“What is it?” Siri asked, catching his smile.
“Remind me to stop underestimating you,” he said.
She grinned. “Gladly.”
“And thank you.”
Siri turned her attention to the controls. She never acknowledged thanks or compliments. But Obi-Wan knew the moment had added to their friendship.
He saw a speck on the horizon, and his attention sharpened. The surge in the Force told Obi-Wan that the speck was not one of the native uizani birds of Radnor.
“To our right,” he said to Siri over the noise of the airspeeder.
She nodded. Obi-Wan contacted Ry-Gaul on his comlink and alerted him to the speck, which was now growing into a black shape.
“Definitely some kind of transport,” Siri said.
The dark presence in the Force was growing. Obi-Wan felt it like a wave against his skin.
“Strange,” he said. “It looks like a smaller version of an MTT.” He was familiar with the Multi Troop Transport ships from his dealings with the Trade Federation. Battle Droids could be compressed and loaded into the ship with no wasted space.
“An MTT? I think you might be right. Well, now we have the answer to my question,” Siri said grimly. “We know how they are transporting Battle Droids. The MTT must have been in the cargo hold of one of the ferry ships.”
“That’s why the Avoni officer ordered a lockdown of the cargo holds,” Obi-Wan guessed.
“We’d better get off these coordinates.” Siri deftly turned the airspeeder to the right. Behind her, Ry-Gaul made the same turn. “I think I remember some ground canyons due south of us. Can you find them?”
Obi-Wan entered their coordinates on the onboard computer. “You’re right. We’re only a few kilometers away. We can hide there and see what’s going on. Before we stop the evacuation we should find out exactly what we’re up against. It shouldn’t take long.” He entered the new coordinates, then quickly contacted Ry-Gaul and Soara to tell them the new plan.
Siri pushed the engines faster. They were close to the ground and small enough that they should avoid detection. They assumed the transport was headed for the city of Aubendo.
“The ship is turning,” Obi-Wan said suddenly.
“That’s odd,” Siri muttered. She glanced over her shoulder, then pushed the engines harder. “Can you get a fix on it?”
Obi-Wan aimed a macrolaser tracker at the ship. Within seconds, the airspeeder computer had mapped out the probable destination of the ship. The coordinates matched where they were heading.
“Either it’s following us, or it’s heading to the same canyon area,” Obi-Wan told Siri. “Let’s try an experiment.”
Quickly, he entered new coordinates into the shipboard computer. Siri changed direction. After a few moments, the ship changed as well.
“It is following us,” Siri said. “Why? What would an MTT want with two tiny airspeeders?”
“Unless they know the Jedi are aboard,” Obi-Wan said.
Siri gave him a quick glance, the wind whipping her hair against her cheek. “Curi?”
“Maybe. Or we could have been under surveillance. Our only hope is to lose it in those canyons. Those ships are too big to maneuver the way we can.”
“We’ll have to get to the canyons first,” Siri murmured. The engines were on full, and the MTT was gaining.
Obi-Wan answered his comlink and heard Soara’s clipped tone. “They must know we’re Jedi.”
“Yes. We can lose it in the canyons.”
“Let’s hope so. Those MTTs can carry a full platoon of droids.”
Obi-Wan cut the communication. The ship was gaining on them. He wasn’t concerned. The canyons were only a few kilometers away. They should make it. He had complete confidence in Siri’s ability as a pilot. The bulky transport would not be able to follow them.
He wasn’t concerned…so why am I concerned? Obi-Wan wondered, shaking his head at his lapse in logic.
“Something’s wrong,” he said.
“There you go again,” Siri said. “Stating the obvious.”
“So you feel it, too?”
“I do.”
“They could be herding us toward the canyons because they know they could trap us there.”
“They could. But we have no choice. We don’t have another strategy,” Siri said. “There’s nothing between here and Tacto. No place for us to hide.”
The canyons were ahead. They could see the odd zigzag tracing of them in the ground. It wasn’t until they were on top of them that they could see that the lines on the ground were actually deep fissures. Siri aimed the airspeeder down into their depths. The sky went gray as the sun disappeared.
The fissure widened as they dropped, and they found themselves in a large underground canyon. There were offshoots to the sides, but they were too narrow even for an airspeeder.
Ry-Gaul hugged their rear. The MTT zoomed downward, still chasing them.
“They have a plan, all right,” Siri said between her teeth as she dove down.
Obi-Wan wished they had a more nimble transport. The airspeeder was meant to travel on repulsorlift engines along the surface of a planet. It had a limited ability to dive and maneuver.
The MTT was almost on them now. Obi-Wan was uncomfortably aware that MTTs were often equipped with proton torpedos.
“What I wouldn’t give for a deflector shield,” Siri muttered.
Suddenly the canyon wall next to them exploded. Rocks and debris slammed into the airspeeder. Siri had trouble hanging on to the controls.
Behind them, Ry-Gaul and Soara were also in trouble. A blast from the MTT had hit their rear. They were falling through the air, trailing black smoke. Ry-Gaul fought to regain power.
“They’re going down!” Obi-Wan shouted.
Obi-Wan reached out with the Force, knowing it was useless. He could not stop an airspeeder from crashing. Helplessly, he watched it begin to spiral.
“Hang on!” Siri shouted. She put their airspeeder into a steep dive. Underneath her hands, the controls vibrated and the whole craft shook. She was pushing the craft to its maximum —and beyond.
Siri turned sharply to the left, slipping under the other airspeeder. At the exact moment they were underneath, Ry-Gaul and Soara leaped.
They landed on the rear of the speeder, sending it tilting crazily. Ry-Gaul and Soara released their cable hooks, fastening themselves to the craft as it bucked and rolled. Siri’s face was set with determination as she battled with the out-of-control speeder.
Ground loomed up at them. Canyon walls rushed past. Ahead was a sheer cliff. Siri tried to slow the craft, but the engines were stuck.
“Cut the power!” Obi-Wan shouted.
Siri shut down the engines. With a piercing whine, they cut out. The speeder bounced off the ground, then spun wildly. Soara and Ry-Gaul desperately hung onto their cables. Obi-Wan was thrown from his door against Siri. His head slammed back against the seat.
The speeder suddenly smashed against the canyon wall, then came to a stop.
Obi-Wan tasted blood in his mouth, but he knew he was unhurt. He looked over at Siri. She winced, but she nodded to let him know she was all right. Soara was trying to pick herself up, but her leg was at an awkward angle. Ry-Gaul supported her and helped her rise.
The Jedi did not hesitate. They did not even have time to wait until their heads were clear. The MTT was zooming down toward them, laser cannons firing.
Obi-Wan and Siri leaped off the speeder and ran for cover. Ry-Gaul supported Soara and hustled her toward shelter. Obi-Wan found a small passageway between sheer canyon walls. He darted inside and the others followed.
Ry-Gaul leaned down to examine Soara’s leg. “Not broken.”
Soara tried to smile. “At last some good news.”
“Can you walk?” Obi-Wan asked.
“Yes,” Soara said, her face white with pain.
“No,” Ry-Gaul said gently. “But I will help you.”
They followed the
twisting trail, moving as fast as they could despite Soara’s injury.
“I doubt they’ll unload the droids here,” Siri said.
“If this is an invasion, they’ll want to get on with it,” Soara said through clenched teeth. “Why waste time on four Jedi? Maybe they’ll just give up and go away.”
“This trail is doubling back on itself,” Obi-Wan said suddenly. “It’s going to bring us back to where we started.”
“Great,” Siri said. “I missed that MTT.”
Obi-Wan inched close to the edge of the wall. He looked out.
The MTT had landed in a clear space a few hundred meters away. The ramp lowered. As Obi-Wan watched, troop after troop of Prototype Droids marched down.
“They are unloading the droids,” he said. “They aren’t giving up.”
Chapter Seventeen
Anakin and Tru managed to find one of the few security officers left on the planet. They left Ruuin in his care.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he bribes or talks his way out of custody,” Anakin said, watching as Ruuin walked away with the officer, talking quickly and gesturing with his short, stubby arms.
“It doesn’t matter,” Tru answered. “We have proof that Radnor is being invaded. We’d better talk to the others.”
“Sure, so Ferus can tell us what to do,” Anakin grumbled.
“Well, what do you think we should do?” Tru asked as they hurried toward the checkpoint Ferus and Darra were guarding.
“I think Galen is behind this, and we should confront him,” Anakin said. “He can tell us exactly what the Avoni are planning. Then we can figure out how to foil it.”
“Somehow I doubt it will be that easy,” Tru said.
“I do, too,” Anakin agreed. “But I can’t think of anything else.”
They reached Darra and Ferus and quickly told them what they had found.
“We don’t know for sure that it’s Galen,” Ferus said.
“We don’t have time to come up with another suspect,” Anakin insisted. “We have to move now. We don’t know what’s going on in the Isolation Sector. Our Masters could be in danger.”
“Anakin is right,” Darra agreed. “We won’t lose anything by confronting Galen.”
“Let’s go,” Ferus declared.
As if it was his idea, Anakin thought.
The four Padawans hurried to the command center. Galen was just tossing a small survival kit into his airspeeder.
“Going somewhere?” Anakin asked.
“Of course I am,” Galen answered. “As soon as everyone is safely off the planet.”
“You seem to be in a special hurry,” Darra observed.
Galen gave an exasperated sigh. “What are you getting at now?”
“We have solid information that the planet Avon was behind the raids and also the theft of those Prototype Droids,” Anakin said. “And we think you know something about it.”
Galen chuckled, shaking his head. “You kids sure come up with some incredible theories. I’ve been trying to help the citizens of Radnor!”
“What about the original toxic accident?” Ferus asked. “And the theft of the droids? Both things happened at your facilities.”
“It’s called bad luck,” Galen said. “I’m one of the top scientists on Radnor. Maybe someone targeted me. And as soon as all this is over, we’ll be going over our safety procedures very carefully. But I’m not responsible. I’ve been risking my life by staying here. I could have left long ago. I had the money. My sister and I decided to stay to help our fellow citizens. Why are you accusing me?”
Now Galen looked hurt, not angry. Anakin did not pick up anything amiss. He wished Obi-Wan were here. He was not yet adept at reading the true motives of other beings.
Anakin remembered Ruuin’s anxiousness to get away. No doubt he had a rendezvous time with the Avoni as well as a rendezvous point. Maybe Galen had the same problem.
“I say we just hold him until the Avoni ships take off,” Anakin told the others. “He can wait here with us for the Senate ships.”
Tru’s silver eyes flickered as he understood Anakin’s strategy. “I agree.”
“This is ridiculous!” Galen exploded. Finally they had cracked his wounded composure. “I refuse, after all I’ve done, to subject myself to these suspicions.”
He jumped inside the airspeeder and revved the engine. But he hadn’t counted on the quick reflexes of the Padawans. Anakin reached over and shut off the engine as Tru jumped in and accessed the onboard computer. He read out the coordinates that flashed on the screen. They were the same as Ruuin’s.
“I’m sorry, Galen,” Anakin said. “We now have proof. Those are the coordinates of an Avoni landing site. You are going to be airlifted off-planet.”
“Yes, so what?” Galen bellowed. “Along with everyone else!”
“I don’t think so. I think you cut a special deal with the invaders. You and your conspirators would have had new lives on Avon—thanks to your betrayal of your planet.”
A small, shocked voice came from behind them. “No.”
Anakin turned. A small woman with features similar to Galen’s stood in the doorway. He recognized Galen’s sister Curi from the hologram Galen had received the day they’d arrived. “It can’t be true. Galen? Is it true?”
“Of course not, Curi,” Galen said. “These Jedi are children. What do they know?”
Darra ignored Galen’s comment. “Did you leave our Masters in the Isolation Sector?” she asked urgently.
Curi tore her sorrowful gaze from her brother and faced the Padawans. “They were on their way here. The toxin is no longer dangerous. It has a short half-life, we’ve just discovered. The winds will bring no danger to Tacto.”
“And our Masters?” Darra asked. “Where are they now?”
“They are in great danger,” Curi said. “They are pinned down by the Avoni invaders outside the city of Aubendo in the ground canyon fields. Dol Heep had them under surveillance. I discovered that he had placed tracking devices in my transports. When I found out I went after them. I was just in time to see a large vessel force them down. They are under attack from a platoon of Battle Droids. Our Battle Droids,” she added, with a glance at Galen.
“How can we trust her?” Ferus asked the others in a low tone. “What if she and Galen are in league together? What if they’re trying to get us out of the Clear Sector so they can take off?”
The Padawans looked at one another, confusion on their faces. Yes, Curi could be lying. Galen definitely was. Who could they trust?
Trust yourself. Breathe in your instinct. Then act.
Anakin closed his eyes for a moment. He touched the river stone in his pocket, sliding his fingers over its warmth. He reached out to the Force, to a place that he knew well. He felt a distant tug—Obi-Wan. Yes, his Master was in danger. And Curi…Curi was telling the truth.
Unease was still on his fellow Padawans’ faces. But Anakin locked eyes with Ferus. “We can’t take a chance with our Masters’ lives.”
Ferus hesitated only a fraction, surprised at the depth of Anakin’s contact with the Force. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
Chapter Eighteen
The Padawans commandeered Galen’s airspeeder. The four of them squeezed inside. Curi gave them the coordinates of where she had last seen the Avoni transport and the Jedi.
“Look at all these Radnorans in bio-isolation suits,” Darra observed. “I sure hope Curi is telling the truth, or we’ll be in for a big surprise when the winds shift.”
Darra spoke lightly, but no one felt entirely easy about their decision. Even Anakin was a little worried. He was betting everything on his intuition. If he was wrong, the consequences would be severe. He could die, along with the other Padawans.
I’m not wrong.
He could feel Ferus’s eyes on him. He kept his gaze forward as he piloted the craft. He wasn’t about to retreat now.
Ahead they saw the energy gate that led to the Isolation Sector.
Curi had given them the coordinates to bypass it. Anakin entered them into a signal beam and the energy gate opened. They zoomed through.
For a moment, they all held their breath. Then Ferus took a deep breath. Darra did the same.
“Well, there’s no turning back now,” she said.
Ferus accessed the mapping device on the shipboard computer. He studied the ground canyon site. “There are several access points,” he said.
“We have to assume that they’re probably still very close to where Curi saw them,” Darra said. “She said their speeders were destroyed.”
“She also said the transport following them was quite large,” Tru added. “So if we take a narrow route through the canyons, we might have the element of surprise.”
“We’re going to need more than surprise if that transport was filled with Prototype Droids,” Ferus remarked. “Not only that, the transport probably has some sort of blaster cannons.”
“If you’re trying to raise our confidence level, it’s not working,” Darra said.
“We’re coming up on the ground canyons,” Ferus warned.
Anakin slowed down slightly. Ahead he only saw what looked like scribble markings on the ground. Then he realized the markings revealed deep cracks in the ground surface.
Ferus read out a coordinate. “Take that route,” he said. “It will bring us close to where Curi saw our Masters.”
Anakin zoomed down the canyon. He hugged the canyon walls, going as fast as he dared. By the look on Ferus’s face, it was faster than the other Padawan would like. Anakin pushed the engines up a notch. He knew he was in complete control.
Ahead he saw the large, hulking shape of the Avoni transport ship. It was idling, its repulsorlift engines on low, keeping it a few meters off the ground. Dust rose around it in a filmy cloud. Anakin grew excited.
“I’ve seen that kind of transport before,” he said. “It was years ago, in the Trade Federation battle for Naboo. This is a slightly smaller version of an MTT—a Multi Troop Transport. They store Battle Droids and are usually piloted by two droids.”
“They also have heavy frontal armor. The ship itself can be a weapon.” Tru looked uneasy. “They can go through rock walls.”