gamble. I could use less power, which might spare the system. But we'd just have to keep the ship operational a longer period of time. Other systems are failing, too. I'm going to increase power so we can reach Tentrix faster.'
Obi-Wan nodded.'All right.'
Kad turned back to the controls. 'This is a good time for you to evacuate.'
'I'm staying,' Obi-Wan said.
'This is not your fight.'
'It is now,' Obi-Wan responded.
It was an agonizing journey. The ship controls were erratic. Warning lights flashed on almost every panel.
Obi-Wan kept his eyes on the ships flanking them. They were so close that he could see Anakin's tense expression, the strain on his face as he tried to smile and give Obi-Wan a thumbs-up.
'Why do you want to save the BioCruiser so badly?' Obi-Wan asked Kad.
'Because I invited all those beings to join me,' he said grimly. 'They left their homes. They have lost their treasury. This is the only thing they have left. I will not lose it.'
Garen's voice crackled over the comm unit.'Tentrix dead ahead. Orbiting docking platform will be in position in eight minutes.'
'We'll make it,' Kad muttered.
Now Obi-Wan could see the vast planet of Tentrix. The docking platform was a small dot in the distance, just a bit larger than a star. As they came closer and the docking platform orbited toward them, it grew larger and larger.
'Almost there,' Kad breathed.
Suddenly the comm unit came to life, and Rhe Pubs's agitated voice sputtered out a warning.'Attack droids still on board! I saw them heading for the bridge!'
Obi-Wan whirled around, his lightsaber drawn, just as the doors to the bridge slid open. A squad of battle droids entered, blasters firing. Blaster fire pinged off the console and thudded into the upholstery of the command benches. Obi-Wan leaped over the console as two droids took aim at Kad. He deflected the fire with his lightsaber at the same time that he sailed toward the droids. He slashed at one droid's control panel while he kicked out at the other. They both fell with a clatter. He whirled around and sliced the next in two. Diverting blaster fire, he advanced steadily until the droids were cornered, then with onestroke, cut both of them off at the knees. They sank to the floor, still firing, and he sliced off their heads. They rolled together with a clunk and were still.
'Beginning docking procedures,' Kadsaid, his voice shaky. He threw Obi-Wan a grateful look. 'We'll make it. Thanks to you.'
Chapter 23
The sun rose late on Tentrix. After their morning meal, Obi-Wan and Anakin went out on the main docking platform to watch the sun splash the deck with orange and touch the planet below with light. Anakin felt exhilarated. It was a good feeling to be halfway across the galaxy from Coruscant and theTemple, looking down at an unfamiliar planet after a successful mission. For the first time, he felt like a true Jedi.
'I don't care what Yoda says,' Anakin remarked. 'I think discovering sabotage, helping an evacuation, and guiding a crippled ship to safety counts as a mission.'
Obi-Wan smiled. 'It was a mission, Anakin.'
'Good,' Anakin said with satisfaction. 'There are some things I don't understand about it, though.'
'That is usually the case after a mission.'
'How could Kad forgive his father at the end?' Anakin burst out. 'He had betrayed him. He could have been responsible for countless deaths.'
'Yes, he did many bad things,' Obi-Wan agreed. 'But he asked his son for forgiveness when he was dying. There must have been good in him. I think it is a mark of Kad's character that he was able to forgive his father.'
Anakin shook his head. 'I still don't understand it.'
'Would you forgive Yoda if he did something terrible?' Obi-Wan asked.
'Yoda would never do something terrible,' Anakin said firmly.
'No, I don't think he would,' Obi-Wan said. 'But you must remember always, Anakin, the strength of the dark side.'
Anakin's mouth set in a thin line. He still did not understand. He decided to change the subject. 'I just wish we'd been able to track Kern.'
'Perhaps Garen will be able to.' Garen had volunteered to search for the escape pod. They continued to havehope that the BioCruiser treasury could be returned.
'I don't understand what Kern was doing,' Anakin said. 'Was he working for Offworld or not?'
'I doubt it,' Obi-Wan said. 'I think he is working for a different gang. Or maybe Vox contacted him on Offworld's behalf and he decided to work for himself instead. That treasury was a great temptation. And Kad told me that Kern stole the blueprints of the BioCruiser. He has detailed plans of all their technological innovations.'
'What do you think he wants with them?'
