The Moment of Truth

by Jude Watson

  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.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  One gundark had raked Obi-Wan's back with its claws. Another had

  thrown him against the wall. His left leg was going numb. He had killed one

  gundark, mortally wounded another... but would more come? He was weakening.

  He was losing. He was trapped in the dark with the roaring, ravenous

  beasts, and he had no doubt he would be torn limb from limb. They knew they

  had wounded him, and they were circling in for the kill.

  If this was where he would become one with the Force, so be it. Yet he

  would fight to his last breath to prevent it. He would prefer a less

  gruesome end than this.

  Obi-Wan 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.

  Suddenly he felt the Force fill the cavernous space. A flash of light

  appeared overhead, and Obi-Wan heard a whistling noise. It was Anakin,

  leaping straight into the circle of gundarks, his lightsaber held in attack

  position.

  When Obi-Wan had wondered if Anakin had abandoned him, he hadn't

  blamed him. He knew their mission demanded that Anakin get to Typha-Dor.

  But it had hurt him to think his Padawan could leave him.

  How could he have held such a thought? Anakin would never have

  abandoned him. Anakin would never betray him.

  Anakin landed on a gundark's back. He plunged his lightsaber into the

  soft tissue at its neck. As the gun-dark thrashed, Anakin leaped down and,

  twisting to avoid a descending claw, slashed at the next gundark, cutting

  off two of its arms.

  Anakin had given Obi-Wan time to take a breath. He was hampered by his

  leg and shoulder, but he was able to join Anakin, forcing the gundarks back

  toward the deep cave that had formed under the curve of the crater wall.

  Anakin took the lead, fighting brilliantly, his lightsaber moving to

  deflect as well as attack, his footwork always pressing the gundarks back

  while protecting Obi-Wan from another 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 he 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,

  that was clear. 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."

  Obi-Wan marveled at that. It was what made Anakin a great Jedi. His

  battle mind was total and went everywhere. He saw every possibility,

  planned every move, and had even planned his escape.

  They reached the surface and climbed over the lip of the crater. Obi-

  Wan took a deep breath, relieved to have left the horrifying nest.

  He prepared to take cover when they emerged, but the sky was empty. He

  could see twisted metal and decimated droids scattered about.

  "Did you get them all?"

  "No, there were three STAPs left, plus two guards on swoops," Anakin

  said, tucking his cable launcher back into his belt. "I thought it was time

  to get you. I made it look as though a blast sent me into the crater. I

  imagine that when they saw me fall into the gundark nest, they thought I

  was done for."

  "Most likely. No one survives a gundark nest." Obi-Wan looked around.

  "Now what? The only place to steal a transport is the camp. And I don't

  think breaking in will be as easy the next time." He looked over at the

  scattered remains of the exploded STAPs. "Can you make something out of

  those that will fly?"

  Anakin surveyed the scraps of metal on the ground. "Are you serious? I

  couldn't even make a helmet out of it."

  "How about fuel?"

  "Possibly, but as you know, STAPs don't carry much."

  "I left the swoop about twenty-five kilometers from here. We could

  refuel it"

  "We won't get far," Anakin said. "I say we head back to the camp.

  Maybe I can figure out the departure code so we don't get blown up. How did

  you get into the camp, anyway?"

  "You don't want to know." Obi-Wan groaned. He certainly wasn't eager

  to hook himself onto a flying transport again.

  Obi-Wan's comlink signaled and, surprised, he answered it.

  A familiar voice rang dryly in his ear. "Well, I'm here to rescue your

  sorry self once aga
in. Honestly, I don't know what you'd do without me."

  Obi-Wan grinned. "I think we found a ride," he told Anakin.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  They had only minutes to wait until two red-and white Jedi cruisers

  landed a few meters away. Siri was the first to appear, striding down the

  landing ramp, her short blond hair glinting in the sun. "Need a lift?"

  "If you insist," Obi-Wan responded.

  Obi-Wan and Siri had won their friendship through trials. They had

  always bantered and bickered. A deep respect lay underneath their light

  words, but it had taken some time for Anakin to see it.

  Anakin was glad to see Siri, but seeing her meant he would have to see

  her Padawan, Ferus Olin. He wished that someone else - anyone else - had

  turned up to rescue them. The two of them had never gotten along, and

  things were worse between them since their mission on Andara, when Ferus

  had been abducted and Anakin had withheld the knowledge from Obi-Wan.

  Anakin felt he'd had good reasons, but neither Obi-Wan or Ferus had

  understood them.

  Ferus emerged from the starship. Tall and erect, he greeted Obi-Wan

  and Anakin with a proper nod. "Master Kenobi. Anakin."

  "We're on another mission to the Xanlanner system," Siri said. "We got

  your distress signal. A couple of old friends of yours are ferrying me,

  Ferus, Ry-Gaul, and Tru Veld."

  Anakin brightened. "Tru is here?" Tru Veld was his best friend. That

  would lighten the burden of seeing Ferus again.

  He wondered if he would have felt this much pleasure if he had still

  been in the Zone of Self-Containment. He realized that the zone also

  blocked out feelings of intense happiness as well. He had paid a price for

  his serenity.

  Obi-Wan suddenly moved toward the starship that Siri had emerged from.

  "I should have known!" he called. "That was such a wobbly landing!"

  Anakin smiled. The landing had been perfect. But Obi-Wan was allowed

  to tease his oldest friend, Garen MuIn. They had gone through Temple

  training together, just as Anakin and Tru had.

  "You're one to talk about wobbling," Garen said, 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."

  Tru Veld bounded down the ramp of the other star-ship. His Master, Ry-

  Gaul, followed more slowly, his keen gray eyes surveying the landscape. Tru

  hurried up to Anakin, his silver eyes glinting. He was a Teevan, and had

  long, many-jointed arms and legs that caused him to walk like a rolling

  wave of water.

  "Our paths cross, and it makes me glad," he said to Anakin.

  "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."

  "Who is that?" Anakin asked. He indicated a Jedi, a human woman with

  bright orange hair. She was compact and fit, and stood talking to Obi-Wan,

  Ry-Gaul, and Siri as Garen administered bacta to Obi-Wan's wound.

  "That's Clee Rhara. She's an amazing pilot. She - " "Once ran the

  pilot program for Jedi students," Anakin said. "She's a legend."

  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, Master Rhara," Anakin said.

  "No time for pleasantries. Better get aboard. 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 to her cruiser. The other Jedi also

  hurried on board. Obi-Wan beckoned to Anakin to board with him on Garen

  MuIn's ship. Anakin was disappointed to have to say good-bye to Tru. Not to

  mention ride with Ferus instead.

  Garen settled into the pilot seat. With a glance at Obi-Wan, he tilted

  his head toward Anakin, and Obi-Wan nodded. Pleased, Anakin took his place

  in the copilot's seat. He felt honored. Garen was possibly the best Jedi

  pilot in the Order, as good as Clee Rhara.

  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.

  "Set course for Typha-Dor," Garen said.

  Siri sat at the nav console. She entered the destination coordinates.

  Anakin kept his eye on the radar.

  "Ships approaching," he 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. They streaked into the upper atmosphere. 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.

  "Three minutes until we can 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, Anakin

  watched in 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 two hours," Siri said.

  "Piece of sweet cake," Garen said, satisfied.

  They came out of hyperspace beyond Typha-Dor's atmosphere. 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