The Deadly Hunter

"Well, you're in the way here. Follow me."

  The Jedi followed Helb into a quieter corner of the yard. A small

  shed made out of salvaged materials stood against a durasteel fence. Helb

  pushed the door open.

  Inside, the din dulled to a dim roar.

  "I'd ask you to sit, but you're leaving," Helb snapped. "I thought I

  made it clear that I've told you all I know."

  "I don't think you have," Qui-Gon said. "I think you've left

  something out. I think your gang hired Fligh to steal Senator S'orn's data

  pad. Most likely Fligh had to agree to do it because he owed you money."

  Helb didn't say anything. He crossed his arms.

  "Maybe Fligh didn't turn over the data pad. Maybe he thought he could

  get more money out of you," Qui-Gon guessed, watching Helb carefully.

  "Maybe that's why you put the deathmark on his head. You suspected he had

  given the data pad to Didi."

  "Listen, I'm not pretending to be overflowing with goodness, Jedi,"

  Helb said. "I'd sell out my brother for money. But we didn't put a death

  mark on Fligh. Now get out of here before I call the security droids."

  Qui-Gon didn't move. He put one hand on his lightsaber hilt. Obi-Wan

  did the same.

  Helb shifted uncomfortably. "Look, we don't want to get on the wrong

  side of the Jedi."

  "Then tell us the truth, and we will go," Qui-Gon said.

  "All right, all right. Yes, we did get Fligh to steal the data pad.

  The bantha-brain stole the wrong one! He should have taken her official

  data pad, not the one with her personal correspondence. But it worked out

  fine, because we didn't know she was planning to resign. We got what we

  wanted anyway. Her legislation is dead. Why would we put a death mark on

  Fligh? Sure, he was a weasel, but he was a valuable weasel. Sent a lot of

  clients our way."

  "High stole two data pads that day," Qui-Gon said. "Do you know what

  happened to the other one?"

  Helb shrugged. "Probably sold it, or gave it to someone he owed money

  to."

  Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon exchanged a glance. "Didi," Obi-Wan murmured.

  "Maybe," Helb said, overhearing him. "I'm sure Fligh owed Didi, too.

  Didi is the shrewdest sabacc player around. We all played that game of

  sabacc together. I lost to Didi, too. None of us could pay off Didi that

  day, but he let us slide. I didn't pay him off until a few days later.

  Luckily I had something to trade with."

  "What did you trade?" Qui-Gon asked.

  "I passed along this hideout I had in the Cascardi Mountains," Helb

  said. "I never would have used it, anyway. I won it in a game of chance off

  some old fool wrapped in a pile of cloaks at the Splendor. As a matter of

  fact, it was the day I met the two of you - "

  Helb didn't get a chance to finish his sentence.

  The two Jedi were gone.

  CHAPTER 14

  From above, the house in the Cascardi Mountains looked quiet. It was

  a white, three-story structure built into the mountainside that blended in

  with the snow. They could see Didi's cruiser parked on the small landing

  platform that was off the second floor. There was no sign of Didi and

  Astri.

  Qui-Gon landed their cruiser next to Didi's. They climbed out and

  approached the door with caution. They kept their lightsabers in their

  hands but not activated. This time, they would be prepared.

  Qui-Gon concentrated, listening for movement, for anything out of the

  ordinary. Obi-Wan was tense beside him. He trusted the boy's instincts.

  "What do you think?" he asked quietly. "I'm not feeling anything clearly,"

  Obi-Wan said. "Yet something is wrong. As though Didi and Astri are not in

  danger, but danger is here."

  Qui-Gon nodded. "I feel that, too. She has lured them here. No wonder

  she remained on Coruscant and trailed us. She did not have to track Didi

  and Astri. She knew where they were. The sooner we get them away from here,

  the better."

  A window slid open above them, and Didi popped his head out. Relief

  creased his features. "It's you, thank the moons and stars. I'll activate

  the door for you. I am so very glad to see you."

  A moment later the door slid open. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan walked inside

  and were met by Didi as he hurried down a curving ramp from upstairs.

  "Is everything all right?" Qui-Gon asked, clipping his lightsaber

  back onto his utility belt.

  Didi nodded. "I suppose. At first we were glad to be here. We felt

  safe. The place is so remote and hidden. But now the isolation is getting

  on our nerves. I think we would feel safer back on Coruscant."

  "Where is Astri?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "Here." Astri appeared from the other room. "I am so happy to see you

  both. The hours have been very long."

  "No sign of trouble?" Qui-Gon asked. "Nothing out of the ordinary?"

  "Nothing," Didi said.

  "We keep a lookout," Astri said. "We watch out the windows for

  cruisers. We saw you approach. We weren't sure who it was." She tapped a

  blaster strapped to her hip. "I was ready."

  "Have you ever used a blaster before, Astri?" Qui-Gon asked

  cautiously.

  "How hard could it be?" Astri said. "Point and shoot. Easy as making

  a meal."

  After having seen her kitchen, Qui-Gon was not sure he trusted

  Astri's shooting. "I'll give you a lesson in a moment," he told her. "How

  about you, Didi? Do you have a weapon?"

  "Are you serious?" Didi shook his head. "I don't like Astri having

  one, either. How do you think I managed to stay out of trouble all these

  years?"

  "We must speak to you both seriously," Qui-Gon said. "You must tell

  us the truth. Your safety depends on it."

  "But you said we were safe here," Didi said nervously.

  Qui-Gon shook his head. "I did not. This only bought us time. I'm

  afraid time has run out."

  "What do you need to know?" Astri asked. Qui-Gon turned to Didi.

  "Fligh stole two data pads. We think one of them is the key to your

  problem. He must have given one to you, Didi. Did he leave a case, or a

  bin, or anything with you? Could he have hidden something when your back

  was turned?"

  "I would never turn my back on Fligh," Didi said. "You have asked me

  this already, my friend. I give you the same answer. Fligh gave me nothing.

  "

  Obi-Wan noticed a flush spread over Astri's cheeks.

  "What about you, Astri?" he asked.

  She glanced at her father. "Well. Sometimes I used Fligh for more

  than sweeping."

  "You used Fligh?" Didi asked, incredulous. "After you told me I

  should not associate with him?"

  Astri looked uncomfortable. "We were not getting enough business. I'd

  spent so much money on the caf©. If it closed you'd never let me forget it.

  And I knew that Fligh hung around the Senate. I paid him to pass along tips

  to me about which Senators would be hosting important dinners. Then I could

  have a head start and bid on the job. Recently Fligh came to me with two

  pieces of information: one, that someone might throw Senator S'orn a going-

  away party soon, and two, that Jenna Zan Arbor was hosting a testimonial

  dinner
. I paid him for both tips."

  "You paid him for information? Ha!" Didi cried. "I am not the only

  one in this family to stretch the truth a bit!"

  "This isn't the time to reproach Astri," Qui-Gon said sternly.

  "I am not reproaching! I am congratulating," Didi insisted.

  Astri's cheeks were pink. "Anyway, Fligh gave me a data pad for

  safekeeping. He told me he had just traded for it. He asked me to keep it

  for him. I was in the middle of something, so I stuck it in one of the

  ovens. The oven was broken," she added hastily. "To tell you the truth, I

  forgot about it until the night we left."

  "Where is it now?" Qui-Gon asked urgently.

  "Here," Astri said. "I brought it with us. My data pad was smashed,

  so I thought I'd use this one."

  She reached over to a nearby table and handed it to Qui-Gon. "I

  haven't had a chance to see what's on it yet."

  Qui-Gon quickly accessed the files on the data pad. A strange code

  streamed across the screen.

  "The files are all coded," he mused.

  "They must be Jenna Zan Arbor's," Obi-Wan said, looking over his

  shoulder. "These are probably formulas."

  "Yes. Let me send it to Tahl. She can take it to our code experts."

  Qui-Gon jacked into the data pad and transferred the files to his own corn-

  link. He then contacted Tahl.

  "Sure, send it along," Tahl said. "I'll get right on it and contact

  you as soon as we break it."

  "This is high priority," Qui-Gon told her. He switched off the

  connection. "I don't think we should wait. I have several destinations in

  mind. There are contacts who can hide you," he told Didi and Astri.

  "I won't mind leaving this place," Astri said with a shiver. "It's

  awfully lonely. Just us and the lonesome wind. The caretaker told us

  there's no one here at this time of year. At first we thought this an

  advantage."

  Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon froze.

  "Caretaker?" Qui-Gon asked.

  "She came with the place," Didi said. "Relax, Qui-Gon. She's at least

  a hundred years old."

  "Where is she?" Qui-Gon asked, his hand on his lightsaber.

  Astri looked puzzled. "She brings provisions once a day. She's not

  here now."

  Qui-Gon's uneasy feeling changed to alarm. Simultaneously, the two

  Jedi activated their lightsabers.

  "Let's get to the cruiser," Qui-Gon said. "But our things - " Astri

  began.

  "Leave them."

  They started toward the door, but it was too late. At that moment,

  durasteel coverings on the windows slid down with a clang. They heard the

  harsh sound of locks snapping throughout the house. The snug hideaway had

  turned into a prison.

  They were trapped. And Qui-Gon had no doubt that the bounty hunter

  was in the house with them.

  CHAPTER 15

  "What's going on?" Didi whispered.

  "Where is the lighting console?" Qui-Gon asked Didi.

  "Over there." Didi pointed to a console that was mounted on a table.

  Qui-Gon strode over and powered down all the lights. Darkness dropped

  like a curtain. Obi-Wan could not see a thing, but he waited, knowing his

  eyes would adjust.

  "Remember how she fought last time, Padawan," Qui-Gon said to him in

  a murmur. "Her strategy is to attack those we defend in order to keep us

  busy. Expect her to move in their direction first. Watch her shoulders to

  tell you which way she will move."

  "I have the data pad, Qui-Gon," Astri whispered. "It's in my tunic."

  "Keep it safe," Qui-Gon whispered back. "We don't need it anymore,

  but it is our insurance. If the bounty hunter thinks we can tell her where

  it is, she won't kill us."

  "Ah, reassuring news," Didi said. His voice shook with terror.

  "Stay between us," Qui-Gon instructed Didi and Astri. "We can't

  protect you if you stray. We're going to cut through those window shields."

  They moved forward with Astri and Didi between them. Obi-Wan's vision

  had adjusted and he kept his eyes moving around the room, waiting for a

  shadow to move and materialize into the bounty hunter.

  But even he was not prepared for how fast she struck. The laser whip

  came out of nowhere, spiraling in the air toward Astri. Qui-Gon leaped

  forward, lightsaber already slashing downward. It collided with the whip. A

  harsh buzzing sound rose from the contact.

  The whip curled back and struck again, this time toward Didi. Obi-Wan

  was prepared, stepping into his left-to-right sweep. The whip wrapped

  around his lightsaber and smoked before uncurling and flying backward. The

  lightsaber could not cut it.

  He could see her now. At least he could see the shape of her body. He

  could not see her eyes. She was dressed all in black; it was hard to track

  her as she moved. Only the slight gleam of her boots and armor told him

  where she was heading. She did not make a sound.

  The whip unfurled again, dancing over their heads as though it were a

  living thing. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan kept their lightsabers moving, twirling

  them above their heads to fend off the lethal whip. All the while Qui-Gon

  pressed steadily forward.

  Suddenly Astri began to fire her blaster. Her shots went widely off

  the mark, peppering the durasteel over the windows. The blasts ricocheted

  back toward them. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had to move quickly to deflect them.

  In the meantime, the whip snaked out again and knocked the blaster from

  Astri's hand. It skittered across the floor.

  Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan kept moving toward the windows. The bounty hunter

  realized their objective and sprang forward, somersaulting in a blur toward

  them. Her move ended in a sharp kick, close enough to land a glancing blow

  at Astri's ribs. A slight clang resulted from the sole of her boot hitting

  Astri's tunic. Obi-Wan saw the knowledge in the bounty hunter's face. She

  knew that Astri had the data pad.

  Pushing Astri behind him, Qui-Gon launched an attack at the bounty

  hunter. She kept the whip moving in a blur of light. Suddenly she flipped

  backward in a series of fast moves, eluding the Jedi. She was still between

  them and the windows. In a quick reversal of strategy, Qui-Gon pushed Astri

  and Didi up the ramp.

  "Run," he directed.

  The bounty hunter was still flipping over, thinking she needed to put

  distance between herself and the Jedi. She would need time to find her feet

  and reverse again to face them.

  "Run, Padawan," Qui-Gon said.

  Obi-Wan dashed up the ramp. He guessed what Qui-Gon was thinking. If

  they could get to the windows above, they could cut through the durasteel.

  From there it would be an easy drop to the landing platform. He heard Qui-

  Gon hit the ramp behind him.

  As they reached the upper level, their keen hearing told them that

  the bounty hunter was in fast pursuit. Quickly, Qui-Gon opened a shelving

  unit with various cubbyholes that ran along the wall with the windows.

  "Don't come out until I get you," he told Didi and Astri, herding

  them inside.

  He shut the doors after them and motioned to Obi-Wan to get to work

  on the durasteel blocked windows. Then he rushed forw
ard to meet the bounty

  hunter as she ran up the curving ramp. She came into sight in seconds but

  instead of meeting Qui-Gon she gave a leap in the air. She grabbed onto the

  system of conduit pipes near the ceiling and used her momentum to fly over

  Qui-Gon's head, straight at Obi-Wan.

  Obi-Wan kicked out with one leg as he tried to turn to meet the

  attack. He had been in an awkward position, just beginning to cut through