Just then Andra burst in, running toward them at full tilt. Her eyes took in the scene of Kad cradling his father's body. Another explosion sent the ship trembling.
'What's happening?' sheasked, her gaze wide and fearful.
'We must evacuate the ship,' Den told her. 'Kern has sabotaged it.'
'We are also under attack,' Andra told them. 'Those ships that arrived due to a false distress call are now shooting at us. The defensive shield has been sabotaged.'
Anakin stepped forward. 'We need to fight them from the air.'
Obi-Wan knew his Padawan was right. He also knew that Anakin wanted to be a part of that fight. His need to protect Anakin and the knowledge of Anakin's extraordinary skills as a pilot battled inside him. Anakin kept his gaze on Obi-Wan. There was no pleading in it. It was the steady gaze of a Jedi, not a boy.
Obi-Wan turned to Andra. 'Do you have a fast attack ship?'
She nodded. 'We are peaceful, not stupid.'
'Anakin will pilot it.'
'I'll use my starship,' Garen said. 'Come on, Anakin.'
'I'll organize the evacuation with Andra,' Den said. 'There's no time to lose.'
Kad rose from the floor. 'I'm needed on the bridge. We'll have to find the closest port.'
Kad's comlinksignaled, and a panicked voice boomed out. 'An attack droid team has boarded the ship! They're-'
A burst of blaster fire sounded over the comlink, and the voice was cut off.
Chapter 22
'I'll handle the droids,' Obi-Wan said. He tucked his lightsaber back into his belt and took off.
He raced down the corridors of the lurching ship. While he ran, his mind clicked over the facts that he knew, searching for what didn't fit. He had learned from Qui-Gon that even in the midst of battle, he must not stop thinking.
Vox had accused Kern of stealing the treasury. If Offworld knew that Kern would steal the treasury before leaving the ship, why would they send droids to board it? The only answer was that Offworld did not know that the treasury was missing. Either Kern had double-crossed Offworld, or he had been a double agent and had never really worked for them at all.
That was a concern for another time. Obi-Wan guessed that the droids were following the original plan and heading for the tech readout controls, and then for the treasury. He hoped he was right. He raced into the tech readout room. Two tech workers lay on the floor, stunned from blaster bolts. One remaining worker had taken cover behind a console. The droids marched forward, keeping up a stream of blaster bolts from their chests and hands.
Obi-Wanwas on them in a flash. His lightsaber was in constant motion. With attack droids, he did not have to worry about the fine points of strategy. They did not have the split-second timing of a living being. They were relentless, and their firepower was rapid and fierce.
Obi-Wan could have relied on someone to cover his flank, but he took the natural defense of the pillars and consoles of the room for cover. He used long strokes to down two droids at a time. He somersaulted through the air, too fast for a droid to track. He slashed through the head of one droid and wiped out the front control panel of another. He turned and kicked, sending one droid flying, but another had sneaked up on his flank. Blaster fire burned his arm, but he kept moving, slicing the droid in two. He was hit, but he didn't know how badly. His left arm was on fire, and useless. Obi-Wan switched his attack to ground level, bending and then using a fast combination of upward strokes to vanquish the rest of the droids.
He stopped at last. Sweat rolled down his face and soaked his tunic. The floor was littered with droids. He felt dizzy from his wound.
The tech worker who had taken shelter behind a console popped up. Obi-Wan recognized him as a Pho Ph'eahian by his four arms and matted blue fur. 'You've been hit.'
Obi-Wan winced as he looked at the wound. 'It's not bad.'
'We have a med kit here. Hang on.' The tech worker hurried to bring the kit to Obi-Wan. 'I have some medic training, don't worry.' Using his four arms, he unwound a bandage at the same time he cleaned the wound, shook bacta on it, offered Obi-Wan a sip of water, and bandaged his arm.
'You should get to the loading bays,' Obi-Wan told him when he had finished. 'The ship is being evacuated.'
'Where is Uni?' the worker asked.
'On the bridge. He won't leave the ship until everyone is safe. And he's hoping to get to a port to save the ship.'
'Then I'll stay. He'll need someone in the readout room to monitor the equipment.'
Obi-Wan nodded at him, admiring his courage. 'What is your name?'
'Rhe Pabs.'
'Thank you, Rhe Pabs. I'm heading for the bridge now. I'll tell Uni that you'll remain.'
Rhe Pabs nodded. The ship suddenly shook from another blast, and Obi-Wan staggered, his arm slamming against the console. He stifled a cry of surprised pain.
'You should see a real medic,' Rhe Pabs said.
