Chapter 47 - Resolve
Even with the help of the cable launcher, it took Obi-Wan hours to scale the peak. The sun was setting as he reached the top and sat down to rest under a rock outcropping that had created a small cave. He would need all his strength for his task.
Over the wide chasm below, he saw the camp. He was close enough to see beings moving about without electrobinoculars. He watched as a small transport came toward him. He knew he could not be seen, so he was able to study the flight line of the ship. It buzzed overhead, seeming close enough to touch, then zoomed down to land at the camp landing platform.
Obi-Wan fingered his cable launcher. If he timed it exactly right, he should be able to hook onto the underside of a low-flying transport. They wouldn't be able to feel the drag for that short a distance. He would let himself be towed by the transport and then drop to the ground during the landing.
If everything went right. If something went wrong, he'd be squashed like a bug against the side of a crater.
He rolled himself up into his thermal cape and forced himself to sleep, even if it was restless with his worries about Anakin and the mission. The cool morning air awoke him before his alarm. The freshness of the air infiltrated his dreams, and when he opened his eyes he felt hopeful.
He stretched in the chill, trying to warm his muscles. He munched on a protein cube as he made his preparations.
The first transport came in too high. The second, too fast. Obi-Wan crouched in the shadow of the rocks. Patience was necessary. He couldn't make a mistake.
The next transport came in low and kept reducing speed. It was a midsize cruiser, big enough that it would not feel the jolt of the launcher or the drag of his body — he hoped. He didn't think he'd get a better opportunity.
As the shadow of the cruiser touched the peak, Obi-Wan aimed and reached out with the Force. He sent the cable flying. It latched onto the underbelly of the ship. He was yanked upward with such force he nearly lost consciousness. He had expected a bad jolt, but not this bad. With the wind whistling past his ears and his body whirling and flopping, he tried to get his hands around the cable. He had to steady himself if this was going to work.
His arms were nearly wrenched from their sockets as he held onto the cable. He tucked his knees up and his chin down. He kept his finger on the cable control. He brought himself up closer to the body of the ship, knowing he couldn't get too close or he'd be burned by the exhaust as the ship began to land.
A boulder loomed ahead. He activated the launcher to get closer to the ship. He zoomed up as the rock approached, passing under him by a few meters. He activated the launcher to drop him again, out of reach of the rocket exhaust. He couldn't be this close when the ship began to land or he'd be burned to a cinder, even if he used the Force to shield him for some time.
A large rock formation appeared out of nowhere. Obi-Wan quickly tucked his legs up, but the ship bumped on an air current and his shoulder slammed against the rock. Pain shot through him. He held on, using the Force to help soothe his pain and slowly heal his shoulder. The ship banked, nearly slamming him into a cliff wall.
The muscles in his arms and legs began to shake, and his fingers clenched in the effort to hold on to the cable. Obi-Wan was whipped from side to side, calling on the Force to help him.
The landing platform was ahead. He would have to drop off quickly, very close to the perimeter wall. If not, he could be spotted.
The ship slowed and dipped. Obi-Wan counted out the seconds. At the last possible moment, he disengaged the cable. Bracing himself with the Force, he fell through the air, landing hard. He felt the jolt throughout his entire body. He rolled and ducked behind a parked ship.
He caught his breath as the ship he had hitched a ride on came to a stop. Droids began to unload cargo. He saw a small utility shed nearby and quickly headed for it.
The shed held tools and equipment. Obi-Wan searched and was glad to find what he was looking for, a bin full of greasy coveralls. He pulled a pair on. Then he quickly darted out of the shed. His surveillance through his electrobinoculars had given him a rough outline of the camp. He knew the prisoners filed out into the yard at this time. There was always some confusion as they poured out of the buildings. He couldn't have arrived at a better time.
Now he was in. It was time to find Anakin, and perhaps the others, if he was able to help them at all.
**The Will of the Force**
Anakin was thinking about detachment. It was the goal of Jedi training. It was a discipline that took years to learn. It was not about controlling emotion, but allowing it to flow through you.
Well, he certainly felt detached. He knew somehow he had been drugged, his brain chemistry altered, even though he wasn't sure how it had been done. Was this how it felt, he wondered, to be truly one with the Force? It was a peaceful place to be, so unlike the battles he usually fought in his mind and heart. Was it so terrible to reach this place through a simple procedure, rather than through years of study and trial? He had admired Obi-Wan's serenity, had envied it. Now he had it. Why did he feel that Obi-Wan would not value it?
The flash of irritation — he felt at his Master was gone in a moment, almost before he had felt it. Anakin smiled. That was certainly something he was unable to do on his own. Being able to think about his Master without emotion was an interesting experience.
Sunlight flashed on the double doors. Someone was entering the garden.
At first the sun was in his eyes. Then he saw that it was his Master, dressed in coveralls. No doubt he had come to rescue him. Anakin noted that he should feel glad. Yet he did not. Did he feel disappointed? He couldn't locate an actual feeling.
"Anakin? Are you alright?" Obi-Wan's voice was low.
"I'm fine," he said.
"We have to get out of here. I have a way out."
"That's good."
It was good that Obi-Wan had a way out. Anakin stood. He moved with the same alertness he always had, but something was different. It was as though he was watching himself from above. Yet how good it was to fall into step beside Obi-Wan. Good because he felt so peaceful. How pleasant it was to be Obi-Wan's companion and yet not worry about the emotion connected with that.
Obi-Wan peered into his face. "What did they do to you?"
Anakin decided at that moment that he must not tell his Master what had been done to him. There was no reason to. No doubt the effect would wear off soon, and until then he wanted to spin out the peace he'd found without Obi-Wan judging how he'd found it.
"Nothing." Technically, this was true. He'd received no drugs that he knew about. "I suppose they had plans for us."
Obi-Wan gave him a quick look, as though he didn't believe him. But they didn't have time to stop. Obi-Wan led him to a utility closet. There, he gave Anakin a medic's pale blue coat.
"Do you still have the disk?"
The disk. How odd that he hadn't thought of it. Of course his Master had. Was that why his Master had come? For the disk. Not for him. There had been a time when he would have pondered on this, and the thought would have given him pain. Anakin wrenched his mind back to Obi-Wan's question. It seemed to take more effort than it should to remember what had happened to the disk.
"I know where it is. It's with my lightsaber."
Obi-Wan gave him an odd look. "And where is that?"
"Where we bathe. There are storage bins."
"Show me."
Obi-Wan followed behind Anakin so that it would not seem that they were together. Anakin led him into the room with the large tubs. It was empty. He walked to the storage bin, which was jumbled with the same tunics and belts.
"In here."
With a sound of exasperation, Obi-Wan plunged his hands into the bin.
He sorted through the tunics and belts. Anakin bent over to help. He found his belt and removed the disk. Obi-Wan handed Anakin his lightsaber. Then he took the disk from Anakin and slipped it inside his tunic.
"Once we get out of here, we'll head straight for the landing pad," Obi-Wan said crisply. "We're going to have to steal a transport. Can you do that?"
Why was Obi-Wan talking to him as though he were a fourth-year student?
"Of course."
"Follow me then."
Obi-Wan led the way. As they approached the security desk, Obi-Wan began talking loudly.
"If I say that the valve shutoff is broken, then it's broken. There's no need to talk to my superior." Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at the security officer. "He's going to tell you the same thing I said. I said, it's broken, you have to shut down the system. If you want to know about a bacta bath, go to a medic. If you want to know about valves, come to me. Understand?" Obi-Wan kept talking as the security guard released the security shield. Obi-Wan activated the door and waited for Anakin to walk through. "He's going to say the same thing. You have to shut down the system . . ."
The door hissed closed behind them. Obi-Wan headed down the path. Anakin strode next to him. He was content to follow his Master's plan.
No one stopped them as they walked across the compound and moved onto the landing pad.
"This looks fast." Obi-Wan climbed up on a small starship. "We need something that can get us to Typha Dor." He accessed the cockpit and jumped in. "Let's go, Anakin."
Anakin leaped up on the starship and slid into the cockpit next to his Master. He looked at the controls. "I'm going to have to hot-wire it," he said.
"That's the idea," Obi-Wan answered.
Anakin opened the sensor panel. Even though he still existed in the bubble of his calm, he remembered exactly what to do. He switched wires and juiced the ignition. Then he closed the panel and slid back into the pilot's seat. The engine started on the first try.
"Great," Obi-Wan said with relief. "Let's get out of here. Now," he added urgently, as a security officer began to wave frantically at them. No doubt he assumed they'd forgotten the departure check proceedings.
Anakin eased the throttle. The graceful ship rose, and he shot away from the camp.
Obi-Wan let out an audible sigh. "Things aren't usually that easy."
Anakin glanced at the cockpit indicators. "They aren't this time, either. Apparently by hot-wiring the ship, we skipped an essential step in the procedure."
A red light was blinking on the console. Obi-Wan leaned forward.
"What's that?"
"We should have entered a code on the ground. It's a system to prevent escapes, I guess."
"And what is it?" Obi-Wan asked impatiently.
"The ship is programmed to self-destruct," Anakin answered. "I'd guess we have about twenty seconds," Anakin said as he increased the ship's speed, heading toward the surface.
"You guess?"
Anakin cut back on the speed, almost throwing Obi-Wan to the floor. He leveled out the ship. "We'd better jump."
Anakin's calm was getting to Obi-Wan. "Excellent notion."
Considering that the ship is about to explode. Anakin raised the cockpit dome. They jumped to the top of their seats. Obi-Wan knew he had about two seconds to pick a place to land. Anakin had plotted the course well. They weren't over rocks, but a gradual slope.
Still, landing would be tricky.
"Jump!" Anakin shouted as the siren began to sound.
They jumped. The Force pulsed around them. Obi-Wan looked down at the hard ground below. It became less than solid in his mind, an accumulation of particles and pebbles. It would yield to him. He would fall as lightly as a leaf.
He landed hard for the second time that day. Obi-Wan groaned. The Force was with him, yes, but the ground was still hard. He landed more like a tree trunk than a leaf. He fell onto his shoulder. He felt his tunic rip and a rock scrape his cheek.
Anakin landed more gracefully, seemingly without effort, and went into a roll to absorb the shock. Above them, the ship exploded.
Now the danger was from the sheets of falling, flaming metal. Obi-Wan and Anakin kept rolling down the slope, gaining speed now. Obi-Wan saw a cluster of boulders ahead and simply rolled right up to it. Anakin did the same. They huddled in the shelter of the largest boulder, watching the metal fall to the surface and burn out.
Obi-Wan leaned against the boulder. "That was fun."
"Sorry, Master. I didn't realize."
"Not your fault. There was no way to know." Obi-Wan sighed. "Without transport, we've got a problem," he said. "We're in the middle of a wilderness infested with gundarks."
"We've got another problem," Anakin said. He pointed to the sky. A fleet of STAPs and two security transports with mounted laser cannons were headed toward them. "No doubt the self-destruct sensor sends a signal back to the camp that an escape is in progress," Anakin said.
"No doubt," Obi-Wan said dryly. He scanned the area for cover. The only good cover lay in the deep craters. "Here's a question. Would you rather take your chances with a fleet of STAPs or a nest of gundarks?"
The first laser cannonfire thundered. Obi-Wan and Anakin exchanged a glance, then began to run. They would take their chances in the craters and hope to avoid the gundarks.
The cannonfire ripped the ground behind them as they ran, using the Force to help them move faster than most other beings could match . . . but not faster than the speeders. The air rolled into them with the shock of the blast. It was hard to stay on their feet as they dashed toward the deeper craters.
"Not that one!" Obi-Wan shouted as blaster cannon-fire thundered past his ears, recognizing the prints of gundarks outside the crater.
Anakin veered. He was running fast, moving and weaving, but Obi-Wan picked up no communion with him, no Force connection. It was as though he were running with a stranger.
Anakin had lied to him. He knew that. Something had happened to him in that medical building. Did whatever it was somehow prevent Anakin from telling Obi-Wan about it? Or was it Anakin's decision to hide something from him?
'I don't know the answer to that. And that means I don't trust him. Not completely. Not anymore.'
One of the security transports dived toward him. Dual laser cannons blasted. Obi-Wan jumped, but the impact of the explosion against the rocks threw him further into the air. The next thing he knew he was falling, blasted headlong, deep into the black hole of a crater . . . and a gundark nest.
**The Will of the Force**
If Anakin had felt that there was a veil between him and his surroundings before, he was now beginning to feel breaks in that veil.
There were moments of clarity, brief flashes, in which he knew he was seeing reality. During those moments he felt something deep within him, like a hook lodged in his heart, and he was glad to slip behind the veil again.
It was odd that he was able to achieve battle-mind, but he had. The movements were so ingrained in him that he leaped and twisted and ran without feeling the effort, much as he did when the Force was with him.
He had taken down at least three security droids on STAPs. He still had six more STAPs to contend with, as well as the Vanqor guards on swoops, but he was fighting as well as he ever had.
When Obi-Wan had been blasted into the crater, Anakin hadn't had more than a second to react. He assumed that his Master could handle whatever was down there. Obi-Wan could get out by himself.
Somewhere inside, Anakin knew this was a curious decision for him to make, one that he wouldn't have made normally. But it seemed logical, too.
Obi-Wan was a Jedi, used to getting out of tight spots.
Besides, Obi-Wan had always told him not to jump into things, to take his time. So why shouldn't he? His first priority was to take care of the droids and get the disk to Typha-Dor.
Anakin felt the veil slip again. It was happening more frequently now.
He missed his calm. He wanted to be back in the garden. He didn't want to feel fear, or apprehension, or pain. He wanted to feel serene, as though nothing could touch him. He wanted it so badly.
Gundarks in the crater suddenly roared. Anakin fended off blaster rifle fire and drew closer to the crater. He thought he heard Obi-Wan calling him. The call came from within him, as though he heard it in his heart.
Something tugged at him. The hook that was buried so deep that he could barely feel it. He did not want to reach for it. He wanted it to lay buried.
Obi-Wan needed him.
'But I needed him. And when he came, he asked for the disk. He did not come for me.'
The pain this thought caused him to grab the remains of the veil. He wanted to wrap himself into its brand of unconsciousness.
'I don't want to feel anymore!'
Anakin leaped up and severed a droid in two that had the misfortune to pilot his STAP too close to the ground. Hunks of smoking metal clattered to the rocks below.
He realized what was wrong, what the essential conflict within him was. To be a Jedi was to follow his feelings. But if his feelings tortured him, what was he to do with them?
Grief.
Guilt.
Resentment.
Shame.
He had felt all of these things. Because of leaving his mother, because of Yaddle, because of Obi-Wan.
'I don't want to feel!'
He struck out savagely at a STAP that had come in low, its lone droid pilot firing dual blaster rifles. He cut the droid's head off.
"Anakin!" He could hear Obi-Wan clearly now, his voice strained and desperate.
'I don't want to feel!'
The hook in his heart seared him, and he knew its name. It was love. The love he felt for his Master was lodged firmly within him. It was a connection that had grown from the first moment Obi-Wan had told him that he would take him and train him.
He had learned one thing about love: It was besides the point. It didn't make anything smoother, or better. Most of the time, it just complicated things.
Why would he want to feel again, when feeling hurt so much? Why would he want to remember Shmi with guilt as well as pleasure? Why would he want to revisit his torment over the death of Yaddle? Why would he want to take up the burden of caring what Obi-Wan thought or felt about him?
Because it's right.
Anakin groaned aloud. The thing he couldn't get away from, the certainty within him, the essential truth he had learned through all his training at the Temple, that was what he could see now. He knew what was right.
He ripped the veil and felt the Force flood in with all its power. He realized that the Zone of Self-Containment had not allowed him to access the Force except at the most basic level, and he hadn't even known it. Now he felt it grow.
Along with the Force he felt his emotions again. They came at him in a rush, as if they'd been held back and now were free to overflow. They bombarded him as cruelly as the laser cannons shooting above. He wanted to sink to his knees from the tide washing over him, all the emotion he had suppressed and hoped never to feel again.
"Anakin!"
His Master's cry filled him. He stood, drawing the fire of the droids and guards. He began to run. Explosives shattered the rocks behind him. Two droids on STAPs dived, shooting both blaster rifles at him, trying to catch him between them.
Accessing the Force, he tumbled through the gap between them, allowing the power of the blast to catapult him in the direction of his Master's voice, straight into the dark pit of the gundark nest.
Anakin saw his master surrounded by gundarks, at least half a dozen had already been felled by Obi-Wan, a testament to his skill. Gundarks had keen eyesight and good hearing. Their sense of smell was excellent. Nobody survived falling into a gundark nest.
Anakin landed on a gundark's back. He plunged his lightsaber into the soft tissue at its neck. As the gundark thrashed, Anakin leaped down and, twisting to avoid a descending claw, slashed at the next gundark, cutting off two of its arms.
Anakin saw that a gundark had raked Obi-Wan's back with its claws, and his master looked very battered, likely having been thrown against the wall, not including his fall from the ship and whatever else he'd gone through that Anakin was unaware of.
Still, Obi-Wan seized on Anakin's offensive move, rushing forward and thrust his lightsaber into a gundark's vulnerable neck. The blow made the gundark scream in agony and retreat. Obi-Wan whirled and retreated in turn as another bounded forward, its red eyes blazing with the scent of the kill.
With the two of them now working in tandem, they forced the gundarks back, giving them the breathing room to start pressing the gundarks further, stopping gundarks from mounting any sort of assault.
From another cave, three gundarks tried to outflank the Jedi. Anakin sensed them moments before Obi-Wan. The Padawan somersaulted into them, taking them off guard. While Obi-Wan dodged to draw the attention of the first group, he watched Anakin spring up amid the second group. One gundark lost a leg, another its sight. A third recoiled as Anakin slashed at its chest.
The gundarks piled back into the cave, howling and screaming from their wounds.
"Thanks for coming!" Obi-Wan shouted over the noise.
"Any time."
There was a flash to Anakin's gaze that Obi-Wan knew well. His eyes were bright.
'Something has changed,' Obi-Wan thought. 'Anakin is back.'
"They haven't given up," Obi-Wan said. "They're waiting." He indicated his leg. "I can't climb very well."
Anakin activated his cable launcher. "Then let's go the easy way."
"There are gundarks nesting in the cave walls."
"I saw them on my way down." Anakin wasn't troubled by the knowledge. He grabbed Obi-Wan as if he weighed nothing and activated the cable. They landed on a ledge that was free of a nest. Anakin activated the cable again.
"You planned the journey back as you came down," Obi-Wan said.
They landed again, and Anakin activated the other cable line.
"Yes."
"Very impressive, Padawan."
They reached the surface and climbed over the lip of the crater. Almost immediately they were forced to take cover as the remaining STAPs and two guards on swoops, who had been about to leave, noticed them and flew towards them, cannons blazing.
Anakin and Obi-Wan dodged and deflected the bolts, preparing to go on the offensive when Obi-Wan felt a warm presence through his entire being and he smiled wide as two red-and white Jedi cruisers came flying in, the ship cannons firing away, blasting all the STAPs out of the sky in quick, efficient precision. The two swoops foolishly attempted to fire on the lead ship and were quickly blasted apart, ending the threat.
Obi-Wan's comlink signaled, and he answered it.
A familiar voice rang dryly in his ear. "Well, I'm here to rescue your sorry self once again. Honestly, I don't know what you'd do without me."
Obi-Wan grinned. "I think we found a ride," he told Anakin, who was grinning in return.
**The Will of the Force**
Siri could feel his pain through the bond that was ever present in her mind, something that was wholly a part of her and had been ever since she'd returned to the Order. Normally Obi-Wan was like a shining beacon in the Force to her, but now, his aura was dulled by the pain of whatever mess he'd gotten into.
She suspected a portion of his pain was his fault, and she was going to make sure he was properly scolded.
"Poor Obi-Wan just can't escape you," Garen said with a smirk as he brought the ship into land. "With that bond of yours, you can track him anywhere."
"Please, he would be womprat meat if we hadn't got here," Siri said with a sniff. "He's lucky that the Force cursed me to forever know where he is."
Garen chuckled and landed the ship as Siri quickly made her way to the boarding ramp, eager to verify that he was truly okay . . . or at least that he would recover. She strode down the landing ramp, seeing him standing there battered, but with his normal easy-going smile. He was hiding his pain, clearly trying to put on the air of indifference just to mess with her.
"Need a lift?" she asked dryly.
"If you insist," Obi-Wan responded, and Anakin sighed.
Ferus came up from behind her, and gave both Jedi a proper nod and greeting . . . she really needed to get him to stop that with these two.
"Master Kenobi. Anakin."
"We were on another mission to the Xanlanner system," Siri said. "We got your distress signal, and unfortunately figured we'd need to come save you again. A couple of old friends of yours are ferrying me, Ferus, Ry-Gaul, and Tru Veld."
Anakin brightened. "Tru is here?"
Obi-Wan suddenly moved toward the starship that Siri had emerged from.
"I should have known!" he called. "That was such a wobbly landing!"
Siri snorted as Anakin smiled. Siri knew exactly how that would rankle their good friend, who was considered the best pilot in the entire Order.
"You're one to talk about wobbling!" Garen said, coming up from behind her, noting Obi-Wan's slight limp. There was concern underneath his words. "You look like you could use a medic."
"Maybe a touch of bacta," Obi-Wan admitted. "I tangled with a gundark or two."
"Ouch," Garen said. He laid a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "Let's find the medpac."
"Wait, so now when I call you a gundark . . ." Siri said with a grin, and Obi-Wan shook his head at her, moving past her to find the medpac. Siri, of course, had no intentions of letting him get away, not from her teasing, and not from her being the one to administer the medpac and properly scold him, if it was deserved.
Anakin and Ferus followed them onto the ship and over to the medpac, and soon Tru Veld was bounding up their landing ramp, having come from the other ship. His Master, Ry-Gaul, followed more slowly, his keen gray eyes surveying Obi-Wan's injuries as he approached. Tru hurried up to Anakin, his silver eyes glinting.
"Our paths cross, and it makes me glad," he said to Anakin, and Siri smiled with Obi-Wan, always glad to see good friendships among the Padawans. It was good for them, and it spoke of strong bonds once they became Knights, strong bonds that would hopefully create strong teams to work together.
"We're certainly glad to see you," Anakin said. "We have to get to Typha-Dor immediately."
Tru nodded. "That's why we're here."
"Master Rhara," Obi-Wan greeted as Clee made her way onto the ship, smiling and nodding respectfully, and Anakin's face brightened even further.
He'd never met Clee Rhara, but had heard stories, and Siri knew that Anakin had always wanted to meet the Jedi who once ran the pilot program for Jedi students, and was also considered one of the best pilots in the Order, alongside her former Padawan, Garen.
Clee Rhara walked over. "Anakin Skywalker. We meet at last." Her shrewd eyes studied him. "I was a good friend of Qui-Gon's. We were students together."
"I'm honored to meet you at last, Master Rhara," Anakin said.
"No time for pleasantries. I hear we have to get to Typha-Dor." Clee Rhara grinned. "It's going to take some fancy flying. The Vanqor ships are everywhere. Something must be up."
"Something is definitely up," Anakin said. "An invasion."
"Then there's no time to waste, is there?"
Clee Rhara turned and strode back down the ramp and to her cruiser. Tru and Ry-Gaul hurred to follow her, while Ferus closed the boarding ramp to their ship. Siri grinned at Obi-Wan, helping him, despite his eyes protesting, up to the cockpit, where Garen was settling into the pilot seat.
With a glance, Garen beckoned to Anakin and, beaming, he took the copilot's chair, so Siri directed her focus back to Obi-Wan, taking the cloth he had from him so that she could dab at his wounds, and then took out the bacta spray.
Garen flipped on the comm unit to speak to Clee. "So, do we have a strategy? Those Vanqors aren't too keen on ships violating their airspace."
"Sure," Clee Rhara answered. "Go really, really fast."
The two cruisers rose and streaked into the upper atmosphere at top speed.
"Always so reckless," Siri mock-scolded, and Obi-Wan's lips twitched.
"I must admit, my dear, I did do something quite reckless this time, but I didn't see any other way."
"So you're telling me you dived into a gundark nest on purpose?" Siri asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, no. I was blasted into the nest," Obi-Wan responded.
"As graceful as ever it seems," Siri replied mildly, and Obi-Wan chuckled.
"That's rich coming from you. Which of us had two left feet at that ball? Which of us was the one having to guide the other around and make up for her stumbling footwork?"
"That is not fair!" Siri shot back. "Qui-Gon taught you how to dance. Adi never forced me to learn how to do a traditional Alderaanian waltz."
"I thought a proper Padawan always prepares for the mission," Obi-Wan teased, and Siri scowled at him, doing her best to fight off her smile.
"Set course for Typha-Dor," Garen said.
Siri quickly sat at the nav console. She entered the destination coordinates. Anakin kept his eye on the radar.
"Ships approaching," Anakin said, giving the coordinates. "They look like patrols."
Four fast starfighters streaked across the sky.
"Piece of quinberry cake," Garen said.
Garen's hands were light on the controls. He climbed abruptly, the ship's nose straight up. Clee Rhara followed. Garen headed straight for the two small red moons orbiting Vanqor.
They orbited in tandem, and he dove for the space between them. He and Clee Rhara played hide-and-seek with the starfighters, who were unable to get a fix on their position.
"They're going to call for backup," Clee Rhara said. "I say it's time to outrun them."
"I'm right behind you. Let's go."
The two Jedi cruisers suddenly zoomed out from the protection of the moons' orbits. The Vanqor starfighters gave chase. Cannonfire boomed behind them, but they were able to outrun it. Garen and Clee Rhara maintained a zigzagging course, avoiding the occasional proton torpedo.
"We've got some kind of military ship ahead," Siri called. "Ten escort starfighters."
"Just a piece of juja-cake," Garen said.
"You're almost as bad as Reeft with your food related comparisons," Obi-Wan muttered, and Garen smirked.
"Almost ready for us to make the jump to hyperspace," Siri said.
Ahead of them, Clee Rhara dived as the enemy ship's huge weapons began to pound. Garen peeled off to the left. For the next three minutes, Siri felt Anakin's awe as Garen slid the cruiser through, in, and around cannonfire without disturbing the gleaming red paint of his ship or even firing his own weapons.
Garen noted Anakin's interest. "I always prefer evasion to confrontation," he said with a grin.
The ship shot into hyperspace in a shower of stars. Everyone settled back.
"Typha-Dor in five minutes," Siri said.
"Piece of sweet cake," Garen said, satisfied.
"That's three food comparisons," Siri said. "I agree with Obi-Wan. You've been spending too much time with Reeft."
"Well, he and I keep getting banished to the outer rim on piracy operations!" Garen said.
"Then maybe you should have been a worse pilot!" Siri and Obi-Wan shot back together, and Garen huffed as Anakin and Ferus exchanged resigned looks, well used to how their masters were with their agemates and friends.
**The Will of the Force**
They came out of hyperspace and looked upon Typha-Dor. Anakin immediately checked the radar. "No pursuit ships."
"I don't think Vanqor would risk violating Typha-Dor airspace," Obi-Wan said. "Not until the invasion, anyway."
"We'll be landing in a few minutes," Garen said.
Garen guided the ship to a graceful slot in a large landing pad that lay at the space center midway between the two capital cities, Sarus-Dor and Ith-Dor. The Jedi were greeted by a security officer.
"May I ask your business — "
"We need to see the rulers of Typha-Dor immediately," Obi-Wan said. "We have vital information."
"The rulers of Typha-Dor are not easily seen — "
"We are Jedi envoys on a diplomatic mission from the Galactic Senate. We have information about an invasion," Obi-Wan rapped out impatiently.
"But… the invasion has already begun," the security officer said.
At first the officer refused to yield, but the combined insistence of eight Jedi was too much for him and his staff. The Jedi were ushered into the strategic planning meeting of the High Council at the space center.
The generals and the two rulers of Typha-Dor and their aides stood around a circular holomap. Blinking colored lights showed possible ship movements and attack points. Obi-Wan knew the two rulers as Talus, a young man, and Binalu, an older woman who had ruled Typha-Dor for many years. They had called for the Jedi originally and nodded politely at them.
"Sorry you were delayed," Binalu said graciously.
Binalu had stepped aside. Now Obi-Wan could see Mezdec in the middle of the group. When he saw Obi-Wan and Anakin, he paled.
"This is a high-security meeting," he said. "You have no clearance."
"Mezdec, these are Jedi," Binalu said. "We asked the Senate for help."
Obi-Wan gave Mezdec a cool glance, then ignored him. He glanced at the strategy map. He saw that the Typha-Dor had massed all their weaponry and their fleet to the south.
He and Anakin had studied the invasion plans during the flight. Shalini had been right. Mezdec had given the generals false plans. They were massing troops and ships to meet an invasion that would not arrive. Meanwhile, the Vanqors would take over the capital cities in one thrust, unopposed.
"I have met Mezdec before. We were the team that was sent to rescue the crew at the outpost," Obi-Wan said. "Have you moved your ships to attack?" he asked the generals.
"We are moving them now," one of the generals said grudgingly, as though she saw no reason to tell the Jedi. "The Vanqors will attack our factories in the south."
"Is it too late to recall them?"
"Why should we?" the general answered. "With all due respect to the Jedi, we did ask for your help, and we are grateful for your response. However, we can handle this. We are going to surprise the Vanqors when they invade our airspace."
"You, generals, will be the ones who will be surprised," Obi-Wan said.
"That is not the true invasion plan," Anakin said. He set Shalini's holofile spinning. It unfolded in pulses of light, showing detail after detail of the Vanqor invasion. "This is the real invasion plan. If you mass your forces there, the Vanqors will simply sail in and take over without a fight."
"But the Vanqors have already sent their ships," Binalu said, indicating the map.
"I see evidence of only two destroyers in the south," Obi-Wan said.
"Mezdec explained that more are coming. The crew intercepted the Vanqor invasion plans," a general said. She was tall and imposing, with multicolored medals on her shoulders. "He came to me personally. I am the high general of Typha-Dor, General Bycha."
"That's right," Mezdec said. "We have the plans. I was the only one to make it out alive."
"On the contrary," Obi-Wan said. "The others made it out, too. Hopefully you are happy to hear that, Mezdec. I'm sure you will be happy to see your wife again once she is freed . . . though I'm not sure she'll feel the same way."
Mezdec paled further, and licked his lips nervously.
"Mezdec is a spy, General Bycha," Anakin said. "I suggest you give an order for his immediate arrest."
The generals exchanged glances. Talus and Binalu looked at the Jedi.
"This is a grave charge," Talus said.
"They are lying!" Mezdec cried.
"You must trust us," Obi-Wan said. "The fate of your world lies in your hands. The Vanqors are not going to attack your factories. They are moving to attack the twin capital cities. Can you move the fleet to these positions?" He moved to the console and after a moment, two dots appeared on the map.
"Look. The Vanqors are invading through this corridor. I've studied the star charts. Your moons will align to give them cover, but it will also create a window for you to attack. You can trap the majority of the fleet between the two moons. Even with a smaller force, you could defeat them. They will be vulnerable right here."
The generals looked at the map. They looked at each other.
"Don't listen to them!" Mezdec cried again. "They are lying!"
Slowly, General Bycha turned to him. "And what reason would the Jedi have for lying?" She held Mezdec's gaze. "I hereby issue an order for Mezdec's immediate arrest." Then General Bycha turned back to the Jedi. "We don't have much time," she said.
Mezdec was taken away. The room exploded into activity. Obi-Wan was impressed with how quickly the generals grasped the situation and formulated a response. The fleet sped to the other side of Typha-Dor and lurked behind the string of moons, effectively concealing themselves and ready to attack.
General Bycha spoke to the Jedi. "We were unprepared for war. Our planet has no planetary defensive shield, and only one planetary turbolaser. It's all up to our fleet."
"You have the strategic advantage," Siri said.
"Which means there is another option," Obi-Wan pointed out. "Within seconds of the Vanqors invading your airspace, you will be able to surprise and surround them. They know their entire fleet can easily be destroyed. It is a perfect opportunity for you to force a surrender without losing lives."
General Bycha looked interested. "Most generals are primed to fight. I will do so if necessary, but on Typha-Dor we always seek to avoid conflict if we can."
"A truce would make sense for Vanqor as well as Typha-Dor," Obi-Wan pointed out. "Typha-Dor has vast resources. Vanqor has factories and technical innovations. The other planets in your system each have something unique to contribute. If there was a strong alliance between your planets, you would all be interdependent. You would learn and profit from one another."
"You could become one of the strongest systems in the galaxy and a boon to the Republic," Siri said.
Binalu shook her head. "But we don't trust the Vanqors. How could we, after what they have done?"
"Alliances are rarely built on trust," Clee Rhara said. "They are built on mutual advantage."
"One of your conditions would have to be complete disarmament," Garen said. "Vanqor might choose that rather than complete annihilation."
"It all depends on you," Obi-Wan said. "You have the advantage of surprise. When you don't fire on the Vanqors, they might hesitate to fire on you. You'll need to speak to the ruler of Vanqor and explain that you have his fleet surrounded. The Vanqor fleet captains will confirm. You have a chance to win a war without a battle."
Binalu and Talus gazed at the blinking lights on the holomap, each representing a ship with hundreds of lives aboard. They had a wordless communication with each other, then nodded.
"Tell the fleet to get into position but not to fire a shot unless ordered," Talus said.
"We will talk to Van-Ith, the ruler of Vanqor," Binalu said.
It was a tense time in the operations room. The generals, the Jedi, and the rulers watched the blinking lights on the map. They saw the Vanqor fleet approach. At the last possible moment, General Bycha gave the order for the Typha-Dor coalition forces to surround the Vanqor fleet. The movement was executed perfectly.
"Arrange for a comm transmission to the head of the fleet," General Bycha ordered.
While General Bycha spoke to the Vanqor captains, Binalu and Talus spoke to the Vanqor leader. The Jedi watched and waited. After a long negotiation, the Vanqors agreed to surrender and enter peace talks.
The Vanqor fleet slowly followed the Typha-Dor escorts to the surface of Typha-Dor, where they would remain for the duration of the talks.
"This will take some time to accomplish," Talus said to the Jedi. "Thank you for your help. We are in your debt."
"Shalini and her crew were responsible for obtaining the invasion plans," Obi-Wan told them. "They risked their lives. They entrusted the disk to us while they were interred in a prisoner-of-war camp."
"Are they in danger?" General Bycha asked.
"Anakin was also a prisoner," Obi-Wan said. "There's a camp in the Tomo Crater region on Vanqor."
General Bycha focused her intense gaze on Anakin. "We've heard of this camp. Rumors have reached us of medical experiments being performed on prisoners. This is against Republic law. If we knew this for certain, it would help us in negotiations with the Vanqors. Did you see anything like that?"
Obi-Wan saw Anakin hesitate.
Why? What had happened to him? Why hadn't he told Obi-Wan? He'd had plenty of opportunities aboard Garen's ship.
"I underwent the procedure," Anakin said. "It is called the Zone of Self-Containment."
He saw the Jedi turn and look at him. Ferus's gaze was sharp. He had seen that Obi-Wan hadn't known this.
"What happens to you?" General Bycha asked.
"You become… content," Anakin said. "You have complete mobility and your thought processes are sharp. It doesn't feel as though you're drugged. But the things that normally torment you don't bother you at all."
"Crowd control," General Bycha said. "It's a way to subdue populations. I can't believe we must form a partnership with those who would do this."
"The partnership will ensure that they won't," Clee Rhara said.
"How was the substance administered?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I don't know," Anakin said. "That was the strange thing. We weren't injected. And we ate with the med care workers and personnel, fed from a communal pot. Our water source was the same as theirs, too."
"It is possible they were all drugged," General Bycha said.
"I don't think so," Anakin said. "I felt that they were … envious of the prisoners."
"When did you first feel the effects?" Obi-Wan asked.
Anakin thought back. "They gave us a paralyzing drug, but that didn't make a difference to my mind. It was after a bath."
"It was transmitted through water," Obi-Wan said.
"That is a very difficult way to transmit a drug," General Bycha said. "Water transmission hasn't been perfected." He frowned. "These are dark days. There are too many scientists with no scruples, willing to poison bodies and minds."
Obi-Wan suddenly leaned forward toward Anakin. "Did you ever see the doctor in charge?"
"Yes," Anakin said. "I was brought to her because in the beginning I was able to resist the paralyzing drug somewhat, with the help of the Force."
"Do you know her name?"
Anakin thought back. "She never told me." Odd. He hadn't noticed that at the time.
"Do you remember what she looked like?"
"A woman in late mid-life," Anakin said. "Light-colored hair. Distinctive green eyes. She had a strong face." He thought back. "The strange thing was that she guessed that I was Force-sensitive. She seemed to know a great deal about the Force."
Obi-Wan closed his eyes. "Jenna Zan Arbor," he said.
Clee Rhara, Ry-Gaul, and Garen looked at him in surprise. Siri frowned, knowing just how dangerous Zan Arbor was.
"She is on a prison planet," Clee Rhara said.
"So we thought," Obi-Wan said.
"Who is she, Master?" Anakin asked.
"Someone who has hurt the Jedi and the Republic in the past," Obi-Wan said. "She kept Qui-Gon prisoner in order to study the Force. She was a brilliant scientist who began her career after she found cures to several plagues and saved whole planets. But then she grew corrupt. She began to introduce plagues or viruses so that she would be hired to cure the populations. She was adept at using water systems or air systems. She made a great fortune. But the Jedi caught her in the end." Obi-Wan turned to General Bycha. "May I use your database?"
General Bycha showed him to the console. Obi-Wan did a quick check of the prison world he knew Zan Arbor had been exiled to.
He whirled around in his chair. "Escaped. She is now a wanted criminal." He stood. "We must get to the Tomo Crater Camp right away."
"You will meet resistance," General Bycha warned him. "The surrender is not complete."
Obi-Wan looked at Clee Rhara, Garen, Siri, and Ry-Gaul, a question in his eyes.
Ry-Gaul nodded. "We are at your service, Obi-Wan."
**The Will of the Force**
"It's got to be draining, no matter what the medic said," Tru said. "That's probably why."
Anakin smiled faintly. "Why what?"
Tru had a habit of speaking his thoughts out loud, usually right in the middle of them.
They were waiting on the Senate approval to proceed to Vanquor, and Anakin had just finished being checked out by the medic.
"Why you look tired. The medic said he found no side effects, so I wouldn't worry about that." Tru peered at him sympathetically.
"I'm not worried," Anakin said. He paused. "Do you ever wonder about detachment, Tru?"
One of the reasons Tru was his friend was that he didn't have to explain things to him. "Of course. It is the hardest Jedi lesson," Tru responded. "I wonder about it all the time. How can we follow our feelings and yet be detached? Master Ry-Gaul says that feeling deeply is necessary for all living beings. It is how we use those feelings that is crucial. If we let them determine our actions, we can go astray."
"I guess I still don't know how to free myself," Anakin admitted.
"Me neither. I guess that's why we're Padawans, and they're Masters," Tru admitted. "The thing is not to worry."
"Yes," Anakin said. "That's the thing."
He noticed Ferus looking over at them. Ferus quickly looked away.
"What's the matter with Ferus?" Anakin asked. Tru looked uncomfortable.
"Nothing."
"Tell me. He's barely said a word to me. Not that I mind."
Tru shifted his weight. "He said … well. He wondered why you didn't tell your Master that you'd undergone that treatment. It was clear that you hadn't. We all wondered. After all, it is strange."
Anakin looked over at Ferus. "He always gets in my business."
"He only said out loud what we all thought," Tru said with his usual honesty. "I bet Obi-Wan is thinking it, too."
"I'm not sure why I didn't tell him," Anakin said. "I was going to tell him. Did something ever happen to you that you wanted to think about first, before you told anyone?"
"No," Tru said. "I guess I like to talk."
Anakin laughed. Tru was always truthful. Anakin could see through him like water. That was how clear he was. And the only thing he saw was goodness.
Ferus came up. "The mission is approved. It's time to board," he told Tru.
"I hear you're wondering why I didn't tell Obi-Wan about what happened at the prison camp," Anakin said in a challenging tone.
Ferus gazed at him. "Yes, I did wonder," he said. "But then I figured it out."
"Oh, really? Why don't you enlighten us?" Anakin suggested.
"You were afraid to tell Obi-Wan because you enjoyed it," he said. "You enjoyed feeling nothing. It even overcame your loyalty."
"Nothing overcomes Anakin's loyalty to his Master, Ferus," Tru said sharply. "And it is none of your business, anyway. You weren't there. You don't know what happened. You have no right to judge."
Ferus seemed to struggle against Tru's words for a moment. Then he inclined his head. "You're right, Tru, as always. I apologize, Anakin. I shouldn't have said it."
'That's right, Ferus. You stepped over the line.' But maybe Anakin owed him one, after their mission on Andara.
"Alright," Anakin said. He noted that Ferus hadn't said he was wrong. Just that he shouldn't have said it.
"I'll be waiting on the ship," Ferus said, and he left.
Anakin merely nodded a cool farewell, hating that he'd be sharing a ship with him. They had started getting along better over the past months, but every now and then he still just irked Anakin. Still, for the sake of Obi-Wan and Siri, who he respected greatly, he was trying to do better to work with Ferus.
"Ferus is the perfect Padawan, remember?" Tru said as Ferus boarded the ship, trying to make Anakin feel better. "He feels like he has to correct all of us."
"Thank you for defending me," Anakin said. "I will see you on Vanquor."
"Take care, Anakin," Tru said. "Take care."
Tru walked away. Anakin felt a tiny sting at Tru's words. He hadn't meant them as an affectionate farewell. He'd meant them as a warning.
**The Will of the Force**
After receiving clearance from the Senate for their operation, they flew to Vanqor. They met no resistance from the Vanqor ships. The Jedi cruiser flew over the rugged landscape of the Tomo Craters, and then the camp appeared ahead. Then resistance exploded in the form of laser-cannonfire. Apparently General Bycha had not underestimated the resistance they would meet on the ground.
Garen dived and twisted, piloting the ship expertly through the fire, never wavering from his destination.
They landed amid heavy fire and charged out, lightsabers at the ready. The security droids were taken care of with quick thrusts and backhanded swipes. The Vanqor guards were armed with blaster rifles, wrist rockets, and stun batons. The Jedi advanced as a solid flank that broke and re-formed as they leaped and twisted, using their lightsabers and occasionally Force-pushing a Vanqor guard who decided today was his day to seek glory. Instead he ended up with a throbbing skull as he was thrown against a wall.
It was at times such as these that Anakin felt something close to what he'd felt in the Zone of Self-Containment. It was not that he enjoyed battle. Battle was a necessity to an end. It was that battle filled his mind in a way that other things could not. Focus was absolute. He felt in the midst of the Force. With the other Jedi around him, the Force was especially powerful. It made every decision easy, every move fluid.
Soon the droids had been reduced to scrap and the Vanqor guards decided that facing a squad of Jedi had not been in their job descriptions. They threw down their weapons and surrendered.
"Zan Arbor," Obi-Wan said to Anakin.
"We'll free the prisoners," Siri said. "You might meet more resistance there. Ferus, go with them."
The three Jedi raced to the medical building where Anakin had been held. No ships had taken off since they arrived. No doubt Zan Arbor had heard the battle. She could be hiding. Or she could decide to make a last stand. Anakin was prepared for anything.
The halls were empty. Doors were flung open, and there were signs of disarray in the trailing linens on the sleep couches and the discarded food on trays. The warming lights in the courtyard had been turned off, and the leaves looked shrunken and yellowed. It appeared that the entire operation had been hastily abandoned.
Anakin led the way to Zan Arbor's office. They did not need to break in. The door was wide open. Drawers hung open, empty. Her desk had been cleared. Even her septsilk curtains had been taken down.
Anakin felt relief move through him. But why? He wasn't sure. He only knew that he did not want to face Zan Arbor again. Especially not in front of his Master. It was as though she held a secret to a part of him he did not want to share.
When he turned, he saw that Ferus had seen his relief. Anakin hid his exasperation. No matter where he turned, Ferus was there, eager to see what Anakin wanted to conceal. Ferus's ability to tune in to his fellow Jedi might have been helpful in battle, but Anakin found it deeply annoying at other times.
"Too late," Anakin said to Obi-Wan. "She must have heard about the thwarted invasion."
"She couldn't have hidden all the evidence," Obi-Wan said. "We'll need to back up what happened here. It will add to her crimes."
Obi-Wan surveyed the hastily departed office. "I know one thing, Padawan. We have just discovered our next mission. We have to find Jenna Zan Arbor."
"I'll alert my master," Ferus said, and he departed.
Anakin felt the fear return. Obi-Wan was bringing him straight to the creator of the process that had caused him so much doubt and panic. His fear suddenly freshened and sharpened. Now it was a certainty that this next mission would bring him too close to a truth he didn't want to face. He suddenly felt tired . . . so very tired, and he glanced at his Master and was startled to see Obi-Wan staring at him intently.
"You said torment," Obi-Wan remarked, gazing at him.
"Excuse me?" Anakin pretended confusion, but he knew exactly what Obi-Wan was referring to.
"You said, 'The things that normally torment you don't bother you at all.' Not the things that trouble you, but torment you." Obi-Wan turned to face him. "It was a strong word. What torments you, Anakin?"
He looked at the ground. "Perhaps I spoke more strongly than I meant to!"
"That is not an answer."
"Sometimes I don't want to be the Chosen One," Anakin said. The words broke free. They felt like stones in his mouth.
"That's not surprising," Obi-Wan said. "Many gifts can be burdens."
"The Force is so strong. I can feel it so much. I feel so much. I don't want to feel so much!" Anakin hardly recognized his voice, choked and aching. Obi-Wan looked startled at his vehemence. "Why am I chosen? Why is it me? Can't I refuse it? Can't you let me refuse it? Can't you take it away?"
"Anakin — "
"Take it from me. Please, Master."
Anakin wanted to fall to his knees. A deep tide of feeling, of dread, had risen up within him and choked him. He felt tears in the back of his throat. Even his friend Tru was afraid for him. Just as Ferus was. Just as his own Master was, the person who knew him the best.
'What do they see that I cannot?'
The sudden panic shocked him. It had sprung up so abruptly. He hadn't meant to say what he had said. He hadn't even known he had been feeling it. Now it felt like the truest thing he had ever said. The dread was always there. He lived with it, but he didn't understand it. He just wanted it to go away.
The depth of Obi-Wan's shock and compassion showed in his eyes, in the way he gently placed his hands on Anakin's shoulders. "My Padawan. I would do anything for you. I would bear your burdens for you if I could. But I cannot."
Anakin bowed his head. The panic and fear whirled inside him, and he was ashamed.
Obi-Wan bent closer to speak softly. He did not release his grip on Anakin's shoulders. "But I will help you. I will always help you. I will not leave you."
The words reverberated like a bell. Obi-Wan's touch brought Anakin back to himself. He raised his head.
"Things between us have not run smoothly lately," Obi-Wan said, "but you must never doubt my commitment to you."
"And mine to you," Anakin said, feeling some of the weight lift off of him, but then he froze as Siri came in, thinking she'd overheard everything. However, she just gave him her normal friendly smile, and he remembered her bond with his Master, and knew that she probably knew the whole time. She was choosing to act like nothing had happened and treat him normal, which he was grateful for.
"Everything is secure?" Obi-Wan asked, and Siri nodded. "Good, then as soon as the Typhadorans secure this site, Anakin and I can hopefully get a ship from them. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll catch up to Zan Arbor."
"That's going to have to wait," Siri said gravely, and Obi-Wan frowned. "Kastor might have found a lead into the Sith. He's found a cult of darksiders on Dromund Kaas, and he needs help. The Council has diverted our mission to go help him, and that includes you both."
Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged startled looks, knowing that Kastor must have truly found something if the Council was diverting Jedi to his location and his command.