Джуд Уотсон - Jedi Apprentice 15 - The Death Of Hope

Obi-Wan wanted to ask Qui-Gon more questions, but he stilled his curiosity. He sensed that talk would disrupt his Master's concentration.

They were using the probe droid, but they also needed their own tracking skills to keep moving. Time and time again they needed to exit their transports and make their way over the ground. Obi-Wan now realized how different a training exercise was from reality. He had to make absolutely sure that he didn't miss a thing, and that what he did read from the ground was correct. Tahl's life depended on it.

As the first sun began to set, the probe droid returned. Qui-Gon consulted the readout and turned to Obi-Wan. His face was streaked with dust, his tunic stained and filthy. Obi-Wan knew he must look just the same.

"We must travel through the night again, Padawan. Can you do it?"

Obi-Wan had reached a place where his body did not feel fatigue. He knew it was there, deep in his muscles and bones, and that he would feel it once this pursuit was over. Until then, he would not allow himself.

"I can do it," he said.

Qui-Gon nodded and sped off. Again, they rode through the dark night.

The cold air revived Obi-Wan and he took deep breaths of it to restore himself. The night streamed past in a blur of landscape and rising and setting moons.

The sky was just beginning to lighten when the probe droid returned.

It had taken less time for its reconnaissance. That could be a good sign.

Obi-Wan kept his eyes on Qui-Gon as he quickly accessed the readout. When Qui-Gon turned, his eyes gleamed in satisfaction.

"He has stopped. The droid has just left him, so he'll be there this time. We've got him." He leaped off his speeder. "We must proceed carefully, Padawan. There is a small canyon just ahead. Balog is there."

They proceeded silently toward a rocky outcropping. Qui-Gon signaled, indicating that they would find Balog around the rocks.

They moved silently but speedily. The darkness was starting to lift, but there were still deep shadows cast by the rocks and cliffs around them.

They moved into the shadows of the cliff. It would give them cover.

They climbed over some rocks and entered the canyon. Ahead they saw a small fire burning. There was no sign of Balog's hoverscout, but a figure lay near the fire, wrapped in a thermal quilt. Perhaps the hoverscout was parked nearby, deep in the shadows. Obi-Wan focused on the figure near the fire. Was it Balog? Or could it be Tahl?

Qui-Gon's steps slowed. He peered ahead through the dimness at the figure on the ground. He put out a hand to slow Obi-Wan down.

"Something is wrong," he muttered. "Can you feel it?"

Before Obi-Wan could respond, two dark shapes in the sky swooped down toward them. Probe droids.

And then Obi-Wan saw their own probe droid dart to the left, circling the canyon. He pointed it out to Qui-Gon, who looked up at it, puzzled, just as blaster fire ripped into the rocks behind them.

"It's a trap!" Qui-Gon shouted.

Balog had fooled them. He was gone, but he had left two attack droids.

One of these droids peeled off and went after the Jedi's probe droid.

The other headed for the Jedi.

Their droid shifted into attack mode from the threat. Blaster fire pinged overhead as the two droids found each other's positions and battled.

"We can't lose that droid," Qui-Gon said urgently. He activated his lightsaber and jumped behind a boulder for cover. "Obi-Wan, get back to your swoop. One of us needs to fight the droids from the air."

Obi-Wan hated to leave his Master, but he saw the wisdom of Qui-Gon's strategy. He sprinted toward his swoop. He could hear blaster fire erupt behind him, and had to discipline himself not to turn and check on Qui- Gon's safety. He had to trust his Master to handle the situation until his return.

The wind whistled past his ears as he raced across the terrain. He leaped onto his swoop and pushed the engines to maximum. He zoomed back toward the canyon.

Qui-Gon had jumped or climbed to a narrow ledge above the canyon floor. As the probe droid circled and dived, peppering Qui-Gon with blaster fire, Qui-Gon used his lightsaber in a series of quick defensive moves.

Obi-Wan knew he was biding his time until the droid came closer, so he could leap toward it with his lightsaber. It was a waiting game.

"Get that other droid!" Qui-Gon shouted.

Obi-Wan wanted to protect Qui-Gon. But Qui-Gon was right. Losing a probe droid would drastically lower the odds of finding Tahl quickly.

He shot up to where the probe droids were battling and activated his lightsaber. It was hard, even from close range, to tell which droid was theirs.

Qui-Gon saw Obi-Wan's hesitation. "The one on the left, Padawan!" he called out.

Obi-Wan focused on the two droids, noting any nicks and scratches that would identify the one he needed to destroy. Balog's droid had a deep scratch on one side. Confident now, Obi-Wan moved closer, angling to take his first strike.

Balog's droid suddenly veered and dived, blasting fire at the Jedi droid. The droid took evasive action, blaster fire missing it by centimeters. Obi-Wan gunned the motor and leaned to the right, angling the swoop closer. His balance had to be perfect or the swoop would tumble end over end in midair. He made a sudden dive on top of Balog's droid, swiping with his lightsaber. But the droid had already reversed course, and he missed.

Obi-Wan righted the swoop and raced up toward the probe droid. He could not let the droid get another shot out. At the same time he had to stay out of his own droid's angle of fire.

Balog's probe droid veered again. Obi-Wan followed. There was only so much strategy a droid could have. Obi-Wan dived, anticipating the droid's move. At the same time, the Jedi droid fired at Balog's.

"To the left, Padawan!" Qui-Gon shouted.

Without looking, without thinking, Obi-Wan pulled the swoop to the left, barely missing blaster fire from his own droid. Instead of righting the swoop, he used the move to circle, then zoom up, coming at Balog's droid head on. He saw the red sensor blink as it computed his position. He had only seconds.

He rammed the engines into screaming full power and leaned off the swoop as far as he could, raising his lightsaber high. The lightsaber came down and cut the droid neatly in two. Sputtering and smoking, it fell to the ground below and crashed.

Obi-Wan turned the swoop again, this time heading for Balog's second droid. It had altered its flight plan to fly lower since it could not get a good reading on Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan kept to the droid's left, leaving Qui-Gon room to maneuver.

He glanced quickly at Qui-Gon, who nodded. They didn't need to compare notes; they had arrived at the same plan. Obi-Wan sent the swoop into a dive at the same time as Qui-Gon leaped. The two Jedi soared toward the droid, their lightsabers pulsating. Together, they timed their blows — Qui-Gon an upward sweep, Obi-Wan a downward thrust. The probe droid had no way to escape. It fell under both blows and disintegrated in a shower of metal and sparks.

But what Obi-Wan hadn't taken into account was their own probe droid.

It had reprogrammed itself to attack the second droid, and fired at the same time.

Obi-Wan felt a warning surge in the Force and quickly accelerated. He was fast enough to avoid getting hit but not fast enough to bring the swoop completely out of danger. He heard blaster fire pepper the body of the swoop. Immediately it began to smoke and sputter. Obi-Wan carefully guided it toward the ground.

Qui-Gon landed on his feet. Obi-Wan pulled up next to him.

Qui-Gon's face was grimy and streaked with sweat as he looked impassively at the swoop.

"I'm sorry, Master," Obi-Wan said disgustedly as he jumped off the damaged swoop. "Too much of my focus was on Balog's droid."