Obi-Wan reached into his survival pack. “I have food capsules.” He held out a handful of capsules, and they were quickly snatched away. A female handed them out to the children first.
Obi-Wan watched the tribe eat hungrily. There wasn’t much to satisfy them. He wished he had more food. Astri quickly distributed her rations as well.
Obi-Wan took a few steps toward the leader, who had refused the rations and watched the tribe eat.
“Why do you stay here if you are starving?” Obi-Wan asked. “Across the mountains is a fertile valley.”
The leader said nothing. Obi-Wan feared the stony Sorrusian silence would not crack. But the leader must have felt he owed Obi-Wan a response since they had given a gift of food.
“You think we remain here because we choose to do so?” He shook his head. “Once there were fertile patches in the desert as well. We planted and had plenty to eat. It was a hard life, but it suited us. Then ten years ago a dam was built. The water was diverted from our lands. Harsh winters have followed, one after another. What little land we were able to cultivate has dried up.”
“Then why do you remain?”
“We have tried to move to more fertile lands, but are constantly driven back by other tribes. We are too weak to take land by force.”
“The government of Sorrus will not help you? The planet has an irrigation system - “
The leader gave a harsh laugh. “The government of Sorrus built the dam. And worst of all, our tribe voted for it. We were told it would benefit us. But to get irrigation systems, one must bribe officials.”
The members of the tribe began to drift back toward the canyon wall.
“We have come looking for someone,” Astri said to the leader.
He did not answer, but kept his glance on the sandy expanse.
“She uses the alias Reesa On,” Obi-Wan said. “She is a bounty hunter. She is about my companion’s height and size, but with a shaved head. You must know her. She comes from your tribe.”
The leader did not answer this time.
“Please help us,” Astri said quietly. “Lives of those we treasure depend on it.”
The leader simply walked away.
Astri looked after him, distress on her face. “Make him tell us, Obi-Wan. We can’t just give up. “
No, they couldn’t give up. But what could they do?
A Sorrusian boy a little younger than Obi-Wan came forward. “I know who you are looking for,” he told them. “I know her real name and things about her. I can tell you things.”
Obi-Wan gave him a shrewd glance. “What do you want in return?”
The boy pointed to Obi-Wan’s lightsaber. “This.”
No Jedi was ever willingly separated from his lightsaber. Obi-Wan reached out with the Force. He turned his attention to the boy’s mind.
“You admire the lightsaber, but do not want to possess it,” Obi-Wan said. “You will tell us the information freely.”
The boy looked puzzled. “No, I won’t. I just told you that. It’s a trade, or nothing.”
It never failed to amaze him. Just when he began to feel confident of his Jedi abilities, he was reminded that he was only an apprentice. He could not access the Force as surely as Qui-Gon. He could not affect the boy.
“Come on. What do you say?” The boy’s avid eyes rested on Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, tucked securely in his belt.
Stricken with doubt, Obi-Wan hesitated. He could not give up his lightsaber. It was unthinkable. But was it the only way to save his Master?
He felt trapped between centuries of Jedi tradition and his own anguish. The dilemma squeezed the air from his lungs. He could not speak. He could not choose.
And meanwhile, his Master could be dying.
CHAPTER 9
The next time she let him out of the tank, Qui-Gon was alarmed at the extent of his relief. He had feared that she would change her mind.
Again, he fell to the floor of the lab. Again, he did not rise until he was sure he would be able to stand.
Dressed once more in white, her pale hair drawn back, she surveyed him with glittering eyes. “I am disappointed in you.”
His small smile was an effort. “How tragic for me.”
“You are not weakening as fast as the others. I don’t know why.”
“I am sorry to disappoint you. Should I try to die quicker?”
Nil sidled forward a few more steps, his hostile gaze on Qui-Gon. He poked him with the barrel of a blaster. “Do not joke with Madame!”
“Are you going to help me this time so you can have your freedom a little longer?” Zan Arbor asked sharply.
“If I’m to help you, I need strength. I must use my muscles,” Qui-Gon said. “If I could walk outside the lab…”