jumped to the next, and the next. Now he was above the low-flying cruiser, which was angling on to attack Anakin.
Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber. The bright blue glow attracted Mol Arcasite's attention. She reversed course and came at him, cannons blazing. Obi-Wan leaped toward the ground, bypassing the ledges he'd used to climb up. Cannon fire shattered the rock as the cruiser dived to follow him. An avalanche of rocks rained down on the body of the cruiser.
Obi-Wan landed lightly next to Anakin. 'Good work, Master,' Anakin said, watching the cruiser. 'More smoke coming from the left side. That cannon might overheat.'
'Good. Now for the final blow. Follow me.' Obi-Wan jumped back up the hill. Anakin followed, moving from ledge to ledge until they reached the top. Below them. Shadows cast by an overhang concealed a thick fall of snow. In the shelter of the rock, the snow had not melted with the morning sun.
'When the cruiser returns, activates your cable launcher and jump,' Obi-Wan told Anakin.
Anakin nodded, guessing his Master's plan.
'If it doesn't work, we'll be hanging there, perfect targets,' Obi-Wan said. 'So keep a free hand for your lightsaber.' He kept his eyes on the cruiser. 'Ready — go!'
The Master and Padawan swung off the mountain on their cable launchers. The sudden move caught Mol Arcasite by surprise. The cruiser dived after them, firing rapidly.
The noise and heat of the blaster bolts released an avalanche of snow and chunks of ice. The large blanket fell directly on the cruiser, binding Mol Arcasite momentarily. Obi-Wan and Anakin hung on their cable launchers as the snow showered down past them. The cruiser wobbled crazily, heading straight for the stone side of the mountain.
At the last moment before the cruiser hit, a cargo door opened and a swoop zoomed out. They could see that Mol Arcasite was astride it.
The cruiser crashed into the mountain with a whoosh and roar of fuel. Obi-Wan and Anakin kept under the shelter of a ledge as flaming metal rained down below.
The swoop took off into the distance, became a black speck, and disappeared.
Obi-Wan and Anakin lowed themselves to the ground. Floria and Dane rushed toward them.
'That was incredible,' Floria said. 'You defeated Mol Arcasite! I'm not betting on Hunti Pereg anymore.'
'You're rid of Mol Arcasite for good,' Dane told them. 'She's good, but she's known for not sticking around if her first strike fails badly. She just lost a ship. Her own survival is her first priority.'
'That doesn't sound like good business for a bounty hunter,' Anakin said.
'She seldom fails,' Dane said. 'So it doesn't matter. No doubt she has a backup plan. She'll be on to her next assignment by nightfall.'
'So we've paralyzed one bounty hunter, and another one took off,' Obi-Wan said. 'That leaves two.'
'We know that Wren didn't leave the clues for us to follow,' Obi-Wan said. 'The question is, who did?'
'I'm betting on Teleq,' Dane said. 'It's just his style. He's clever, and he's fond of traps.'
'Whoever it is doesn't know that we know we're being hunted,' Obi-Wan pointed out. 'As a matter of fact, he's probably still leaving clues for us to follow.'
'So what should we do?' Floria leaned forward eagerly.
Obi-Wan noted her eagerness. Now Floria was on their side. Or else she was hoping that once the Jedi eliminated all the other bounty hunters, she and Dan would find a way to take the prize.
One way or another, it didn't matter. He wanted to keep Floria and Dane close.
'We give him exactly what he wants. We follow them, of course,' Obi-Wan said.
Chapter Ten
Obi-Wan and Anakin retraced their steps, climbing the mountain again. Floria and Dane trudged behind them, unused to the quick pace the Jedi set.
'I'm beginning to think I'd rather take my chances with the bounty hunters,' Floria grumbled.
Anakin stopped in order to fall into pace next to her. 'How did you and Dane get into this line of work?' he asked. 'Where are your parents?'
'Where are yours?' Floria snapped. Suddenly her face shut down and became defensive and angry.
'My mother lives on Tatooine,' Anakin said. 'She is a slave.'
Floria's face softened slightly. 'Oh. I'm sorry. Our parents are dead. I don't come from Aaeton. That was a lie. Dane and I are from the Inner Core world of Thracior. We grew up in peaceful times, but five years ago the warlords of Thracior began to argue over territory. Raids began between the different tribes. My mother was Hnsi, my father a Tantt. They were killed because they intermarried. The Hnsis burned our house down and killed our baby sister. Dan and I escaped.'
Floria told the story in a monotone, her eyes on the mountain trail. Ahead of them, Dane did not turn or acknowledge he was listening, but Anakin saw his neck flush red.
'Dane and I had to make our way as best we could,' Floria said. 'We had lost everything, so we had to work. We found jobs in a caf© at a space station, washing up and serving food. Our boss we a very cruel man. We discovered he was wanted by the security forces of a nearby planet. We tricked him into getting caught. We got the reward, but we had to leave the planet. So we kind of fell into bounty hunting. We've been moving around the galaxy ever since.'
