Jude Watson: Jedi Quest 2: The Trail of the Jedi

Floria smacked her brother on the arm. "I told you to be careful! Now how are we supposed to get out of here?"

"You're the one who told me to disable it!" Dane protested.

"You said it was a good idea! If I'd known you didn't know how, I wouldn't have suggested it!"

Obi-Wan heaved an exasperated breath. If he could leave these two behind, he would. But something told him that he still needed them. "Stop squabbling, you two. We have to take Wren back to the Temple. We'll have to return and find the other bounty hunter's ship."

"Go back down the mountain?" Floria asked in dismay. "I'm exhausted!"

"And dusk will be here soon," Dane added.

Obi-Wan shouldered his pack. Then we'd better get started."

They left Wren wrapped in a blanket inside Teleq's ship. Anakin was able to reconfigure the ship's security code so that Wren would be protected inside. Even if Teleq somehow managed to get free of those birds, he would not be able to board his ship. At least Wren would have warmth and shelter. Promising to return soon, they set off down the mountain again.

"It's been almost five hours," Obi-Wan told Anakin. "With luck the bounty hunter will be just getting over his paralysis. He'll have no choice but the cooperate."

"We certainly are developing a collection of bounty hunters," Anakin remarked.

"Unfortunately they're not all as harmless as Floria and Dane," Obi-Wan said.

Anakin looked at him curiously. "You knew Floria wasn't telling the truth from the beginning, didn't you?"

"I suspected as much," Obi-Wan admitted. "But I had no way of knowing what she was concealing."

"I believed her story," Anakin said, frowning. "Why didn't the Force warn me?"

Obi-Wan smiled. "The Force is not a truth serum, Padawan. The ability to read a beings true motives comes with experience and patience. I was once very bad at it. Qui- Gon taught me how to look and listen. Floria betrayed herself by playing on our sympathies just a bit too much."

"And you knew they would find Teleq's ship and try to disable it."

"Experience," Obi-Wan said. "It tells me the beings follow their best interests. Floria and Dane have had to fight their way through the galaxy. They are used to looking out for themselves. Naturally they would still try to foil another bounty hunter winning the prize."

Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Do not trouble yourself, Padawan. You have an open heart. This is a good thing. With time you will learn the balance you need in a galaxy where all beings do not tell the truth. Your impulsiveness is a source of energy and power for you. But it can lead to trouble. You will learn to be more careful. Sometimes it is better to walk than to run."

"I got us into trouble with the malia, and then in the cavern" Anakin admitted. "I'm sorry, Master."

"Danger finds us on every mission," Obi-Wan said. "Let us look forward."

They followed the winding path down the mountain once again. When they reached the site of their battle with the Tursha, they hurried through the meadow. Ahead they could see the camouflaged tent. As they walked forward, they could distinguish the Tursha still slumped against the tree.

"He's still paralyzed," Anakin said, starting forward.

Obi-Wan stopped him. "No, Padawan. He is dead."

Obi-Wan crouched over the body. "Poisoned," he said.

Anakin leaned forward curiously. "Flechette canister?"

"No. See the flecks in his lips? It was a fast poison, injected in the neck." Obi-Wan moved the Tursha's head. "Here." Obi-Wan stood. "Do you have your tarp?"

Anakin withdrew the tarp from his survival pack. Gently, Obi-Wan wrapped the body. "We will come back for him," he murmured. "We must take him to Coruscant. He might have had family." He stood, his eyes roaming the area. "Now we must return to our problem. We must find his ship."

They spit up and searched the area thoroughly, but they could not find the ship the bounty hunter had used.

"One of the other bounty hunters must have stolen it," Obi- Wan said. "Mol Arcasite, perhaps."

"Do you think she killed him?"

"Possibly," Obi-Wan said. "But one of the others could have done it. We have no way to know."

"What now?" Anakin wondered. "We're stuck on the planet with no comm unit."

"We have one last sabaac card to play," Obi-Wan said. He turned to Floria and Dane.

"What?" Floria shifted nervously. "We told you everything we know."

"I don't think so," Obi-Wan answered. "If you had captured us, where would you have taken us?"

"To Granta Omega, of course," Dane answered.

"How would you have contacted him?" Obi-Wan asked. "You must have some sort of prearranged loine of communication."

Floria and Dane gave each other a nervous look.

"Because you're going to use it. You're going to contact him and tell him that you've captured us," Obi-Wan said. "And you're going to ask him to meet you on Ragoon-6."

"What if we do?" Floria asked. "Do you think we're crazy enough to contact Granta Omega and lie to him?"

Obi-Wan merely look at them. It was enough.

"All right, all right," Floria muttered. "We'll contact Granta Omega and lie to him. Just arrange a really nice funeral for us, will you?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No funerals. But the game is over. We're not chasing any more bounty hunters. Granta Omega will come to us."

Floria agreed grudgingly. "I guess we'll cooperate. I'm tired of trying to outthink you, anyway. Obviously, we're outmatched. Besides, I'm starting to like you. And I bet Dane is, too."

Dane groaned. "Guilty. Some bounty hunter we are. We befriend our prey instead of betraying them. Okay." He gazed seriously at Obi-Wan. "If we do this, will you protect us?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "You have my word."

Slowly, Dane withdrew a comlink from a hidden pocket in his cloak. "It's only got one channel," he said. "It's a direct line to Omega." Dane activated it and inputted a code.

"We have the Jedi," he said. "But lost our transport. You must come to us."

He listened for a moment, then shut off the comlink. "He's agreed to meet us. He sounded surprised that Floria and I were the ones to catch you. Kind of insulting, actually. But he's coming." Dane looked at his sister. "Unfortunately, he wants to meet us at the top of the mountain."

Floria groaned. "Not again."

"Don't worry," Obi-Wan said. "We'll get up a faster way."

This time, they did not follow the trail. They used the cable launchers to vault straight up the cliffs. From that spot, they were able to hike above the tree line. The air was thin and cold here, and Obi-Wan and Anakin paused to don their thermal capes. The snow was ankle-deep on the trail.

"There's a good chance he'll be wary," Obi-Wan told Anakin. "We must pretend to be Dan and Floria's prisoners until the last possible moment. I don't have to tell you that we need to take Granta Omega alive. Perhaps more important than catching him will be finding out why and how he targeted us."

Floria and Dane slipped laser cuffs over Anakin and Obi- Wan's wrists but did not seal them. It would appear that the two were prisoners. They marched ahead of Floria and Dane.

"Wasn't it your idea to become bounty hunters?" Floria grumbled to her brother as she pushed her way through the snow. "Floria, we can see that galaxy. Floria, it will be fun. Floria, it's an easy way to make a fortune — "

"Floria, you're driving me crazy," Dane interrupted.

"We're getting closer, you two," Obi-Wan warned from behind them. "Try to act like professionals. We could be under surveillance."

"Master, there is someone ahead," Anakin said under his breath.

A humanoid male sat on top of ice-encrusted snow ahead. He was dressed all in white, and had blended in with the snow.