by Джуд Уотсон
"We need a ship to get us to Ploo II," Obi-Wan said. "Quickly."
Chapter 22
According to the flight records, the ship that left for the Ploo Sector was very large and not particularly fast. Anakin knew that if they were going to catch it, they'd need a fast vehicle with a powerful hyperdrive.
There was only one such ship in the hangar. The pilot looked at the Jedi warily as they approached.
"Ploo II?" he repeated with disdain. "No thanks. I just got here, and won't be doing anything but taking a nice long rest."
"I can pilot," Anakin said. "You can even stay here and rest. We'll bring the ship back when we're finished."
The pilot looked at Anakin as if he were crazy. Anakin couldn't blame him. If it were his ship, he wouldn't let some stranger take it off planet, either. Not even a Jedi.
But they needed the ship. Badly.
Obi-Wan waved his hand in front of the pilot's face. "You can trust us to borrow the ship," he said slowly.
"I guess I can trust you to borrow the ship," the pilot said.
"We will bring it back when we are finished," Obi-Wan added.
"Just bring it back when you are finished," the pilot echoed.
Anakin grinned. They weren't lightsabers, but Jedi mind tricks really came in handy sometimes.
"I'll get Lundi," Obi-Wan said.
Anakin nodded and boarded the ship. From the pilot's seat he plugged in the coordinates for Ploo II. Minutes later Obi-Wan and Lundi were on board, and the ship was heading into the atmosphere.
Anakin thought he might have a chance to talk to Obi-Wan on the way, but Obi-Wan silently left the cockpit shortly after they had taken off.
Anakin guessed that he was still upset.
Trying not to think about it, Anakin studied the computer's programmed hyperdrive route. If there was a faster way to get there, he wanted to know about it. They had to catch the Holocron thief.
There appeared to be only one direct route, and the computer had chosen it. Anakin engaged the hyperdrive, and the nearby stars streaked by in flashes of blinding light.
Once the ship was safely in hyperspace, Anakin could step away from the controls and relax a bit. Moving into the hold, he saw that the professor was sound asleep. He'd been sleeping a lot lately, and as Anakin studied him he appeared older and more frail. His body shuddered with every breath. It seemed as if his life forces were ebbing.
Asleep and helpless in his cage, the professor seemed more pitiful than threatening. Anakin almost felt sorry for him. But then, the Quermian had not made this mission an easy one. He had been difficult from the start, and the way he'd treated his Master had infuriated Anakin.
Now, under his direction, they were chasing a ship on its way to Ploo II. Was it the right planet, or were they simply on a fruitless chase? It would be so easy for Lundi to lead them astray. After being locked up by Jedi for ten years, it was entirely possible that he was out for revenge.
Anakin couldn't really blame him for wanting to take his imprisonment out on someone.
Anakin watched Lundi sleep for a long time and tried to meditate. He was left with many questions about Dr. Lundi and the Holocron.
But he didn't think that the professor was lying to them about following Norval. Anakin sensed that they were closing in on something powerful and evil… and believed it to be the Holocron.
Anakin got to his feet and moved toward the pilot's seat. It was almost time to bring the ship out of hyperspace. Sitting down at the controls, he suddenly felt a ripple in the Force. He quickly brought the ship out of lightspeed. The familiar starriness of space came into view around him.
But that was not the only thing Anakin saw.
Obi-Wan was beside him in an instant. "I felt a wave in the Force,"
he said.
Anakin pointed to a sleek gray ship visible in the viewscreen.
"It just passed us," he said.
"Whose ship is it?" Anakin asked, wide-eyed.
Obi-Wan sighed. "I don't know," he confessed. "But I have a feeling we'd better get to Norval's ship before it does."
The large ship shuddered. Anakin had been pushing it hard since they'd sighted the sleek gray vessel, and wasn't sure how much longer it would hold up. The speed they were flying at was certainly faster than the craft was accustomed to. By the time they landed somewhere it would probably need repairs.
The mysterious gray ship was now in front of them and had slowed down.
Anakin's Master stood beside him with his eyes closed. "I feel something powerful, but it could be coming from that ship and not the Holocron. We've got to locate Norval quickly. I have a hunch that whoever is aboard that ship is after the Holocron too.
"I'll keep an eye out," Anakin assured his Master. "Why don't you prepare a shuttle. When I find his ship you can be ready to board immediately."
Obi-Wan nodded at Anakin gratefully. "Monitor all ship-to-ship communications and let me know if you sense anything unusual."
While Obi-Wan prepared a shuttle, Anakin carefully circled the gray ship in a wide arc.
Anakin was just coming around the gray ship when another, larger ship came into view in the space lane. Anakin felt instantly certain that it was Norval's. There was a strange flutter in his stomach, like nausea.
Anakin switched on his comlink. "I see another ship," he reported.
"And I'm feeling kind of weird. I'll bet the Holocron is in there."
"Good. I'm closing the shuttle hatch now," Obi-Wan said. "Activate the shuttle bay doors immediately."
Anakin pressed a button on his control panel and Obi-Wan's shuttle shot out of the ship. It looked tiny as it hurtled toward Norval's massive vessel. Anakin hoped it would land safely on Norval's ship without being detected by the mysterious gray craft.
As Anakin watched the shuttle approach Norval's ship, a voice spoke up behind him. Lundi.
"Too late, too late," he murmured.
Anakin turned around and saw that Lundi's eyes were closed. Was he asleep, or awake? Too late for what? Anakin wondered.
He didn't have long to ponder. Just then a huge blast rocked the ship.
Chapter 23
From the small window in the tiny shuttle, Obi-Wan saw a red blast explode against Anakin's ship. The gray vessel had finally detected their ship and was clearly not pleased about its presence.
The sight of the red laser triggered something in Obi-Wan's memory, and a familiar feeling of helplessness washed over him. But there was no way he could get back to the ship fast enough to help his Padawan. And there was the Holocron. He had to go after it while he had the chance. He would not leave it behind again.
Obi-Wan quickly sent a mental message to his Padawan. You can do it, Anakin, he told him. Just think carefully…
Within minutes the shuttle locked into the docking bay on Norval's ship. After powering down the tiny craft, Obi-Wan quietly slipped out into the bigger ship.
As he moved down a glistening white corridor, the sound of more laser fire echoed in Obi-Wan's ears. Anakin's ship was getting pounded. Obi-Wan suddenly wished he and his Padawan had resolved their discussion on Kodai.
You can't do anything about that now, he told himself. He had to focus and think clearly if he was going to find the Holocron on this giant craft.
Obi-Wan hurried down several sterile corridors. As he reached the end of one he suddenly felt something evil washing over him. He knew exactly how his Padawan had felt a few minutes earlier. The Holocron was close.
Obi-Wan rounded a corner and spotted a large room at the end of the passageway. A humanoid figure stood with its back to the door, waiting. And there, on a transparisteel table, sat the glowing red Holocron.
Obi-Wan approached the room carefully. But before he was through the door the figure turned toward him.
"I have been waiting for you," Norval said.
Obi-Wan focused hard on the dark-haired man in front of him as queasiness threatened to overtake him. He sensed that, in fact, he wasn't t
he person Norval had been waiting for. He'd been expecting someone else — Lundi, perhaps. Or whoever was piloting the sleek gray ship.
"Powerful, isn't it?" Norval cackled. "The nauseous feeling takes some getting used to. When you are comfortable with the power, it disappears."
Obi-Wan dove for the Holocron, but Norval quickly stepped in front of it.
"This information would be wasted in the hands of the Jedi," he spat.
"You have no idea what to do with power."
Obi-Wan could see that Norval was not going to give up without a fight. Reaching down to his utility belt, he unhooked and ignited his light-saber.
I must end this quickly, Obi-Wan thought. He hoped the sight of his lightsaber would make Norval back down and hand over the Holocron. I must get back to help Anakin before it is too late.
But Norval did not back down. He simply reached for his belt and ignited a lightsaber of his own.
Chapter 24
Anakin unleashed another round of laser fire. He'd been circling the sleek gray ship, pummeling its hull. Every blast appeared to find its quick-moving target. But they didn't seem to have any effect.
I should have chosen a ship with decent firepower as well as speed, Anakin thought grimly. I should have known I'd need to be prepared for battle.
Anakin had taken several hits without sustaining much damage. Only that first firing had created a problem, and losing the hyperdrive was minor compared to what could have been damaged.
Still, the ship could be hit again at any moment — and with dire results. He had to get out of there. But where could he go? The large gray craft clearly had a long firing range. It would take several minutes to get far enough away to be safe….
Thinking fast, Anakin turned the ship around and headed straight for Norval's behemoth. If he could just keep the giant vessel between him and the mystery ship, he'd count on the gray ship not firing on him. The pilot wouldn't want to risk the Holocron — he hoped.
Anakin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the gray ship was not coming after him. But before he could inhale again it turned its fire on Norval's ship. Somehow, the pilot knew the Jedi were getting close.
Chapter 25
Obi-Wan gaped at the lightsaber in Norval's hand for half a second.
Such a weapon was extremely difficult to construct, and doing so took patience and skill. Attributes he wasn't at all convinced that Norval had.
Norval stepped forward, his blade raised. He was clearly pleased to see the look of surprise on Obi-Wan's face.
"You Jedi think you are the only ones who can wield lightsabers?" he laughed menacingly. "Dr. Lundi's lessons only took me so far. But the Quermian did help me gather the tools I needed. It's actually quite simple, once you have the knowledge — and the power…"
Obi-Wan was barely listening. He circled Norval, carefully studying the lightsaber. Its construction was crude, and he guessed that the crystals inside were weak and badly tuned. At least he hoped that was the case.
Norval brought the weapon high over his head, then thrust it back down. It missed Obi-Wan by several centimeters and crashed into the table where the Holocron rested. The glowing artifact tumbled to the floor. Both Obi-Wan and Norval watched the Holocron fall, but neither made a move for it.
His lightsaber might be crude, but it is still deadly, Obi-Wan noted.
He knew from experience that a powerful weapon could be even more dangerous in the hands of an unskilled user. He would have to tread carefully.
Norval's eyes glinted. "Did the Jedi like my messages?" he asked, moving slowly forward. "I thought they were appropriate. Imagine being able to bring down the pathetic Jedi and get rich doing it!"
Norval slashed at the air, his fury building. It was clear to Obi-Wan that the young man was strong, but not very technically advanced with the lightsaber.
Obi-Wan sprang ahead, slashing with his own blue blade and pushing Norval backward. He had no desire to kill Norval — he simply wanted to disarm him and take the Holocron. This fight was wasting valuable time.
Obi-Wan closed in. But before he could knock Norval's lightsaber out of his hands, another explosion caused the ship to bank sharply. Obi?Wan fell backward, losing his grip on his lightsaber and hitting his head hard on the floor.
It was some seconds before his vision cleared. When it did, Norval was standing over him. Obi-Wan could feel the heat from the glowing lightsaber blade, which was trained on his throat.
"You didn't think I could actually get the Holocron, did you?" he gloated. "Nobody did. If only Omal hadn't interfered the first time, I would be even stronger now — and you and Dr. Lundi would be long dead."
Obi-Wan pretended to listen as Norval ranted. The longer he talked, the more time he'd have to formulate some sort of plan. Once Norval decided to strike, Obi-Wan would be out of time — perhaps permanently.
Out of the corner of his eye Obi-Wan saw his lightsaber rolling away from him. Beyond it was the glowing Holocron, still on the floor.
Norval raised his saber. But just as he began to bring it back down another blast pelted the ship. It took Norval a moment to steady himself.
That moment was all Obi-Wan needed. Reaching out with both hands, he used the Force to bring his lightsaber and the Holocron to him. He caught one in each hand as he leapt to his feet. Then, reigniting his lightsaber, he gracefully knocked Norval's weapon out of his hand and across the room.
The crude handle shattered, and the interior crystals spilled across the floor.
Stunned, Norval climbed to his feet. "Your young Padawan would have made a wonderful Sith," he growled, his face contorting into an expression of rage. "Too bad he and that ship he's on are about to be destroyed by some friends of mine." He grinned. "They'll stop firing on me once they know you've been taken care of."
Obi-Wan wondered for a split second how Norval knew about Anakin. He supposed the evil young man made many things his business. But before he could consider the thought further, Norval lunged for the ship's communicator. "The Jedi has the Holocron!" he shouted. "You've got to get me out of here."
Obi-Wan turned and ran out of the room while Norval begged for help.
The Jedi Master would not strike down an unarmed being. He would not leave his Padawan to face the mystery ship alone. And he would not be leaving without the Holocron this time.
Chapter 26
All around him, doors began to slide closed. Obi-Wan hit the ground running. Squeezing sideways, he was just able to make it through the door he'd entered earlier and into the corridor. The last thing he saw was Norval laughing at him, a sneer twisting the lower half of his face.
"You have no idea what you are up against," he shouted.
Obi-Wan raced back down the white corridors to the shuttle. The glowing Holocron cast an eerie red glow on the walls. Obi-Wan ignored the queasiness in his gut and the weakness in his legs. He had to get to Anakin.
Within minutes Obi-Wan was hurtling out of the shuttle bay in the tiny vessel. Pressing his face to the transparisteel, he scanned the space for a sign of Anakin's ship. He didn't see one. Nor did he see the gray vessel. The earlier laser fire had stopped completely.
Obi-Wan sat back, discouraged. He was quite sure he'd know if his Padawan had been killed — he would have felt it. But where was he?
Obi-Wan programmed the shuttle to travel close to Norval's ship. He needed cover for as long as possible.
The shuttle glided through space, around to the other side of Norval's ship. Still Obi-Wan saw nothing. He was just about to give up and launch himself away when he spotted the small borrowed craft sneakily hiding right next to Norval's vessel. Obi-Wan was relieved. The boy was smart.
As soon as the shuttle had docked on the borrowed ship, Obi-Wan opened the door and hurried to the cargo bays. He had to secure the Holocron before he did anything else. He wanted someplace safe, and as far away from Lundi as possible.
Obi-Wan carefully placed the artifact in an onboard vault, and was immedi
ately relieved to have it out of his hands. But he knew he wouldn't be completely comfortable until it was safely locked away in the Jedi archives on Coruscant. and perhaps not even then.
Obi-Wan rushed onto the bridge, eager to see his Padawan. But what he saw from the doorway was so surprising it stopped him in his tracks.
The professor's cage was empty and its door hung open. Anakin sat on the floor. He was cradling Lundi in his lap.
