by Джуд Уотсон
Obi-Wan looked at Qui-Gon anxiously as the water grew deeper, now swirling around their knees. It was icy cold.
"The tunnel where Eritha was held is just ahead," Qui-Gon said. "Try there first. I will stay here with Tahl. If Eritha is not there, come back here." If necessary, he would get Tahl out and return for Eritha. He could feel how weak Tahl's connection to the Force was. It frightened him.
Obi-Wan turned to hurry away, but from the smoky dimness they suddenly saw a figure pushing through the water toward them. It was Eritha, her braided hair now loose and wet.
"They left me! They forgot about me!" she screamed, almost collapsing in Obi-Wan's arms. "They set off explosives. The cave is collapsing!"
"It's all right," Obi-Wan told her. "We'll get you out of here."
He supported her and brought her back to Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon accessed the entrance to the underwater structure. They squeezed through quickly to prevent more water from flooding the connecting tunnel.
The relative dryness of the connecting tunnel was reassuring. Smoke had not penetrated, and they breathed easier. The Absolutes had not chosen to blow up the underwater structure. yet.
The connecting tunnel was fabricated from white duraplast, with occasional transparent viewscreens that allowed watery light to filter in from above. They passed through it quickly and entered the main structure.
This was obviously where the majority of the tech centers were housed. The cave had been used for storage. They passed room after room of holofile cabinets and computer banks. The offices were empty. No doubt this part of the complex had been evacuated as well.
"Do you think Balog is planning to blow this area, too?" Obi-Wan asked Qui-Gon.
"Possibly. But he might not have had time. We need to find the ramp that can get us to shore." Qui-Gon knew the shore of the lake was to his right. As soon as they found a main corridor, it would lead to the ramp exit.
Obi-Wan ran ahead with Eritha. When they came to a main corridor, Qui-Gon was glad to see his Padawan turn right. He relaxed a bit, allowing his Padawan to lead them. He turned his attention to Tahl.
He could see a pale blue vein throb near one of her closed eyes. It reassured him. Her life systems were still operating, her body still functioning. The weakness he felt could be reversed. Her systems had been shut down for several days. It would take time for her to regain her strength. That was all she needed. Time. He held her more securely against him.
Ahead, he saw Obi-Wan stop at the ramp control. He pressed his eye against the panel. "There's an electroscope," he said, drawing away as Qui- Gon came up. "I don't think we can activate the ramp. We'd be spotted easily."
Qui-Gon leaned forward and put his eye against the electroscope. It gave a view of the shore and the cave entrance. Smoke continued to billow out from the cave. Absolutes gathered on the shore. Someone was organizing a retreat with the remaining functioning vehicles. If they activated the ramp, they would land right in the middle of them. Obi-Wan was right. Qui- Gon felt sure that even if the Jedi weren't recognized, Eritha or Tahl would be. Eritha had lost her tech jacket. Tahl was in no condition to walk.
"We have to swim," Qui-Gon decided. "If we swim far enough away, we can skirt those boulders and pass through the canyon to our vehicles." He hesitated. "Can you?" he asked Obi-Wan. "Your leg…"
"I can," Obi-Wan said firmly. "I'll give my breather to Eritha."
Qui-Gon lowered Tahl carefully to the floor. Her feet couldn't hold her, so he laid her gently down. He took out his breather from his utility belt.
"Tahl?"
Her head turned. Qui-Gon's heart broke at how lackluster her response was.
"We have to swim. Can you use a breather?"
There was a quirk at the edge of her lips. Almost a smile. "Only since I was three."
He smiled and gently fitted the tube on her. "When we get to the beach, we'll have a short way to walk. I'll carry you. Our transports aren't far."
She nodded slightly. He knew she was saving her strength.
Qui-Gon motioned to the emergency exit lever. Eritha had donned Obi- Wan's breather. Qui-Gon knew that it would be a long swim for Obi-Wan. Obi- Wan was a powerful swimmer, but the leg injury worried Qui-Gon.
They accessed the door, which opened into a small chamber. There was a panel in the ceiling. Slowly, the chamber began to fill with water. The water was cold, and Qui-Gon felt Tahl's involuntary shiver. They floated up toward the ceiling. Qui-Gon nodded at Obi-Wan and the two Jedi took their deepest breath. The panel slid open and they swam out.
Qui-Gon did not feel the cold water. He did not feel fatigued. Tahl felt buoyant in his arms, so buoyant that he felt his hopes rise. He swam with his Padawan by his side. Both of them kept their eye on Eritha, with Obi-Wan drifting back to help her if she lagged.
His lungs began to ache. The smoke had weakened them. Qui-Gon peered ahead, but couldn't see the shoreline. There would be no gradual rise, since the pit was dug for mining purposes. His speed was hampered by being able to use only one arm, but his kicks were powerful and propelled him forward.
At last Obi-Wan's feet touched bottom. He surfaced, then quickly signaled an okay. Qui-Gon surfaced as well, taking deep lungfuls of air.
Obi-Wan was doing the same.
Even as they took deep breaths, they moved toward the shore. The Absolutes were lining up to be transported away. No one noticed them as they ran up the short distance to the boulders. From there it was easy to slip into the narrow crevices between the high cliffs. The rough ground made for hard walking. Qui-Gon's arms began to ache with the effort of holding Tahl. Obi-Wan was limping slightly, but he still was able to move quickly.
"Almost there," Qui-Gon told Tahl. He did not know if she was conscious.
They found their transports where they had left them. Relief flooded Qui-Gon. His last fear was that the Absolutes would have found them.
"Take my landspeeder, Qui-Gon," Eritha offered. "It is faster than yours."
"Thank you." Qui-Gon gently placed Tahl in the companion seat.
He swung into the pilot seat and glanced over. As always, she could sense when he was looking at her. And as always, she could sense his mood.
"Stop being so worried," she said quietly. "I'll try."
"I'm gaining strength every moment from your strength."
He took her hand. He called up the Force from the air around them. He felt her do the same, though her hold on the Force was weak. It was all right. He would provide the extra strength she needed. He felt their power combine.
Eritha came to stand by the speeder. "Go directly to the Supreme Governor's residence," she said. "I will call ahead and have med care waiting for you."
Qui-Gon nodded his thanks. He activated the engines.
"I will see you in New Apsolon," he told Obi-Wan. He reached inside his tunic and handed Tahl's lightsaber to Obi-Wan. "Until yours recharges."
"I will guard it with my life." Obi-Wan swallowed. The concern in his eyes was all for Tahl. He gently touched her shoulder. "Safe journey."
Tahl answered weakly. "Thank you for finding me, Obi-Wan."
"May the Force be with you," Obi-Wan said. "It is," Qui-Gon said confidently, and raced off.
Chapter 18
There was still a long journey ahead of them to New Apsolon. Qui-Gon would not stop. He would drive through the rest of the day and the night.
With the extra power of Eritha's land-speeder, he should be at the edge of New Apsolon by dawn.
Tahl slid into a deep sleep. That would restore her. Qui-Gon reached for a thermal cape and covered her. The temperature fell as the suns slid down in the sky, melting over the horizon in tones of blazing red and gold.
The rocks and cliffs around him turned pink. For the first time in a long while, Qui-Gon noticed the beauty. It was because Tahl was next to him, and he wanted her to be a part of it. He did not wake her, but silently he told her, Do not leave me. We have so much left to share together.
The moons rose, three
delicate, luminous crescents. The stars seemed even more brilliant next to the waning moons. Qui-Gon activated the speeder's protective dome and turned on the heating unit. Whenever he reached over to check Tahl's pulse, the coldness of her skin shocked him.
He did not feel hunger but he ate a food capsule and drank water. He had a long night to get through.
Hours later, Tahl awoke. She pulled herself up a little straighter.
She looked more alert, Qui-Gon noted with relief.
"It's cold," she said.
Qui-Gon had felt too warm, but he set the heating unit to maximum.
"It's the middle of the night."
"Thank you for everything you have done," Tahl said. "I don't like being rescued. I was furious at myself for being in that position again."
"Don't worry," Qui-Gon said. "You have rescued me in the past. I'm sure you will again."
"Balog wanted something from me. That's why he kept me alive."
"Don't talk now. Save your strength. There will be time in New Apsolon," Qui-Gon said.
"No, I need to tell you. There is a list of informers among the Workers — "
"I know this."
"Balog thought I had it. Naturally I pretended I knew where it was.
So he kept me alive. But in that deprivation device I had time to think.
Why did he believe I had the list?"
"Because you were undercover and could have had access?" Qui-Gon suggested.
"Is that reason enough to kidnap me?" Tahl shook her head. "I don't think so. So I went over that last day undercover. I still don't know how they found out I was a Jedi."
"Perhaps it was Alani," Qui-Gon said. "Eritha claims that Alani is in league with Balog. She wants to take over as Supreme Governor."
"Alani?" Tahl asked, surprised. "But she found the way to smuggle me into the Absolutes in the first place."
"She had a reason to keep you there, perhaps," Qui-Gon said. "When you were no longer useful, she betrayed you."
"And perhaps she hoped I would find the list," Tahl said slowly.
Every word was an effort. "Naturally I would tell the girls I had found it.
I trusted them."
"Do you remember anything significant about your last day?"
The thermal cape slipped off her shoulders, and Tahl drew it around her. "So cold…" she murmured. "Someone helped me that last day. I had seconds to get out of the hideout before they came for me. I ran into a message runner named Oleg. He was a low-level member of the Absolutes.
Instead of turning me in, he helped me. He showed me a door the message runners used. When I asked him why he helped me, he said he was escaping, too. He had been marked for interrogation by the Absolute leaders. He did not know why, but he was leaving before he could find out."
"Look," Qui-Gon said. "The lights of the city are ahead."
It was still dark. The city lights on the horizon seemed to merge with the stars.
"Almost there," Qui-Gon said. "Rest. We'll talk later."
Tahl's voice had been growing softer. Now she closed her eyes and slid into sleep.
Dawn grew slowly. The landscape lightened. The city grew closer. They were low on fuel, but the computer told him they would make it.
Tahl slept on as the suns broke free of the horizon. The orange rays lit her body, instantly transforming her skin into its usual radiant health. Qui-Gon knew it was an illusion, but he took comfort in the sight.
Qui-Gon quickly maneuvered the Landspeeder through the crowded morning streets. He turned down State Boulevard toward the Supreme Governor's residence. As he pulled up, a figure hurried down the steps toward them. It was Roan's brother, Manex.
"Eritha contacted me to say you were arriving," he said. "I have arranged the finest med care in the city for Tahl. It is a short distance away. If you'll follow me." Manex pointed to his own landspeeder.
Qui-Gon hesitated. It was odd that Manex had met them outside. Eritha had promised them access to her own med care, which was in the residence itself.
Manex took note of his hesitation. "You must trust me," he said urgently. "Did I not tell you that I have the best of everything? My med care is exceptional. The med squad once worked on victims of the Absolutes.
They had the greatest success. The doctor knows Tahl's condition. He can help." Manex glanced at Tahl, whose head was back and her eyes were closed.
It was the compassionate, worried look in Manex's eyes more than his words that made Qui-Gon nod. His instincts told him that Manex was sincere.
Tahl needed the best care.
"Good," Manex said at Qui-Gon's nod. He sprinted toward his landspeeder, moving quickly for a man of his bulk. He jumped in and took off.
Qui-Gon followed closely. Manex pulled up in front of a gray stone building a few blocks away.
Immediately the doors opened and a med team rushed out.
A doctor bent over Tahl. Her eyes fluttered open. He applied a diagnostic readout to the side of her neck and frowned at the results.
"Will she be all right?"
"We will do the best we can."
The med team transferred Tahl to a wheeled stretcher. She was gone before he had a chance to touch her hand or tell her he'd be waiting. Qui- Gon sat numbly in the pilot seat, the speeder controls solid in his clenched fists, willing his own control not to slip away.
Chapter 19
Qui-Gon sat by the shore of the lake and stared at the cliff. The rocky surface seemed completely sheer. The cliff looked impossibly big. But most things looked pretty big to him. He was eight years old.
They had already climbed the cliff face with cable launchers in class. They had learned to use their body's weight and hone their balance, correct their timing. They had done it over and over again. Next week, they would do it without cable launchers under the supervision of a Jedi Master.
It would be one of their Force exercises.
He knew he should not be thinking of climbing it freehand. But he was. Qui-Gon wanted to gobble up the challenges the Jedi teachers threw at the students. A week was too long to wait. It wasn't so very high, really.
It was just a big rock. There were handholds and footholds, even if he couldn't see them. If he fell, he would fall into the lake.
If he were caught, he would be in trouble. Then again, he wouldn't get caught. It was dawn and the lake area was deserted.
He heard the rustle behind him and turned. It was a fellow student, Tahl. She was in his class, but he didn't know her very well. She was slight, smaller than the rest of them. She looked like a little boy, he thought. He did not think of himself as a little boy.
She nodded at the cliff. "You thinking of climbing it?"
Startled, he was about to say no. But Jedi did not lie, even for small things. "Accustomed to the lie, you become," Yoda had warned them.
"Easy it becomes to be false in big things, if false you are in small ones.
" So he said nothing.
To his surprise, she grinned. "Come on." When he hesitated, she added, "Bet I can beat you to the top."
She ran and launched herself at the rock face, grabbing her first handhold. He hesitated for just a moment, surprised at how eagerly she attacked the rock. Then she seemed to mold herself against it. She waited until Qui-Gon ran forward and joined her.
It was harder than he'd thought. The handholds that seemed so firm to him with a cable on his belt now seemed impossibly tiny. The rock had become his enemy. It was tricky to keep his balance. Sweat began to pour down his face. His muscles shook with effort. He forgot about Tahl's challenge and concentrated on not falling off He was three-quarters of the way to the top when he looked over at her. They were neck and neck. Her face was grimy and sweaty. She grinned.
The grin spurred him on. He found the next handhold, then the next.
She was behind him now, and he was almost there. He searched for the next handhold, his face pressed against the rough rock.
Suddenly she was beside him, climbing easily. The
n she was ahead of him, her hand reaching for the top. She swung herself up and over, then sat, breathing hard.
Qui-Gon followed, feeling furious and ashamed. She had beaten him.
When he turned to Tahl, he expected to see triumph in her eyes. Instead, he saw excitement.
"I felt it, Qui-Gon! I felt the Force!" She slapped the ground, her green-gold eyes blazing. "The rock — it was part of me. I was part of…
everything. Even the air! It was just the way Yoda said it would be."
