by Джуд Уотсон
"So our attackers are miners?" Eritha asked.
"I'd say yes," Qui-Gon said. "So far they've used mining equipment to attack us. Maybe they don't have conventional weapons."
"That could be good news," Eritha muttered.
Suddenly, she scrambled over the rock pile.
"Eritha!" Qui-Gon yelled, reaching for her.
She jumped from the top of the pile to the ground. Then she threw back the hood of her cloak and raised her hands.
"Stay here, Padawan." Qui-Gon leaped over the rock pile in one fluid motion. He stood with his lightsaber activated, ready to defend Eritha.
"Put away your weapon, Qui-Gon," Eritha said through her teeth. "And trust me."
The mole miner advanced a few meters, then stopped.
Slowly, Qui-Gon deactivated his lightsaber. Obi-Wan watched, knowing his Master could still attack in a movement faster than the eye could see.
Slowly, a hatch opened at the top of the mole miner. A ramp emerged.
A man and a woman crawled out and walked down the ramp.
They faced Qui-Gon and Eritha and bowed.
"Daughter of Ewane, we are at your service," the man said. Obi-Wan now saw that their skin was gray with rock dust.
Eritha bowed in return. "I am Eritha."
The tall woman spoke. "We thought you were a team from the Absolutes.
We apologize. They have been raiding our settlements and stealing supplies.
" "Who are you?" Qui-Gon asked.
"We are the Rock Workers. We are allies of the Tech Workers in the city. We are glad to see that you were not harmed."
"But we were," Qui-Gon said. "My Padawan is hurt. And our probe droid was destroyed. It was tracking an Absolute."
"Then we are truly sorry," the man said, distressed. "If you come with us to our settlement, we have excellent med care. We will help you any way we can."
Chapter 10
The air was so crisp and clear on Ragoon-6 that it gave you the feeling you could see to the future, or back to the past. Tahl had proposed the training exercise to Qui-Gon on one of their rare meetings at the Temple. If they did not take the time now, when would they? she had pointed out, her chin thrusting at him as it did when she wanted her own way. Soon they would both be sent on missions again.
He knew that she had proposed the trip because of what had happened with Xanatos. His Padawan had turned to the dark side, and weeks of meditation and talks with Yoda had not reconciled Qui-Gon to that. He sensed that Yoda was concerned about his progress. Yet he was stuck, thinking over and over about everything he had done and everything he should have done.
To his relief, Tahl hadn't brought up Xanatos once on Ragoon-6.
Instead they had concentrated on the exercise. The landscape of Ragoon-6 was breathtaking, but it was difficult terrain. They pushed their bodies to the limit as they scaled mountains and hiked rocky trails.
They paused to rest on a flat rock overlooking a deep valley.
"Do you see that flying irid?" Tahl said, pointing. "Look at the yellow on the underside of its wings."
Qui-Gon looked where she pointed. Tahl could always see farther than he could. He waited until his eyes could track the bird, a flash of brilliant color in the blue sky. "Beautiful."
"Yes. But they are horrible birds. They attack their own kind. It's strange, though. They nurture their young with great care. They teach them to fly, to hunt, to nest. Yet when their young reach maturity they are just as likely to eat their parents as each other."
Qui-Gon stared out at the valley. "Are parables supposed to make me feel better? I know you are talking about Xanatos. I nurtured him and he betrayed me. It was not my fault. It was his nature. Is that what you're saying?"
"I'm talking about irids," Tahl said composedly. "But now that you brought him up "Excuse me, I didn't — "
"I'd like to make one point. You can't control everything you touch, Qui-Gon. And you can't make sense of everything, either, no matter how much you analyze or meditate. Not even you."
"This is not about ego," he said.
She shot him a keen look, all emerald and gold. "Isn't it?"
Another delay. Qui-Gon wanted to bellow his rage to the sky. Instead, he helped his Padawan to Eritha's Landspeeder and gently lowered him into the seat. Obi-Wan's face was drawn with pain.
The last thing he wanted to do right now was take a detour from their quest, but his Padawan needed care.
Eritha drove her landspeeder, and a Rock Worker took Obi-Wan's swoop.
Qui-Gon followed as they raced through the canyons toward the Rock Workers'
settlement.
He was glad that the distance wasn't far. The settlement lay in a small valley surrounded by quarries. Walkways made of slate were laid out in rows and led to residences, stores, a school, and a small med unit.
Obi-Wan was met by a young woman who hurried out immediately to look at his wound.
"I am a trained medic," she said. "My name is Yanci. I've seen many wounds such as this in the quarries. This isn't too bad. Your friend will mend quickly."
Qui-Gon nodded his thanks. Together he and Yanci helped Obi-Wan into the med center.
"I can take over from here," Yanci told him, setting out a splint and beginning the procedure for a bacta bath. "The refreshment unit is across the walkway. Why don't you rest, and I will come over and give you a progress report?"
Obi-Wan flashed Qui-Gon a grin that was also a grimace. "I'm fine here."
Qui-Gon patted his shoulder in support, then left the med unit. It might be helpful to talk to the Rock Workers about the Absolutes. He was surprised to hear that the Absolutes had been conducting raids. That meant their numbers were bigger than he'd thought. That was most likely not good news for his mission. He felt frustration rise up and threaten to choke him. He took a deep breath to calm himself. The frustration eased, but he knew it still simmered, ready to boil again. He wanted to continue tracking, but he couldn't leave Obi-Wan without knowing the extent of his injury.
Qui-Gon walked across to the refreshment unit. There he found the two Rock Workers who had been inside the mole miner. They had brought tea and food to Eritha. Qui-Gon shook his head at their offer as he took a seat opposite them.
The tall female pointed to her companion. "I am Bini, and this is Kevta," she said. "Again, we must tell you how sorry we are to have mistaken you for Absolutes. We don't get travelers out in this area, so we jumped to conclusions too fast. How is your young friend?"
"It was an understandable mistake," Qui-Gon said. "Obi-Wan will be fine, according to your medic. She'll give me a report soon."
"Yanci has great skill. It is good that you brought him here."
"Tell me," Qui-Gon said. "You said that the Absolutes had raided your camp. How many were there?"
Kevta stirred honey into his tea. "We were attacked by a squad of maybe thirty, but when there are casualties, more take their place. We have no way of knowing. We are forty here, but that includes elders and children. The Absolutes are also heavily armed. In the first raid, they captured our small weapons — blasters and flechette missiles."
"You don't know where their headquarters are?" he pressed.
Bini cupped her mug of tea in her hands. Qui-Gon noted that her hands were large and looked extraordinarily strong. One finger was black and blue, and there were old scars on her knuckles. Her hands told him how hard the work conditions were at the quarries better than words could.
"We do not know," she said quietly. "We have searched. If they have a base, it is well hidden."
Qui-Gon felt his irritation rise. There was so little information to be had. He couldn't get over the feeling that he was wasting time. "Is it possible that they conduct their raids from the city?"
Kevta shook his head. "No. We know their base is in the quarries somewhere. Their raids are spaced too close. Especially lately. We have been raided five times in the past month."
"Do you have weapons left?" Qui-Gon asked.
<
br /> "We have a few blasters, not many," Kevta said. "We only have our tools and the explosives we use in the quarries. They are expensive and we don't like to use them. But we are getting desperate. That is why we attacked you today. We have had enough. We know they are after our large explosives. If we lose those, we're doomed. This mining outfit is a cooperative. We all share in the work and profits. If we lose our tools and explosives, we won't be able to buy more."
"You need help," Eritha said. "Have you informed the United Legislature? They could send a security force to protect you."
"We informed them weeks ago and have heard nothing," Bini said. "The troubles in the capital city have overshadowed ours."
Qui-Gon thought over what Bini and Kevta had told him. He remembered back to Mota, the black market seller with the empty tables where weapons had once been for sale. The Absolutes were gathering weapons on a large scale. They were ready to make their move. All of this had coincided with Tahl's kidnapping. But was there a connection?
Restlessly, Qui-Gon drummed his fingers on the table, then stilled them. Eritha watched him over the rim of her mug.
The door opened, and Yanci strode in. She saw Qui-Gon immediately and came over.
"Obi-Wan is a good patient," she said, "only stubborn. He wants to leave. But I am prevailing on you to reason with him. His wound will heal, but he needs time for the bacta to regenerate what he lost."
"How long?" Qui-Gon asked.
"A day. Maybe more. He will risk permanent damage if he does not stay off that leg."
Qui-Gon nodded. Accepting the diagnosis was not easy. Every part of him was screaming to leave, to rescue Tahl. He should at least wait until morning before making a decision. He wanted to leave tonight. Right now.
Yanci seemed to understand. "The moons are waning. It would be difficult to track tonight. The quarries are treacherous."
"Do you have a probe droid you can lend us?"
Bini shook her head. "Probe droids are illegal. Absolutes still use them, of course. We do not."
Qui-Gon saw he had no choice. Reluctantly, he rose. "May I sleep in the med unit tonight? I don't want Obi-Wan to be alone."
"I'll make arrangements," Yanci promised. "And Eritha can sleep in my unit," Bini said. "It is only one more day," Yanci said.
But one more day could mean everything. He could not risk Obi-Wan's health. Qui-Gon pushed his decision off until morning. If Obi-Wan was not better, he would consider going on alone and leave Eritha here with him. It was not a choice he wanted to make.
And when the chase began again, he would not have the probe droid. He would have to track Balog on his own. It would take longer. He might not succeed.
Tahl felt farther away than ever.
Be strong, Tahl. You pledged your life to me. I gave you my heart.
Know that I will find you.
Chapter 11
Now that Qui-Gon had just become a Jedi Knight, Yoda had suggested it was time he took a Padawan. Qui-Gon decided to go on one last mission while he thought about it. He never did anything rashly. He had a Padawan in mind, and it was easier to consider him away from the Temple.
He had a stopover in Zekulae while he waited for transport. It was a barren world, noted for its mineral soil, which was dark and rich and studded with blue crystals. The soil was so fine that within days it was everywhere — in his hair, in his mouth, in his boots. Qui-Gon found that his careful thoughts about his future had shrunk to a longing for his next shower.
He stopped in a cafc for a cool drink. He sipped it, eyeing the locals. Zekulae was not overly dangerous, but you had to be careful here.
The government had a relaxed attitude toward rules and laws. Disputes were most often settled with fists or blasters.
Suddenly an argument broke out behind him. It was between two beings playing sabacc. One was a native of Zekulae, the other hidden by a column.
The Zeku stood, scattering the cards.
"Strange that you're the one so upset, when I'm the one who's been cheated," a dry voice said.
Qui-Gon knew the voice, even though it had changed. He hadn't heard it in years. It was deeper, huskier than he remembered.
Tahl rose from the table. He waited, watching her, as did everyone in the cafc. She commanded attention. He didn't know her mission here. It might not be safe if she were seen talking to a Jedi. She was wearing a traveler's cloak and boots, and her lightsaber was hidden.
The Zeku moved his hand toward his belt, but he didn't get a chance to draw his weapon. Within the space of an eye blink, Tahl reached out and disarmed him, at the same time pressing one shoulder so that he was forced to sit back down in his chair, hard. Maintaining the pressure, she scooped some credits off the table.
"Let's call it even," she said. "And I'll buy you a drink. Wouldn't you rather live to see the sunset?"
He nodded, his face contorted in pain. She called to the bartender.
"Something special for my friend here."
She tucked the credits inside her tunic, released the Zeku, and walked on. Nobody in the cafc moved. No one spoke. They all watched the woman who combined elegance and danger walk casually through them.
Qui-Gon watched her, too, admiring her toughness and grace. He was astonished at how lovely she was. Her extraordinary eyes and the strength of her features had become dramatic and striking with maturity.
Then she saw him, and her face lost its severe cast. She came over to his table and sat as conversations started up around them. The incident was over.
"Well, it's you," she said. "It's been so long."
"Too long."
"I only have a minute," she said. "I'm on a mission."
Only a minute, when they hadn't seen each other in years!
"So tell me everything as fast as you can," she said, laughing. "You look well. I hear you are now a Knight."
"As are you," Qui-Gon said. "I'm thinking of taking a Padawan. Yoda is urging me to consider it."
"Do you have a candidate?"
"Xanatos."
She nodded slowly. "He is gifted. I would consider carefully, however. I'm not sure he's the right one for you."
"I haven't seen you in years, and you're giving me advice?" he teased.
"Who else in the galaxy understands you so well?" she answered, smiling.
"No one," he admitted. "You were wrong about that. Remember what you said when we said good-bye?"
Her smile grew soft. "I am glad," she said, "to have been wrong about that. I'm glad to still be the one who knows you best. And we never said good-bye. Remember?"
They sat for a moment in silence, remembering the Temple, the days when they had looked forward so eagerly to becoming Jedi Knights. They hadn't known then how hard it would turn out to be. Neither had they known how deeply satisfying it would be at the same time. Yes, a life of service suited him. Suited Tahl, he could see. And it was something, to have this connection now, still so strong after so many years.
"I have to go," she said softly. "l will see you soon. Missions can be short, you know."
He smiled, remembering the eager, young Tahl who had said that so confidently years ago.
She stood. She did not say good-bye. He knew she wouldn't, no more than she ever said hello. With a last smile, she walked out of the cafc and did not look back.
Dusk fell quickly. Qui-Gon checked on Obi-Wan and found him in deep meditation. He quietly went out again, glad to see it. Obi-Wan was focusing his mind on healing. Maybe his Padawan would be ready to travel by morning.
He had no doubts as to Yanci's diagnostic abilities, but she had never treated a Jedi before.
Qui-Gon strolled through the Rock Workers' settlement, taking deep breaths of the cool night air. He was impressed with its design and organization. He could see that though the quarry work was difficult, the Workers themselves had created a good life. They took care of each other and their young. Under other circumstances, he would have enjoyed the brief stop. Now he only wanted to be gone.
/> He found Yanci, Bini, and Kevta sitting outside a small housing unit, and they waved him over.
"We were enjoying the stars," Kevta said. "It is a hard life out here, but I tried city work. It didn't take."
"I'm glad to have run into you," Qui-Gon said, settling himself beside them. "Would you mind if I asked you more questions about the raids?
It might help us track the Absolutes."
