The False Peace Page 3

  studied the blueprint longer. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted over the sound of

  the rushing water. "Vent coming up on the left, five hundred meters! Grab

  on!"

  "All right!" Anakin yelled, and got a mouthful of water. Choking, he

  stroked to keep himself above water. He would need every bit of his

  strength. Dust and debris from the collapsing tunnel now filled the air,

  making it difficult to breathe. The roar was deafening. Underneath the flow

  of the water, Anakin felt something else - a deep shuddering, as though the

  ground itself was moving.

  He saw his Master stroke against the water. Anakin fought through the

  torrent, kicking his legs, and pushing against the water with his arms. He

  could not make headway.

  The Force bounced over the water. It came from his Master. Anakin used

  it as Obi-Wan intended. He was part of the water now. He could feel the

  spaces within the drops and was able to let the water break over him and

  find a way to move against it. He pushed with all his might, but his effort

  didn't cost him his strength. It doubled it.

  He made headway against the water, reaching the side of the tunnel,

  immediately behind Obi-Wan. Now the trick would be to get inside the vent.

  His Master held his cable launcher aloft, over the foaming water, and

  Anakin saw his objective. He unhooked his launcher as well, keeping himself

  afloat with one hand as he was knocked against the tunnel wall.

  Now the vent was coming toward them - fast, faster than he'd planned

  for. He saw Obi-Wan's launcher snake out and catch on the vent. Obi-Wan

  grabbed the cable, fighting his way back against the water. Anakin aimed at

  the metal grid of the vent and missed.

  He called on the Force to help him even as he was swept down past the

  vent. He pushed against the water, feeling it break against his skin. He

  felt the spaces between the particles and slipped through them.

  Fingers dug into his coveralls and pulled. Obi-Wan reached under his

  arm and yanked him forward. Anakin was able to grab on to Obi-Wan's cable

  and hauled himself the rest of the way.

  He joined Obi-Wan, hooking his fingers into the grating. The pressure

  of the water held the vent in place. They pulled with all their strength as

  the water cascaded over their heads, sometimes submerging them completely.

  The tunnel behind them was collapsing, chunks of plastoid and durasteel

  falling into the churning water and sometimes slamming against them on its

  way.

  The Force gathered and grew. The grating popped off, then bounced away

  on the rushing water.

  Obi-Wan pushed Anakin inside the small space of the vent. Anakin slid

  forward as fast as he could pull himself, making room. His Master pulled

  himself up and in.

  They panted for a moment, acknowledging the difficulty of the

  struggle. Then Obi-Wan quickly began to crawl forward.

  "I see something ahead," he called. "A bit of gray light."

  "Let's hope it's a way out."

  Anakin followed his Master on his hands and knees. The small pipe they

  were crawling through was shaking now as the ground trembled around them.

  Ahead he could now see that the blackness was faintly tinged with

  gray.

  "There's a ladder."

  He could hear the relief in his Master's voice. Anakin looked up. A

  metal ladder rose vertically and disappeared into the blackness above. Obi-

  Wan began to climb.

  Anakin followed. A sudden blast of debris roared through the pipe

  below and rose toward them. He tasted dirt and metal in his mouth and

  choked.

  He couldn't speak. He coughed out the debris in his mouth and kept

  climbing. He knew the pipe was collapsing below. At any moment they could

  be buried underground.

  Obi-Wan suddenly stopped. He knocked on something over his head. "It's

  layers of durasteel," he said, struggling to reach for his lightsaber in

  the tiny space. "I'll have to cut through."

  Anakin knew they had barely any time left. He watched as Obi-Wan

  buried his lightsaber in the metal plating above. The ladder was hot under

  his hands. It began to peel away from the side of the pipe. The system was

  collapsing.

  Suddenly another stream of light joined Obi-Wan's from above. Anakin

  saw the durasteel peel away. Then Siri's face appeared. "You'd better

  hurry," she said.

  "That's the general idea," Obi-Wan answered, scrambling up the ladder.

  Anakin followed as the ladder began to melt beneath him. He grabbed on

  to Siri's strong grip and threw himself toward the opening. He was half

  pulled, half hauled up to the surface. He lay flat on the ground, breathing

  heavily.

  "Come on," Siri urged in his ear. "We have to get out of here. The

  entire factory is imploding."

  Anakin could feel the ground moving beneath him. He rose and began to

  run with the others. Ferus was in the lead, dashing over the ground even as

  it pitched and heaved. It was like running across a turbulent air current.

  They reached the safety of the open plain and turned back to look. It

  was an amazing sight. The ground simply cracked apart in chunks and opened

  up. It swallowed the huge factory and caved in with a shower of fire and

  dust. Within only minutes, there was a smoking crater where the factory had

  been.

  All the evidence had been sucked into the ground. Not even debris

  remained.

  "We came to find you," Siri said. "We saw the beginning of the

  collapse. We knew you would be inside the wing, so we raced around the

  perimeter, looking for a way in. The Force led me to the spot and then I

  sighted your lightsaber."

  "Omega knew we were here," Anakin said, gazing at the crater. "He

  destroyed the factory to silence us and to cover his tracks."

  "Teda has left the planet," Siri said.

  "We fear Omega and Zan Arbor went with him," Ferus added. "They didn't

  file a flight plan. There's no way of knowing where in the galaxy they are

  headed."

  Anakin saw his Master's jaw tighten. He knew Obi-Wan was at the end of

  his control. He could feel the frustration coiled inside him. Once again,

  Granta Omega had escaped.

  Obi-Wan's comlink signaled. He glanced at it. "It's Master Windu," he

  said in a tight voice.

  They all waited a moment. Anakin watched his Master curiously. He knew

  Obi-Wan was fighting the temptation to throw the comlink into the vast area

  of the plains.

  "Maybe you should answer it," Siri suggested in a soft voice Anakin

  had never heard before. She was gazing at Obi-Wan with concern in her deep

  blue eyes.

  Obi-Wan pressed the holomode on his comlink.

  Mace Windu appeared in miniature holographic form. "Obi-Wan, Siri. The

  Jedi teams must return to Coruscant immediately."

  "But we are on the trail of Granta Omega," Obi-Wan said. "We just - "

  "Immediately," Mace interrupted. "There is trouble."

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Mace Windu was too busy to meet the two teams in the Council Room, or

  one of the smaller meeting rooms. They had to catch up to him as he strode

  down the Great Hall on
his way to a Senate meeting.

  He did not ask them how their pursuit of Granta Omega was going, or

  how their journey had been. Obi-Wan was relieved. The answers to both of

  those questions would have been negative. He felt fatigue shudder along his

  bones, and he knew both Ferus and Anakin, who were walking a few steps

  behind, needed rest. There did not seem to be much rest for any of the

  Jedi, these days.

  "A feeling of distrust toward the Jedi Council has been growing among

  certain Senators," Mace said as he walked purposefully, his robe swinging

  with the motion. "We have felt it for some time. We were not overly

  concerned. We knew Senators like Sano Sauro undermined us whenever they

  could. Lately, things have escalated. A faction is now active; it has

  influence. The Jedi Council senses that there is someone behind this

  faction, but we don't know who it is."

  Obi-Wan looked at Siri incredulously. They had been called back to the

  Temple because of a Senate power struggle? There were few things that

  interested him less.

  "False stories have been spread," Mace continued. "Events have been

  twisted so that the Jedi are seen as disloyal to the Republic, as

  interfering in galactic political matters by making them worse."

  "Master Windu," Obi-Wan said carefully, "you have called us off an

  important mission to find a great enemy - "

  "I know exactly what I did, Obi-Wan," Mace said. "A powerful enemy

  outside and powerful enemies within. Can you decide who is more deadly?"

  "But a Senate power struggle... is not unusual," Obi-Wan protested,

  trying to keep his composure under the glare of Mace's penetrating eyes.

  Mace stopped so abruptly that his robe swung around like a whip. He

  looked at each of the Jedi, and seemed to pick up the fatigue and

  frustration there. He hesitated a moment.

  "I recognize the importance of your mission," he said gravely. "But

  your mission is one of hundreds, which all involve peacekeeping, saving

  lives, helping governments, fostering alliances. The Jedi are involved in

  missions throughout the galaxy, which will be compromised if this faction

  is not dealt with."

  "What do you mean? How could one faction in the Senate harm thousands

  of Jedi?" Siri asked.

  "By organizing the withdrawal of official Senate support for the Jedi

  Council," Mace said. He let his words settle over them.

  "You understand what this would mean," he continued, when he was sure

  he had their complete attention. "To operate without Senate approval would

  make us rogue diplomats and would completely undercut our authority. In

  short, without Senate support the effectiveness of the Jedi will be

  decimated."

  "But why did you call us back to fight this?" Anakin asked.

  Ferus glanced at Anakin, amazed. Obi-Wan had to admit that the

  question did sound more like a complaint than a query.

  Mace settled his severe gaze on Anakin. Obi-Wan thought that Anakin

  was most likely the only Jedi apprentice who could take it without

  flinching. Most Padawans seemed to visibly shrink as Master Windu's eyes

  plumbed their depths, seeming to find every petty motivation, every secret

  weakness they had.

  Anakin merely waited. Strong, graceful, sure of himself.

  "I chose this team because of your special skills," Mace told Anakin.

  "Obi-Wan may hate it, but he has a great knowledge of the Senate workings.

  I contacted Yoda on Kashyyyk, and he was in agreement."

  Obi-Wan tried not to groan aloud. Siri allowed herself one small smile

  at his discomfort.

  "His contacts are invaluable," Mace went on. "I chose Master Tachi for

  her lack of patience."

  Siri's small grin disappeared. Mace raised an eyebrow at her.

  "A fault she has tried to correct, but one that often gets in her way,

  " he said. "I have a feeling it will be useful in this situation. Senators

  are used to deference. Without it, they feel lost. I wouldn't mind some of

  them feeling a bit unbalanced. And Ferus, of course, is a worthy addition.

  He studied Senate structure and knows more about it than any apprentice.

  And you, Anakin..."

  Anakin waited.

  "You have two things that can help us. One, of course, is your Force

  connection. You are just beginning to realize how it can work on beings as

  well as objects."

  Anakin looked startled, as if he didn't understand that anyone else

  knew this. Obi-Wan suddenly realized it was true, and that he had known it

  without acknowledging it. How had Mace Windu discovered this? He had been

  with the group on Romin for only a short time.

  Well. That was why Mace was on the Jedi Council. That was why, except

  for Yoda, Obi-Wan thought him the most powerful Jedi he'd ever known.

  "Yes, together with observation and intuition the Force can help you

  see into the hearts and minds of others," Mace said softly, his eyes not

  leaving Anakin's face. "That is why the Force must be respected and handled

  with care."

  "I know that, Master Windu," Anakin said.

  "Perhaps you do. Or perhaps you will learn it more with every mission,

  the way the rest of us do. And there is one other thing," Mace said,

  resuming his walk. "Chancellor Palpatine has asked to see you and Obi-Wan

  specifically. He has requested a meeting."

  Obi-Wan felt his heart sink. Most likely it would be the first of many

  meetings in the Senate, where it would be explained to him why the simplest

  way to do things was actually the most complicated.

  "When is the meeting?" Obi-Wan asked, trying not to sigh as he matched

  his walk to Mace's long stride.

  For the first time, Mace's features softened, and Obi-Wan was almost

  sure he caught the slightest of smiles. "Do not fret, Obi-Wan. You are on

  your way to it."

  CHAPTER SIX

  Anakin and Obi-Wan stood in the reception room outside Supreme

  Chancellor Palpatine's private offices in the Senate. They stayed by the

  window, looking out at the busy space lanes, while Siri and Ferus took up

  positions near the door and Mace, with the utmost calmness, took a chair.

  "I know how disappointed you are, Master," Anakin said.

  "Master Windu is right," Obi-Wan replied. "We are needed here. And

  besides..."

  The pause continued. Anakin waited for his Master to finish the

  sentence, but Obi-Wan continued to stare out at the airspeeders jockeying

  for position. Some were coming to dock at the vast landing platform that

  served the Senate. Anakin watched them for a moment as well. If the

  Senators or their underlings could not obey traffic rules on when to yield

  and when to go, how could they solve the problems of the galaxy?

  "On Romin, do you remember how Teda said they would be going to

  Coruscant?" Obi-Wan said at last. "We couldn't decide if that was a

  diversion or not."

  "We didn't think Teda was clever enough to create a diversion," Anakin

  said with a grin.

  "Exactly. What is happening here... it has the marks of Omega on it."

  Anakin was startled. "Do you think Omega is involved in the movement

  to discredit the Jedi?"

&nb
sp; "I don't know. Maybe not directly, but it's best to keep it in mind.

  It certainly fits his interests, doesn't it? Maybe returning here was not

  an end to our journey, but a continuation."

  Sly Moore slipped out from the interior room with silent grace. She

  nodded at the waiting Jedi to indicate that Chancellor Palpatine was ready

  to receive them, then lifted one slender arm draped in silvery fabric to

  indicate the door they should take.

  Siri, Ferus, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Mace entered the inner office.

  Palpatine stood by a grouping of chairs. Anakin thought he looked

  imposing in his simple robes of muted colors. His face looked pale and

  drawn, almost bloodless. Anakin imagined that the Chancellor's job robbed

  him of rest and outdoor activity. He was sacrificing his life in order to

  save the Senate from being overrun by those who would use it for their own

  ends.

  "I am indebted to you for coming so promptly," Palpatine greeted them

  in the deep voice whose softness served to convey his power. "Please sit.

  There is no time to lose."

  He waited until the Jedi were all seated before sitting himself.

  Palpatine shook his head, as if in deep thought. "I feel such sorrow for

  having to bring you here," he said. "I am ashamed of the Senate. There is a