'He will sell them,' Obi-Wan said. 'A constantly traveling ship with a large population could be seen as a threat by an organization that seeks control of the galaxy. Whatever or whoever is guiding Kern was interested in destroying Kad's movements as well as stealing the treasury. If we can find Kern, maybe we can get some answers.'
'You sound as though you don't think Garen will find him,' Anakin guessed.
Obi-Wan looked out at the stars, which were beginning to fade due to the rising sun. 'There are many places to hide in the galaxy. And Kern is used to deception. But it is a good ending for your first mission, Anakin. Sometimes evil beings escape. We do what we can.'
'But I always want to win,' Anakin said.
Obi-Wan frowned. 'Missions are not about winning and losing. They are about leaving good behind.'
They heard footsteps behind them. Kad came toward them.
'A beautiful world, Tentrix,' he said, looking down at the blue planet.
'Will you stay here for a while?' Obi-Wan asked.
'The repairs will take some time, I'm afraid,' Kad answered. 'We are holding meetings to decide on our next step. It is not clear what that will be. I am reluctant to make the decision. Some talk of colonizing a new world or finding a planet in the Outer Rim that would welcome us. We shall see. I have led all these beings away from what they knew, but I cannot provide them with a future.'
'I'm sure the path will become clear,' Obi-Wan said.
Kad nodded. 'I want you to know that if I am uncertain about the future, I have at least buried my past. I hope it is buried for you, too. You saved my life, but that is not why I can bury it. I know now that you didn't cause my brother's death. Bitterness was at our family's core. I know now that Bruck had it. My father had it. And the hardest thing I had to acknowledge is that I have it, too. I have based a system on rejection. I turned my face away from life. What else causes that other than a bitter heart? Funny how facing that has brought me peace at last.'
Anakin watched carefully. His Master and Kad locked eyes. Something passed between them. He felt something ease in his Master, some heaviness lift from him.
'Then life has given you a gift,' Obi-Wan said. 'You get to begin again.'
'I hear you have arranged transport back to Coruscant,' Kad said. 'Will you come and say good-bye to Andra and Den? They're waiting for you.'
'Of course,' Obi-Wan said.'Anakin?'
'I'll be right behind you,' Anakin said. He did not want to leave the loading platform just yet. His mind still teemed with questions and lessons. He longed to ask Obi-Wan, but he didn't think he would. Whatever was in Obi-Wan's past was a wound that went deep. He understood that. He had his own wounds. Maybe someday he would stand as a man, just like Obi-Wan, and feel the burden lift.
He thought again of Kad, cradling his father as he died, tears falling from his eyes. There were levels to compassion he still did not understand. How did a being go about transforming anger into mercy? Frustration bit inside him. Obi-Wan tried to understand him. He loved his Master for that. But no one could understand. Not his fellow students at theTemple, not his teachers, not even Yoda, who seemed to understand so much. Would he always feel apart from the others because of his background? And would that feeling of separation mean that he would never become as great a Knight as Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan? It was his greatest fear.
Anakin turned back toward the shelter of the spaceport, toward friends, warmth, light, and his Master. The future would come, he told himself.
At that moment, all he felt was grateful that he had Obi-Wan to show him the way.
