[Jedi Quest] - 06(28)

Offworld was the corporation that Xanatos had formed, a mining operation that had used slaves and bribes and violence to build its wealth. Omega didn’t create his wealth out of nothing. He had started with it.

Obi-Wan wanted to kick himself down the tunnel. He should have guessed! He should have known that beneath the jibes and insults there was something personal, something bitter, in the way Omega felt about him and the Jedi. He should have known!

He had the clues - why else would Sano Sauro pluck the promising boy away and send him to school? Sauro was hardly a benefactor to the poor. Sauro had known Xanatos well, had operated himself on Telos. And then there was the mystery of the boy’s origins - why else were the mother and son on Nierport Seven, a moon that was basically a refueling stop? They were hiding, of course. Xanatos had sent them there. And after he died, they didn’t have the resources to leave.

Omega blamed Obi-Wan for his father’s death. He was bitter that he did not inherit his father’s gift. So he would chase the Force all over the galaxy. He would grow even wealthier than his father had been. He would prove to a man no longer living that he was worthy.

Now Obi-Wan even saw Xanatos in his son. The eyes with the metallic glint of blue durasteel. The thick black hair.

He had every clue, and he had missed it.

“You are just like your Master,” Omega sneered. “My father told me about Qui-Gon, how he held him back. You do the same with Anakin. Control is what you seek, and you hide it behind Jedi lessons.” He spat the word “Jedi” like a curse. “Why don’t you let him be himself? Why don’t you show him what power he can have?”

Obi-Wan didn’t have to turn. The Force hummed in the tunnel, and he knew Anakin was behind him. Anakin had heard everything.

“It ends here, Omega,” Obi-Wan said.

“It will never end until you are dead,” Omega said. He reached out and grabbed Feeana’s ankles. With a quick, powerful thrust, he threw her off the hull of the ship. Screaming, Feeana flew in midair, straight for the jagged, knife-edged rocks.

Anakin leaped. The Force added distance and precision. He caught Feeana in his arms just millimeters from the pointed shards, twisting in midair in order to land safely.

Obi-Wan, too, had leaped, trying to land on the cruiser hull. But he had to swerve to avoid Anakin, and Omega had already gunned the engine. He took off, the cockpit dome still unengaged. Obi-Wan landed badly and fell to one knee.

The cockpit dome slid down. The cruiser gained speed.

Omega had escaped again.





CHAPTER SIXTEEN


Anakin watched as his Master rose. A heaviness seemed to lie on Obi-Wan, a weariness Anakin had never seen before.

He kept a firm grip on Feeana, who was staring down the tunnel in shock, amazed that she had been left behind.

Anakin knew that all his questions were in his eyes. He had heard of Xanatos. Every Jedi student had heard the story of the Temple invasion. Obi-Wan had told him a little of it. Now Anakin realized how much more there was to know.

“We will discuss this later, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said. “We have a mission to complete.”

When they emerged back into the substation, the battle was over. Decca was just arriving with her troops.

They were staring in disbelief at the litter of broken droids, fused weapons, captured forces, and only three Jedi.

Obi-Wan stepped over a pile of droids to speak to Yoda. “Omega has escaped. What should we do now with Decca?”

“A little reason now we shall use,” Yoda said. “A dead end, she has come to. Listen now, she will.” He moved forward to talk to Decca.

“I thought you would lose,” Feeana said numbly to Anakin. “I was afraid for my troops. I had had some dealings with Granta. He always said I could join him. He said he would protect me and my gang. I was such a fool. “

There was nothing to say, Anakin saw. He led Feeana to sit with the other prisoners and then returned to Obi-Wan.

“So your vision was true,” Obi-Wan said. “Yaddle met her death here. We just did not know how to interpret it.”

Anakin nodded. A lump rose in his throat. Why did having the vision make him feel so responsible?

“And yet it was not true, as well,” Obi-Wan said. “The vision was not about Shmi. It was about you. It was about the temptations in your life.” He hesitated. “What did Omega tell you?”

Anakin hesitated and then said, “That the Jedi were holding me back. That I could free the slaves on Tatooine, free my mother. He said he would help me do it.”

“That must have tempted you,” Obi-Wan said.

Anakin said nothing. He could not admit it, but he could not lie.

“It is all right, Anakin. It is understandable that you would want to ease your mother’s life. But being a Jedi means that your ties are to all beings. You are the only Jedi with such a strong, deep tie, and it makes it harder for you. But remember, a life of service is not only about giving up. It is about giving.”