The Desperate Mission

  to accomplish it. He was fighting like a Jedi again.

  Ferus ran fast, but Obi-Wan could detect a slight hitch in his stride,

  proof that his leg was not healed enough to keep up a constant pace. They

  needed to lose their pursuers, not outrun them.

  "Do you smell it?" Ferus said over the sound of blasterfire. "Water."

  "We can't go straight toward it," Obi-Wan said, swinging his

  lightsaber. "We need to get a head start."

  "One or two of these side tunnels must come out there, too," Ferus

  said. "It's just a question of choosing the right one."

  Obi-Wan accessed the Force. The smell of water, of damp, was faint. He

  was surprised Ferus had picked it up, but he could also sense the stirring

  of the Force in him. Even as he ran and kept his lightsaber whirling, he

  concentrated on the smell until it filled a part of his consciousness so

  completely that he could track it. "Third tunnel on the left up ahead," he

  said. "After the curve. Let's try a diversion."

  Ferus tossed a grenade backward with a spinning accuracy that

  impressed Obi-Wan. He had timed it to fall short, but the two attackers

  didn't know that. The grenade hit, blowing a large hole in the hard-packed

  floor and sending the younger bounty hunter flying backward. The cyborg was

  stronger and absorbed the blow, but lurched forward and fell into the hole.

  Smoke and dirt particles filled the tunnel. Ferus and Obi-Wan used it

  as cover to make a dash for the side tunnel. They moved off silently down

  the narrower passage. They could just make out the sound of their pursuers

  racing down the main tunnel. They had lost them - for now.

  The dark, narrow tunnel had deteriorated over the years. They waded

  through puddles of water and had to step over fallen beams. The blackness

  was complete. It was as though they'd been buried in the heart of the

  mountain. But at least they weren't dodging laser fire.

  The smell of damp grew stronger. At last Obi-Wan saw a glimmer ahead.

  The lake.

  They emerged into a huge, arching cavern of dark red stone. Towering

  needles of rock surrounded them like a forest. A lake with water as black

  as oil lapped at the smooth stone of the floor. Across the lake they could

  see the continuation of the tunnel, its entrance partially blocked with

  fallen supports.

  "The good news is that we found it," Ferus said. "The bad news is that

  we have to swim across it."

  Obi-Wan handed Ferus an aquata rebreather. "We'll have to share this.

  We'll have to stay underwater to avoid detection. By the looks of that

  water, we won't be able to see a thing. Do you think you can access the

  Force?"

  Ferus shook his head. "I've been trying, but..." Obi-Wan reached into

  his belt and withdrew the grapnel line. He let out a short length of the

  strong filament and hooked the claw into Ferus's belt. "Hang onto this,

  then."

  The water was shockingly cold. Obi-Wan slipped under the surface. He

  felt his skin shrink from the terrible cold. He hoped Ferus could make it.

  Water this cold could cause cramping or paralysis. Without the Force to

  help him, Ferus might have trouble swimming.

  He began to stroke across the lake, feeling the occasional tug of the

  cable line that meant Ferus was swimming behind him. Occasionally Ferus

  would tug the line and pass the rebreather up to Obi-Wan. He dived as deep

  as he dared, not wanting even a ripple to announce their presence

  underneath the water.

  Midway across the lake he felt the cable line grow taut. He turned,

  barely able to make out the shadow that was Ferus behind him.

  Ferus was in trouble. The combination of the cold and his injury was

  making it difficult for him to swim. He was struggling, and Obi-Wan could

  see the effort it cost him.

  He reached under Ferus's arms and began to stroke with one hand,

  pulling Ferus along through the water. The effort was exhausting. He

  reached out to the Force, gathering it from the water and the rocks and the

  air above. He wanted to ride it like a wave to the safety of the opposite

  shore. He didn't want to take the aquata rebreather from Ferus; he could

  feel Ferus struggling for breath. But he couldn't hold out much longer

  without it.

  Then Obi-Wan felt a surprising thing. The Force was meeting the Force,

  a weak attempt, to be sure, but Ferus was accessing it, nurturing it,

  trying to use it to join with Obi-Wan. Perhaps it helped him to have their

  bodies joined together, for Obi-Wan felt the Force grow. And then the Force

  was pulsing between them and around them, binding them together, the two of

  them, and making them one with the molecules of water in the lake so that

  they slipped through the water with ease.

  Obi-Wan looked over at Ferus. He nodded at Obi-Wan, pleased at what

  had happened, even amid the freezing water and the danger. He had found the

  Force again. He handed Obi-Wan the rebreather and they began to share it

  again.

  Soon Obi-Wan could feel, rather than see, that they were close to the

  other side. Now they would have to take the chance and expose themselves.

  There was enough light for their pursuers to see them if they were looking

  in this direction. They would have to do this silently.

  Obi-Wan rose from the lake, just his head above the surface. He saw

  the two bounty hunters immediately. Their backs were to the lake, and they

  were circling, trying to discover where Obi-Wan and Ferus had gone.

  Obi-Wan's memory pricked. He knew the smaller one. Something about the

  way he carried himself... His helmet obscured his face, but he was familiar

  to Obi-Wan. He studied his armor. It was green Mandalorian battle armor,

  and those were Kelvarek rocket systems on his wrist guards.

  He looked like a smaller version of Jango Fett. But Jango Fett was

  dead.

  But he had a son... a clone. Boba.

  Boba must not see him. He would recognize him. He had met Boba when he

  was just a boy, on Kamino, but Obi-Wan could still feel the flat stare of

  the boy, how it seemed to take all of him in. And after the battle on

  Geonosis, when he had seen his father cut down by Mace Windu, no doubt the

  Jedi were no friends of this boy. How old could he be now? Thirteen,

  fourteen? Just a boy, but more than a boy. Another orphan of the Clone

  Wars, another boy taking on adulthood too soon.

  He remembered Jango Fett's ship - it had been a Firespray. Retrofitted

  with increased weaponry, speed, targeting systems. It had been repainted.

  All these thoughts raced through Obi-Wan's mind even as he nudged

  Ferus, who came up silently. They moved through the water, walking now,

  pushing gently against the water but not letting even the tiniest splash

  sound.

  They were almost to the entrance of the tunnel when they were spotted.

  The laser cannon boomed. Cannonfire sprayed the water, sending them diving

  below the surface again, trying to keep their bodies under the shallow

  water.

  Obi-Wan heard the boom as cannonfire hit the tunnel supports. The

  water rolled back, a wave that swept them into deeper water. The time to

  mak
e their move was now, before they were trapped underwater while Boba

  Fett made his way toward them. They had to run for it.

  Ferus was right with him. They did not need to look at each other or

  signal each other. They were of one mind now, one purpose.

  Ferus burst through the surface of the water at the same time as Obi-

  Wan, and charged through the knee-deep water. Behind them, Boba Fett

  activated his jetpack. He rose into the air toward them.

  Using the Force, Obi-Wan created a wave behind them. He reached out to

  every molecule of water, calling on the Force to bind them into a giant,

  cresting black wave. He felt Ferus join the effort, and the power of the

  wave picked them up and hurled them forward toward the tunnel.

  The tunnel was now almost completely collapsed, two durasteel columns

  knocked down, forming a cross that blocked the opening. Dirt and rocks were

  now falling from the ceiling to create more obstacles.

  Boba Fett set off a concussion missile, aiming for the tunnel

  entrance. The impact was tremendous. The other support started to fall, the

  ceiling partially caving in.

  Obi-Wan and Ferus careened through, carried by the cresting wave. They

  swam through the remaining space of the collapsing tunnel as the entrance

  smashed to the ground behind them, sealing them inside.

  Obi-Wan's face slammed into the muddy ground, and he tasted lake

  water, dirt, and metallic rock in his mouth. He felt dirt thud onto his

  back and hoped he wouldn't be buried alive.

  The noise stopped. Slowly, he rolled over, the dirt and rocks

  cascading off him.

  "Ferus?"

  Ferus's eyes were closed. His face was streaked with dirt, his cheek

  against the rock. Obi-Wan put a hand on his arm. "Ferus!"

  His eyes opened. "That was... quite a ride," he managed to get out.

  "Come on. Even a blocked tunnel won't stop those two. I recognized the

  other one. Boba Fett, a bounty hunter. He's just a kid, maybe fourteen or

  fifteen."

  "Some kid," Ferus said, wincing as he got to his feet.

  "Which way?"

  "I'm not sure... to the left, I think."

  They stumbled on. They'd gone less than a hundred meters when they

  heard another boom.

  "They're not trying to chase us," Ferus said. "They're going to

  collapse the tunnel."

  They might well succeed. Obi-Wan saw the durasteel supports shake.

  Rocks tumbled down onto the path. The ground shook.

  Behind them, the tunnel caved in. Over their heads, the supports

  groaned.

  "Run!" Ferus shouted.

  They ran, speeding down the tunnel as the beams cracked overhead and

  supports began to topple.

  Ahead, they saw a flash of color. It was Dona, still dressed in her

  morning robe, violet as the snow at twilight. Her gray hair streamed down

  her back.

  "Hurry!" she called. "This way!"

  "What are you doing?" Ferus asked her, as they ran up. "I told you we

  could take care of this."

  "And you're doing so well," she replied.

  Another explosion rocked the tunnel. The durasteel support behind them

  crashed to the ground. Obi-Wan grabbed Dona and Force-leaped, Ferus right

  beside him. They landed in the next tunnel while the rocks and dirt rained

  behind them.

  "This tunnel isn't going to last much longer," Dona said. "Come on."

  With Dona to direct them, they were able to race along the tunnels

  faster than before. The ground shook with every explosion, but she quickly

  led them down a side tunnel to a lift tube with an open cage.

  "Does it work?" Ferus asked.

  "Sure hope so. Get in." Dona jumped in and flipped the lever. As the

  cage rose smoothly, she grinned. "Only kidding. I keep this one running,

  just in case."

  The hum of the machinery was reassuring. Obi-Wan looked down, glad to

  leave the tunnels below. The lift rocketed to the surface, shaking with

  each new blast.

  Dona led them out of the tube into a small structure built into the

  rock of the mountain. They walked out into bright sunshine. They were high

  above the village here.

  "We'll hike down the mountain to the village. I've got a friend with a

  fast speeder. It will get you to Ussa."

  "We have less than sixteen hours," Ferus said.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  It took more time than the impatient Ferus could bear, but at last

  they were in the two-seat speeder, streaking toward Ussa. There was no sign

  of Boba Fett and his lethal companion. But Obi-Wan knew he would have to

  make things right here - and then return as stealthily as possible to

  Tatooine.

  "I have to warn you, " Obi-Wan now said to Ferus, "you may give

  yourself up, but there's no guarantee that Malorum will free the prisoners.

  I'm afraid it might be just the opposite."

  "What do you mean? They can't go back on a deal."

  "They can do whatever they like," Obi-Wan said quietly. "Surely you

  know that by now. They are perfectly capable of executing every prisoner.

  Including you. They know they need to strike fear into the hearts of every

  person in Ussa. They want to destroy you, and they want to destroy the

  spirit of the citizens. Giving yourself up won't save them. I saw a file in

  the garrison. It dealt with... how to hide a great number of deaths.

  Dispose of bodies."

  Ferus looked horrified. "They can't murder all of them."

  "Ferus, the extent of their evil is greater than you know," Obi-Wan

  said. "The evil begins at the top and trickles down. Emperor Palpatine is a

  Sith Lord."

  "A Sith?" Ferus looked at him, shocked. The knowledge clicked in

  behind his eyes. "The Sith we were tracking... my last mission on Korriban.

  .."

  "Yes, but keep this to yourself. It was Count Dooku who Granta Omega

  was meeting. That's why, when Omega died, he told me I would wish I knew

  what he knew. About the identity of the Sith Lord."

  Ferus was silent for some time. "So he planned this for some time. And

  Darth Vader.."

  "Is his apprentice." Obi-Wan felt a spasm of pain. He didn't know if

  he would reveal Vader's identity to Ferus. There was no need for him to

  know.

  "The Sith control the galaxy," Ferus said. "It is far, far worse than

  I thought. I thought we were fighting... an ordinary evil. So this is why

  the Jedi were destroyed. You were the only ones with the power to defeat

  him."

  "Yes. So you see, I believe them capable of anything. Malorum is not a

  Sith, but the dark side is part of him. They will find some excuse for the

  executions. Then they're planning to shut down all comm systems on

  Bellassa. Embargo any information from leaving for a month. Close down the

  spaceport, isolate the planet completely. Eliminate all evidence. Then, if

  the news gets out, they can deny it. Ussa will be an example to the rest of

  the galaxy. This is part of a much, much bigger plan."

  Ferus was silent for a long time. They had passed through the

  mountains and were now speeding along a vast empty plain. Ferus appeared to

  be concentrating on his piloting, as though they were moving through space

  t
raffic instead of empty air.

  "First I must see Roan. Then I'll contact them. I trust everything you

  told me, Obi-Wan, but I have to give myself up. What choice do I have?"

  "There is always more than one choice. At the risk of irritating you

  again, I want to remind you of some Jedi wisdom," Obi-Wan said.

  "I'm not a Jedi anymore."

  "Really?" Obi-Wan said. "Then I must have imagined your command of the

  Force back in the tunnels."

  "I'd hardly use the word command," Ferus said. "I was like a bantha

  calf."

  "You can get it back," Obi-Wan said. "You've already begun. What you

  know has not been lost."

  "Maybe I wanted it to be lost," Ferus said.

  "Maybe having the Force be a part of me was too hard after I left the

  Jedi."

  "Now you can use it. You need it. It will be there."

  "So, give me your wisdom, then, Obi-Wan," Ferus said. He propped one

  foot on the cockpit as he gripped the controls.

  "Do what you must, but in an unexpected way."

  "Ah. The first lesson of lightsaber training."

  "No, the first lesson of lightsaber training was don't fall down."

  Ferus laughed softly. "I remember. "