[Jedi Quest] - 02(26)

Obi-Wan beckoned to Floria and Dane, and the two started upthe landing ramp. “Do you remember any details of HuntiPereg?” Obi-Wan asked them. “What he looked like, or whathe was wearing?”

“He was wearing white,” Floria said. “I remember that. Andhe was tall.”

“He wasn’t very tall,” Dane said. “But his face was verystrange.”

“Strange in what way?” Obi-Wan asked.

Dane frowned. “I can’t remember.”

“He had dark hair,” Floria said.

“No, he had no hair at all,” Dane said impatiently.

Brother and sister moved to sit down, still arguing. Anakinfired the engines, and the cruiser rose from the spot. Heused the repulsorlift engines for planetary travel andcruised down the mountain.

He knew his Master was troubled. He could sense it. He wastired of comparing his Master-Padawan relationship with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon’s. He would always come up short. But wasit fair for him to be angry at Obi-Wan because of that?

Ahead lay the snowy plain where they had first seen GrantaOmega. No one was there.

“How could he have gone?” Dane asked, peering out theviewscreen. “The paralyzing dart couldn’t have worn off soquickly.”

Obi-Wan and Anakin did not answer. It was better that Daneand Floria still think the man had been Hunti Pereg. Anakinslowed his speed and cruised over the plain. Within momentshe had found what he was looking for. Below they could seeevidence that a small cruiser had landed. Melted snow andscorch marks showed where the craft had taken off.

“Please land here for a moment Padawan,” Obi-wan said. “Iwould like to examine the area.”

Anakin set the craft down on the snow. He activated thelanding ramp and Obi-Wan hurried down it.

Anakin stayed in the pilot’s seat, watching Obi-Wan explorethe landing site. Once again, he had been left behind.





Chapter Sixteen


Obi-Wan was disturbed. He felt queasy, almost dizzy. Hesearched through the snow, but he didn’t know what he waslooking for.

You don’t know his power. It comes from the pyramid itself.

Obi-wan had felt cold ever since hearing those words. Thepyramid was a shape revered by the Sith.

The queasy feeling grew stronger. He remembered it well.He had felt it in the presence of the Sith Holocron.. Onthat mission, he had been described by the Holocron’s power.He had worried about Anakin’s reaction to it. He did notwant his Padwan to know what he suspected.

As if guided by his own unease, Obi-Wan reached down throughthe snow and put his hand on a small object. He pulled itout of the snow. It was a small black case.

He examined it, swallowing against the nausea that rose inhis throat. There was no opening he could see, no seams.It simply appeared to be a cube.

He unsheathed his lightsaber and carefully cut a small seamin the cube. The case broke open. A small black pyramidwas nestled in black shimmersilk. It blazed to life and hesaw it was holoprojector.

Unspeakable scenes flashed out at him, so quickly he couldnot absorb them. Murder. Suffering. Destruction.

Obi-Wan shut the case. He wiped the sweat on his brow. No,his Padawan must not see this.

“Master?”

Anakin had left the ship. He stood uncertainly a few metersaway. “Did you find something?”

“It’s nothing.” Obi-Wan tucked the case inside his cloak.”We can take it back to the Temple for examination. Come,Padawan.”

But Anakin did not move. “I need to know what you found.Don’t you think I can feel it, too?”

He saw the sweat on Anakin’s forehead, saw the slight tremorin his knees.

He could dismiss him. He could say, You do not need toknow.

Would Qui-Gon have told him? Perhaps not. His Masterreveled things in his own time.

Anakin met his gaze boldly. He would not back down. Obi-Wan saw that clearly. He would not allow the moment topass. He would grab on to it, extend it, bend it to hiswill. He would do anything to obtain what he wanted.

He is so different from me, Obi-Wan thought again, bemused.

If he is so different from you, why do you treat him asthough he is a younger version of you? Why do you act asyou think Qui-Gon would have acted with you as his Padawan?

The question startled him. What was especially surprisingwas that he did not hear Qui-Gon’s voice asking thequestion. He heard his own.

Maybe it was time he stopped trying to be the Master Qui-Gonwas. It was time to claim the role for himself.

“It is a Sith artifact.,” he told Anakin.

His Padawan swallowed. “I thought so.”

“The bounty hunter mentioned a pyramid before he died. Hesaid the Granta Omega drew his power from it. If the Sithare involved, or a Sith cult, that would explain much. Theruthlessness and cunning of the attack. The use of bountyhunters. The specific target of Jedi.”