Obi-Wan quickly sent a mental message to his Padawan. You can do it, Anakin, he told him. Just think carefully…
Within minutes the shuttle locked into the docking bay on Norval's ship. After powering down the tiny craft, Obi-Wan quietly slipped out into the bigger ship.
As he moved down a glistening white corridor, the sound of more laser fire echoed in Obi-Wan's ears. Anakin's ship was getting pounded. Obi-Wan suddenly wished he and his Padawan had resolved their discussion on Kodai.
You can't do anything about that now, he told himself. He had to focus and think clearly if he was going to find the Holocron on this giant craft.
Obi-Wan hurried down several sterile corridors. As he reached the end of one he suddenly felt something evil washing over him. He knew exactly how his Padawan had felt a few minutes earlier. The Holocron was close.
Obi-Wan rounded a corner and spotted a large room at the end of the passageway. A humanoid figure stood with its back to the door, waiting. And there, on a transparisteel table, sat the glowing red Holocron.
Obi-Wan approached the room carefully. But before he was through the door the figure turned toward him.
'I have been waiting for you,' Norval said.
Obi-Wan focused hard on the dark-haired man in front of him as queasiness threatened to overtake him. He sensed that, in fact, he wasn't the person Norval had been waiting for. He'd been expecting someone else — Lundi, perhaps. Or whoever was piloting the sleek gray ship.
'Powerful, isn't it?' Norval cackled. 'The nauseous feeling takes some getting used to. When you are comfortable with the power, it disappears.'
Obi-Wan dove for the Holocron, but Norval quickly stepped in front of it.
'This information would be wasted in the hands of the Jedi,' he spat.
'You have no idea what to do with power.'
Obi-Wan could see that Norval was not going to give up without a fight. Reaching down to his utility belt, he unhooked and ignited his light-saber.
I must end this quickly, Obi-Wan thought. He hoped the sight of his lightsaber would make Norval back down and hand over the Holocron. I must get back to help Anakin before it is too late.
But Norval did not back down. He simply reached for his belt and ignited a lightsaber of his own.
Chapter 24
Anakin unleashed another round of laser fire. He'd been circling the sleek gray ship, pummeling its hull. Every blast appeared to find its quick-moving target. But they didn't seem to have any effect.
I should have chosen a ship with decent firepower as well as speed, Anakin thought grimly. I should have known I'd need to be prepared for battle.
Anakin had taken several hits without sustaining much damage. Only that first firing had created a problem, and losing the hyperdrive was minor compared to what could have been damaged.
Still, the ship could be hit again at any moment — and with dire results. He had to get out of there. But where could he go? The large gray craft clearly had a long firing range. It would take several minutes to get far enough away to be safe….
Thinking fast, Anakin turned the ship around and headed straight for Norval's behemoth. If he could just keep the giant vessel between him and the mystery ship, he'd count on the gray ship not firing on him. The pilot wouldn't want to risk the Holocron — he hoped.
Anakin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the gray ship was not coming after him. But before he could inhale again it turned its fire on Norval's ship. Somehow, the pilot knew the Jedi were getting close.
Chapter 25
Obi-Wan gaped at the lightsaber in Norval's hand for half a second.
Such a weapon was extremely difficult to construct, and doing so took patience and skill. Attributes he wasn't at all convinced that Norval had.
Norval stepped forward, his blade raised. He was clearly pleased to see the look of surprise on Obi-Wan's face.
'You Jedi think you are the only ones who can wield lightsabers?' he laughed menacingly. 'Dr. Lundi's lessons only took me so far. But the Quermian did help me gather the tools I needed. It's actually quite simple, once you have the knowledge — and the power…'
Obi-Wan was barely listening. He circled Norval, carefully studying the lightsaber. Its construction was crude, and he guessed that the crystals inside were weak and badly tuned. At least he hoped that was the case.
Norval brought the weapon high over his head, then thrust it back down. It missed Obi-Wan by several centimeters and crashed into the table where the Holocron rested. The glowing artifact tumbled to the floor. Both Obi-Wan and Norval watched the Holocron fall, but neither made a move for it.
His lightsaber might be crude, but it is still deadly, Obi-Wan noted.
He knew from experience that a powerful weapon could be even more dangerous in the hands of an unskilled user. He would have to tread carefully.
