Star Wars: The Last of the Jedi, Volume 2

by Jude Watson

  Malorum reported to Darth Vader. Was Darth Vader suspicious about Padmé’s death? Was there any path that could lead him to find that she had given birth to Luke and Leia before she’d died?

  Obi-Wan had to find the answers to those questions. And he wasn’t going to find them in exile on Tatooine.

  Or, he realized, in the Caves of Illum.

  You must follow your feelings, Qui-Gon had said.

  And suddenly, Obi-Wan had a feeling that Qui-Gon was with him. Free of the constraints of place, trained in the way of the Whills, Qui-Gon could be right beside him, and Obi-Wan wouldn’t know except for the feeling that filled him.

  If Luke is to rise, he must have something to join, Qui-Gon’s voice said in his mind.

  Obi-Wan turned to look in the distance, so Ferus wouldn’t see his distraction.

  Yes, he answered. You’ve told me that already. It is why I left to help Ferus.

  If Luke is to rise, he must be protected from those who seek to do him harm.

  So I should go to Polis Massa?

  You should follow your feelings.

  Obi-Wan knew what that meant. They lead me there, he told his Master.

  So go.

  Obi-Wan felt Qui-Gon move from him as quickly as a breeze. One moment he’d been there, the next, gone. But Obi-Wan’s decision had been made. He had to trust Ferus to search for Garen…while he himself had to go to Polis Massa. He had to ensure that Luke and Leia’s secret was safe. If Luke was found, then Ferus was doomed, Garen was doomed…they were all doomed to live or die under the Empire. That was what Qui-Gon was telling him.

  Ferus had stopped pacing and was watching him. “You don’t agree with me.”

  “I do agree,” Obi-Wan said. “You’re right. This is your time to be bold. To take the biggest chances.”

  Ferus looked relieved. “Besides, you’ll be with me in the caves.”

  Obi-Wan spoke slowly, knowing what he was about to say would be a surprise to Ferus. “No, I won’t be. I’m not going with you. There’s something else I have to do.”

  “What could be more important than your friend?” Ferus asked incredulously.

  Obi-Wan looked at Ferus, helpless to answer. What could he say? Ferus didn’t know that Anakin had become Darth Vader, didn’t know that Anakin had fathered two children. These were things Obi-Wan was forbidden to tell him, things that Ferus couldn’t know. It would only be a burden to him. It was dangerous for anyone else to know.

  “All of our fates,” Obi-Wan said. “That is more important.”

  Ferus was now angry. He could see that. Obi-Wan felt frustration. He couldn’t fully confide in Ferus, and that would always be between them. He would have to accept that.

  “All right,” Ferus said stiffly. “I was hoping to have your help, but I can do it alone.”

  “I’ll take you there,” Obi-Wan said. “I can drop you and then return for you. Trever can keep watch, and alert me if something goes wrong. The place I’m going isn’t far from Ilum, and I hope my time there won’t be long.”

  Ferus gave a short, angry nod. He did not, however, question Obi-Wan further. Obi-Wan appreciated that.

  “I can still help you,” Obi-Wan said. “You must be careful. If it seems logical to us that Jedi would go to Ilum, then it is logical to the Empire as well. They will have some kind of presence there. But I know another way to the caves, a secret way.”

  The anger left Ferus’s face. He had accepted it and let it go, just as a Jedi should. Suddenly he was all business, focused on the next stage of the mission. “Good.”

  “Not so good,” Obi-Wan said. “The secret way leads straight through a gorgodon nest.”

  They stood in front of Toma’s ship. Obi-Wan looked around at the bleak landscape. “Are you sure you and Raina want to stay?” he asked Toma.

  “We’re on the Empire’s wanted list now,” Raina said. “I’d say this was the safest place in the galaxy for us. We packed the ship with supplies and food, just in case we had to make a quick escape. So we’ll be okay here…for now.”

  They spoke lightly, but Obi-Wan knew how much courage it took for them to stay. There was a chance he and Ferus wouldn’t be able to find them again.

  There was a homing beacon on the ship that they would leave on the asteroid, but there was no guarantee it would work through the atmospheric disturbances surrounding the asteroid. They would test it after they left the atmosphere, but anything could happen.

  “We’ll return for you,” Ferus said. “I’ll find you no matter what, I promise you that. And we’ll bring back supplies, in case you decide you need to stay for a time.”

  Raina looked at Trever. “Are you sure you want to go?”

  “It’s hard to leave all this,” Trever said, waving a careless hand. “But yeah.”

  He, Obi-Wan, and Ferus boarded the ship. They shot off into space and almost immediately were buffeted by the severe energy storm. Ferus followed the tips he’d gotten from Raina and guided the ship through the energy shifts and shears. The ship jolted and went into a bad roll, but he held on. He was determined to make it through. Toma’s ship was the most stable he’d ever flown.

  “Homing beacon is holding,” Obi-Wan said. “I can access their coordinates.”

  “Good, we’ll be able to get back.”

  “Sure,” Trever shouted as a sudden shift sent them plummeting through space. “If we ever get out!”

  They flew through the worst of the storm and at last entered calm deep space.

  Ferus entered hyperspace in a rush of stars. It would be less than a day’s journey to Ilum.

  Ferus’s disapproval of Obi-Wan’s decision hung between them, and they passed most of the journey in silence.

  Why was it, Obi-Wan thought, that he could be sure of a decision, yet be torn by its effects?

  He was sending Ferus into the caves of Ilum alone, with only Trever to stand watch outside. It would be the test of whether Ferus could truly be a Jedi again. The time for rules was gone. There was no more Jedi Council. There was no one to tell Ferus he wasn’t ready.

  Obi-Wan remembered his conversation with Qui-Gon back on Tatooine.

  Speak of what you know about Ferus, not what you can guess, Qui-Gon had said.

  Now Obi-Wan thought, He was the most gifted apprentice, second only to Anakin. With so many gifts, he is a formidable opponent of the Empire.

  With a lightsaber, with a hold on the Force constantly renewing, constantly strengthening, he would be even stronger.

  To get through the cave alone, to find Garen, to find crystals…it could break him. Or it could make him.

  To give in, to trust in another’s strength…that was something Obi-Wan had once learned, long ago. Anakin had never learned it. In his arrogance, he had thought that he was the only one who could accomplish the hard things.

  But Obi-Wan knew there were times he had to step back and let another go forward. This was one of those times. Even if Ferus never understood, never accepted him.

  Even if Ferus failed.

  Obi-Wan was at the controls when they reverted to realspace. Ilum lay ahead.

  “We’ll have to come around on the back side of the planet,” Obi-Wan said. “It’s good that there’s no orbiting surveillance.”

  “There doesn’t have to be,” Ferus said. “It’s obvious that they don’t consider the Jedi a threat.”

  “Let’s get close enough to get a sensor reading,” Obi-Wan said. He dipped closer to the planet, pleased at the feel of the controls in his hands. Toma hadn’t exaggerated. This was an exceptional ship.

  He skimmed low over a glacial lake dotted with icebergs. “I can land on the edge of the lake. Trever can stay here while you hike up the mountain.”

  Trever looked around dubiously. “Wow. You pick the best spots, Obi-Wan. I can tell this will be fun.”

  “It’ll be better than a nest of gorgodons,” Ferus said.

  “Is that my only choice?”

  “You can always come with
me, Trever,” Obi-Wan said. “I can leave you someplace safe and come back for you.”

  He shook his head, as Obi-Wan knew he would. “No, thanks,” he said carelessly. “I’m getting used to waiting for Ferus.”

  Obi-Wan landed the craft. “It’s not far, but it’s straight up,” he said to Ferus. “Remember, you have to progress past the visions. Don’t let them stop you. Keep going. The crystals lie in the middle of the cave. If Garen is there, that’s where he’ll be.”

  Ferus nodded.

  “May the Force be with you.”

  “And with you.”

  Ferus and Trever exited the craft. Obi-Wan took off again. He didn’t look back. He knew the sight of Ferus and Trever dwindling in the distance would cause him pain. He felt fear clutch his heart, a sudden panic that he wouldn’t see them again.

  He pushed the speed of the craft toward Polis Massa. Something ticked inside him. Something that told him that he’d better do what he had to do and get back, fast.

  Polis Massa was a small mining settlement in the middle of an asteroid field. They had a small but excellent med center, and it was here that the Jedi had found sanctuary for Padmé, at the end of the terrible time when the clone army had turned against the Jedi.

  As Obi-Wan descended over the fissured landscape, his heart tightened. He landed Toma’s starship in the docking area and took the horizontal lift tube to the surface, walking through the atmospherically adjusted passageways of the planet’s inhabitants until he arrived at the med center. With every step, he remembered the terrible day when he’d brought Padmé here. He didn’t know she was dying then. He didn’t know how badly Anakin had hurt her. Fear had clutched his heart, but he had believed that Padmé, the strong woman he’d known, would survive.

  He waved his hand in front of a sensor and entered a small reception area. The med center was primarily run by droids. A screen blinked, and a droid floated into view.

  “Please state the nature of your condition.”

  The nature of my condition is heartbreak.

  “I am here to see Maneeli Tuun. Please inform him that it is an old friend.”

  “Please wait.”

  The screen blinked off. Obi-Wan paced the confined space. Memories crowded the room, making it seem even smaller. He remembered his helplessness as he carried Padmé inside. He remembered his grief as he watched the Living Force slip from her.

  At the end, the med droids did not understand why they couldn’t save her, but he had. He believed that Padmé knew her strength was finite. She only had so much left, and no more. And that strength she would give to her children.

  She made sure they were born and were healthy. Then—and only then—did she succumb.

  He could not do enough for her now. He would fight to his last breath to protect her children. They would someday know of the great courage of their mother.

  Obi-Wan and Yoda had barely absorbed the shock of Padmé’s death before it was clear to both of them that the best way to ensure the safety of her children was to obliterate any record of their birth. The med droids underwent memory wipes and computer data was expunged. But there was one Polis Massan who Obi-Wan felt he could trust. Maneeli Tuun had been a staunch supporter of the Republic cause and was of unimpeachable character. He had done favors for Yoda over the years and had been one of the reasons Polis Massa had been chosen for the twins’ birth. Surely he would help now.

  Obi-Wan had no plan yet. He hoped he would find a way to access the med files and make sure that Padmé’s records had been erased, just as they’d arranged. That would be the first step.

  Maneeli Tuun looked thin and worried when he stepped through the doorway. When he saw Obi-Wan, a look of startled pleasure came over his face but then was replaced by the same frown. “I think I know why you’re here. Come.”

  Before Obi-Wan could say a word, Tuun led him past the inner door and into the hallway of the complex. “We must be careful,” he said in a low tone. “He’s in the record office.”

  “Who?”

  “Sancor. Isn’t that why you are here?”

  “Who is Sancor?”

  “An Inquisitor.”

  “I was afraid of that. I didn’t realize he was here.”

  Tuun led him into his small office. “First, an investigator came. He never gave his name, but he copied all our records and took them back to Malorum. That was about a month ago. Now this one arrived. He’s an expert on record security. He’s already done an exhaustive search on the memory banks of the med droids, even the ones who weren’t here during that time.”

  “Does Malorum know something—does it seem to you that he suspects the truth?”

  Tuun shook his head. “I don’t think they know anything, but what they suspect is another thing. I know they are determined. Now he’s asked me for the supply records.”

  “Why would he want those?” Obi-Wan asked.

  “He’s going to check the supply usage as well as waste during the period of time Senator Amidala was here. To see if usage was consistent with the cases.”

  Obi-Wan was startled. “Would he be able to tell if births took place?”

  Tuun frowned. “He might. There are certain tests we do on newborns. Of course we erased all the records and the memory of the droids, but we didn’t erase all supply records. When our stocks are low, we do refill orders. The babies were checked over and cared for here, so supplies were used…and if he checks various med supplies against patients, he might come up with something. I was just on my way to summon Osh Scal. He’s our Polis Massan supply officer—the Inquisitor wants to question him since he’s one of the few Polis Massans able to speak. I have no choice. I can only hope that he can’t trace anything.”

  Obi-Wan thought quickly. “Has he seen Osh Scal yet?”

  “No, he’s been in the record office.”

  “Can you access the supply records here?”

  “Of course. I have access to all records.” Tuun quickly called up supply records on the screen. “You see? There are hundreds of items to go through. But he seems determined. And don’t think I can erase them here. He will be able to trace it.”

  “I don’t want you to erase anything. But what if you add something? Would he be able to trace that?”

  “No.”

  “All right.” Obi-Wan quickly sat down at the console. “Say you had a patient here at the same time as Padmé. Someone who was suffering a great wound from a battle. Can you enter supplies that you would need if they developed complications? Medicines? Special healing devices?”

  “Of course. But I don’t understand.”

  “Maybe if we give him a bigger fish to catch, he’ll become distracted.”

  Tuun’s troubled expression cleared. “So if he thinks he’s on the trail of someone the Empire is looking for…”

  “Exactly.”

  “But who?”

  “It doesn’t matter. We don’t need a name. We just need a profile. There are plenty of enemies of the Empire who have gone underground since the end of the Clone Wars, and one of them could have easily fled here. Malorum will try to figure out who it is. The trail will lead nowhere. We just have to plant the seed.”

  Tuun turned back to the console. “This is sort of brilliant. I think.” He keyed in a number of supplies, scrolling through an enormous list. “There. It’s buried enough so that he’ll have to work to find it. But should we let Osh Scal in on this? He might notice that the supply list is different. He’s meticulous.”

  “No. Sancor hasn’t seen him yet. So I’ll go.”

  Tuun copied the files he’d altered onto a disk and handed it to Obi-Wan.

  “Obi-Wan, my friend, you must be careful. The Inquisitor is clever.” Tuun ran his hands along his cheeks and blew out a tired breath. “I thought we had thought of everything. I checked and triple-checked. The memory wipes are solid. There is no record of the births. There are no records of yourself or Yoda being here. I didn’t imagine they would come digging like this.”
/>   “They’re doing this because they don’t have information, not because they do,” Obi-Wan said. “Let’s go. Maybe I can do something.”

  Tuun gave a small smile. “If you can send him back where he came from, that would be great. But if he finds out we altered these files, we could both end up executed.”

  “You’re really leaving me here?” Trever asked, incredulous.

  Ferus checked his equipment. “I have to. Only someone who knows how to use the Force can make it through the cave.”

  “Who said?”

  Ferus sighed. “It will make my job harder if you’re there, Trever. The visions will confuse and frighten you.”

  Trever stuck out his chin. “I’m not scared of things that aren’t there.”

  “They are there. Trust me. I don’t know if I can make it through. And I’m not throwing you into a nest of gorgodons, either. If all goes well, I won’t be long. If it doesn’t go well…wait here for Obi-Wan. And stay out of sight!”

  “Stop giving me orders! I’m not a kid!”

  “You are a kid,” Ferus said. “You’ve seen a lot and done more, but you’re still a kid, and I’m going to protect you when I have to. End of story. Now wait here. If I’m lucky, I’ll come out with Garen Muln and a lightsaber.”

  “And if you aren’t lucky, a gorgodon will chew you up and spit you out, and I’ll sweep up the pieces,” Trever shot back.

  “Charming,” Ferus said. “Good luck to you, too.”

  He turned away. He’d only gone a few steps when Trever called after him.

  “You’d better make it back!”

  Smiling slightly, Ferus moved on. Obi-Wan had showed him the route to the gorgodon nest and the back of the cave. He had even given him tips on how to fight a gorgodon, in case he provoked one.

  “Watch out for their tails,” Ferus muttered. “And their teeth. And their saliva. And their arms, when they crush you to death.”

  Ilum was an ice planet, and the snow was as smooth as glass, with an outer layer of permafrost. The air was so cold that he felt as though he’d freeze his lungs with every breath. Ferus had to take small steps and use his liquid cable to haul himself up and over the cliffs.