Kenobi's Blade

by Rebecca Moesta

  Soon steam jets began spouting up like geysers all over the floor of

  the room. The pirate droids seemed to know where they were going. In the

  flashes of bright light Anakin could see that the droids were still coming

  toward them and that they were avoiding the steam jets.

  "We have to get that lightsaber back," Tahiri yelled.

  "It's too dangerous for you," Tionne answered.

  "I'll go." Anakin knew that the Force could guide his silvery-haired

  instructor around the steam jets, but could she dodge blaster bolts from

  the droids at the same time? "Watch out for the droids," he shouted to

  Tionne.

  "I won't have to," she yelled back. "I'm going up." She pointed toward

  the catwalk that ran around the side of the room. It was clearly visible,

  now that the wind had blown the mist away. All of the Ranats had

  disappeared. On the catwalk, Tionne might be able to go all the way around

  to the other side of the room and drop down on the Mage from above.

  "Go ahead. We'll be fine," Anakin shouted.

  Tionne clipped her lightsaber to her belt and ran toward a ladder on

  the wall. The Mage must have seen it too in the flashes of light. His voice

  boomed from the wall speakers.

  "Get the Jedi woman. She is the most dangerous one. We can take care

  of the children and that... that animal later."

  "No," Tahiri screamed as the pirate droid nearest them turned and

  fired up the ladder after Tionne.

  "It missed!" Anakin said. He recognized the tarnished droid as the one

  that had been hit by the falling panel when they'd all tumbled out of the

  air duct in the other room.

  "His aim is off," he yelled to Tahiri.

  "Then help me," she said, pointing to a heavy chunk of statue.

  Together, he and Tahiri used the Force to lift the solid chunk and send it

  flying toward the droid. As the tarnished droid fired again they brought

  the chunk crashing down on its blaster arm. In the flashes of light Anakin

  saw its arm break off and fall to the floor, but the sound was masked by

  the roar of the wind and the chugging of the steam jets. The other pirate

  droids were having problems getting through the rubble of the statue.

  "Very well then. Behold the power of a Mage," Orloc's voice rang from

  the speakers above. With a loud sizzling, all of the ladders leading to the

  catwalk lit up in a bright flash.

  "Tionne!" Tahiri screamed. Anakin whirled back toward the ladder that

  Tionne had been climbing, only to have his worst fears confirmed. His

  teacher had almost reached the catwalk, but somehow Orloc must have sent an

  electrical current through the ladders that led to the structure. The

  Holocron dropped from Tionne's hand and clattered to the floor. The Mage's

  laughter thundered from the loudspeakers.

  Another jolt of electricity flashed along the walls and through the

  ladders. Anakin sensed Tionne using every ounce of Force to push herself

  away from the ladder. In the next strobe of light he caught sight of her

  again. Tionne hung for a moment high in the air. Then she fell. Heedless of

  the danger to themselves, Tahiri and Anakin ran toward their fallen

  teacher, dodging jets of hot steam as they went. When they reached her,

  Tionne was trying to move, but her muscles were shaking. Anakin could smell

  singed hair. He saw that some of Tionne's silvery strands had been

  scorched. The instructor tried to reach for her lightsaber but stopped and

  cried out in pain.

  "Must-fight-Orloc," she gasped.

  Anakin reached out and unclipped the light - saber from Tionne's belt.

  He tried to hand it to his teacher, but Tahiri yelled, "No! Her hands and

  feet are covered with blisters. She won't be able to stand, much less hold

  a lightsaber."

  In a voice almost too weak to be heard above the wind Tionne said,

  "Ikrit."

  Then she fainted. Anakin whirled toward the Jedi Master, who, from his

  perch on Artoo-Detoo, had just lifted one of Orloc's few remaining droids

  using the Force and smashed it down again. As if he sensed Anakin's

  urgency, Ikrit looked straight at him in the flashing light. Another droid

  advanced toward Anakin and Tahiri and their unconscious teacher. Tahiri

  tossed chunks of broken statue at the droid.

  "Catch," Anakin yelled to Ikrit, and hurled the lightsaber.

  Even though Ikrit was twenty meters away on the other side of the

  room, the lightsaber flew straight and true right into the Jedi Master's

  grip. Drawing himself to his full height on top of Artoo-Detoo, Ikrit

  switched on the blade.

  Orloc's booming laughter mocked them.

  "Why - do you really want to trust a child's pet to fight me?"

  Artoo-Detoo shrilled a challenge and rolled toward the Mage. The blade

  in Ikrit's hand sparkled with silver-white fire as he rode forward to meet

  Orloc in battle.

  A sense of horror flooded through Uldir. With growing alarm, he

  watched the fight between those he had thought of as his friends and the

  man he had thought of as his teacher. He had never considered the Mage his

  friend, of course, but Uldir had believed he could learn the way of the

  Jedi from this man. By now, though, Uldir realized that Orloc's power was

  not from the Force. The Mage did not use his magic to help others as Jedi

  did. Orloc's magic was selfish and destructive.

  In a flash of clarity that had nothing to do with the strobing lights

  overhead, Uldir knew he had to do something to save his friends. Even if it

  meant giving up all hope of ever becoming a Jedi-even if it meant that the

  Mage might try to kill him, as well. Uldir could no longer follow Orloc.

  The lives of Anakin, Tahiri, Ikrit, and Tionne were in danger. And the

  companions would not have been here if it weren't for him.

  Uldir knew he had to act, and soon. In the center of the room, Anakin

  and Tahiri were busy battling an assassin droid. Far away from them the

  wise Jedi Master, on Artoo-Detoo, was now almost directly in front of

  Orloc. In spite of the gale-force winds, Ikrit held his lightsaber high and

  did not waver. He might not have looked as impressive as a Mage, but to

  Uldir it was was obvious that Ikrit was a Jedi Master. Uldir gritted his

  teeth when the Mage laughed at Ikrit-a rude, mean-spirited laugh.

  "If you insist on fighting me, little hairball," Orloc said, "why, we

  must do this properly."

  Suddenly the lights stopped flashing. They sank to a dusky glow, so

  that the two lightsabers burned brightly in the dimness. The roaring wind

  died down to a brisk breeze. The Mage blinked his tawny eyes furiously for

  a moment. Then he snapped his fingers and said, "Dispose of the Jedi woman.

  I'll take care of this one."

  From out of the shadows behind Orloc appeared what must have been the

  Mage's last remaining pirate droid. Uldir recognized what kind of droid it

  was right away: an assassin. He closed his eyes for the briefest moment.

  Uldir knew that he had to act now or his friends were done for.

  No guts, no glory, he reminded himself. A torrent of power surged

  through him. Anakin Solo crouched beside his friend Tahiri, guarding the

  injured Tionne.
Together, they had buried the last droid attacker under a

  pile of rubble from the statue. Now, as Anakin watched the purple-robed

  Mage again, the pieces of the latest puzzle came together in his mind. He

  knew how to defeat Orloc! For the moment, though, he would have to leave

  the Mage to Master Ikrit, because Orloc had just sent a new assassin droid

  straight toward Anakin and his friends.

  They would have to do some fast thinking. The assassin droid used a

  repulsor to hover above the floor. Since it had no wheels, it could easily

  pass over the shards of broken statue that had kept the other pirate droids

  away. The droid's six arms each ended in a different tool. In the dim light

  Anakin could make out a blaster arm, a clamp hand with jagged edges, and a

  half-meter - long spike. It was too dark to see any more than that... but

  that was more than enough.

  "Help me move Tionne," Tahiri said. They lifted their teacher, but

  jets of superhot steam shot up behind them, blocking their retreat. As they

  laid Tionne back down, she moaned a single word, "Holocron," before passing

  out again.

  Tahiri swallowed hard and gently stroked her teacher's hair.

  "Not yet," she whispered, though she knew Tionne couldn't hear her.

  "We've got other problems to handle first."

  Anakin looked back toward the assassin droid. It was fifteen meters

  away now. Across the room, Ikrit's lightsaber and Orloc's stolen one

  crashed together in a shower of sparks. The assassin droid fired its

  blaster at Anakin and Tahiri, and the two friends dropped to the floor.

  Across the room the two lightsaber blades clashed again. At the same

  moment, Anakin saw Uldir charging across the center of the room. Looking as

  fearless as an ancient Jedi, the teenager nimbly dodged jets of steam and

  leapt over chunks of the broken statue. His chestnut hair flying behind

  him, Uldir let out a fierce war cry. The assassin droid swiveled toward

  him. At the end of one of its arms a jagged saw blade began to spin.

  Uldir had untied the belt of his Jedi robe, and now, still running at

  full speed toward the deadly droid, he pulled off his brown robe, leaving

  only the orange flightsuit underneath. Anakin held his breath and waited

  for the right moment. A blaster bolt sang past Uldir's shoulder, but he

  didn't hesitate. He dove at the assassin droid and flung his robe over it,

  blinding the droid's sensors.

  It kept firing through the robe as Uldir fell, catching him in the

  shoulder with a wild shot. Uldir hit the floor hard and rolled out of the

  way as quickly as he could.

  "Now!" he yelled to Anakin and Tahiri. "You can do it!"

  The two junior Jedi let the Force flow through them. Anakin gave the

  droid a hard shove with his mind.

  "You picked the wrong team to attack this time," Tahiri cried, adding

  her power to Anakin's. As if the droid weighed no more than a feather, it

  floated into the air, spun wildly, and crashed against the wall of the

  circular chamber.

  Something sparked beneath the brown robe. The assassin twirled and

  tried to free itself of its shroud. Wounded though he was, Uldir scrambled

  along the wall until he found the precious object he was looking for.

  "I've got it!" he shouted, holding up the Holocron. Just then across

  the room Orloc cried out in rage, and Anakin saw Obi-Wan Kenobi's light -

  saber fly from the Mage's grasp. The hilt tumbled end over end through the

  air, no longer lit, and fell to the floor with a clatter just a few meters

  from Anakin. The Force flowed, directing Anakin's movements. Even though

  Uldir was wounded and Tionne was in danger, he knew he would have to

  confront the Mage to save them all.

  With two leaps he reached the lightsaber handle, scooped it up, and

  sprinted straight toward Orloc. The furious Mage ran his hands along the

  spangled sleeves of his cloak and flung his arms out wide. A cloud of smoke

  burst in front of Anakin, but he kept going.

  Next, swarms of miniature TIE fighters dropped from the ceiling to

  head him off. Anakin ducked. Blaster fire exploded in the air in front of

  him.

  "It's not real, Anakin," Uldir yelled. His strong voice carried easily

  above the sounds of blaster fire and steam jets. "Show him, Tahiri!"

  With that, he threw the Holocron straight at the blond girl. The

  pearly cube sailed through the air in a smooth arc. Tahiri caught it

  easily, as if the Force had guided it right into her hands. "Look, Anakin!"

  she cried.

  Suddenly, a hologram of Ash Krimsan filled the entire room, larger

  than Anakin had ever seen her.

  "Welcome, my children. What may I teach you today?" the kindly Jedi

  Master asked.

  "Teach us about lies," Uldir shouted. In the image, the scarlet-robed

  old Jedi spread her hands. "Lies can only defeat you if you give them the

  power of your belief," she said simply.

  Tiny TIE fighters flew through the kind old face, diving and shooting,

  and Anakin saw them for what they really were: holograms. As the image of

  Ash Krimsan dissolved, Anakin began running again, straight through the

  swarm of TIE fighters. He heard the assassin droid smash once more against

  the wall, and something in the back of his mind told him that Tahiri had

  taken over protecting Tionne.

  He also knew that Ikrit and Artoo were on their way to help her.

  Thunder boomed from the speakers hidden in the walls, but Anakin did not

  stop until he stood directly before Orloc. Then, pressing the switch on the

  handle of Kenobi's blade, Anakin ignited the lightsaber. The blade hummed

  in his hand, a bright pure blue sending its light through the darkness.

  Orloc's tawny eyes blinked furiously and he lifted his arms, as if to bring

  lightning down on Anakin. Anakin raised the lightsaber. From a distance,

  Anakin heard Uldir cry, "Don't hurt him!"

  Anakin didn't put down the lightsaber.

  "Trust me," he called to his friend. Then he brought the blade

  sweeping downward in a curving arc at the purple-robed Mage. Silver

  spangles flew through the air and sparkled as they pattered to the floor.

  The holograms disappeared. Anakin brought the lightsaber up again and swept

  down once more. Wires sparked and spangles fell.

  The Mage howled with anguish, "No! You've destroyed it!" But his voice

  no longer boomed from the speakers overhead; it seemed weak and puny. The

  Mage ran his fingers along the edge of his purple cloak, which was now in

  tatters. There were no more silver spangles-nothing left with which to

  control his "magic."

  Anakin had realized that the Mage touched the dangling bits of silver

  each time he used his "powers." Now Orloc was stripped of his controls. The

  Mage looked past Anakin. His eyes held a tortured look.

  "Please, help me," he said.

  Anakin turned to see Uldir. His friend's amber eyes were filled with

  pity-only pity. Uldir slowly shook his head and put a hand up to touch his

  injured shoulder.

  "You would have killed my friends-and maybe even me-just to keep the

  Holocron and Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber. You thought they could give you

  tr
ue power, just like I believed you could give me real power. The power of

  the Force is real. But you knew you never had it. I was the fool."

  "Why, I still have one power left to me," the magician snarled. Anakin

  turned to look at Orloc, but in a bright flash and a puff of smoke, the

  Mage was gone. Anakin knew that the smoke was not magical. It was merely

  one of Orloc's tricks, and he wondered if they should follow the Mage.

  Uldir struggled over to Anakin's side, holding one hand to his wounded

  shoulder.

  "I think we can let him go now," Uldir said. "He's lost his droids,

  his Ranats, his robe, his chamber of wonders, the Holocron, and Kenobi's

  blade. I don't think he'll attack us again."

  "Mmmm. Perhaps he has learned a lesson," Ikrit murmured, coming to

  stand by them.

  "I hope so," Uldir said. His voice was deep and sad. "I certainly

  have."

  Tahiri snugged a webbed belt across Tionne's unconscious form. The

  Jedi teacher lay on the repulsorsled that Uldir had pointed out to Ikrit.

  Artoo-Detoo gave a mournful whistle.

  "Don't worry. Ikrit says she'll be just fine," Tahiri assured the

  little droid. "We just need to get her to a bacta tank to heal her wounds."

  "I'm sorry I caused so much trouble," Uldir said. "I never thought

  anyone would get hurt."

  "Your injury will also heal in a bacta tank," Ikrit said. The white-

  furred Jedi Master finished bandaging Uldir's shoulder where the teenager