Jude Watson: Jedi Quest 1: The Way of the Apprentice

Twenty Battle Droids like none Anakin had ever seen were wheeling in formation. They had advanced repulsorlift systems, allowing them to move with astonishing speed above the surface of the ground. While they guarded a huddled group, Radnorans systematically loaded the looted goods onto gravsleds.

One Radnoran male lay on the ground in a spreading pool of blood. A female crouched over him. Children stood nearby, rooted to the spot, while another older female tried to herd them to safety.

Anakin saw all this at once. His gaze took in the number of droids, the number of raiders, the Radnorans who must be protected, and the possible angles of attack. He knew every Jedi had observed the same. The droids had a fluid movement he'd never seen be fore. They did not maneuver in a jerky, programmed fashion. It was almost as though they had grace built into their sensors, and their blaster accuracy ratio was much higher than the usual Battle Droid.

One of the Radnoran raiders spotted them. Anakin saw his fingers fly on a remote device clipped to his belt. Five of the droids moved to surround the raiders for protection. The rest wheeled and came straight toward the Jedi in attack formation.

"Padawans, protection!" Siri ordered crisply. Her words floated behind her; Siri was already Force-jumping toward the front line of droids.

Obi-Wan leaped as well, keeping to Siri's left so they could surround the droids, who were deftly moving over the ground. With one sweep of her lightsaber, Siri sliced a droid neatly in half. Simultaneously, Obi-Wan did the same to the second. On his backswing, he took out a third.

As quick and agile as Siri and Obi-Wan were, Soara Antana was even faster. Anakin watched in astonishment as her lightsaber cut through three droids with one clean stroke.

Ry-Gaul handed the medication case to Tru to safeguard and joined her side.

Anakin knew that Siri's order was for the Padawans to surround the Radnoran family that had been victimized by the attackers. But he could see that the Jedi Masters would need help with the rest of the droids and the Radnoran raiders, who were already peppering them with blaster fire.

Darra, Tru, and Ferus raced to surround the Radnoran family. Ferus took out a droid on his way in a quick detour, his red lightsaber flashing. Anakin knew the three Padawans could easily follow through on Siri's order. That meant that on his way to obey Siri's order, he could help the Jedi Masters.

Anakin detoured toward Soara and Ry-Gaul. He held his lightsaber at the ready. The hilt he had built in a trance in the cave of Ilium was perfectly balanced to his hand. He felt power surge through him.

Anakin took out two droids with two quick thrusts. His palms felt hot, his body strong, his timing sharp. Still, he lagged behind Ry-Gaul and the amazing Soara, whose compact body now seemed to move like molten metal, gracefully sliding from one attack position to another. Each of Soara's moves flowed into the next, with no beginning and no end.

Her lightsaber was a blur as it sliced efficiently and continuously through one droid after another.

The Radnoran raiders took one look at how quickly the Jedi had reduced most of their droid squad to a smoking heap.

They ran.

The rest of the droids closed in to protect the raider's retreat. Anakin saw quickly that the Jedi Masters had the situation in hand. He double-flipped back to join the other Padawans, who had formed a tight circle, their backs to the Radnoran family as they fended off the last of the blaster fire from the retreating droids.

Ferus moved aside so that Anakin could join the protective circle. Anakin kept his lightsaber moving, deflecting the fire as the family crouched behind him.

Four of the droids suddenly peeled off into one group and launched a frontal attack on Obi-Wan, taking him momentarily by surprise. Siri had to execute a reversal and come at them from behind. Anakin admired how well Obi-Wan and Siri seemed to anticipate each other's strategy in combating the droids'

sudden maneuver.

That was not the only surprise. While Obi-Wan and Siri battled the group of droids, three more separated from the rest and suddenly zoomed toward the Radnoran family.

"Watch it!" Ferus called.

"I see it," Anakin muttered, his teeth clenched. Ferus spoke as though he'd been the only one to catch the surprise attack.

Tru turned his body so that he was still protecting the Radnorans and the case in his left hand but could meet the droid attack head on. Darra switched her lightsaber from her right hand to her left. All Jedi were trained to use both hands while fighting, but Darra was especially skilled at not favoring one over the other.

Ferus stepped forward, and Anakin did the same. The two Padawans fought the three droids side by side. It took all their powers to stay ahead of them.

Anakin saw a droid come at Ferus's left, and moved to foil its approach at the same time as Ferus. The two Padawans collided, sending Ferus off balance. He landed awkwardly, and Anakin quickly rushed in to bury his lightsaber in the droid's control center. Ferus was up and fighting in another split second, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He sliced a droid in two as Darra dispatched the last one with a cool grace Anakin admired.

Anakin glanced over at Obi-Wan. He was ready to join his Master, but he saw that Obi-Wan and Siri had finished off the rest of the droids. Soara and Ry-Gaul had completed their work as well.

The Jedi simultaneously deactivated their lightsabers. Obi- Wan ran to the Radnoran family.

"Is anyone badly hurt?" he asked.

"My husband," the Radnoran female said, her eyes wide with panic. "He needs help."

"We'll get him to a medic," Tru assured her.

Ry-Gaul bent over the Radnoran to gently examine the wound. "He will be all right. He needs a bacta bath." It was rare for Ry-Gaul to say so much at once.

"My sister took a blow to the head," the man's wife said, pointing at the older Radnoran female.

"And you," Tru said gently. He touched her shoulder. "You have taken a blow yourself, I think."

"To the leg. It was nothing," the wife said, kneeling by her husband.

"They all need care," Tru said to Ry-Gaul.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said. He scanned the streets. "There are no speeder transports. No emergency med vehicles."

As if he'd heard them, suddenly Galen appeared, piloting a large speeder. "I thought you might need this here."

"Yes. We must transport the wounded," Soara said. "And then we must go to the Isolation Sector."

"I can take the wounded first, then return for you," Galen said. "By the way, I only have four bio-isolation suits. You will have to choose who will go."

The four Masters exchanged glances. They did not have to confer. It would be better to leave the Padawans here temporarily and not expose them to the deadly toxin. The Masters were sure to be back in time to monitor the evacuations.

"The Padawans will stay here and make sure the wounded get care," Soara said, speaking for all the Masters. "We shall bring the medications to the Isolation Sector."

"Your instructions are to patrol the area and keep the people as calm as possible," Obi-Wan told the Padawans. "Do not conceal your lightsabers. The Radnorans must know that the Jedi will protect them."

"Check in with Galen periodically," Siri said. "He'll keep up with the progress of the evacuation ships."

"We will not fail you," Ferus said.

Of course we won't. You don't need to say it, Anakin thought.

Obi-Wan drew Anakin aside. "You fought well, my young Padawan," he told him.

"Thank you, Master."

"But you fought for yourself," Obi-Wan continued. "First of all, you did not obey Siri's order at once. And when Ferus stepped forward to engage the droids, he did so in the expectation that the two of you would work together.