Obi-Wan marveled at that. It was what made Anakin a great Jedi. His battle mind was total and went everywhere. He saw every possibility, planned every move, and had even planned his escape.
They reached the surface and climbed over the lip of the crater. Obi-Wan took a deep breath, relieved to have left the horrifying nest.
He prepared to take cover when they emerged, but the sky was empty. He could see twisted metal and decimated droids scattered about.
“Did you get them all?”
“No, there were three STAPs left, plus two guards on swoops,” Anakin said, tucking his cable launcher back into his belt. “I thought it was time to get you. I made it look as though a blast sent me into the crater. I imagine that when they saw me fall into the gundark nest, they thought I was done for.”
“Most likely. No one survives a gundark nest.” Obi-Wan looked around. “Now what? The only place to steal a transport is the camp. And I don’t think breaking in will be as easy the next time.” He looked over at the scattered remains of the exploded STAPs. “Can you make something out of those that will fly?”
Anakin surveyed the scraps of metal on the ground. “Are you serious? I couldn’t even make a helmet out of it.”
“How about fuel?”
“Possibly, but as you know, STAPs don’t carry much.”
“I left the swoop about twenty-five kilometers from here. We could refuel it”
“We won’t get far,” Anakin said. “I say we head back to the camp. Maybe I can figure out the departure code so we don’t get blown up. How did you get into the camp, anyway?”
“You don’t want to know.” Obi-Wan groaned. He certainly wasn’t eager to hook himself onto a flying transport again.
Obi-Wan’s comlink signaled and, surprised, he answered it.
A familiar voice rang dryly in his ear. “Well, I’m here to rescue your sorry self once again. Honestly, I don’t know what you’d do without me.”
Obi-Wan grinned. “I think we found a ride,” he told Anakin.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
They had only minutes to wait until two red-and white Jedi cruisers landed a few meters away. Siri was the first to appear, striding down the landing ramp, her short blond hair glinting in the sun. “Need a lift?”
“If you insist,” Obi-Wan responded.
Obi-Wan and Siri had won their friendship through trials. They had always bantered and bickered. A deep respect lay underneath their light words, but it had taken some time for Anakin to see it.
Anakin was glad to see Siri, but seeing her meant he would have to see her Padawan, Ferus Olin. He wished that someone else - anyone else - had turned up to rescue them. The two of them had never gotten along, and things were worse between them since their mission on Andara, when Ferus had been abducted and Anakin had withheld the knowledge from Obi-Wan. Anakin felt he’d had good reasons, but neither Obi-Wan or Ferus had understood them.
Ferus emerged from the starship. Tall and erect, he greeted Obi-Wan and Anakin with a proper nod. “Master Kenobi. Anakin.”
“We’re on another mission to the Xanlanner system,” Siri said. “We got your distress signal. A couple of old friends of yours are ferrying me, Ferus, Ry-Gaul, and Tru Veld.”
Anakin brightened. “Tru is here?” Tru Veld was his best friend. That would lighten the burden of seeing Ferus again.
He wondered if he would have felt this much pleasure if he had still been in the Zone of Self-Containment. He realized that the zone also blocked out feelings of intense happiness as well. He had paid a price for his serenity.
Obi-Wan suddenly moved toward the starship that Siri had emerged from. “I should have known!” he called. “That was such a wobbly landing!”
Anakin smiled. The landing had been perfect. But Obi-Wan was allowed to tease his oldest friend, Garen MuIn. They had gone through Temple training together, just as Anakin and Tru had.
“You’re one to talk about wobbling,” Garen said, noting Obi-Wan’s slight limp. There was concern underneath his words. “You look like you could use a medic.”
“Maybe a touch of bacta,” Obi-Wan admitted. “I tangled with a gundark or two.”
“Ouch,” Garen said. He laid a hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “Let’s find the medpac.”
Tru Veld bounded down the ramp of the other starship. His Master, Ry-Gaul, followed more slowly, his keen gray eyes surveying the landscape. Tru hurried up to Anakin, his silver eyes glinting. He was a Teevan, and had long, many-jointed arms and legs that caused him to walk like a rolling wave of water.
“Our paths cross, and it makes me glad,” he said to Anakin.