Chapter 7 The Path Followed

The force was with Obi-Wan Kenobi. He managed to enter the Thanills system completely unnoticed. He found a spot on the far end of the planet to land. The landing spot was deserted and it would be easy to camouflage his ship.

Sitting down at the computer, he got to work. The chemical factory was to the east, about an hours journey. Obi-Wan was grateful for the swoop that Nield had provided. It would be dark soon. And he could make his move. But he could not go in blind, he had to be prepared. The splicer would now come in handy.

Obi-Wan was a wizard when it came to computers. And the splicer made his job easier. He needed codes, and he would get them. The Thanillians would be brought to justice, they would regret what they did to Bruck.

The stronghold was quiet. The sun was just setting when one of the computers started to beep. The operator jumped slightly and started to push some buttons. His supervisor came over and asked, "What's the trouble, Corporal?"

The corporal pushed a few more buttons and the beeping stopped. He shrugged, "Nothing now. Very strange, nothing like that has ever happened before, Sir."

Captain Vanal rubbed his chin, "Watch that terminal, Corporal. We can not afford to be lax now. If it happens again, I want to be informed."

"Yes, Sir. I will keep you posted."

Thanills did not have a moon, so when the sun set on the planet, it became pitch dark.
Obi-Wan still had trouble with the dark, as much as he hated to admit it. But he could not deny it now, nor could he allow it to hinder him. He could not give into his fear, he had to face it head on, and make his stand. The way his master would.

Qui-Gon Just thinking about him, made Obi-Wan sad. He did not like being away from his master, but he had to do what he had to do. Obi-Wan fervently hoped that Qui-Gon, of all people, would understand. Qui-Gon Jinn had the reputation of being a maverick. Would he be that surprised his padawan had followed in his footsteps?

But there was no time to reflect on the future. Obi-Wan had to keep his mind on the here and now. Suppressing a grin, the teenaged Jedi realized that he quoted his Master. But he was more then just his master. He was his friend, mentor, and father. Opening up the channel where the bond between him and his master flowed, Obi-Wan reached out and briefly touched his masters mind. He wanted his master to know how much he meant to him, how much he loved him.

Obi-Wan found the brilliance that was his Master's force signature. He caressed it and pulled back, closing the bond once again. It hurt to do so, but he had to. He had to do what the force was leading him to do. It would not be an easy path, but no one ever said being a jedi was easy.

Qui-Gon opened his eyes. He felt Obi-Wan's touch. His heart and mind cried out when he felt it pull away again. He knew what it was. It was a goodbye, in case the strategy that the young Jedi planned did not work. Resting his head in his hands, Qui-Gon asked, "Obi-Wan, please be careful."

Under the cover of night, a dark figure made his way with stealth around a building. Obi-Wan was dressed head to toe in black. He had to be invisible if he was going to pull this off. Pulling out a small data pad, Obi-Wan plugged it into the security system at a side door. Holding his breath, he waited for the door to open. When it did, Obi-Wan hesitated. Once he entered, there would be no turning back.

Placing his hand on his heart, Obi-Wan willed it to beat more slowly. When he felt the force flowing around him, he entered the building. As he walked the hall, determination started to build in him. He would not do this for his own glory, he would do this for Bruck. But he would also do it for a galaxy that did not need to live in fear.

Obi-Wan kept one hand on his lightsaber, he would get into the computer room, and cause some technical difficulties. Then he would slip out. As easily as he slipped in. But, it seemed that nothing ever came easy to Obi-Wan.

The young man entered the computer control room and sat at a terminal. He then began to download a virus. He was almost done when he felt the cold barrel of a blaster on his neck.

The padawan froze. A menacing voice ordered, "Stand up! Who are you?"

Obi-Wan slowly stood and turned around to face the man before him. He was young, about twenty two or so. From the markings on his uniform, Obi-Wan saw that he was a corporal. Obi-Wan knew that if he was to survive, he would have to concentrate on the living force, and all his master taught him. "You don't need to worry about who I am."

The corporal repeated, "I don't need to worry about who you are."

"You will give your weapon to me."

The man gave up his weapon readily. Obi-Wan then added, "You are very tired, you need a nap."

With that the corporal fell asleep on the floor. Obi-Wan studied him, and he had the feeling that this man was not evil, just misled. Obi-Wan placed his hand on the man's forehead and used the force to erase any memories of the last few minutes. As Obi-Wan stood, he saw the corporal's comlink. Thinking it could come in handy, Obi-Wan placed it in his pocket.

Turning his attention back to the computer terminal, he saw that the virus was downloaded and his work for the night was done. Obi-Wan felt great satisfaction as he left the stronghold for the safety of his ship.

Obi-Wan was able to get back to his hidden ship without incident. As soon as he entered, he went to his computer terminal. With joy, he saw that the virus had downloaded successfully. Now, refineries all over the planet would be shutting down as a precaution. It would take the Thanillians hours to get the computers back online. By that time, Obi-Wan would be well into step two of his plan.

The teen pulled out a meditation mat and knelt on it. He would need to be fully rested and in tune with the force if step two was going to work. As Obi-Wan went into his meditative state, he resisted the urge to reach out to Qui-Gon again. His master was surely at Melida/Daan by now. Nield promised that he would delay the two Jedi Masters for as long as he could, and hopefully that would give Obi-Wan the time he needed.