Dark Warning

  more."

  "Here." Obi-Wan found what he was looking for. "If we can hold them

  off just a little longer, we can make it."

  "I'll go to maximum speed," Raina said.

  Obi-Wan went back to the gun pods. They kept up a steady barrage of

  fire. Raina flew fast in a series of dizzying turns and circles.

  The ship started to shake alarmingly.

  "Coming up on that storm," Toma called. He whistled. "It's a bad one.

  I've got indications of space shears and shifts."

  Space shears could tear apart a class-A cruiser, if a pilot wasn't

  careful. At the sign of shears, pilots were happy to make detours of

  thousands of kilometers if they had to.

  "We can still get around it," Toma said.

  Raina gritted her teeth. "No. This is the only way to shake them. Obi-

  Wan is right."

  They flew straight into the atmospheric storm. The jouncing of the

  ship turned into a violent bucking.

  "She can take it," Toma said to a visibly nervous Trever. "The ship is

  double-hulled and triple-bolted. We have backups on every system. I built

  this myself during the Clone Wars. It's not an ordinary starship."

  "This isn't your ordinary storm," Trever said as a space shear hit

  them broadside.

  Trever skidded across the cockpit floor and came to rest against the

  console. He grabbed it and held on.

  A current of energy sent them spinning off out of control. Raina went

  with the spin, letting the ship find its own balance. "The trick with these

  energy shifts is to fight them as little as possible," she said.

  Ferus had to admire her nerve. The hardest thing for a pilot to do was

  let the ship take over. Raina watched the indicators, her gaze steady, not

  interfering with the ship's attempt to right itself. It did no good to fire

  the cannons. They were spinning too crazily.

  "The starships are retreating," Ferus called. "They're more afraid of

  the storm than they are of their admiral." Or else, he thought privately,

  they figure that we're doomed.

  Raina began to take over the controls again, easing the ship through

  the buffeting storm. On and on they flew, slammed by currents of energy

  that sucked them into vortexes and spun them out like droplets of water.

  The ship staggered and lurched, sometimes close to stalling out the

  engines. Ferus started to worry when he noticed that Raina looked

  concerned.

  "We're almost out of it," Toma called in relief.

  The ride smoothed out, but suddenly they could see nothing. It was as

  though a curtain had dropped over the cockpit windscreen. They had entered

  an atmospheric cloud so dense that space outside was just a gray, roiling

  mass.

  "Even the sensors can't penetrate this," Raina said. "I can't get any

  readings. There must be some sort of energy field - "

  Suddenly Ferus felt something surge, a warning. "Ferus..." Obi-Wan

  said.

  "I felt it." He strained his eyes ahead.

  Suddenly an asteroid loomed ahead, seemingly close enough to touch. It

  had appeared without warning and they were headed straight for it.

  "Look out!" Trever shouted.

  Raina pulled back on the speed. Just in time, the craft pulled up, and

  they zoomed just meters above the pitted surface while she desperately

  searched for a place to land.

  "There." Obi-Wan pointed.

  Raina skimmed over the rocky ground and gently set the ship down on a

  large, flat rock.

  Raina peered through the cockpit canopy. "Where are we?"

  Toma scanned the nav computer. "This asteroid should have made it onto

  star maps. It's large enough, and it has an atmosphere. But there's no

  trace of it."

  Obi-Wan activated the canopy and hauled himself up and out. He looked

  above. The sky was a dense blue haze. He couldn't see a star.

  "I think this asteroid is locked into the force field of the storm,"

  lie said. "It can't break out, so it travels constantly as the storm

  travels."

  "And cruisers avoid the storm, so the asteroid isn't mapped," Ferus

  said, hauling himself up and out of the cockpit to stand beside Obi-Wan.

  "Let's take a look around."

  They explored the area around the ship, but all they found were

  craters and dust.

  "At least we're safe," Raina said. She stretched. "And I could use a

  rest."

  "Yeah, getting pounded by the Empire's starfighters and then

  pulverized by a galactic storm will do that to you," Trever said. "Not to

  mention, we missed lunch."

  Raina laughed and slung an arm around Trever. "You're starting to grow

  on me, kid."

  "Yeah, just like goblin moss," Trever said.

  Raina and Trever headed off to prepare a shelter. Toma turned to Obi-

  Wan.

  "You have been waiting to speak to me," he said.

  "Yes," Obi-Wan said. "Tell me about the death of Garen MuIn."

  Toma looked startled.

  "Death?" he said. "But Garen MuIn isn't dead... he's alive."

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  "We were together when it happened," Toma said. "At our headquarters

  in Eluthan. We were negotiating the terms of the truce. That didn't take

  long, but we were enjoying each other's company. We had thought we were

  enemies, but we found we had much in common. Then it happened."

  "The clone troopers," Obi-Wan said.

  "He was in the operations base with me," Toma said. "We had the

  vidscreens on, and we saw the clone troopers attack. Like someone had

  thrown a switch - it was clear they had orders to hunt down Garen and kill

  anyone who got in their way. He wanted to go out and fight, but it was too

  late. I had to convince him to stay with me, that I could hide him. And I

  did. I had a secure place in the volcanic caves outside the city, a place I

  had created in case the worst happened. I never thought the worst would

  happen to the man who had once been my enemy, and that I would protect him.

  "

  "Did they search for him?"

  "For weeks," Toma said. "I was interviewed by a special group called

  the Inquisitors."

  "We've heard of them," Ferus said drily.

  "Was one of them named Malorum?" Obi-Wan asked.

  Toma shook his head. "No. Why?"

  I guess all roads don't lead to Malorum, Obi-Wan thought. But that

  didn't make him any less of a threat.

  "It's not important," the Jedi said. "Please continue."

  This time, Toma nodded. "Finally," he said, "the Inquisitors gave up.

  They assumed, I think, that he had escaped the planet. Once things had

  quieted down a little, Garen told me it was time to go. I gave him a ship."

  Obi-Wan could not believe what he was hearing. He had grown used to

  casualty after casualty after casualty. He had walled himself against hope,

  as a way of keeping away the inevitable disappointment and sadness. Even

  though he knew there was a slight possibility that Jedi other than himself

  and Yoda had survived, with every day the possibility had seemed slighter

  and slighter, until it seemed a mere thread against the whole weight of the

  Empire.

  But now... he felt the hope rise inside his chest, a feeling that was

  so unfa
miliar it felt brand-new. His good friend, Garen. Possibly alive. He

  was afraid to believe it, but he was desperate for it to be true.

  "Do you know where he went?" he asked Toma.

  "He was going to make his way to a place called Ilum," Toma said. "He

  told me that I should only inform another Jedi of this, and they would know

  why."

  Ferus and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance. Ilum was the site of the Crystal

  Cave, where every Jedi apprentice went to forge his or her own lightsaber.

  It was sacred to the Jedi.

  "Ilum," Ferus said. "Of course." He grew excited. "I never thought of

  it before. Others could have gone there, too."

  "He's probably hiding in the cave," Obi-Wan said, knowing that is what

  Garen would do: Find a safe place that the Jedi knew better than anyone

  else.

  Toma went to join Raina and Trever and build a shelter. Ferus paced up

  and down, excited at the news.

  "We have to go there," he said to Obi-Wan. "Who knows how many Jedi

  could be there? There could be more of us than we know."

  Ferus didn't even know what he was saying until the word was in the

  air. Us. This was the truth: Even though he had left the Jedi, he still

  felt like he was one with them. Not one of them, but one with them.

  He could no more disconnect from the Force than he could disconnect

  from his own thoughts. It was a part of him. He could not deny it. This new

  hope made the bond even clearer, as if the course of action had shone a

  spotlight on his attachment.

  Obi-Wan did not comment on Ferus's choice of words, but Ferus could

  see him taking everything in, just as he always had.

  "You are not here to be punished, least of all by yourself, " Obi-Wan

  had told him when he approached the Jedi Council for the last time, to

  resign from the Order.

  "I must go on living," Ferus had responded. "That is my punishment."

  He knew Obi-Wan hadn't wanted him to leave. If he'd been Obi-Wan's

  Padawan, it would have all been different. Everything would have been

  different.

  But instead Obi-Wan was left with Anakin, and Ferus was left with

  nothing. Before he'd exiled himself from the Temple, he'd told Anakin, "If

  the Jedi ever need me, I will be there."

  Now here he was, among the last of the Jedi.

  "You remember the caves'?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "Of course," Ferus answered. How many times had he and the other

  Padawans - his friends - talked about the things that happened there, about

  the tests that would lead to the creation of their lightsabers? His Master,

  Siri, had taken him there when he was thirteen. She had left him in the

  caves to fight off his greatest fears - and although it had been

  terrifying, he had somehow maintained his calm. He made it through, and

  forged his own blade.

  Then, in what seemed like no time at all, he gave up the lightsaber.

  Let it go.

  But not entirely.

  "I can forge a new lightsaber," he said now, thinking how helpful this

  would be. "If I can get the crystals, I can do it again."

  Obi-Wan nodded, but he felt hesitant. Ferus was no longer a Jedi. His

  hold on the Force was growing, but it was still erratic. By the time an

  apprentice came to the caves at Ilum to find crystals, they were at the

  peak of their preparation. If Ferus were his Padawan, he would make him

  wait.

  "I know what you're thinking, Obi-Wan," Ferus said. "But you are not a

  Master, and I am not an apprentice." Ferus's face was flushed. "You seem

  locked in an old pattern."

  "I don't think so," Obi-Wan answered gently. "The caves are a

  difficult trial, even for a fully prepared apprentice."

  "I know that. I've been through them. I know there are things I've

  forgotten, but I can't wait until I've relearned everything again. Do you

  really think we can afford to wait? Perhaps Jedi caution is what paved the

  way for their destruction."

  The accusation stung, but hadn't Obi-Wan thought the very same thing?

  His own caution... it had paved the way for Anakin Skywalker to turn

  into Darth Vader. He had felt uneasy about his Padawan, but he had never

  imagined how corrupted he could become. As a Padawan, Ferus had seen

  something dangerous in Anakin. But Obi-Wan had not done anything about it.

  Now he must learn from his mistakes. It was time to be bold.

  Obi-Wan was torn. He wanted nothing more than to find his friend Garen

  alive. But he also knew he had to keep his attention on the real threat -

  Malorum. On Bellassa they had learned that Malorum had sent an investigator

  to Polis Massa. Obi-Wan was sure that Luke and Leia's birth had been

  covered up completely... but could he be absolutely certain?

  Malorum reported to Darth Vader. Was Darth Vader suspicious about

  Padme's death? Was there any path that could lead him to find that she had

  given birth to Luke and Leia before she'd died?

  Obi-Wan had to find the answers to those questions. And he wasn't

  going to find them in exile on Tatooine.

  Or, he realized, in the Caves of Blum.

  You must follow your feelings, Qui-Gon had said.

  And suddenly, Obi-Wan had a feeling that Qui-Gon was with him. Free of

  the constraints of place, trained in the way of the Whills, Qui-Gon could

  be right beside him, and Obi-Wan wouldn't know except for the feeling that

  filled him.

  If Luke is to rise, he must have something to join, Qui-Gon's voice

  said in his mind.

  Obi-Wan turned to look in the distance, so Ferus wouldn't see his

  distraction.

  Yes, he answered. You've told me that already. It is why I left to

  help Ferus.

  If Luke is to rise, he must be protected from those who seek to do him

  harm.

  So I should go to Polis Massa?

  You should follow your feelings.

  Obi-Wan knew what that meant. They lead me there, he told his Master.

  So go.

  Obi-Wan felt Qui-Gon move from him as quickly as a breeze. One moment

  he'd been there, the next, gone. But Obi-Wan's decision had been made. He

  had to trust Ferus to search for Garen... while he himself had to go to

  Polis Massa. He had to ensure that Luke and Leia's secret was safe. If Luke

  was found, then Ferus was doomed, Garen was doomed... they were all doomed

  to live or die under the Empire. That was what Qui-Gon was telling him.

  Ferus had stopped pacing and was watching him. "You don't agree with

  me."

  "I do agree," Obi-Wan said. "You're right. This is your time to be

  bold. To take the biggest chances."

  Ferus looked relieved. "Besides, you'll be with me in the caves."

  Obi-Wan spoke slowly, knowing what he was about to say would be a

  surprise to Ferus. "No, I won't be. I'm not going with you. There's

  something else I have to do."

  "What could be more important than your friend?" Ferus asked

  incredulously.

  Obi-Wan looked at Ferus, helpless to answer. What could he say? Ferus

  didn't know that Anakin had become Darth Vader, didn't know that Anakin had

  fathered two children. These were things Obi-Wan was forbidden to tell him,

  things that Ferus couldn't know. It would only
be a burden to him. It was

  dangerous for anyone else to know.

  "All of our fates," Obi-Wan said. "That is more important."

  Ferus was now angry. He could see that. Obi-Wan felt frustration. He

  couldn't fully confide in Ferus, and that would always be between them. He

  would have to accept that.

  "All right," Ferus said stiffly. "I was hoping to have your help, but

  I can do it alone."

  "I'll take you there," Obi-Wan said. "I can drop you and then return

  for you. Trever can keep watch, and alert me if something goes wrong. The

  place I'm going isn't far from Ilum, and I hope my time there won't be

  long."

  Ferus gave a short, angry nod. He did not, however, question Obi-Wan

  further. Obi-Wan appreciated that.

  "I can still help you," Obi-Wan said. "You must be careful. If it

  seems logical to us that Jedi would go to Ilum, then it is logical to the

  Empire as well. They will have some kind of presence there. But I know

  another way to the caves, a secret way."