Chapter 46 - Good Days, Bad Days, and Content Ones
Anakin glanced at the radar. There was no traffic in the vicinity. Most transient ships stayed clear of the Uziel system, due to the troubles there. Now that Vanqor controlled the airspace, no one was eager to tangle with it.
Safe for the moment, Anakin let Rajana take over the piloting. He needed to keep a closer eye on the instruments.
Mezdec looked up from the navigation screen. "Everything alright?"
"I just want to take a look at the stabilizer controls," Anakin said. "Without full power, we'll be in trouble if something malfunctions. I had to reroute the cables from the left stabilizer in order to get lift. I want to make sure we didn't pull too much power on the takeoff. I'm going to run a full status check."
He set the status check in motion and watched as the computer ticked off the different indicators. Anakin decided to do a second check, this time manually. He couldn't be too careful in a ship operating at less than full power. He scanned through the warning sensors.
"That's odd," he said to Mezdec. "I'm getting an indicator green on three power feeds on the escape pod. It's showing two anti-gray generators."
"The pod does have two anti-gray generators," Mezdec said. "It was upgraded in case it had to be used as a primary transport to get all the way back to Typha-Dor. Samdew sabotaged the pod, too."
"I saw that," Anakin said. "But there was no console indicator for an extra generator and three power feeds."
"The feed indicators are in the pod itself," Mezdec said.
"I see. I'll check them there, then." Anakin went back to the escape pod. He did a status check. Then he stopped by the small area where Obi-Wan had settled himself in the rear of the craft.
Anakin eased into a seat next to him. He leaned over casually and spoke in a low tone. "The escape pod is double-boosted. Highly unusual for this model. The indicators don't run through the sensor array in the main cabin. In other words, I found Samdew's back door. If I'd checked the pod itself, I could have fixed the problem on the transport. All that needed to be done was a rewiring job to suck power from the pod and bring it to the transport. We could have taken off with full power."
"Can you do it now?"
Anakin shook his head. "Not while we're flying. But that's not the issue. I have one question."
"Why didn't Mezdec figure it out?" Obi-Wan interjected in a low tone. "Could it be an oversight?"
Anakin shrugged. "Sure. If he's not very bright. But he seems to know his stuff. And he had a month to try to fix the transport."
Obi-Wan frowned. "Something has been nagging at me. There were scorch marks on the comm console. Mezdec said that he came out of the sleeping quarters and saw Samdew at the comm unit. He saw that Samdew was sending a communication to the Vanqors."
Anakin nodded. "So he blasted the comm console to stop him."
"A blast from that distance shouldn't have left scorch marks on the panel," Obi-Wan said.
"Not unless he shot from very close," Anakin agreed. "Maybe he was mistaken about where he was standing."
"If he was close enough to blast the panel to leave scorch marks, wouldn't you think he'd be close enough to stop Samdew without shooting? Why did he have a blaster, anyway? He said he'd been sleeping, and it was the middle of the night," Obi-Wan said. "Anyway, the point is that he lied."
"But the others came out and saw what happened," Anakin said. "And Samdew shot Thik."
"Think back, Padawan," Obi-Wan said. "You are telling me the impression you got, not the words that were actually said."
Anakin thought back, annoyed at himself. He had spoken quickly, without reviewing the conversation in his mind. That wasn't consistent with his training. He focused, as a Jedi should. He remembered the conversation clearly now, in the exact words and sequence the others had used. An exact memory was one of the tools of a Jedi mind.
"Samdew was dying when he tried to shoot Mezdec," Anakin said. "That's what Rajana and Thik saw. Thik just got in the way. So Samdew could have been shooting at Mezdec because Mezdec was the spy. But what about Samdew activating the fire system?"
"We only have Mezdec's word for that, too," Obi-Wan said. "We only have Mezdec's word for everything, including the disabled transport."
"Do you think he's the spy?" Anakin asked.
"I don't know," Obi-Wan said.
Shalini had seen them talking, and she slid into a seat next to Obi-Wan. "Everything alright?"
Anakin glanced at his Master. Mezdec was Shalini's husband. As the head of the group, she had a right to know what they were thinking. But where would her loyalties lie?
"Fine," Obi-Wan said. "Tell us something. Did you have any other evidence that Samdew was the saboteur?"
"What more evidence did we need?" Shalini said. "He killed four of us."
"What do you think his plan was before he was interrupted?" Obi-Wan asked.
"We knew he was beginning his transmission to the Vanqor fleet," Shalini said. "Luckily Mezdec intervened before they got a lock on our position. I imagine that his message would be that we had the invasion plans. Then he would kill us and take off."
"In the disabled transport?"
"The Vanqors would send a transport, I suppose," Shalini said. "What are you suggesting?"
"It seems an inefficient way for a spy to behave," Obi-Wan said. "Far better to alert the Vanqors that their plans had been retrieved, then stay in place and hope for more chances to betray Typha-Dor."
"Maybe he was an inefficient spy," Shalini said shortly. "Maybe his mission was over. Maybe he was tired of the cold." She eyed Obi-Wan curiously. "Why don't you say what you mean?"
"There could be another spy," Obi-Wan said. "Or Samdew might have been innocent. He did not get a chance to defend himself."
"He shot Thik!" Shalini said.
"He was aiming at Mezdec," Obi-Wan reminded her. "The only person who had identified him as a spy."
"What are you saying?" Hostility tinged Shalini's words now.
Shalini's voice had risen, and Thik and Olanz looked over. Rajana and Mezdec could not hear.
"We're just going over what happened," Obi-Wan said. "We want to make sure that what you think happened really happened."
"I know what happened," Shalini insisted.
"You know what Mezdec told you," Obi-Wan said. "There is a difference. It could be a crucial one. Are you willing to gamble your planet's freedom on your faith in him?"
"Yes," Shalini said with complete certainty.
"I'm not," Olanz said quietly, coming up with Thik. "The Jedi might have a point, Shalini. We are relying on Mezdec for our proof."
Shalini looked at the two of them with disbelief. "Mezdec is not a traitor. He is as loyal to Typha-Dor as I am, as committed to bringing the plans back as I am."
Anakin noticed that she touched her utility belt when she spoke.
"May we see the disk?" he asked.
Shalini looked at him angrily, but she reached into a hidden pocket on her belt and handed Obi-Wan the disk.
Obi-Wan accessed it on his datapad. It was empty of information.
Shalini stared at the disk in shock. "I don't know how . . ."
"Was the disk ever out of your sight?" Obi-Wan asked urgently.
She bit her lip. "No, never. But Mezdec checked my blaster and my emergency supplies on my utility belt before we left. He said he wanted to do it, to make sure I would be safe . . ." Her voice trailed off. "I have a second disk. I didn't tell Mezdec. The invasion plans are safe."
Rajana's voice rose. "I'm getting radar activity. I think it's a destroyer."
"Where is Mezdec?" Shalini cried.
Mezdec had disappeared. Anakin and Obi-Wan sprang up.
"Emergency pod," Obi-Wan said.
They raced to the rear of the ship. Mezdec was accessing the emergency door. He ran inside.
The ship suddenly shook as laser cannonfire erupted.
"We're under attack!" Rajana shouted from the cockpit. "I need help here!"
Both Jedi leaped toward the closing door to the escape pod. It locked down before they could reach it. Obi-Wan swept his lightsaber down the door and the metal peeled back. But he was too late. Mezdec blasted out into space.
**The Will of the Force**
"Everybody ready?" Kastor said through the comms.
The Darasuum was only minutes away from coming out of hyperspace, meaning it would soon be detectable to the space station and fleet, if they were using their scanners to try and detect incoming ships. Things had not improved while they waited for the Darasuum. Now, in addition to the two corvettes and light frigate, there was a very familiar Bakuran destroyer, which told Kastor that Omega had his hands in this operation, but that didn't mean it was only Omega's work.
"Ready, boss," he got three affirmatives.
Taria opened the bay doors and Rhys's N-1 zoomed out as Kastor turned the power on fully and sent his ship towards the enemy fleet and orbital defenses. He saw when the enemy ships finally detected them and started their maneuver to intercept, which timed perfectly with Fay's battle meditation initiating.
The Ebon Hawk and Shadow Hawk evaded turbolaser bolts that started flying from the four ships and the defense platform. Kastor got into position and Taria fired off the first set of proton torpedoes, which impacted one of the corvettes, causing significant damage, but not completely destroying the vessel. Almost immediately afterwards though, Rhys fired a volley of bolts, which destroyed the bridge and started a chain explosion which finished off the corvette.
Kastor swung the Hawk around the rear of the fleet, the Mandos opening up on the light frigate, while Rhys continued on towards the defense platform, aiming for the gun towers and missile tubes.
"Take the bait," Taria said, as she continued to use the forward cannons when shots were open, while Kastor continued to maneuver the Hawk to the rear of the fleet which was turning slowly to deal with them.
Rhys had already taken out one of the two missile tubes with his own proton torpedoes getting through the platforms shields and was now pounding the shields while repositioning to hit the last missile tube, which would leave only the four guntowers. With the Darasuum coming, they could board the platform to get information.
Kastor grinned as the fleet was completely out of position when it finally detected the Darasuum, with the light frigate and corvette completely turned around to try and counter the Ebon Hawk and the Bakuran destroyer sixty percent of the way. Kastor saw all three ships slowly start turning back, but it wasn't enough as the Darasuum and both Basilisk Squadron and Reaper squadron came out of hyperspace, already in range, and ready to engage.
The Darasuum immediately unloaded on the Bakuran destroyer, while Taria, Ramac, and Argda continued to rain fire on the light frigate, whose shields were not holding up well under the Ebon Hawks superior firepower and maneuverability.
"Reaper Squadron, help Reaper Leader take out those starfighters," Asuna's voice ordered through the comms. "Basilisks, that Bakuran destroyer does not escape this place. Not this time."
The enemy fleet was so out of position, it was almost child's play for Basilisk squadron and the Darasuum to decimate it, with the Bakuran destroyers engines being destroyed first, followed by the light frigate and the corvette, both falling to a mixture of the Ebon Hawk and the N-2 bombers. Soon, the Bakuran destroyer was a ball of fire, just as Rhys and the Reapers were cleaning up the enemy squadron, whom Rhys had previously baited into flying away from the safety of the defense platform's support, which made them easy pickings for the Reapers.
It wasn't even ten minutes later before the last fighter was destroyed along with the last guntower. The Darasuum immediately deployed all five Kom'rk's loaded with warriors. One picked up Taria, and then with another went for the construction platforms. Kastor flew with the Ebon Hawk with the three other Komr'ks and went straight for the defense platform.
On the construction platform, the three ships looked complete. If they were, Kastor could assume that it meant there weren't enough crew members or no pilots left on the station to control the ships. If they weren't complete, they could try and finish them after they had taken the station. Hopefully it was mostly droids doing the construction work. They could then just let the little minions complete the work before deciding what to do with them.
The options were straight forward, but which direction was correct was something to discuss. They could simply sell the ships off, either to planetary defense forces, the Mandalorian alliance, or any other mercenary bands they had contacts with. He could have them stashed at one of their outposts or Enclaves, ready for the future, but that could be a waste of resources. He could do what Asuna would likely want, which was add them to their current fleet, allowing her to hire more Mandalorians and other assorted Rangers and mercenaries. Or, he could outfit them with a droid crew and have them set as a guard at one location that could use a support fleet.
The platform itself was another thing. The defense platform wasn't worth keeping. It could be salvaged and sold off, but with all the turret weapon systems destroyed, it wasn't worth trying to refit it. The construction platform though, could be useful. He could give it off, or more reasonably, sell it off to the Mandalorian Alliance. They would use it and he'd make a great profit, but a construction platform wasn't cheap. A medium sized like this one would be expensive to tow away, but it was doable . . . and there was a resource-rich world that had an Enclave that would be a good place to stick a construction platform.
The credits would be nice. With the ships and the platform in the discussion, the profit would be quite large, allowing for a decent cut to go through the normal split of the Order, the Antarian Rangers, his own plans, the Mandalorian Clans and their Alliance, and of course his crew members. Sure, quite a few of them probably would stick around at this point even if they weren't being paid very well because they were getting the experience they wanted, but that was a moot point.
Options to think about.
Taking the two platforms by force hadn't required the full complement of Mandalorians and Jedi they sent by any stretch of the imagination, but Kastor was glad they hadn't taken any chances for the few remaining Sith cultists to plan anything or harm any of his men and women. Soon, the platforms were theirs, the little data that hadn't been deleted had been transferred to the Darasuum for analyzing, all three frigates had been commandeered. They'd learned all three had been awaiting a crew, which had been aboard the Bakuran cruiser.
So, in total, they salvaged three brand new Diamond Frigates, a construction platform, and about a hundred construction droids that Kastor and Rhys knew exactly how to use. They had taken no losses of personnel or equipment, had destroyed a defense platform, and had destroyed a fleet. Lastly, they had gained information which would hopefully lead to their next target and information that would eventually expose the Sith. All in all, a good day in Kastor's book.
Now, they just had to see what they could learn from the platform's logs.
**The Will of the Force**
Mezdec's betrayal quickly led to them trying to outrun a Vanquor assault ship, and with the ship in the condition it was in, they lost that race. Anakin had done the best he could, which was much better than nearly anyone else could, but it had still led to them crash landing on Vanquor itself, which was the closest planet.
Thankfully, they'd all survived the crash, but hadn't been quick enough to get away before the Vanquor ship blasted about, forcing them all to take cover around the crash area. This had given the Vanquors time to land and deploy troops, and when looking at the odds, Anakin had known that to fight would mean death for the whole crew, likely including himself. He'd surrendered with the crew, knowing escaping might be a possibility later. The only person who wasn't accounted for was his master, who somehow managed to slip away or hide himself.
It was a smart move. There was no way that he and Obi-Wan would have been able to fend off dozens of soldiers and well-armed enemy ships, especially while trying to protect everyone else. No, now Obi-Wan could possibly try and rescue them, which was imperative since Shalini had entrusted Anakin with the disk with the plans, and he would not fail her.
She had spoken rapidly in his ear. "Take this. It will be safest in the hands of the Jedi. For the safety of my people, please get it back to Typha-Dor."
"I pledge my life on it," Anakin had said, and he meant it.
The soldiers had bound their hands behind them and pushed them aboard the starships. Anakin felt the disk burn against his skin. So far he had not been searched, but he would use the Force to divert attention when they finally did.
The starships flew over the deep fissures of the Tomo Craters. On the lip of a crater, a small compound huddled. Out of the viewport, Anakin glimpsed gray buildings, energy fences, security towers, and a small landing pad.
"Welcome to paradise," one of the soldiers snickered. "The Tomo Camp."
Dressed in his survival suit like the others, with his lightsaber safely hidden, Anakin was not identified as a Jedi. Shalini refused to give her name, along with the others. The admitting guard didn't seem to care.
They were searched, but Anakin was able to use the Force to confuse his guard so his cable launcher, his lightsaber, and the disk were not taken.
They were stripped of their survival gear and given rough brown tunics to wear. Then they were herded out into a small yard surrounded by energy fencing. The wind was cold and tore at their clothes. Around them swirled other prisoners from other worlds in the Uziel system, planets already conquered by Vanqor.
Anakin looked around. The walls of the crater were sheer and hundreds of meters tall. It was clear that the only way into the camp was by air.
How would Obi-Wan rescue him? The ship had been destroyed in the crash.
The answer was that Obi-Wan most likely would not be able to get to him. It was all up to Anakin. Anakin did not mind this knowledge. He didn't mind depending on his own skill.
He had a time limit. Shalini had told them that the invasion was due in only three days. He would have to find a way to escape soon. The key to the survival of the entire planet of Typha-Dor lay hidden in his tunic pocket. He had managed to conceal the disk from the guards, but he didn't kid himself that he would be able to evade the heavy security measures by the Force alone.
He had made the mistake more than once of thinking he was more powerful than he was. He would never do it again. He would not make a move until he was sure.
An Uziel prisoner in a faded uniform drifted near them. "What's the news? Have the Vanqors invaded Typha-Dor?"
Shalini's eyes glinted. "No. And if they do, we will drive them back."
The prisoner looked weary. "That's what we said on Zilior."
"Have there been any escape attempts here?" Shalini asked.
"One. He's dead. My advice is to accept your fate." The prisoner drifted away.
"I make my own fate," Shalini said to her cohorts. She looked at Anakin. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Not yet," Anakin said easily, sitting down on the cold ground.
"What are you doing?" Shalini asked. "Aren't you going to do something?"
"I am," Anakin said.
Tuning out the others, he began to watch. There was only one solution. Anakin had to get to the transport pool.
The question was when. There were four groups of guards on eight-hour shifts, so that overlap guaranteed that one group was always relatively fresh. In addition, sentry droids constantly buzzed the compound. It wasn't impossible. But it would take the right timing.
Anakin still had his lightsaber and his cable launcher. He could launch over the energy fence, but then he would have to cross thirty meters of open space to get to the transport pool. The transports were heavily guarded, but not the ones needing repair. If he made it to the repair shed, he could slip inside. He would just have to hope that he could fix a transport and take off before his absence was noted.
He couldn't take the others. He would have to escape alone, and hope to return for them.
There was no sense waiting. He would escape that night.
The gate door slid back. An officer entered, surrounded by guards and droids. He began to walk through the crowd as the prisoners shrank back.
"What's going on?" Shalini whispered.
"A sweep," a prisoner muttered next to her. "They come every few weeks and take several of us."
"No one ever comes back," someone else murmured. "They take them to an unmarked building. There are rumors of medical experiments."
The officer pointed a finger at one prisoner, then another. The guards surrounded them and herded them together.
Then the officer wheeled about and pointed directly at Anakin. "Him."
"No," Shalini whispered.
Anakin considered resisting. With a glance at the others the guards had herded together, he decided he could not. He knew that if a battle ensued, others would die. And there were reasons to submit. Security could be a bit more lax at the facility where they were taking him. Anakin fell into step behind the others.
They were led to a gray building with no sign outside. When they were ushered inside, Anakin's nose twitched. It smelled like chemicals. So the rumors could be true. The prisoners exchanged uneasy glances.
They were prodded along the hallway and pushed into a bare white room. There a holoscreen took up an entire wall. An image of a human male dressed in a med coat appeared on the screen. He smiled gently.
"Do not fear. You will not be harmed. On the contrary, you are about to enjoy the experience for which we have chosen you. Welcome to the Zone of Self-Containment. A doctor will be with you shortly to explain. In the meantime, relax."
"Relax," one of the prisoners snorted. "Good advice, med-head."
The holo image blinked off.
"What did he say?" another one of the imprisoned soldiers asked. "The Zone of Self-Containment? What are they going to do to us?" He pressed his fingers to his forehead. "I feel strange."
Anakin, too, felt light-headed. He suddenly realized why the information had been given to them by a holo image instead of a real person.
"The room is filled with some kind of gas. They've drugged us," he said as his vision blurred. He felt his knees turn to water. One of the prisoners slumped to the floor.
Anakin felt himself slipping downward. He fought the sensation of the gas, using the Force to allow him to hopefully filter out the toxins. The others slipped into unconsciousness. He held himself in readiness. He tried to move his legs and found that they were too heavy. He hadn't detected the drugged gas quick enough.
He was the only one conscious when the technicians entered the room in masks. He saw, but he could not move a finger. The technicians began to load the other prisoners onto repulsorlift stretchers.
"Look at this one, he's still awake," one of the technicians said, drawing closer to Anakin. "Never seen that before."
"He's not too happy about being here, either," another said.
One of them leaned closer to Anakin. "Don't fight it, friend. We just want some cooperation in the beginning. I guarantee you'll like your stay here."
Using every ounce of his will and strength, Anakin grabbed the technician by the collar and brought his face even closer. "Don't . . . bet . . . on it."
The technician yelped and struggled to free himself. "Help! For galaxy's sake!"
The other two rushed over. Anakin could not fight the three of them. He was thrown onto the stretcher and strapped down. He dipped in and out of consciousness as the stretcher was powered down the hall. A door opened.
The light hurt his eyes.
They began to undress him. My lightsaber, Anakin thought. The disk. He had retained his utility belt and concealed the disk inside a hidden slit.
He had concealed his lightsaber by lodging it against his body underneath the tunic, strapping the belt tight against the hilt.
He could not summon the Force enough to distract the technicians from finding it. He was helpless. Only luck could save him from discovery. The belt was unstrapped and hit the tiled floor with a soft thud. His tunic followed. The technician scooped up the bundle and tossed it in a storage box with clothes from the other prisoners.
Anakin shut his eyes against the harsh light. He felt himself being lifted and slipped into water. He tried to fight, afraid he would drown.
"Relax, friend," the technician said. "It's just a bath."
The water was warm. He slid against the side. He was strapped in so that his head wouldn't slip beneath the surface. Anakin's mind drifted as though he were floating off on a deep, dark lake.
He must have slept. When he woke, he was dry and was wearing a fresh tunic, this one a soft material, in dark blue. He was lying on a sleep couch. The sleep had refreshed him. He felt relaxed and energized. He stretched, marveling at how fluid his limbs felt. The paralyzing drug effects had worn off, but strangely, had left him feeling limber.
He recognized the technician who handed him a pillow. "Feel better? Told you so. Almost time for the evening meal."
Anakin shook his head.
"They all refuse at first," the med technician said. "Don't worry, the food isn't drugged. We all eat together, workers and patients."
Anakin shrugged. Maybe the man was telling the truth. Maybe not. Oddly, Anakin didn't care. It was as though cool water had run through his veins, calming every impulse, every desire.
He walked to the dining hall. Tables were set up, and other patients and med workers were eating. There was a long table with platters heaped with fruits and vegetables, pastries and meats. Anakin saw that everyone ate from the same plates, so he took some food and ate it.
He chewed, wondering what would come next. He supposed something would happen soon. When it did, he would react.
The need to help Typha-Dor seemed so distant now. Someone else would help the planet. There was always someone else to do something, if you waited. He would just pass the time here and see what the Vanqors were up to. That could be valuable to the Typha-Dor, too. He needn't worry about the invasion right now.
He ate and followed some other prisoners out into the courtyard.
Warming lights had been set up, and the air was comfortable. Flowers grew, and large, leafy trees. Anakin found a bench and sat. He felt something he had not felt in a long, long time, not since he was a little boy nestled in his mother's embrace: peace.
I'll fight it soon. When I need to escape, I will. But right now . . . right now, would it be so wrong to enjoy it?
**The Will of the Force**
Obi-Wan waited until the starships were out of sight. He couldn't risk a long transmission to the Temple. But he would have to risk a distress call. The calls would be coded and scrambled, and he would have to hope it could reach the Temple.
They could lock on his position and send help. It would take almost two days to arrive, but he had to risk it.
The tracking device tucked in Anakin's tunic beeped a steady signal.
Obi-Wan trudged back to the ship. He climbed through the hole and went to the rear cargo hold. He had to cut through the crunched door with his lightsaber. He remembered that they had loaded one swoop aboard. They had had to leave the rest behind because Anakin needed to lighten the ship's load as much as possible.
The swoop was dented from slamming back and forth between the cargo hold's walls, but it still worked. Anakin had made sure of that before they left the outpost. Now he had transportation. Obi-Wan only hoped that Anakin was close enough to get on a swoop. It was small, built for short distances, and it didn't hold much fuel.
He climbed aboard and took off. The tracking device led him over the high plateaus and desert lands surrounding the Tomo Craters. He looked down as he sped over the terrain, glad he wasn't on foot. The plateaus were high and steep, and trails led to dead ends and switchbacks. It would have taken days to traverse the distance. Obi-Wan stayed as close to the ground as he dared, trying to evade scanners and surveillance from above. The tracking device led him on as the sun slid lower in the sky.
The fuel read EMPTY and the engine began to sputter. By Obi-Wan's reckoning he was still at least twenty kilometers from Anakin. Still, he had no choice, and pulled the swoop into a cave, entering the coordinates on his datapad. He might need it later, if he could find some fuel.
It was hard going. Obi-Wan hiked up and down steep slopes of thin rock shale that occasionally broke into dangerous rockslides. At last he stopped to rest when the source of the tracking device's transmission was in sight.
Obi-Wan studied the camp through his electrobinoculars. The good news was that the perimeter security wasn't heavy, most likely because the camp relied on its inaccessibility.
He had reached the heart of the Tomo Craters. A careful survey of the ground made Obi-Wan conclude that camp security probably didn't worry about escaping prisoners. If Obi-Wan could manage to scramble up and down cliffs and hike through canyons without disturbing a nest of gundarks or getting attacked by various other horrifying creatures, he might make it to the outskirts of the camp. Then he would have to scale a sheer rock wall two hundred meters high. He would be vulnerable with every centimeter he traveled. It would be better to go in by air.
Of course, he didn't have a transport. That could be a problem.
He sat on a high peak, underneath an outcropping of rocks. He watched the camp operations for the rest of the waning evening. Transports flew in and out in a regular pattern, ferrying supplies and possibly carrying troops back and forth. Obi-Wan guessed that the camp must also be a base of some sort.
He could wait for a few days to see if his message had reached the Temple. But what if it hadn't?
Rescue was his first priority. He had to get that disk to Typha-Dor. Thankfully the disk was with Anakin. If Shalini had given it to him, he would have been forced to question himself on whether to rescue Anakin or take the disk to Typha Dor and abandon his Padawan. As a Jedi, the choice should have been easy. He would have had his commitment to return to Typha Dor, without his Padawan, but could he have done that?
Even before Kastor, Obi-Wan hadn't been able to abandon his Master, and had worked hard to recover Qui-Gon after he'd been taken. Since Kastor, his bonds to those who he cared for had only grown, and the thought of abandoning anyone cut him deeply. Could he do it for the sake of hundreds . . . thousands . . . millions? Yes . . . but he was very glad he didn't have to.
The flight pattern of the ships was always the same. They dipped low as they came in, then landed close to the edge of the plateau, where a short landing pad was surrounded by energy fencing.
Obi-Wan surveyed the area carefully. He thought back on the beginning of the mission, when he'd been brooding about how careful he had become, how much he now weighed risks and thought things through.
Well, he had thought things through, and he had decided that this plan was crazy. He could get pummeled by rocks. He could crash into a crater hundreds of meters below. He could be spotted and blasted into thin air.
All of these scenarios were likely. It was a risky plan. It bordered on stupid. Which meant that perhaps he wasn't so careful after all.
Siri would likely kill him if he survived this and told her what he'd done.
**The Will of the Force**
Once, Anakin and Obi-Wan had taken a few weeks to travel through the grasslands of the planet Belazura, strictly for pleasure. Obi-Wan considered the planet to be among the most beautiful in the galaxy, and he wanted to show it to Anakin. Anakin remembered Obi-Wan telling him that even the life of the Jedi must include time to reflect among beautiful surroundings. Anakin's only instructions during the trip were to enjoy himself.
He had seen fields of grasses that ranged from light sunny yellows to deep greens. He had seen golden fields dotted with deep red flowers. Blue skies had surrounded them like a halo of light. He remembered that he was never hot, and never cold. That the breeze against his skin had felt as soft as his mother's touch.
It had been a peaceful time he had returned to again and again in his daydreams, one that had never been matched. And now he was experiencing it once more.
To Anakin's surprise, he underwent no treatments. He was not drugged again. He was not treated like a prisoner. His room was spare, with just a sleep couch and table, but he had access to a sunny area inside and the courtyard outside. Anakin found that he wanted nothing more than to sit there, his face tilted to the warming lights, watching the shadow patterns of the leaves on the wall. He found that it was easy to contemplate the different greens of the leaves for hours. Yet it was not the mindlessness of the meditation he had been taught. He did not leave his body. He did not leave his cares. He could see them as though they were off at a distance.
They had nothing to do with him. He knew that everything would work out as it should.
He was not sure how much time had passed. Maybe no more than a day or two. Anakin occasionally thought about escaping. The thought would drift across his mind like a warm breeze, and then disappear.
One afternoon two med technicians came into the garden and stood before him. "Someone would like to see you, Prisoner 42601."
Anakin rose and followed them. He felt a slight curiosity. They walked on either side of him, not touching him or restraining him in any way.
There was no need to.
Anakin was led into an office. The technicians left, shutting the door quietly behind them. Unlike the rest of the complex, which was comfortable but spare, this office was full of color and luxury. A thick, patterned carpet was on the floor and septsilk curtains in deep blue hung at the windows. He thought he could smell a pleasant perfume. He sat down in a soft chair and leaned back against a rose-colored pillow.
A human woman walked into the room. Her blond hair was threaded with silver and coiled at the nape of her neck. She was older, he sensed, but he could not tell by her face, which was unlined and smooth. Her eyes were penetrating but warm. Instead of sitting behind the desk, she perched on the edge of it.
"Thank you for coming."
Anakin nodded. He could hear a ghost in his head, a murmur of the person he had been. That person would have said, Did I have a choice? But now he did not feel like challenging this person, this woman with the pretty hair and the warm smile.
"I asked to see you," she said. "I am the doctor who invented the Zone of Self-Containment. You have seen that we haven't lied to you. Your experience is about pleasure, not pain. I have a theory that if you are surrounded by pleasant things and no worries, your mind will elevate to that level. Are you happy here?"
Anakin considered the question. Happy? Suddenly he felt confused. What did the word mean? Had he ever been happy? He remembered a flash of a young boy, running home through narrow streets. He remembered laughing with his friend Tru Veld, a fellow Padawan who he had not seen in almost a year. He could locate the memory, but not the feeling.
For some reason, his confusion made her smile. "Wrong question. Let me rephrase. Are you content?"
That he could answer.
"Yes."
"Good. That is our goal. Now. The reason I asked for you is that the technicians tell me that you were able to fight the paralyzing agent we used when you first arrived. I should explain that the agent is used only to allay any anxiety you might feel. Naturally as prisoners of war you would suspect that something terrible might happen to you. The agent was only used to make the experience more comfortable for you. You needed to be bathed and dressed, and the paralyzer allowed us to do that without you or the technicians getting hurt. It was for everyone's benefit, you see."
That seemed reasonable, but Anakin said nothing. Although he was perfectly content to talk to this doctor, and was enjoying this wonderful peace he felt, being here had not completely erased the memory of being a Jedi. He did not necessarily trust what this doctor had to say.
"It is impossible to resist that paralyzing gas, yet you assaulted a technician."
"I grabbed his collar," Anakin corrected pleasantly.
"And you spoke to him."
"It seemed appropriate under the circumstances."
She nodded in appreciation. "I see that though you are in the zone, you still have your wits about you."
"I don't like to abandon them completely, no," Anakin offered.
She studied him now. Anakin could feel sunlight touch his face. His skin warmed, and he wanted to close his eyes to enjoy the sensation, but he didn't.
"I feel something in you," she said. "There is a mastery of your body, of your mind. I've seen it before. Have you ever heard of the Force?"
Anakin did not show by a flick of muscle that the question had startled him. His Jedi training ran deeper than anything else. He felt it stir, and he leaned into it for support. "No."
She nodded again, slightly. "That may be true, and it may not. If you don't know it already, you might be Force-sensitive. That means you could have special abilities."
Wary now, Anakin shrugged. He didn't want to discuss the Force with this woman. He wanted to go back to the garden. The quickest way to do this, he knew, was to seem bored by her questions.
"Did you ever see something happen before it actually happened?" she asked.
He made himself look blank. "I don't think so."
"Are your reaction times unusually fast? Do you have an unusually strong focus?"
He took a long pause that stretched for a moment. She leaned forward in anticipation.
"Uh, what was the question?"
She made an impatient gesture. "Were your reaction times unusually fast? Before you came here."
"I was always the first to reach the table for a meal."
She leaned back, disappointed. Her eyes went blank. It was as though now that she was bored with him, he didn't exist.
"You can go back to the garden now."
Anakin stood and left the room. He walked back to the courtyard. The doctor was working for the Vanqors. She wasn't a native Vanqor. Vanqors were humans, but they all dressed in gray tunics and didn't adorn their clothing. She was an outlander, no question.
There was a time he would have been on fire to discover who she was and why she was here. But today the sun shone, and it was warm in the courtyard. And it was almost time for the midday meal.
**The Will of the Force**
"Siri, I'm picking up a distress signal that I think you'll want to know about," Garen's voice rang through the ship, and Siri and Ferus both exchanged looks before heading to the cockpit.
"Who's distress signal, Gar?" Siri asked, as she took a seat next to her old friend.
"Obi-Wan's," he said, and Siri's focus sharpened.
"He was sent on a mission to the Vanquor system, not too far away," Siri murmured. "He was supposed to be warning some spies that possibly had information that could stop the Vanquor's expansion."
"Well, something clearly went wrong," Garen said grimly, and Siri nodded as Garen patched in their comms to the other ship with them. "Master, did you intercept Obi-Wan's distress signal?"
"Yes, Ry-Gaul and I were just about to comm the Jedi Temple for guidance," Clee Rhara answered back.
"We'll hold then," Garen said, and Siri already started entering a different set of numbers into the communicator, while Ferus plotted a journey to Vanquor.
"We're not far, Masters," Ferus muttered. "We could get there in a day or so."
Siri made the call, and after only a few seconds, Kastor answered.
"What's going on, Siri?" Kastor said, and she could see a tightness in his eyes that also had suppressed excitement. Something big had happened for him, clearly. "I was about to send a communication to you and Temple shortly."
"Obi-Wan just sent out a distress signal from the Vanquor system," she said, and Kastor's bearing changed immediately to one of concern. "Clee is getting guidance from the Council, but we might need assistance. I'm sure we're the closest, since we're in the Xanlanner system."
"The Vanquor system is a warzone," Kastor agreed, grimacing, and he turned to look at someone outside of her view. "We're at least a day and a half away."
"What about the Darasuum?"
"Same location."
Siri's eyes widened at that, since when she'd departed, the Darasuum had not planned to go to where Kastor was. He was supposed to return.
"Just a bit further than us then . . . possibly too far," Siri muttered, and then she thought back to what Kastor had said, and thought about why the Darasuum had gone to him. "What were you going to be messaging me for?"
"We found a Sith cultist orbital construction platform and defense platform with a small fleet in the Dromund sector," Kastor said, and Siri, Garen, and Ferus all exchanged startled looks. "We engaged and defeated the forces and managed to gather information from the computers on the stations. It seems that the enemy has reclaimed the Dark Force Temple on Dromund Kaas as well as an old settlement on Kalakar Six. Taria, Asuna, and some other Mandalorians are scouting both locations now, but we're going to need assistance if these are all Force adepts or possibly Sith."
"How many are there?" Garen asked.
"Taria and her crew of Mandalorians on Kalakar Six can't get a complete read, but they estimate that there are between twenty and forty there. Taria reported roughly the same from Dromund Kaas, not including a battalion of battle droids spread between both sites."
Siri and Garen exchanged startled glances again.
"I'm going to need assistance to take down these dark siders if things turn hostile, not including the droids, and the Force is telling me that I need to get information from these dark siders. Something tells me this could be the thread I'm looking for to help reveal the Sith . . . the ones that have been hiding for a thousand years."
"Do you want us to head your way, pending the Council's guidance?" Siri asked, not happy with the question.
"No, go help Obi-Wan, assuming the Council agrees of course," Kastor said with a smile. "We'll still be here once that's settled. Depending on their condition, Obi-Wan and Anakin might be needed with you. We're going to want to bring in warriors for this operation, and it'll take a couple days at least to marshal enough Jedi to come to our aid. The Council can work on that while you rescue Obi-Wan and help him complete his task."
"Understood, Master," Siri said. "Be careful."
Kastor nodded and then cut the communication. Almost perfect timing since only a half minute later, Clee hailed them.
"New orders, Master?" Garen asked.
"Indeed," Clee responded. "We're to go assist Obi-Wan."
"I suspect our mission will change after we help Obi-Wan," Garen muttered.
"News from Kastor?" Clee asked, and Siri figured she knew they would have contacted him to possibly provide aid.
"Yes," Siri answered solemnly. "He might have found a way to reveal the darkness."