Chapter 19

Missteps

"Well, there's Vodran, Jedi. Admire it while you can; you won't be here long."

"How close are we to Ni'Pa's palace?"

"We're not that far. There's a clearing roughly five klicks from Ni'Pa's palace, and about the same distance from the mining camp. I can drop you off there."

"Do it."

The four Jedi left the shuttle's cockpit and walked to the center of the craft, where the boarding ramp was located. Qui-Gon gestured for the others to gather around him.

"The pilot will set us down in that clearing, and then he'll go back into orbit, waiting for our signal. All of you remember the plan Sifo-Dyas gave us. Adi, you're with me. We'll sneak into Ni'Pa's palace and get Lok'ayy and Nurkkis out. Obi-Wan, Siri, you'll head for the mining camp. I have no idea what their security tech looks like, so be careful. At the very least, you can expect Nurkkis' guards to be there, possibly in force. Remember that these aren't common criminals, either: they are battle-hardened veterans of many Outer Rim wars and are far more skilled than most opponents you've faced. Find whatever evidence you can, including any Sith artifacts. As Master Sifo-Dyas pointed out, these artifacts are filled with the power of the dark side and should be handled with the utmost caution, especially by you Padawans. Stay on your toes, though, and you should be able to withstand their power. Anything you find only builds our case against Lok'ayy, and the Council wants those artifacts taken off the market if at all possible. Once we're done, we'll call in the shuttle, get aboard with our evidence and our suspects, and get into hyperspace as soon as we can. Are we clear?"

The rest of the group nodded their heads in assent as the pilot's voice echoed over the ship's intercom.

"We're here, Jedi. Lowering the ramp now. Good luck!"

The ramp opened, and a wave of humid, earthy air flooded into the small, air-conditioned shuttle. The four Jedi winced at the sudden change in atmosphere, before climbing onto the ramp into the muggy daylight. They jumped off the ramp onto soft ground, and the shuttle quickly retracted the ramp and flew off into the atmosphere.

Well, this is it. Qui-Gon and I have been on Lok'ayy since Master Leet's murder, and now we finally bring him to justice.

"All of you gather round."

The other three Jedi once again gathered around Qui-Gon as he produced a small holomap.

"It looks like we're right here, in this clearing."

He pointed to a clearing on the map, surrounded by dense jungle.

"Ni'Pa's palace is over here, roughly five kilometers from our current position. The mining camp is over in the opposite direction, roughly the same distance from our position. From here, we split up. Padawans, be careful. If you run into trouble at the mining camp, we won't be able to help you. You're on your own until we rendezvous for extraction. Don't get into any trouble you can't get out of. Understand?"

"Yes, Master."

"Yes, Master Qui-Gon."

"Good. May the Force be with you both."

The Masters dashed off into the trees as the Padawans stood in the clearing, taking in their surroundings. The clearing was surrounded by thick jungle, with large trees and bushy overgrowth as far as the eye could see. The chirps, hums, and hisses of wild animals drowned out all other noise. The sky was partly cloudy, but an ominous grey overcast slowly crept towards the light of the sun. Rain. It'll come soon, probably while we're still here. We can only hope it won't hinder us significantly.

"I see it too, Obi-Wan. The faster we move, the faster we can get out of it."

Should have minded my shields.

"Then let's set off. I can guide us with my holomap."

"Lead the way then, adventurer."

Obi-Wan chuckled at Siri's comment as the two stepped off into the dark, foreboding brush.

Raton Nurkkis took in his surroundings, channeling the Living Force through his body as he waited for his quarry to come into range. Despite the humidity, mud, and hostile wildlife, the swamps of Vodran and the surrounding jungles teemed with life, making them a veritable mental kaleidoscope for any Force-user. Sensing the Sith holocron in his pocket, he called on its power as he recited the code of the Sith in his mind. He could sense his prey coming closer and closer to its doom.

Peace is a lie, there is only passion.

Through passion, I gain strength.

His prey came within range. He placed his finger on the trigger.

Through strength, I gain power.

For the first time, he saw his prey, rising from the water. The dark side pulsated from his finger as it slowly flexed onto the cold, inviting metal.

Through power, I gain victory.

He slowly inhaled, and then exhaled, barely noticing the trigger break.

Through victory, my chains are broken.

The Force shall free me!

With a blast of compressed air, the spear flew forth from the speargun. The eyestalk turned towards Nurkkis, the dianoga on the other end quickly realizing its fate.

You're too slow.

The spear plunged into the water just beneath the eyestalk, and the dianoga gave a lingering, guttural moan, slowly drifting to the surface as the murky, brown water around it turned crimson.

"Got him. And that's the contest, Ni'Pa."

The Hutt stood on Nurkkis' left, shaking his head with a look of frustration on his features as he lowered his own speargun.

It's incredible that those slugs have such reflexes. At least it gives me a challenge. He's beaten me a few times before. Not that he does it regularly.

"Next time, Lok'ayy does this. Not you."

"What did he say about me, Raton?"

Dumb bastard doesn't even speak Huttese, even after all the time he spends with Ni'Pa.

"He suggested that you do this the next time we go hunting, sir."

"Oh, no. This is much too dirty for my taste."

The Bothan sipped at his fruit cocktail, eyeing his business partner and his chief enforcer in anticipation. Ni'Pa wore a suit of flexible armor, his speargun hanging over his chest from a single-point sling. Nurkkis wore a suit of light battle armor, with a utility belt holding an electrobaton, a vibroblade, and his heavy blaster pistol, having abandoned his more formal helmet for a dark green bandana wrapped around his head, covering the crown of his skull over his eye sockets down to the bridge of his nose.

"So? What are you waiting for? Get the prize out of the water!"

Nurkkis nodded and turned to the skimmer's coxswain.

"You heard him! Let's get in there and fish that squid out of the water!"

The coxswain gently moved the skimmer's throttle forward and turned the wheel to the right. The skimmer made a slow but crisp turn to starboard, its engine a low hum as it glided over the water. The coxswain eased up on the throttle as the skimmer pulled up next to the dead dianoga, and Nurkkis quickly grabbed the beast, pulling it aboard. After a few seconds of pulling the floppy, squishy mess from the swamp, Nurkkis put it down and marveled at his handiwork. The dianoga's eye stared uselessly into the sky; its razor-toothed maw slack in death and its tentacles sprawled over the bottom of the skimmer like noodles. Its size was such that some of the tentacles hung over the side, going back down into the swamp from whence the monster had came.

"He's a big sucker. I'd say we've got a keeper, Ni'Pa."

Ni'Pa, still smarting from his loss, barely glanced at the dianoga.

"Fair enough, Nurkkis. Just get us back to shore. I'm getting hungry, and Sleeping Beauty over there looks tastier by the minute."

"Will do."

Nurkkis turned to the coxswain.

"Alright, we've got our blessing from the head honcho. Let's get this big ugly bitch back home and turn him into a nice, tasty pie!"

With a wide grin, the coxswain pushed the throttle to full, turning the wheel to the right. The skimmer lurched forward and, with a sharp turn to starboard, headed off towards Ni'Pa's palace at top speed. Nurkkis sat down next to Lok'ayy and turned to his boss.

"Mr. Lok'ayy. We should stop by the mining site. Ni'Pa's chefs can get our prize taken care of. He can call us over once he's got supper ready."

"Fair enough, Raton. I need to give the…other site another look anyway."

"You mean the artifact deposit, sir?"

"Yes. Just in case there are more artifacts to be found."

"It's never a bad idea to search for Sith artifacts, sir."

"Indeed. And Raton?"

"Sir?"

"Next time, consider letting Ni'Pa win. You've beaten him for the past two hunts, and I don't want to jeopardize relations with our business partner. Especially now that we're on the run from the Jedi."

"How close are we?"

"We're less than half a kilometer away."

Obi-Wan briefly paused, Siri halting behind him.

"Why don't we stop here and plan our…"

"Shhh."

Obi-Wan turned to see Siri standing behind him, her eyes closed and her head moving to and fro, as if she were listening for something.

What is she doing?

"Siri, what's going on?"

"Quiet! Quiet!"

"Siri, what's gotten into…"

"It's…a familiar presence…"

"Familiar?"

"I can sense it. And I remember having sensed it before…"

"Sense what?"

"A Force presence. Someone I've met before, but I can't tell who it belongs to…"

A memory suddenly flashed in Obi-Wan's mind. He could see the dance floor at the Museum gala, Siri and Nurkkis gliding across it in each other's arms as Obi-Wan sat fuming at the bar.

Wait, is she sensing…

"Nurkkis?"

"That's it!"

"Siri, keep your voice down! If you can sense him, he's somewhere close!"

"He's…he's not that close. He's close, though."

"How close?"

"I'd say the mining camp."

"The mining camp…wait. If he's there, then Lok'ayy…"

"Is also there with him. Most likely, yes."

"Siri, we need to call the Masters and get them down here. Now."

"Nurkkis is at the mining camp, Obi-Wan. Not necessarily Lok'ayy. He might very well be at Ni'Pa's palace. If we recall the Masters and it turns out that Lok'ayy is at Ni'Pa's, all we'll do is arrest Nurkkis. Lok'ayy will probably realize that Nurkkis has been grabbed, and then he'll get off this planet as soon as he can. Once that happens, we may never find him again."

"So you're saying we should just go in there alone?"

"Until the Masters are finished, yes. I'm saying we should stick to the original plan. This is just a kink in it. We'll manage."

She's always been too confident for her own good. If both Lok'ayy and Nurkkis are in the mining camp, then we'll both be walking into an inferno. Everyone they have with them will be there to greet us, and they won't let us have our suspects without a fight. A fight we won't be able to win.

"You think this is ridiculous, don't you?"

"Siri, if your judgment is correct, we'll have all of Nurkkis' men waiting for us when we find that mining camp. And if we try to leave with Lok'ayy and Nurkkis, let alone linger there to find evidence and retrieve their stash of Sith artifacts, we'll have to fight every single one of them to do it."

"Then…then we'll split up!"

"Split up? That's an even worse idea!"

"Hear me out, Kenobi."

"Okay. I'm listening."

Give me the font of your wisdom, oh Master Tachi.

"I HEARD THAT, KENOBI!"

"Okay, okay, you've got me. Just tell me what your plan is."

"I'll track down Nurkkis. I can follow his Force signature. You can go into the actual mining camp and see if you can locate the artifacts, as well as Lok'ayy himself. We'll meet up outside the camp and call in the Masters. It it's just Nurkkis, you can come and help me once you've gotten the artifacts."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Afraid?"

"Nurkkis isn't some thug, Siri. He's a Force-sensitive mercenary leader with access to Sith knowledge and at least some talent in the dark side."

"He's too dangerous for little old me, then?"

Obi-Wan couldn't answer her question.

"I could handle him on the dance floor, Obi-Wan. I can handle him here. Unless it's not him you're worried about?"

Obi-Wan threw his shields up as he pondered Siri's remark.

I almost lost you on Oovo IV, Siri. I don't want to lose you here.

"Obi-Wan, remember what I told you. You can't carry on like this. Not when you reach Knighthood. Please, let me go. Please."

Obi-Wan's mind went back to the mirror, to the twisted face over the head swirling with emotion after the kiss on the balcony.

She's right, Obi-Wan. You can't go on like this. Whatever your feelings for each other, avoiding attachment means letting go. So let go. You will only be undone by attachment if you let yourself be undone.

He released his swirl of emotions into the Force, slowly and deliberately. Then, he looked up at Siri.

"Go ahead. Be careful, Siri."

She looked at him silently, tenderness in her eyes. Then, she came forward and kissed him on the cheek. She whispered in his ear, her voice enthusiastic and seductive at the same time.

"Go get 'em, tiger!"

Obi-Wan felt his body tighten in strength, pure vigor flowing through his veins.

That's my Siri.

He stood up, resolve etched into his face. Then, he set off down the path towards the mining camp, walking as tall as he ever had. He was vaguely aware of Siri's Force presence growing further and further away in the opposite direction.

He's close. I can feel it. I didn't know what it was when I met him at the Museum: it was just some odd, inexplicable aura around him. Now, I know what it is. His Force presence. And the dark side hangs from it like a stench.

Siri closed in on Nurkkis' position, the sound of rushing water growing in the distance. He must be near a waterfall.

Sure enough, she walked through one last layer of bushes and saw Nurkkis standing at the edge of a pool at the bottom of a waterfall with his back to her, clad in light battle armor. He held what looked like a strangely shaped walking stick in his right hand, and his left was in front of him, clearly holding something that he was apparently examining. Siri felt the potency of the dark side inexplicably grow. It's not just Nurkkis. Is there a Sith artifact nearby?

As if on command, Nurkkis turned to face Siri, his hand moving suspiciously to just behind his hip. Whatever he was looking at, he's hiding it.

Siri eyed him cautiously as she approached.

"Miss Siri? From the Museum? Is that you?"

He knows who I am. If he wants to play that act, I'll play along. I can catch him off guard.

"Ah, Mr. Nurkkis. I've been trying to find your boss around here. The First Bank of Aldera is very interested in the mineral deposits here that he told them about. You wouldn't happen to know where I could find him, would you?"

"I didn't know your employers were that interested in this project. They must be, to send their secretary out into the middle of the jungle without anyone else! That's quite a move on their part!"

"I know, but they insisted."

"As for Mr. Lok'ayy, I know exactly where he is. He's just a quarter of a kilometer or so down that way."

It's at least one kilometer to the mining camp. He's lying to me.

Siri walked in closer; ready to ignite her lightsaber at the first sign of trouble. Nurkkis stood his ground; still holding whatever was in his hand out of sight.

"Miss Siri, if you'll allow me, I'll escort you down to our main facility here, where Mr. Lok'ayy is. This jungle is no place for a lady."

"Of course. I'd be honored, Mr. Nurkkis."

Nurkkis took a step for the first time, coming towards Siri. Siri prepared to draw her lightsaber, but the potency of the dark side grew stronger and stronger as she and Nurkkis grew closer.

What's going on here?

"Your employers picked an excellent investment, Miss Siri. Vodran has been one of LMC's most productive dig sites to date, and we've barely started our operations here. Once we really get this operation up and running, we'll all be swimming in credits. In fact, I have a sample of our deposits right here."

The dark side presence hit a new high, and Siri noticed she was sweating profusely as Nurkkis revealed the object in his left hand. He opened it to reveal a red, glowing, pyramidal object covered in strange symbols, the dark side dripping from it with such power that Siri began to feel nauseous and disoriented.

A Sith holocron!

Siri felt ready to vomit and pass out at the effect of the dark side, sweat rolling off of her as Nurkkis simply stood there and looked at her, an evil grin coming across his features.

"What's the matter? Never seen a Sith holocron before…Jedi?"

Now…before I'm completely incapacitated by the dark side!

Siri grabbed her lightsaber and activated it, weakly bringing it up to defend herself. In a flash, she heart the distinctive hiss of a lightsaber blade being activated, and in the next instant her entire body was flung to the right, her lightsaber flying from her hands. Before she could react, she felt a boot slam into her chest, knocking her on her back. When she regained her senses, she saw Nurkkis standing over her, his walking stick now leveled at her and his boot on her chest. To her horror, she saw a thick red lightsaber blade emitting from the end of the walking stick, pointed straight at her throat. A lightsaber pike…Sith warriors used to carry them, back in the days of the old Sith Empire. He must have picked that up at an artifact dig site.

"You like my new toy? To be honest, so do I. It's amazing what you'll find if you spent enough time digging for Sith artifacts. All that being said, I'd hoped you would be as good an opponent as you were a dance partner, Siri."

"What do you mean they're not here yet?"

"I mean they're not here yet. The chef's been asking for them for the past ten minutes, saying they need to get here before the food gets cold. He said he's got the best dianoga pie he's made in years ready, and they're not coming to eat it!"

"What should we do, then?"

"I don't know. Try to get a hold of them, I guess."

"You do that. Just tell the chef we're here in case they aren't. I'd really like a taste of that dianoga pie…"

The guards continued on out of earshot as Qui-Gon and Adi processed what they had just heard. They had endlessly combed the palace for Lok'ayy and Nurkkis, and now the reality of what the guards had said, and what it meant for their Padawans, sunk in.

"Qui-Gon, if Lok'ayy and Nurkkis aren't here, that means…"

"They're probably at the mining camp, then. Right in the path of the Padawans, and they don't even know it."

"We MUST get down there and aid them! We'll run if we have to!"

"That won't be necessary, Adi. We just need to find a speeder here, and we can get to the Padawans. Hopefully before they find themselves in over their heads."

"Then we need to hurry!"

The Masters dashed down the palace hallways, panic running through their minds.

We can only hope our Padawans can take care of themselves.

Obi-Wan continued on towards the mining camp, listening for any signs of LMC patrols as he grew closer and closer to the site. Then, his commlink rang.

Is it the Masters? Is it Siri? Have they got Nurkkis or Lok'ayy?

Obi-Wan pushed the talk button on the commlink.

"This is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Identify yourself. Over."

After a moment's silence, a voice that Obi-Wan had hoped to never hear again came through the commlink. A gruff, menacing voice he had not heard since that terrifying night in the Museum closet.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Kenobi."

A chill went down his spine as the voice on his commlink, and its implications, became clear.

"Nurkkis. Where's Siri? What have you done with her?"

"I haven't killed her, if that's what you're asking."

"Then where is she? How is she?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself, Kenobi?"

A few seconds of rustling and audible movement followed, and then Siri's voice came through the speaker. She was clearly trying to sound brave, but Obi-Wan knew her well enough to hear the fear in her voice.

"Obi-Wan?"

"Siri? Siri! Are you all right?"

"I'm…I'm fine."

"Siri, listen to me. Everything's going to be okay. I'll get you out, and then…"

"Don't worry about me, Obie! Get the Masters! Get them down here! Don't…mmmmph!"

"Sorry, Kenobi, visiting time's up. Your girlfriend's alive, though, as you can see. If you like her that way, and you're still keen on coming to see her in person, you come alone. You bring the 'Masters', or anybody else, and she dies."

The line went dead before Obi-Wan could respond. He briefly thought of the conversation he and Siri had had before the two split up.

"Obi-Wan, remember what I told you. You can't carry on like this. Not when you reach Knighthood. Please, let me go. Please."

Try as he might, he couldn't make her demand to wait for the Masters and the overarching needs of the mission override his own sense of urgency. His mind had been made up the minute he heard Nurkkis' voice on the other end of that commlink. He was going to go in and rescue her, attachment be damned.

I'm coming, Siri.

The clearing by the waterfall was now a busy scene, with Lok'ayy staring in bewilderment at Nurkkis and Siri, now on her knees in front of Nurkkis with her hands bound behind her back as over a dozen guards stood watch around the perimeter of the clearing. A guard stood next to Nurkkis, holding Siri's commlink as Nurkkis held Siri on her knees, one hand clamped over her mouth and the other holding the opposite end of his lightsaber pike against her throat. The opposite end of the pike was not merely a shaft but in fact a sword, made of phrik alloy to allow the weapon's non-lightsaber end to block lightsaber attacks. Siri continued to struggle against her bonds as the conversation ended, uttering a few muffled swear words as Nurkkis gestured for the guard holding Siri's commlink to throw it in the water. The guard complied and tossed the device in as Nurkkis pressed his blade against Siri's throat. She briefly stopped struggling, and Nurkkis lowered his hand from her mouth, keeping it under her chin.

"You act so tough with that blade in your hands, don't you?"

Nurkkis pressed the blade deeper in response.

"But you won't be gloating for long. My Obie will come for me, with our Masters right behind him. And when he gets to you, he'll shove that pike right up your…"

Nurkkis clamped his hand back over Siri's mouth, pressing the blade in deep enough to draw blood. Siri winced at the pain of the small cut as a tiny sliver of blood ran down her neck.

"You know, you've got a real big mouth, sweetheart. I can see why that kid likes you."

Lok'ayy butted in on the moment.

"Do you really think the boy will come for her?"

"I know he will, Mr. Lok'ayy. And once he's here, we get two birds with one stone. All we need is the right bait."

Siri looked out at the trees, sensing for Obi-Wan's Force presence. After a few moments of intense concentration, she could sense him, growing closer.

I know he'll come for me…but what about the Masters? What about the mission? What about what we said to each other…will that gundark ever listen to me?

Obi-Wan raced through the jungle, Siri's Force presence growing closer with every step.

She's close. I can feel it.

Obi-Wan came to a series of thick bushes, Siri's Force presence pulsating from the other side as the sound of falling water grew louder.

She's there. She's just beyond these bushes.

Obi-Wan stood there, gathering himself and preparing for whatever fight lay beyond the bushes. Then, with a single, fluid motion, he dashed through the bushes, igniting his lightsaber. He exited into a clearing, Nurkkis and Siri directly across from him. Siri was on her knees in front of Nurkkis, hands bound behind her back and a long, bladed staff pressed against her throat. Despite her peril, she beamed as she saw Obi-Wan exit the jungle in front of her. Nurkkis immediately dug his blade in, pulling Siri up as she yelped in pain.

"Drop the lightsaber! Drop it or she dies!"

Siri shouted across to Obi-Wan, barely managing to keep panic out of her voice as she struggled against her bonds.

"Don't listen to him, Obie! Don't worry about me! Get Nurkkis! Get Lok'ayy! Don't…"

Nurkkis clamped his hand over Siri's mouth, silencing her. By now she had risen to her feet, and was wildly flailing and struggling despite her bindings and Nurkkis' attempts to keep her still. Obi-Wan could barely keep his thoughts straight amidst the swirling chaos in the clearing. He managed to clear his mind and addressed Nurkkis, in the calmest but most menacing voice he could muster.

"Let her go, Nurkkis."

By now, Nurkkis was practically wrestling with Siri, who was frantically attempting to escape his grip. He pulled her off of her feet, her legs kicking in the air as he barely kept her under control. He growled across to Obi-Wan, malice in his voice as he pressed his blade to Siri's throat.

"You're not in a position to bargain, Kenobi. Drop your weapon, or I kill her."

"You'd better do as he says, boy."

Obi-Wan turned to see that Lok'ayy had now entered the standoff. The Bothan was clad in a pair of shorts, a tan bush shirt, and a pith helmet. Obi-Wan thought he looked ridiculous in such an outfit. Here we are deciding matters of life and death, and he's dressed like he's going on a safari. Does that sick son of a bitch think this is all some sort of game?

Now, Obi-Wan had advanced several paces into the clearing, with Nurkkis standing across from him, barely managing to hold back Siri. Lok'ayy stood to Obi-Wan's right, arms crossed scornfully as he eyed the Padawan with a look of disapproval. Suddenly, through the tension of the moment, Obi-Wan felt a pang of warning from Siri through the Force. However, with the confusion and stress of the situation at hand, he could not ascertain what she was trying to tell him. He looked up at her, and saw her eyes were filled with sheer terror. Not for herself, though, but for me. What's going on here…

As he focused, Obi-Wan heard Siri's voice in his head, their Force bond now coming into clarity. Disturbingly, her voice was pure panic, the likes of which he had never heard from the usually feisty blonde.

OBIE! BEHIND YOU!

He never managed to turn his head before the world went black.