Jude Watson: Jedi Quest 7: The Moment of Truth

Obi-Wan frowned. "Something has been nagging at me. There were scorch marks on the comm console. Mezdec said that he came out of the sleeping quarters and saw Samdew at the comm unit. He saw that Sam-dew was sending a communication to the Vanqors."

Anakin nodded. "So he blasted the comm console to stop him."

"A blast from that distance shouldn't have left scorch marks on the panel," Obi-Wan said.

"Not unless he shot from very close," Anakin agreed. "Maybe he was mistaken about where he was standing."

"If he was close enough to blast the panel to leave scorch marks, wouldn't you think he'd be close enough to stop Samdew without shooting?

Why did he have a blaster, anyway? He said he'd been sleeping, and it was the middle of the night," Obi-Wan said. "Anyway, the point is that he lied.

" "But the others came out and saw what happened," Anakin said. "And Samdew shot Thik."

"Think back, Padawan," Obi-Wan said. "You are telling me the impression you got, not the words that were actually said."

Anakin thought back, annoyed at himself. He had spoken quickly, without reviewing the conversation in his mind. That wasn't consistent with his training.

He focused, as a Jedi should. He remembered the conversation clearly now, in the exact words and sequence the others had used. An exact memory was one of the tools of a Jedi mind.

"Samdew was dying when he tried to shoot Mezdec," Anakin said. "That's what Rajana and Thik saw. Thik just got in the way. So Samdew could have been shooting at Mezdec because Mezdec was the spy. But what about Samdew activating the fire system?"

"We only have Mezdec's word for that, too," Obi-Wan said. "We only have Mezdec's word for everything, including the disabled transport."

"Do you think he's the spy?" Anakin asked. "I don't know," Obi-Wan said.

Shalini had seen them talking, and she slid into a seat next to Obi- Wan. "Everything all right?"

Anakin glanced at his Master. Mezdec was Shalini's husband. As the head of the group, she had a right to know what they were thinking. But where would her loyalties lie?

"Fine," Obi-Wan said. "Tell us something. Did you have any other evidence that Samdew was the saboteur?"

"What more evidence did we need?" Shalini said. "He killed four of us.

" "What do you think his plan was before he was interrupted?" Obi-Wan asked.

"We knew he was beginning his transmission to the Vanqor fleet,"

Shalini said. "Luckily Mezdec intervened before they got a lock on our position. I imagine that his message would be that we had the invasion plans. Then he would kill us and take off."

"In the disabled transport?"

"The Vanqors would send a transport, I suppose," Shalini said. "What are you suggesting?"

"It seems an inefficient way for a spy to behave," Obi-Wan said. "Far better to alert the Vanqors that their plans had been retrieved, then stay in place and hope for more chances to betray Typha-Dor."

"Maybe he was an inefficient spy," Shalini said. "Maybe his mission was over. Maybe he was tired of the cold." She eyed Obi-Wan curiously. "Why don't you say what you mean?"

"There could be another spy," Obi-Wan said. "Or Samdew might have been innocent. He did not get a chance to defend himself."

"He shot Thik!" Shalini said.

"He was aiming at Mezdec," Obi-Wan reminded her. "The only person who had identified him as a spy."

"What are you saying?" Hostility tinged Shalini's words now.

Shalini's voice had risen, and Thik and Olanz looked over. Rajana and Mezdec could not hear.

"We're just going over what happened," Obi-Wan said. "We want to make sure that what you think happened really happened."

"I know what happened," Shalini insisted.

"You know what Mezdec told you," Obi-Wan said. "There is a difference.

It could be a crucial one. Are you willing to gamble your planet's freedom on your faith in him?"

"Yes," Shalini said with complete certainty.

"I'm not," Olanz said quietly, coming up with Thik. "The Jedi might have a point, Shalini. We are relying on Mezdec for our proof."

Shalini looked at the two of them with disbelief. "Mezdec is not a traitor. He is as loyal to Typha-Dor as I am, as committed to bringing the plans back as I am."

Anakin noticed that she touched her utility belt when she spoke.

"May we see the disk?" he asked.

Shalini looked at him angrily, but she reached into a hidden pocket on her belt and handed Obi-Wan the disk.

Obi-Wan accessed it on his datapad. It was empty of information.

Shalini stared at the disk in shock. "I don't know how…"

"Was the disk ever out of your sight?" Obi-Wan asked urgently.

She bit her lip. "No, never. But Mezdec checked my blaster and my emergency supplies on my utility belt before we left. He said he wanted to do it, to make sure I would be safe…." Her voice trailed off. "I have a second disk. I didn't tell Mezdec. The invasion plans are safe."

Rajana's voice rose. "I'm getting radar activity. I think it's a destroyer."

"Where is Mezdec?" Shalini cried. Mezdec had disappeared.

Anakin and Obi-Wan sprang up. "Emergency pod," Obi-Wan said.

They raced to the rear of the ship. Mezdec was accessing the emergency door. He ran inside.

The ship suddenly shook as laser cannonfire erupted.

"We're under attack!" Rajana shouted from the cockpit. "I need help here!"

Both Jedi leaped toward the closing door to the escape pod. It locked down before they could reach it. Obi-Wan swept his lightsaber down the door and the metal peeled back. But he was too late. Mezdec blasted out into space.

"We should have been prepared for this," Obi-Wan said.

"He won't get very far very fast," Anakin said. "I disabled half the power. I also cut the comm unit. I'd better get to the pilot seat."

Anakin whirled and charged back toward the cockpit. Obi-Wan followed.

Their best chance of escaping the Vanqor bombardment lay with his Padawan at the controls.

Their chances weren't good. At half-power, the ship could not possibly outrun the Vanqor ship, and it would also be hard to maneuver.

Obi-Wan hurried back to the cockpit, where the others stood nervously around Anakin as he took over the controls. The Vanqor ship was behind them, a monster assault ship clad in black and silver. A flash came from the side of the ship.

"Torpedo," Obi-Wan said.

Anakin made a hard right. The ship shuddered as it turned. The torpedo missed them.

Laser cannonfire began to boom. Anakin put the ship into a dive, but Obi-Wan could feel how the ship trembled. He exchanged a look with his apprentice. Anakin's lips thinned. Obi-Wan knew he was determined to get them through. But even Anakin couldn't work miracles. Obi-Wan began to study the map charts, looking for a place to set the ship down.

Unfortunately, the closest planet was Vanqor itself. "Hang on!" Anakin shouted.

The ship staggered from a direct hit. Blue lightning skittered along the console.

"Ion blast," Anakin said. "We've lost most of our computer systems."

He turned the ship again, trying to stay a moving target. He threw a glance at Obi-Wan. "We've got to get the ship down."

Obi-Wan looked at the others. "Our only choice is Vanqor."

The group exchanged glances. They had been through so much and accomplished so much. Landing on Vanqor and being captured could mean the end for all of them. But when they turned to Obi-Wan, not one of them looked afraid.

"If it is our only choice, let us take it," Thik said.

Anakin dipped the ship into the planet's atmosphere. "Can you give me a coordinate?" he asked Obi-Wan. "I don't have much time to maneuver, but I'll do what I can."

Obi-Wan didn't have time to consult the onboard references. He thought back on the holomaps he had studied. "Our best chance of evading capture is to land on the outskirts of the Tomo Craters," he said. "It's rugged terrain. We might be able to lose them there, if you can guide us to a safe landing." Obi-Wan quickly sat down at the computer and brought up the coordinates.