sensed Qui-Gon's presence. Obi-Wan stopped before one of the storehouses.
Then, doubling back to the door, he ducked inside.
Obi-Wan knew immediately that his Master was not alone in the storehouse. Murk Lundi was here as well. Moving carefully behind large crates and machinery, Obi-Wan made his way toward the center of the large room. Soon he could hear two men carrying on a conversation.
'I need a Nolarian 6000 drill immediately,' one of the voices said.
Obi-Wan recognized it as Dr. Lundi's.
Peering out from behind a vehicle, Obi-Wan saw that Lundi was talking to a machinery dealer. The dealer was holding a large wrench and his forearms were covered in grease.
'Don't have one,' the dealer said flatly. 'There's a shortage. And the way the mining safety committee has been watching us, there will be for a good while.'
'I need a 6000. Today,' Lundi repeated.
The dealer sighed, as if he got requests for enormous subaquatic drill rigs all the time. 'Are you listening?' he asked, annoyed. 'I said I don't have one. And I don't know when I will.'
Lundi stared at the man, clenching and unclenching his many hands into fists. His face contorted into a twisted scowl.
Behind the machinery, Obi-Wan suddenly felt a little hazy. His vision blurred and the voices around him echoed in his ears. From somewhere in his daze he realized that Dr. Lundi's anger was affecting him. Yoda had told Obi-Wan that anger and hatred clouded one's mind but he'd never felt this muddled by someone else's anger before. Jedi Master Yarael Poof had amazing powers of Force suggestion. Perhaps all Quermians were telepathic.
By concentrating hard, Obi-Wan was able to clear his vision and his head. He focused on what was transpiring in front of him. Lundi was now shouting at the machinery dealer.
'Pathetic weakling,' he raged. 'Only a fool would let such technicalities interrupt his business.'
The dealer stood staring at Lundi, frozen.
Lundi turned and stormed toward the storehouse door. 'I have the power to find it without your stupid machinery,' he told himself. His several arms waved forcefully through the air. 'It is simply a matter of timing. Yes. I just have to time it right.'
What does that mean? Obi-Wan wondered as he followed Lundi out of the storehouse. His Master was not far behind, and the two Jedi stepped out into the street as if they had been together the whole time.
Lundi, however, had vanished.
Chapter 6
Qui-Gon noted Obi-Wan's injury as well as the scowl on his face as the young Jedi peered down the street. There was no sign of anyone. Like Obi-Wan, he was wondering where Lundi could have gone so quickly. But he had witnessed stranger disappearing acts.
Obi-Wan turned back toward his Master. His mouth was slightly open, as if he were about to say something. But at that moment a third figure fled in the opposite direction. Without so much as a nod to each other, the Jedi gave chase.
The figure retreated down an alley and disappeared into a narrow walkway between two buildings. The Jedi followed close behind, nearly colliding into a duracrete wall. A dead end.
Qui-Gon ran his fingers along the wall's surface to see if it was some kind of temporary barrier. The wall seemed permanent and solid, but the elusive figure was nowhere to be found.
'This mission is making me crazy!' Obi-Wan said, exasperated. 'We're not getting anywhere!'
Qui-Gon gazed steadily at his Padawan. Then he bent to take a closer look at the boy's wounded shoulder.
'I was surrounded by a street gang,' Obi-Wan said more quietly, but he couldn't keep his frustration in check. 'They were looking for trouble and when they found I was a Jedi they wanted to stop me even more.' Obi- Wan's voice grew louder and he pulled away from his Master. 'I don't understand how there can be so many people after us when we hardly know what we are after ourselves!'
The young Jedi's response was not appropriate, of course. A Jedi Knight did not throw temper tantrums. But this mission was frustrating. In addition to the humiliation of being injured by a band of ruffians, Obi- Wan, he realized suddenly, was feeling anger fed by close contact with the dark side. It was essential that he be patient and guide him in the right direction. If he didn't, the boy could take a fateful turn and be lost to him forever.
'You must not let the nature of this mission disturb you so, Padawan, ' Qui-Gon said calmly.
'I know it is difficult. We are dealing with a powerful evil. But becoming angry only takes you a treacherous step closer to the dark side.'
Obi-Wan looked down at his feet, as if ashamed of his anger.
'Anger and fear of the dark side are easy paths,' Qui-Gon went on, as if Obi-Wan had spoken of his shame. 'It is not difficult to let negative emotions overtake you. It is difficult to let them move through you and leave without reacting to them. Yet that is exactly what you must do.'
Obi-Wan nodded, and Qui-Gon sensed that the boy understood in his head what, he was telling him. But he also knew that it was much harder to feel it in one's heart.
Without speaking, Qui-Gon turned and left the dead-end alleyway, heading back toward the street. 'Let us review what we do know,' he said as he strode forward. In truth he did not feel as confident about how to proceed as he appeared. But he wanted to give his Padawan a sense of positive direction.
