by Jude Watson
repulsorlift platform obviously crafted for her, large and low and
festooned with shimmersilk pillows. Her lieutenants surrounded her,
jockeying for position as she settled herself in. There were three, one of
them a Kamarian who sat at her right, obviously her most trusted assistant.
His two tails waved as he leaned over to speak directly in her ear.
"I wish we could hear what he's saying," Obi-Wan murmured, pretending
to pluck the strings on his vioflute.
"Sing," Swanny hissed as he and Rorq swung into the chorus.
Anakin began to hum the backup, and beside him, Obi-Wan joined in.
Unfortunately, Obi-Wan could not manage to find the melody. Swanny shot him
a horrified look.
"Uh, not so loud," he hissed. "Maybe you shouldn't sing, after all."
Anakin hid his smile. He was glad his Master wasn't good at
everything.
"Look in the corner behind Decca," Obi-Wan said to Anakin under his
breath. "There's a bank of datapads. I wonder if we could get close enough
to take a look at what's on them."
"If she keeps downing those flameouts, we might," Anakin said.
"Notice how she's listening to the Kamarian, while the Ranat tries to
get closer."
Anakin watched. The Kamarian adjusted the pillows for Decca with his
four arms while he spoke. He had Decca's full attention. It was almost
comical the way the meter tall Ranat tried to nestle into the folds of
Decca's fat in order to hear what was being said.
Anakin wasn't sure what conclusions to draw from what he saw. But he
knew that later his Master would ask him about his observations, so he
watched carefully as Decca conferred and nodded. Then he slowly gazed
around the room, noting the side tunnels and the placement of guards. He
estimated there must be at least forty gang members at the party, which
meant there were others on the surface and serving as guards. But how many?
No doubt during their break they would be able to mingle in the crowd.
Decca signaled to Swanny, and he stopped playing. Decca held out her
huge arms. Her flesh trembled. The substation fell silent.
"We hear the Jedi have arrived on Mawan with a Provisional Committee
from the Senate," Decca pronounced. "Foolish beings - they think they can
get rid of us."
The gang soldiers laughed and pounded the hilts of their blaster
rifles on the floor.
"They will regret coming up against Decca the Hutt. I vow to you
today, no committee will blast me off this planet!" Decca suddenly stood,
her flesh waving. "Tell the galaxy - Decca will never retreat!"
"Well, I didn't think diplomacy would work for Decca, anyway," Obi-Wan
muttered. "Let's mingle. We'll look for an opening to get to that data pad
bank."
Anakin had been hoping for a chance to hit the food table. His last
meal had been a protein pack on the transport. What his teachers at the
Temple had seemed to leave out of their lessons was that on missions, you
never got enough food. He placed his keyboard on the floor.
At that moment, an explosion blew them both off their stools. Smoke
filled the substation. The ping of blaster fire suddenly filled the air.
"Stay down!" Obi-Wan shouted to Anakin. "We're under attack!"
CHAPTER SIX
The smoke was so thick and acrid that Obi-Wan's eyes streamed tears.
All he could glimpse through the haze was the blur of movement and the
flash of blaster fire. Hoarse shouting and battle cries almost smothered
the sound of Swanny shouting, "Whoa, show's over!"
He leaned closer to Anakin. "This could be an opportunity for us," he
said rapidly. "No doubt Decca has an escape plan for just this kind of
attack. She'll take off and we might be able to get to those datapads. Use
the Force to guide you through the smoke."
Keeping his head low, he threw himself into the brawl. Decca's gang
members were literally fighting blind, their eyes screwed shut and
streaming tears. This didn't stop them from firing their weapons, however.
Blaster fire pinged and ricocheted around the room. Obi-Wan glided through
the forest of arms and legs, allowing the Force to tell him when to raise
his lightsaber to deflect fire. He sensed that the rival gang was moving
steadily toward Decca, trying to get to her before she escaped. Obi-Wan had
no doubt that Striker was behind the attack, most likely in retaliation for
Decca's victory earlier that day.
The barrage of fire was constant, shrieking by his ears and filling
the room with more sparks and heat. Electrojabbers waved in the air, and he
saw one land by accident on another member of Decca's gang who was firing
his blaster rifle in the air. The gang member went down, his legs paralyzed
for a good two hours or more. He managed to drag himself away from a Phlog
who was stomping toward the blaster fire, swinging a vibroax. Screams and
battle cries filled the air.
It was a demonstration of sloppy fighting, Obi-Wan judged. Decca's
gang might be large and fierce, but it certainly wasn't organized.
Striker's soldiers were more efficient, moving slowly but surely toward the
corner where Decca had been. Now the smoke was so thick it was impossible
to tell where she had gone.
A panicked voice panted by his ear. "Wherever you're going, take me
with you."
"Swanny, what are you doing?" Obi-Wan asked, whirling his lightsaber
to deflect a sudden barrage of blaster fire. "Stay by the band platform,
you'll be safe there."
"Are you kidding? There is no band platform. Some Phlog stepped on it
on the way to Striker's gang."
"We're sunk," Rorq said, suddenly appearing as he crawled up to Obi-
Wan. "You've got to get us out of here."
Obi-Wan looked down at them, exasperated. The Force surged, and he
quickly whirled around to slice an electrojabber in half, held by a Decca
gang member who had mistaken him for an enemy.
He had to get to those datapads. He couldn't do that and protect
Swanny and Rorq.
Obi-Wan leaped closer to Swanny, protecting him from a sudden barrage
of fire from a repeating blaster. The fire was fast and furious. Obi-Wan
had to twirl his lightsaber in a continuous motion. He called out to the
Force, using it to slow down time so that he could see each individual
blaster shot. Where was Anakin?
As if his thought had conjured him, Anakin appeared through the smoke.
His lightsaber held high and constantly moving, he was leaping toward the
repeating blaster, which some enterprising members of Striker's gang had
set up against the wall.
Anakin hit the repeating blaster with both feet, using the split
second between the blasts to make his strike. The blaster flew off its
supports. Anakin came down, slicing the weapon in two.
Then he snaked his way back to Obi-Wan.
"Get Swanny and Rorq to safety," Obi-Wan shouted above the din. "I'm
going to get to those records. As soon as they're safe, follow me." There
was no time to come up with another plan. The smoke rolled toward him, and
he plunged into it.
Instantly his eyes began to tear again, and he felt the smoke
in his
lungs, making his breathing difficult. He fought his way forward. Even in
this smoke, it would be hard to hide a Hutt.
He had to step over the bodies of the dead and wounded. Obi-Wan tasted
smoke and death in his mouth. He felt tiredness seep into his bones. Greed
had that effect on him. He could better understand the Mawans, who had
fought for ideas, than those who worked for the crimelords. Stamping out
greed was impossible; controlling it was a never-ending task. His job would
never be finished. In the middle of a battle such as this, a great tide of
weariness could wash over him at the thought.
His battle mind had slipped. That wasn't good. Obi-Wan wrenched back
his concentration. Suddenly the bank of datapads burst into flame. They had
been hit by a grenade.
Obi-Wan stopped to consider what to do next. But he didn't have time
to change his direction. A percussive force almost blasted him off his
feet. The floor rose to meet him and he fell on one knee, his ears ringing.
The size of the blast told him that it had been caused by a thermal
detonator. More smoke filled the air, and he could hear screams and cries.
He leaped to avoid a sudden stab with a stun baton. His assailant
disappeared into the smoke as quickly as he had appeared.
Obi-Wan decided to find Decca. If he followed her, he might discover
her exit strategy and her backup plans. Perhaps she would lead him to
another hideout. He reached the end of the substation at last. He could
just glimpse Decca lowering her bulk into a specially designed speeder,
wider and larger than normal. The pilot jammed its throttle forward, and it
sped down the back tunnel.
He had missed the chance to follow her by seconds. There was no other
speeder in the tunnel to take.
Obi-Wan turned. The smoke was clearing. He saw the gang members lying
on the floor, or sitting, their heads in their hands. Some who could still
run had taken off after the retreating members of Striker's gang.
Swanny was holding out a hand, helping Rorq to rise. They had taken
cover behind a garbage bin.
Obi-Wan scanned the crowd. Where was Anakin? He hurried over to Swanny
and Rorq. "Did Anakin follow the others?"
Swanny shook his head. "I don't know, I didn't see. He pushed us back
here just before something very big exploded."
The thermal detonator. What if Anakin had been close to it?
Something lay on the floor nearby. Obi-Wan felt a terrible dread steal
over him. Slowly, he walked forward and crouched down by the object.
He picked it up and ran his fingers over it. The hilt was caked with
dust and one deep scar now marred the finish.
It was Anakin's lightsaber.
CHAPTER SEVEN
At least I'm alive, Anakin thought. I may be stupid, but I'm alive.
It was a very un-Jedi thought. Jedi did not berate themselves. Anakin
didn't care. He felt stupid and careless. He tried to rearrange himself
within the garbage container he found himself in, but there was no room,
and whenever he moved, his shoulder sent out a scream of protest. He wasn't
hurt badly. He had landed on his shoulder when the thermal detonator hit.
He had seen it but not soon enough. It had exploded, and he'd been hit.
And dropped his lightsaber. Something a Jedi was never, ever supposed
to do.
Now he was being brought somewhere. He had been dazed from the thermal
detonator, picked up like a sack of onions, and dropped into a container on
top of a pile of greasy bones from the feast. His assailant had ripped his
utility belt off his tunic, so he'd lost his comlink, too. He had been
banged down the tunnel, been thrown into a vehicle, and now was careening..
. somewhere.
He couldn't wait to hear what his Master would say about this one.
Things were bad enough with Obi-Wan. What would happen when he found
out that Anakin had lost his lightsaber and been captured?
Anakin pictured the exchange.
I saw the thermal detonator too late, Master. It was a surprise.
There are no surprises when the Force is with you, my young Padawan.
Anakin grimaced. He couldn't wait for that one. If he ever got out of
here.
He moved his fingers along the container. It was a standard-issue
garbage bin. The lid was hinged and had a simple lock. If he could manage
to get on his back, he might be able to kick the lid with enough power to
shatter the lock.
He could try it. He was on fire to get out of this stinking prison.
But thanks to Obi-Wan, he had learned how to wait.
He was almost certain that he'd been captured by Striker's gang.
Without his lightsaber, he might not be taken for a Jedi. Perhaps he was
one of many prisoners. He guessed that he would be taken to Striker's
hideout. He could bide his time and observe. They were here to gather
information, after all. Maybe he could discover something valuable about
Striker, something they could use.
So maybe the best thing he could do was lie here and wait to be
released.
As he had that thought, Anakin felt the speeder slow. It stopped, and
the container was grabbed roughly, then dropped. Anakin had braced himself,
but he banged his head on the side. Patience was hard to find now, with a
smarting head, but he reached for it, calming himself for whatever lay
ahead.
The container lid was yanked open. Rough hands reached in. Anakin let
his body go slack. He was grabbed and slung over someone's shoulder, then
dumped on the ground.
Anakin looked up into cruel yellow eyes.
"There's your welcome, slug." A giant lmbat smiled down at him with
mossy teeth. Then he reached for his utility belt, where a pair of stun
cuffs dangled. They looked like delicate bracelets in his huge hand. He
slapped them on to Anakin. Then with a grunt, he simply turned and walked
off.
Anakin rose unsteadily to his feet. His shoulder still ached, and he
could feel a lump rising on the side of his forehead near his left eye.
Around him, activity swirled, but no one paid him any attention. He
was free to wander, but the stun cuffs guaranteed he would not be able to
wander far. From what he could tell, he was the only prisoner.
Anakin did what he knew Obi-Wan would want him to do. He observed.
The substation was even larger than the one Decca had used. Banks of
monitoring equipment, now unused, ran along one wall. Benches and chairs
had been ripped from their floor supports and were piled in a corner. A
weapons rack held an impressive array of small arms.
The gang members were busy and didn't even glance at him. Some were
checking and cleaning weapons. Others sat at improvised computer stations,
entering information. Others manned comm units. Everyone seemed to have a
job. Compared to the slipshod air of Feeana's operation and the chaos and
suppressed violence of Decca's, this seemed like a professional operation.
Which told him that of all three criminals, Striker was the one to
worry about.
Anakin had no idea where he was. How would Obi-Wan ever be able to
find him?
But he didn't want Obi-Wan to find him. Not until he had a chance to
learn something. It would redeem him in his Master's eyes. Maybe he could
discover something important and then escape.
Anakin drifted closer to the computer banks. He focused his attention
on the fingers of a man entering information. He tapped into the Force to
help him. He felt time slow down, and he tried to put words together from
the letters the man was entering.
B I 0... he missed several letters, someone walking by... P 0 N
T 0 X
Frustrated, Anakin leaned forward to see. A huge hand suddenly landed
on his sore shoulder, sending a fresh jolt of pain through his body. "The
boss wants to see you."
Without checking to make sure that he was following, the lmbat loped
across the space. He accessed a durasteel door that led to a room off the
main substation. He waited for it to open, then shoved Anakin inside. The
door slid shut behind him.
The room was almost empty except for a bare table and one chair. The
man standing in front of him was smiling and holding out his hands.
"Forgive my manner of bringing you, my friend. I was impatient to see you."
Anakin felt shock ripple through him.
It was their greatest enemy, Granta Omega.
