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

Instead, you fought as though you were fighting alone. You will never be a great Jedi warrior if you do not practice teamwork and dedicate yourself to the greater Jedi goal."

It was his Master's most disapproving tone. Anakin knew better than to try to defend himself. Hadn't Ferus fought for himself, too? Hadn't he stepped forward without consulting Anakin, without a word as to his intentions? Why was Ferus right, and he wrong?

"Yes, Master," he said.

Obi-Wan stepped back. He never said more than he needed to. He never added a reassurance after a correction.

Anakin turned away. He caught Ferus's eye, and the boy quickly looked away. Ferus had overheard Obi-Wan! Anakin's face burned. Now Ferus knew that Anakin had been corrected by his Master. And Ferus was about the last Padawan in the Jedi Order that Anakin would want to know that.

The others had loaded the wounded into the speeder. There was just enough room for the Padawans.

"I'll return for you," Galen said to the Jedi Masters before taking off. Anakin watched as they receded behind him. He knew it was important for them to get the wounded to a medic. He also knew the Masters had left them here temporarily with important responsibilities. He still wished he were going off with his Master to see the Isolation Sector. Someday he would be a Jedi Master. Then he would be the one to make decisions, the one to make corrections. He could hardly wait

Galen picked up the Jedi Masters and brought them to the boundary line of the Clear Sector. An energy gate was ahead.

"I'll enter the code, and you'll be able to pass through,"

Galen said. "I'm sorry I can't give you the transport, but no vehicle can pass through the energy gate. You'll have to put on your bio-iso suits. I've managed to get a message through to Curi. You should be met on the other side for transport to Aubendo."

"Thank you for all your help," Obi-Wan said. He gave a last look back at Tacto. Obi-Wan didn't second-guess decisions, but he suddenly wished Anakin were with him.

The Jedi donned the bio-iso suits. The energy gate blinked green, and they walked through. They stood on a vast plain.

There was only a smudge of gray on the horizon, an indication of the city ahead.

After a few moments they saw a transport approaching. They recognized Galen's sister as the Radnoran female who was piloting the craft.

She halted the craft near them, the repulsorlift engines keeping it slightly aloft. "You've brought the medication?"

Ry-Gaul indicated the case at his side. "Here."

"Thank the stars. Oh, I'm so sorry. What a way to greet you. I am Curi. I extend so many thanks to the Jedi for coming. Please board the craft."

The Jedi swung themselves into the airspeeder. As Curi took off, they introduced themselves.

"I'm in charge of the rescue operation here, such as it is," Curi said. "We are fighting a battle we cannot win."

"You have many fatalities?" Obi-Wan asked.

Curi gave him a bleak look, full of exhaustion and suffering. "Everyone in this sector is dead or dying. Only those who came in from the Clear Sector with bio-iso suits are healthy."

The gray towers of the city rose before them. "We're almost there," Curi said. "We are passing over the underground canyons now."

Below them, the ground was fissured with deep cracks that Obi-Wan could see led to a maze of canyons.

"Radnorans are city dwellers," Curi explained. "We do not like open spaces. Perhaps some of us could have escaped the toxin if we weren't all in the same place."

They reached the outskirts of the city. Curi slowed down as they went down a wide boulevard. It was deserted.

Abandoned air taxis littered the street in haphazard groups.

Cafes and businesses were shuttered and empty.

There was no one on the streets. It was as though the Radnorans of this city had vanished. Obi-Wan had expected to see signs of panic, but the buildings and surroundings were intact.

Everything would have seemed almost normal, except for the fact that there wasn't any sign of a living thing. Even the vegetation was dead. Flower beds were full of twisted stalks. A massive tree was bare of leaves, the spiky branches reaching out like pleading arms. They could see that once-flowering bushes meters tall had run down the center strip of the wide boulevard. Now dry leaves and blooms were kicked up by the wind.

The Jedi were silent as they viewed the eerie sight. Obi- Wan had seen civil war and environmental disaster, but this felt worse. Even in his bio-iso suit, he imagined he could smell death in the air he breathed.

Ahead they saw the large med center. Here, at least, there were signs of activity. They could see medics in bio-iso suits inside the courtyard.

Curi pulled up the speeder, and they got out. The sound of his footsteps was unsettling to Obi-Wan. Encased in the white suit, his audio perception was muffled, making everything seem not quite real.

Curi hurried over to a medic and handed over the medications. "We don't know if these will help," she said to the Jedi. "We are trying anything. Thank you for bringing them."

She leaned against the wall, exhaustion showing in every line of her body.

"You need rest," Soara said. Beneath her usual bluntness, Obi-Wan sensed real concern. He could see why. Curi looked ready to collapse.

Yet somehow Curi reached down and called up a reserve of strength. She straightened and shook her head. "There can be no rest for me. Don't you know that? Not when I'm responsible for this." She looked over the city again. "For all of this horror," she whispered.

"What do you mean?" Siri asked.

"Didn't Galen tell you?" Curi sighed. "We own a research laboratory here. I run the financial side. Galen is the scientist. The toxic emission came from our lab. We still don't understand how it happened, though that doesn't make us any less responsible. Galen has been working day and night on the evacuation effort. He could have left long ago."

"And you?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I was in the Clear Sector, as was Galen, when we heard. I came here. I was trained as a medic originally. Here is where I was most needed."

"It was brave of you to come," Soara said.

Curi pressed her lips together. "It was the least I could do."

"Have you investigated the leak at your lab?" Siri asked.

Curi shook her head. "I didn't have time to review safety procedures, so I just ordered it shut down. It was clear very quickly that we were dealing with something that moved very fast. I came back when I knew we were running out of time to help the sick. We didn't realize that the sick would turn into the dying. We had no idea what to expect. Galen was involved in weapons development, you see. He was experimenting with the toxin for a future bio-weapon. He had no idea what he had."

"What do you know about the toxin?"

"We know more about what it isn't than what it is," Curi admitted. "We know it isn't a virus. It isn't a gas, but it has been carried through the air. Somehow it is absorbed into the system, but we aren't sure how. It could be through the skin. The particles are so microscopic that even a bacta bath would not clear it all away."

"It doesn't seem that you have the same problems here that the Clear Sector does," Obi-Wan observed. "There's no sign of panic or noting."

Curi nodded tiredly. "There was no time for panic. The dying cannot riot. Those who couldn't make it here to the med center are dying in their homes. I make the rounds. I do what I can. That is very little."

"What other kind of help can we give you?" Siri asked.

"You have brought the medicine. That was a great help.

Perhaps you could patrol the city and find out how many still need help. I haven't been able to get to every dwelling. You can help us organize. People will listen to you. Once the ships arrive, they will have more advanced med care. We might be able to save a few. You have to give them hope, at least." Curi's voice faltered.