Jedi Apprentice 13: The Dangerous Rescue (звёздные войны) Read online

  Far below, the whip snaked toward him. It could not reach him as he leaped to the next high girder. From here, he leapfrogged his way down, out of her reach at the far side of the site. Her howl of rage rang in his ears as he raced away.

  Chapter 9

  Siri was waiting for Obi-Wan back in the atrium, her vivid blue eyes snapping with impatience.

  "This place is crazy," she said before Obi-Wan could speak. "There is no Wing M. Or if there is, I can't find it, and would you care to make a bet on how helpful the Sorrusians were? Plus, Astri isn't even registered here. I went to Wing A, and they had never heard of her. So then I asked about Rai Unlu. Get this — they've never heard of him, either. Or at least that's what they tell me. I don't know whether they're lying, or I'm trapped in a nightmare." For the first time, Siri noticed Obi-Wan's mud- splattered tunic and dirty face. "Did you fall in a puddle?"

  "I had a run-in with Ona Nobis," Obi-Wan said. "This whole thing was a setup. I don't think Astri's here at all. Ona Nobis lured us here to get revenge on me."

  "So what happened?" Siri asked, instantly poised for action.

  Obi-Wan thought the decision to leave the battle was hard. He hadn't thought ahead to telling Siri. This was harder.

  "We fought. I left," he said.

  Siri looked incredulous. "You ran away?"

  Obi-Wan felt his annoyance rise. Why did Siri have to put it that way? He struggled not to let his anger show. The best way to tell her what happened was not to offer excuses.

  "I was outmatched this time." The words seemed to come out smoothly, but they felt as though they'd been torn from his throat.

  Siri opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. Obviously, there were many things she wanted to say. Just as obviously, Adi had taught her well.

  For once, she kept her thoughts to herself.

  Yet the expression on her face spoke more clearly than anything she could have said. Siri could not understand leaving the scene of a battle.

  She could not imagine a situation in which she would give up. She had not been in as many battles as Obi-Wan. She was more used to the training rooms at the Temple, where she had usually been the winner. When she had lost, she had bowed to her opponent with grace. Then she beat them in the next encounter.

  She did not yet realize that even for the best Jedi, there were battles that could not be won. Qui-Gon had taught Obi-Wan that. As skilled a fighter as he was, Qui-Gon knew that surprises in battle came often. You could train for them, but you could not predict them. Sometimes you had to cut your losses.

  He wanted to tell Siri this, but Siri would not listen. She liked to find things out her own way. And you did not go to her for a sympathetic ear.

  "We'd better contact Qui-Gon and Adi," Obi-Wan said, turning away.

  They found a secluded place to talk in the gardens in the center of the med complex. Qui-Gon's calm voice came through the comlink, and Obi-Wan quickly described what had occurred.

  There was a pause. "You did well, Padawan," Qui-Gon said. Obi-Wan felt some of the tension inside his body uncurl. Qui-Gon understood his decision, at least. "Ona Nobis is only a distraction for us now. But this news distresses me. Astri has not checked in with Tahl. If Ona Nobis used her as a lure, that means she must know that Astri is on Sorrus. She must know where she is."

  "Siri and I can look for her — "

  "No," Qui-Gon interrupted. "Hard as it is, I must agree with Tahl.

  Astri has made her own decision. She has not asked for our help." "But — "

  "Obi-Wan, listen to me. Do nothing. Tahl, Adi, and I will discuss this. You and Siri return to the Temple immediately."

  It was Qui-Gon's sternest voice. Obi-Wan tucked his comlink back into his belt. Reluctantly, he turned to Siri. "We'll be able to hitch a ride from the main landing platform."

  She nodded. She was silent on the walk back to the landing platform.

  Obi-Wan did not know what to say, either. He and Siri had formed a bond during their adventure on Kegan. He had liked her spirit and humor and had depended on her courage. Obviously, they still had a distance to travel before they became real friends. He felt a sudden sharp ache for his friend Bant, who would never let him feel like a coward for leaving the scene of a battle. She would trust his judgment. Siri only trusted her own.

  When they got to the landing platform, Obi-Wan looked for a hauler on a direct run to Coruscant. The first pilot he approached refused, but pointed to another pilot nearby.

  "Donny Buc is about to make a run. He'll probably let you hitch a ride. He's been laid up for repairs for a day, but he's ready to roll."

  Obi-Wan saw a pilot squatting near his ship, drinking a carton of muja juice. He signaled to Siri and approached him.

  "Sure, I can always find room for Jedi," the pilot said. "Are you ready to leave now?"

  "Yes." Obi-Wan had a sudden impulse. "By any chance, has someone else tried to hitch a ride earlier today? She's tall and has a shaved head — "

  "Sure, I remember her," the pilot said, taking a last gulp of juice.

  He wore a tattered leather helmet and sported a short black beard. "Her and some of her friends were looking for transport to the far desert."

  "Friends?" Obi-Wan asked, puzzled.

  "Three of them," the pilot said. "They kept quarreling about how much they were willing to pay. Wouldn't listen to a word the girl said."

  Obi-Wan closed his eyes. "Their names wouldn't be Cholly, Weez, and Tup, by any chance?"

  "That was them!" the pilot chortled. "What a bunch of chuckleheads."

  "Did you transport them to Arra?" Obi-Wan asked. That was no doubt where she was headed.

  He shook his head. "Couldn't swing it, I had repairs to wait for. I told them to take an air taxi. Saw them heading toward the taxi platform."

  Obi-Wan drew Siri aside. "Now we can be pretty sure that Astri is here. We've got to check this out. It won't take long. If this pilot will take us to Arra first, we can pick up Astri and bring her back with us to the Temple."

  "But Qui-Gon and Adi want us to return immediately."

  "That was before we knew for sure that Astri was here," Obi-Wan argued. "We know that Ona Nobis is here in the capital city, so we won't be in danger. We can swing by, pick up Astri, and head straight for the Temple."

  Siri shook her head. "We are wasting time, Obi-Wan. I don't understand why we had to rescue Astri in the first place. Why is Qui-Gon bending the rules for this girl? She isn't a Jedi. She can't lead us to Jenna Zan Arbor. This is a distraction."

  "She needs us," Obi-Wan said. "Qui-Gon has known her since she was a child. If she is in danger and we can help, we must. Your Master sent you here to Sorrus, just as much as Qui-Gon did."

  Siri gave him a stony glance. "Adi did not want to. She went along with Qui-Gon out of loyalty."

  "Then you should do the same for me."

  Siri said nothing for a long moment. She squinted into the distance, as if counting the tall buildings in Yinn La Hi. "All right," she said finally. "But we must not delay more than a few hours."

  Obi-Wan quickly made a deal with the pilot.

  "All right. It's only a little out of my way," the pilot said. "I wouldn't want your friend to get herself in trouble."

  They boarded the transport and took off. Obi-Wan's impatience made the flight seem to last forever. As the pilot slowed the engines and began landing procedures, a blinking warning light suddenly lit on the panel.

  "Well, eclipse my moon, there's that same problem," he said, hitting the panel with an angry fist. "That mechanic didn't fix my problem after all. Maybe I shouldn't have bought that discount part. I'm going to have to drop you and head back to Yinn."

  "But we have to get to Coruscant!" Siri exclaimed.

  "Well, you can come back with me, if you want," Donny Buc said genially, slowing the engines further. "Don't worry, we'll make it back to the landing platform. Should be a couple of hours, that's all."

  Siri groaned in frustration. "I don't believe this
! We could have been halfway to Coruscant by now."

  "Sorry, little girl," Buc said cheerfully. "The hyperdrive's busted.

  Lucky we made this detour so I can get back to the mechanic. You could hitch another ride from Yinn, I guess. But nobody else was making a run near Coruscant today."

  Siri bristled at being called "little girl." "I don't like any of these options."

  "It will only mean a few hours delay," Obi-Wan said.

  "Maybe less," Buc said, shrugging.

  "We might as well get off here," Obi-Wan said to Siri. "We can look for Astri while we wait. You've come this far."

  Siri pressed her lips together. She gave a short, angry nod.

  "All right, drop us here," he told Donny Buc. "We'll be at the landing platform in two hours."

  "Make it an hour and a half. I feel lucky."

  Donny Buc swooped in for a bumpy landing. They scrambled off the craft and he made a wobbly takeoff back to Yinn.

  Siri and Obi-Wan were hit with a blast of hot wind.

  "All I can say is, he'd better come back," Siri grumbled.

  Obi-Wan led the way through the sand. He was grateful to Siri for agreeing to stop. She may have been disdainful of him back at the Med Center, she might be angry now, but one thing he could say about Siri — she was loyal.

  They struck out over the dunes. Obi-Wan saw no sign of the tribe or Astri with her three companions. But up ahead, he caught the glint of metal.

  "Siri, look."

  She shaded her eyes with her hand. "It's an air taxi," she said.

  "Come on."

  They ran ahead, the sand sucking at their footsteps.

  The air taxi was settled into the sand, but did not appear to have crashed. As they got closer, Obi-Wan saw a bundle of clothing in the front seat.

  His heartbeat tripped. It was not a bundle of clothes. It was a pilot. He'd been strangled.

  Chapter 10

  Barely breathing, Obi-Wan walked closer to search the rest of the ship. He braced himself for the sight of Astri's lifeless body. But how could you brace yourself for something like that?

  The air taxi was empty except for the pilot.

  "What should we do, Obi-Wan?" Siri asked in a hushed voice. She anxiously scanned the area around them. "Do you think Ona Nobis killed the pilot?"

  "I have no doubt of it."

  "What do you think happened to Astri? Do you think…"

  "I don't know," Obi-Wan said uneasily. "Maybe she's hiding. Is there anywhere you can think to look?"

  "Yes," Obi-Wan said. He tried to ignore the foreboding that was gathering inside him.

  "There is one place. When Astri and I were here, the local tribe led us to the bounty hunter's hideout."

  He led Siri along the sheer rock wall that circled the canyon. When he got to a sharp turning, he stopped.

  "Put your hood up," he advised. "The wind will get very strong after we turn the corner. Whatever you do, don't lose sight of me."

  Siri nodded, drawing her hood over her face. He did the same.

  They turned the corner into a howling wind. Pellets of sand peppered any exposed skin. Obi-Wan kept one hand on the wall so that he would not get lost. He could only see a meter or two ahead.

  He dropped to his knees, motioning to Siri to follow. His fingers trailed along the rock, looking for the opening to the bounty hunter's hideout.

  It was a relief to enter the narrow opening of the cave. He could not stand, but the cool sand under his fingers felt good. He shook out his cloak and brushed the sand from his face and hair.

  "The cave opens up just ahead. We'll be able to stand," he told Siri in a whisper. He was fairly sure that Ona Nobis wasn't here, but he was prepared to meet her if she was. This time, he would have Siri by his side.

  He crawled along the cool, damp sand, feeling his way in the darkness. He saw the small opening ahead and squeezed through. Immediately the air felt different and he knew he was in a larger open space. The blackness turned gray. He waited a moment, then lit his glow rod.

  Astri sat against one wall with Cholly, Weez, and Tup. They were tethered together, their wrists and ankles tightly bound. Gags were stuffed in their mouths. Astri's eyes went wide.

  "Don't worry, it's me," Obi-Wan called, in case they had trouble seeing him.

  "Mmmmfff!" Astri struggled against the gag. Cholly beat his feet on the floor of the cave.

  "All right, I'm coming," Obi-Wan said, hurrying toward them. He reached toward Astri's gag even as she attempted to talk.

  "Trap!" Astri exhaled the word as Obi-Wan removed the gag.

  "Wh — " Obi-Wan's question was cut off as he heard a loud rushing noise behind him.

  He turned and ran past Siri to the opening. He dropped flat and pushed forward, but it was too late. Sand and rocks were pouring down from overhead, piling up against the cave entrance. There was nothing he could do. Larger rocks spilled down, wedging in against one another tightly. In only moments, the cave opening was sealed and they were buried alive.

  Chapter 11

  Obi-Wan crawled back into the larger cave. He wiped the dust out of his eyes and reached for his comlink.

  It didn't work.

  "Siri?"

  She shook her head. "Mine doesn't work, either."

  Astri ran her hands over the stubble that was beginning to grow back on her bare skull. "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. She left us here to die, but she was hoping you'd find us. When you crawled through, you tripped a slow- acting lever that deposited all that debris."

  Obi-Wan nodded. He felt foolish for once again walking into a trap.

  He had never told Qui-Gon about Ona Nobis's hideout. There hadn't been time. He had told Tahl, but he hadn't given her coordinates. Everything had happened too fast. And now no one knew where they were.

  Siri had freed Cholly, Weez, and Tup. Tup groaned as he stretched his legs. "I'm so hungry."

  "You won't be for long," Weez said.

  Tup brightened. "There's food?"

  "No, idiot. Because soon we'll be dead," Weez snarled.

  Tup paled. "You don't have to be so negative. Woosh. We're with Jedi.

  They can do anything."

  Cholly had crawled forward to peer through the opening to the cave- in. "They can't tunnel through a rock," he said.

  "You're not dead yet," Siri told them. "Come on, Obi-Wan, let's see if we can cut through those rocks with our lightsabers."

  Obi-Wan followed Siri back into the narrow portion of the cave. They crawled forward. There was just enough room to crouch side by side. They activated their lightsabers and sliced through the rocks.

  The rocks crumbled into sand, which filled up the spaces, packing the landslide even tighter.

  "This isn't going to work," Obi-Wan said. He sat back and deactivated his lightsaber. He wiped the dirt off his face with his sleeve. "Now you get to say 'I told you so."

  Siri sat down beside him. She dusted the sand off her tunic with her hands. "If you say that again," she muttered, "I'll hit you. There's got to be another way. Maybe she has tools in the cave."

  "I'm sure she removed them. Ona Nobis plans for everything."

  With a grunt, Siri flipped over and began to crawl back to the cave.

  "Maybe she doesn't know it's a tool."

  Intrigued, Obi-Wan crawled behind her. They stood upright as soon as they reached the big cave. Siri found two more glow rods and lit them. They prowled around the cave, pawing through the bins in which Ona Nobis kept survival gear and protein packs.

  "Can I help?" Astri asked. "What are we looking for?"

  "Tools," Obi-Wan said. "Something to dig with."

  Astri sighed. "Ona Nobis hauled out a bin of tools when she left. She didn't leave anything. Not food or water, either."

  Siri sat back on her haunches. "We can't dig with our hands. We'll never get out."

  A slight whimper from Tup ended in a howl as Cholly kicked him.

  Siri's eyes roamed over the cave. Suddenly, she raised her glow rod
.

  She rose to her feet in one quick motion and went over to study the wall of the cave.