[Jedi Quest] - 02(16)

“I think you’ve got us there,” Dane told him. “Lead on.”

With Floria and Dane in tow, Obi-Wan and Anakin began asystematic search. They walked outward from their ship inwidening circles.

“The power source for that size sleeper bomb has to be agenerator that’s fairly large,” Obi-Wan said. “I’m guessingit’s on a cruiser of some kind.”

“If the power source in on a cruiser, the bounty huntercould be long gone,” Floria called to them as she brought upthe rear.

“Not if the prize is as big as you say,” Obi-Wan answered.

Their route took the over a rocky hill and down into anotherlow-lying meadow. The ground was mushy beneath their feet.Ahead lay a boggy field full of shoulder-high bushes withbright yellow flowers.

Floria reached out to pick one. “Ow!” She sucked herfinger.

Now they could see that red thorns surrounded the brightflowers.

“I guess we have to turn back,” Floria said hopefully.”We’ll be torn to shreds if we try to make it through thesebushes.”

Obi-Wan hesitated. Floria was right. But their only chanceof finding the power source lay in examining the surroundingarea.

“Master,” Anakin said quietly.

Obi-Wan heard it, too. The faint whine of a cruiser engine.He searched the sky and saw nothing.

“Everyone get down low,” he said.

They crouched underneath the bushes in a hollowed out spotwhile Obi-Wan and Anakin scanned the sky.

The cruiser darted into view, a flash of silver against theblue.

“Fast, agile,” Anakin reported, squinting at it. “Lasercannon mounted on either side of the bridge.”

“It’s Mol Arcasite’s cruiser,” Dane said. “I recognize it.She had it techno-tweaked by Sienar’s Advanced Projects. Uh-oh.”

The cruiser had made a sharp turn and now headed straighttoward them.

Dane looked around. “what are we going to do? There’s noplace to hide. And if we go back we’ll be caught in theopen.”

Obi-Wan withdrew his lightsaber and activated it. He leanedforward and expertly sliced through the thorny bush. Thebush melted away.

“Those things sure come in handy,” Floria said admiringly.

The cruiser darted lower. The laser cannons suddenly burstinto a clatter of rapid fire.

“Move!” Obi-Wan urged as the fire scorched the bushes behindthem. He darted through the hole he’d created with thelightsaber, swinging it in a short arc in order to clear theway farther into the brush.

Anakin pushed Floria through and waited for Dane to dart inbefore following. Obi-Wan used his lightsaber with fine-honed precision, cutting a hole in the bush just below thesurface so that the bushes would seem intact from the air.There would be no telltale path to advertise their progress.

Obi-Wan moved fast, but in a wide zigzag over the length ofthe field. They grew tired and sweaty and were scratched bylong, sharp thorns. Still, Obi-Wan pushed on, making MolArcasite dive again and again over the thorny field. Attimes the cannon fire was so close Obi-Wan could feel theheat from the blaster bolts.

“Is this a plan?” Dane asked. A long scratch went from hisear to his nose. “Because it doesn’t seem like a plan. Areyou trying to tire out a cruiser?”

Obi-Wan didn’t answer. He had brought them to the edge ofthe field. Ahead was another rocky hill, the beginnings ofthe foothill to the mountains.

“Sty here,” Obi-Wan told Floria and Dane. “Anakin followme.”

He stepped out into the open. He held his lightsaber high.

She’s had to fly low and buzz us continuously,” he toldAnakin. “I see some slight smoke from the forward lasercannon.”

“She could be overheating,” Anakin said. “That’s why youkept her moving.”

“Exactly. Now lets keep going.”

It was a challenge, but the Jedi moved fast, using thenatural formation of the steep hill and the surroundingboulders for cover. Again and again, Mol Arcasite divedtoward them, laser cannons blasting, but thy used deep rockyoverhangs for cover.

“I’m going to try something,” Obi-Wan told Anakin. “Keepher occupied down here.”

As soon as the cruiser banked and turned for anotherapproach, Obi-Wan leaped up to an overhang, then jumped tothe next, and the next. Now he was above the low-flyingcruiser, which was angling on to attack Anakin.

Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber. The bright blue glowattracted Mol Arcasite’s attention. She reversed course andcame at him, cannons blazing. Obi-Wan leaped toward theground, bypassing the ledges he’d used to climb up. Cannonfire shattered the rock as the cruiser dived to follow him.An avalanche of rocks rained down on the body of thecruiser.Obi-Wan landed lightly next to Anakin. “Good work, Master,”Anakin said, watching the cruiser. “More smoke coming fromthe left side. That cannon might overheat.”