'Let us out!' one of the prisoners cried. 'Let us fight!'
Obi-Wan leaped over and deactivated the energy fence. The prisoners rushed out, grabbing blaster rifles and stun batons from the fallen guards.
'We can do it. Just give us a chance.' A short Romin in a tattered tunic stood next to Obi-Wan, a blaster in his fist.
'We didn't free you to see you slaughtered,' Obi-Wan said. 'That's an army out there. With grenade mortars and missile tubes.'
'Surrender or die!' the voice repeated.
Anakin looked at the prisoners. Their faces were grim. They were ready to face whatever came.
'Do what you want,' the prisoner said. 'We've been inside too long. We won't surrender.'
'We can win, Master,' Anakin urged.
'There has to be a weapons room,' Obi-Wan said rapidly to Anakin. 'Go with Ferus. Bring back what you find.'
Anakin motioned to Ferus, and they leaped over the guards in the stun nets and ran down the hall. It wasn't hard to find the weapons room. They found blaster rifles and more stun net launchers. The prisoners crowded in with them, quickly grabbing blaster rifles and stun batons. Anakin picked up a flamethrower. Then he and Ferus hurried back to Obi-Wan and Siri with the stun nets.
'They're re-forming their battle line,' Obi-Wan said. 'They want to risk as few soldiers as possible. These stun nets can come in handy. But they don't have much range.'
'You wouldn't have to worry about range from a swoop,' Ferus said.
'There are some outside the front door.'
'You'll get blasted into the sky if you stick a toe out there,' Obi- Wan said.
'Cover me,' Ferus said.
Anakin would have just run. But Ferus waited to get Siri's nod. He dashed toward the front of the building.
'Anakin, use that flamethrower launcher,' Obi-Wan said. 'Don't hit the front line. Just keep it moving along so they back up. Try to drive them between those trees so that Ferus can drop the nets. Siri, come on.'
Anakin powered up the flamethrower while Siri and Obi-Wan ran out. The army began to fire. Using wrist rockets and small missiles, the army tried to advance, as Anakin concentrated the flamethrower on the center of the line.
Siri and Obi-Wan Force-jumped past the flames, aiming their lightsabers at the weapons the troops had left behind as they hurried to escape.
Ferus flew overhead, piloting the swoop with one hand on the bars, using his knees to steer. With astonishing speed, he activated the net launchers, one after the other, and tossed them over the front lines.
The soldiers fell, and the others behind were confused. They looked to their captain, but he had been diverted and was ordering the others to put out the fire that had started in the brush. Smoke began to roll over the soldiers, making them cough.
Obi-Wan looked back at the prisoners. He held up a hand. 'Now!' he shouted.
With a cry, the prisoners surged forward. The Jedi had succeeded in confusing and disorienting the army. But it had not vanquished them. Mortar fire pounded and blaster fire shuddered. The Jedi moved, leading the charge, deflecting fire when they could and Force-pushing the troops away.
Anakin felt his blood pumping with the challenge of facing an army. He felt certain of victory, yet he also saw that it would be difficult. Obi- Wan had been right. What kind of a victory would they have if the prisoners were slaughtered? They were falling around him, no matter how quickly he moved, no matter how many missile launchers he took out. There were too few Jedi and too many weapons.
Just then, a sleek cruiser glowed red in the sky. It dropped down like a stone to a perfect landing, like a feather on a blade of grass. Anakin felt a surge of relief. There were only two or three Jedi he knew who could land a plane like that. He was one of them. Another was Garen MuIn, Obi- Wan's old friend.
The ramp slid down. Mace Windu, Bant Aerin, and Garen Muln charged down the ramp. Their lightsabers were a blur as they moved through the troops.
The Force was strong now, compounded by them all fighting at the peak of concentration. They joined together, strategically targeting the army so that they separated divisions from each other and knocked out the leaders who tried to organize.
Within a short time, the tide of the battle turned. When the captain of the troops found himself facing the Jedi personally, he laid down his weapon and surrendered.
When the rest of the army threw down their weapons, Anakin could almost hear the sighs of relief. Everyone was tired of fighting. Everyone just wanted to go home.
Chapter Sixteen
'Rescuing you is becoming a habit,' Garen said to Obi-Wan.
Bant smiled her shy smile. 'This time I came along for the ride.'
Obi-Wan put his hands on her shoulders. He did not say a word. They smiled at each other. He hadn't seen Bant in three years. They had worked out a system of communication, however. Whenever one of them was at the Temple, they would leave the other a message or a small gift. A river stone, a sweet, a dried flower, an odd turn of phrase they had learned in a new language, written on a folded durasheet and tied with a bit of fabric.
