Jedi Quest 2: The Trail of the Jedi (звёздные войны)

by Jude Watson

  It was time to contact the Temple. A Jedi was in danger. He could feel it. But their comlinks had been blown up with the ship.

  "We were deliberately led into the malia den," he told Anakin. "And the cavern. Someone left those clues for us tp follow."

  "which mean that Wren. " Anakin began.

  "Has been captured or possibly even killed," Obi-Wan finished gravely. "But why? Why is this Granta Omega after us? What else do you know about him?"

  "Not much. We've never seen him. We've communicated through comm channels. The only thing that we know is the richest being in the galaxy," Floria said.

  "Not the richest," Dane corrected. "You always exaggerate."

  "Okay, one of the richest," Floria said.

  "Why has he targeted the Jedi?" Anakin asked.

  Floria and Dane shook their heads. "We don't know," Floria said. "In this business, you don't ask too many questions. It's better not to get too involved."

  "Speaking of which, hanging around with you too might be dangerous to our health," Dane said. "So if you don't mind, Floria and I will take our chances on Ragoon." He grabbed Floria's hand and began to edge away.

  Obi-Wan blocked their path. "Not a chance," he said firmly. "You're not going anywhere until we find out exactly what's going on. We might need your help."

  "What help could we possible be?" Floria asked. "We told you everything we know."

  "I'm sure you did not," Obi-Wan said. "You know the bounty hunter who are after us. You're not going anywhere until we know mare about who is after us. and why."

  Chapter Nine

  "So what now?" Anakin asked Obi-Wan.

  "When you are the hunter, the best thing to do is turn the tables," Obi-Wan said. "You must become the hunter."

  "Track the bounty hunters," Anakin said.

  Obi-Wan nodded. "We can start with the sleep bomb. It need a nearby power source, which won't be far."

  "Whoa, wait a second," Floria said. "I didn't sign on for this. If you're going to chase down the rest of the bounty hunters, you've got to let us go. This could be dangerous."

  "Bounty hunting isn't dangerous?" Anakin asked.

  "We minimize our risk," Dane said. He hooked his fingers into his thick black utility belt. "Which doesn't seem to be a consideration for Jedi."

  "When it comes down to it, we just aren't very brave.," Floria confessed.

  "Speak for yourself, Floria," Dane said scowling.

  Floria ignored him. "So it's in your best interests to let us go. I tend to scream when trouble happens. And after all, it isn't fair. Bounty hunters are chasing you, not us. Why put us in harms way?"

  "Let me ask you something," Obi-Wan said. "Don't you think the bounty hunter knew you were aboard our ship before activating the signal?"

  Floria bit her lip. "You mean we're a target, too?"

  Obi-Wan shrugged. "Think about it. After all, the fewer bounty hunters there are, the easier it is to win the prize."

  "But there are rules!" Floria protested. "Bounty hunters are forbidden to attack one another."

  "In my experience, the larger the reward, the greater the chance that the rules will be broken," Obi-Wan said.

  "Granta Omega wouldn't stand for it," Floria said, but she sounded less certain.

  "Would you bet your life on the ethics of a being who is using bounty hunters to trap Jedi on a training exercise?" Obi-Wan asked mildly.

  Floria was silent.

  Obi-Wan waited while the sister and brother exchanged a glance. He was not about to let Floria and Dane go. Despite their assurances that they weren't dangerous, the reward would still tempt them to make trouble for the Jedi. Obi-Wan had no doubt that he and Anakin could handle any attack the bounty hunting team could launch at them, but he'd rather not have to deal with it at all so that he could focus on rescuing Wren and getting to the bottom of who was behind this.

  He wanted them close. But it was better that they think it was in their best interests to stay with the Jedi.

  "I think you've got us there," Dane told him. "Lead on."

  With Floria and Dane in tow, Obi-Wan and Anakin began a systematic search. They walked outward from their ship in widening circles.

  "The power source for that size sleeper bomb has to be a generator that's fairly large," Obi-Wan said. "I'm guessing it's on a cruiser of some kind."

  "If the power source in on a cruiser, the bounty hunter could be long gone," Floria called to them as she brought up the rear.

  "Not if the prize is as big as you say," Obi-Wan answered.

  Their route took the over a rocky hill and down into another low-lying meadow. The ground was mushy beneath their feet. Ahead lay a boggy field full of shoulder-high bushes with bright yellow flowers.

  Floria reached out to pick one. "Ow!" She sucked her finger.

  Now they could see that red thorns surrounded the bright flowers.

  "I guess we have to turn back," Floria said hopefully. "We'll be torn to shreds if we try to make it through these bushes."

  Obi-Wan hesitated. Floria was right. But their only chance of finding the power source lay in examining the surrounding area.

  "Master," Anakin said quietly.

  Obi-Wan heard it, too. The faint whine of a cruiser engine. He searched the sky and saw nothing.

  "Everyone get down low," he said.

  They crouched underneath the bushes in a hollowed out spot while Obi-Wan and Anakin scanned the sky.

  The cruiser darted into view, a flash of silver against the blue.

  "Fast, agile," Anakin reported, squinting at it. "Laser cannon mounted on either side of the bridge."

  "It's Mol Arcasite's cruiser," Dane said. "I recognize it. She had it techno-tweaked by Sienar's Advanced Projects. Uh- oh."

  The cruiser had made a sharp turn and now headed straight toward them.

  Dane looked around. "what are we going to do? There's no place to hide. And if we go back we'll be caught in the open."

  Obi-Wan withdrew his lightsaber and activated it. He leaned forward and expertly sliced through the thorny bush. The bush melted away.

  "Those things sure come in handy," Floria said admiringly.

  The cruiser darted lower. The laser cannons suddenly burst into a clatter of rapid fire.

  "Move!" Obi-Wan urged as the fire scorched the bushes behind them. He darted through the hole he'd created with the lightsaber, swinging it in a short arc in order to clear the way farther into the brush.

  Anakin pushed Floria through and waited for Dane to dart in before following. Obi-Wan used his lightsaber with fine- honed precision, cutting a hole in the bush just below the surface so that the bushes would seem intact from the air. There would be no telltale path to advertise their progress.

  Obi-Wan moved fast, but in a wide zigzag over the length of the field. They grew tired and sweaty and were scratched by long, sharp thorns. Still, Obi-Wan pushed on, making Mol Arcasite dive again and again over the thorny field. At times the cannon fire was so close Obi-Wan could feel the heat from the blaster bolts.

  "Is this a plan?" Dane asked. A long scratch went from his ear to his nose. "Because it doesn't seem like a plan. Are you trying to tire out a cruiser?"

  Obi-Wan didn't answer. He had brought them to the edge of the field. Ahead was another rocky hill, the beginnings of the foothill to the mountains.

  "Sty here," Obi-Wan told Floria and Dane. "Anakin follow me."

  He stepped out into the open. He held his lightsaber high.

  She's had to fly low and buzz us continuously," he told Anakin. "I see some slight smoke from the forward laser cannon."

  "She could be overheating," Anakin said. "That's why you kept her moving."

  "Exactly. Now lets keep going."

  It was a challenge, but the Jedi moved fast, using the natural formation of the steep hill and the surrounding boulders for cover. Again and again, Mol Arcasite dived toward them, laser cannons blasting, but thy used deep rocky overhangs for cover.

  "I'm goi
ng to try something," Obi-Wan told Anakin. "Keep her occupied down here."

  As soon as the cruiser banked and turned for another approach, Obi-Wan leaped up to an overhang, then jumped to the next, and the next. Now he was above the low-flying cruiser, which was angling on to attack Anakin.

  Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber. The bright blue glow attracted Mol Arcasite's attention. She reversed course and came at him, cannons blazing. Obi-Wan leaped toward the ground, bypassing the ledges he'd used to climb up. Cannon fire shattered the rock as the cruiser dived to follow him. An avalanche of rocks rained down on the body of the cruiser.

  Obi-Wan landed lightly next to Anakin. "Good work, Master," Anakin said, watching the cruiser. "More smoke coming from the left side. That cannon might overheat."

  "Good. Now for the final blow. Follow me." Obi-Wan jumped back up the hill. Anakin followed, moving from ledge to ledge until they reached the top. Below them. Shadows cast by an overhang concealed a thick fall of snow. In the shelter of the rock, the snow had not melted with the morning sun.

  "When the cruiser returns, activates your cable launcher and jump," Obi-Wan told Anakin.

  Anakin nodded, guessing his Master's plan.

  "If it doesn't work, we'll be hanging there, perfect targets," Obi-Wan said. "So keep a free hand for your lightsaber." He kept his eyes on the cruiser. "Ready — go!"

  The Master and Padawan swung off the mountain on their cable launchers. The sudden move caught Mol Arcasite by surprise. The cruiser dived after them, firing rapidly.

  The noise and heat of the blaster bolts released an avalanche of snow and chunks of ice. The large blanket fell directly on the cruiser, binding Mol Arcasite momentarily. Obi-Wan and Anakin hung on their cable launchers as the snow showered down past them. The cruiser wobbled crazily, heading straight for the stone side of the mountain.

  At the last moment before the cruiser hit, a cargo door opened and a swoop zoomed out. They could see that Mol Arcasite was astride it.

  The cruiser crashed into the mountain with a whoosh and roar of fuel. Obi-Wan and Anakin kept under the shelter of a ledge as flaming metal rained down below.

  The swoop took off into the distance, became a black speck, and disappeared.

  Obi-Wan and Anakin lowed themselves to the ground. Floria and Dane rushed toward them.

  "That was incredible," Floria said. "You defeated Mol Arcasite! I'm not betting on Hunti Pereg anymore."

  "You're rid of Mol Arcasite for good," Dane told them. "She's good, but she's known for not sticking around if her first strike fails badly. She just lost a ship. Her own survival is her first priority."

  "That doesn't sound like good business for a bounty hunter," Anakin said.

  "She seldom fails," Dane said. "So it doesn't matter. No doubt she has a backup plan. She'll be on to her next assignment by nightfall."

  "So we've paralyzed one bounty hunter, and another one took off," Obi-Wan said. "That leaves two."

  "We know that Wren didn't leave the clues for us to follow," Obi-Wan said. "The question is, who did?"

  "I'm betting on Teleq," Dane said. "It's just his style. He's clever, and he's fond of traps."

  "Whoever it is doesn't know that we know we're being hunted," Obi-Wan pointed out. "As a matter of fact, he's probably still leaving clues for us to follow."

  "So what should we do?" Floria leaned forward eagerly.

  Obi-Wan noted her eagerness. Now Floria was on their side. Or else she was hoping that once the Jedi eliminated all the other bounty hunters, she and Dan would find a way to take the prize.

  One way or another, it didn't matter. He wanted to keep Floria and Dane close.

  "We give him exactly what he wants. We follow them, of course," Obi-Wan said.

  Chapter Ten

  Obi-Wan and Anakin retraced their steps, climbing the mountain again. Floria and Dane trudged behind them, unused to the quick pace the Jedi set.

  "I'm beginning to think I'd rather take my chances with the bounty hunters," Floria grumbled.

  Anakin stopped in order to fall into pace next to her. "How did you and Dane get into this line of work?" he asked. "Where are your parents?"

  "Where are yours?" Floria snapped. Suddenly her face shut down and became defensive and angry.

  "My mother lives on Tatooine," Anakin said. "She is a slave."

  Floria's face softened slightly. "Oh. I'm sorry. Our parents are dead. I don't come from Aaeton. That was a lie. Dane and I are from the Inner Core world of Thracior. We grew up in peaceful times, but five years ago the warlords of Thracior began to argue over territory. Raids began between the different tribes. My mother was Hnsi, my father a Tantt. They were killed because they intermarried. The Hnsis burned our house down and killed our baby sister. Dan and I escaped."

  Floria told the story in a monotone, her eyes on the mountain trail. Ahead of them, Dane did not turn or acknowledge he was listening, but Anakin saw his neck flush red.

  "Dane and I had to make our way as best we could," Floria said. "We had lost everything, so we had to work. We found jobs in a caf© at a space station, washing up and serving food. Our boss we a very cruel man. We discovered he was wanted by the security forces of a nearby planet. We tricked him into getting caught. We got the reward, but we had to leave the planet. So we kind of fell into bounty hunting. We've been moving around the galaxy ever since."

  "When you find something you're good at, you stick to it," Dane said with a cocky assurance Anakin did not quite believe.

  "It sounds like a hard life," Anakin remarked.

  Floria cocked an eyebrow. "And is yours so easy, Jedi?"

  Anakin took the question seriously. "In a way, it is," he said slowly. "I know I am being of service. That makes the path easy to walk."

  "Well, I'd rather go down my path in a nice, techno-maxed cruiser," Floria said. "So I guess I'm stuck with bounty hunting."

  "Here we are," Obi-Wan called from a short distance ahead. "We left the path here, when we thought someone was following us."

  "That was me," Floria said.

  Obi-Wan nodded. "Let's find the next clue, Anakin."

  Anakin left Floria's side. He pushed their conversation out of his mind. Earlier, finding clues had been fun. Now, it would be serious.

  It didn't take long to find the next clue. After a fork in the path, they found a few crumbs from a blumfruit muffin left near flat rock alongside the trail.

  "He is clever," Obi-Wan told Anakin, squatting by the clue. "He is leading us on without tipping us off. But we know that Wren would never have left this clue."

  Anakin briefly tasted the crumbs. He looked up at his Master, his face grave. "These are from the Temple."

  "Are you sure?" Obi-Wan asked.

  Anakin nodded. "I'd know Jedi Knight Alicka's muffins anywhere. This must mean that — "

  "The bounty hunter definitely has Wren. He has raided his survival pack."

  They hurried on. They had lost a good deal of time, and Anakin could tell that his Master was worried about Wren's fate.

  They followed the path until it curved along a ridge that overlooked a meadow full of tall, slender, flowering trees. From above, the flowering branches formed a solid carpet of pink. Anakin stopped and examined a large boulder on the side of the trail. He hopped from one boulder to the next.

  "This way," he called to Obi-Wan. "He went down from here to the meadow."

  He looked back up at his Master. Obi-Wan's gaze swept the trees below. "wren is near. I can feel it. Let's proceed carefully."

  Then they made their way carefully down the slope, jumping from rock to rock. Floria and Dane followed at a distance. When they reached a meadow, the perfume of the flowering trees hit their nostrils. Under any other circumstances, Anakin would have paused to drink in the beauty of the spot. After growing up on desert world, he was often overwhelmed by simple things such as flowers and grasses.

  The trees had slender triangular trunks, but the branches were thick and wide. The flowers w
ere so large and dense that the top of each tree was a waving mass of frothy pink.

  Anakin scanned the meadow, alert for trouble. But instead, he saw Wren sleeping under a tree.

  "Master — "

  "I see him." Obi-Wan paused. "Something is. not right," he murmured. "I get no sense of the Force from Wren."