It was Dol Heep. The Jedi bowed to him politely.
“You haven’t been back to speak to us as you promised,” Dol Heep said. “We don’t understand this lack of courtesy.”
“We have been busy with the sick,” Siri said.
“You should be busy working to get them off-planet,” Dol Heep said in a chiding tone. “Our planet has made a great and generous offer, and still you ignore us. Now we hear that the evacuation ships have been delayed. And you still don’t come to us?” Dol Heep’s skin was mottled with anger. “We deserve this treatment? If you do not allow our fleet to land, the Senate shall hear about it!”
“We were just coming to see you, Dol Heep,” Obi-Wan said in a polite tone, even though he was nettled at the ambassador’s rudeness. “We accept your offer of help.”
It was a decision he’d made reluctantly. But Siri was right. Lives were at stake. The Jedi would just have to ensure that the Avoni were not planning a takeover of the famed Radnoran research labs. Though how they would do that, he didn’t know. The Senate ships could be delayed for days. It was more than time enough for the Avoni to raid the labs.
“More like it, we say,” Dol Heep said, satisfied. “We will give the order for the ferry ships to land in both sectors. We will load the citizens onto skiffs in the cities, then bring them to the ferry ships, which will transport them to the orbiting ships. Then we’ll bring them to Coruscant. You see? We give all our resources to our friends the Radnorans.”
Dol Heep hurried off, his septsilk cloak swishing with his lurching walk.
“I hope we don’t come to regret this,” Soara said.
“Yes,” Obi-Wan said. “But it seems the only decision to make under the circumstances.”
Siri withdrew her comlink from her utility belt. She punched out the coordinates for Ferus. To everyone’s surprise, they heard Ferus’s voice clearly.
“Yes, Master.”
“Ferus! We have received word that the evacuation ships have been delayed—”
“We know this. And Master—”
“One minute, Ferus,” Siri interrupted. “This is important. Avoni ships will be here in a matter of hours. They will transport the population to ships orbiting the planet. Then they’ll be taken to safety. There is no need for panic. Did you copy that?”
“Yes, Master. But we fear that someone has—”
Static overcame the line, and it went dead.
The Masters exchanged uneasy glances.
“He sounded worried,” Obi-Wan said.
“Yes,” Siri agreed quietly. “He did.”
“Something is wrong in Tacto,” Soara murmured. “I can feel it. But I don’t have a clear sense of it.”
The Jedi Masters exchanged glances. They all felt the same.
“I agree,” Siri said. “We can only trust that our Padawans are able to handle it.”
The usually composed Soara looked uncertain. “This is Darra’s first mission.”
“Ferus has experience with difficult situations,” Siri said. “And the others look up to him.”
Not Anakin, Obi-Wan thought. He had sensed Anakin’s dislike of Ferus. It hadn’t worried him. Anakin would naturally feel rivalries with other Padawans at this age. As he matured as a Jedi, he would outgrow them. Once, Obi-Wan had felt the same about Siri. Now he valued her friendship.
Anakin was still young. Without Obi-Wan there to guide him, would Anakin allow his strong will to bend with the needs of the group? Would his dislike of Ferus spill over into open conflict? The nagging doubts would not go away.
“They are all excellent Padawans, each in their own way,” Soara said confidently. “Together they are even stronger.”
“But they are not Jedi,” Ry-Gaul said softly. “Not yet.”
And somehow these gentle words from a Jedi who rarely spoke summed up everything they felt. And everything they feared.
Chapter Twelve
Ferus was right. Ferus was always right. Except when he was wrong.
Anakin hurried along the streets of Tacto with the others. News of the delay of the evacuation ships had leaked out. Security officers had called for help. A riot had broken out in the last remaining shop to sell bio-isolation suits. While he raced along with the others, Anakin’s mind was busy furiously reviewing the scene with Galen. Ferus’s too-respectful questioning had gotten them nowhere. As soon as Anakin began to make some headway, Ferus had interrupted.
“You handled Galen well back there,” Darra said to Ferus. “I don’t think I could have held my temper.”
“It does us no good to make him angry,” Ferus said. “He is still a source of information for us.”
Anakin snorted. “Some source. He didn’t tell us anything. He treated us like kids. And you let him get away with it.”
Ferus glanced down and gave him a cool look as he kept up his easy, loping stride. Anakin wished he weren’t so tall. “He didn’t tell you anything, either.”
“He was about to,” Anakin shot back.
“So you can see into the future,” Ferus said. “Hmmm. That’s very unusual for a Padawan.”
Anakin flushed angrily as Darra giggled.
“As long as we keep our lightsabers sheathed,” Tru spoke up suddenly. The three Padawans looked at him. “We can handle the riot peacefully,” he explained.
Now they could hear the roar of the crowd ahead. They picked up their pace and raced to the spot.
Blasters had been drawn. Radnorans lay bleeding on the streets. More pushed to get inside the store. Bio-iso suits had been torn to shreds by competing Radnorans. Over a voice amp system, the shop owner was desperately attempting to quiet the crowd.
“There are no more suits!” he cried. “No more suits! Go home! The shop is empty!”
“We need to get to the voice amp,” Anakin said.
“Keep your lightsabers sheathed,” Ferus warned. “We can handle this peacefully if we keep calm.”
Ferus was giving orders again. Anakin turned away and tried to push his way through the crowd. Darra and Tru joined Ferus in breaking up fights and trying to calm the crowd. It was difficult to do this without hurting anyone. At first the Radnorans were furious at the Jedi. They had to dodge blows as they sought to calm tempers.
Anakin made his way to the frightened owner. “I must use your voice amp,” he told him. “I can calm the crowd.”
The owner handed him the amp. “Be my guest.”
Anakin spoke clearly into the amp system. “The Avoni have pledged a fleet of ships to airlift the citizens off-planet. They are achieving orbit now. There is room for all. Everyone will be evacuated before the winds shift.”
A few Radnorans closest to the amp heard the message and began to talk among themselves. Anakin repeated the message. Gradually, the crowd began to settle down.
“Where do we report to? How will this be handled?” someone called.
“The evacuation team will alert each of you where and when to show up,” Anakin announced. “But that means you must return to your homes.”
Slowly the crowd began to disperse. The crisis was averted. But the owner’s business had been completely destroyed. The battered sign reading BIO-ISO SUITS 5,000 KARSEMS swung crazily in the stiff breeze.
“It almost serves him right for charging so much,” Darra said as a last burst of wind sent the sign crashing to the street.
“I wish communication were better with our Masters,” Tru said. “They will know when and how the Avoni fleet is arriving. We need to give the Radnorans more information.”
“I think we should take a look at the comm system,” Anakin said. “There might be a way to fix it, or at least fabricate a makeshift comm unit that has enough power to reach the other sector.”
Ferus shook his head. “We won’t be able to fix a planetary system,” he said. “Atmospheric disturbances are too great.”
“We don’t know that,” Anakin argued. “It’s worth a try. We need to coordinate with the other sector.”
&nbs
p; “Here we go again,” Darra said, looking from Anakin to Ferus. “Don’t you two ever agree?”
Anakin looked at Tru. He needed backup.
“I think we should try it,” Tru said.
“Why not?” Darra agreed. “We’re at a dead end, anyway.”
Ferus nodded. “All right. But while you and Tru work on the comm problem, Darra and I should investigate those Prototype Droids. Maybe if we find out how they were stolen, we can find out more about the raiders. I’m still worried about who is behind them.”
So am I, Anakin said silently. We all are.
The two Padawan teams split up. Anakin and Tru retraced their steps back to the Emergency Command Center. They needed to get permission from Galen to access the central power source.
“Why not?” Galen said, waving a hand. “Our tech experts can’t fix it. Give it a try.”
Anakin and Tru entered the comm center. “Thanks for backing me up,” Anakin said. “Have you noticed how Ferus has been taking control?”
“No,” Tru said. “I’ve noticed he’s had some good ideas. So have you.”
“Well, I don’t like being bossed around,” Anakin muttered.
Tru gave him a sidelong look. “This isn’t a game of sabaac, Anakin. No one is keeping score. We’re all just trying to do the right thing.”
“I don’t like the way he operates, that’s all,” Anakin said.
Tru shook his head. “You’re doing the same thing he’s doing, Anakin. You’re thinking ahead. You’re coming up with ideas. You two are the most experienced Padawans on the mission. It’s natural. I like Ferus. You would, too, if you gave him a chance. He has plenty of friends for a reason.”
“Ferus doesn’t have friends. He has followers,” Anakin said. He didn’t like the way the conversation was going, so he began to study the console. “This is pretty standard.”
Tru bent over some large-scale holofiles. “I found the blueprint of the system,” he said. “We should be able to pinpoint the problem. Fixing it is another matter.”
“Let me try the rangefinders first,” Anakin said. He bent over the tech console, his fingers flying. He was lucky that he had excelled in his tech classes. He hadn’t been content to merely learn what the Masters had wanted him to. He had haunted the tech rooms at the Temple, eager to find out how everything worked.
Anakin tried sending a series of messages, then backtracked through the system, attempting to locate the precise problem.
Puzzled, Anakin frowned.
“I know, I don’t get it, either,” Tru said, jumping into the middle of a conversation they weren’t having, as he usually did. “It doesn’t make sense. If the toxin had created a disturbance in the atmosphere, the sensors should be recording the activity.”
“Everything checks out on the planet itself,” Anakin said, clicking a few more keys. “The system should be working.”
“Only it isn’t,” Tru said. “You’ve got to trust reality over a sensor. No matter how much it hurts.”
“Sensors don’t lie unless they’re broken,” Anakin said. “And these aren’t.” Suddenly, he looked up and met Tru’s silvery gaze.
“No,” Tru said.
“Yes,” Anakin said. “What else can it be? The comm system isn’t being jammed in the planetary atmosphere. It’s being jammed from space.”
Tru whistled under his breath. “Which means someone, somewhere, wants to cut the planet off. And that can only mean one thing.”
“Invasion,” they said together.
Chapter Thirteen
Curi sat in the office, a plate of untouched food pushed away from her and a datapad in front of her. She rested her head against her hand, and, behind her mask, her eyes were closed.
Obi-Wan and Siri paused. If Curi was resting at last, they didn’t want to disturb her.
Without opening her eyes, she spoke. “We can’t find it. Whatever makes Wilk immune to the toxin, we might never know. We’ve checked out everything.”
“I’m sorry,” Siri said.
Curi opened her eyes. She started to scratch her head, then remembered she was in her bio-iso suit. She grimaced. “There’s something else. We used our lab facilities to run the tests. While we waited for results, I looked up everything on the toxin. I’d already done that when this first happened, but things were moving so fast...I didn’t have time to look closely. There are gaps in the research.”
“What do you mean?” Obi-Wan asked. “Gaps in the way it was conducted?”
“No,” Curi said. “Gaps in the records. There are files missing.”
“So it’s possible that—” Siri began.
“That the accident wasn’t an accident,” Curi finished.
They left Curi, who was about to return to her lab to investigate further. Obi-Wan looked at Siri.
“The ferry ships should have landed by now.”
She nodded. “Let’s go.”
The Avoni fleet had landed on the outskirts of the Isolation Sector. Obi-Wan and Siri took Curi’s airspeeder, which she’d made available for their use. They stopped the speeder a few hundred meters away from the ferry ships, hiding it behind a rocky outcropping.
The wind was strong here, driving the dust against their clothes. The bio-iso suits protected their eyes and skin from the peppery blasts.
The gleaming black ships had landed in formation. A few Avoni workers dressed in bio-iso suits were ferrying skiffs out the cargo loading doors.
“No doubt they’re going to use the skiffs to ferry the Radnorans from Aubendo to the fleet,” Obi-Wan murmured. “There must be another ship on the other side of the energy gate for Tacto.”
“Then why off-load them now?” Siri asked. “And why are they full of durasteel crates?”
“Good question,” Obi-Wan said. “Let’s get closer.”
They moved from rock to rock, trying to get close enough to see what was inside the skiffs. As they lingered in the shadow of a ship’s wing, the passenger ramp suddenly lowered. An Avoni officer strode down.
“Progress report!” he called out to the workers.
The worker quickly approached him with a datapad. Obi-Wan glanced at Siri, and after a wordless communication they both dashed up the passenger ramp.
The ship hallway was deserted. Quickly they made their way down it. Now they were in the cargo hold of the ship. There were no ground craft here. No guards or officers.
Obi-Wan accessed a door, keeping himself well out of sight as it slid open. He peered into the doorway. He found himself looking inside a large cargo bay. It was filled with Battle Droids that were ominously familiar.
“These are the Prototype Droids we fought in the Clear Sector,” Siri said. “How did the Avoni get them?”
They stepped through the doorway. At that instant, a detector light turned red.
“Mistake,” Obi-Wan muttered. “I think we just tripped a silent sensor.”
Suddenly an alarm sounded. “Intruder,” a pleasant voice announced. “Intruder.”
“Not so silent,” Siri said grimly. “Let’s get out of here while we can.”
But even as they turned, the first line of attack droids snapped to life. Behind them, the next line flipped into position. And blaster fire erupted around the Jedi.
Chapter Fourteen
Obi-Wan and Siri knew that they were no match for this many droids. And at any moment, Avoni troops could appear. Blaster fire pinged around them. Behind them, the door began to slide shut.
Obi-Wan and Siri deflected blaster fire as they moved backward. The frequency of the fire was astonishing. The air filled with smoke. In their bio-iso suits, the Jedi could not move with their customary grace. Obi-Wan felt blaster fire uncomfortably close to his shoulder.
“Obi-Wan!” Siri called.
The doors were closing, and they were too far to make it.
Obi-Wan stepped forward and, with one smooth motion, sliced a droid in half. He took the severed trunk of the body and tossed it back just in time to land betwe
en the closing door and the wall. With a grating noise, the door closed on the droid. The metal began to compress with a terrible groaning sound as the door struggled to shut. The gap was just wide enough for Siri to fit through. Even as she squeezed past, the door was closing. Obi-Wan’s lightsaber danced, a blade of light that deflected the ongoing blaster fire of the droids. He squeezed through the opening after Siri. A Prototype Droid tried to follow and smashed into the door. Obi-Wan tumbled into the hallway as another droid fired between the gap. Blaster fire zinged past their ears. The droid tried to barrel its way through the remains of the first droid and the closing door.
Obi-Wan and Siri didn’t hesitate. As more droids thudded against the half-closed door, they ran for the ramp.
The Avoni officer was still busy with the workers. He must have received a shipboard communication through his headset, for he turned and scanned the area. “Intruders!” he snapped to the workers. “Leave the skiffs. Secure the ferry ships! Lock down all cargo holds!”
The workers began to move. In their bio-iso suits, Obi-Wan and Siri were able to blend in. They made their way along the line of ships, looking busy. Then they ducked behind the rocks and doubled back to their speeder.
They jumped inside and took off.
“At least we weren’t seen,” Obi-Wan said. “The Avoni won’t know we’re on to them.”
“They’ll know someone was aboard when they find several smashed droids and a broken door,” Siri said as she piloted the speeder.
“They could think that it was a droid malfunction,” Obi-Wan said. “At least for a while.”
“Well, that reminds me. What exactly are we on to?” Siri asked. “If all of those cargo holds are full of Battle Droids, we’re in trouble. What I don’t understand is how they’re going to get the droids to Aubendo. It seems like they’re using the skiffs for cargo.”
“I don’t know. But there’s no doubt in my mind that the Avoni are planning an invasion,” Obi-Wan said. “That much is clear. But we have a worse problem.”
Siri nodded, her clear blue eyes suddenly clouded. “We might have to let them.”