The Death of Hope

  center of the group and began to march her off. "I will get each of your

  names and you will be hearing from us!"

  "She certainly didn't show fear," Obi-Wan said admiringly.

  "Yes, she handled it well," Qui-Gon said as he stepped out from the

  shelter of the tunnel wall. "Unfortunately, now we have two to rescue."

  CHAPTER 15

  Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan waited a moment, then slipped out of the tunnel.

  Obi-Wan could see that his Master was disturbed by this turn of events.

  They kept a good distance between themselves and Eritha and her guards, but

  kept her in sight. The guards marched her farther inside the cave until

  they came to another high-security entrance to a tunnel. One of the guards

  accessed the security panel and punched in a code, then pressed his eye

  against the sensor. When the sensor cleared him, they half-carried Eritha

  through the opening and down the tunnel.

  "They could be keeping Tahl there," Obi-Wan said. "No doubt it's

  where they take prisoners."

  "Most likely," Qui-Gon said. He studied the tunnel entrance. "But

  this time we are not so lucky. The sensors are well placed. We won't be

  able to get in without attracting attention. When those sensors go off, we

  could be putting Eritha's and Tahl's lives in danger. And the Absolutes

  aren't stupid. They probably suspect that Eritha wasn't alone when she

  infiltrated the cave."

  "Any other ideas?"

  "I think there's only one thing to do," Qui-Gon said. "We need a

  diversion."

  They retraced their steps back to the weapons tunnel. Using the same

  method, they propelled themselves past the sensors and safely into the

  tunnel. Then they ran back to the room where the explosives were kept.

  Qui-Gon quickly read the labels on the various bins. "We must be

  careful," he warned. "Too much, and we risk collapsing the cave. But there

  has to be enough to cause confusion and chaos."

  Obi-Wan was not an expert on explosives. He let Qui-Gon choose what

  they needed. Qui-Gon handed him a supply of small explosives.

  "We'll have to set these up away from here," Qui-Gon said. "If we're

  too close, it could cause a chain reaction."

  He tucked more explosives inside his tunic along with timing devices.

  "This should do it. No one should get hurt, but there will be confusion.

  That's all we'll need. As soon as we get Tahl and Eritha, we'll head to the

  cave entrance."

  "What if we're spotted?" Obi-Wan asked. "No doubt everyone will be

  heading there."

  "We'll have to get a tech jacket for Tahl. We'll just have to count

  on the smoke and confusion."

  Obi-Wan remembered what Lenz and Irini had said about the drug that

  was used to paralyze subjects inside the deprivation device. He was

  prepared for the fact that Tahl might not be able to walk or move. Qui-Gon

  did not seem to want to deal with that possibility.

  "Hurry, Obi-Wan. We need to get to Eritha before they do something to

  her."

  Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon back to the cave. They set a small amount of

  explosives farther down the cave, toward the entrance, then a second at the

  entrance to the tech-control tunnel. Then they hurried back toward the

  transport pen.

  "We'll set these to go off later," Qui-Gon said. "It will be a small

  explosion, but it should destroy most of the transports. Just in case we're

  followed." He grabbed another tech jacket and rolled it up, shoving it

  inside his own. "Now let's get back to where they took Eritha."

  Obi-Wan had seen his Master focused before. This was different. His

  gaze was intent, his every movement economical. Although Obi-Wan could feel

  Qui-Gon's anxiety, there was no trace of it in his speech or his actions.

  He appeared completely calm. Where did the desperation go? Obi-Wan admired

  how his Master had taken his emotion and given it discipline and purpose.

  It was a supreme example of how a Jedi should act.

  They were steps away from the first tunnel offshoot when the initial

  explosion went off. The cave seemed to rock for a moment, the walls and

  rocks shuddering. A siren wailed, and suddenly Absolutes appeared in the

  cave halls, running out from the various branches and tunnels.

  "It's back that way!" Qui-Gon shouted. He feinted a move in that

  direction and he and Obi-Wan ran a few steps. They let themselves be

  overtaken before turning back the way they were headed.

  Smoke began to drift back toward them. Obi-Wan saw a figure appear

  and disappear ahead of them amid the drifting smoke.

  "I think it's Balog," he said to Qui-Gon. "He's headed toward the

  explosives tunnel."

  They melted back against the cave wall and watched as Balog went

  through the retinal scan and hurried back toward the tunnel.

  "Should we follow?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "Let's wait here. We know Tahl isn't back there. When he returns,

  we'll follow him," Qui-Gon said.

  Another explosion split the air. Smoke rolled back toward them.

  "That should be the tech center," Qui-Gon said.

  Suddenly Balog appeared, darting out of the side tunnel. Obi-Wan

  recognized his squat, muscular body and powerful stride. Ignoring those who

  were rushing toward the cave entrance, he headed in the opposite direction.

  Qui-Gon nodded grimly. "When one's home is burning, one goes for the

  most valuable item."

  "He's heading for Tahl," Obi-Wan agreed.

  The two Jedi followed him. Obi-Wan expected Balog to turn toward the

  tunnel where Eritha was being held, but he kept going. Another explosion

  rocked the cave. This time it was followed by another, smaller boom.

  "The fuel tanks of the vehicles," Qui-Gon said.

  They passed a side tunnel with a readout sign: UW BASE ENTRANCE. Obi-

  Wan took note of it as he passed. It had to be the entrance to the

  underwater part of the secret complex.

  Balog abruptly turned into a small tunnel without security sensors.

  They plunged into the tunnel behind him. The glow rods were not

  operational, and the darkness was almost complete. They could only see the

  gleam of a durasteel door just ahead.

  Balog paused outside the door to access it. Obi-Wan hesitated, unsure

  of what to do. But beside him, Qui-Gon was already moving. His Master put

  on a burst of speed as Balog slipped through the door. With a mighty leap,

  Qui-Gon followed him, and the door slid shut.

  CHAPTER 16

  Qui-Gon landed with his lightsaber already activated. Behind him, he

  heard the door close.

  Balog stood in the center of the room between Qui-Gon and Tahl. The

  sensory deprivation device was leaning against the cave wall with Tahl

  inside. He could only see her eyes through a small viewscreen. He knew she

  was alive. Her eyelids fluttered. She could still feel his presence, as she

  always had. A slight tremor in the Force told him that she was trying to

  reach out to him.

  Obi-Wan began to cut through the durasteel with his lightsaber. Qui-

  Gon could smell the melting metal. He kept his gaze steady on Balog, who

  was smiling faintly.

  Then Balog laughed.

  "You think you can thr
eaten me? You think that you and your young

  friend can frighten me? What you don't know is that I have all the power

  here." He held up a small transmitter. "I can take away her life."

  Obi-Wan burst through the hole in the door and stopped short, his

  lightsaber ready.

  "Don't move, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said steadily.

  "Do you see this?" Balog asked, holding the transmitter aloft. "I can

  give your friend a last, lethal dose. She is very weak. I wanted to keep

  her alive, but I've come to realize that there is no need."

  "What do you want?" Qui-Gon asked.

  "Nothing from you," Balog said contemptuously. "You've done enough

  already. You found this place. Well, your Worker allies won't find anything

  here when they arrive. No records. Nothing to spy on, nothing to steal."

  "You set the weapons room to detonate," Qui-Gon guessed.

  "I'll be gone before that happens. We have plenty of support in the

  city. We don't need these followers to accomplish what we need to."

  "You don't care what lives are lost."

  "I care about Apsolon. My Apsolon," Balog said fiercely. "Not the

  Apsolon the Workers want. You Jedi are in my way." He stepped back and

  accessed a door behind him. A tiny space contained a small transport with a

  bubble-shaped top. Another door was cut into the far wall. No doubt it was

  to allow the exit of the transport into the lake. The interior door would

  close, allowing the compartment to flood.

  "Now I'm leaving. You may make it out of here when the explosives

  room goes, but I doubt it - especially when you have to drag your friend

  along." Balog pointed to Tahl with his chin. "And believe me, she's in no

  shape to walk. I made sure of that."

  Qui-Gon tensed, then relaxed. It took an effort of will to absorb his

  anger and continue to wait for his opening.

  "I leave you to your fate," Balog said, stepping back toward the

  transport. His small, dark eyes glinted. "Don't move, either of you. You

  see my finger near this button? If you try to stop me and are a fraction

  off, if you stumble, if you give me only a split second, I can press it. If

  you move toward me, I could flinch and press it. If, in short, one of the

  thousand things that could go wrong does go wrong, Tahl will die."

  Qui-Gon sprang. He had never moved faster or more surely. He knew

  that Balog did not see him, that one moment he was standing meters away and

  the next he was in the air next to him. With careful precision, Qui-Gon

  brought his lightsaber down, neatly slicing off Balog's finger. The

  transmitter fell to the floor.

  "I guess you didn't flinch," Qui-Gon said. Howling with pain and

  rage, Balog backed up toward the transport as he fumbled for his blaster

  with his good hand. Obi-Wan sprang forward as Qui-Gon headed for Tahl.

  Another explosion rocked the cave, this one larger than before. The force

  of the blast almost knocked Obi-Wan to the ground. The sensory deprivation

  device began to slide. Qui-Gon threw himself toward it and caught it in his

  arms. He laid it down gently.

  Instead of attacking Obi-Wan, Balog aimed his fire at the sensory

  deprivation device. Qui-Gon ignored the ping of blaster fire around his

  head; he knew his Padawan would deflect it. A chain of explosions went off

  and dirt began to rain down from the cave ceiling. Obi-Wan sprang into the

  tiny holding room as Balog scrambled into the transport.

  "Leave him, Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon shouted. He put his lightsaber to work,

  cutting away at the deprivation device.

  Balog accessed the exit. Water poured into the tiny room, knocking

  Obi-Wan off his feet. His lightsaber shorted out.

  Qui-Gon had a bigger worry: Soon the room would be flooded.

  "Obi-Wan!"

  Balog's transport took off underwater, bouncing wildly as it fought

  against the impact of the water gushing toward the opening.

  "Let him go!" Qui-Gon bellowed. "Tahl will drown!" The deprivation

  device was now floating. Qui-Gon held his lightsaber aloft. If it touched

  the water, it would short out, too. Qui-Gon could feel Tahl's life force

  flickering. They had to get her out of here.

  Obi-Wan struggled to his feet. The water was now up to his knees. He

  felt his leg ache as he pushed toward Qui-Gon, who had opened a seam in the

  side of the device.

  "That sounded like the main weapons room," Qui-Gon said tersely. "The

  cave could collapse. Let's get Tahl out of here."

  Water was now almost to their waists. Qui-Gon deactivated his

  lightsaber and quickly tucked it into his belt. Desperately, he lifted Tahl

  out of the device. She said nothing, her head flopping against his chest as

  though she couldn't support it. To see her so weak sent agony ripping

  through him. They struggled through the water toward the opening Obi-Wan

  had cut in the door.

  Once they were through the opening, they were able to stand. Water

  was pouring through the opening, and the door was starting to strain

  against its bolts, but the water in the tunnel was only ankle deep. They

  ran, splashing through the flooding, and reached the dry area of the cave.

  The smoke was thick and acrid now, burning their lungs. The cave area was

  deserted.

  Qui-Gon allowed Tahl to slide down his body so that she was on her

  feet. Her legs immediately gave way. He picked her up again and cradled her

  against him. He had to control his anger against Balog for her sake. What

  she needed from him was calm.

  "Tahl," he said gently. "We're going to get you out of here."

  One hand curled around his neck. He felt the gesture, her cold hand

  against his neck, and it curdled his blood. It was the same gesture she had

  made in the vision, the gesture that had told him how close to death she

  was.

  She managed to smile up at him. "It is too late for me, dear friend,"

  she said softly.

  CHAPTER 17

  They knew the Jedi Masters were watching. They were only ten years

  old, too young yet to be chosen as Padawans. But they knew the choice was

  coming soon. Some Jedi students had been chosen as young as eleven.

  It was called Exhibition Day, and they had performed exercises while

  the Jedi Masters watched. Force exercises, balance, endurance, climbing,

  jumping, swimming. Sometimes they split into teams of two or four. It was

  play, but it was also serious.

  The last exercise was a series of training lightsaber matches. Some

  were done blindfolded. Some pitted one student against two attackers. Qui-

  Gon won all his matches. It came down to him and Clee Rhara and Tahl. Then

  Tahl beat Clee Rhara.

  "Guess that leaves us," she whispered as she bowed to him at the

  start of the final match. "Don't worry. I'll go easy on you."

  They had been matched many times before. He knew how fast she was.

  She knew how strong he was. Knowing each other's strengths made the match

  more interesting. Qui-Gon found fighting Tahl to be both exhausting and

  exhilarating. It brought out his best skills.

  They whirled around the space, using every inch of wall and floor.

  All the Jedi students admired Tahl's gymnastic abilities. She could run up


  a wall, twist, and come at you with a sweeping backhand twist that left you

  dizzy.

  Tahl fought hard. Qui-Gon admired how just when he thought she was

  tiring, she would find fresh strength. He could not match her agility, but

  he was able to surprise her with strategy. He saw her eyes flash with

  astonishment and her teeth grit in determination as she parried his blows

  and came at him with a series of twists and reversals.

  The match was not timed. It would only end when one of them scored a

  blow. Exhaustion began to slow their moves, but they did not stop or make

  mistakes. He could hear the murmur among the spectators, wondering how long