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

by Jude Watson

  Anakin frowned. His Master was right.

  Obi-Wan took a step forward. But it was not in the direction Anakin had been looking.

  "Master?"

  Anakin saw that his Master had headed toward Wren. But this was a different Wren, sleeping under a different tree.

  And then Anakin saw another Wren, and another, and another. None of them was the real Jedi. They were merely projections of his image.

  "Holograms," Obi-Wan said.

  "All of them?" Anakin asked.

  He looked at his Master. There was no way to know.

  Chapter Eleven

  "Stay here and don't try anything," Obi-Wan warned Floria and Dane. "We will handle this."

  "Be my guest," Dane answered, his eyes darting to the many Wrens.

  "Teleq wants us to run into the meadow," Obi-Wan murmured to Anakin. "He wants us to race from one Wren to another. So we won't."

  They didn't need too. They would use the Force.

  Obi-Wan and Anakin reached out and gathered it around them. A fellow Jedi was in danger. That made their connection to the Force even stronger, made their ability to gather it more urgent.

  Obi-Wan felt the power of Anakin's grasp of the Force. As always, it staggered him.

  He scanned the meadow once more, and this time he knew which of the images was not an image. Which one was Wren. When he looked directly at Wren, he felt the answering surge. Anakin had also honed in on the real Wren.

  The sound of Obi-Wan lightsaber leaving his belt was no more than a whisper. His leaving his spot was no more than a disturbance in the air. Yet he was gone, across the meadow, racing toward Wren. He could feel rather than hear Anakin behind him.

  Suddenly Wren's body snapped into the air. Obi-Wan watched, his heart in his mouth, as Wren was hoisted up into the trees. There was no question in Obi-Wan's mind that Wren must have been given a paralyzing drug of some kind. He could tell by the boneless way Wren's legs and arms flopped as if he were a puppet.

  Rage bloomed in his chest, Obi-Wan absorbed it and let it go. He did not need rage to fight this. He need disciple. Calm.

  He anticipated the attack before it came. He had known Teleq was luring them on, but he did not care. He was ready to meet the bounty hunter.

  He had just not expected the attack to come from above. A shower of poisonous darts rained down from the trees.

  "Flechette canisters," Obi-Wan told Anakin. She shifted his focus to the branches over his head. Now he could see Teleq. He was a long-limbed being with hooked fingers and toes, making him adept at climbing and swinging through trees.

  Perched on the branches we also flocks of birds. Their feathers were the same bright pink as the flowering trees, allowing them to blend into their surroundings. They were almost as big as Anakin, with large wings folded back against their bodies.

  As Teleq moved from branch to branch, the birds began to squawk angrily. Obi-Wan leaped to catch a branch high overhead, then swung himself up into the trees. A bird pecked his hand, drawing blood. He swung up to the next branch. The tree was easy to climb, since the branches were wide and flat. He could see Teleq trying to scamper away, firing another shower of darts at him over his shoulder.

  Anakin swung himself into a tree close by. He climbed up onto another branch, then another. High above the ground the branches were close together, and they would be able to leap from one tree to another to pursue Teleq.

  But where was Teleq headed? Obi-Wan wondered as he climbed. He watched Teleq jump to another tree and realized what he was doing.

  Teleq was leading them closer to Wren. The closer Obi-Wan got to Teleq, the more he would bring Wren into the range of fire of the darts. And wren would be unable to deflect them.

  What is his objective? Obi-Wan wondered. How was he planning to catch the Jedi?

  The possibilities flew through Obi-Wan's mind, presenting themselves so quickly it was as though they appeared all at once.

  Wren himself is booby-trapped.

  There is another trap in Wren's tree.

  There is trap on the logical progression to Wren's tree.

  There is no trap. Teleq is planning a surprise move with the flechette canister or another weapon.

  The question is, how can I surprise him instead?

  Anakin leaped from his tree to the next one, deflecting a shower of darts with a quick series of lightsaber moves. Obi-Wan leaped to another tree, still considering his options. Suddenly his mind cleared, leaving a space without sound. He knew what would follow: Qui-Gon's voice. Often it rose in his mind just when he was most confused or uncertain.

  Use everything you have. Use the ground. Use the sky. Use what is around you.

  Another bird suddenly squawked by his ear. Obi-Wan deftly moved to the left as the bird struck out with a long, pointed beak. Another bird leaped closer on the thick branch, screeching at Obi-Wan. He realized that he had almost stumbled into a nest. No wonder birds were so furious. He quickly jumped to the branch of the next tree.

  He didn't like the setting of the battle. Teleq was adept at navigating the trees. He had chosen his ground wisely. And Obi-Wan couldn't help the nagging suspicion that somehow Teleq was luring them into a trap. They would have to get him first. But how?

  Another bird squawked overhead, its mate joining it to circle above the nest.

  Use everything you have.

  While he deflected more darts from the flechette canister, Obi-Wan searched the branches near Wren's tree. Obviously, Teleq was trying to drive them there. He was being clever about it — he was trying to make them think that he was attempting to keep them away from the tree — but Obi-Wan knew better.

  There — he saw it. A large nest near Teleq, guarded by two birds. That would do.

  He did not have time to communicate his plan to Anakin. He would have to trust that his Padawan would get the idea.

  Obi-Wan jumped from his tree to the next, following the route he felt sure Teleq wanted him to follow. He kept his lightsaber activated, swinging at the darts to clear his way. He could hear Anakin behind him, jumping from tree to tree.

  When they were closer to Teleq, Obi-Wan swung off to another tree to his right. Anakin hesitated, then moved in the opposite direction.

  It was not the first time that Obi-Wan was grateful for his Padawan's excellent instincts. Time and again, Anakin would read Obi-Wan's strategy faster than Obi-Wan ever expected.

  Moving fast now, the two Jedi leaped from tree branch to tree branch. Obi-Wan could not see Teleq's face, but he could tell by his movements and the frantic burst from the flechette canister that the bounty hunter was unnerved.

  As Obi-Wan grew closer, Anakin swung out to the side, so that Teleq was forced to move back, exactly where Obi-Wan wanted him.

  Obi-Wan gathered the Force. It would be a difficult leap, bypassing one tree to land on another. But it was the only way to surprise Teleq enough to get him to leap to the next tree.

  Obi-Wan jumped. The speed and power of the move surprised Teleq. Obi-Wan saw the shock on his face as he stumbled on the wide branch, then awkwardly leaped to the next tree. At the same time, Obi-Wan changed direction in midair. He collided with Teleq, sending the bounty hunter sailing straight into a bird's nest.

  Screeee! Screeee! Screeee! Screeee! The birds erupted in wild, furious calls. Two small baby birds lifted their heads and tried to flap their wings at the intruder.

  The two large birds guarding the nest suddenly rose in the air. Together, they extended their powerful claws and snatched Teleq from the nest. Beating their wings, they carried a struggling Teleq away.

  Anakin leaped onto the branch next to Obi-Wan. "Good plan, Master."

  "We need to get Wren down from that tree. It can't be as easy as it looks." Obi-Wan leaped from branch to branch. When he got onto the tree next to Wren's, he examined the area carefully. Wren could not move his eyes, yet Obi-Wan felt the Force roll out from him in strong waves. Wren was warning him.

  "I know, Wren," he called out
to him. "We will take our time, but we'll get you out."

  The ground at the bottom of the tree was thickly carpeted with blooms, just like very other tree. But here the blooms were massed a little too thickly. The pattern was not random enough.

  "Anakin, swing down and examine the ground under the tree," Obi-Wan instructed. Be careful. Don't get too close."

  Anakin eased down to the ground. He circled the tree, gazing carefully down. "These blossoms have been placed here."

  "That's what I thought."

  "Something is underneath." Before Obi-Wan could stop him, Anakin tossed a rock into the mass of flowers. It disappeared.

  "There's a trench down there," Anakin called up.

  "You're lucky there wasn't explosive," Obi-Wan said disapprovingly. Sometimes Anakin acted rashly. If he could teach the boy one thing, it would be too wait.

  He began to study the three branches. He noticed seams running through several branches.

  "I think I get it," he called down to Anakin. "These branches have been cut through, then resealed. They won't take our wait. We would have crashed through, right into the trench."

  "And then he could have hit us with some paralyzing darts," Anakin finished. "Pretty simple plan."

  "Simple is sometimes best," Obi-Wan said. "Lucky for us, it was not in this case. We'll have to use our cable launchers to get Wren."

  Activating their launchers, the Jedi swung close to Wren and managed to cut him free. Obi-Wan supported him as he released his cable launcher and they dropped to the ground.

  He carefully lay Wren down and examined him. There was a long gash on one leg and his arm looked bruised. He had a blaster wound to his shoulder. He must have been in pain.

  Obi-Wan reached for the bacta in his kit and administered it.

  "You will be fine, but you need better care than we can find you here," he told Wren. "We must get you back to the Temple."

  "That means we need a ship," Anakin said.

  "Teleq's must be nearby," Obi-Wan said, rising to his feet.

  Anakin looked around. "Where are Floria and Dane? They were supposed to wait by the hill."

  "I think I know where I can find them, too" Obi-Wan said.

  Chapter 12

  Floria and Dane sat by Teleq's ship at the end of the meadow. They jumped up when they saw Obi-Wan and Anakin.

  "We saw the battle," Floria said. "I'll never underestimate the Jedi again. The way you strategized! The way you moved!"

  "Nice star cruiser," Anakin said, circling around Teleq's ship. "We could get to Coruscant on this."

  "Don't bother going inside yet," Obi-Wan said. "The engine's been disabled."

  Anakin poked his head around the side of the ship and looked at Obi-Wan quizzically. Obi-Wan looked at Floria and Dane.

  "Well?' he said sternly.

  Dane opened his hand. A sensor lay in it. "Just a little part," he said. "And the engine is easily fixed. It's an activation sensor for the sublight drive."

  "So Teleq wouldn't be able to leave the atmosphere," Anakin said. "He'd have to rely on repulsorlift engines."

  "And a warning light would tell him so," Obi-Wan finished. "He'd know he wouldn't be able to take off without work on the engine. And while he was working on it, you'd disable him. And take off with us for a prize."

  "Wait a second," Anakin said. "This means that you expected Teleq to capture us."

  "No offense," Dane said. "What kind of bounty hunters would we be if we didn't explore all of the alternatives?"

  Glaring at Dane, Anakin strode forward and snatched the part from his hand. "Don't worry, Master, I can fix the engine in no time at all."

  Anakin accessed the engine panel on the exterior of the ship. He withdrew a small hydrospanner from his utility kit and his head disappeared inside. Muffled exclamations floated out to the others.

  Finally Anakin emerged, his face streaked with grease. "You shorted out the sunlight engine fuses and deactivated the power converter! I can't six this!"

  "I did?" Dane looked surprised. "I didn't mean to. I don't know that much about engines," he confided to Obi-Wan.

  Floria smacked her brother on the arm. "I told you to be careful! Now how are we supposed to get out of here?"

  "You're the one who told me to disable it!" Dane protested.

  "You said it was a good idea! If I'd known you didn't know how, I wouldn't have suggested it!"

  Obi-Wan heaved an exasperated breath. If he could leave these two behind, he would. But something told him that he still needed them. "Stop squabbling, you two. We have to take Wren back to the Temple. We'll have to return and find the other bounty hunter's ship."

  "Go back down the mountain?" Floria asked in dismay. "I'm exhausted!"

  "And dusk will be here soon," Dane added.

  Obi-Wan shouldered his pack. Then we'd better get started."

  They left Wren wrapped in a blanket inside Teleq's ship. Anakin was able to reconfigure the ship's security code so that Wren would be protected inside. Even if Teleq somehow managed to get free of those birds, he would not be able to board his ship. At least Wren would have warmth and shelter. Promising to return soon, they set off down the mountain again.

  "It's been almost five hours," Obi-Wan told Anakin. "With luck the bounty hunter will be just getting over his paralysis. He'll have no choice but the cooperate."

  "We certainly are developing a collection of bounty hunters," Anakin remarked.

  "Unfortunately they're not all as harmless as Floria and Dane," Obi-Wan said.

  Anakin looked at him curiously. "You knew Floria wasn't telling the truth from the beginning, didn't you?"

  "I suspected as much," Obi-Wan admitted. "But I had no way of knowing what she was concealing."

  "I believed her story," Anakin said, frowning. "Why didn't the Force warn me?"

  Obi-Wan smiled. "The Force is not a truth serum, Padawan. The ability to read a beings true motives comes with experience and patience. I was once very bad at it. Qui- Gon taught me how to look and listen. Floria betrayed herself by playing on our sympathies just a bit too much."

  "And you knew they would find Teleq's ship and try to disable it."

  "Experience," Obi-Wan said. "It tells me the beings follow their best interests. Floria and Dane have had to fight their way through the galaxy. They are used to looking out for themselves. Naturally they would still try to foil another bounty hunter winning the prize."

  Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Do not trouble yourself, Padawan. You have an open heart. This is a good thing. With time you will learn the balance you need in a galaxy where all beings do not tell the truth. Your impulsiveness is a source of energy and power for you. But it can lead to trouble. You will learn to be more careful. Sometimes it is better to walk than to run."

  "I got us into trouble with the malia, and then in the cavern" Anakin admitted. "I'm sorry, Master."

  "Danger finds us on every mission," Obi-Wan said. "Let us look forward."

  They followed the winding path down the mountain once again. When they reached the site of their battle with the Tursha, they hurried through the meadow. Ahead they could see the camouflaged tent. As they walked forward, they could distinguish the Tursha still slumped against the tree.

  "He's still paralyzed," Anakin said, starting forward.

  Obi-Wan stopped him. "No, Padawan. He is dead."

  Chapter Thirteen

  Obi-Wan crouched over the body. "Poisoned," he said.

  Anakin leaned forward curiously. "Flechette canister?"

  "No. See the flecks in his lips? It was a fast poison, injected in the neck." Obi-Wan moved the Tursha's head. "Here." Obi-Wan stood. "Do you have your tarp?"

  Anakin withdrew the tarp from his survival pack. Gently, Obi-Wan wrapped the body. "We will come back for him," he murmured. "We must take him to Coruscant. He might have had family." He stood, his eyes roaming the area. "Now we must return to our problem. We must find his ship."

  They spit up and se
arched the area thoroughly, but they could not find the ship the bounty hunter had used.

  "One of the other bounty hunters must have stolen it," Obi- Wan said. "Mol Arcasite, perhaps."

  "Do you think she killed him?"

  "Possibly," Obi-Wan said. "But one of the others could have done it. We have no way to know."