Thanks, again, everyone, for your kind words. I was sick past few days so
sorry about delay in posting. I should say there's a very good chance
there's going to be a sequel to this story, so it will be an honest to
goodness trilogy! :)
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Stars in the Darkness - Part Thirty
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Even before Anakin landed the speeder, Obi-Wan was already out of it. He unclipped his lightsaber and raced towards the entrance of the amusement complex, Anakin close behind. A small crowd was standing in front of the closed gates, murmuring among themselves. A tall, light-haired man, who held the hand of a little girl, turned as the Jedi approached.
"What's going on?" Obi-Wan asked, ignoring those among the crowd who pointed and whispered at him and Anakin.
The man gestured towards the entrance, only a raised eyebrow showing his surprise at the appearance of two Jedi.
"It's not open. It's well past the time it was supposed to open and there's no sign of the attendant."
"Poppy, are the Jedi going to let us in?" the little girl asked.
Obi-Wan looked down at her, his heart lurching in his chest, for the child was about the same age as Ben.
"I don't know, honey," the man replied. "I would think the Jedi had better things to do."
Obi-Wan was surprised to hear a note of disapproval in the man's voice. He turned back to the gate. For a moment, he wondered if perhaps he and Anakin were wrong and Onara had not come here. But her credit chit clearly showed she had purchased two tickets this morning. Perhaps the attendant had let her and Ben in early. But, in that case, where was the attendant? He looked over as Anakin went up to the gate and, grabbing it, tried to open it, shaking it fiercely.
"It's locked, Master."
Obi-Wan gestured towards the crowd. "Please, all of you step back."
He ignited his lightsaber. Anakin immediately followed suit. They quickly cut through the gate with their blades. Just before moving through it, Obi- Wan turned back to the crowd, most of whom were staring wide-eyed at him.
"Please, leave immediately. We have reason to suspect a criminal is loose on the premises."
"A criminal?" the father gasped, instinctively pulling his little girl away from the complex.
Obi-Wan nodded, then turned and followed Anakin, who was already running through the main entrance. As they ran down a hallway that featured displays advertising the different attractions within the complex, Obi-Wan forced himself to focus his thoughts. The complex was huge, so Onara and Ben could be anywhere. His only hope in finding them was to use the Force.
Turning a corner that lead into a large atrium, Obi-Wan stopped. Anakin had run on ahead, but also stopped when he saw his master was no longer behind him. Obi-Wan noted the frustration on his padawan's face, but, once again, the Jedi Knight knew that, in spite of his and Anakin's overriding need to find Onara and Ben as quickly as possible, they had to remain Jedi.
He closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. _Anger, fear, anguish_. The sensations nearly knocked him over. He whirled about and ran down a corridor to his right, Anakin beside him. Turning a corner, the first thing Obi-Wan saw was a large carousel. The second thing he saw nearly made him go mad with despair.
Onara lay on the floor in a pool of blood.
"NO!" Obi-Wan shouted, the pain in his chest like a boulder pressing on his heart as he ran to her. He quickly knelt next to her body. "No, please, no, by the Ancients. Onara, Onara."
Anakin knelt on the other side of her, his blue eyes burning, his face a rigid mask of rage as he stared down at her. Her face was badly bruised and there were also bruises on her arms and about her neck. With a trembling hand, Obi-Wan reached over and placed his fingers on her throat. Her skin was cool under his fingertips. He pressed down and felt a pulse, weak, feeble, but a pulse. A strangled sob tore from his throat.
"She's alive," he cried, looking over at Anakin, his eyes welling with tears. "But she's in shock."
Anakin quickly unhooked a pouch on his belt and pulled out an emergency bacta bandage, tearing open the plastic packaging. He grabbed Onara's tunic where it had been slashed by whatever weapon had been used to stab her and ripped it apart. Applying the bandage to her wound, he pressed down on it. Obi-Wan took off his robe and wrapped it around her, almost blinded by his tears and growing rage.
"She's lost a lot of blood, Master," Anakin said in a grim voice. "But I've stopped the bleeding." Then he glared over at Obi-Wan. "Why would Lursan beat her like this?"
Obi-Wan shook his head as he gently adjusted the robe around Onara. "She fought him, Anakin," his voice breaking as he imagined Lursan's hands on her, beating her, striking her, as she struggled frantically with him to protect her child. "She fought him to keep him away from Ben. Then the coward stabbed her," Obi-Wan finished, his voice trembling with grief and anger as he cupped Onara's face.
"Master, stay with Onara. I'll look for Ben."
Obi-Wan's head snapped up. He saw worry in Anakin's eyes. But, he realized, it wasn't just Ben his padawan was worried about. He knew Anakin could sense his growing rage through the Force.
Swallowing heavily, Obi-Wan forced himself to calm down, calling upon all his years of training as a Jedi, but it was difficult. Onara's face was so still and pale within the dark cloud of her hair, and her paleness made the bluish-black bruises on her face even more blasphemous. To Obi-Wan, it looked as if she had already passed over.
"No, Anakin. I'll look for Ben. Watch over Onara." He reached over and gripped Anakin's arm. "Just as you did when I went in search of Sinja-Bau. Don't worry. I'll be fine. Contact the authorities and the Jedi Temple. Have them send med-pods for emergency transport. Have them..." Obi-Wan stopped and closed his eyes for a moment, his throat working, a dizzying sense of despair washing through him. "Have them send two. Just in case."
Anakin stared at Obi-Wan for a moment, horror dimming his eyes. Then he nodded, his expression bleak. Obi-Wan reached over and gently ran his fingers over Onara's cheek, caressing her hair, his throat so tight he feared he would never speak again.
"My love, my sweet love," he whispered hoarsely. "I'll find him. I'll find him."
Then he stood, aware that some of Onara's blood was on his pants and tunic. Gripping his lightsaber, he opened himself up to the Force and reached out with it. He soon sensed Ben, but he was afraid. Obi-Wan could almost feel the rapid beating of his heart. Anger swelled in him, a burning rage at the one who was making his son so afraid, but again Obi-Wan willed his anger down.
_Focus, Relax, let the Force flow through you and guide you._
Obi-Wan clung desperately to those words, like a man drowning in a sea of darkness, as he raced down the corridor that curved to the left.
--------------------- ---------------------
Ben ran. He ran as fast as his legs and lungs could carry him. He didn't know where he was running to, but he was doing as his mother had bade him. He was running. He ran past exhibits and games and rides, but all of them were a blur to him, because all he could see was Lursan hurting his mother. And his mother screaming for Ben to run.
He didn't understand why Lursan would hurt his mother or would want to hurt him. He was Papa's friend, wasn't he? Then tears stung Ben's eyes. He should have stayed and helped his mother. That's what a real Jedi Knight would have done. His mother was always calling him her little Jedi Knight. But he wasn't a real Jedi. He didn't even have a lightsaber. And he was, after all, only a little boy.
Ben suddenly stopped, his shoes skidding on the floor. He was at the end of the corridor. Before him yawned a huge entrance and above it in large gold letters were the words _Hall of Worlds_. He was about to turn around and go back down the corridor, but he heard a sound that made his heart beat even faster than it was already beating. It was the sound of someone running down the hall towards him.
At first, Ben hoped it was his mother, but he could tell by the hard, heavy footsteps that it was someone larger. Lursan. Without a thought, Ben ran through the entrance and into the _Hall of Worlds_.
It was dark inside and it took a moment for Ben's eyes to adjust to the shadows. He could barely make out what looked like a number of huge panoramas inside the hall. To his left was an arctic wasteland and a huge, furry animal with large teeth and fearsome claws loomed over a horned animal with powerful back legs, but smaller forelegs. To his right was a jungle landscape, with huge white trees with knobby roots rising out of a thick swamp.
Ben looked around wildly, for he could hear Lursan getting closer. Then he saw, down the hall to his right, a forest of tall trees with greenish-dark leaves. And nestled within the branches of those trees were what looked like thatched roof-huts. Ben ran to the nearest tree and climbed it. Yes, it was a hut and, looking in, Ben was surprised to see furry creatures with large black eyes, no taller than he was, dressed in tawny-colored or black hoods and carrying bows and arrows. They were only exhibits, but the creatures looked quite lifelike.
Ben scooted in among them, crawling towards the darkest part of the hut. Then he drew his knees up to his chest and hugged himself tight. When he heard Lursan's footsteps running into the hall, then slowing down, Ben closed his eyes. He tried to remember everything Sinja-Bau had taught him about using the Force, but he was so scared, it all flew out of his mind.
All he could think of was how much he wished he were home with Mama and Papa, how much he wished he were a real Jedi, so he could fight Lursan instead of just hide from him, and how much he wished he were like Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan. Ben closed his eyes tighter. If only the Jedi were here. He would take care of Lursan. And then Ben would be safe, and so would his mother. I wish Obi-Wan were here, Ben whispered under his breath, rocking himself the way his mother would rock when he'd woken up from a nightmare. And, out of desperation, or a child's innocent hope, he called out to the Jedi Knight in his mind, unaware he was using the Force to do so.
---------------------
Lursan cursed softly as he walked into the darkened hall. There was no doubt the boy had run in here. There was nowhere else he could have gone. But the hall was huge and Lursan counted at least a dozen large panoramas Ben could be hiding in. He'd just have to check them each one by one. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out the dagger. No use checking the arctic exhibit for there was no place on that barren wasteland where even a boy as small as Ben could hide.
Lursan moved to the right, making his way through the jungle exhibit. Then he heard something from outside the hall. It was the sound of someone running down the corridor. Lursan cursed again. It couldn't be Onara. She should have bled to death by now. He wasn't sure what time the complex opened, but he was certain he still had enough time to finish off the boy before others arrived. Perhaps it was one of the complex's attendants.
Slipping the dagger back into its sheath, Lursan pulled out his blaster. He climbed one of the larger of the jungle trees and nestled himself along one of its thicker branches. He was well-hidden by the thick fronds and leaves, but had a clear view of the floor. He saw an approaching shadow as whomever it was ran up to the entrance to the hall. Then the person stopped.
Lursan raised an eyebrow as he sighted the blaster. Cautious, whoever it was. Then, as the person entered the hall and Lursan saw who it was, he was so startled he almost dropped the blaster. It was the Jedi, Onara's lover. Obi-Wan. What was he doing here? No matter, Lursan thought, aiming the blaster at Obi-Wan's head. He was just about to pull the trigger when a thought occurred to him.
This was not the revenge he craved. He wanted the Jedi to live, to suffer, just as Lursan had suffered, each and every day since his son and wife's deaths. And there was a way. The Jedi was here and so was the boy. Once again, the instincts Lursan had honed over decades as leader of the Red Tide kicked in. Patience, he told himself. Patience.
-----------------
Obi-Wan walked slowly into the hall. He held his lightsaber, but he had not ignited it. Ben was in here, somewhere. But, Obi-Wan reminded himself, so, more than likely, was Lursan. He moved further inside, then he suddenly felt something in his mind. It wasn't so much a voice, as it was a sensation, like someone grabbing your arm to get your attention. It was Ben, calling to Obi-Wan through the Force.
"Ben?" he called out.
--------------
Ben's eyes snapped open. He hadn't imagined that voice. He had been thinking so hard about Obi-Wan that, for a moment, he was sure it had to be some kind of dream. But there was no doubt the voice had come from outside the hut. Ben crawled towards the entrance and looked out. Near the front of the hall he saw a figure. It was in shadow, but he knew who it was. A huge smile split his face and, shaking with relief and excitement, he climbed down the tree and ran towards Obi-Wan
----------------
Obi-Wan felt Ben even before he saw him. Happiness flooded his body as he watched his son running towards him, alive and unhurt.
"Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan" Ben cried as he ran, his eyes shining.
Then, suddenly, like a clap of thunder, Obi-Wan felt the Force warning him. He looked around, unable to get a fix on where the danger was, but it was close. Ben was still running towards him. Where was Lursan? Where was he?
"Ben, wait," Obi-Wan cried as he ran towards him.
---------------
Lursan, from his perch within the tree, watched as Ben ran across the floor towards Obi-Wan. He quickly swung the blaster away from the Jedi and aimed it at Ben. Then, for a moment, as he saw the happiness on the boy's face, Lursan was reminded of his own son when he was Ben's age. He would run to Lursan in exactly the same way whenever Lursan would come home after having been away on a Red Tide assignment. The same joyous cry, the same shining eyes.
Then he remembered his son was dead. Killed by that apprentice of the Jedi who, Lursan saw, was turning his head wildly about as if he were searching for Lursan, probably, finally, aware of what was about to happen. Lursan looked back at Ben. Obi-Wan was now running towards him, shouting for Ben to wait. The boy stopped.
Perfect, Lursan thought. He aimed and fired.
To be continued....
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Stars in the Darkness - Part Thirty
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Even before Anakin landed the speeder, Obi-Wan was already out of it. He unclipped his lightsaber and raced towards the entrance of the amusement complex, Anakin close behind. A small crowd was standing in front of the closed gates, murmuring among themselves. A tall, light-haired man, who held the hand of a little girl, turned as the Jedi approached.
"What's going on?" Obi-Wan asked, ignoring those among the crowd who pointed and whispered at him and Anakin.
The man gestured towards the entrance, only a raised eyebrow showing his surprise at the appearance of two Jedi.
"It's not open. It's well past the time it was supposed to open and there's no sign of the attendant."
"Poppy, are the Jedi going to let us in?" the little girl asked.
Obi-Wan looked down at her, his heart lurching in his chest, for the child was about the same age as Ben.
"I don't know, honey," the man replied. "I would think the Jedi had better things to do."
Obi-Wan was surprised to hear a note of disapproval in the man's voice. He turned back to the gate. For a moment, he wondered if perhaps he and Anakin were wrong and Onara had not come here. But her credit chit clearly showed she had purchased two tickets this morning. Perhaps the attendant had let her and Ben in early. But, in that case, where was the attendant? He looked over as Anakin went up to the gate and, grabbing it, tried to open it, shaking it fiercely.
"It's locked, Master."
Obi-Wan gestured towards the crowd. "Please, all of you step back."
He ignited his lightsaber. Anakin immediately followed suit. They quickly cut through the gate with their blades. Just before moving through it, Obi- Wan turned back to the crowd, most of whom were staring wide-eyed at him.
"Please, leave immediately. We have reason to suspect a criminal is loose on the premises."
"A criminal?" the father gasped, instinctively pulling his little girl away from the complex.
Obi-Wan nodded, then turned and followed Anakin, who was already running through the main entrance. As they ran down a hallway that featured displays advertising the different attractions within the complex, Obi-Wan forced himself to focus his thoughts. The complex was huge, so Onara and Ben could be anywhere. His only hope in finding them was to use the Force.
Turning a corner that lead into a large atrium, Obi-Wan stopped. Anakin had run on ahead, but also stopped when he saw his master was no longer behind him. Obi-Wan noted the frustration on his padawan's face, but, once again, the Jedi Knight knew that, in spite of his and Anakin's overriding need to find Onara and Ben as quickly as possible, they had to remain Jedi.
He closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. _Anger, fear, anguish_. The sensations nearly knocked him over. He whirled about and ran down a corridor to his right, Anakin beside him. Turning a corner, the first thing Obi-Wan saw was a large carousel. The second thing he saw nearly made him go mad with despair.
Onara lay on the floor in a pool of blood.
"NO!" Obi-Wan shouted, the pain in his chest like a boulder pressing on his heart as he ran to her. He quickly knelt next to her body. "No, please, no, by the Ancients. Onara, Onara."
Anakin knelt on the other side of her, his blue eyes burning, his face a rigid mask of rage as he stared down at her. Her face was badly bruised and there were also bruises on her arms and about her neck. With a trembling hand, Obi-Wan reached over and placed his fingers on her throat. Her skin was cool under his fingertips. He pressed down and felt a pulse, weak, feeble, but a pulse. A strangled sob tore from his throat.
"She's alive," he cried, looking over at Anakin, his eyes welling with tears. "But she's in shock."
Anakin quickly unhooked a pouch on his belt and pulled out an emergency bacta bandage, tearing open the plastic packaging. He grabbed Onara's tunic where it had been slashed by whatever weapon had been used to stab her and ripped it apart. Applying the bandage to her wound, he pressed down on it. Obi-Wan took off his robe and wrapped it around her, almost blinded by his tears and growing rage.
"She's lost a lot of blood, Master," Anakin said in a grim voice. "But I've stopped the bleeding." Then he glared over at Obi-Wan. "Why would Lursan beat her like this?"
Obi-Wan shook his head as he gently adjusted the robe around Onara. "She fought him, Anakin," his voice breaking as he imagined Lursan's hands on her, beating her, striking her, as she struggled frantically with him to protect her child. "She fought him to keep him away from Ben. Then the coward stabbed her," Obi-Wan finished, his voice trembling with grief and anger as he cupped Onara's face.
"Master, stay with Onara. I'll look for Ben."
Obi-Wan's head snapped up. He saw worry in Anakin's eyes. But, he realized, it wasn't just Ben his padawan was worried about. He knew Anakin could sense his growing rage through the Force.
Swallowing heavily, Obi-Wan forced himself to calm down, calling upon all his years of training as a Jedi, but it was difficult. Onara's face was so still and pale within the dark cloud of her hair, and her paleness made the bluish-black bruises on her face even more blasphemous. To Obi-Wan, it looked as if she had already passed over.
"No, Anakin. I'll look for Ben. Watch over Onara." He reached over and gripped Anakin's arm. "Just as you did when I went in search of Sinja-Bau. Don't worry. I'll be fine. Contact the authorities and the Jedi Temple. Have them send med-pods for emergency transport. Have them..." Obi-Wan stopped and closed his eyes for a moment, his throat working, a dizzying sense of despair washing through him. "Have them send two. Just in case."
Anakin stared at Obi-Wan for a moment, horror dimming his eyes. Then he nodded, his expression bleak. Obi-Wan reached over and gently ran his fingers over Onara's cheek, caressing her hair, his throat so tight he feared he would never speak again.
"My love, my sweet love," he whispered hoarsely. "I'll find him. I'll find him."
Then he stood, aware that some of Onara's blood was on his pants and tunic. Gripping his lightsaber, he opened himself up to the Force and reached out with it. He soon sensed Ben, but he was afraid. Obi-Wan could almost feel the rapid beating of his heart. Anger swelled in him, a burning rage at the one who was making his son so afraid, but again Obi-Wan willed his anger down.
_Focus, Relax, let the Force flow through you and guide you._
Obi-Wan clung desperately to those words, like a man drowning in a sea of darkness, as he raced down the corridor that curved to the left.
--------------------- ---------------------
Ben ran. He ran as fast as his legs and lungs could carry him. He didn't know where he was running to, but he was doing as his mother had bade him. He was running. He ran past exhibits and games and rides, but all of them were a blur to him, because all he could see was Lursan hurting his mother. And his mother screaming for Ben to run.
He didn't understand why Lursan would hurt his mother or would want to hurt him. He was Papa's friend, wasn't he? Then tears stung Ben's eyes. He should have stayed and helped his mother. That's what a real Jedi Knight would have done. His mother was always calling him her little Jedi Knight. But he wasn't a real Jedi. He didn't even have a lightsaber. And he was, after all, only a little boy.
Ben suddenly stopped, his shoes skidding on the floor. He was at the end of the corridor. Before him yawned a huge entrance and above it in large gold letters were the words _Hall of Worlds_. He was about to turn around and go back down the corridor, but he heard a sound that made his heart beat even faster than it was already beating. It was the sound of someone running down the hall towards him.
At first, Ben hoped it was his mother, but he could tell by the hard, heavy footsteps that it was someone larger. Lursan. Without a thought, Ben ran through the entrance and into the _Hall of Worlds_.
It was dark inside and it took a moment for Ben's eyes to adjust to the shadows. He could barely make out what looked like a number of huge panoramas inside the hall. To his left was an arctic wasteland and a huge, furry animal with large teeth and fearsome claws loomed over a horned animal with powerful back legs, but smaller forelegs. To his right was a jungle landscape, with huge white trees with knobby roots rising out of a thick swamp.
Ben looked around wildly, for he could hear Lursan getting closer. Then he saw, down the hall to his right, a forest of tall trees with greenish-dark leaves. And nestled within the branches of those trees were what looked like thatched roof-huts. Ben ran to the nearest tree and climbed it. Yes, it was a hut and, looking in, Ben was surprised to see furry creatures with large black eyes, no taller than he was, dressed in tawny-colored or black hoods and carrying bows and arrows. They were only exhibits, but the creatures looked quite lifelike.
Ben scooted in among them, crawling towards the darkest part of the hut. Then he drew his knees up to his chest and hugged himself tight. When he heard Lursan's footsteps running into the hall, then slowing down, Ben closed his eyes. He tried to remember everything Sinja-Bau had taught him about using the Force, but he was so scared, it all flew out of his mind.
All he could think of was how much he wished he were home with Mama and Papa, how much he wished he were a real Jedi, so he could fight Lursan instead of just hide from him, and how much he wished he were like Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan. Ben closed his eyes tighter. If only the Jedi were here. He would take care of Lursan. And then Ben would be safe, and so would his mother. I wish Obi-Wan were here, Ben whispered under his breath, rocking himself the way his mother would rock when he'd woken up from a nightmare. And, out of desperation, or a child's innocent hope, he called out to the Jedi Knight in his mind, unaware he was using the Force to do so.
---------------------
Lursan cursed softly as he walked into the darkened hall. There was no doubt the boy had run in here. There was nowhere else he could have gone. But the hall was huge and Lursan counted at least a dozen large panoramas Ben could be hiding in. He'd just have to check them each one by one. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out the dagger. No use checking the arctic exhibit for there was no place on that barren wasteland where even a boy as small as Ben could hide.
Lursan moved to the right, making his way through the jungle exhibit. Then he heard something from outside the hall. It was the sound of someone running down the corridor. Lursan cursed again. It couldn't be Onara. She should have bled to death by now. He wasn't sure what time the complex opened, but he was certain he still had enough time to finish off the boy before others arrived. Perhaps it was one of the complex's attendants.
Slipping the dagger back into its sheath, Lursan pulled out his blaster. He climbed one of the larger of the jungle trees and nestled himself along one of its thicker branches. He was well-hidden by the thick fronds and leaves, but had a clear view of the floor. He saw an approaching shadow as whomever it was ran up to the entrance to the hall. Then the person stopped.
Lursan raised an eyebrow as he sighted the blaster. Cautious, whoever it was. Then, as the person entered the hall and Lursan saw who it was, he was so startled he almost dropped the blaster. It was the Jedi, Onara's lover. Obi-Wan. What was he doing here? No matter, Lursan thought, aiming the blaster at Obi-Wan's head. He was just about to pull the trigger when a thought occurred to him.
This was not the revenge he craved. He wanted the Jedi to live, to suffer, just as Lursan had suffered, each and every day since his son and wife's deaths. And there was a way. The Jedi was here and so was the boy. Once again, the instincts Lursan had honed over decades as leader of the Red Tide kicked in. Patience, he told himself. Patience.
-----------------
Obi-Wan walked slowly into the hall. He held his lightsaber, but he had not ignited it. Ben was in here, somewhere. But, Obi-Wan reminded himself, so, more than likely, was Lursan. He moved further inside, then he suddenly felt something in his mind. It wasn't so much a voice, as it was a sensation, like someone grabbing your arm to get your attention. It was Ben, calling to Obi-Wan through the Force.
"Ben?" he called out.
--------------
Ben's eyes snapped open. He hadn't imagined that voice. He had been thinking so hard about Obi-Wan that, for a moment, he was sure it had to be some kind of dream. But there was no doubt the voice had come from outside the hut. Ben crawled towards the entrance and looked out. Near the front of the hall he saw a figure. It was in shadow, but he knew who it was. A huge smile split his face and, shaking with relief and excitement, he climbed down the tree and ran towards Obi-Wan
----------------
Obi-Wan felt Ben even before he saw him. Happiness flooded his body as he watched his son running towards him, alive and unhurt.
"Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan" Ben cried as he ran, his eyes shining.
Then, suddenly, like a clap of thunder, Obi-Wan felt the Force warning him. He looked around, unable to get a fix on where the danger was, but it was close. Ben was still running towards him. Where was Lursan? Where was he?
"Ben, wait," Obi-Wan cried as he ran towards him.
---------------
Lursan, from his perch within the tree, watched as Ben ran across the floor towards Obi-Wan. He quickly swung the blaster away from the Jedi and aimed it at Ben. Then, for a moment, as he saw the happiness on the boy's face, Lursan was reminded of his own son when he was Ben's age. He would run to Lursan in exactly the same way whenever Lursan would come home after having been away on a Red Tide assignment. The same joyous cry, the same shining eyes.
Then he remembered his son was dead. Killed by that apprentice of the Jedi who, Lursan saw, was turning his head wildly about as if he were searching for Lursan, probably, finally, aware of what was about to happen. Lursan looked back at Ben. Obi-Wan was now running towards him, shouting for Ben to wait. The boy stopped.
Perfect, Lursan thought. He aimed and fired.
To be continued....