by Jude Watson
studied the blueprint longer. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted over the sound of
the rushing water. "Vent coming up on the left, five hundred meters! Grab
on!"
"All right!" Anakin yelled, and got a mouthful of water. Choking, he
stroked to keep himself above water. He would need every bit of his
strength. Dust and debris from the collapsing tunnel now filled the air,
making it difficult to breathe. The roar was deafening. Underneath the flow
of the water, Anakin felt something else - a deep shuddering, as though the
ground itself was moving.
He saw his Master stroke against the water. Anakin fought through the
torrent, kicking his legs, and pushing against the water with his arms. He
could not make headway.
The Force bounced over the water. It came from his Master. Anakin used
it as Obi-Wan intended. He was part of the water now. He could feel the
spaces within the drops and was able to let the water break over him and
find a way to move against it. He pushed with all his might, but his effort
didn't cost him his strength. It doubled it.
He made headway against the water, reaching the side of the tunnel,
immediately behind Obi-Wan. Now the trick would be to get inside the vent.
His Master held his cable launcher aloft, over the foaming water, and
Anakin saw his objective. He unhooked his launcher as well, keeping himself
afloat with one hand as he was knocked against the tunnel wall.
Now the vent was coming toward them - fast, faster than he'd planned
for. He saw Obi-Wan's launcher snake out and catch on the vent. Obi-Wan
grabbed the cable, fighting his way back against the water. Anakin aimed at
the metal grid of the vent and missed.
He called on the Force to help him even as he was swept down past the
vent. He pushed against the water, feeling it break against his skin. He
felt the spaces between the particles and slipped through them.
Fingers dug into his coveralls and pulled. Obi-Wan reached under his
arm and yanked him forward. Anakin was able to grab on to Obi-Wan's cable
and hauled himself the rest of the way.
He joined Obi-Wan, hooking his fingers into the grating. The pressure
of the water held the vent in place. They pulled with all their strength as
the water cascaded over their heads, sometimes submerging them completely.
The tunnel behind them was collapsing, chunks of plastoid and durasteel
falling into the churning water and sometimes slamming against them on its
way.
The Force gathered and grew. The grating popped off, then bounced away
on the rushing water.
Obi-Wan pushed Anakin inside the small space of the vent. Anakin slid
forward as fast as he could pull himself, making room. His Master pulled
himself up and in.
They panted for a moment, acknowledging the difficulty of the
struggle. Then Obi-Wan quickly began to crawl forward.
"I see something ahead," he called. "A bit of gray light."
"Let's hope it's a way out."
Anakin followed his Master on his hands and knees. The small pipe they
were crawling through was shaking now as the ground trembled around them.
Ahead he could now see that the blackness was faintly tinged with
gray.
"There's a ladder."
He could hear the relief in his Master's voice. Anakin looked up. A
metal ladder rose vertically and disappeared into the blackness above. Obi-
Wan began to climb.
Anakin followed. A sudden blast of debris roared through the pipe
below and rose toward them. He tasted dirt and metal in his mouth and
choked.
He couldn't speak. He coughed out the debris in his mouth and kept
climbing. He knew the pipe was collapsing below. At any moment they could
be buried underground.
Obi-Wan suddenly stopped. He knocked on something over his head. "It's
layers of durasteel," he said, struggling to reach for his lightsaber in
the tiny space. "I'll have to cut through."
Anakin knew they had barely any time left. He watched as Obi-Wan
buried his lightsaber in the metal plating above. The ladder was hot under
his hands. It began to peel away from the side of the pipe. The system was
collapsing.
Suddenly another stream of light joined Obi-Wan's from above. Anakin
saw the durasteel peel away. Then Siri's face appeared. "You'd better
hurry," she said.
"That's the general idea," Obi-Wan answered, scrambling up the ladder.
Anakin followed as the ladder began to melt beneath him. He grabbed on
to Siri's strong grip and threw himself toward the opening. He was half
pulled, half hauled up to the surface. He lay flat on the ground, breathing
heavily.
"Come on," Siri urged in his ear. "We have to get out of here. The
entire factory is imploding."
Anakin could feel the ground moving beneath him. He rose and began to
run with the others. Ferus was in the lead, dashing over the ground even as
it pitched and heaved. It was like running across a turbulent air current.
They reached the safety of the open plain and turned back to look. It
was an amazing sight. The ground simply cracked apart in chunks and opened
up. It swallowed the huge factory and caved in with a shower of fire and
dust. Within only minutes, there was a smoking crater where the factory had
been.
All the evidence had been sucked into the ground. Not even debris
remained.
"We came to find you," Siri said. "We saw the beginning of the
collapse. We knew you would be inside the wing, so we raced around the
perimeter, looking for a way in. The Force led me to the spot and then I
sighted your lightsaber."
"Omega knew we were here," Anakin said, gazing at the crater. "He
destroyed the factory to silence us and to cover his tracks."
"Teda has left the planet," Siri said.
"We fear Omega and Zan Arbor went with him," Ferus added. "They didn't
file a flight plan. There's no way of knowing where in the galaxy they are
headed."
Anakin saw his Master's jaw tighten. He knew Obi-Wan was at the end of
his control. He could feel the frustration coiled inside him. Once again,
Granta Omega had escaped.
Obi-Wan's comlink signaled. He glanced at it. "It's Master Windu," he
said in a tight voice.
They all waited a moment. Anakin watched his Master curiously. He knew
Obi-Wan was fighting the temptation to throw the comlink into the vast area
of the plains.
"Maybe you should answer it," Siri suggested in a soft voice Anakin
had never heard before. She was gazing at Obi-Wan with concern in her deep
blue eyes.
Obi-Wan pressed the holomode on his comlink.
Mace Windu appeared in miniature holographic form. "Obi-Wan, Siri. The
Jedi teams must return to Coruscant immediately."
"But we are on the trail of Granta Omega," Obi-Wan said. "We just - "
"Immediately," Mace interrupted. "There is trouble."
CHAPTER FIVE
Mace Windu was too busy to meet the two teams in the Council Room, or
one of the smaller meeting rooms. They had to catch up to him as he strode
down the Great Hall on
his way to a Senate meeting.
He did not ask them how their pursuit of Granta Omega was going, or
how their journey had been. Obi-Wan was relieved. The answers to both of
those questions would have been negative. He felt fatigue shudder along his
bones, and he knew both Ferus and Anakin, who were walking a few steps
behind, needed rest. There did not seem to be much rest for any of the
Jedi, these days.
"A feeling of distrust toward the Jedi Council has been growing among
certain Senators," Mace said as he walked purposefully, his robe swinging
with the motion. "We have felt it for some time. We were not overly
concerned. We knew Senators like Sano Sauro undermined us whenever they
could. Lately, things have escalated. A faction is now active; it has
influence. The Jedi Council senses that there is someone behind this
faction, but we don't know who it is."
Obi-Wan looked at Siri incredulously. They had been called back to the
Temple because of a Senate power struggle? There were few things that
interested him less.
"False stories have been spread," Mace continued. "Events have been
twisted so that the Jedi are seen as disloyal to the Republic, as
interfering in galactic political matters by making them worse."
"Master Windu," Obi-Wan said carefully, "you have called us off an
important mission to find a great enemy - "
"I know exactly what I did, Obi-Wan," Mace said. "A powerful enemy
outside and powerful enemies within. Can you decide who is more deadly?"
"But a Senate power struggle... is not unusual," Obi-Wan protested,
trying to keep his composure under the glare of Mace's penetrating eyes.
Mace stopped so abruptly that his robe swung around like a whip. He
looked at each of the Jedi, and seemed to pick up the fatigue and
frustration there. He hesitated a moment.
"I recognize the importance of your mission," he said gravely. "But
your mission is one of hundreds, which all involve peacekeeping, saving
lives, helping governments, fostering alliances. The Jedi are involved in
missions throughout the galaxy, which will be compromised if this faction
is not dealt with."
"What do you mean? How could one faction in the Senate harm thousands
of Jedi?" Siri asked.
"By organizing the withdrawal of official Senate support for the Jedi
Council," Mace said. He let his words settle over them.
"You understand what this would mean," he continued, when he was sure
he had their complete attention. "To operate without Senate approval would
make us rogue diplomats and would completely undercut our authority. In
short, without Senate support the effectiveness of the Jedi will be
decimated."
"But why did you call us back to fight this?" Anakin asked.
Ferus glanced at Anakin, amazed. Obi-Wan had to admit that the
question did sound more like a complaint than a query.
Mace settled his severe gaze on Anakin. Obi-Wan thought that Anakin
was most likely the only Jedi apprentice who could take it without
flinching. Most Padawans seemed to visibly shrink as Master Windu's eyes
plumbed their depths, seeming to find every petty motivation, every secret
weakness they had.
Anakin merely waited. Strong, graceful, sure of himself.
"I chose this team because of your special skills," Mace told Anakin.
"Obi-Wan may hate it, but he has a great knowledge of the Senate workings.
I contacted Yoda on Kashyyyk, and he was in agreement."
Obi-Wan tried not to groan aloud. Siri allowed herself one small smile
at his discomfort.
"His contacts are invaluable," Mace went on. "I chose Master Tachi for
her lack of patience."
Siri's small grin disappeared. Mace raised an eyebrow at her.
"A fault she has tried to correct, but one that often gets in her way,
" he said. "I have a feeling it will be useful in this situation. Senators
are used to deference. Without it, they feel lost. I wouldn't mind some of
them feeling a bit unbalanced. And Ferus, of course, is a worthy addition.
He studied Senate structure and knows more about it than any apprentice.
And you, Anakin..."
Anakin waited.
"You have two things that can help us. One, of course, is your Force
connection. You are just beginning to realize how it can work on beings as
well as objects."
Anakin looked startled, as if he didn't understand that anyone else
knew this. Obi-Wan suddenly realized it was true, and that he had known it
without acknowledging it. How had Mace Windu discovered this? He had been
with the group on Romin for only a short time.
Well. That was why Mace was on the Jedi Council. That was why, except
for Yoda, Obi-Wan thought him the most powerful Jedi he'd ever known.
"Yes, together with observation and intuition the Force can help you
see into the hearts and minds of others," Mace said softly, his eyes not
leaving Anakin's face. "That is why the Force must be respected and handled
with care."
"I know that, Master Windu," Anakin said.
"Perhaps you do. Or perhaps you will learn it more with every mission,
the way the rest of us do. And there is one other thing," Mace said,
resuming his walk. "Chancellor Palpatine has asked to see you and Obi-Wan
specifically. He has requested a meeting."
Obi-Wan felt his heart sink. Most likely it would be the first of many
meetings in the Senate, where it would be explained to him why the simplest
way to do things was actually the most complicated.
"When is the meeting?" Obi-Wan asked, trying not to sigh as he matched
his walk to Mace's long stride.
For the first time, Mace's features softened, and Obi-Wan was almost
sure he caught the slightest of smiles. "Do not fret, Obi-Wan. You are on
your way to it."
CHAPTER SIX
Anakin and Obi-Wan stood in the reception room outside Supreme
Chancellor Palpatine's private offices in the Senate. They stayed by the
window, looking out at the busy space lanes, while Siri and Ferus took up
positions near the door and Mace, with the utmost calmness, took a chair.
"I know how disappointed you are, Master," Anakin said.
"Master Windu is right," Obi-Wan replied. "We are needed here. And
besides..."
The pause continued. Anakin waited for his Master to finish the
sentence, but Obi-Wan continued to stare out at the airspeeders jockeying
for position. Some were coming to dock at the vast landing platform that
served the Senate. Anakin watched them for a moment as well. If the
Senators or their underlings could not obey traffic rules on when to yield
and when to go, how could they solve the problems of the galaxy?
"On Romin, do you remember how Teda said they would be going to
Coruscant?" Obi-Wan said at last. "We couldn't decide if that was a
diversion or not."
"We didn't think Teda was clever enough to create a diversion," Anakin
said with a grin.
"Exactly. What is happening here... it has the marks of Omega on it."
Anakin was startled. "Do you think Omega is involved in the movement
to discredit the Jedi?"
&nb
sp; "I don't know. Maybe not directly, but it's best to keep it in mind.
It certainly fits his interests, doesn't it? Maybe returning here was not
an end to our journey, but a continuation."
Sly Moore slipped out from the interior room with silent grace. She
nodded at the waiting Jedi to indicate that Chancellor Palpatine was ready
to receive them, then lifted one slender arm draped in silvery fabric to
indicate the door they should take.
Siri, Ferus, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Mace entered the inner office.
Palpatine stood by a grouping of chairs. Anakin thought he looked
imposing in his simple robes of muted colors. His face looked pale and
drawn, almost bloodless. Anakin imagined that the Chancellor's job robbed
him of rest and outdoor activity. He was sacrificing his life in order to
save the Senate from being overrun by those who would use it for their own
ends.
"I am indebted to you for coming so promptly," Palpatine greeted them
in the deep voice whose softness served to convey his power. "Please sit.
There is no time to lose."
He waited until the Jedi were all seated before sitting himself.
Palpatine shook his head, as if in deep thought. "I feel such sorrow for
having to bring you here," he said. "I am ashamed of the Senate. There is a
