Prologue

Not in living memory — not even among the oldest Jedi Masters — could they remember a Padawan whowas as gifted as Anakin Skywalker. He could have advanced through his Temple training in half the time ithad taken him. From the beginning, he had been far be-yond his classmates in lightsaber skills and mastery ofthe Force. Yet in matters of the heart and mind, he still had much to learn, as Yoda continually pointed out.

His teachers had known how gifted he was, but theygave him the same drills and assignments as the otherstudents. They knew he was bored at times, but it was important not to single him out, not to treat him as special.

But Anakin was special, and they all knew it. The trouble was that he knew it as well. He had been a unique case from the moment he en-tered Jedi training at the Temple. For one thing, he had been allowed to enter despite having passed the usualage. For another, he had been chosen as a Padawan byObi-Wan Kenobi from the start. While the other studentswondered when they would be chosen, and by whom, Anakin's destiny was assured.

Obi-Wan watched Anakin's progress with an eye thatwas both loving and careful. In one hand he held Qui-Gon's faith; in the other he held Yoda's caution. Therewere times it was hard to balance these two powerful in-fluences.

On the morning of Anakin's thirteenth birthday, Obi-Wan had presented him with his Padawan gift. It was thegift that Qui-Gon had given Obi-Wan on his own thir-teenth birthday, a Force-sensitive river stone. Obi-Wanwas ashamed to remember how he'd been disappointedby the gift. He had been so young. He had wanted some-thing significant, something like the gifts other Padawanshad received —

special hilts for their lightsabers orcloaks made from the lightweight, warm wool from theplanet Pasmin. Instead, Qui-Gon had given him a rock.

Yet that present had turned into his most valuable possession. The smooth black stone glowed with heat against his heart. It had warmed his cold hands on manyplanets. It had nestled inside a tiny pocket his friendBant had sewn in his tunic, close to his heart.

It was hard to give it up. But somehow he knew Qui-Gon would want him to. Unlike Obi-Wan's first reaction, Anakin's face showeddeep appreciation. Then his expression clouded.

"Are yousure?" he asked. "This was given to you by Qui-Gon."

"He would want you to have it, as I do. It is my most treasured possession." Obi-Wan reached out and closedAnakin's fingers over the stone. "I hope it will be with youalways to remind you of Qui-Gon and me, of our deep re-gard for you."

Anakin's smile lit his face. "I'll treasure it. Thank you,Master." In many ways, Anakin was more openhearted, moregenerous than he had once been, Obi-Wan thought. Though there was a great weight on Anakin due to theprophecy, he was sure that Anakin would do well. Now Anakin was fourteen. He was an able Padawanwho had already proven himself on several importantmissions. Yet there was one thing that nagged at Obi-Wan. Anakin was liked by the other students, but he hadno close friends. He was not loved.

Obi-Wan told himself that Anakin's gifts naturally sethim apart. But in his heart, he grieved for Anakin's loneliness. He was happy for Anakin's skill and growing com-mand of the Force. But he wished a simple thing forAnakin. It was something he could not give his Padawan. It was not a gift he could hand over, like a well-loved riverstone. He wished for a friend.

Chapter One

Anakin made his way down an alley deep below thegleaming surface of Coruscant. His Padawan braid wastucked inside his tunic, his lightsaber hidden in thefolds of his cloak. The Jedi were treated with great respect everywhere on Coruscant — except here. Closeto the planet's surface, there were those who matchedtheir contempt for good society with their need to hidefrom it. Everyone was equal here. Equally despised.

Even air taxis didn't descend this far. It had takenhim over an hour to walk down the descending ramps, since the lift tubes were often nonfunctional. If only he had an airspeeder! Then these raids could be done inhalf the time. But Jedi students didn't have access totheir own speeders. Not even Padawans. Technically, hewasn't supposed to be outside the Temple at all, notwithout Obi-Wan's permission.

"Technically" is just another way of saying you arebreaking the rules,Obi-Wan would say. Either you obey a rule, or you do not.

He was devoted to his Master, yet sometimes Obi-Wan's earnestness could really get in the way. Anakindidn't believe in breaking Jedi rules. He just wanted to find the spaces between them. Anakin was well aware that his Master knew ofthese midnight jaunts. Obi-Wan was amazingly percep tive. He could sense a shift in emotion or thoughtfaster than an eyeblink. Thank the moon and stars that Obi-Wan also preferred not to hear about his midnighttrips. As long as Anakin was discreet and didn't get into trouble, Obi-Wan would turn a blind eye.

Anakin didn't want to trouble Obi-Wan, but hecouldn't help himself. As the night wore on and the Temple quieted, as the Jedi students turned off theirglow rods and settled down for night meditation and sleep, Anakin just got restless. The lure of the streetscalled him. There were projects he had to complete, droids he was building or refining, parts to scavenge, rusty treasures to uncover. But mostly he just needed to be outside, under the stars.

Only those of us who have been slaves can really tastefreedom,he sometimes thought. His favorite scavenger heap was down here, in thedark underbelly of the city. The glow lights were seldomrepaired and the glittering lights of the city above didn't penetrate down this far. This was where the junk dealers dumped their unwanted heaps — the stuff eventhey couldn't sell. It was left in smoking, stinking gray piles for the lowest of the low to pick over.

Fights often erupted at these scavenger heaps.Anakin had been lucky to avoid the squabbles thatcould end in violence. In addition to the desperate, there were bands of Manikons, a tribe from a planetlost long ago to a civil war so devastating it had caused the small band of survivors to flee to Coruscant. Now the Manikons survived by their wits and their weapons.They were perfectly willing to fight to the death over arusty hydrospanner.

Anakin slipped among the smoky piles. Normally heavoided this particular junkyard, but he had a difficult tech problem with a malfunctioning droid, and he hadexhausted all his other venues for finding what heneeded. He knew that his Master looked at his tinker-ing with droids and tech devices as a waste of his time.Maybe it was. Anakin didn't care. He had come to realize that he needed to occupy his mind in order to stopthe voices in his head. The voices that doubted he'd ever be a great Jedi Knight. The voices that told himhe'd abandoned his mother. . . .

Anakin shook his head. Working on the droids wasthe one slender thread that connected him to his childhood on Tatooine. It was a frayed thread he was not willing to snap off completely. The smell came to his nostrils, a mixture of smokymetal and something unpleasantly organic, the residue of food or waste. He tuned it out as his gaze eagerlyswept the rubble. He was grateful for his Jedi training. His eyes weresharp, even in the shadows. He did not want to risk a glow rod. It was dangerous to advertise your presencehere. Better to act as a shadow. He kept his eyes trained on the ground as hewalked. Sometimes parts dropped off the giant hydrolifts that were used to transport the junk. He had un-covered some great finds by kicking through the dirtand debris beneath his boots.

Ah — a circuit, almost completely intact. Anakinrubbed it against his tunic, not caring about the crusty dirt that left a dark stain. He tucked it in his belt. And here — part of a hydrospanner. He could always usethat, just in case he broke the ones he had. Cheaper tofuse an old one than to look for an intact one. He scanned the heap ahead of him. One of hisgoals was to assemble his own small power terminal inhis room so that he would not have to hook up to theTemple's terminal in order to power his droids. The more he stayed out of sight with his hobby, the better.

There — he could see it on top of the heap. Could itbe a motivator circuit board? Yes — if he could justmanage to Force-jump up there without sending the assembled heap of junk tumbling. He scanned the side ofthe heap for a good landing site. A battered piece of durasteel seemed to rest solidly on the junk beneath it.If he landed softly, he should be able to balance on itlong enough to swipe the piece. He was a Jedi, and hisbalance was perfect. Anakin jumped.

He landed a bit harder than he had meant to, andwith a little too much pressure on his right foot. You're not a Jedi yet.

He heard Obi-Wan's gentle, admonishing tone in his ear even as he scrambled to avoid sending a small avalanche of parts back down the pile along with him.

Willing his muscles to stay flexible and his mind focused, he balanced carefully on the durasteel andeased out one hand . . .

. . . only to see another hand appear from the otherside of the heap, reaching for the same part. No doubtit was a Manikon.

He wasn't about to let one Manikon come betweenhim and a new motivator. Anakin threw himself forward,but he miscalculated how stable his footing was. Partof the heap began to slide, taking him along with it. Hefelt something or someone grab his ankle.

He crashed backward, at the same time reaching out to grab at the creature holding him. He felt some fabric in his fingers and held on. Together, the two ofthem banged and slid down the heap. Anakin smashed against sharp objects and bumped against durasteeland chunks of ferrocrete, still furiously hanging on tothe scrap of fabric while his ankle was held securely in the creature's grasp. At last they hit bottom. Anakin wrenched his footaway and sprang to his feet, ready for battle. The other creature did the same.

The hood of the creature fell back, and Anakin foundhimself face-to-face with a fellow Jedi student, Tru Veld.

"What are you doing here?" Anakin hissed angrily.

"That was my part," Tru answered. "I had my handright on it."

"I was reaching for it —"

"And thanks to you, it's lost now."

Suddenly Anakin spotted the part on the ground between them. It must have slid down along with them. He pounced on it.

"It's not lost now!" he cried, grinning.

"Give that to me, Anakin," Tru said, his slanted silver eyes gleaming. Tru was a humanoid species, a native of the planet Teevan. His skin had a silvery cast,and he was tall and lanky. Teevans were exceptionally flexible and could bend in surprising ways. Anakin sud-denly remembered that this quality had made Tru verygood at fighting.

"I'm not afraid of you," Anakin said.

"Of course you're not," Tru said in a disgusted tone."I'm not going to fight you for it. I'm waiting for you todo the right thing."

Anakin frowned. There were times he forgot he wasa Jedi. For a moment, he had been the slave boy on Tatooine, still bound by the rules of play on that harshworld. Those who find, keep. Those who hesitate, lose.

He wasn't a slave boy. He was a Jedi.

"I have a Protocol Droid with a bad motivator,"Anakin said. "I really need this." But Tru wasn't listening. He was squinting into thedarkness. "Now we're in for it," he said in a low tone. He signaled to Anakin. A short distance away, Anakinsaw a clump of moving shapes. Manikons.

"If we're very quiet," Anakin murmured, "they won'tspot us." He took a step back, and his foot kicked a piece of durasteel scrap. It landed against anotherpiece of junk with a loud clang.

"Is that what you call quiet?" Tru hissed.

The Manikons turned. They saw the Jedi.

"Maybe if we don't move, they won't come at us,"Anakin breathed. The Manikons surged forward.

"Interesting notion," Tru said. "Got any other ideas?"

Chapter Two

Manikons ran on four legs and reared up to twowhen attacking. They had blunt, heavy feet that theyused to bludgeon their enemy. If they got close, they could spew a stinging venom from their eyes that had the power to temporarily blind their attacker.

There was no question that Anakin and Tru wouldneed their lightsabers. Before the thought had com pletely registered, Anakin found the hilt in his hand. Hedidn't think it was such a good idea to reveal the factthat two Jedi were scavenging beneath the city. But hedidn't particularly want to be pummeled and blinded, ei-ther.

Tru jumped to his left, and Anakin immediately sawhis strategy. He wanted to avoid the pummeling feet and the stinging venom, which could only be directedstraight ahead. Anakin followed Tru, leaping to engage the first Manikon. He knew he was a more aggressivefighter than Tru. He needed to avoid wounding or killing.He just had to frighten the Manikons enough to retreat.

"If we attack their bundles, they'll retreat," he toldTru confidently. "They won't want to lose what they have."

He leaped forward, going after the booty tied to theirbacks in large sacks. Whirling and dodging the flying feet, he slashed at the straps of leather tying the bagsto their backs. The maneuver required the most precise of touches. A fraction off, and he could easily sliceoff an arm. This was why he loved the action of alightsaber. It was the ultimate instrument. He had seenfirsthand the mistake that many Jedi students made.They did not realize how delicate it could be, how youcould use it like a breath of air. Like a feather, not a stick,the best lightsaber teacher, Soara Antana, hadsaid. Three bundles fell, scattering parts, and the Manikons howled in rage. They leaped over the parts and thundered toward Anakin and Tru.

Ffffffeewwwww!

Anakin had never heard the sound of a Manikonspewing venom before, but he didn't need a lesson.

"Whoa, really good plan, Anakin," Tru observed.

Anakin leaped to his right as a snarling Manikon approached, rearing up on two legs. Tru rushed forward anddelivered a fast series of moves to push back theManikon.

"Okay, time," Tru said.

"Time for what?"

"New plan. Run."

"Good idea." Anakin took off after Tru.

The two of them leaped together, using the Force tohelp them gain the top of the junk heap in one bound.They sent a shower of debris down behind them, butthey managed to keep their footing. Below, the snarling Manikons began to scale theheap in their fury. But they were heavier and clumsier than the Jedi. The junk heap began to tumble and sway.

Anakin looked over at Tru.

"What now?"

"Jump?" Tru suggested.

"Sure. Any suggestions where?" They were surrounded by other junk heaps, all of them unstable. Itwas impossible to know if they would be able to landsafely.

A huge Manikon was halfway up the slope when hedislodged a power converter fragment. The entire heapbegan to collapse.

"Anywhere!" Tru yelled, and leaped into the air.

Anakin followed. In midair, he had a second to decide on his landing spot. If he hadn't had Jedi training, chances were good that he would have landed on aspike or sharp piece of metal. But he was able to evalu-ate and direct his descent, even as he fell. Everything below him was suddenly sharp, suddenly clear. He felthe could see every pebble, every grain of dirt and de-bris. That was how clear the Force could make his vision.

It was moments like this that he lived for. The nightair, so crisp in his lungs. Danger so near. The Force around him. If he could hang in the air forever like this,he would.

He landed lightly, precisely, on the edge of a heap,then jumped the rest of the way to the ground. Beside him, Tru landed safely as well.

Ffffffeewwwww!

Anakin jumped, pulling Tru aside. The venom hitonly millimeters away. They looked behind them. Three furious Manikonswere trying to slide down the heap toward them. Junkedparts were shifting and sliding.

"Time to go," Tru panted.

They ran. Behind them, the enormous junk heap collapsed in a cloud of dust. The cry of the Manikons wasterrible. Choking, Anakin and Tru kept running. Theydidn't stop until they reached the relative safety of thewalkway.

They paused to catch their breath. It had been aclose call.

They struck off in the direction of the lift ramp to theupper levels of Coruscant.

"Well, if you say so," Tru said.

Anakin looked at him, confused. "If I say what?"

"Your droid has a bad motivator," Tru explained."What makes you think so?"

"The reactivate switch keeps cutting out. This is mysecond motivator. The first one just blew when I hookedit up. I spent two weeks rebuilding it, too."

"Then your problem isn't the motivator," Tru said."Have you run a check on the sensory plug-in system?" Anakin shook his head. "Nothing wrong with it."

"Maybe. But sometimes it can interface with the reactivate switch and cause the motivator to fuse. Did something funny happen with the vocabulator when thefirst motivator blew?"

"That's funny," Anakin said. "It went crazy. My droidstarted talking in Kyhhhsik."

"That's your problem, then," Tru said. "The sensor suite has a short. Sometimes in Protocol Droids it can trigger the vocabulator. It's a pretty simple problem tofix. Much more simple than a bad motivator." Anakin glanced at Tru's tall, gangly body. Tru hadnever impressed him. Sometimes Anakin had won dered if his connection to the Force was strong enoughto be a Jedi. Yet Tru had recently been picked as aPadawan by Ry-Gaul, a quiet and respected Jedi Knight.Anakin had wondered about that, too.

"I didn't know you knew so much about droids,Anakin said.

"I don't. I just picked up a few things along the way,"Tru said. "I like to read manuals in my spare time. Droids. Transports. Circuit boards. You name it."

Anakin tossed him the motivator part. "Here. Iguess I won't need this after all." Tru tucked it into the pocket of his tunic. "Thanks."

"That is, if you're right," Anakin added.

"If I'm not, you can have the part back."

Suddenly, Anakin began to understand why Tru had been picked by Ry-Gaul. There was the sense of assurance Tru had. He gave off a sense of calm. That wasunusual in a young student, even a Jedi. Anakin himselfwas aware that he felt confused and uncertain some ofthe time. He covered it well. But Tru didn't seem tohave an undercurrent. He was just Tru.

"Give me a summary when you're done with theanalysis," Tru said.

"Of the droid?" Anakin asked.

"Of me," Tru answered. "Aren't you analyzing meright now?" Anakin grinned and didn't bother to deny it. "Ihaven't come to any conclusions yet." Tru took a bag of sweet figda candy from his pocketand tossed one to Anakin. "Too bad living beings don'tcome with manuals. Listen, I'm not very mechanical,but I'll help you with your droid problem, if you want."

Anakin was surprised at the offer, but he wasn'tsure why. Then he realized what it was. It wasn't often that he was offered help.

Most assumed he didn't need it.

"Sure," Anakin said. Saying that one word opened adoor. He saw that suddenly. He had forgotten it. He hadonce known how to make a friend, and he had madefriends easily. It was a skill he had lost. His comlink signaled, and he groaned. He knew whoit was.

"Where are you?" Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin looked around. He was still quite a few lev-els away from the Temple. At least a few hundred. If hetold his Master that, Obi-Wan would know where he'dbeen, and why.

Tru suddenly stepped up closer."Master Kenobi, itis Tru Veld.Anakin is with me. I asked his help on...a personal matter. We are returning to the Temple now."

"All right." Obi-Wan sounded surprised. "Come andsee me, Anakin, as soon as you arrive." Anakin turned off his comlink. "Thanks," he said toTru. "Obi-Wan wouldn't be happy if he knew where I'd been."

"Neither would Ry-Gaul," Tru said.

"If you're not so good at fixing droids, why were youthere?" Anakin asked.

"I'm helping out Ali Alann," Tru said. "He has a droidhelper in the nursery now. It needs a new motivator andthe tech service department is running low. I thought jI'd surprise him." Anakin felt ashamed. Here he had fought for thepart for himself, and Tru was doing a good deed. He sighed. It was times such as this he wondered if he'dever become a Jedi. Students like Tru had a dedicationhe feared he lacked.

They hurried back to the Temple. It was dark andquiet as they checked in. They headed for the lift tube. Obi-Wan came around the corner. He frowned whenhe saw Anakin's stained tunic and dirty face.

"Where have you been?" he asked sternly.

Tru and Anakin looked at each other, then began tospeak at once.

"You see, Ali Alann —" Tru began.

"The tech service department has shortages Anakin started.

Obi-Wan held up a hand. "I don't want to know.

Good night, Tru."

Tru nodded respectfully and hurried off to his quar-ters. Obi-Wan turned back to Anakin.

"Anakin, these late hours will do you no good if youhave to leave early on a mission the next day."

"But I don't have a mission tomorrow," Anakin said.

"Ah. Are you so certain of that, young Padawan? Doyou see into the minds of the Jedi Council?"

"The Jedi Council wants to see us," Anakinguessed, excitement rising in him. "You mean we havea mission?"

"We shall see," Obi-Wan said neutrally. "They'veasked for our presence before dawn tomorrow. So get some sleep. If I see one yawn tomorrow, I'll forbid you to go outside the Temple grounds at all."

Chapter Three

The next morning, Obi-Wan headed for Anakin'squarters. He knew that Anakin would be ready at the precise time he had been told. Anakin might push the rules, but he knew when to toe the line. Anakin was waiting outside his door in a fresh tunic,his face bright with eagerness in the dim light. The glowrods were kept low at this hour to keep a meditativehush in the Temple halls. Most Jedi were asleep ormeditating.

Anakin swung into step beside him. Obi-Wan knewthat his Padawan was waiting for an admonishment about the night before, but Obi-Wan had already moved on. The sight of Anakin with Tru had stirred him. Thetwo young Padawans had exchanged a conspiratorialglance, and rather than being nettled by it, Obi-Wan hadenjoyed it – though he would never let Anakin know it.Perhaps Anakin had made a friend. Obi-Wan was also glad that Anakin had an independent spirit. It would serve him well as a Jedi Knight the years to come. What his Padawan needed wastraining in cooperation and dedication to the greater good, upheld by the Jedi Order. He did not know how tosuppress his own needs and desires in order to serve.How does one teach loyalty and self-sacrifice? Obi-Wanwondered. Was it something that could be taught?

The mission teaches when I cannot.

Qui-Gon's words again. Obi-Wan had come to realizethat in addition to preparing him to be a Jedi Knight,Qui-Gon had prepared him to be a Master as well. Hehad often let him in on his thought processes, even onhis own struggles to be a good Master. Qui-Gon's advice often rose in his mind, centering and calming him,much as Qui-Gon himself had done.

Over the years since Qui-Gon's tragic death, Obi-Wan had come to know how even searing grief could leave behind not only sorrow, but peace. It had beenone of the great lessons of his life.

"You are thinking of Qui-Gon." Anakin's voice wassoft.

Startled, Obi-Wan turned to his Padawan. "How didyou know?"

"Your face. It changes." Anakin shrugged. "Sorryknot inside you loosens. Something smooths out. Iit happening."

"Stop being so perceptive," Obi-Wan chided gently.

"Now you are not thinking of him at all," Anakinreplied, mischief in his eyes. "The knot is back."

"And you have tied it," Obi-Wan answered, accessingthe Council room door. The full Council had not yet assembled. Only Yodaand Mace Windu were present, speaking quietly by thewindow. The lights of Coruscant still sparkled outside.The sun had not yet risen. A few air taxis made theirway down the space lanes. In only an hour or so thoselanes would be crammed with traffic. Obi-Wan was surprised to see two other JediKnights in the room with their Padawans. Obviously this mission was going to be a big one. He gave short bowsto Ry-Gaul and Soara Antana. Ry-Gaul's Padawan was:Tru Veld, Anakin's companion of the night before. Thetall, elegant Master towered over his Padawan. Obi-Wandid not know Ry-Gaul very well, though he knew his reputation. He was a grave, silent Jedi who did not speakmuch but was widely respected for the depth of hisknowledge of the galaxy. Soara Antana was a legend.Her lightsaber skills had set her apart even as a younggirl. Like Obi-Wan, she had recently become a JediKnight. Her Padawan, Darra Thel-Tanis, was the sameage asAnakin. Darra, a slender girl with lively eyes,took her place next to the sturdy, muscular Soara. The Jedi Council members filed in and took theirlaces. Yoda and Mace Windu came away from the win-dow and sat. They exchanged a glance but did not startthe proceedings. What were they waiting for?

The doors hissed open again, and Siri strode in.Obi-Wan hid his smile. He should have known. When hehad known Siri as a young Padawan, she had beenstrict about rules and regulations. But ever since she had gone undercover to trap the slave pirate Krayn, hehad noticed a difference in her. She seemed a little restless, less inclined to listen wholeheartedly to theCouncil. Obi-Wan didn't mind the change. Siri had al ways seemed just a bit too inflexible. Now she evenlooked like a rebel. Her blond hair was cropped short,unlike the other Jedi Masters. Instead of a tunic andcloak, she wore a close-fitting unisuit made of leather.She nodded at him and took her place next to herPadawan, Ferus Olin. Mace Windu's stern gaze swept over them all."Thank you all for your punctuality," he said, giving Siri a pointed look that only caused her chin to lift and her lips to quirk in a small, apologetic smile. "We have anemergency mission that requires the service of fourJedi teams. You are to travel to Radnor, a planet overcome by a toxic disaster. Radnor is a small planknown for its research and development of high-tech weapons systems. A toxic cloud has been accidentallyreleased by one of their weapons laboratories and isquickly spreading. Many have died; many more have become ill. So far the damage has been confined to onearea."

"Two main city-states there are on Radnor," Yodasaid. "Twin cities, they are called. Tacto and Aubendo.Small cities they are, each with their own governingministers. Prevailing winds they have on Radnor. Thewinds sent the toxic cloud directly to Aubendo. Confined there the toxin has been. Yet no one knows exactly how it has spread."

"Since it is a new agent, there are many unknowns.It could be ingested into the lungs or through the skin,"Mace Windu continued. "The agent is not a gas, but anorganic substance carried by the air. It could possiblybe spread from one being to another — we don't know this, either. The second city of Tacto has been sparedas of yet."

"Change the prevailing wind will," Yoda said. "Thenbring it will the toxin to the second city."

"At first Radnor dealt admirably with the disaster,"Mace went on. "The officials mobilized quickly to meet the catastrophe. The afflicted city of Aubendo and the surrounding area was cordoned off and is now called theIsolation Sector. Tacto is known as the Clear Sec-tor and there have been no cases so far. But as Tacto saw how severely afflicted Aubendo became, as theysaw the numbers of deaths increase so that not onebeing was spared, they began to panic. The governingministers of Tacto fled the planet. Anyone who could af-ford to joined them. There are now no more transports left on the planet to take those who could go. Anarchy and panic have taken over. So the Senate is steppingin. Evacuation vessels capable of transporting the re-maining Tacto population are headed to Radnor and willarrive in three days."

"Surprised you look, Obi-Wan," Yoda observed.

"Merely that the Senate has acted so quickly," Obi-Wan said. Mired in bureaucracy, the Senate sometimestook months to debate a simple issue.

"Dire, the situation is," Yoda said, nodding. "Bail Organa was responsible for this quick action."

"There will be room for the sick as well as for thosewho haven't been exposed," Mace Windu went on.

"Buton the planet's surface there is panic among thehealthy population, for they are afraid that there will not be enough room. Corrupt lower officials are taking bribes, so it is also feared that the sick will never make it off the planet at all.”

“Chaos begun cannot be ordered so easily,” Yoda said.

“You must go in and ensure that the evacuations take place in a peaceful and orderly manner,” Mace said. “There are still those who survive in Aubendo, and their places on the evacuation ships must be assured. There is looting and unrest in Tacto, so the Jedi must keep the peace as well. It is a volatile situation that means life or death for many, so we have decided that four teams are needed.”

“Transport you must medications to the sick on the planet,” Yoda added. “And leave you must this morning.”

“A Senate transport is waiting,” Mace Windu concluded. “May the Force be with you.”

Chapter Four

The Senate transport slid into orbit around Radnor. No transports were allowed to land on the planet. They would take a small cruiser to the surface.

Anakin stared down at the planet. From space, it looked blue-green, and he knew that vast seas covered much of the surface. The main landmass was small, and appeared as thought the seas around it would swallow it up.

He had visited other worlds since he’d become a Padawan. It no longer surprised him when he saw planets whose surfaces were dominated by oceans and seas. As a boy, he could not imagine seas that could stretch as far as the eye could see. On Tattooine, he had lived in an ocean of sand.

"Hard to imagine, isn't it," Tru said, breaking intothoughts. "When you look down at a planet, I mean."

"What?" Anakin asked.

"Suffering," Tru said. "Everything seems peacefulfrom orbit. Then you get down there, in the middle of things, and everything changes."

"How many missions have you been on?" Anakinasked.

"Enough," Tru said softly. "Enough to have seenwhat I've seen. Enough to know I will see more." It sounded like a riddle. Yet, strangely, Anakin knewwhat he meant. Each mission made him feel so mucholder. Each mission had exposed him to sadness andanger and grief. Nevertheless he looked forward to thenext, and the next. That was what Tru meant.

"This is my first mission." Darra Thel-Tanis spokebehind them. She had not said much on the journey, in stead studying the research materials the Council hadprovided. She had lively, rust-colored eyes and a pieceof bright fabric woven through her long Padawan braid. Her energy crackled. Anakin could almost feel it in theair when she was near. "So I'm depending on you two to make me look good." Darra gave Tru and Anakin acheerful grin.

Obi-Wan came by and put a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "It's time to board the cruiser." The four Jedi teams — Anakin and Obi-Wan, Tru and Ry-GaulDarra and Soara, and Ferus and Siri —

made theirway to the cargo bay. They settled into the cruiser and Siri took the controls. Ferus Olin sat up front next to her, the light glinting offthe streaks of gold in his thick dark hair. Anakin watchedhis profile. It was strictly emphasized in the Jedi Templethat no student was better than another. Different students had different gifts. Yet Ferus had them all. Hewas steady and brilliant, a physically gifted athlete, and popular with all the students. He was a few years olderthan Anakin, and the Masters were still talking abouthim long after he had gone on to become a Padawan. He had excelled at everything he tried. Yet no student was jealous of him. They admired him and wanted to be like him. He was also popular with the Jedi Coun-cil. Anakin knew they expected great things of him.There was no one at the Temple who did not speak thename Ferus without praise. Except for Anakin. There was something aboutFerus he did not like. That was not appropriate, of course. It was not up to Anakin to like or dislike a student. Judgment was forbidden in the Jedi Order. He tried to control the feeling. He would control it.He knew well that he couldn't be a Jedi without doing so.

Siri expertly maneuvered the craft down to the landing site at Tacto. She came in fast and whipped the craft around, landing with a whisper-light touch thatAnakin admired. All Jedi were excellent pilots, but it was rare to find someone who approached the task asartfully as Siri.

"Great landing," Anakin told her. Obi-Wan justsighed.

Siri activated the landing ramp, and they filed downonto the surface of the planet. Ry-Gaul carried the caseholding the needed medications. Anakin reached out tothe Force to feel what he could about the missionahead. He exchanged a glance with Obi-Wan. The Forcewas dark here. Fear had gripped the population of bothcities — and with fear came desperation, anger, andchaos. Radnorans were a humanoid species, short instature and sturdy in appearance. Several uniformed security officers waited at the transport desk. A Radnoran dressed in a white unicoat hurried forward.

"Welcome, Jedi. We are relieved to see you. The cityof Tacto is under great stress." He passed a hand over, his head full of curly brown hair. "The people don't believe that there will be enough room on the ships."

"Who are you?" Soara Antana asked bluntly. Shewas known for her no-nonsense approach. Her powerful handsrested lightly on her belt.

“Excuse me. Ishould explain. I am Galen, the coordinator of the rescue effort. The officials have abandoned the planet, so I suppose I'm now in charge. Only asmall security force remains. I inherited this job

--I'm normally a scientist. Most of my colleagues haveleft. | volunteered to help with the evacuation. My sisterCuri has gone to the Isolation Sector to help there."Galen turned to the security officers. "Remain here withthe Jedi ship."

The lead officer nodded. "Affirmative."

"Let me take you to the emergency command post,"

Galen said.

Galen started across the landing pad, taking quicksteps with his short, muscular legs. "Rumors comeand go daily. The ships are late. The ships are not coming. There will not be enough room. We try to keep information flowing, but it's difficult. So many have left,and those who remain are frightened."

"How are things in the Isolation Sector?" Soara Antana asked.

"Worse," Galen said curtly. "Communication is erratic. The toxic cloud has apparently interfered with our comm systems. We — "

Suddenly, they heard the roar of engines. Theyturned just in time to see their transport lift off thelanding pad and zoom high above.

Galen turned to them, his round, ruddy face suddenly pale. "The security officers stole your ship. I amso sorry. Things here are very bad. Even the officers arepanicking. Why shouldn't they? Everyone else is, andtheir own leader has fled. But don't worry — I have atransport in a safe location. It is at your disposal."

"We accept your offer with thanks," Siri said.

"We can go there after you see the command post,"Galen said, beginning to walk again.

"We can assure your people that the ships are ontheir way and there is room for all. What is your biggest problem at the moment?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I have too many problems to single out one," Galensaid. "The government is practically nonexistent. The security officers — the ones who remain — are in danger of disbanding. You can see that loyalty has evapo-rated on Radnor."

They exited onto a boulevard and found themselvesin the city center. The streets were eerily empty. Occasionally a Radnoran would pass, walking quickly. Theysaw a family go by, their bundles held tightly against their chests, darting glances testifying to their panic.

They passed looted stores and houses. Doors werebroken down and windows were smashed. Anyone theypassed had at least one blaster prominently displayedon a hip or strapped across a chest. Anakin had never seen anything like it. He could almost smell the fear in the air. They walked by a small space cruiser, its interiorbombed out and its engine looted.

"Most of the transports that have remained havebeen fought over and destroyed," Galen explained.

"There have been frenzied crowds desperate to get off-planet."

"Tell us about the looters," Soara said. "Do youhave any clues as to who they are and where they are based?"

"No," Galen said. "I don't have time to find out. Atany rate, we don't have a security force to control them.I can tell you that the raiders have somehow stolen asmall army of prototype Battle Droids from a research laboratory. They use the droids to control the situationwhile they steal the goods." Galen's comlink signaled, and he answered it. After exchanging a few words, he turned to the Jedi. "It is mysister, Curi. I'd like you to see this."

A miniature hologram appeared of a small Radnoranfemale. They could just glimpse curly dark hair like Galen's beneath the white bio-isolation suit she wore. Every inch of her body was covered, with the materialstretching over her boots. A transparent mask fittedover her face and head. The hologram flickered, andsome of the words were unclear.

"...three deaths today of med personnel. Therearen't enough of us to take care of...We need thenew medications as soon as possible. Please tell theJedi . . ."

The hologram sputtered and died.

The message might have been garbled, but the controlled panic in her voice was clear.

"We should head there immediately," Soara said.

"I can take you as far as the energy gate that di-vides the sectors," Galen told them. "It's not far. I can supply you with bio-isolation suits."

They came to a store guarded by several Radnoranswith blasters. A sign in the window announced: bio-iso suits 5,000 karsems.

"Five thousand karsems is a full year's salary,"Galen remarked. "We are lucky to have suits for you.They are hidden. I don't keep them at the command center, because it's already been attacked by looters looking for suits."

Suddenly, they heard the sound of screams comingfrom the street ahead. Galen looked nervous. "What now?"

The Jedi did not stop to wonder. Masters and Padawans charged ahead, running toward the source of the sound.

They rounded a corner. Ahead was a large, prosperous-looking house. Its windows had been hastily covered with durasteel panels. The door had been nailed shutwith thick durasteel slabs crisscrossing it. None of the attempts to make the house a fortresshad worked. The door had been kicked in. Two of the windows had the durasteel torn away. Raiders werethrowing goods out of the windows. Twenty Battle Droids like none Anakin had ever seenwere wheeling in formation. They had advanced repulsorlift systems, allowing them to move with astonishingspeed above the surface of the ground. While theyguarded a huddled group, Radnorans systematically loaded the looted goods onto gravsleds. One Radnoran male lay on the ground in a spread-ing pool of blood. A female crouched over him. Childrenstood nearby, rooted to the spot, while another older fe-male tried to herd them to safety. Anakin saw all this at once. His gaze took in thenumber of droids, the number of raiders, the Radno-rans who must be protected, and the possible anglesof attack. He knew every Jedi had observed the same. The droids had a fluid movement he'd never seen before. They did not maneuver in a jerky, programmed fashion. It was almost as though they had grace builtinto their sensors, and their blaster accuracy ratio wasmuch higher than the usual Battle Droid.

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

Chapter Five

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

Obi-Wan leaped as well, keeping to Siri's left so theycould surround the droids, who were deftly moving over the ground. With one sweep of her lightsaber, Siri sliceda droid neatly in half. Simultaneously, Obi-Wan did thesame to the second. On his backswing, he took out athird. As quick and agile as Siri and Obi-Wan were, SoaraAntana was even faster. Anakin watched in astonishment as her lightsaber cut through three droids withone clean stroke. Ry-Gaul handed the medication caseto Tru to safeguard and joined her side.

Anakin knew that Siri's order was for the Padawansto surround the Radnoran family that had been victimized by the attackers. But he could see that the JediMasters would need help with the rest of the droidsand the Radnoran raiders, who were already pepperingthem with blaster fire. Darra, Tru, and Ferus raced to surround the Radno-ran family. Ferus took out a droid on his way in a quickdetour, his red lightsaber flashing. Anakin knew thethree Padawans could easily follow through on Siri'sorder. 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 heldhis lightsaber at the ready. The hilt he had built in a trance in the cave of Ilium was perfectly balanced to hishand. 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, withno beginning and no end. Her lightsaber was a blur asit sliced efficiently and continuously through one droidafter another.

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

The rest of the droids closed in to protect theraider's retreat. Anakin saw quickly that the Jedi Masters had the situation in hand. He double-flipped backto 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 theprotective circle. Anakin kept his lightsaber moving, de flecting the fire as the family crouched behind him.

Four of the droids suddenly peeled off into onegroup 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 eachother's strategy in combating the droids'

sudden maneuver.

That was not the only surprise. While Obi-Wan andSiri battled the group of droids, three more separatedfrom 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 catchthe surprise attack.

Tru turned his body so that he was still protectingthe Radnorans and the case in his left hand but could meet the droid attack head on. Darra switched herlightsaber from her right hand to her left. All Jedi were trained to use both hands while fighting, but Darra wasespecially 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 movedto foil its approach at the same time as Ferus. The two Padawans collided, sending Ferus off balance. Helanded awkwardly, and Anakin quickly rushed in to buryhis lightsaber in the droid's control center. Ferus wasup and fighting in another split second, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He sliced a droid in two asDarra dispatched the last one with a cool grace Anakinadmired.

Anakin glanced over at Obi-Wan. He was ready to join his Master, but he saw that Obi-Wan and Siri hadfinished off the rest of the droids. Soara and Ry-Gaulhad 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 widewith panic. "He needs help."

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

Ry-Gaul bent over the Radnoran to gently examinethe 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 wifesaid, 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, kneelingby 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 nothave to confer. It would be better to leave the Pada wans here temporarily and not expose them to thedeadly toxin. The Masters were sure to be back in timeto monitor the evacuations.

"The Padawans will stay here and make sure thewounded 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 keepthe 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'llkeep 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,Anakinthought.

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, hedid so in the expectation that the two of you would worktogether.Instead, you fought as though you were fightingalone. You will never be a great Jedi warrior if you do notpractice 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 Ferusfought for himself, too? Hadn't he stepped forward without consulting Anakin, without a word as to his inten-tions? Why was Ferus right, and he wrong?

"Yes, Master," he said.

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

Anakin turned away. He caught Ferus's eye, and theboy quickly looked away. Ferus had overheard Obi-Wan!Anakin's face burned. Now Ferus knew that Anakin hadbeen corrected by his Master. And Ferus was about thelast Padawan in the Jedi Order that Anakin would wantto know that. The others had loaded the wounded into thespeeder. There was just enough room for the Padawans.

"I'll return for you," Galen said to the Jedi Mastersbefore taking off. Anakin watched as they receded behind him. He knew it was important for them to get thewounded to a medic. He also knew the Masters hadleft them here temporarily with important responsibilities. He still wished he were going off with his Masterto see the Isolation Sector. Someday he would be aJedi Master. Then he would be the one to make deci-sions, the one to make corrections. He could hardlywait

Chapter Six

Galen picked up the Jedi Masters and brought themto the boundary line of the Clear Sector. An energy gatewas ahead.

"I'll enter the code, and you'll be able to passthrough," Galen said. "I'm sorry I can't give you the transport, but no vehicle can pass through the energygate. You'll have to put on your bio-iso suits. I've managed to get a message through to Curi. You should bemet 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-guessdecisions, but he suddenly wished Anakin were withhim.

The Jedi donned the bio-iso suits. The energy gateblinked green, and they walked through. They stood ona vast plain. There was only a smudge of gray on thehorizon, 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 med ication?"

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

"Thank the stars. Oh, I'm so sorry. What a way togreet 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. AsCuri took off, they introduced themselves.

"I'm in charge of the rescue operation here, such asit 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 andsuffering. "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'realmost there," Curi said. "We are passing over the underground canyons now."

Below them, the ground was fissured with deepcracks that Obi-Wan could see led to a maze ofcanyons.

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

They reached the outskirts of the city. Curi sloweddown as they went down a wide boulevard. It was de serted. Abandoned air taxis littered the street in haphazard groups. Cafes and businesses were shuttered andempty.

There was no one on the streets. It was as thoughthe Radnorans of this city had vanished. Obi-Wan had expected to see signs of panic, but the buildings andsurroundings were intact. Everything would have seemed almost normal, ex-cept for the fact that there wasn't any sign of a living thing. Even the vegetation was dead. Flower beds werefull of twisted stalks. A massive tree was bare of leaves, the spiky branches reaching out like pleadingarms. They could see that once-flowering bushes me-ters tall had run down the center strip of the wideboulevard. Now dry leaves and blooms were kicked upby 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 imaginedhe could smell death in the air he breathed.

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

Curi pulled up the speeder, and they got out. Thesound of his footsteps was unsettling to Obi-Wan. En cased in the white suit, his audio perception was muffled, making everything seem not quite real. Curi hurried over to a medic and handed over themedications. "We don't know if these will help," she said to the Jedi. "We are trying anything. Thank you forbringing them." She leaned against the wall, exhaustion showing inevery line of her body.

"You need rest," Soara said. Beneath her usualbluntness, 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 thescientist. The toxic emission came from our lab. We still don't understand how it happened, though thatdoesn't make us any less responsible. Galen has beenworking day and night on the evacuation effort. Hecould have left long ago."

"And you?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I was in the Clear Sector, as was Galen, when weheard. 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 Icould do."

"Have you investigated the leak at your lab?" Siriasked.

Curi shook her head. "I didn't have time to reviewsafety procedures, so I just ordered it shut down. It wasclear very quickly that we were dealing with somethingthat moved very fast. I came back when I knew we wererunning out of time to help the sick. We didn't realizethat 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 toxinfor 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 isabsorbed into the system, but we aren't sure how. It could be through the skin. The particles are so micro-scopic 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 hereto the med center are dying in their homes. I make therounds. I do what I can. That is very little."

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

"You have brought the medicine. That was a greathelp. Perhaps you could patrol the city and find out howmany still need help. I haven't been able to get to everydwelling. You can help us organize. People will listen toyou. Once the ships arrive, they will have more advanced med care. We might be able to save a few. Youhave to give them hope, at least." Curi's voice faltered. Obi-Wan nodded, then turned to the others. "Weshould split into two teams. We can call two of the Padawans here, and two Masters can return to theClear Sector."

Ry-Gaul nodded.

“We might be able to move another team back afteraccomplish something here," Soara said as Siri nodded in agreement.

Curi looked from one Jedi to the other. "But youcan't return."

"What?" Soara asked.

"Didn't Galen tell you? Once you cross over to theIsolation Sector, no one is allowed to return. It is for bidden. Until we know that you're not carrying the toxinback on your skin or clothes, we can't risk it."

"We're wearing bio-isolation suits," Siri said.

"Yes, but you can't wear them back to the ClearSector," Curi explained. "The toxin may now be on your suit. Even if you remove it, some residue on the suitmay touch your skin. Until we know how much of the toxin is needed to cause the epidemic, we can't let youreturn." She looked at them helplessly. "I'm sorry. I thought you knew. When the evacuation ships arrive,you will be able to undergo bio-cleansing aboard ship.Then I imagine there will be a quarantine period. Wedon't have the facilities here." Obi-Wan looked at the other Jedi Masters. Curi'snews was exasperating, but Jedi did not waste time on such emotions. He knew that, like him, they were all thinking of what to do next.

"We should contact our Padawans with more detailed instructions," Soara spoke crisply.

"They will have to handle any problems in Tacto,”Siri said. "Perhaps we should contact the Jedi Council and ask for an additional Jedi team, or maybe two."

"By the time they arrive, the evacuation ships willbe here," Obi-Wan said. "The Padawans will have to handle things on their own."

He could see that none of them liked this prospect.Some of the Masters had not had their Padawans verylong. It made him uneasy to think of Anakin in an unstable situation without him. But there was no othersolution.

Obi-Wan activated his comlink. He was relievedwhen he heard Anakin's voice. He knew the communi cation between the two sectors could be difficult. Thatwould be another problem.

"We have a problem here," he told Anakin. "We are unable to return to the Clear Sector. You and the rest ofthe Padawans will have to manage that aspect of themission."

"I see," Anakin said neutrally.

"The safety of the population is your first priority,"Obi-Wan said. "Establish safety patrols to keep the peace. Try to keep misinformation from spreading. Coordinate with Galen as to the evacuation schedule. Avoiding using violence, and take no lives."

"Yes, Master."

"Now, as for details," Obi-Wan began, but suddenly, thecommunication was cut off. When he tried to con-ct Anakin again, he could not reach him. Obi-Wan hidfrustration as he tucked his comlink back in his belt.

"They'll be fine," Siri said. "I trust Ferus. He's been onmany missions."

"And I trust Anakin," Obi-Wan agreed. Still, a smallvoice inside him hoped that Anakin would be able to work well with the other Padawans without his watchfuleye.

"We'll try again later," Soara said. "In the meantime, we should split into teams." Obi-Wan glanced at Siri, and she nodded. There were many times that they had clashed in the past. But that did not matter. They had worked together beforeand knew each other's rhythms.

"Obi-Wan and I will begin to search the city for more of the sick," Siri said.

"We'll take the north sector," Obi-Wan said. "Weneed to compile lists so that we can assure there is space for everyone. We must make sure all the sick areevacuated. We'll check in when we can." Ry-Gaul nodded.

“May the Force be with you,” Soara said.

“May the Force be with you,” Obi-Wan and Siri repeated. They turned toward the eerie emptiness of the city and began their walk toward death.

Chapter Seven

The Padawans had just left the med center whenObi-Wan contacted Anakin. They had remained to makesure that the Radnoran father would be all right. Theyhad questioned the family, but no one knew the raiders.They had arrived out of nowhere. Other families in theneighborhood had been hit, too, so they'd been worriedthat they would be attacked. But there was no way todefend themselves against the prototype droids.

The four Padawans paused on the outside of themed center. Suddenly, they felt very alone.

"I spend half my time impatient to be a Jedi Knight,"Darra said finally. "Now all I want is to be a Padawan. I wish Soara were here." She reached into the pocket ofTru's tunic and withdrew the bag of candy he kept there. She popped a piece of figda in her mouth and chewed furiously.

"We'll do fine," Anakin said confidently.

"No stress," Ferus agreed. The expression in hisdark eyes was serene. "Among all of us, we've been on enough missions to handle this."

"How should we start?" Tru asked. "Did they wantall of us to go on safety patrols? Or should one team coordinate with Galen on the evacuation?"

"Obi-Wan didn't say," Anakin answered. "But if youask me, safety patrols won't accomplish much if we don't flush out the raiders."

"Hold it," Ferus said. "That would be oversteppingour instructions."

"We've received no clear directions," Anakinpointed out. "The communication cut out. We know ourfirst priority is the safety of the citizens, and we can't possibly accomplish that with safety patrols alone."

"You don't know that for sure," Ferus said.

Darra looked from Anakin to Ferus. "Excuse me. Idon't want to interrupt, but I just wanted to point out that there are two other Padawans here. Do we get avote?"

"Sure you get a vote," Anakin said. "As long as youagree with me." He smiled to let her know he was kidding.

"What do you have in mind?" Tru asked Anakin. “Let's discuss the plan first, then vote on it."

"It would be much more fun to stand here arguing,"Darra said.

"I say we split into teams," Anakin said. "One teamcan conduct safety patrols. The other can work on finding the headquarters of the raiders." He knew very wellthat he wasn't going to be on the team conductingsafety patrols. He and Tru would go after the raiders.

"How?" Ferus asked. "We don't have the resourcesto comb the whole city."

"We don't have to. I have an idea," Anakin declared."Even a Prototype Droid would have a homing device. All we have to do is take one of the droids we deactivated and tap into it."

"Do you know how to do that?" Darra asked.

"Sure," Anakin replied.

"It can't be that easy," Darra said.

Anakin grinned. "I didn't say it was easy. I said Icould do it."

"Hold on a second," Tru said. "These are BattleDroids. Most likely they undergo an automatic memory wipe if they are captured or deactivated."

"There isn't a memory wipe that I can't get around,"Anakin said confidently. "The homing device is codedinto the main sensor suite. I can find it. If we revive adroid, it will lead us straight to the headquarters."

Darra shrugged. "It's worth a try."

Tru nodded. "All right. I say we go after the headquarters."

"Then it's decided," Ferus said. "Though I don'tthink we should split into teams. If Anakin is successful and we do find the headquarters, no doubt there will bemore of those Prototype Droids. Too many for one teamto handle."

Privately, Anakin thought that he and Tru could handle the droids, but he nodded. "All right." Obi-Wan hadgiven him a warning that he must cooperate, respectingJedi values. Anakin took that seriously. They headed back to the Radnoran family home.The fallen droids still littered the grounds. Anakin found one that was mostly intact. It had lost its arms and its artillery control panel had fused, but the main sensor suite wasn't too badly damaged.

Anakin removed his utility kit from his belt and wentto work. He opened the sensor suite panel. Tru bent over to look.

"Standard, except for those circuits," he said, pointing. "I remember seeing a manual regarding the OOM-9Battle Droid. This looks similar."

Anakin was grateful for Tru's photographic memory. Some of the circuitry was new to him. He pointed to atightly packed array of multicolored wires by the sensoryinput cable. "Do you remember which wire goes withwhat?"

"The green are for locomotion. The white connect toartillery devices. See how they fused and shorted? Theblue are for passive-mode sensors. And I think thesecables here are part of the signal receiver assembly."

"I bet the homing device is connected somehow,"Anakin murmured.

"It's a good place to start," Tru agreed.

Darra seemed interested in their progress, butAnakin could feel Ferus's impatience behind him. He tried to screen it out as he worked.

"I've got it!" Anakin said at last. "I reconnected thehoming device to the locomotion sensor through the sensory plug-in. If I turn it on, the droid should headback to its origin point."

"Let's give it a try," Tru said.

"Remind me to get you guys the next time my cornlink malfunctions," Darra said. "You'd probably rebuildit into a cargo lifter."

"We'll have to move fast to keep the droid in sight," Ferus said. "Is everyone ready?" When he saw everyone nod, Anakin switched on thedroid. They stepped back as it beeped and checked circuits. Then suddenly it wheeled around and fired its repulsorlift engines, taking off down the boulevard.

The four Padawans had to race to keep it in sight. They flew down the streets of the city, occasionally Force-jumping past obstacles. They quickly passedthrough the neighborhood of fine homes, raced througha commercial district, and then found themselves outside a small warehouse. The droid hovered outside fora moment, its head rotating. The Padawans dived be-hind a wall. They watched as the droid accessed a control panelhidden behind what appeared to be a sheer wall. A doorslid open, and the droid disappeared inside.

Anakin leaped forward and shoved his lightsaberhilt between the closing door and its frame. The door stayed open a fraction. With Tru, Ferus, and Darra, hepushed it open the rest of the way. The Padawans slidinside.

It was a gloomy interior. At first they could see orhear little. Anakin concentrated. He detected the soundof voices. He motioned to the others. When their eyeshad adjusted to the light a few moments later, theycould see that the warehouse was full of items they could only assume were stolen. Rich tapestries andrugs were rolled and rested against the walls. Silver and intricate metalwork objects were stacked onshelves. Anakin saw gold peggats and aurodium ingots heaped in a corner. Durasteel bins were no doubt filledwith more valuables.

The voices were coming from around the corner. Itwas the raiders.

The Padawans crept closer. Now they could makeout words.

"The bloc between Evermore and Acadi is first. Thenfrom Acadi to Montwin. We can easily clear out the twoblocs using what we have."

"Sure we can clear them, but where will we put ourstash? We need more storage."

"That's one problem I'm happy to have."

The sound of soft laughter came to the Padawans.

"They'd better come through on their promise tomove all this stuff —" The voice broke off as an insistent beep began tosound. It played through several coded sequences. Anakin heard the sound of chairs scraping. "It's thedroid," someone said in a low tone. "That's the activa-tion signal for tampering. Someone might be here." Thevoices fell silent. Anakin could just make out a whisperof movement, and then stillness.

"Activation signal for tampering?" Darra whispered.

Anakin and Tru exchanged a look. "I guess it’s incase the homing device is activated by someone other than the programmer," Anakin explained.

"Easy, you said," Darra whispered. "What should wedo now?"

"Defend ourselves!" Anakin exclaimed as the raiders suddenly raced around the corner, blasters in hand.

Chapter Eight

They had been ordered to take no lives. Somehow they would have to deflect blaster fire and capture the raiders without harming them.

As Anakin swung his lightsaber in a blur, deflecting fire, he realized for the first time that they had over looked something.

If they caught the raiders, what would they do with them?

There weren’t enough security officers to guard the criminals. The Jedi were now the backbone of the security force on the planet. If they watched the raiders, who would patrol the city? The present moment is the crucial moment.

Yes, Master. Anakin gritted his teeth. He advanced toward the raiders. One thing at a time. The raiders were endangering the citizens and must be stopped. The Padawans would figure out what to do with them when the time came.

One of the raiders must have activated some droids, for suddenly they appeared. They wheeled into battle formation and came at the Padawans.

Anakin at first felt confident that he could defeat the droids. He had not fully realized how much he had depended earlier on the Jedi Masters. Within moments he saw that they would have a hard time winning this battle.

He hated to admit it. Ferus had been right. He and Tru could not have handled these droids by themselves.

The raiders maneuvered the droids to come between them and the Jedi. Then they disappeared. Too occupied with the attacking droids, the Padwans could not follow.

“We’ve got to say together,” Ferus shouted. “Don’t let them separate us.”

Ferus was tight again. As one unit, they could defeat fifteen droids. The Padawans kept close together, attacking and retreating, trying to pick up on one another’s unfamiliar rhythms. Anakin lost himself in the battle. There was only the smell of the smoking droids, the blur of his lightsaber, the balance and heft of it in his hand. He saw everything at once – each Padawan, the attack pattern of each droid, the moves they would make next. His focus was complete. He sliced through one droid, then pivoted and buried his lightsaber in another droid’s control panel.

Ferus dived and came up underneath a droid, halving it down the middle. Tru whirled and kicked one droid while cutting off the legs of another. Darra seemed to be everywhere, her lightsaber in constant motion as she took out one droid, then another. She always landed exactly where she’d planned, ready to launch another attack or defend her fellow Padawans. Her face never registered effort, only concentration. She had learned well from Soara Antana.

At lat the droids lay in heaps around them. The Padawans all slumped to the floor, exhausted. They missed their Masters.

“We still might be able to track the raiders,” Anakin said, panting. He started to rise. “Let’s go.”

“Wait.” Ferus put a hand on his sleeve. “If we run off we could lose a precious opportunity.”

“For what, droid repair?” Anakin asked.

“Information. It’s more important then the raiders themselves. What will we do with them when we get them, anyway?” Ferus asked. Better to head them off another way. We have more important tasks. Once the evacuation starts, we’ll be needed.”

“That could be a waste of time,” Anakin argued. “We could catch the raiders if we follow them now. I want to show Obi-Wan that I can handle a complicated mission.”

“You mean you want to help the planet,” Ferus said pointedly.

Anakin felt his face grow hot. Of course Ferus was right. Ferus gave the correct Jedi response. Anakin’s first concern should be the people of Radnor, not his need to impress Obi-Wan. He had just expressed himself badly. He had blurted out what was in the back of his mind, not what was in the front of it. He whished he wouldn’t keep running into the fact that Ferus took a more Jedi approach to action.

“What are you thinking, Ferus?” Darra asked curiously.

“We need to examine this hideout,” Ferus said. “I have a feeling it has something to teach us.”

“What can it teach us?” Anakin asked. “That the raiders like riches?”

Darra ignored Anakin. “Remember what we heard? Evermore and Acadi and Montwin are probably street names. They’re not just striking randomly. They have a plan.”

Ferus nodded. “If we cab figure out their plan, we can be ahead of them instead of behind them.”

“There’s got to be a datapad here somewhere,” Tru said, rising. “They left too fast to destroy their records.”

Anakin trailed after the others. His whole body itched to follow the raiders. He always felt more comfortable in physical activity. He always ached to move. But he hoped he was wise enough to realize when it was better to wait. He just wasn’t crazy about the fact that Ferus was the one to suggest it. He knew what Obi-Wan would say. It didn’t matter who suggested it. The outcome was the goal. Resentment was ego. He knew all this, but it did not chase the resentment away. You can feel the emotion,Obi-Wan would say. Just let it go. Anakin gritted his teeth. I’m trying, Master.

“Over here!” Darra called. “I found their holofiles.”

The files had been concealed in a durasteel bin just like countless others that lined the walls.

“How did you find them,” Anakin asked.

Darra was already accessing the files. “I figured that they had been consulting the files while they were talking. The slight delay before they came to attack us meant they were concealing them. They had to be nearby.”

“Good thinking,” Tru said admiringly.

The Padawans bent over the files. Darra expertly accessed one after the other.

“These are lists of assets held by individual families,” Anakin said. “How could they have gotten them?”

“Look at these notations,” Tru said. “They’re coded EcC.”

“Emergency Command Center,” Darra murmured.

“These files were drawn us so that if the entire planet had to be evacuated, there would be records of what Radnorans left behind,” Tru said. “That way they could recover everything later.”

“So the raiders must have stolen these files,” Ferus added.

“Or bribed someone on the evacuation team to hand them over,” Darra said. “Look at this. This is what they were talking about. They have a list of how the evacuation is going to take place. The first group to be evacuated will be the bloc between Evermore and Acadi. As soon as those families evacuate, the raiders will move in and clean them out.”

Tru gave a low whistle. “That’s some organized system. But why are they looting now?”

“Easy answer?” Darra shrugged. “Because they can.”

Anakin nodded. “The city is falling apart and they see an opportunity. But are they counting on coming back to the planet for this stuff, or do they have plans to take it with them? It would be hard to smuggle it aboard the evacuation ship. The families are only allowed what they can carry. Tru reached around his head with one flexible arm to scratch his ear thoughtfully. “The raiders said something about ‘they’ had better come through on their promise to move the stuff. Who’s ‘they’?”

“Maybe they have a contact who will help them smuggle it,” Ferus said, frowning. Darra looked up at the, her face tined blue by the light cast by the holofile. “The important thing is that they have access to all the evacuation orders. That means someone on the inside is helping them.”

“Well, at least we know exactly what to do next,” Anakin said. “We have to find out who.”

He looked over at Ferus. He expected his fellow Padawan to argue, but Ferus nodded.

“And why, ” Ferus added. “That might be the most important question of all.”

Chapter Nine

It wasn't hard work, Obi-Wan told himself. It was justheartbreaking. He and Siri moved through a landscape that reminded him of a desert moon. Yes, there were buildings. Homes. Businesses. Shops. But the eerie absence of lives being lived made the city a vast echo of sorrow.

They found the dead and they found the still-living.They brought the sick to the overcrowded med center,where medication only slowed the process of dying.Curi had had hopes that the medication could effectsome cures, but so far it had not. The toxin did not respond.

Every so often Obi-Wan and Siri would see Ry-Gauland Soara on their rounds. The four Jedi would simplynod at one another. There was nothing to say. No notes tocompare. There was only death and the dying.

On their last trip to the med center, Siri watched asObi-Wan deactivated his comlink after another unsuc-cessful effort to contact Anakin. "You seem worried,"she said. Obi-Wan thought carefully how to reply. He didn'twant Siri to think he didn't trust Anakin. How could she understand? Her Padawan was Ferus, who Obi-Wan knew as an assured, steady Jedi student. No one understood his brilliant, openhearted, complex Padawanlike he did. So yes, I'm worried,Obi-Wan thought. But I will only admit that to myself. I don't worry that Anakin will fail. Orthat he will let down the Order. But that he will try toohard. That he will go too far. That he will assume he cando what he cannot.

"I'd rather he was by my side," he said. "That's all." Siri nodded, her clear blue eyes holding a hint of skepticism. She knew he was not telling her the com plete truth. Obi-Wan turned away. Sometimes oldfriends were hard to have around. Suddenly, Curi hailed them from the steps of themed center. Her eyes were red-rimmed behind her bioiso mask.

"The ambassador from Avon wishes to speak withyou," she said. "His name is Dol Heep. He was trappedhere when he entered shortly before the toxin releaseHe wore a bio-iso suit so hasn't been affected, but he can't leave. He has a proposal."

"Avon is a planet in your system," Obi-Wan said. He remembered that the planet was only a day's journey away.

Curi nodded. "He is waiting for you. You can use myoffice." They followed Curi's directions to a small, clutteredoffice. Sleep mats were rolled up and stacked in the corners. Containers of food were scattered on a longtable. Obviously the medics used the office to snatch quick meals and some rest when they could.

Dol Heep rose when they entered. He was a tallbeing with a large, domed head. He was dressed in a bio-iso suit, though for some reason he had attachedhis ornate septsilk cloak to it, which gave him a slightlyridiculous air.

He bowed. "A great honor to meet Jedi." His voiceboomed out, sounding too loud in the hushed setting. Siri and Obi-Wan returned the bow.

"Unfortunate that it is under such circumstances,"Dol Heep continued. "No one in the government is available for us to speak with. Jedi are the only officialswe can approach with this offer."

"Yes?" Siri asked, inclining her head politely.

"Avon grieves at the tragic accident that has befallen our neighbor," Dol Heep said in a slightly lowered tone, his prominent eyes staring at them from behind hismask. "We heard that there might not be enough room on the evacuation ships for everyone here."

"That is a rumor," Obi-Wan said. "It is false."

"So you say. In case of some failure, Avon wishes tosend an entire fleet to Radnor to airlift more sick off-planet. We took the liberty of sending the fleet already.Once in orbit, we'll await orders. Of course, we'll needJedi help here on the ground to coordinate the rescueeffort."

"That is a kind and generous offer," Obi-Wan said. "But there is no need for Avon to commit a fleet of vessels. There is enough space on the ships being sent bythe Senate."

"This information does not seem to have been accepted by the citizens of Radnor," Dol Heep said. "Appearance is often reality. If more ships are said to bearriving, the people will be more calm." Dol Heep had a point. Even the rumor of anotherrescue fleet could calm the population. But Obi-Wan feltuneasy. He wasn't about to accept the offer until heknew more. He gave a quick glance to Siri. He couldsee the same doubt in her eyes.

"We will get back to you," he said.

"My planet appreciates your consideration," Dol Heep said. With another bow, he left the room. Obi-Wan turned to Siri. "What do you think?"

"There's something about this that isn't right," Sirisaid. "I just have a feeling about it." Her blue eyes gleamed at him in a way he hadn't seen since they'd arrived on Radnor. There hadn't been much call for Siri'squick wit. "I trust my instincts, but you know how I oc-casionally like to back them up with facts."

"Until we have facts, let's hold off, then," Obi-Wanagreed. "We should investigate the offer further." Curi poked her head in the room. "Are you finished?I have some medics who need to eat or they'll col lapse."

"Tell them to come in," Siri said. "What do you knowabout Dol Heep, Curi?" Curi tried to scratch her scalp through her bio-iso suit. "Not much. But what I know I don't trust. Radno rans don't trust the Avoni. They are aggressive coloniz-ers. I made it a rule not to do business with them. Iwouldn't sell them weapons. Of course, there are manyothers, even on Radnor, who will." Her face changed."There were many others," she added softly.

"Avon has offered a fleet of evacuation ships forRadnor," Obi-Wan told her. "I don't feel we should take the offer at face value."

Curi looked puzzled. "What are you getting at?"

"For one thing, the offer could be a smokescreen for aplanned takeover," Siri said. Curi frowned. "Why would Avon want to take over aplanet where you can't breathe the air?"

"A good point," Obi-Wan said. "Maybe Avon doesn'twant to colonize Radnor. But they might be planning atemporary occupation. There are many tech labs onRadnor that can be plundered for data. Sometimesdata can be more important than land."

Curi just looked tired. "I can't worry about this. Ihave sick people to take care of." Siri put a gloved hand on her shoulder. "We willhandle it." Curi nodded and left. Obi-Wan and Siri headed outof the med center. He hoped it would not be a waste oftime to investigate the Avoni.

The offer seemed a simple offer of help from aneighbor. But he had been on enough missions to know that there were veils behind veils, where somewherethe truth would lie.

Chapter Ten

The Padawans were heading into the EmergencyCommand Center when Ferus held up a hand. The Padawans stopped. Anakin nearly bumped into Darra. Annoyed, he stepped back.

"Before we meet with Galen, I suggest that only onePadawan conduct the questioning," Ferus said. "We don't want him to think we are accusing or bullying him.This should be done carefully."

"You should do it, Ferus," Darra said. "You have themost experience." Ferus nodded. "All right."

Wait a second. Don't I get a vote?Anakin wondered.What happened to Jedi cooperation? But Tru was agreeing as well, so Anakin nodded.

Ferus led the way into the room, which had been aminister's office before all the government officials had fledthe planet. Now a row of datascreens glowedfaintly as Galen sat on a repulsorlift chair, moving from screen to screen as he checked and matched lists.

"How is the evacuation coming?" Ferus asked politely as they entered. Galen passed a harried hand through his hair. "Allright. There are so many details. And I don't have muchhelp."

"We'd be glad to assist you," Ferus said. “Howmany workers do you have here?"

"Just me at the moment," Galen said. "I had a staff,but they all left when the ministers did." He gave the Padawans an impatient glance. "I can handle thingshere. You go ahead and keep patrolling the streets, or whatever you're doing." He turned back to the datascreens, dismissing the Padawans as though they werenaughty children who had interrupted his work.

"Can you tell us who has access to this information?" Ferus asked. Anakin was surprised at his polite tone. How could he let Galen get away with patronizingthem?

"The upper ministers of government had access,"Galen answered without turning. "And now I do. Why?"

"Is there anyone who would release that information?" Ferus asked. Galen gave a weary sigh and turned around in hischair. "No, of course not," he said. "It's classified. Sen sitive. If people knew in what order they would be evac-uating, violence could erupt. The people at the bottomof the list will try to push themselves forward. I won'tpost the lists until immediately before the ships arrive."Galen looked at the Jedi curiously. "If there is some-thing wrong, you must tell me. I am in charge of the city's security. I don't want the job, but I'm the only qualified one left."

"I'm afraid we have reason to believe that theraiders have information about the evacuation," Ferus answered. "We believe they are planning to plunder thehomes of those who are leaving the planet." Galen looked at them sharply. "Are you sure about this?" At Ferus's nod, he shook his head. "Still, at least they will have their lives."

"But they will return to nothing," Darra said.

"If we can return." Galen looked away. "I have a feeling our beloved planet is lost to us for good."

"You don't know that," Ferus said. "The toxin couldhave a half-life."

"We don't have time to investigate that," Galen snapped. "Don't you think we have enough to do?"

"We are not accusing you," Ferus said politely.

"Maybe not. But you are wasting my time. I am trying to save lives here." Galen waved at the datascreen.

"We need to find out who passed the information along," Anakin said in a forceful tone. He was tired of letting Ferus ask all the questions. He was gettingnowhere with that polite tone. "Whoever it was wanted to foster instability on the planet. I don't call investigating that a waste of time. Do you?"

"Hey, there's no reason to jump down my throat,kid." Galen held up two hands, as if to fend Anakin off.

"Look, I'd like to help. But there's really no way to tell who passed on the information. Many of the ministershave gone to Coruscant. Some have scattered to otherworlds to wait out the catastrophe in comfort." Hefrowned at them. "You're not thinking of leaving nowthat you've lost your Masters, are you?"

"We haven't lost them," Anakin snapped.

Ferus interrupted smoothly. "No, we're not leaving.We're to remain until the evacuations take place. Don'tworry. And we've destroyed many of the PrototypeDroids that the raiders were using."

"You kids did?" Galen looked impressed. "Maybethings are looking up." Suddenly the communicator sputtered to life. It crackled and buzzed, but they couldhear a voice calling for Galen to answer. He quickly adjusted the chair to swing over to thecomm unit. "Galen here. Galen here. Do you read? Do youread?"

"Ships . . . evacuation . . . engine shutdown needsrepair. . ." The words came out in bursts of static

"Delay. Do you copy?"

"The ships are delayed? How long?" Galen askeddesperately. "How long?" But the comm unit went dead.

Galen turned to the Padawans. His face was pale."That was the communication line of the Senate ship. Even a short delay will be fatal. The winds will shift intwelve hours. Without those ships, we're dead."

Chapter Eleven

In the Isolation Sector, the Jedi Masters met outside the med center to check in. Soara and Ry-Gaul were also hesitant about Dol Heep's offer.

"The planet is extremely vulnerable now," Soarasaid. "One day the survivors will want to return, if they can. They should return to intact homes and busi-nesses."

"This will take further study," Siri said soberly.

Ry-Gaul nodded.

Just then Curi hurried out of the building. "I've received a communication from the evacuation ships. It wasn't very clear, but I do know this — the ships have been delayed. How long, I don't know." The Jedi exchanged glances. Obi-Wan reached for his comlink and tried to contact Anakin. He was unsuccessful. He jammed it back into his belt with unnecessary force. Siri glanced at him, then turned back to theothers.

"Now we must take Dol Heep's offer seriously,"said worriedly. "Lives are at stake."

"The prevailing winds will shift in twelve hours," Obi-Wan said. "We have to make a decision very soon."

"By the way, we encountered something interesting," Soara said. "We found someone who has been unaffected by the toxin."

Curi's worried expression changed to intent curios-ity. "What do you mean?"

"A Radnoran named Wilk sneaked back into the Isolation Sector to see his wife two days ago. He didn'thave a bio-iso suit. His wife died, but he is completelyhealthy."

"He has no symptoms at all?" Curi asked. "Are you sure?"

"We brought him here," Soara told her. "We werejust about to look for you."

"We must study him," Curi said, her voice rising withexcitement. "He could have some sort of built-in immunity. This could help us." She frowned. "I only have afew researchers here. My scientific skills are rusty, butwe need to investigate this."

"There isn't much time," Obi-Wan told her.

For the first time since they'd met her, Curi smiled. “Then I'd better get started." She turned and rushed back into the building.

A voice suddenly boomed out from behind them,"Jedi! Glad to find you here." It was Dol Heep. The Jedi bowed to him politely.

"You haven't been back to speak to us as you prom-ised," Dol Heep said. "We don't understand this lack ofcourtesy."

"We have been busy with the sick," Siri said.

"You should be busy working to get them off-planet," Dol Heep said in a chiding tone. "Our planethas made a great and generous offer, and still you ignore us. Now we hear that the evacuation ships have been delayed. And you still don't come to us?" DolHeep's skin was mottled with anger. "We deserve this treatment? If you do not allow our fleet to land, the Sen-ate shall hear about it!"

"We were just coming to see you, Dol Heep," Obi-Wan said in a polite tone, even though he was nettled at the ambassador's rudeness. "We accept your offerof help." It was a decision he'd made reluctantly. But Siri wasright. Lives were at stake. The Jedi would just have toensure that the Avoni were not planning a takeover ofthe famed Radnoran research labs. Though how they would do that, he didn't know. The Senate shipsbe delayed for days. It was more than time enough forthe Avoni to raid the labs.

"More like it, we say," Dol Heep said, satisfied. "We will give the order for the ferry ships to land in both sectors. We will load the citizens onto skiffs in the cities, then bring them to the ferry ships, which will transportthem to the orbiting ships. Then we'll bring them to Coruscant. You see? We give all our resources to ourfriends the Radnorans."

Dol Heep hurried off, his septsilk cloak swishingwith his lurching walk.

"I hope we don't come to regret this," Soara said.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "But it seems the only decision to make under the circumstances." Siri withdrew her comlink from her utility belt. Shepunched out the coordinates for Ferus. To everyone's surprise, they heard Ferus's voice clearly.

"Yes, Master."

"Ferus! We have received word that the evacuationships have been delayed –“

"We know this. And Master —"

"One minute, Ferus," Siri interrupted. "This is important. Avoni ships will be here in a matter of hours. They will transport the population to ships orbiting theplanet. Then they'll be taken to safety. There is no need forpanic. Did you copy that?"

"Yes, Master. But we fear that someone has –“

Static overcame the line, and it went dead.

The Masters exchanged uneasy glances.

"He sounded worried," Obi-Wan said.

"Yes," Siri agreed quietly. "He did."

"Something is wrong in Tacto," Soara murmured. "Ican feel it. But I don't have a clear sense of it." The Jedi Masters exchanged glances. They all felt the same.

"I agree," Siri said. "We can only trust that ourPadawans are able to handle it." The usually composed Soara looked uncertain."This is Darra's first mission."

"Ferus has experience with difficult situations," Sirisaid. "And the others look up to him." Not Anakin,Obi-Wan thought. He had sensedAnakin's dislike of Ferus. It hadn't worried him. Anakin would naturally feel rivalries with other Padawans atthis age. As he matured as a Jedi, he would outgrow them. Once, Obi-Wan had felt the same about Siri. Nowhe valued her friendship. Anakin was still young. Without Obi-Wan there toguide him, would Anakin allow his strong will to bend with the needs of the group? Would his dislike ofspill over into open conflict? The nagging doubts would not go away.

"They are all excellent Padawans, each in their ownway," Soara said confidently. "Together they are evenstronger."

"But they are not Jedi," Ry-Gaul said softly. "Notyet." And somehow these gentle words from a Jedi whorarely spoke summed up everything they felt. And everything they feared.

Chapter Twelve

Ferus was right. Ferus was a/ways right. Except when he was wrong. Anakin hurried along the streets of Tacto with the others. News of the delay of the evacuation ships had leaked out. Security officers had called for help. A riothad broken out in the last remaining shop to sell bio-isolation suits. While he raced along with the others,Anakin's mind was busy furiously reviewing the scenewith Galen. Ferus's too-respectful questioning had gotten them nowhere. As soon as Anakin began to makesome headway, Ferus had interrupted.

"You handled Galen well back there," Darra said to Ferus. "I don't think I could have held my temper."

"It does us no good to make him angry," Ferus said."He is still a source of information for us." Anakin snorted. "Some source. He didn't tellanything. He treated us like kids. And you let him getaway with it."

Ferus glanced down and gave him a cool look as hekept up his easy, loping stride. Anakin wished he weren't so tall. "He didn't tell you anything, either."

"He was about to," Anakin shot back.

"So you can see into the future," Ferus said."Hmmm. That's very unusual for a Padawan." Anakin flushed angrily as Darra giggled.

"As long as we keep our lightsabers sheathed," Tru spoke up suddenly. The three Padawans looked at him."We can handle the riot peacefully," he explained.

Now they could hear the roar of the crowd ahead.They picked up their pace and raced to the spot. Blasters had been drawn. Radnorans lay bleedingon the streets. More pushed to get inside the store. Bio-iso suits had been torn to shreds by competingRadnorans. Over a voice amp system, the shop ownerwas desperately attempting to quiet the crowd.

"There are no more suits!" he cried. "No moresuits! Go home! The shop is empty!"

"We need to get to the voice amp," Anakin said.

"Keep your lightsabers sheathed," Ferus warned."We can handle this peacefully if we keep calm." Ferus was giving orders again. Anakin turned awayand tried to push his way through the crowd. Darra and Trujoined Ferus in breaking up fights and trying to calm thecrowd. It was difficult to do this without hurting anyone. At first the Radnorans were furious at the Jedi. They had to dodge blows as they sought to calm tempers.

Anakin made his way to the frightened owner. "Imust use your voice amp," he told him. "I can calm the crowd."

The owner handed him the amp. "Be my guest."

Anakin spoke clearly into the amp system. "TheAvoni have pledged a fleet of ships to airlift the citizens off-planet. They are achieving orbit now. There is roomfor all. Everyone will be evacuated before the windsshift."

A few Radnorans closest to the amp heard the mes-sage and began to talk among themselves. Anakin re-peated the message. Gradually, the crowd began tosettle down.

"Where do we report to? How will this be handled?"someone called.

"The evacuation team will alert each of you where and when to show up," Anakin announced. "But that means you must return to your homes."

Slowly the crowd began to disperse. The crisis wasaverted. But the owner's business had been completelydestroyed. The battered sign readingbio-iso suits 5,000 karsems swung crazily in the stiff breeze.

"It almost serves him right for charging so much"Darra said as a last burst of wind sent the sign crash-ing to the street.

"I wish communication were better with our Masters," Tru said. "They will know when and how the Avonifleet is arriving. We need to give the Radnorans moreinformation."

"I think we should take a look at the comm system,"Anakin said. "There might be a way to fix it, or at leastfabricate a makeshift comm unit that has enoughpower to reach the other sector." Ferus shook his head. "We won't be able to fix aplanetary system," he said. Atmospheric disturbances are too great."

"We don't know that," Anakin argued. "It's worth atry. We need to coordinate with the other sector."

"Here we go again," Darra said, looking from Anakinto Ferus. "Don't you two ever agree?" Anakin looked at Tru. He needed backup.

"I think we should try it," Tru said.

"Why not?" Darra agreed. "We're at a dead end,anyway." Ferus nodded. "All right. But while you and Tru workthe comm problem, Darra and I should investigate those Prototype Droids. Maybe if we find out how theywere stolen, we can find out more about the raiders.

I'm still worried about who is behind them."

So am I, Anakin said silently. We all are.

The two Padawan teams split up. Anakin and Tru retraced their steps back to the Emergency Command Center. They needed to get permission from Galen to access the central power source.

"Why not?" Galen said, waving a hand. "Our techexperts can't fix it. Give it a try." Anakin and Tru entered the comm center. "Thanksfor backing me up," Anakin said. "Have you noticed how Ferus has been taking control?"

"No," Tru said. "I've noticed he's had some goodideas. So have you."

"Well, I don't like being bossed around," Anakinmuttered.

Tru gave him a sidelong look. "This isn't a game of sabaac, Anakin. No one is keeping score. We're all justtrying to do the right thing."

"I don't like the way he operates, that's all," Anakinsaid. Tru shook his head. "You're doing the same thinghe's doing, Anakin. You're thinking ahead. You're com ing up with ideas. You two are the most experiencedPadawans on the mission. It's natural. I like Ferus. Youwould, too, if you gave him a chance. He has plenty offriends for a reason."

"Ferus doesn't have friends. He has followers" Anakin said. He didn't like the way the conversationwas going, so he began to study the console. "This ispretty standard." Tru bent over some large-scale holofiles. "I foundthe blueprint of the system," he said. "We should be able to pinpoint the problem. Fixing it is another mat-ter."

"Let me try the rangefinders first," Anakin said. He bent over the tech console, his fingers flying. He was lucky that he had excelled in his tech classes. Hehadn't been content to merely learn what the Mastershad wanted him to. He had haunted the tech rooms at the Temple, eager to find out how everything worked. Anakin tried sending a series of messages, thenbacktracked through the system, attempting to locatethe precise problem.

Puzzled, Anakin frowned.

"I know, I don't get it, either," Tru said, jumping intothe middle of a conversation they weren't having, as heusually did. "It doesn't make sense. If the toxin hadcreated a disturbance in the atmosphere, the sensorsshould be recording the activity."

"Everything checks out on the planet itself," Anakin said, clicking a few more keys. "The system should beworking."

"Only it isn't," Tru said. "You've got to trust realityover a sensor. No matter how much it hurts."

"Sensors don't lie unless they're broken," Anakinsaid. "And these aren't." Suddenly, he looked up and met Tru's silvery gaze.

"No," Tru said.

"Yes," Anakin said. "What else can it be? The commsystem isn't being jammed in the planetary atmos phere. It's being jammed from space."

Tru whistled under his breath. "Which means someone, somewhere, wants to cut the planet off. And that can only mean one thing."

"Invasion," they said together.

Chapter Thirteen

Curi sat in the office, a plate of untouched foodpushed away from her and a datapad in front of her.She rested her head against her hand, and, behind hermask, her eyes were closed. Obi-Wan and Siri paused. If Curi was resting at last,they didn't want to disturb her. Without opening her eyes, she spoke. "We can't findit. Whatever makes Wilk immune to the toxin, we might never know. We've checked out everything."

"I'm sorry," Siri said.

Curi opened her eyes. She started to scratch herhead, then remembered she was in her bio-iso suit. She grimaced. "There's something else. We used our lab fa-cilities to run the tests. While we waited for results, Ilooked up everything on the toxin. I'd already done thatwhen this first happened, but things were moving sofast...I didn't have time to look closely. There aregaps in the research."

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked. "Gaps in the wayit was conducted?"

"No," Curi said. "Gaps in the records. There arefiles missing."

"So it's possible that —" Siri began.

"That the accident wasn't an accident," Curi finished.

They left Curi, who was about to return to her lab to investigate further. Obi-Wan looked at Siri.

"The ferry ships should have landed by now."

She nodded. "Let's go."

The Avoni fleet had landed on the outskirts of theIsolation Sector. Obi-Wan and Siri took Curi's air speeder, which she'd made available for their use. Theystopped the speeder a few hundred meters away fromthe ferry ships, hiding it behind a rocky outcropping.

The wind was strong here, driving the dust againsttheir clothes. The bio-iso suits protected their eyes and skin from the peppery blasts.

The gleaming black ships had landed in formation.A few Avoni workers dressed in bio-iso suits were ferry-ing skiffs out the cargo loading doors.

"No doubt they're going to use the skiffs to ferry the Radnorans from Aubendo to the fleet," Obi-Wan murmured. "There must be another ship on the other sideof the energy gate for Tacto."

"Then why off-load them now?" Siri asked. "And whyare they full of durasteel crates?"

"Good question," Obi-Wan said. "Let's get closer." They moved from rock to rock, trying to get closeenough to see what was inside the skiffs. As they lin gered in the shadow of a ship's wing, the passengerramp suddenly lowered. An Avoni officer strode down.

"Progress report!" he called out to the workers.

The worker quickly approached him with a datapad. Obi-Wan glanced at Siri, and after a wordless communication they both dashed up the passenger ramp.

The ship hallway was deserted. Quickly they madetheir way down it. Now they were in the cargo hold ofthe ship. There were no ground craft here. No guards orofficers.

Obi-Wan accessed a door, keeping himself well outof sight as it slid open. He peered into the doorway. Hefound himself looking inside a large cargo bay. It wasfilled with Battle Droids that were ominously familiar.

"These are the Prototype Droids we fought in theClear Sector," Siri said. "How did the Avoni get them?" They stepped through the doorway. At that instant, adetector light turned red.

"Mistake," Obi-Wan muttered. "I think we just tripped a silent sensor." Suddenly an alarm sounded. "Intruder," a pleasantvoice announced. "Intruder."

"Not so silent," Siri said grimly. "Let's get out ofhere while we can." But even as they turned, the first line of attack droids snapped to life. Behind them, the next lineflipped into position. And blaster fire erupted aroundthe Jedi.

Chapter Fourteen

Obi-Wan and Siri knew that they were no match for thismany droids. And at any moment, Avoni troops could appear. Blaster fire pinged around them. Behind them, thedoor began to slide shut. Obi-Wan and Siri deflected blaster fire as theymoved backward. The frequency of the fire was aston ishing. The air filled with smoke. In their bio-iso suits,the Jedi could not move with their customary grace. Obi-Wan felt blaster fire uncomfortably close to hisshoulder.

"Obi-Wan!" Siri called.

The doors were closing, and they were too far tomake it.

Obi-Wan stepped forward and, with one smooth motion, sliced a droid in half. He took the severed trunk of the body and tossed it back just in time to land betweenthe closing door and the wall. With a gratingnoise, the door closed on the droid. The metal began to compress with a terrible groaning sound as the doorstruggled to shut. The gap was just wide enough for Sirito fit through. Even as she squeezed past, the door wasclosing. Obi-Wan's lightsaber danced, a blade of lightthat deflected the ongoing blaster fire of the droids. Hesqueezed through the opening after Siri. A PrototypeDroid tried to follow and smashed into the door. Obi-Wan tumbled into the hallway as another droid fired be-tween the gap. Blaster fire zinged past their ears. The droid tried to barrel its way through the remains of thefirst droid and the closing door.

Obi-Wan and Siri didn't hesitate. As more droidsthudded against the half-closed door, they ran for the ramp.

The Avoni officer was still busy with the workers.He must have received a shipboard communication through his headset, for he turned and scanned thearea. "Intruders!" he snapped to the workers. "Leave the skiffs. Secure the ferry ships! Lock down all cargoholds!"

The workers began to move. In their bio-iso suits,Obi-Wan and Siri were able to blend in. They made theirway along the line of ships, looking busy. Then theyducked behind the rocks and doubled back to theirspeeder.

They jumped inside and took off.

"At least we weren't seen," Obi-Wan said. "TheAvoni won't know we're on to them."

"They'll know someone was aboard when they findseveral smashed droids and a broken door," Siri said as she piloted the speeder.

"They could think that it was a droid malfunction,"Obi-Wan said. "At least for a while."

"Well, that reminds me. What exactly are we on to?"Siri asked. "If all of those cargo holds are full of BattleDroids, we're in trouble. What I don't understand is howthey're going to get the droids to Aubendo. It seemslike they're using the skiffs for cargo."

"I don't know. But there's no doubt in my mind thatthe Avoni are planning an invasion," Obi-Wan said.

"That much is clear. But we have a worse problem."

Siri nodded, her clear blue eyes suddenly clouded."We might have to let them."

They found Ry-Gaul and Soara with Curi. Ry-Gaul and Soara were studying some results on Curl's data-pad. Everyone looked grave.

"Bad news?" Siri asked.

"No, it's actually good news," Curi said. "It's just puzzling news. We discovered why Wilk is immune to the toxin. He was never exposed at all."

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked. "He sneakedback into the Isolation Sector."

"Exactly. And he didn't get infected," Curi said."When none of the immunity tests checked out, I went back and checked the research. We ran more tests.The toxin has a short half-life. The poison is already be-nign. It doesn't threaten the Clear Sector at all."

"Are you absolutely certain of this?" Siri asked.

For her answer, Curi slowly removed her mask. Thenshe stepped out of her bio-isolation suit.

"I am willing to test it," she said. "I suggest youkeep your suits on, for now. If I'm wrong, you should be here to run things."

Obi-Wan admired Curi's courage. "If you're right, this is good news," Obi-Wan said. "We suspect that Avon isattempting a takeover of your planet."

"Wait a second," Siri said. "They must know thetoxin has dispersed. That's the key to their takeover. They get everyone off-planet, and then they move in."

"But the Avoni were wearing bio-iso suits," Obi-Wansaid.

Siri shrugged. "Just in case someone came by —like we did."

"Maybe that accounts for the missing researchrecords," Soara said. "Could someone have gottenpast your security system, Curi?"

Curi didn't say anything for a moment.

"Curi, we don't have time for your hesitations,"Soara prodded bluntly.

"No, our security is first-rate," Curi said hesitantly.

"So it would have to be an inside job," Obi-Wansaid.

Curi bit her lip. "I want to say no. But there is something I haven't told you about Dol Heep. I've had directdealings with him. Somehow he found out we wereworking to develop a new weapon with that toxin. The Avoni wanted exclusive rights to it. They were willing topay a fortune. I was opposed — I have told you of myfeelings about the Avoni. Not to mention that weweren't even close to completion of our research. ButGalen wanted to do the deal. He pointed out that wesell to anyone in the galaxy who will pay the price. Why stop now? He had a point. He did not like that I hadcome to believe we needed to do business a differentway. We had terrible arguments. In the end we agreed that our relationship as brother and sister was more im-portant than business. So Galen agreed to my point of view. He had no choice, really. He wouldn't be able torun the lab. He's strictly a research scientist. Dol Heepwas furious at our refusal to deal with his planet. Whenthe toxin was released, I just assumed it was an acci-dent."

"And now?" Soara prodded when Curi fell silent.

"And now I'm wondering why Galen didn't know thatthe toxin has a short half-life," Curi burst out. "He wasthe one who developed it. How could Galen have madethis mistake? How could he not have known?"

"I think you know the answer to that," Obi-Wan said."He does know."

Chapter Fifteen

When Ferus and Darra arrived at the communicationcenter, they were shocked at the news that the communications were being jammed from space.

Darra grabbed the end of her sandy Padawan braidand chewed on it nervously. "Do you think it's the Avoni?"

Anakin and Ferus nodded at the same time.

"It sure looks that way," Ferus said. He glanced at the communication console, then at Anakin and Tru.

"Good work, you two. I never could have figured out thatsystem."

"It's a perfect plan," Tru said. "Evacuate everyoneoff-planet. They all go willingly. Then move in." Darra realized she was chewing on her braid andmade a disgusted face. She flung it behind her shoulder.

"Talk about an easy takeover."

"The question is, do we still move the Radnoransonto the Avoni transports?" Anakin asked. "We need totell Galen this news. Maybe there's a way to delay theprocess until we can get more information."

"Not so fast," Darra said. "Ferus and I discoveredsomething. The factory that made those prototype droids belongs to Galen and his sister Curi."

"Isn't it too much of a coincidence that there were security lapses at both factories?" Ferus asked. He swung one powerful leg over a chair and sat astride it.

Thoughtfully, Tru leaned back in his chair. Hewrapped both his rubbery legs around each other several times, then crossed his ankles. "So Galen couldbe involved in the release of the droids," he said. "Or even the original industrial accident."

"Or Curi," Darra said. "Or both. Or neither. It couldbe an employee of theirs. Or an ex-employee. In otherwords, it could be anyone on this planet. And we haveto find them in less than an hour! Not too much of aproblem for a first mission." She reached for her braidagain. Ferus leaned over and slipped his hand into Tru'spocket. He tossed Darra a piece of figda candy. "No stress, Darra."

"We have threads, but no patterns," Anakin said."Our Masters could be in danger. They don't know about Curi's connection to the Prototype Droids. Shecould be dangerous. We have to go over to the IsolationSector and warn them."

"Hold on," Ferus said. His dark eyebrows lowered."First of all, we were ordered to remain here, no matterwhat. We've been taught to heed our Masters — it's animportant part of the Jedi Order."

"But things have changed," Anakin argued.

"And second, there are no bio-iso suits for us,"Ferus added. Anakin lifted his chin. "I'm not afraid. If my Masteris in danger, I'll go. You can stay here and be safe." For the first time, Anakin saw Ferus flush with anger."This isn't a bravery contest, Anakin. Think like a Jedi."

"Don't give me orders!" Anakin shot back hotly.

"Our first duty is to the citizens of Radnor!" Ferussnapped. Darra stepped in between them. "Okay, ferrocreteheads, let's calm down. We're supposed to work together, remember? Time is running out for the citizensof this planet. Let's focus on that."

"It's him!" Anakin and Ferus exclaimed together.

Darra's lips quirked. "Ah. At last you agree on something."

"Anakin is right. Our Masters could be in danger,"Tru said. Anakin started to speak, but he held up a hand. "Ferus is also right. We must think like Jedi. Andthat means we must trust our Masters. We can't assume that they haven't discovered the same informa-tion that we have. We must proceed with the mission. Ifwe have to cross over to the Isolation Sector, we will.But not yet."

"What do you suggest?" Darra asked.

"If the Radnorans remain on the planet, they willdie," Tru said. "Therefore, we must allow the Avoni to transport them off-planet. But we must foil the invasionsomehow."

"Four Padawans are going to foil an invasion froman entire planet?" Darra asked. She glanced at Ferus.

"If you say no stress, I'll bite you."

"Okay, some stress," Ferus said with a worriedsmile.

They could see outside the windows of the communication center that the population of the Clear Sector was beginning to report to the evacuation points. So farthings were going smoothly. But as time ran out, thatcould change.

"Our first step is to follow through and make surethe evacuation takes place peacefully," Ferus said. "We have to monitor the two checkpoints. Galen gave us thelocations. Let's go." Anakin trailed after the others. Once again thePadawans split into teams to cover the two evacuation points. He headed for his designated spot with Tru. Sofar the lines were proceeding with little incident. Nameswere being checked off on datapads. The skiffs fromthe ferry ship had not yet arrived. There was little heand Tru could do. Anakin still wasn't happy with theirdecision.

"We have to find out what's really going on," Anakinsaid restlessly to Tru. "Our Masters could be in dan ger."

"It doesn't seem in character for them to just giveup," Tru said.

"Our Masters?"

"The raiders," Tru mused. "Think of all the goods inthat warehouse. They went to a lot of trouble to steal it. Remember the Manikons? No thief likes to leave theirplunder behind."

"Why are you worrying about the raiders?" Anakinasked. "They're the least of our problems."

"Maybe they're part of our problem, only we don'tknow it," Tru said. "They have access to the evacuationfiles. They've been able to breach security and stealsome major Battle Droids. We know they're connectedto the evacuation effort somehow. What if —"

"They're connected to the Avoni?" Anakin asked.

Tru shrugged. "Maybe. It's worth checking out. Considering the greed of the raiders and their willingness to take advantage of their devastated fellow citizens,they'd hardly leave the planet without all the things theystole."

"You're right," Anakin said excitedly. "They mightreturn to that warehouse." He eyed Tru. "Ferus won't like it."

"As you keep pointing out, Ferus is not our leader,"Tru said. "So let's go." Anakin felt a surge of excitement as he and Tru hurried through the streets to the warehouse. This was more like it. Jedi didn't sit passively by and wait forevents to unfold. They made things happen. Tru under-stood that.

The population of Tacto was beginning to spill out,carrying bundles of belongings. Most citizens had blasters strapped to their waists. Tensions ran high.Everyone was intent on sticking up for themselves and their own family. No one seemed to be helping anyoneelse. Each Radnoran was focused on his or her placeon the evacuation ship and getting there as quickly aspossible.

Anakin wasn't sure how long he and Tru would bewilling to wait at the warehouse. They really shouldn't have left their posts at all. The Force was dark on thisplanet. Violence could erupt at any time. But they were lucky. When they slipped inside thewarehouse, they found one of the raiders already there He was loading a gravsled with stolen goods asquickly as he could. Because of his haste, he stackedthe goods clumsily. Some durasteel bins fell off theback of the gravsled, scattering their contents.

"Need some help?" Anakin asked impulsively.

He and Tru activated their lightsabers and stood before the raider. They knew they would not have to usethem.

The Radnoran was small and slight. He looked fromAnakin to Tru and back again. Then he tried to smile.

"Greetings. The name is Ruuin. My buddy told me that he left some of his things in this warehouse. Gave me a key, so I —"

"Save it." Anakin deactivated his lightsaber. "Time's up. The evacuation is beginning. You can get aboard aship —"

"Or we can stick you in a detention cell," Tru said.

"And things are so confusing around here, we justmight forget to get you out before the winds shift," Anakin said.

Ruuin's eyes darted nervously. "C'mon. Youwouldn't do that. You're Jedi."

"Technically, we're not," Anakin said. "We're training to be Jedi."

"There's quite a difference, actually," Tru said. He shrugged. "We're just learning the rules."

"So let me think. Is it against Jedi rules to leave asuspect imprisoned when we know a deadly toxin is in the air?" Anakin frowned, pretending to ponder. “Youhave any idea, Tru?"

"I think I skipped that class," Tru said.

"Wise guys. I always meet up with wise guys," Ruuinsaid under his breath. "All right, all right. What do youwant to know?"

"Who are you working for?" Anakin asked.

"How do I know? Some guy," the Radnoran said. Hequickly put his hands up in protest as both Anakin andTru took a step toward him. "I'm telling the truth. I waspaid a wage and a share of the spoils. The guy's nameis Nonce, if that helps you. If you were security police,you'd know him. He's been in detention most of his life.But somebody hired him. I don't know who. Now canI go?"

"How did you get access to the evacuation plans?"Anakin asked.

"I didn't. Nonce did. And I don't know how he gotthem. Now can I go?"

"If you stayed around long enough to raid all thosehomes and businesses, how could you be sure to get a place for the evacuation?" Tru asked.

There was a subtle shift in Ruuin's gaze. He didlook away. But something changed. Anakin knew hewas about to lie.

"We would have been done in time."

"No, you wouldn't," Anakin said. "And you wouldn'tendanger yourself and your new riches by taking a chance. So what was the plan? How were you going toget off-planet?"

"The same way everyone else is," Ruuin said."Those ferry ships. Can I go now?" Anakin didn't know what to do. It was obvious thatRuuin wasn't going to tell them the truth. He was moreafraid of someone else than he was of the Padawans.

Suddenly, Tru reached over and snatched Ruuin'sdatapad from his belt. "Maybe this will tell us some thing."

"Hey! Hey! That's my property!"

Anakin glanced at the stolen plunder around them."Do you really think you're in a position to complain?" Tru was busily clicking keys. "Look," he said toAnakin, tilting the datapad toward him. "See these co ordinates? This must be a landing site. And it doesn't match the ones we know for the ferry ships."

"You have an escape plan," Anakin told Ruuin. "Let me tell you something. You're not going to make it. You're not going to make it onto a ship at all. Let metell you something else." He took a step closer to Ruuin. "You have much more to fear from the Jedi thanyou do from anyone else. Even the Avoni."

"The Avoni?" Ruuin's tongue darted out nervously. "I never mentioned the Avoni. Look, you've got to let me go, all right? You don't understand the penalty I'm facing. I could be imprisoned for treason." He stoppedsuddenly.

"Treason," Anakin said slowly. "That means there isanother planetary government involved."

"Like the Avoni," Tru said.

Ruuin wiped his perspiring forehead. "All right. Yes,it was the Avoni. The coordinates are for another Avoniship. They're airlifting the raiders off-planet. They don'twant us to get caught here. We need to leave beforethe Senate ships arrive. They promised us that no matter what happens, we'll get off. They backed our raids. They wanted as much disruption and panic to spreadas possible. We're all supposed to get houses andmoney once we get to Avon."

"Didn't you ask yourself why the Avoni were doing allthis?" Tru asked, disgusted. "Were you just going toallow them to invade your planet?"

"I don't ask questions," Ruuin said. "I'm a thief, nota philosopher."

"The panic would distract the population even further," Tru murmured to Anakin. "They wouldn't have time to figure out what the Avoni were planning."

Anakin nodded. He turned to Ruuin. "Who wasNonce's contact? How did you get those prototype droids? Who is the contact with the Avoni?" he rappedout.

"I don't know anything," Ruuin said desperately."I'm just a thief. I'm nobody. There's no one left to talk to. Now can I go?"

Chapter Sixteen

Curi's courageous test to remove her bio-iso suitsoon confirmed that there was no longer any danger from the toxin. Additional testing proved it.

All the Jedi removed their suits. It was a relief toObi-Wan to breathe the air again. Without the constrict ing suit, the Jedi would be able to fight more effectively,should they need to.

"We need to head back to Clear Sector immediately," Obi-Wan said. "If we can stop the evacuation, wecan stop any planned takeover by the Avoni. They're ex-pecting an unpopulated planet."

"You know what this means about the comm systems, don't you?" Soara said. "The Avoni must be jamming the planet. It's the only explanation." The other Jedi nodded. They had all come to thesame conclusion.

They could do no more in Isolation Sector. Curi hadfound two functioning speeders for them. They split intoteams and took off through the empty city, heading for the outskirts and the fastest route to the Clear Sector

Despite the danger of the coming invasion, Obi-Wanfelt relief that he would get to see Anakin again at last.He was anxious to see how his Padawan had fared.

"You look relieved," Siri said, giving him a quickglance as she piloted the speeder. "I am, too."

"You didn't seem very worried."

"When do I ever seem worried?" Siri said with ashort laugh. "I just hide things better than you do,that's all. Sometimes I wonder if you expect me to haveany feelings at all, Obi-Wan." It was true. Obi-Wan did not often look beneathSiri's cool confidence. He should have known better. As they reached the vast plain outside the city, Siriincreased her speed. "Things always came easily to Ferus at the Temple," she remarked. "His gifts helpedhim sail through his classes. His good nature won himmany friends. But you and I know that the galaxyteaches us harder lessons."

"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "We know this to be true."

"So I worry about the day Ferus discovers this, too."Siri said. "Failure is part of being a Jedi, too. The one who does not have to work hard for his gifts will oneday fail, as we all do. He will try his hardest, he will sacrifice everything he has to give, and still he will not win.I suspect his failure will be rougher than it needs to be.I wait for that day, and I worry."

Obi-Wan feared the same for Anakin. Siri had putinto words a certain dread he carried in his heart. And he had congratulated himself for overcominghis old rivalry with Siri! Obi-Wan shook his head, smil ing. Obviously traces of that rivalry remained. Other-wise he would have confided in her.

"What is it?" Siri asked, catching his smile.

"Remind me to stop underestimating you," he said.

She grinned. "Gladly."

"And thank you."

Siri turned her attention to the controls. She never acknowledged thanks or compliments. But Obi-Wan knew the moment had added to their friendship.

He saw a speck on the horizon, and his attention sharpened. The surge in the Force told Obi-Wanthat the speck was not one of the native uizani birds ofRadnor.

"To our right," he said to Siri over the noise of theairspeeder. She nodded. Obi-Wan contacted Ry-Gaul on hiscomlink and alerted him to the speck, which was now growing into a black shape.

"Definitely some kind of transport," Siri said.

The dark presence in the Force was growing.Wan felt it like a wave against his skin.

"Strange," he said. "It looks like a smaller versionof an MTT." He was familiar with the Multi Troop Transport ships from his dealings with the Trade Federation.Battle Droids could be compressed and loaded into theship with no wasted space.

"An MTT? I think you might be right. Well, now we have the answer to my question," Siri said grimly.

"Weknow how they are transporting Battle Droids. The MTTmust have been in the cargo hold of one of the ferryships."

"That's why the Avoni officer ordered a lockdown of the cargo holds," Obi-Wan guessed.

"We'd better get off these coordinates." Siri deftlyturned the airspeeder to the right. Behind her, Ry-Gaul made the same turn. "I think I remember some groundcanyons due south of us. Can you find them?" Obi-Wan entered their coordinates on the onboardcomputer. "You're right. We're only a few kilometers away. We can hide there and see what's going on. Before we stop the evacuation we should find out exactlywhat we're up against. It shouldn't take long." He entered the new coordinates, then quickly contacted Gauland Soara to tell them the new plan.

Siri pushed the engines faster. They were close to theground and small enough that they should avoid de-tection. They assumed the transport was headed forthe city of Aubendo.

"The ship is turning," Obi-Wan said suddenly.

"That's odd," Siri muttered. She glanced over hershoulder, then pushed the engines harder. "Can you get a fix on it?"

Obi-Wan aimed a macrolaser tracker at the ship.Within seconds, the airspeeder computer had mapped out the probable destination of the ship. The coordinates matched where they were heading.

"Either it's following us, or it's heading to the samecanyon area," Obi-Wan told Siri. "Let's try an experi ment."

Quickly, he entered new coordinates into the ship-board computer. Siri changed direction. After a few moments, the ship changed as well.

"It is following us," Siri said. "Why? What would an MTT want with two tiny airspeeders?"

"Unless they know the Jedi are aboard," Obi-Wansaid.

Siri gave him a quick glance, the wind whipping herhair against her cheek. "Curi?"

"Maybe. Or we could have been under surveillance.Our only hope is to lose it in those canyons. Those ships are too big to maneuver the way we can."

"We'll have to get to the canyons first," Siri murmured. The engines were on full, and the MTT was gain ing.

Obi-Wan answered his comlink and heard Soara'sclipped tone. "They must know we're Jedi."

"Yes. We can lose it in the canyons."

"Let's hope so. Those MTTs can carry a full platoonof droids." Obi-Wan cut the communication. The ship was gaining on them. He wasn't concerned. The canyons wereonly a few kilometers away. They should make it. Hehad complete confidence in Siri's ability as a pilot. Thebulky transport would not be able to follow them.

He wasn't concerned...so why am I concerned? Obi-Wan wondered, shaking his head at his lapse in logic.

"Something's wrong," he said.

"There you go again," Siri said. "Stating the obvious."

"So you feel it, too?"

"I do."

"They could be herding us toward the canyons because they know they could trap us there."

"They could. But we have no choice. We don't haveanother strategy," Siri said. "There's nothing between here and Tacto. No place for us to hide."

The canyons were ahead. They could see the oddzigzag tracing of them in the ground. It wasn't until they were on top of them that they could see that the lineson the ground were actually deep fissures. Siri aimedthe airspeeder down into their depths. The sky wentgray as the sun disappeared. The fissure widened as they dropped, and theyfound themselves in a large underground canyon. There were offshoots to the sides, but they were too narroweven for an airspeeder. Ry-Gaul hugged their rear. The MTT zoomed downward, still chasing them.

"They have a plan, all right," Siri said between her teeth as she dove down. Obi-Wan wished they had a more nimble transport.The airspeeder was meant to travel on repulsorlift en gines along the surface of a planet. It had a limited abil-ity to dive and maneuver. The MTT was almost on them now. Obi-Wan was uncomfortably aware that MTTs were often equipped withproton torpedos.

"What I wouldn't give for a deflector shield," Sirimuttered. Suddenly the canyon wall next to them explodedRocks and debris slammed into the airspeeder. Siri had trouble hanging on to the controls.

Behind them, Ry-Gaul and Soara were also in trouble. A blast from the MTT had hit their rear. They werefalling through the air, trailing black smoke. Ry-Gaulfought to regain power.

"They're going down!" Obi-Wan shouted.

Obi-Wan reached out with the Force, knowing it wasuseless. He could not stop an airspeeder from crashing. Helplessly, he watched it begin to spiral.

"Hang on!" Siri shouted. She put their airspeederinto a steep dive. Underneath her hands, the controls vibrated and the whole craft shook. She was pushing the craft to its maximum — and beyond. Siri turned sharply to the left, slipping under theother airspeeder. At the exact moment they were un derneath, Ry-Gaul and Soara leaped.

They landed on the rear of the speeder, sending ittilting crazily. Ry-Gaul and Soara released their cable hooks, fastening themselves to the craft as it buckedand rolled. Siri's face was set with determination as she battled with the out-of-control speeder.

Ground loomed up at them. Canyon walls rushedpast. Ahead was a sheer cliff. Siri tried to slow the craft, but the engines were stuck.

"Cut the power!" Obi-Wan shouted.

Siri shut down the engines. With a piercing whine,they cut out. The speeder bounced off the ground, then spun wildly. Soara and Ry-Gaul desperately hung ontotheir cables. Obi-Wan was thrown from his door againstSiri. His head slammed back against the seat.

The speeder suddenly smashed against the canyonwall, then came to a stop. Obi-Wan tasted blood in his mouth, but he knew hewas unhurt. He looked over at Siri. She winced, but shenodded to let him know she was all right. Soara was trying to pick herself up, but her leg was at an awkwardangle. Ry-Gaul supported her and helped her rise.

The Jedi did not hesitate. They did not even havetime to wait until their heads were clear. The MTT was zooming down toward them, laser cannons firing.

Obi-Wan and Siri leaped off the speeder and ran for cover. Ry-Gaul supported Soara and hustled her towardshelter. Obi-Wan found a small passageway betweensheer canyon walls. He darted inside and the othersfollowed.

Ry-Gaul leaned down to examine Soara's leg. "Notbroken."

Soara tried to smile. "At last some good news."

"Can you walk?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes," Soara said, her face white with pain.

"No," Ry-Gaul said gently. "But I will help you." They followed the twisting trail, moving as fast asthey could despite Soara's injury.

"I doubt they'll unload the droids here," Siri said.

"If this is an invasion, they'll want to get on with it,"Soara said through clenched teeth. "Why waste time onfour Jedi? Maybe they'll just give up and go away."

"This trail is doubling back on itself," Obi-Wan saidsuddenly. "It's going to bring us back to where we started."

"Great," Siri said. "I missed that MTT."

Obi-Wan inched close to the edge of the wall. He looked out.

The MTT had landed in a clear space a few hundred meters away. The ramp lowered. As Obi-Wan watched,troop after troop of Prototype Droids marched down.

"They are unloading the droids," he said. "Theyaren't giving up."

Chapter Seventeen

Anakin and Tru managed to find one of the few security officers left on the planet. They left Ruuin in his care.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he bribes or talks his wayout of custody," Anakin said, watching as Ruuin walkedaway with the officer, talking quickly and gesturing withhis short, stubby arms.

"It doesn't matter," Tru answered. "We have proofthat Radnor is being invaded. We'd better talk to the others."

"Sure, so Ferus can tell us what to do," Anakingrumbled.

"Well, what do you think we should do?" Tru askedas they hurried toward the checkpoint Ferus and Darrawere guarding.

"I think Galen is behind this, and we should confront him," Anakin said. "He can tell us exactly whatthe Avoni are planning. Then we can figure out how tofoil it."

"Somehow I doubt it will be that easy," Tru said.

"I do, too," Anakin agreed. "But I can't think of anything else." They reached Darra and Ferus and quickly told themwhat they had found.

"We don't know for sure that it's Galen," Ferus said.

"We don't have time to come up with another suspect," Anakin insisted. "We have to move now. We don't know what's going on in the Isolation Sector. OurMasters could be in danger."

"Anakin is right," Darra agreed. "We won't lose anything by confronting Galen."

"Let's go," Ferus declared.

As if it was his idea,Anakin thought.

The four Padawans hurried to the command center.Galen was just tossing a small survival kit into his air speeder.

"Going somewhere?" Anakin asked.

"Of course I am," Galen answered. "As soon aseveryone is safely off the planet."

"You seem to be in a special hurry," Darra observed.

Galen gave an exasperated sigh. "What are you getting at now?"

"We have solid information that the planet Avon wasbehind the raids and also the theft of those PrototypeDroids," Anakin said. "And we think you know something about it." Galen chuckled, shaking his head. "You kids sure come up with some incredible theories. I've been tryingto help the citizens of Radnor!"

"What about the original toxic accident?" Ferusasked. "And the theft of the droids? Both things hap pened at your facilities."

"It's called bad luck," Galen said. "I'm one of thetop scientists on Radnor. Maybe someone targeted me. And as soon as all this is over, we'll be going over our safety procedures very carefully. But I'm not responsible. I've been risking my life by staying here. I couldhave left long ago. I had the money. My sister and I de-cided to stay to help our fellow citizens. Why are you ac-cusing me?" Now Galen looked hurt, not angry. Anakin did notpick up anything amiss. He wished Obi-Wan were here.He was not yet adept at reading the true motives ofother beings. Anakin remembered Ruuin's anxiousness to getaway. No doubt he had a rendezvous time with theAvoni as well as a rendezvous point. Maybe Galen hadthe same problem.

"I say we just hold him until the Avoni ships takeoff," Anakin told the others. "He can wait here with us for the Senate ships."

Tru's silver eyes flickered as he understood Anakin'sstrategy. "I agree."

"This is ridiculous!" Galen exploded. Finally theyhad cracked his wounded composure. "I refuse, after all I've done, to subject myself to these suspicions."

He jumped inside the airspeeder and revved the engine. But he hadn't counted on the quick reflexes of thePadawans. Anakin reached over and shut off the engineas Tru jumped in and accessed the onboard computer. He read out the coordinates that flashed on the screen. They were the same as Ruuin's.

"I'm sorry, Galen," Anakin said. "We now haveproof. Those are the coordinates of an Avoni landing site. You are going to be airlifted off-planet."

"Yes, so what?" Galen bellowed. "Along with everyone else!"

"I don't think so. I think you cut a special deal withthe invaders. You and your conspirators would have hadnew lives on Avon — thanks to your betrayal of yourplanet."

A small, shocked voice came from behind them. "No."

Anakin turned. A small woman with features similarto Galen's stood in the doorway. He recognized Galen'ssister Curi from the hologram Galen had received theday they'd arrived. "It can't be true. Galen? Is it true?"

"Of course not, Curi," Galen said. "These Jedi are children. What do they know?" Darra ignored Galen's comment. "Did you leave ourMasters in the Isolation Sector?" she asked urgently. Curi tore her sorrowful gaze from her brother andfaced the Padawans. "They were on their way here. Thetoxin is no longer dangerous. It has a short half-life, we'vejust discovered. The winds will bring no danger to Tacto."

"And our Masters?" Darra asked. "Where are they,now?"

"They are in great danger," Curi said. "They arepinned down by the Avoni invaders outside the city of Aubendo in the ground canyon fields. Dol Heep hadthem under surveillance. I discovered that he had placed tracking devices in my transports. When I found out I went after them. I was just in time to see a largevessel force them down. They are under attack from aplatoon of Battle Droids. Our Battle Droids," she added,with a glance at Galen.

"How can we trust her?" Ferus asked the others ina low tone. "What if she and Galen are in league to gether? What if they're trying to get us out of the ClearSector so they can take off?" The Padawans looked at one another, confusion ontheir faces. Yes, Curi could be lying. Galen definitely was. Who could they trust?

Trust yourself. Breathe in your instinct. Then act.

Anakin closed his eyes for a moment. He touchedthe river stone in his pocket, sliding his fingers over its warmth. He reached out to the Force, to a place that heknew well. He felt a distant tug — Obi-Wan. Yes, hisMaster was in danger. And Curi . . . Curi was telling thetruth. Unease was still on his fellow Padawans' faces. ButAnakin locked eyes with Ferus. "We can't take a chancewith our Masters' lives."

Ferus hesitated only a fraction, surprised at thedepth of Anakin's contact with the Force. "You're right. Let's go."

Chapter Eighteen

The Padawans commandeered Galen's airspeeder.The four of them squeezed inside. Curi gave them the coordinates of where she had last seen the Avoni transport and the Jedi.

"Look at all these Radnorans in bio-isolation suits," Darra observed. "I sure hope Curi is telling the truth, orwe'll be in for a big surprise when the winds shift."

Darra spoke lightly, but no one felt entirely easyabout their decision. Even Anakin was a little worried. He was betting everything on his intuition. If he was wrong, the consequences would be severe. He could die, along with the other Padawans.

I'm not wrong.

He could feel Ferus's eyes on him. He kept his gazeforward as he piloted the craft. He wasn't about to retreat now.

Ahead they saw the energy gate that led to the Isolation Sector. Curi had given them the coordinates to bypass it. Anakin entered them into a signal beam and the energy gate opened. They zoomed through. For a moment, they all held their breath. Then Ferustook a deep breath. Darra did the same.

"Well, there's no turning back now," she said.

Ferus accessed the mapping device on the shipboard computer. He studied the ground canyon site.

"There are several access points," he said.

"We have to assume that they're probably still veryclose to where Curi saw them," Darra said. "She said their speeders were destroyed."

"She also said the transport following them wasquite large," Tru added. "So if we take a narrow route through the canyons, we might have the element of surprise."

"We're going to need more than surprise if thattransport was filled with Prototype Droids," Ferus re marked. "Not only that, the transport probably hassome sort of blaster cannons."

"If you're trying to raise our confidence level, it's notworking," Darra said.

"We're coming up on the ground canyons," Feruswarned.

Anakin slowed down slightly. Ahead he only sawwhat looked like scribble markings on the ground. Thenhe realized the markings revealed deep cracks in theground surface. Ferus read out a coordinate. "Take that route," hesaid. "It will bring us close to where Curi saw our Masters."

Anakin zoomed down the canyon. He hugged the canyon walls, going as fast as he dared. By the look onFerus's face, it was faster than the other Padawanwould like. Anakin pushed the engines up a notch. Heknew he was in complete control.

Ahead he saw the large, hulking shape of theAvoni transport ship. It was idling, its repulsorlift engines on low, keeping it a few meters off the ground.Dust rose around it in a filmy cloud. Anakin grew ex-cited.

"I've seen that kind of transport before," he said."It was years ago, in the Trade Federation battle for Naboo. This is a slightly smaller version of an MTT --a Multi Troop Transport. They store Battle Droids and areusually piloted by two droids."

"They also have heavy frontal armor. The ship itselfcan be a weapon." Tru looked uneasy. "They can go through rock walls."

"It looks like this one already did," Darra said, swallowing hard. A solid wall of rock had been splintered into fragments. Droids littered the ground.

"Our Masters must have battled there," Ferus saidin a hushed tone. Anakin hovered near the sight, careful to keep outof sight of the MTT's bridge. They saw no evidence of their Masters.

"I hear blaster fire," Darra said suddenly. "We'reclose." Then Anakin could hear it, too. He placed his handsback on the controls, ready to zoom ahead.

"Wait!" Ferus commanded.

Annoyed, Anakin turned to him. "What now? Moreplanning?"

"Yes," Ferus said steadily. "If we rush in there without a plan, we won't be much help to them."

"What kind of a plan do we need?" Anakin asked."They're being attacked by droids! We go in and help them!"

Darra groaned. "I thought the worst thing aboutbeing on this mission was protein cubes for breakfast. Now I know it's you two. Ferus, what are you thinking?"

"How many droids did the MTT on Naboo hold?"Ferus asked Anakin.

"I don't remember," Anakin said. "Over a hundred, Ithink."

"One hundred and twelve," Tru said softly.

"And this is only a little smaller," Ferus said. "Solet's say it holds about fifty to seventy droids, at least. What are the chances we can battle that many with ourlightsabers?" Darra swallowed. "I can't tell you how much I hateto hear the odds before a battle."

"So what are you saying?" Anakin asked. "We callfor more Jedi?"

"Or more lightsabers," Darra said.

Ferus shook his head. "Of course not. We just needto think, that's all. We have a couple of advantages. One is surprise. The other is the fact that you and Truseem to know a lot about that transport." Anakin nodded. He had explored one on Nabooafter the battle.

"The question is, how do we get aboard?" Ferusasked.

"Can you deactivate the droids from the MTT?"Darra asked.

Anakin shook his head. "No, they're controlled fromeither the landing ship or from orbit."

"No stress with that," Ferus said. "If you getaboard, can you pilot the ship?"

"I can pilot anything," Anakin said flatly.

"Didn't you say that the ship is also a weapon?"Ferus asked. The four Padawans looked at one another.

"Of course," Anakin said. "If we control the ship, wecontrol the battle."

"There's the deployment hatch," Tru said. "But therelease valve is on the bridge."

"I think the only way is —" Anakin began.

"You're right," Tru said. "But we'd have to do it —"

"Exactly. But the venting system —"

"So we don't have to worry about being seen." Trunodded rapidly. "Okay, that's it, then."

"That's what?" Darra cried. "Are you two speaking some weird language from the Outer Rim?" Anakin turned to her. "The MTT is designed by the Baktoid workshop. The Trade Federation buys most oftheir ships, but they rotate out the old ones and sellthem off to various planets. I'm betting that's what thistransport is. Which means that its exhaust and coolingsystem is vented straight down toward the ground. There's some unusually large vents on the bottom.That's why you see all that dust around it. It's kicked upby the wind coming out of the ship."

"So the dust will give us cover," Tru said. "And the vents are big enough. We can just climb up them to getaboard."

"Won't the wind blow you back?" Ferus asked.

"If the ship was moving, it would," Anakin said. "Butthe engines are idling. The ship is in passive mode. Weshouldn't have too much trouble."

"We've got another problem," Darra said. "If you getcontrol of the ship, our Masters won't know it. They'llmost likely attack the ship when it comes toward them."

"That's why we have to split up," Ferus said. "Darra,you and I have to make contact with the Masters whileAnakin and Tru steal the ship. We have to get the droidsto follow us to an ambush." He looked at Anakin andTru. "Does that sound okay to you?"

It was the first time Ferus had asked his opinion.Anakin nodded. "Sounds like a good plan."

"We have an agreement," Darra muttered. "Remindme to declare this an annual holiday once we get backto the Temple."

She leaned over and accessed a map to thecanyons. Quickly she flipped through different sites.Then she stabbed at the viewscreen with a finger. There. If you can maneuver the ship there, we can bring the droids through that smaller canyon and outinto the clearing. Then we've got them." The four Padawans looked at one another, exhilarated. They were going to save their Masters.

"No stress with that," Ferus said confidently.

"Completely," Anakin echoed.

There was a pause. After the initial confidence, theweight of the task ahead settled on them.

"May the Force be with us," Tru said quietly.

Ferus and Darra exited the airspeeder. Hugging therocks, they started off through the canyon toward the sound of blaster fire.

Anakin and Tru headed in the opposite direction.They paused in the shelter of a rock to watch the MTT

and its inhabitants. They could just make out the heads of the droid pilots. They rotated in constant surveillance.

"Anakin —"

"I know," Anakin said. "It's a question of timing."

"I was going to say, we just have to run really, reallyfast," Tru said, flashing him a quick grin.

"Aim for the dust cloud."

"Right."

Anakin fitted a filter mask over his nose and pulledhis hood up. Tru did the same. They slipped goggles outfrom their utility belts and pulled them on.

As soon as the droids' heads turned the oppositeway and they were no longer in their sight line, they ran, Anakin felt the Force rise around him from the rocks and dust. It seemed to push him faster, allowing him todive into the sand cloud kicked up by the ship's exhaust.

Anakin hated sand. He had seen and tasted toomuch of it while a slave on Tatooine. Now it filtered through the dust mask and settled in his mouth. Hecould barely see. He could sense rather than see Tru beside him.

He held up a hand, feeling along the underside ofthe ship. The sand and dust were so disorienting it was hard to visualize where he was. Then he felt a raisedpiece of metal. Could it be the repulsor cooling fins? Heran a hand along one ridge, then another. That meant the vents were just ahead. The wind blasts were stronger than he'd anticipated. The thought of his Master pinned down by a pla-toon of droids pushed him on. He could feel Tru battlingthe wind beside him. Anakin reached the vents. He hoisted himself upand inside, spreading his hands out to support himself against the rounded walls and bracing himself with hisfeet. He would be able to move sideways up the shaft.The blast of wind was warm, but not hot. It pushed against him, but he was able to move slowly up theshaft, meter by meter, first using one hand and foot,then the other. Tru was directly beneath him. Halfway up the vent, Anakin felt as though his legswere made of ferrocrete and his arm muscles had begun to shake. One foot slid and he almost lost his position and fell. He felt Tru touch his back. Anakin turned, and Tru motioned to him. He would lead theway.

Anakin curled himself into a ball so that Tru couldcrawl past him. As soon as Anakin was behind Tru, he felt the wind lessen. Tru's flexible arms and legs weremuch more suited to scrambling up the vent. His bodynow acted as a shield. It gave Anakin a chance to restore his own strength. This is what Obi-Wan means, hethought suddenly. I do not a/ways have to prove I can lead. Sometimes someone else can do the job better.

At last the vent opened out into the engine room,next to the humming repulsorlift generators. Anakinand Tru collapsed on the floor, trying to catch theirbreath.

"Whew. Some stress with that," Tru said, gasping.

They got to their feet and looked around the engineroom.

"I'd say—"Tru started.

"That way," Anakin agreed.

Once they left the engine room, they had to turnsideways to navigate the corridor. Every centimeter of space was used on the vessel to pack in droids. Theysqueezed past the empty troop deployment racks andclimbed a narrow metal staircase to the bridge. Outsidethe bridge door they activated their lightsabers. Takinga breath for concentration, they accessed the door andburst inside. The droids swiveled, instantly taking in the danger.Their arms moved forward in blast mode. Anakin and Tru were faster. They somersaulted inthe air and came down with their lightsabers, each neatly slicing a droid in half.

Anakin kicked aside the droid and immediatelymoved to the controls. He studied them.

"Can't help you out here," Tru said. "I never got thisfar in the manual. Got too bored."

"It's okay. These controls are basic. You'd better strap into the copilot's seat. It might be rough going." Experimentally, Anakin eased the controls forward.The ship gave a great lurch. Tru hadn't had a chance tosit, and he went flying. He landed on the floor.

"Mightbe rough?" Tru picked himself up, kicked thedroid out of the way, and sat in the copilot's seat. The next time Anakin eased the controls, the shipmoved more smoothly. He took it slow for several meters, getting used to the way the ship handled. This wasno nimble starfighter. This was a lumbering beast. He would have to navigate around this canyon,through a narrower passage, and then get the beastdown a smaller passage into the large clearing. Everything depended on him and Tru getting there. No onehad said it, but everyone was aware that if Anakin couldnot maneuver the ship there, the Jedi would be trappedin the canyon with a platoon of droids — and no wayout.

Anakin turned the ship into the narrower passage.He accelerated, searching for the passage Darra had marked.

After a few minutes Tru spoke. "We should havepassed the turning by now."

"I know. Let's just. . ." Anakin's words died. Ahead,he saw only solid rock. They had come to the end of thepassage. There was no way into the clearing.

"This can't be," Anakin said. He pounded the controls with his fists. "It can't be!" There was no passage. Darra had read the map wrong. They had failed, and hisMaster was trapped. He shouldn't have listened toFerus. He should have —

"Can you back this thing up?" Tru asked.

Anakin tried to quiet the ranting voices in his head."What?"

"The passage to the clearing must be blocked. It was probably a rockslide. Remember we passed that area of the wall that had all that sheared rock in theroad?"

With a swift motion, Anakin reversed the enginesand zoomed backward. He stopped the MTT where Truhad indicated. A passage had been here once, but itwas hard to tell. Huge boulders now blocked it.

"Is there any other way to the clearing?" Tru asked.

Anakin shook his head. "They could be in there by now. We've got to get through that rock."

"Can the MTT handle it?"

Anakin gripped the controls. They could get stuckhalfway through. The rocks could collapse and bury them alive. "I don't know. But if we don't try, our Mas-ters are doomed."

Chapter Nineteen

The Jedi crouched behind a screen of boulders andsplintered rock. They had been pinned down for two hours. They had fought off three assaults from thedroids. The droids held a position across the canyon where they could fire at any flicker of movement fromthe Jedi. Ry-Gaul had a blaster wound to the shoulder.Soara's ankle had swelled, but she'd fashioned amakeshift crutch from a felled droid's leg. A splinteringrock had cut Siri over the eye. And they were all exhausted. Over the course of the day they had kept movingfrom one small canyon to the next, but the smaller canyons were a maze that always led back to the largeclearing and the MTT. That was what the Avoni hadknown. They had known they would be able to run the Jedi down until they were exhausted. The droids were relentless, and there were so manyof them. They estimated seventy to eighty. They had taken out at least twenty, maybe more. But there wereat least fifty still out there, and no doubt fresh reserveswould arrive. While the Jedi were pinned down, theAvoni would conduct their invasion. The Jedi Masters had not spoken of it, but they knew they were eachthinking of their Padawans.

"Our only chance is to get back to the MTT," Obi-Wan said to the others. "We have to capture the ship. It's the only way out."

"Capture an MTT?" Soara asked. "It's an armoredtank."

"There's got to be a way." If Anakin were here, he would know how,Obi-Wan thought. Anakin knew his wayaround every ship that was ever built. He made it hisbusiness to know.

"Hold it," Siri said. "Look!"

Obi-Wan followed her pointing finger. To his surprise,he saw Ferus and Darra heading for them, moving fromrock to rock for cover. The droids turned to fire at them,keeping up a steady barrage. A pang shot through Obi-Wan. Where was Anakin?

If something had happened to him, I would know it./would feel it.

Ferus and Darra ran the last hundred meters, dodging blaster fire and blocking it with their lightsabers. They dived behind the rocks with the Jedi.

"So glad you could join us," Soara said.

"Thought you might have missed us," Darra saidwith a grin. Then she noted Soara's injury. "Master, you're hurt!"

"Just a minor inconvenience," Soara answered.

"Anakin and Tru are capturing the MTT," Ferus toldthem. "We hope. Our plan is to lure the droids to a clearing and then use the MTT to destroy them."

"How are they getting aboard the MTT?" Obi-Wanasked.

"Apparently it has large venting tunnels on its underside," Ferus said. "They said they could navigate them."

Obi-Wan nodded. It sounded dangerous, but hetrusted Anakin's abilities. "How far is the rendezvous?"

"Not far. We studied the map. If we can return theway we came and get the droids to follow us down a passage, it will empty into the clearing."

"We'll have no problem with the droids followingus," Obi-Wan said grimly.

"No time like the present," Ry-Gaul said.

"I was getting tired of this spot anyway," Siri said, wiping the blood off her forehead with her sleeve. The Jedi gathered themselves for the next phase ofthe battle. They were exhausted, but they had reservesof strength they had not tapped. Ferus and Darra hadgiven them a way out, and they were ready.

They rushed out together, lightsabers drawn. ThePrototype Droids moved toward them, the front line blasting heavy firepower at them. The Jedi kept on themove. The two Masters were careful to ensure thatSoara and Ry-Gaul were protected at all times. With hisshoulder injury, Ry-Gaul could only swing the lightsaberto one side, and that was painful. Soara's limpingprogress was remarkably fast with the help of hermakeshift crutch.

They reached the shelter of the passageway. Theyhad just a moment to catch their breath. The droids wheeled in formation and followed.

They ran, letting the droids keep them in sight, butstaying out of blaster range. Ferus and Darra led the way. They snaked through the passageway and cameout into the clearing. The droid platoon was behind them. Sheer rock wasahead of them.

"How is the MTT going to get in here?" Obi-Wanasked.

Ferus turned pale. "There was a route . . ."

Darra looked around wildly. "Where is the passage?It should be there!" She pointed to an area that ap peared to be a wall of boulders.

"Rock slide," Ry-Gaul said. "See the markingsthere?"

"We're trapped," Soara said, glancing aroundquickly. "We'll have to fight them in the open." Shegripped her crutch with one hand and her lightsaberwith the other.

"Anakin will reach us." Obi-Wan's voice was steady.

"Through sheer rock?" Soara asked.

The droids poured into the clearing. The Jedi stood,ready to face them. Ready to face death. Whatever came, they were ready. Darra's hand trembled slightlyas she held her lightsaber, but she moved resolutely to cover Soara's injured side.

A tremendous noise shook the canyon. The hugeboulders on the side of the canyon began to tremble. Suddenly the battered MTT burst through the wall, scattering boulders like pebbles as it mowed through thecanyon and headed straight for the droids. The front ofthe MTT was almost completely bashed in. The enginesbelched smoke. But the lumbering craft still moved with lurching power as it mowed down most of the entiredroid platoon. What it didn't cut down immediately wasreduced to scrap by blasting proton cannons. Obi-Wan had no doubt who was at the controls.

A loud banging rang through the canyon. The bat-tered and bent hatch on top of the bridge popped open,and Anakin emerged. He waved.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "He will get through sheerrock. If he has to."

Chapter Twenty

The Avoni had planned a bloodless invasion. Oncethe Jedi returned to Aubendo in the captured MTT

and confronted Dol Heep, their plans were foiled. They did not have enough firepower to defeat a roused population.

"A complete misunderstanding," Dol Heep boomed."Invasion? Hardly. We came to help Radnor. The BattleDroids were merely here for crowd control. So sorryabout the malfunction." He eyed Soara's injured leg and Ry-Gaul's blaster wound. "However, I can see why youare so testy. Since there is no danger from the toxin,the Avoni will be happy to leave."

"We will be happy to escort you," Obi-Wan saidfirmly.

"But first, restore all communications to theplanet," Siri added.

"We had nothing to do with the communication breakdown," Dol Heep said in the same hearty tone.

"But out of the charity in my heart for the Radnoranpeople, I will speak to our tech experts and see if we can help."

Within minutes, communications were restored.While Ry-Gaul and Soara had their wounds tended, Siri contacted the Temple. The Senate ships were orderedto return to Coruscant. They suspected that there hadbeen a sabotage of the engines, but there was no way to prove it.

The Radnorans would file a protest with the Senate,which would most likely get mired in debate and details. The Avoni would not pay for their plans for some time. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan contacted the remaining security officers on the planet and ordered them to quicklyspread the word about the safety of the planet. Radno-rans could return to their homes.

"And put Galen into custody immediately," Obi-Wanadded.

"He already is," the officer replied.

* * *

The Jedi arrived at the Tacto prison and were shownto a holding cell. There, Curi faced her brother across abattered metal table.

"She held a blaster on him for two hours," the security officer murmured to them. "She told him shewould kill him if he tried to escape, and I guess heknew she meant it." The Jedi stood in the doorway. Curi looked ravagedby pain and exhaustion.

"You have been a traitor to your planet," she said ina flat voice to her brother. "And you have broken my heart."

"I had no choice!" Galen said. "Don't you see I hadto do what I did?"

"No," Curi said, shaking her head.

"You refused to deal with the Avoni. That made nosense! We dealt with anyone with the credits to pay. And so they threatened me."

"You could have told me."

"They told me that if I told you what they wanted – if I told anyone — they would destroy our business," Galen went on rapidly. "I had to agree to show Dol Heep the weapons plan we were developing. That's when thetoxin was released. He did it before I could stop him. Igot us both back to the Clear Sector before it took hold."

"So you could have brought the toxin back and endangered Tacto as well," Curi said. "It is just luck that you did not."

Galen ignored this. "Dol Heep contacted his superiors. He told me that if I kept my mouth shut about the half-life of the toxin, they would pay us money and relo-cate us —"

"Don't say us !" Curi shouted suddenly. "This isabout you , Galen!"

"I did it for us," Galen pleaded. "They said that if Ididn't do what they wanted, they would say that 1 was the one who released the cloud deliberately. I didn'tknow what to do. They asked me for the research records and for the access code to our prototype BattleDroids —"

"And they paid you money for this," Curi said bitterly."They paid you a small fortune to betray me and yourself and your planet."

"I didn't know they were planning an invasion!"

"A child would have known they were planning an invasion!" Curi shouted. She stood and leaned over thetable. "It is all excuses and lies. It always has been.I've never seen you so clearly. You brought me into thisbusiness. You made my life what it is. I made weaponsto destroy beings and planets. I found money to fundyour research into the terrible, cunning ways beings cankill other beings. I sold these weapons and put thecredits in my pocket. I helped bring these things into the galaxy and I will never get the smell of death out of mynostrils. No matter what I do now, no matter where I go."

"Curi, don't. I need you! They're going to imprison me for years –“

"You are lucky they don't kill you."

Curi turned and walked out the door.

Galen turned furious eyes on the Jedi. "You seewhat you've done? You've poisoned her against me!" Obi-Wan shook his head. "Your planet is in ruins.Your family is destroyed. Thousands are dead. And stillyou blame others. You have not learned anything."

"There is nothing to learn!" Galen shouted.

The echo of his words followed them as the Masters and Padawans walked down the hall. They walked out into a bright morning. The devastation of the city of Tacto was revealed. The mobshad burned and rioted. Businesses were destroyed.Houses were barricaded. All air transports had been destroyed and looted for parts.

But now the Radnorans were busy returning to theirhomes and businesses. The sick were being cared for.The dead were being mourned.

"The Radnorans of Tacto are refusing to help any inthe Isolation Sector who have survived," Ferus said.

"And they blame the Avoni for everything," Tru said."They do not look to themselves for blame."

"Just like Galen," Darra said. "Tell me something.Are all missions this hard?"

"No," Soara said. "Some are harder."

"Neighbor turned on neighbor when the disasteroccurred," Obi-Wan said. "This could have been an op portunity for generosity and sacrifice. Cowardice and violence erupted instead. This city was destroyed bygreed and fear, not by a toxin."

"Not a good sign for the future of Radnor," Siri said.

"Yes, I won't be surprised if we are called hereagain someday," Ry-Gaul said. The Jedi moved through the devastated streetstoward their Senate transport. Obi-Wan swung into step beside Anakin.

"I am proud of you," he told him. "Not only did youact bravely, you worked well with the other Padawans. Iheard how you all collaborated on the final plan to rescue us. You have learned a valuable Jedi lesson. Yousubmitted your own will to listen to others. As a result, you gained strength."

"I was ready to rush after you to fight the droids," Anakin admitted. "It was Ferus who stopped me. He was right." He was a /so lucky, Anakin thought. The planhad almost gone awry. If Anakin had not managed to blast through the rock slide, four Jedi Masters and twoPadawans would be dead. But no one was bringing that up. Was Anakin theonly one thinking it? Obi-Wan would say it did not matter. What had happened, had happened. Jedi did not waste their time on ifs.

But Anakin couldn't look at it that way. The ifs werewhat intrigued him. The spaces between the rules. If Ferus had been more lucky than right, had submitting his will been the right thing after all? He knewthe question was not a Jedi question. He would not askit of Obi-Wan.

It was his question. Only he could find the answer.

"So am I right? Do you feel you learned the Jedi lesson of submission of will? Do you understand the im portance of the lesson?" Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin had to stop himself from giving away his unease. He would not lie to his Master. But had he truly submitted his will to Ferus? If he had to be honest, hewould have to say no. But he had submitted his will to Tru! Anakin recalled how in the exhaust system of the MTT, he had realizedthat Tru should be the one to lead. He had realized thenhow necessary cooperation was to the success of a mission. That had been the moment he had truly learnedthe Jedi lesson.

"Yes, I have learned the lesson well," he answered.He was happy he could be truthful. Obi-Wan nodded in satisfaction and turned to boardthe transport.

Anakin started after him, but Ferus suddenly appeared at his side. Anakin had not sensed him nearby.

"It's not the Jedi way to lie to your Master."

"Neither is eavesdropping," Anakin said, annoyed."And I didn't lie." Ferus studied him. The sunlight shone on the thickgold streaks in his dark hair. He did not look angry or accusatory. Merely thoughtful. "You did not tell thetruth," he said. "You did not truly learn the Jedi lesson. You didn't learn anything. You are like Galen."

"That isn't so." Anakin kept his voice steady. "And it is not your business. It is my Master's business what Ilearn."

"Obi-Wan doesn't see you clearly," Ferus said softly."He is a great Jedi Knight, but he is blinded by affec-tion. But I see. And I will keep looking. I will watch you,Anakin Skywalker." Ferus turned and strode up the ramp. Anakin had tostop himself from hurtling after him and tackling him to the floor. His body shook with rage.

Take a breath. Then another.

Anakin willed his beating heart to slow. Slowly the red mist before his eyes cleared.

/ will watch you, too, Ferus. And if there is a battle be tween us, I will win.