[Jedi Quest] - 06(14)

“Not real smoke,” Obi-Wan said. “I mean provoke him so that he’ll come out into the open.”

“Provoke him?” Rorq moaned. “That doesn’t sound good.”

Obi-Wan was feeling on the edge of his patience. He should have stayed with Anakin when they were under attack. Now he did not know if Anakin was badly wounded or worse.

He remembered feeling so angry on Andara. thought you’d be proud of me, Anakin had said. And he had wanted to reply that he was proud, that Anakin’s progress astonished him, that there was so much about Anakin that he admired. Instead he had held his tongue, thinking there would be a better time. He did not want to praise Anakin when his apprentice had made such an error.

But maybe he should have. That better time had not arrived.

“Where is Striker most vulnerable?” he asked Swanny.

“I have no idea,” Swanny said. “Nowhere, if I had to guess. He’s got personal guards that surround him at all times. Plus surveillance, weapons, assassins, a huge army… can I stop now?”

Obi-Wan’s comlink signaled. He snatched it up eagerly.

“Speak with you, I must,” Yaddle said. “At the airlift, meet we will.”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan said. “But I was just about to contact you. Anakin is missing. I think Striker has taken him.”

Yaddle hesitated for only a beat. He could feel her concern. Then she said slowly, “Your problem, my problem - fix each other, they might.”

Swanny and Rorq seemed relieved at the diversion. They were happy to lead him to the airlift.

Yaddle stepped off the airlift with the graceful, gliding step that never seemed to abandon her, even when she was tired or impatient.

“In addition to the mainframe substation of the power grid, taken over another crucial station, Striker has,” she said. “Substation 32, a central relay station. Crucial it is as a network point for restarting the grid.”

Swanny nodded. “That’s right. He can override the power surge you need for start up from that substation.”

“Retake it, we must,” Yaddle confirmed.

“I was looking for a way to provoke Striker,” Obi-Wan said.

“That will do it,” Swanny muttered. “He just got that substation back from Decca tonight. I imagine he feels pretty good about it.”

“If we attack the substation, he’ll have to send reinforcements,” Obi-Wan said to Yaddle. “We can tail them back to the hideout.”

“Can I say something here?” Swanny asked. “Taking the substation is impossible. Just wanted to mention that.”

“What do you mean?” Obi-Wan asked.

“He has his best men protecting the power grid,” Swanny said. “His most explosive weapons. I’ve seen the Jedi in action and it’s a sweet sight, don’t get me wrong. But can two Jedi go up against grenade launchers and missile tubes?”

Obi-Wan exchanged a glance with Yaddle.

“There’s only one entrance to substation 32,” Swanny went on. “It’s the only way in. And you won’t go more than two meters before you’re blasted to pieces.”

“I guess that’s that, then,” Rorq said. “There’s no other way.”

Yaddle smiled. Obi-Wan turned to Swanny and Rorq. “For the Jedi, there is always another way,” he said.





CHAPTER NINE


Don’t let him see your surprise. Don’t give him even a flicker of satisfaction.

“Oh, come on, Anakin,” Granta Omega said. “You’re surprised. Admit it. And maybe just a little bit pleased?” Omega smiled at him. Anakin was always mystified by his charm. He had liked him, once. Before he’d tried to kill Obi-Wan. Before it was clear that the dark side dominated his acts.

Granta Omega was out to lure a Sith into the open. He was not Force-sensitive, but he wanted to be close to the Force. He wanted to understand the source of such power. He would do anything to attract the one Sith he knew was at large in the galaxy. He was enormously wealthy, and would use anyone or anything to get what he wanted. Even the Jedi.

“I wouldn’t say pleased,” Anakin replied. “And I wouldn’t say surprised. I’d say very unhappy.”

Omega cocked his head and regarded Anakin. “I’m sorry to hear that. But I know that soon you’ll understand why we keep running into each other. You are strong in the Force. Stronger than any Jedi. Stronger than your Master - and he knows it. I’m still interested in the Sith, but I’m becoming even more interested in you.”

“The feeling isn’t mutual.”

Omega strolled around the empty room. He was what was known as a “void,” a being who could neutralize his appearance and aura so completely that those who met him could not recall what he looked like. To Anakin, he’d seemed different each time they’d met. The first time he’d seen him, he’d appeared to be a weary bounty hunter. Anakin had also spent time with him when Omega was posing as a scientist named Tic Verdun. He’d had a haphazard, nervous manner then, and friendly brown eyes.