Finally the Jedi arrived back at the hangar. Obi-Wan rushed inside and skidded to a stop, but the ship Lundi had hired was gone. Its pilot was lying in a heap on the floor.
The Jedi rushed to the pilot. His large rust-colored head lay on the ground at an odd angle. There was an ugly lump at the base of his neck, and one of his long arms was draped over his closed eyes.
Squatting down beside him, Qui-Gon took his pulse. 'It's weak and slow, but it's there,' he reported, sitting back on his heels.
'Do you think he's been drugged?' Obi-Wan asked, looking over the body. The pilot's two-toed feet were pointing at awkward angles.
'It looks that way,' Qui-Gon replied. 'As well as being struck on the head.' He stood up with a sigh. 'It may be several hours before we are even able to talk to him.'
Obi-Wan held back his exasperation. Another roadblock. They were on an important mission, yet had no idea where they were going or what they were supposed to do. And to top it off, they were stranded on a planet with someone who wanted to stop them, possibly for good.
Trying not to let frustration overtake him completely, Obi-Wan turned his back on the pilot and sat down to wait.
Two hours later, the pilot groaned and sat up groggily. Looking around, he appeared to take in the two Jedi and the empty space where his ship had been a few hours ago. There was a moment of heavy silence before he began to shout in anger. He tried to leap to his feet, but quickly sat back down. Gingerly feeling the back of his neck, he found the lump and shouted some more.
'Try to remain calm,' Qui-Gon said in a soothing tone. The pilot cursed but didn't attempt to stand up again.
'Your ship was stolen, then?' Qui-Gon asked. He got up and crossed the hangar in a few quick strides.
'Well, I don't think I misplaced it,' the pilot replied hotly. The sound of his voice was strange, since it came out of his two mouths at once. He eyed Qui-Gon with distrust. 'Who are you?'
'I am Qui-Gon Jinn and this is my apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi,' he replied. 'We believe the being we are following may have stolen your ship.
Can you tell us what happened?'
The captain gently rubbed the lump on the back of his neck. 'I was working on my ship — making minor adjustments to the hyperdrive. Someone came up behind me and whacked me on the back of my neck.' The pilot winced as he continued rubbing his wound.
'Did you see your attacker?' Obi-Wan asked.
The pilot shook his head. 'I didn't see anyone. Or hear anything, actually. It could have been any thief or scoundrel. There are plenty around here.'
'Do you think it was the being who hired passage on your ship a few hours ago? The Quermian?'
'How do you know about the Quermian?' the captain asked. But before the Jedi could reply he waved his hand through the air dismissively. 'It doesn't matter. But I don't know why he'd attack the pilot who was about to take him to a place he asked to go.'
'Perhaps he was interested in piloting the ship himself,' Qui-Gon mused.
'Or saving the fare,' Obi-Wan added.
The pilot sighed. 'There are many thieves on Nolar. This kind of thing happens all the time.' He looked around the empty hangar and a spark of fury came into his eyes. 'Just not to me.'
Obi-Wan knew how the pilot felt. He'd been frustrated with this mission pretty much since it started.
But at the moment he and Qui-Gon needed information more than anything else. He had to stay calm and focused.
'Can you tell us where you were going to take the Quermian?' he asked.
'Of course,' the pilot said. Obi-Wan noticed that he seemed more willing to help the Jedi. Perhaps he thought it might get his ship back. 'I had just finished keying the information into my navcomputer. I remember because it's not a planet I'm asked to fly to very often. In fact, I can't say I've ever been there.'
'And the name of the planet?' Qui-Gon asked.
'Kodai,' the pilot said. 'We were going to Kodai.'
Chapter 8
Qui-Gon thanked the pilot and got to his feet. He had no way of knowing if the ship was really going to Kodai or not; Dr. Lundi was certainly smart enough to throw them off the trail or even deftly set a trap. But they had nothing else to go on. The sooner they could get to Kodai to investigate, the better.
'Do you need help getting somewhere?' Qui-Gon asked the pilot.
The pilot got to his feet. Though it had been only minutes since he'd woken up, he was already quite steady. 'No, I'll be fine,' he replied. 'But if you find my ship, you know where I am.'
'Of course,' Qui-Gon said. 'We'll do what we can.'
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon quickly left the small hangar and made their way down the street and into a larger one. It was full of ships of all sizes, and pilots from all over the galaxy talking shop or tinkering with their vessels. It seemed like it would be easy enough to hire one of them.
Qui-Gon strode up to a pilot and asked if he would take them to Kodai. 'Kodai?' the pilot repeated. 'You've got the wrong guy.'
