The Captive Temple(6)

“Keep the children away from this wall,” Obi-Wan directed him.

Again moving more slowly than he liked, Obi-Wan cut a hole in the turbolift wall. The metal peeled back but did not separate from the lift itself. Good. Obi-Wan held his lightsaber like a torch. The glow revealed the upturned, serious faces of the children and the evident relief on Ali-Alann’s face.

“We have to move very slowly,” Obi-Wan told Ali-Alann, then shifted to a low voice so that the children would not overhear. “The shaft is precarious. I’m not sure how much weight it can hold.”

Ali-Alann nodded. “We’ll bring them out one at a time then.”

The process was agonizingly slow. The children were all under four years of age. They could walk, of course, but Obi-Wan thought it better to carry them. Ali-Alann handed him the first child, a small human girl who trustingly wound her arms around Obi-Wan’s neck.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

Her red hair was braided in coils around her head, and her brown eyes were serious. “Honi. I’m almost three.”

“Well, Honi-who-is-almost-three, hang on to me.”

She pressed her head against his chest. Obi-Wan walked back down the shaft. When he got to the opening, he held Honi against him with one hand and reached out to grab the catwalk railing with the other. It would require perfect balance to make the move to the catwalk.

He heard the sound of footsteps. In another instant Qui-Gon stood across from him on the catwalk. He held out his arms. “I can take the child.”

Obi-Wan swung out as Qui-Gon reached and safely passed Honi to him.

“There are nine children left, and Ali-Alann,” he said.

“The Masters are below,” Qui-Gon told him. “They are using the Force to keep the turbolift aloft.”

Now Obi-Wan could feel it: a tremendous wave in the Force, strong and deep. He glanced below. The Council members stood in a ring, their focus on the turbolift.

“But I would not dawdle, just the same,” Qui-Gon said dryly as he turned to bring Honi to safety.

Obi-Wan made his way back to the turbolift. One by one, he carried out the children. One by one, he handed them to Qui-Gon. The children were already trained in calmness and the Force. Not one whimpered or cried, although some had to try hard not to. Trust was in their eyes and the relaxed posture of their bodies as they allowed themselves to be carried and handed over a gap to the tiny catwalk hundreds of meters above the lake.

When only two children were left, Ali-Alann carried one to safety while Obi-Wan took the last, a young boy only two years old. Obi-Wan waited while Ali-Alann walked down the shaft. He heard the shaft creak and felt it wobble as Ali-Alann slowly made his way toward the catwalk. The Jedi was tall and strong, with a similar build to Qui-Gon’s. Obi-Wan could sense the weakening of the shaft as Ali-Alann moved.

At last he handed over the child and swung himself onto the catwalk. Obi-Wan made the trip

for the last time. With every step, he felt the shaft sway. Yet he knew that if he ran, it could break away completely. He handed the child to Qui-Gon and swung himself onto the catwalk. The shaft swayed but did not break. He looked down below and saw the Jedi Masters in a

ring, concentrating on the shaft high above their heads.

Jedi Knights had already carried the children downstairs in relays. Obi-Wan followed Ali-Alann and Qui-Gon down the long, winding staircase to the lake level. Sweet relief coursed through him. The children were safe.

He walked behind Qui-Gon to the lakefront where the Masters were waiting. Bant held a child in her arms, talking to him quietly, and Yoda placed a hand on the head of one of the children. The atmosphere was being kept calm so that the children would not be frightened by their experience.

“You did well, children,” Mace Windu said, flashing them a rare smile. “The Force was with you.”

“And Ali-Alann was there, too,” Honi spoke up earnestly. “He told us stories.”

Smiling, Mace Windu patted her hair. “Ali-Alann will take you to the dining hall now. But not on the turbolift.”

The children laughed. They clustered around Ali-Alann, obviously adoring their large, gentle caretaker.

“Well you handled this, Ali-Alann,” Yoda told him. The Council members nodded.

“The Force was with us,” Ali-Alann repeated. He led the children away.

“And you, young Bant,” Mace Windu continued, turning to her. “You are to be commended as well. You stayed calm when you found the comm unit was dead on the lake level. Your speed in getting help was admirable.”

“Any of us would have done the same,” Bant answered.

“No, Bant,” Qui-Gon said warmly. “It was wise to come straight to the Council room. And your calmness in the face of great peril was true to the Jedi way.”