obi-Wan quickened his pace. He felt the dark side of the Force grow and gather, and he wanted to call out to Anakin, but didn't want to give away their positions.
He needn't have worried. Whoever the Sith was, he knew exactly where Anakin was, for, to Obi-Wan's horror, his apprentice was suddenly lifted like a doll and flung into the air. Anakin's body slammed into the wreck of a cruiser. He fell to the ground.
Obi-Wan raced forward, his lightsaber activated and ready for battle.
He kept his focus wide, just as he had taught Anakin. He knew the Sith was aware that he was there, and no doubt was aware that he would rush to help his apprentice.
No attack came. Anakin was already recovering as Obi-Wan bent over him, quickly checking for breaks or contusions.
"I'm all right." Anakin grunted. "Just… embarrassed. I've never felt anything like that."
"Did you see him?"
"Only from behind. Tall. Dressed in a black-hooded cape that trailed all the way to the ground. I didn't see his face. He didn't even turn. I felt the Force come at me like an autoblaster cannon…." Anakin struggled to his feet. "It could be a Sith."
"I know."
Anakin started forward.
"Where are you going?" Obi-Wan asked.
When he turned, Obi-Wan could see Anakin's face undergo a change.
Every muscle tightened, and his eyes turned flinty.
"We have a chance to make a stand," Anakin said.
"We need the others."
"It will be too late."
Obi-Wan hesitated only a fraction. Anakin was right. They had to try.
He started forward, and together they moved farther into the darkness.
"Keep your focus loose," Obi-Wan warned him in a low tone. "He will come from anywhere when he comes."
"This time I'll be prepared."
"Don't be so confident," Obi-Wan answered. "You probably won't be."
They were nearing the end of the hangar. He sensed it rather than saw it. The corroded vehicles were more numerous now, lined up like dark, giant phantoms.
Like phantoms..
Phantoms that move…
Obi-Wan wrenched his gaze away. He could have sworn the ancient ships were moving.
Then he knew.
"This way!" he yelled, as the
first vehicle suddenly flipped over. It would have crushed them if Obi-Wan hadn't dashed to the side with Anakin on his heels. He flattened himself against the wall as another vehicle moved, its jagged wing a lethal weapon, capable of slicing them to ribbons. A cruiser suddenly zoomed toward the wall, straight at them.
"Drop!" Anakin and Obi-Wan hit the floor, hugging the stones as the cruiser passed over them and smashed into the wall.
Vehicle parts began to fall like rain. The crashes were deafening.
They leaped, twisted, and dived to avoid them, using the Force to deflect them when they could. Finally they came to rest in the shadow of one of the giant statues. Obi-Wan leaned against a clawed foot and squinted into the darkness.
He could not see the Sith, but he felt the Sith's amusement, his triumph.
The vehicles now smashed into one another, creating a solid mass of screaming metal, effectively blocking them from the front of the hangar.
Anakin ran to the mountain of metal and tried to climb over it. Obi- Wan felt the dark side rise in a crest and then fall, leaving a vacuum behind.
"It's no use," he told Anakin. "The Sith is gone." "Gone." Anakin repeated the word dully.
"Don't worry." Obi-Wan sheathed his lightsaber. "I have no doubt that we'll meet him again."
Chapter Fourteen
Anakin immediately hurried to Tru's side while Obi-Wan went to confer with the Masters.
"You all right?"
Tru smiled wanly, but didn't look up. "Just a few bruises. Ferus fixed me up."
Ferus tucked the med kit back into his utility pouch. He didn't look at Anakin, either. Darra studied the hilt of her lightsaber.
"I saw someone trying to escape, so I had to go after him," Anakin said. "It turned out to be a Sith. Obi-Wan is sure of it."
"Well, that's not surprising," Darra said. "We're on Korriban, after all."
There was an unfamiliar hard note in Darra's voice, as if she resented Anakin.
"Our mission is to find Granta Omega," Anakin said. "You had things under control, so I went after him — or, who I thought was him."
"So you were sure we had everything under control?" Ferus straightened, wiping his hands on his tunic. "That's what I said."
"Tru was wounded, I was helping him, and Darra had to face off against a dozen droids, but everything was under control?"
"Obviously I made the right call," Anakin said, gesturing at the fallen droids.
"And you were only thinking of the mission, of course," Ferus said.
"Of course." Anakin knew what Ferus was getting at. He felt his neck heat up, and he turned away before the flush could reach his cheeks and betray him. The truth was less certain than his words. He was thinking of the mission, but he was also thinking of himself. He had been in a position to capture Omega without help. He had left Ferus behind with a secret satisfaction. He had wanted to win.
He sneaked a look back at Tru. His friend looked strained and unhappy.
Anakin resolved to talk to him as soon as he could do so privately. Tru's friendship was very important to him. But Tru had to understand what was important to Anakin, too.
Anakin joined the Masters. Ry-Gaul and Soara were examining the battle droid wreckage.
"These are the super battle droids we've been hearing about," Soara said. "A complete violation of Republic regulations."
Obi-Wan looked grim. "We are lucky to all be standing. This could have been much worse. I think our next step is to trace the route of the Sith if we can. He most likely used the exit that you used to get inside, Ry-Gaul."
Ry-Gaul nodded. "That's why he blocked it." "There's another possibility," Siri said. "The landing pad could be functional."
Anakin shook his head. "Auben said it's buried." "So maybe it just looks buried," Siri said.
"Let's ask Auben," Anakin said. "She can show it to us, at least."
They walked inside the service bay. It was empty. "She was hiding behind the old cruiser," Soara said. "Where could she have gone?"
"I doubt she'd return to the monastery," Ferus said. "She was afraid of the Commerce Guild army."
"She must have sneaked behind us when we were tending to Ferus," Siri said.
"Most likely heading for the other exit." Ferus swallowed. "She went toward the Sith."
The Jedi exchanged glances.
Without a word, they moved back to the dark front of the hangar. Using the Force, they searched each service bay as they ran, making sure Auben hadn't hid there. Finally they ended at the pile of vehicles and debris the Sith had used to block his escape. Grimly, they set to work with their lightsabers and cleared a smoking hole through the pileup. One by one, they crawled through.
They walked into the last bay on the line. A new cruiser stood there, its ramp down.
"Did you see this when you came in?" Obi-Wan asked Ry-Gaul.
He shook his head. "It must have landed after I left." As they moved closer, they saw a body on the ramp. It was Auben.
She was dead.
Chapter Fifteen
Anakin rushed forward. He checked her vitals, even though he knew she was gone. "What happened?" he asked. "There's not a mark on her."
"Her heart just stopped beating," Siri said. "It's said that the Sith were capable of stopping a heart without even touching their victim."
"The question is, what was she doing here?" Obi-Wan asked.
Ferus had climbed up the ramp into the cruiser. He poked his head out.
"That's easy to answer. Stealing." He held out two thermal capes. "She told Anakin and me that she could get her hands on some luxury goods."
"While you check out the ship, Darra and I will see if we can find the landing platform," Soara said.
Obi-Wan ran up the ramp. Quickly, he moved through the ship, searching for clues. It was evident that the ship had been left bare of everything except essentials or items that couldn't be traced. He quickly checked the nav computer. Even the archives were wiped.
"This is the Sith ship," he said.
"Expensive tastes," Ferus said, dropping the thermal capes with distaste.
"Auben must have found the ship sometime earlier," Obi-Wan guessed.
"She wanted to nab some items on her way out."
"Never got the chance," Ferus said.
"Maybe," Obi-Wan murmured.
He started out of the cruiser. "Something I learned from Qui-Gon. When you catch a thief, he'll always pretend he was on his way in, not out."
Anakin followed closely on Obi-Wan's heels. Obi-Wan bent over Auben.
Gently, he reached underneath her body and withdrew her hand. He uncurled her fist.
"We just got lucky," he said. "The Sith was in a hurry. He didn't check."
"What is it?" Anakin asked.
"A holo-recorder," Obi-Wan said, holding it up. "One of the micro versions. She'd get a good price for it on the black market. And there's a received message here in the archive."
He pressed a button, and a miniature image of Granta Omega appeared.
Omega bowed. "Greetings, Master. We are grateful that our failure to complete our mission at the Senate did not disappoint you. As you generously said, the intent to disrupt and demoralize was achieved. The Senate is more divided than ever. It gratifies us that you have decided to entrust us with your secret. We have received the coordinates for our meeting. At last you will reveal yourself to us. We will then truly be able to further your cause throughout the galaxy." Omega bowed again. "Until we meet, I, Granta Omega, and Jenna Zan Arbor, servants to no one in the galaxy, remain servants to the Sith."
The hologram fragmented into a shimmer.
"Whew," Anakin said. "What a toadying dungcreeper."
"So they came here to meet the Sith, just as you thought," Siri said.
"He's going to reveal his identity to them."
"Which means if we can find out where the meeting is, we'll find out as well," Obi-Wan said.
Siri pressed her lips together. "We have a whole planet to sear
ch."
A faraway look was in Obi-Wan's eyes. "No. There is only one possible place for them to meet," he said softly.
Soara and Darra appeared. "We found the landing platform," Soara said.
"It's still completely functional. We found new access controls hidden in the ruins. Works like a charm. There's evidence of a recent takeoff. By the looks of the scorch marks, I'd say it was a small airspeeder."