The Dangerous Rescue

  THE DANGEROUS RESCUE

  CHAPTER 1

  Obi-Wan Kenobi heard the door slide shut behind him. The locking

  system clicked and whirred.

  He stopped short as a wave of helplessness overwhelmed him.

  "No," he said.

  His companion, Astri Oddo, turned. "What is it?"

  Obi-Wan faced the closed door with despair. "I can't leave him."

  "But he ordered you to go."

  Placing his hands against the door, Obi-Wan shook his head. "I can't.

  "

  Astri waited a moment. She did not move, but he felt her impatience.

  Her newly shaved head gleamed in the faint gray light. A heavy mist fell

  like rain and gathered in droplets on their skin.

  "Obi-Wan, we don't have time," she said. "I have to get to the

  Temple."

  Obi-Wan nodded, but still he could not move. Astri's father, Didi

  Oddo, was dying at the Jedi Temple. Astri carried the antitoxin that would

  save him. Astri had been a chef at her father's caf©, and she had bravely

  joined Obi-Wan in his bold plan to break into Jenna Zan Arbor's secret lab.

  They had succeeded in only part of their mission. They had retrieved

  the needed antitoxin. But Obi-Wan's Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, was still inside.

  Obi-Wan spun around and gazed quickly down the dark street, searching

  every shadow. "Where are Cholly, Weez, and Tup? They can arrange transport

  for you."

  "They're not here," Astri said, anger tightening her voice as she

  scanned the street. "I knew we couldn't trust them."

  Obi-Wan dismissed the thought of the three scoundrels. They had

  agreed to watch for Ona Nobis, the bounty hunter who Astri had impersonated

  to get inside. They were supposed to warn Obi-Wan and Astri if she arrived,

  but they had not. As a result, Jenna Zan Arbor had known that intruders

  were inside, and Qui-Gon had been trapped. Obviously, Cholly, Weez, and Tup

  had fled.

  But they weren't important to Obi-Wan now. Getting Astri back to the

  Temple was. As was getting himself back into the secret lab so that he

  could fight side by side with his Master.

  "Let me contact Tahl," he said. Astri handed him her comlink. He had

  already given his own to Qui-Gon, along with his lightsaber.

  Jedi Knight Tahl's crisp voice came through a moment later. "I'm

  here," she said tersely.

  Quickly, Obi-Wan outlined the situation. "Jenna Zan Arbor is holding

  another prisoner who she claims Qui-Gon doesn't know, but who is close to

  him. What do you think that means?"

  "I have an idea," Tahl said. "Go on."

  "Poison will be released in the prisoner's bloodstream if Qui-Gon

  leaves the building. He ordered me to leave the lab and conduct Astri back

  to the Temple. He said that safe passage for the antitoxin was the most

  important thing. I... felt I had to go, Tahl."

  "Of course you did," Tahl said crisply. "Qui-Gon was right to order

  you. But I don't want you to leave Simpla-12."

  Obi-Wan felt relief flood through him. He was only a Padawan Learner.

  He would need the permission of a Jedi Master in order to disobey Qui-Gon,

  even if his Master was currently a captive.

  "What about Didi?" Astri asked urgently.

  "Don't worry, Astri. Jedi Master Adi Gallia and her Padawan, Siri,

  are due to arrive on Simpla-12 at any moment. You should see their ship in

  a few seconds. The pilot can bring you back to the Temple with the

  antitoxin. Obi-Wan, you will work with Adi Gallia and Siri to rescue Qui-

  Gon. We'll start with a small team, but we're sending more Jedi to Simpla-

  12 in case you need them."

  Obi-Wan saw a glint of silver in the leaden sky. "I see their ship.

  I'll get back to you."

  He ended the communication and watched as the small, sleek transport

  landed in a dirt field nearby. He had worked with Adi and Siri before. Adi

  was a brilliant and resourceful Jedi with a gift for intuition. Siri was a

  tough fighter and faced danger without ruffling a hair. The relations

  between the two Padawans could be bumpy, but he could not ask for a better

  team to rescue Qui-Gon.

  He saw Adi's familiar regal figure stride down the landing ramp. The

  smaller, blond Siri followed. Adi's sharp gaze scanned the surrounding

  area, missing nothing. Then she hurried toward Obi-Wan and Astri.

  She nodded at Obi-Wan and turned her gaze to Astri. "The transport is

  waiting. May the Force be with you."

  Even at a moment of great urgency, Astri thought of others. She put

  her hand on Obi-Wan's arm. "I know Qui-Gon will be safe."

  "And I know Didi will be well," Obi-Wan told her.

  They had been through much together. Astri had no Jedi training, no

  Force-sensitivity, and could barely manage to hit a target with blaster

  fire. Yet Obi-Wan had come to admire her many skills. Her fear was obvious

  but she never failed to charge ahead.

  Now she fumbled as she withdrew the vibroblade from her belt. "Here.

  You might need this."

  He took it from her. "Thanks. I'll see you back at the Temple."

  Biting her lip, Astri nodded. Then she rushed off, wobbling a bit in

  the thigh-high boots she had donned to impersonate Ona Nobis.

  Siri's hand rested lightly on her lightsaber hilt. Her bright blond

  hair was combed straight back and tucked behind her ears. Her no-nonsense

  appearance matched the way she attacked a problem. She did not waste time.

  "Tahl contacted us a moment ago," she told Obi-Wan. "Zan Arbor has

  blocked out all communications from the lab, but Qui-Gon managed to get a

  last message through to the Temple. Zan Arbor has locked herself in with

  the other prisoner. If Qui-Gon attempts to come through the door, she will

  kill the captive. He is searching for another way inside that room."

  "Did he see the other prisoner?" Obi-Wan asked.

  Siri shook her head.

  "We think we know who he is," Adi said. "He is a Jedi Master."

  Obi-Wan was startled. "She was able to hold two Jedi Masters hostage?

  " How could such a thing happen?

  "Noor R'aya is an elder Jedi," Adi explained. "He does not live at

  the Temple. He no longer goes on missions, but he chose to live out his

  remaining days in seclusion and meditation on his home planet. He

  disappeared several weeks ago, and we've been searching for him."

  "We traced his disappearance to the bounty hunter, Ona Nobis," Siri

  explained. "As soon as we told Tahl this, she told us about Jenna Zan

  Arbor's involvement. Noor R'aya must be the other being Qui-Gon sensed at

  the lab."

  "Our first problem is getting in," Obi-Wan said. "There are no

  windows and only one door. Other Jedi teams are on their way, but the more

  we delay, the more we risk Qui-Gon's and Noor R'aya's lives. And Simpla-12

  has no security police. It's just us."

  "It's not a problem," Adi said serenely. "We have a way in."

  CHAPTER 2

  "We've learned through our contacts that someone is looking for a

>   large shipment of black market assassin droids for protection on Simpla-12,

  " Adi said. "We know this person is Jenna Zan Arbor. We've tracked down the

  droid dealers. Now we just need to get the dealers to agree to smuggle us

  inside along with the shipment."

  "When is the transfer supposed to happen?" Obi-Wan asked anxiously.

  "As soon as possible," Adi replied. "The droid sellers got the

  definite impression that Zan Arbor is planning to leave the planet. She

  could have lied, but I'm guessing her departure plans are behind the

  urgency of the request. She needs protection in order to leave and she

  needs protection wherever she goes. She knows the Jedi are on her trail."

  "If she's planning to leave, we can't wait for reinforcements," Obi-

  Wan observed.

  Adi nodded grimly. "I agree. Let's head for the warehouse where the

  droids are being loaded. The sellers are waiting for us."

  The warehouse was a dingy metal structure that tilted alarmingly to

  one side. The foundation was sunk deep into the mud. Simpla-12's constant

  cloud cover made for frequent rain, and Obi-Wan, Siri, and Adi slogged

  through ankle-deep mud to reach the entrance.

  As Obi-Wan pushed open the door, he heard familiar voices.

  "Gibbertz and ham, these droids are old. Couldn't you have found some

  newer models?"

  "Oh, of course, why didn't you say so? Let me reach into my deep

  pocket full of credits and pay for them."

  Obi-Wan groaned aloud. "You don't mean to tell me," he said to Adi

  and Siri, "that the droid sellers are Cholly, Weez, and Tup?"

  "You know them?" Adi asked.

  Just then, Cholly caught sight of Obi-Wan. "My friend!" he cried in a

  warm voice that did not disguise his nervousness.

  "Jedi Kenobi!" Weez echoed as Tup slid behind him to hide. "We did

  not expect you!" "Why?" Obi-Wan asked, walking toward them. "Because you

  thought I was Zan Arbor's prisoner? Because you said you would prevent Ona

  Nobis from approaching the building, and ran away instead?"

  "Well, no," Weez said, shifting his feet nervously. "I wouldn't say

  that's why."

  Tup peeked out from behind him. "We are on your side, Obi-Wan."

  "As long as you don't have to risk your own necks," Obi-Wan observed.

  "Well, of course," Weez said. "But we are like that with everyone!"

  "Wait, let me think. Did we ever say we were brave? I don't think so!

  " Cholly pointed out.

  "And Ona Nobis was a very frightening being," Weez said.

  "Woosh," Tup said, blowing out a breath. "You must admit that. But we

  did follow her!"

  "You did?" Obi-Wan asked sharply. "Where did she go?"

  "To her own transport," Cholly answered. "She left Simpla-12, we know

  that."

  At least they had given him one piece of information. Ona Nobis was

  gone for good. She had told Zan Arbor that she would not work for her any

  longer. She had more profitable clients.

  "You can make it up to me now," Obi-Wan said, frowning. "You let the

  Jedi down once. Do not do it again."

  "Never, never, never," Weez said, shaking his head.

  "Unless there is terrible danger," Tup added quickly.

  "This shouldn't be dangerous for you," Adi said. "All we want you to

  do is let us hide in your shipment of droids to Zan Arbor. We will find a

  way to sneak out after you have left."

  "Ah," Cholly said. "That would be after we get paid, then?"

  "Yes," Adi said impatiently. "We just need a way into the building."

  Cholly, Weez, and Tup exchanged glances. "Excuse me so much for

  asking this," Cholly said. "But what is in it for us?"

  "In other words, it sounds risky," Weez explained helpfully. "And

  there's no reward for our risk."

  "Well, we're not going to pay you," Adi said. She fixed her dark,

  commanding gaze on the three, who squirmed at her scrutiny. "Is that what

  you are suggesting?"

  "Of course not," Tup said stoutly.

  "Unless, of course, getting into the lab is very important to you -

  important enough to pass along a few credits..." Cholly's voice trailed off

  when Adi continued to stare at him. "It was just a thought," he added

  weakly.

  "How about this," Siri suggested in a pleasant tone. "You help us or

  we'll smash all your droids."

  "Siri!" Adi's voice was sharp. "Jedi do not threaten."

  Siri's mouth closed, but she continued to stare fiercely at Cholly,

  Weez, and Tup, her hand on the hilt of her lightsaber.

  "I have two reasons you should help us," Obi-Wan said, trying to keep

  the impatience from his voice. They did not have time for this delay.

  "First, because you owe me. And second, because Jedi make better friends

  than enemies. And you three can use friends, I think."

  "That is true, since everyone despises us," Tup agreed sadly.

  "All right, we'll help you," Cholly decided. "But wait until we're

  out of the building before you start your Jedi saber rattling."

  Siri paced around the gravsled hauler, where the three had been

  loading droids. There was no exterior shell on a gravsled, just a platform

  and a windscreen. "But how can we hide? They'll see us at once."

  "Don't you have a covered vehicle, like a skiff?" Adi asked.

  "We could barely afford the gravsled," Cholly said. "But let me show

  you something. First, we have to unload the droids. Weez, Tup!"

  Cholly, Weez, and Tup unloaded the handful of droids that had already

  been loaded onto the gravsled. Then Cholly pressed a lever, and a hidden

  compartment in the gravsled slid open. It was cleverly disguised so that it

  appeared to be part of the vehicle's shell.

  "We occasionally have the need for secrecy in transporting objects,"

  Cholly explained. "You mean smuggling," Siri said.

  Adi peered into the opening. "Not much room, but I think we can all

  fit."

  "You have to hide first. Then we load the droids," Weez explained.

  "That means you have to unload the droids before we can get out,"

  Siri observed with a frown.

  Adi drummed her fingers on her holster. "Not the ideal situation.

  You'll have to offer to unload the droids as soon as we get inside."

  Cholly did not look happy at this, but he nodded.

  "What about programming the droids?" Adi asked. "Did Zan Arbor

  already give you instructions?"

  Weez shook his head. "She's going to program them herself."

  "Offer to do it. Make something up," Adi suggested. "Then sabotage

  them in some way. Better for us not to face twenty attack droids."

  "We'll do our best," Cholly said. "You'd better get inside or we'll

  be late for our appointment."

  Adi folded her long, elegant body into the small compartment and lay

  flat. Siri followed. Obi-Wan squeezed inside.

  "Oof," Siri muttered. "Watch your elbows." "I've got no place to put

  them," Obi-Wan responded.

  "Quiet, you two," Adi said. "We won't be here for long."

  Tup's cheerful face loomed above them. "I'm going to shut the panel

  now. Don't worry, there's plenty of ventilation."

  "I hope so," Obi-Wan said softly as the panel slid closed just

  millimeters from their upturned faces. "I don't like having to put our
/>
  trust in these three."

  "Maybe because your friends seem so untrustworthy," Siri said.

  "They aren't my friends," Obi-Wan muttered. Why did Siri always have

  to needle him?

  For long minutes, they listened to Cholly, Weez, and Tup loading the

  droids, quarreling and fussing all the way.