AN: Thanks for all your continued support. Without further ado, here is the next chapter.
DarthVerus - Thanks! Glad you're still enjoying the story. I guess you'll have to keep reading to see how it all plays out.
Chapter 42 - An Unwelcome Encounter and a Devastating Loss (Mawan Part III)
'At least I'm alive,' Anakin thought. 'I may be stupid, but I'm alive.'
It was a very un-Jedi thought. Jedi did not berate themselves. Anakin didn't care. He felt stupid and careless.
He tried to rearrange himself within the garbage container he found himself in, but there was no room, and whenever he moved, his shoulder sent out a scream of protest. He wasn't hurt badly. He had landed on his shoulder when the thermal detonator hit.
The attack had been swift, and in the underground room, smoke had quickly filled the air obstructing the room. Obi-Wan had ordered Anakin to protect Rorq and Swanny while he went for the datapads, but not long after his master ran off, the thermal detonator hit.
He had seen it but not soon enough. It had exploded, and he'd been hit. On top of that, he'd dropped his lightsaber, something a Jedi was never, ever supposed to do. He could only hope that Obi-Wan managed to find it.
Now he was being brought somewhere. He had been dazed from the thermal detonator, picked up like a sack of onions, and dropped into a container on top of a pile of greasy bones from the feast. His assailant had ripped his utility belt off his tunic, so he'd lost his comlink, too. He had been banged down the tunnel, been thrown into a vehicle, and now was careening . . . somewhere.
He couldn't wait to hear what his Master would say about this one. Things were bad enough with Obi-Wan. What would happen when he found out that Anakin had lost his lightsaber and been captured?
Anakin pictured the exchange.
'I saw the thermal detonator too late, Master. It was a surprise.'
'There are no surprises when the Force is with you, my young Padawan.'
Anakin grimaced. He couldn't wait for that one. If he ever got out of here.
He moved his fingers along the container. It was a standard-issue garbage bin. The lid was hinged and had a simple lock. If he could manage to get on his back, he might be able to kick the lid with enough power to shatter the lock.
He could try it. He was on fire to get out of this stinking prison. However, his Master had taught him the benefit of patience. He was almost certain that he'd been captured by Striker's gang.
Without his lightsaber, he might not be taken for a Jedi. Perhaps he was one of many prisoners. He guessed that he would be taken to Striker's hideout. He could bide his time and observe. They were here to gather information, after all. Maybe he could discover something valuable about Striker, something they could use.
So maybe the best thing he could do was lie here and wait to be released.
As he had that thought, Anakin felt the speeder slow. It stopped, and the container was grabbed roughly, then dropped. Anakin had braced himself, but he banged his head on the side. Patience was hard to find now, with a smarting head, but he reached for it, calming himself for whatever lay ahead.
The container lid was yanked open. Rough hands reached in. Anakin let his body go slack. He was grabbed and slung over someone's shoulder, then dumped on the ground.
Anakin looked up into cruel yellow eyes.
"There's your welcome, slug." A giant lmbat smiled down at him with mossy teeth. Then he reached for his utility belt, where a pair of stun cuffs dangled. They looked like delicate bracelets in his huge hand. He slapped them on Anakin. Then with a grunt, he simply turned and walked off.
Anakin rose unsteadily to his feet. His shoulder still ached, and he could feel a lump rising on the side of his forehead near his left eye.
Around him, activity swirled, but no one paid him any attention. He was free to wander, but the stun cuffs guaranteed he would not be able to wander far. From what he could tell, he was the only prisoner. Still, this was a good opportunity to observe. Once his Master found him, any info he could provide would be of great help to their mission.
The substation was even larger than the one Decca had used. Banks of monitoring equipment, now unused, ran along one wall. Benches and chairs had been ripped from their floor supports and were piled in a corner. A weapons rack held an impressive array of small arms.
The gang members were busy and didn't even glance at him. Some were checking and cleaning weapons. Others sat at improvised computer stations, entering information. Others manned comm units. Everyone seemed to have a job. Compared to the slipshod air of Feeana's operation and the chaos and suppressed violence of Decca's, this seemed like a professional operation.
Striker was clearly the crimelord to worry about.
One problem, however, was that Anakin didn't know where they were. He knew Obi-Wan would probably be able to find him, but he might find it hard in the maze of tunnels. Besides, he didn't really want Obi-Wan to find him until he'd had a chance to learn something . . . a chance to redeem himself. If he played this right, he could find something and then escape on his own
Anakin drifted closer to the computer banks. He focused his attention on the fingers of a man entering information. He tapped into the Force to help him. He felt time slow down, and he tried to put words together from the letters the man was entering.
B I 0… he missed several letters, someone walking by… Frustrated, Anakin leaned forward to see. A huge hand suddenly landed on his sore shoulder, sending a fresh jolt of pain through his body. "The boss wants to see you."
Without checking to make sure that he was following, the lmbat loped across the space. He accessed a durasteel door that led to a room off the main substation. He waited for it to open, then shoved Anakin inside. The door slid shut behind him.
The room was almost empty except for a bare table and one chair. The man standing in front of him was smiling and holding out his hands.
"Forgive my manner of bringing you, my friend. I was impatient to see you."
Anakin felt shock ripple through him.
It was their greatest enemy, Granta Omega.
'Don't let him see your surprise. Don't give him even a flicker of satisfaction.'
"Oh, come on, Anakin," Granta Omega said. "You're surprised. Admit it. And maybe just a little bit pleased?"
Omega smiled at him. Anakin was always mystified by his charm. He had liked him, once. Before he'd tried to kill Obi-Wan. Before it was clear that the dark side dominated his acts. This man was one of the greatest threats in the galaxy at the moment.
"I wouldn't say pleased," Anakin replied, "and I wouldn't say surprised. I'd say I'm very unhappy."
Omega cocked his head and regarded Anakin. "I'm sorry to hear that. But I know that soon you'll understand why we keep running into each other. You are strong in the Force. Stronger than any Jedi. Stronger than your Master — and he knows it. I'm still interested in the Sith, but I'm becoming even more interested in you."
"The feeling isn't mutual."
Omega strolled around the empty room. Like the "void" he was, he seemed different again. The first time he'd seen him, he'd appeared to be a weary bounty hunter. Anakin had also spent time with him when Omega was posing as a scientist named Tic Verdun. He'd had a haphazard, nervous manner then, and friendly brown eyes.
Now Anakin had the feeling he was seeing the real Granta Omega. His hair was dark and flowed to his shoulders. His eyes were a dark, deep blue, not brown as they'd appeared before. His body was slim but strong. And he looked younger, too, perhaps even younger than Obi-Wan.
"At least be impressed at how I've forgiven you," Omega said. "You notice I don't hold a grudge. You and your Master killed a good deal for me last time we met. I was close to cornering the market on bacta. I would have made a fortune. Instead I almost drowned in a tidal wave. Then I was forced to erase all my secret financial records. Your friends destroyed my fleet too! They stole from me. No hard feelings, though."
"On your side, maybe," Anakin said, "and you didn't destroy all of your records."
"No, you found some," Omega conceded, and smirked. "I suspect they got some information off of those ships they took down too. I learned my lesson. I made sure key locations are protected even from hackers . . . but I suspect the information they did learn caused panic all throughout the Temple."
Anakin didn't show his grimace, but he knew Omega was partially right. Sure, the Temple certainly hadn't gone through a panic, but nerves had raised. There was a tension there that hadn't existed before whatever Kastor unearthed from Omega's fleet. Even Anakin didn't know it all. The information had been shielded from Padawans and below. He just knew that Omega became a much more important figure to the Jedi afterwards.
"As I was saying, that little adventure cost me. I had to make it up somehow. Planets like Mawan are made for beings like me. We can set up operations without too much interference. There's no one to bribe, no one to fight. We just grab our piece. I already had some business interests here, so it was just a matter of coming myself and devoting all my effort to it. I've made up what I lost in just a few months."
"Am I supposed to say congratulations now?" Anakin asked.
Omega sighed. "Still a Jedi," he said. "Moons and stars, you can be boring. Your Master's influence, no doubt." He leaned against the table. "Can't you relax? Not all Jedi are as rigid as your Master."
"How would you know?"
"Some are interested in investigating deep in the archives and finding that the Jedi know more about the dark side than they care to reveal. They don't waste their time meditating on favorite rocks in the Room of the Thousand Fountains or sneaking into the Council Receiving Room to watch the Senatorial starships dock in the restricted space lane."
"How do you know those things?" Anakin asked, startled.
Only Jedi knew those things. They weren't important, but they were things that Padawans did.
"Maybe I know more about the Jedi than you," Omega said in a teasing tone. "Jealous?" He laughed at the expression on Anakin's face. "You look worried. And angry. Didn't I suggest that you relax? You'd think you'd just gotten a reprimand from Rei Soffran."
Rei Soffran was a revered Jedi Master and a teacher of the intermediate students. He was legendary at the Temple for his tough lectures. When you were called to Rei Soffran's chamber, you knew your faults would be dissected and you'd be carved up like a roasted doisey bird.
But how did Omega know that?
Omega swung himself up on the table. He sat on the edge and faced Anakin, swinging his legs like a young boy. "Oh, come on, Anakin. You don't need Obi-Wan or that other insufferable master that Obi-Wan looks up to. They're both hypocrites anyway. You don't need the Council. They're weak doddering old fools! Haven't you figured that out yet?"
Anakin thought of his last mission on Andara. He had infiltrated a group of students who acted as a secret squad, hiring themselves out on missions throughout the galaxy. They chose what they wanted to do. They answered to no one but themselves. Before it all fell apart, he had admired them and maybe envied them. It had felt like freedom. It had made him think what he would be like without having a Master or the Council to tell him what to do. He had shoved those thoughts deep into his mind, like a dirty tunic in his utility bag.
Something must have changed in his face, for Omega's eyes gleamed, becoming a sharp, clear blue. "You have figured that out," he said, continuing to study him, "but you can't face it."
Anakin shook his head. "That's not true. Besides, you are tainting your words with lies. In what way are Obi-Wan or Kastor hypocrites? They're some of the greatest Jedi in the Order!"
Omega laughed. "I thought Jedi weren't supposed to lie. You've got one foot on the dark path, Anakin. They're hypocrites because they can't even follow their own Code on attachments! Obi-Wan and Kastor Shan sneak around with their blonde tramps, and yet preach the virtues of the Jedi. You have your attachments that they tell you to ignore, and they can't leave their own. Are you sure you are meant to be a Jedi?"
"It's all I've ever wanted," Anakin said. The words came out without him wanting them to. They were in his head, as they always were. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a vice over his heart at Omega's words. Blonde tramps . . . It wasn't hard to figure out who Omega was talking about. He held great respect for both women . . . but he'd wondered before and he still wondered to this day just how close Obi-Wan and Siri and Kastor and Fay were. Were they breaking the Code?
"Yes, you were a special case," Omega said, only thinking of Anakin's dream. "I've heard the story. Chosen as a young boy. You were a slave, so of course you dreamed of a better life, a life you thought of as free. Welcome to reality, Anakin. Are you free?" Omega snorted. "If I held on to my dreams as a young boy, I'd be repairing starships for a living. I used to think that was exciting. How can you be so sure that your dream was the right one?"
"The dream is real because I am living it," Anakin said.
"The dream," Omega said softly, "was for opportunity and freedom and adventure. That is not the same thing. You began as a slave. Of course you dreamed of freedom. But you are not a boy now. You must know that the only thing that buys freedom in this life is wealth. I have it. I can give you more freedom than the Jedi can."
Anakin shook his head. "I don't want your brand of freedom."
"Why not? I can do anything I want. Let me tell you, power is a good thing to have. It's even fun. You could do anything you want. With my help, you could raise an army. You could return to the miserable planet of your birth and free your mother. Isn't that your deepest wish? Why are the Jedi holding you back from it?"
Startled, Anakin remembered his vision. He had touched the cuffs on Shmi's hands and they had fallen to the floor. It hadn't been a vision of what would happen, he realized suddenly. It had been a vision of what could be.
What could be…
The thought flared up, searing him with promise. He thought of how he'd felt in the dream. So powerful, so sure. Closing his hands over the remembered texture of Shmi's skin, seeing the light in her eyes when she saw him.
"Yes, Anakin Skywalker," Omega said softly. "I can give you the means to do it. We could leave here tomorrow if that's what you wished."
"No," Anakin said. 'I am not listening to this. I am not hearing this.'
Omega pushed himself off the table. Anakin heard the slap of his boots on the floor, but he didn't look at his face. "Well, think about it. You don't have to leave the Jedi forever. You could give me a trial run. See how you like real freedom. You can always return to the Jedi. They're pretty desperate these days. They'll take you back."
"I will never give you anything!" Anakin said fiercely.
"How about a deal? Something I want for something you want? I know the Jedi want me off-planet. I'm not sure if I'm ready to go, but if the Senate is going to get tangled up in Mawan politics, I'd be a fool to stay. Nevertheless, I have some demands. If you'll contact Yaddle and get her to come to a meeting here, I'll guarantee her safety."
"Who will guarantee yours?" Anakin shot back.
Omega chuckled. "You will. The fact that I'm holding a Jedi means that whoever is in charge up there won't send an army after me to negotiate. I may be somewhat greedy, but I'm practical. I'm willing to move my operation. I know that Yaddle is the only one who can authorize my conditions. Set up the meeting. Then, while I make preparations to depart, you can decide whether you want to come with me."
"I don't have to make a decision. I know what I am. I know what I want."
Omega sighed. "You Jedi. Always so resolute." He shuddered. "All that self-righteousness gives me the spooks. Let me know if you'll set up the meeting. I'll arrange to bring your comlink to you."
He accessed the door and strode out into the busy substation. Anakin turned and watched him move across the room. He noticed how Omega quickly checked and conferred with his assistants as he walked. He made decisions quickly and moved on. The room hummed with activity. For the first time he saw how this man had amassed such a fortune.
How did Omega know such things about the Temple? Had he corrupted a Jedi? Had he infiltrated the Temple? Such things were unthinkable, but there had to be an explanation.
Omega's invitation for him to join his operation was laughable. Yet it had brought the vision freshly into his mind, and Anakin still felt the ache of it.
We could leave here tomorrow . . .
He could see her again. He could free her, and make sure she was well and safe. And then he could return to the Jedi. Omega said he could do that. But the Jedi would not take him back if he did such a thing. Anakin knew that. Most likely Omega did, too.
His offer was hollow at the core.
But was there truth there, too? Were the Jedi holding him back from his deepest wish? Were his master and the other Jedi Anakin admired most lying to him? And was he strong enough to face the answers?
**The Will of the Force**
Yaddle looked around the tunnel with distaste. "Too much time underground, I have spent," she murmured lightly. "Glad I will be to see the sky again."
Obi-Wan smiled at her humorous tone, but he knew there was truth behind Yaddle's words. He remembered the words from Anakin's vision: The One Below remains below. Yoda had interpreted it as a warning, and Obi-Wan agreed. Now Yaddle was belowground. They were set to attack one of Striker's substations, both in their efforts to retake the power, but also as a means to antagonize Striker into revealing his hideout, which Rorq and Swanny were insistent they could not find. What if the attack on the substation failed and something happened to Yaddle?
"I can handle this," he told her. "You should go back."
Yaddle shook her head at him. "Know what you are thinking, I do, Obi- Wan. Worried about your Padawan's vision, I am not. Think you that I should run away?"
"That's not what I meant, Master Yaddle," Obi-Wan said respectfully. "I was just suggesting that — "
"That run away I should," Yaddle interrupted. "Wasting time, we are."
Obi-Wan had been corrected, and he accepted Yaddle's rebuke. If he had been in her position, he would not have retreated, either. He turned to Swanny. "Didn't you tell me that you can boost the grid from another source, but only if the central relay substation is destroyed?"
"Right. Substation 32. That's my point," Swanny said patiently. "You might recall that I told you if you blow up the relay equipment, the whole power grid might blow. And that's one sweet ka-boom. Kiss your lightsaber good-bye."
Obi-Wan turned back to Yaddle. "If we hit substation 32, can your experts boost the grid right afterward? We can't give Striker a chance to hit back."
"Find out, we will." Yaddle immediately got out her comlink.
Swanny looked at Obi-Wan curiously. "I don't get it. How can two Jedi render an entire substation inoperable?"
"Well, we'll need a hand," Obi-Wan said. "That's where you come in."
"Me? You know I'd love to help, but I think you've seen my cowardice in action," Swanny said. Obi-Wan had indeed, both with Feeana and in the fight at Decca's hideout.
"You won't have to go near the substation," Obi-Wan assured him.
Yaddle got off the comlink and nodded. "Do it, they can. Yet crucial, timing is. Destroy the relay substation we must within the hour. Impatient, Feeana is. Need her we do to patrol the city. Trust us, the Mawan citizens must. If we promise them that control of the power grid and the backing of Feeana and her gang will hold the city, aboveground they will come." Yaddle paused. "An idea you have, Master Kenobi."
"We can't blow it up," Obi-Wan said, "but we could drown it." He turned to Swanny. "Can you flood the substation from the wastewater pipes without getting inside the station? You said you knew every pipe belowground."
Swanny thought for a full minute while Obi-Wan tried not to show his impatience. "There's a small wash-up area in the substation for the workers," he said finally. "If I divert the wastewater from tank 102C and gush it through system A-9 with enough force, it could conceivably break through a pipe joint — the pipes going into substation 32 are part of the old system, so they're not in great shape — and then we'd have a pretty major flood in a matter of minutes. It would take me more than an hour to get there and figure out what circuits I need to use."
"You have forty minutes," Obi-Wan said. "We'd better get started."
Swanny had been right about the firepower. As Obi-Wan and Yaddle skirted the substation's perimeter, he could see two grenade mortars guarding the entrance. The operators sat on repulsorlift platforms, and the Jedi could see that the targeting computers were engaged. Attack droids stood in ready formation.
"We could use a diversion," Obi-Wan murmured to Yaddle as they hid behind a utility box.
"Accomplish this we must, if the Provisional Committee is going to be successful," Yaddle said. "The longer it takes, the more things can go wrong."
"Look," Obi-Wan said, pointing at a stream of water underneath the double durasteel doors of the substation. "Swanny must have been effective. The flood has begun."
Yaddle opened her comlink to signal the power grid team that Euraana had arranged to stand by.
Up on their repulsorlift platforms, the guards didn't notice the water streaming out from underneath the crack in the durasteel doors. Their gazes continued to rest on the targeting computers that would show them attacking beings or airborne weapons.
"When it gets deep enough to endanger the equipment, the alarm should sound," Obi-Wan murmured. "I'm betting the operators will leave their grenade mortars and let the droids guard the entrance. They'll call for reinforcements."
"One problem, there is," Yaddle said. "Burst open, the doors might."
"And that would release the flood into the tunnel." Obi-Wan nodded.
"In which case, the equipment might keep functioning." He thought for a moment. "Can you use the Force to hold the doors?"
Yaddle nodded.
The water was now streaming down the tunnel and lapping at their boots. Because of the downward slope, it ran out from underneath the door.
They could see that the water inside was rising, since the water was now leaking out of the seam between the double doors. The pressure of the water was causing the doors to vibrate from the strain.
Obi-Wan felt the Force surround them as Yaddle gathered it around her. The doors and the water stopped moving. It began to collect around the wheels of the grenade mortars and the legs of the droids. They watched as the water deepened, held back by the Force. Soon it was lapping at the repulsorlift platforms, but the guards still did not notice, intent on their computers.
Suddenly a light flashed red over the doors. The alarm began to beep insistently. The two operators sat up in their chairs and swiveled to check behind them. They saw the water.
"What's going on?" one of them shouted.
The other spoke into a comlink. "They're sending reinforcements. Just stay calm."
"I am calm!" the second guard shouted. "I just can't swim!"
The other guard began to enter a code into a handheld sensor.
"They'd better boost the grid now," Obi-Wan said. Yaddle listened intently to the comlink.
"Bypassed the station, they have," she told Obi-Wan. "Wait we must to see if the power surge will restore the grid…."
Suddenly the attack droids snapped into formation, splashing in the water.
"They must have engaged a life-form sensor sweep," Obi-Wan said.
"A few minutes more, they need."
"We just ran out of time." Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber. "Let's go."
He charged out into the tunnel, moving quickly through the water and heading straight for the mortar operators. They saw the Jedi charging and scrambled to jump back on their mortar platforms. Yaddle released her hold on the doors, which burst open, releasing a wave of water. Obi-Wan was prepared, but the power of the water almost knocked him down. He reached out a hand, using the Force to push one guard off his feet. His head hit the durasteel doors and he slumped to the floor as the water flowed down the tunnel.
Right behind Obi-Wan, Yaddle took out an attack droid with a flick of her lightsaber while she sent the other guard flying against the tunnel wall. The last guard took one look at the Jedi charging toward him with a lightsaber and took off, splashing down the tunnel.
Attack droids cannot be intimidated, however. The line wheeled toward the Jedi. Obi-Wan had never fought beside Yaddle before. She was all grace and flowing movement, her lightsaber a blur, the Force growing and charging the air around them until Obi-Wan could feel it humming in him and around him. Charged with Yaddle's energy, he sliced through four droids with one swift blow. The blaster fire was heavy but he had no problem deflecting it.
It felt easy and natural with the Force so strong. It was almost like Kastor's battle meditation, though not as potent. Yaddle took out ten attack droids in what seemed like no time and then buried her lightsaber in the two grenade mortar controls. Within minutes, all of the droids were sizzling in the puddles of water.
"Reinforcements should be here soon," Obi-Wan said.
"Feel them near, I can," Yaddle said. She listened to the comlink and then nodded. "Success," she said to Obi-Wan. "Up, the power grid is, and in our hands. The city of Naatan is lit once more. Go now to the Mawans, I must. Time to return to their homes, it is."
Obi-Wan nodded. "I'll wait for the reinforcements. They'll most likely return to brief Striker."
"As soon as I can return to help find Anakin I will," Yaddle said.
Yaddle moved down the tunnel quickly, her robe swinging. Obi-Wan stepped back behind the utility box and waited. The tramp of running feet announced the arrival of the reinforcements.
They took one look at the spreading water, the still-sizzling droid parts, and the absence of the guards. The superior officer activated his comlink and spoke into it. Then he signaled to the others.
"Nothing we can do here," the officer said.
"Aren't you going to search the tunnels?" another one asked.
"Do I look crazy? Back to headquarters."
They tramped off. After a moment, Obi-Wan emerged from behind the utility box and followed.
**The Will of the Force**
Ferus could only gaze in awe in the direction from where he could sense his Master and Master Fay doing whatever they were doing.
"Based on your face, whatever is going on in Fay's quarters must be pretty incredible in the Force," Rhys said, glancing in the same direction with a hint of wistfulness.
"It's like I can feel . . . life," Ferus said, unable to find a better description. "I had no idea that Knight Damsin was ill, but I can sense it now . . . I can sense Fay with my master extracting the illness and eradicating it. Knight Damsin's lifeforce is growing . . . I think I'm seeing how strong she was before her illness."
"Kastor has always spoken quite highly of Taria," Rhys said mildly, and Ferus glanced at him in surprise.
"I didn't realize that Master Shan knew her," he said.
"They're in the same game," Rhys said. "Kastor tries to know his fellow Shadows so he has a good grasp of where their strengths and knowledge lie. She is also very good friends with Siri and Obi-Wan, and you know how close he is to both of them."
Ferus nodded in understanding.
"Kid, when are you going to lighten up around us?" Rhys asked with a raised eye. "Kastor certainly understands being called Master Shan at certain times, but Force knows you have no need to call him that here and now."
"It's just the proper thing to do," Ferus said stiffly, and Rhys sighed, with the slight amused shake of his head.
"So, just how powerful is Fay, if you don't mind my asking?" Asuna said, looking at Ferus. "I've always got the impression she's fairly powerful as Jedi go, but it seems to me she's doing something that nobody at your Temple can do, which would suggest that she is much more powerful than anyone else at the Temple, yes?"
"Well, no," Ferus said, and Asuna tilted her head curiously, her eyes asking for him to go on. "It's not about power . . . or at least not all about power," Ferus added and then frowned, thinking his words carefully. "This is hard to explain, partially because I don't really know the answer to your question, but also because it's just complicated."
Asuna, Rhys, and the other Manalorians who had gathered around to hear Ferus's words nodded in understanding.
"First, while power can play a role, I'm not sure this is an instance where that's the case," Ferus said slowly. "While I do not fully know Master Fay's true strength . . . her not having been to the Jedi Temple in nearly three hundred years . . . I do know that she is told to be very strong in the Force, but I don't believe she is that much stronger than many of the most powerful Masters at the Temple and is likely less powerful than a few . . . Power itself is . . . subjective. There are those, like Anakin, who are born with a high midichlorian count, who have a predisposition to be powerful, but one's connection to the Force is not solely determined by that. Knight Kenobi is a good example. Knight Kenobi is one of the most powerful Jedi in the Order, but from what I understand, his M-count is comparatively low compared to many of the other strongest Jedi in the Order. His strength comes from his own connection to the Force. That connection is inherent to him, since every Jedi has their own inherent connection to the Force. So, what I'm trying to explain is that there are plenty of Jedi just as powerful as Master Fay."
"So, if power isn't what is happening, then what is?" another Mandalorian Ferus didn't know asked.
"Well, I don't really know," Ferus admitted, "but I would assume one of two things. Either she has a gift that other Jedi don't have, something that is certainly possible or she has rediscovered or learned some talents or knowledge in her centuries of travel and her experiences with helping the hundreds of worlds she has. Maybe even the knowledge she has is knowledge available in the Temple, but those with healing talents just aren't capable of understanding the complexity of what she is doing. There aren't that many Jedi that have lived as long as she has. It doesn't matter how powerful you are, there are certain things that some Jedi just can't really learn, and many of our eldest Jedi are not healers."
"How likely is it that she has some talent that no other Jedi have?" Rhys asked, curiously. "I haven't heard Kas talk about special talents a lot. I know he's got psychometry, which is something not a lot of other Jedi have, but I do know there are others that have it, like Quinlan Vos, so I find it hard to believe that Fay would have something no other Jedi would have."
"You never know," Ferus said thoughtfully and he shrugged with a sigh. "Master Windu is the only Jedi in the Temple that I know that can see shatterpoints. It's a unique gift that he possesses. You're right in that there are others who have psychometric powers, but it's still very rare. There's also plenty of abilities in the Force that few study, making those abilities rare. I would, however, agree that she probably doesn't have some talent that no other Jedi has. I suspect that she just has a deeper understanding of healing or the Force than even the best Healers at the Temple and is using that knowledge now. Whether she learned this from her travels, her deep connection with the Force, or maybe it's something she learned from her master centuries ago that she managed to understand, I don't know."
"Don't you think if it was from her Master that other Jedi would know it?" Asuna asked.
Ferus shook his head slightly. "I mean it's possible . . . but her master was Master Yoda."
"Wait, really?" Rhys asked, in surprise. "I didn't know that."
"Yes, and Master Yoda's knowledge of the Force is unrivaled," Ferus said. "He just doesn't have a lot of talent in healing, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have passed on the knowledge Fay is using if he did have it. As I said, not many have lived as long as her, especially those with the healing talent. It's possible that over her centuries, she figured out how to use what she was taught, but you'll have to ask her when she's done to really know the answer, if she succeeds that is."
"I'm sure she'll succeed," Asuna said confidently. "That woman may be one of the kindest souls you will ever meet, but she doesn't know how to be beaten. She's got beskar in her veins in that regard."
"The fact that you know her that well is what's still astounding at times," Ferus muttered, and they all glanced at him and he blushed slightly. "It's just . . . she hasn't been seen in the Temple in hundreds of years. We only hear rumors of her actions. Some say that she and Master Yoda still communicate and maybe some of the other older Jedi Masters might communicate with her, but otherwise, you only really hear about her in rumors or when another Jedi comes across her every few years or so. Not many ever say they saw her twice, at least until now that is."
"Well, what does Kas always say?" Rhys said with a grin. "It's the will of the Force . . . or Fay just enjoys having a place to stop and refuel now with familiar faces that are happy to see her. Besides, I think she's missed some of the camaraderie of the Jedi Temple, but I know she really doesn't like being on Coruscant."
"I guess I never thought of it like that," Ferus said, and then he glanced back in the direction of his Master, where he felt the Force use stopping, but he could also feel his Master's happiness. Whatever they had done had worked. Knight Damsin had just been cured.
**The Will of the Force**
He was grateful, at least, for the food. Anakin had considered rejecting the plate of vegetable turnovers with harima sauce, but what good would that do? He'd finished the plate and downed a carafe of water when suddenly Granta Omega strode out of his private room and the hideout exploded in movement.
He couldn't hear the orders Omega rapped out but suddenly everyone was busy. Computers were shut down. Bins were closed and locked. Weapons were gathered. Gravsleds appeared and gang members began loading them.
'Obi-Wan,' Anakin thought. He smiled.
Within minutes, the substation was cleared.
Still cuffed, Anakin was hustled into a speeder with the same lmbat guard. He zoomed down the tunnel at a fast clip. Anakin kept his mind focused so he could remember the many turns.
At last they arrived at their destination, a smaller space that had once been a refueling center. Anakin was tossed out of the speeder by the Imbat, but this time he was able to land on his feet. He watched while the gang members busily began to set up the hideout again. He could see that they had done this many times.
Granta Omega strode toward him, his boot heels clicking on the floor.
He looked grim. "It's time to contact Yaddle."
"As long as I can tell her who you are and I can speak freely." He had nothing to lose by contacting Yaddle. He had complete confidence that she'd be able to handle Granta Omega. And Yaddle would be able to tell Obi-Wan that he was still alive.
Omega waved a hand. "Of course. I'm not trying to trick you, Anakin. I'm a businessman. I want to make a deal."
"I'll need my comlink."
Omega tossed it to him.
"As long as I have it, I'd like to contact my Master, too," Anakin said. It was worth a try.
"Do you think he's worried about you?" Omega barked a laugh. "What you don't know about your Master could fill your precious archives. Kenobi doesn't have a heart or at least not for anyone beyond his blonde pet. Beings are just a means to get what he needs to be — the great Jedi in his own mind."
Anakin suddenly grasped a feeling that had floated in his mind, something he could not put words to. Now it formed into a belief.
"This is personal for you, isn't it?" he accused Omega. "You hate Obi- Wan."
Omega flushed. "No calls to your Master. I deal with Yaddle only. I only have so much hospitality to offer."
Anakin contacted Yaddle. There was nothing else to do. He quickly explained that Striker was actually Granta Omega, and that he was his prisoner, which was hard to get out. He still felt ashamed that he had allowed himself to be captured.
"Omega has requested a meeting," he finished. "He will only meet with you."
"Hold you hostage, he did not need to do," Yaddle said. "Talk to him, I would have done, if he had asked."
"I guess he feels he needs some assurance that you will come alone," Anakin said. "He's afraid that if he sets up a meeting he will be betrayed."
"I'm not afraid," Omega hissed to Anakin. "Just careful."
"I can't tell you where I am, because I'm not sure," Anakin said. "We just moved to a new hideout. And I don't know how sincere Omega is about making a deal. He says he is, but I don't trust him." Omega grinned at Anakin, not bothered in the least. "It is up to you to decide, Master Yaddle. All I ask is that you do not come because of me. I am fine here."
"So far," Omega said so that Yaddle could hear.
"Come, I will," Yaddle said. "But inform Obi-Wan first, I must."
"I have a list of coordinates," Omega said to Anakin. "I'll release them one at a time. If at any point it seems that Yaddle is not alone, I will disappear… with you."
"Understood," Yaddle said, after Anakin had conveyed this information.
Anakin clutched his comlink. He hoped they both had made the right decision. "May the Force be with you," he told Yaddle.
Omega rolled his eyes.
"Oh, please," he said scornfully.
**The Will of the Force**
"Striker is Granta Omega?" Obi-Wan hissed into his comlink. He had concealed himself in the near-empty substation to watch the activity. The gang he had followed had come directly here, but it was obvious the main hideout had been moved. Now they were occupied in gathering up the last weapons and equipment and loading them onto speeders with cargo holds.
"Going to meet him, I am," Yaddle said.
"I'm coming with you."
"Best you do not," Yaddle said.
"He is my Padawan — "
"And trust me with his security you do not?"
Obi-Wan held the comlink away and sighed. He rested his head against the smooth surface of the tunnel wall. It was hard being matched up with an esteemed Jedi Master like Yaddle. He would not win any arguments.
"Moved his hideout, Omega has. It would take us too long to find it. A shortcut, this is." Yaddle's voice softened slightly. "Watch out for him, I will, Obi-Wan, but need you I do, to help with the Mawans. Agreed they have to go aboveground. The exodus is proceeding. A Jedi presence is needed here."
Obi-Wan took a moment to accept this. It went against everything he wanted. He needed to see Anakin with his own eyes, to make sure he was safe and well, but Yaddle had told him that Anakin said he was fine, and his voice had sounded strong.
He needed to see Granta Omega, too. Anger rose in him, anger that made him want to put his fist through a wall. Anger he must learn to accept and release.
Omega had his Padawan. His most dangerous enemy had one of his most treasured companions, and Yaddle wanted Obi-Wan to avoid helping Anakin escape, and focus his efforts on helping strangers back into their homes.
Obi-Wan sighed, releasing his anger. He knew Yaddle was right, and he knew that as a Jedi, his priority had to be the strangers. It wasn't easy though, especially when he still worried that Omega might have Sith support.
"All right," he said to Yaddle. "But tell Omega that I will see him soon."
"A threat that is," Yaddle said sternly, "and so deliver it I will not."
Obi-Wan rested his head against the wall again.
"Unless I have to," Yaddle concluded, and Obi-Wan smiled.
**The Will of the Force**
Anakin stood, waiting for Yaddle. Omega was using tracking droids to make sure Yaddle came to each coordinate alone.
They were in one of the airlift tube stations, smaller than the one Anakin had used to come below only hours ago, though it felt like days. He guessed he was about twenty levels down, near the northeast quadrant of the tunnel system. If he had to find his way back to Obi-Wan, he might be able to.
"She's following my instructions," Omega said. "Smart.
"What did you expect?" Anakin retorted. "She's not afraid of you."
"Yes, I can always depend on Jedi arrogance," Omega said mildly. "In an uncertain galaxy, it's so comforting to have one thing you can count on. Tell me, Anakin. Have you thought about what I said? I'll make the deal with Yaddle and we can go to Tatooine tonight. You could see your mother as early as tomorrow. I have a fast ship."
"I didn't need to think about what you said."
"Ah, but you did think about it, I can tell. This is your last chance. I hate to be dramatic, but," Omega shrugged, "choose."
"There is no choice," Anakin said fiercely.
"Too bad. Your loss. Mine too, that's the sad thing. Ah, the wee one approaches."
Yaddle came toward them, her robe swinging with the motion of her walk.
"Thank you for coming," Omega said courteously.
Yaddle studied Anakin for a moment. He saw her gaze rest on his stun cuffs, then move on. Her eyes met his, and he nodded to show her that he was all right.
"Understand I do that you have conditions, but willing you are to leave Mawan," Yaddle said.
"Willing? Hardly. I have a good thing here," Omega said.
"Choose to leave you may not, but warn you I must," Yaddle said. "Hunted you will be, by Senate security forces. By midday, under our control Naatan will be."
"Impressed with your speed I am," Omega said, mocking Yaddle.
Yaddle did not show anger or impatience, yet Anakin saw something flare in her eyes, something very much like defiance. "And wish he did for me to tell you, Obi-Wan will meet you soon."
Omega laughed. "I'm sure he did. I wish I could say I'm looking forward to it, but Kenobi puts me to sleep."
"Waiting to hear your conditions I am," Yaddle said.
"Let me start by telling you that I am in possession of a highly illegal bioweapon."
Anakin felt his stomach twist. He remembered the fingers tapping out information. ON — Bioweapon! He should have put that together! And the next letters he'd glimpsed had bee X…
"It is a simple device, really," Omega went on. "Beautifully simple. Basically a canister packed with a powerful explosive. But the canister is filled with dihexalon gas. Are you familiar with it?"
"Toxic to life-forms, it is," Yaddle said. "Deadly."
"Good, then you know what we are dealing with. The canister has been loaded into this airlift tube. The detonator is controlled by a remote device that is not on me, but I can transmit the order in seconds. I know you've been leading the Mawans back to their homes on the surface. That's Obi-Wan's job, isn't it? Pity they all will die."
"You targeted Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked, fury ticking beneath his words.
"No, your Master is just a bonus." Omega eyed Yaddle. "You should know by now that I have bigger ambitions."
Yaddle met his gaze. Anakin felt the Force stir. It seemed to rustle around his ankles, then move up his body, as if Yaddle was drawing it from the ground itself. He felt it like a physical sensation.
"Wish you do to kill a Council Member," Yaddle said unflinchingly.
"I'm afraid so," Omega said.
Anakin realized then that he was just a pawn in this struggle. Omega had used him. He had let himself be used. He had been so stupid!
"You must choose," Omega said. "The lives of the Mawans — or the life of Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One."
"Or my own life," Yaddle said. "So many lives, you play with."
"That's my job. Those cuffs on Anakin's wrists are not stun cuffs," Omega said. "They carry enough of a charge to kill him."
Anakin looked down at the cuffs on his wrists. He had done this. He had been the bait to lure Yaddle here. Omega had lied. He still wanted to impress the hidden Sith and what better way than to kill a Jedi Council member?
"Your death will be painless, Master Yaddle," Omega said. "I'll give you that. I'm not interested in giving you pain. Anakin will bring the news back to Obi-Wan. It will soon be known around the galaxy."
"And the bioweapon?" Yaddle asked.
"That's my insurance that I will get off-planet," Omega said. "With my soldiers, with my equipment, with my wealth, with my records. But The One Below will remain below. I will seal your legend, Master Yaddle."
The One Below will remain below…
Omega would have revenge on Anakin as well. Anakin would have to live knowing he had caused Yaddle's death.
"So what do you — " Omega started.
The movement was so sudden and so fast that even Anakin couldn't track it. Yaddle's lightsaber was activated without him seeing her move so much as a finger. She used it in a surgical strike at his wrists. He did not have time to flinch, which was lucky, because she could easily have cut off his hands. Anakin felt only a flash of heat, as though he'd touched something hot and then pulled his hand away.
The cuffs clattered to the floor.
The cuffs, falling…
That was in his vision, too! The cuffs hadn't been on his mother. They had nothing to do with Shmi. Obi-Wan and Yoda had been right.
"Launch it!" Omega screamed, then turned to Yaddle and added, "You have just ensured the deaths of thousands."
Anakin realized in a flash that Omega must have had an open channel on his comlink. That had been an order. He heard the rush of air in the tube.
He only saw the flash of the hem of Yaddle's robe as she Force-jumped toward the airlift tube. She pressed the maximum eject button with the hilt of her lightsaber as she passed. She burst into the airlift tube and shot upward like a blast from a laser cannon.
Omega was too stunned to move. Anakin didn't hesitate. He jumped after Yaddle into the tube, pressing the maximum eject button as well.
The velocity was incredible. He shot upward to the surface so fast he lost his breath and his ears protested with a scream of pain. He shot out into a night sky that glittered with stars. The lights of the city were a blur as he passed them. He started to fall back down, the wind whistling past his ears. Only the Force saved him from an extremely bumpy landing. He called on it to slow his descent but still he landed hard, bending his knees and rolling with the impact.
He lay on his back, still dizzy, trying to catch his breath. Yaddle had not landed. He felt the Force so strongly it served to yank him to his feet. Again, it was like a physical presence to him, as though he could feel it on his skin and even in the roots of his hair.
Yaddle hung above him, above the tallest building of Naatan, the Force holding her temporarily aloft. She held a silver canister against her chest.
She was high above, but he heard her voice clearly. It was in his head, he realized.
If you lose your anger, find you it will. Embrace it and disappear it will. Chosen, you may be. But for what? Your question to answer, it is.
He barely registered her words. A terrible certainty was growing. And then everything was suddenly clear to Anakin, as clear as the hard-edged stars. He realized what Yaddle was about to do.
"No!" he shouted.
But he could already feel it. Yaddle was drawing in the great net of the Force she had created, drawing it around her so tightly and fiercely and strongly that Anakin fell to his knees. He had never felt the Force move like this. He couldn't speak or move.
From far below, Granta detonated the explosives.
Anakin heard a sharp pop, nothing more. The Force grew until Anakin was dazzled. Instead of exploding, the canister imploded, and Yaddle drew the toxic gas and the explosive power in, absorbing it into her body.
Then she simply disappeared. A shower of light particles swirled, hung in the air, then evaporated.
Anakin's face was wet. Tears flowed and he did not feel them. The vision had been right . . . and it had been all his fault.