by Jude Watson
That was a concern for another time. Obi-Wan guessed that the droids were following the original plan and heading for the tech readout controls, and then for the treasury. He hoped he was right. He raced into the tech readout room. Two tech workers lay on the floor, stunned from blaster bolts. One remaining worker had taken cover behind a console. The droids marched forward, keeping up a stream of blaster bolts from their chests and hands.
Obi-Wan was on them in a flash. His lightsaber was in constant motion. With attack droids, he did not have to worry about the fine points of strategy. They did not have the split-second timing of a living being. They were relentless, and their firepower was rapid and fierce.
Obi-Wan could have relied on someone to cover his flank, but he took the natural defense of the pillars and consoles of the room for cover. He used long strokes to down two droids at a time. He somersaulted through the air, too fast for a droid to track. He slashed through the head of one droid and wiped out the front control panel of another. He turned and kicked, sending one droid flying, but another had sneaked up on his flank. Blaster fire burned his arm, but he kept moving, slicing the droid in two. He was hit, but he didn't know how badly. His left arm was on fire, and useless. Obi-Wan switched his attack to ground level, bending and then using a fast combination of upward strokes to vanquish the rest of the droids.
He stopped at last. Sweat rolled down his face and soaked his tunic. The floor was littered with droids. He felt dizzy from his wound.
The tech worker who had taken shelter behind a console popped up. Obi-Wan recognized him as a Pho Ph'eahian by his four arms and matted blue fur. "You've been hit."
Obi-Wan winced as he looked at the wound. "It's not bad."
"We have a med kit here. Hang on." The tech worker hurried to bring the kit to Obi-Wan. "I have some medic training, don't worry." Using his four arms, he unwound a bandage at the same time he cleaned the wound, shook bacta on it, offered Obi-Wan a sip of water, and bandaged his arm.
"You should get to the loading bays," Obi-Wan told him when he had finished. "The ship is being evacuated."
"Where is Uni?" the worker asked.
"On the bridge. He won't leave the ship until everyone is safe. And he's hoping to get to a port to save the ship."
"Then I'll stay. He'll need someone in the readout room to monitor the equipment."
Obi-Wan nodded at him, admiring his courage. "What is your name?"
"Rhe Pabs."
"Thank you, Rhe Pabs. I'm heading for the bridge now. I'll tell Uni that you'll remain."
Rhe Pabs nodded. The ship suddenly shook from another blast, and Obi-Wan staggered, his arm slamming against the console. He stifled a cry of surprised pain.
"You should see a real medic," Rhe Pabs said.
"And you should evacuate," Obi-Wan said. They exchanged a grin, and Obi-Wan raced out the door. The corridor was now crowded with the inhabitants of the BioCruiser. Some were carrying belongings, some were panicked, some were just bewildered. Over the speaker system, he could hear Andra's calm voice.
"Panic will delay us. Watch out for your neighbor. Proceed to the loading bays. We have room for all. Safety is our first concern. Help your neighbor."
Obi-Wan dashed through the crowd, heading for the bridge. When he burst in, Kad was sitting at the main controls.
"Do you know how to fly this?" Obi-Wan asked him.
"Yes." Kad's face was taut. "I sent the others to the escape liners. I will not leave the ship."
"The tech readout room is still operational. Rhe Pabs has agreed to remain."
"Good." Kad's eyes searched the skies outside the wraparound cockpit window. "Your Jedi are doing well. Two Offworld ships are down."
Obi-Wan saw Anakin's starfighter zooming in and taking aim at an Offworld battleship whose guns were blazing at the BioCruiser. The BioCruiser staggered from an explosion. Anakin dived, proton torpedoes firing. Another Offworld ship suddenly peeled off from its attack on the BioCruiser and swiveled its gunports toward Anakin's ship.
"I hope your Jedi has eyes in the back of his head," Kad murmured.
Obi-Wan hoped so, too.
In many ways, Anakin felt most comfortable alone in the pilot seat of a starship. There was just him and the ship and the infinite ways he could maneuver. Although it was recognized at the Jedi Temple that he had gifts as a pilot, he did not get much of a chance to fly. That was why he was so frustrated to learn that if only he could turn back time, he could have been one of Clee Rhara's pilots in the training program.
He knew the Offworld ship was behind him. He did not have to look. But he did not take evasive action. Not yet. He knew the ship would wait until he was out of range of the attacking Offworld ship. They would not want the wreckage of Anakin's ship to spiral into its neighbor.
At the very last second, he pushed the ship, screaming, to the right, then climbed straight up, flipped over, and came upside down toward the ship at his rear.
"Didn't expect that, did you?" he shouted as he fired his proton torpedoes. The Offworld ship disintegrated into a shower of fire and light. Anakin felt his blood rise with the sight. He knew he should not feel triumph, but he did. He was outgunned by the power of the Offworld ships, but he would never be outmaneuvered.
Garen's voice came over the comm unit. "Two ships heading for the escape liners. I'll take the one on the left."
"Copy that." Anakin dived. The controls felt warm in his hands, even though he knew they weren't. A ship felt alive to him, an organic creature he controlled. He had felt that way since the first day he'd put his hands on the controls of an airship, back when he was a young slave boy with a cantankerous Podracer on Tatooine.
He saw Garen ahead now in his sight line. Garen swung to his left, and Anakin swung farther to the right. Four Offworld ships were bearing down on the escape liners. He could clearly see the Broken Circle
logo on their wings.
Anakin reached out to the Force. He felt at one with the engines. The will of the ship was entwined with his. He even felt entwined with Garen.
The two pushed their engines to the maximum. They zigzagged their way toward the larger ships. The ships saw them coming and turned their barrage of firepower on the two agile starfighters.
"Time to climb," Anakin muttered, easing the controls. The ship zoomed upward and he reversed direction, avoiding a blast to his starboard engine. He somersaulted and came at one ship from a sideways angle, blasting his torpedoes. He peppered the wing with fire, and then he got lucky. One of the blasts hit the fuel tank. The ship went up in a whoosh, sending shock waves toward him. His starfighter danced on the vibrations.
"Good show!" Garen called through the comm unit. "Let's get number two in a pincer movement."
"Copy that. Ready or not ..." Anakin dived to the left while Garen dived to the right. Torpedoes blasting, they caught the second ship between them. The ship spiraled out, its engines dead.
Anakin was already heading for the third ship. While he'd been engaged, the third ship had managed to damage the wing of the rescue liner. Anakin came at the Offworld ship from above, dropping at top speed as though he would crash into the bridge. At this angle, the ship's guns could not reach him. It swerved, and he followed. When he had a clear shot, he went for the left engine. Torpedoes blasted, and the engine blew. Limping, the Offworld attack ship headed back to the Offworld cruiser.
Garen had taken care of the last ship. Anakin looked around. The sky was empty of Offworld ships.
"I just spoke to Obi-Wan," Garen said. "He and Kad are staying aboard the BioCruiser. Kad wants to make it to Tentrix. The guidance system blew. They need us to escort them."
Anakin could tell by Garen's terse wording that the ship was in deep trouble. He could see it: The ship was listing to one side, and great plumes of smoke were rising from the engines. The BioCruiser was a death trap. The last thing Anakin wanted to do was stay out here while his Master was marooned on a failing vessel. He wanted to be by his Master's side.
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But he was a Jedi. He was learning that it meant doing things opposite to his nature. He turned the ship to the right and followed Garen.
"I'm getting a reading that the secondary power cell system is going," Rhe Pabs said. His voice was calm, but Obi-Wan and Kad exchanged a glance. If the secondary power cell system went, the ship would go into catastrophic failure. They would not have time to get to an escape pod.
"Rhe Pabs, it's time for you to go," Kad said, his voice even.
"No sir, I think I'll stick it out here."
Kad gave a sigh of exasperation. "All right, then. Keep us posted." He turned to Obi-Wan. "I'm going to gamble. I could use less power, which might spare the system. But we'd just have to keep the ship operational a longer period of time. Other systems are failing, too. I'm going to increase power so we can reach Tentrix faster."
Obi-Wan nodded. "All right."
Kad turned back to the controls. "This is a good time for you to evacuate."
"I'm staying," Obi-Wan said.
"This is not your fight."
"It is now," Obi-Wan responded.
It was an agonizing journey. The ship controls were erratic. Warning lights flashed on almost every panel.
Obi-Wan kept his eyes on the ships flanking them. They were so close that he could see Anakin's tense expression, the strain on his face as he tried to smile and give Obi-Wan a thumbs-up.
"Why do you want to save the BioCruiser so badly?" Obi-Wan asked Kad.
"Because I invited all those beings to join me," he said grimly. "They left their homes. They have lost their treasury. This is the only thing they have left. I will not lose it."
Garen's voice crackled over the comm unit. "Tentrix dead ahead. Orbiting docking platform will be in position in eight minutes."
"We'll make it," Kad muttered.
Now Obi-Wan could see the vast planet of Tentrix. The docking platform was a small dot in the distance, just a bit larger than a star. As they came closer and the docking platform orbited toward them, it grew larger and larger.
"Almost there," Kad breathed.
Suddenly the comm unit came to life, and Rhe Pubs's agitated voice sputtered out a warning. "Attack droids still on board! I saw them heading for the bridge!"
Obi-Wan whirled around, his lightsaber drawn, just as the doors to the bridge slid open. A squad of battle droids entered, blasters firing. Blaster fire pinged off the console and thudded into the upholstery of the command benches. Obi-Wan leaped over the console as two droids took aim at Kad. He deflected the fire with his lightsaber at the same time that he sailed toward the droids. He slashed at one droid's control panel while he kicked out at the other. They both fell with a clatter. He whirled around and sliced the next in two. Diverting blaster fire, he advanced steadily until the droids were cornered, then with one stroke, cut both of them off at the knees. They sank to the floor, still firing, and he sliced off their heads. They rolled together with a clunk and were still.
"Beginning docking procedures," Kad said, his voice shaky. He threw Obi-Wan a grateful look. "We'll make it. Thanks to you."
CHAPTER 23
The sun rose late on Tentrix. After their morning meal, Obi-Wan and Anakin went out on the main docking platform to watch the sun splash the deck with orange and touch the planet below with light. Anakin felt exhilarated. It was a good feeling to be halfway across the galaxy from Coruscant and the Temple, looking down at an unfamiliar planet after a successful mission. For the first time, he felt like a true Jedi.
"I don't care what Yoda says," Anakin remarked. "I think discovering sabotage, helping an evacuation, and guiding a crippled ship to safety counts as a mission."
Obi-Wan smiled. "It was a mission, Anakin."
"Good," Anakin said with satisfaction. "There are some things I don't understand about it, though."
"That is usually the case after a mission."
"How could Kad forgive his father at the end?" Anakin burst out. "He had betrayed him. He could have been responsible for countless deaths."
"Yes, he did many bad things," Obi-Wan agreed. "But he asked his son for forgiveness when he was dying. There must have been good in him. I think it is a mark of Kad's character that he was able to forgive his father."
Anakin shook his head. "I still don't understand it."
"Would you forgive Yoda if he did something terrible?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yoda would never do something terrible," Anakin said firmly.
"No, I don't think he would," Obi-Wan said. "But you must remember always, Anakin, the strength of the dark side."
Anakin's mouth set in a thin line. He still did not understand. He decided to change the subject. "I just wish we'd been able to track Kern."
"Perhaps Garen will be able to." Garen had volunteered to search for the escape pod. They continued to have hope that the BioCruiser treasury could be returned.
"I don't understand what Kern was doing," Anakin said. "Was he working for Offworld or not?"
"I doubt it," Obi-Wan said. "I think he is working for a different gang. Or maybe Vox contacted him on Offworld's behalf and he decided to work for himself instead. That treasury was a great temptation. And Kad told me that Kern stole the blueprints of the BioCruiser. He has detailed plans of all their technological innovations."
"What do you think he wants with them?"
"He will sell them," Obi-Wan said. "A constantly traveling ship with a large population could be seen as a threat by an organization that seeks control of the galaxy. Whatever or whoever is guiding Kern was interested in destroying Kad's movements as well as stealing the treasury. If we can find Kern, maybe we can get some answers."
"You sound as though you don't think Garen will find him," Anakin guessed.
Obi-Wan looked out at the stars, which were beginning to fade due to the rising sun. "There are many places to hide in the galaxy. And Kern is used to deception. But it is a good ending for your first mission, Anakin. Sometimes evil beings escape. We do what we can."
"But I always want to win," Anakin said.
Obi-Wan frowned. "Missions are not about winning and losing. They are about leaving good behind."
They heard footsteps behind them. Kad came toward them.
"A beautiful world, Tentrix," he said, looking down at the blue planet.
"Will you stay here for a while?" Obi-Wan asked.
"The repairs will take some time, I'm afraid," Kad answered. "We are holding meetings to decide on our next step. It is not clear what that will be. I am reluctant to make the decision. Some talk of colonizing a new world or finding a planet in the Outer Rim that would welcome us. We shall see. I have led all these beings away from what they knew, but I cannot provide them with a future."
"I'm sure the path will become clear," Obi-Wan said.
Kad nodded. "I want you to know that if I am uncertain about the future, I have at least buried my past. I hope it is buried for you, too. You saved my life, but that is not why I can bury it. I know now that you didn't cause my brother's death. Bitterness was at our family's core. I know now that Bruck had it. My father had it. And the hardest thing I had to acknowledge is that I have it, too. I have based a system on rejection. I turned my face away from life. What else causes that other than a bitter heart? Funny how facing that has brought me peace at last."
Anakin watched carefully. His Master and Kad locked eyes. Something passed between them. He felt something ease in his Master, some heaviness lift from him.
"Then life has given you a gift," Obi-Wan said. "You get to begin again."
"I hear you have arranged transport back to Coruscant," Kad said. "Will you come and say good-bye to Andra and Den? They're waiting for you."
"Of course," Obi-Wan said. "Anakin?"
"I'll be right behind you," Anakin said. He did not want to leave the loading platform just yet. His mind still teemed with questions and lessons. He longed to ask Obi-Wan, but he didn't think he would. Whatever was in Obi-Wan's past was a wound that went deep. H
e understood that. He had his own wounds. Maybe someday he would stand as a man, just like Obi-Wan, and feel the burden lift.
He thought again of Kad, cradling his father as he died, tears falling from his eyes. There were levels to compassion he still did not understand. How did a being go about transforming anger into mercy? Frustration bit inside him. Obi-Wan tried to understand him. He loved his Master for that. But no one could understand. Not his fellow students at the Temple, not his teachers, not even Yoda, who seemed to understand so much. Would he always feel apart from the others because of his background? And would that feeling of separation mean that he would never become as great a Knight as Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan? It was his greatest fear.
Anakin turned back toward the shelter of the spaceport, toward friends, warmth, light, and his Master. The future would come, he told himself.
At that moment, all he felt was grateful that he had Obi-Wan to show him the way.