The Followers Read online

  His shoulders relaxed and he closed his eyes. Qui-Gon could almost see the

  fear leaving his Padawan. He was glad his advice had provided some relief.

  Sitting back, he closed his eyes, too. He only hoped the advice would

  work as well for him.

  CHAPTER 10

  By the time the ship landed on Kodai, Obi-Wan felt refreshed and no

  longer afraid. He was ready to move forward with the mission.

  Unfortunately, doing so was not going to be easy.

  Although the Jedi were quite certain that they were on the right

  planet, it was not at all obvious where they should go or what they should

  do. It was only clear that they were running out of time.

  Not to mention that wherever they went, they seemed to be attacked.

  Their pursuer, or pursuers, would not be shaken and wanted them stopped.

  After dropping the Jedi off on a tiny platform in the sole island

  city of Rena, Elda entered new coordinates into her navcomputer.

  "Don't think I'm sticking around just because you diffused that bomb,

  " she grumbled, eyeing the shabby-looking city. "Good luck to both of you,"

  she added, shaking her head. "I have a feeling you're going to need it."

  "Thanks for the support," Obi-Wan said dryly as he and Qui-Gon walked

  down the ship's ramp. "And the transport, of course."

  Out in the bright sunshine, the Jedi had to shade their eyes until

  they adjusted to the light reflecting off the vast sea. The city was small

  and appeared to have few inhabitants outside. There were cantinas, a single

  lodging house, and a marketplace where locals exchanged and bought food,

  most of which was harvested from the sea. Giant walls lined the streets -

  an attempt at flood protection, Obi-Wan guessed.

  While the locals didn't stare at them - in fact, nobody looked at

  them at all - Obi-Wan got the feeling that they were definitely being

  noticed. The Kodaians were trying too hard not to look at them. As the Jedi

  approached they cast their yellow eyes downward or bent their slender necks

  to study the horizon in the opposite direction.

  "Do you get the feeling they wish we were invisible?" Qui-Gon asked.

  "Our presence seems to pain them."

  "Exactly," Obi-Wan agreed. It was a strange feeling.

  "Let's check the lodging quarters," Qui-Gon suggested. "We need a

  place to stay, and Lundi may be there as well."

  Obi-Wan nodded in agreement and they strolled into a shabby but clean

  lobby. A thin Kodaian sat on a stool behind a counter. When he saw the no-

  longer-disguised Jedi, he nervously got to his feet.

  "May I assist you with something?" he asked, fiddling with his stubby

  fingers and gazing at the floor. Obi-Wan wondered if he was always this

  agitated around his customers.

  "We would like to rent one of your spaces," Qui-Gon explained. "Do

  you have any to spare?"

  The Kodaian closed his golden eyes for a moment, surprised by the

  question, and Obi-Wan guessed that Kodai and the quarters did not have

  visitors particularly often. After taking Qui-Gon's credits, the Kodaian

  placed a card with a door code on the counter. Their room was 4R.

  "We are also looking for a Quermian guest we believe you have at the

  moment. A Doctor Murk Lundi."

  The Kodian winced at the mention of Lundi's name. Without making eye

  contact he pointed to an old turbolift at the end of the hall. "His

  quarters are on the second floor, number 2F."

  The Kodaian looked around to see if anyone was nearby before

  continuing, then leaned forward and addressed Obi-Wan's boots. "He's a fine

  guest. He hasn't spoken to anyone since he got here. Hasn't even come out

  of his room."

  Obi-Wan thought this was interesting information. He had gotten the

  distinct impression that the professor liked an audience. Any audience.

  "Thank you," Qui-Gon said, taking the key.

  The Jedi made their way down the hall and stepped into the turbolift.

  An older model, it shuddered as it moved up the single flight to the second

  floor.

  Dr. Lundi's room was located at the end of the hall, and the room

  next to it was rented out. With the exception of breaking in or listening

  at the door, there was no way to know what was going on inside.

  Obi-Wan put his ear to the door and focused his auditory senses, but

  found it difficult to concentrate. It almost felt as if something was

  blocking his connection to the Force. He could not hear anything on the

  other side.

  "Why do you suppose he would hurry to get here only to lock himself

  up and do nothing?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "We do not know what he is doing," Qui-Gon pointed out. "It's

  impossible to tell what is going on inside."

  Another dead end. Obi-Wan let out a long sigh. Fear and frustration

  began to well in him once again, and he closed his eyes and relaxed his

  muscles until he felt these emotions fade. It was not easy, but he was able

  to do it.

  Qui-Gon was smiling faintly and nodding at him when Obi-Wan opened

  his eyes. "Well done, Padawan." He pointed toward the turbolift. "Perhaps

  we can gather information if we talk to the Kodaians," he added, turning

  away from the closed door.

  Obi-Wan followed. "Right," he said sarcastically. "After we get them

  to look deep into our eyes."

  "So glad to see you are maintaining a sense of humor," Qui-Gon said

  as they stepped back into the turbolift.

  Back outside, it quickly became clear that it would be nearly

  impossible to get Kodaians to talk to them openly.

  "Excuse me," Obi-Wan said, trying to appear friendly as he approached

  a Kodaian woman.

  The Kodaian stopped but did not look up at the Jedi. She stepped from

  one foot to the other as if unable to stand still. "Yes?" she whispered.

  "We are looking for information about a Quermian visitor. A

  professor. He is here to dig up an artifact at the bottom of the sea - "

  At the mention of the bottom of the sea the woman looked up, clearly

  alarmed. Her eyes were as large as saucers and her hands began to tremble.

  "I cannot help you," she said. "I must go now."

  Watching her hurry away, Obi-Wan wondered if her fear was caused by

  interaction with outlanders or the mention of the sea, the current state of

  the moons, and the impending low tide. Or perhaps Kodaians simply lived in

  a constant state of fear because of their difficult past. Whatever the

  reason, she clearly did not want to share information.

  Obi-Wan was looking around for someone else who might talk to them

  when he spotted a young boy watching them from several meters away. Unlike

  the other Kodaians, he looked right at them and did not seem afraid.

  "Have you seen a visitor with a long neck and many arms and hands?"

  Qui-Gon asked, approaching the boy.

  The boy nodded and pointed to the lodging quarters. "He's inside. But

  hasn't come out. If you want information, go to the cantina and ask for

  Reis. He'll tell you whatever you want to know."

  Obi-Wan smiled down at the boy, grateful for the tip. "Thanks," he

  said.

  Reis was not hard to find. He sat in a bare, dingy corner sipping a

  mug of drale,
the only humanoid in the place. His gray hair was matted

  against his head and his face was unshaven.

  But his dark eyes were sharp as he took in the approaching Jedi.

  "Mind if we sit down?" Qui-Gon asked.

  Reis continued to size up each of the Jedi in turn, pausing where

  their lightsabers hung from their utility belts. "Not at all," he said.

  "I've always got time to talk to Jedi. Suppose you want to know all about

  the Holocron, eh?"

  Obi-Wan felt a wave of shock at the mention of the word Holocron.

  Finally, someone else said it first. Perhaps now they would get the answers

  they so desperately needed.

  The Jedi were quick to sit down, and Reis smiled. "Thought that might

  get your attention," he said. He took a long swig of drale.

  "It's there, all right," he said, putting the mug down. "Been there

  for thousands of years. Problem is, no one can seem to get it. Everyone

  wants it, but no one can get it. They try, but turn up dead or crazy every

  time."

  "Yet attempts are still made to retrieve it?" Qui-Gon asked.

  "Of course. People can't leave that kind of power alone," Reis

  replied with a wave of his grubby hand. He leaned toward the Jedi, and Obi-

  Wan could smell the stale drale on his breath. "I've heard that somebody,

  somewhere has offered to pay an incredibly large fortune for the Holocron.

  Nobody knows who it is. Still, it makes going after it a pretty desirable

  propo - "

  Obi-Wan suddenly stopped listening when a familiar figure entered the

  bar. It looked like Omal, from Dr. Lundi's lecture on Coruscant. The

  younger Jedi squinted, but the cantina was dark and he couldn't be sure.

  With a pang of guilt he realized that his observation abilities hadn't been

  their strongest at the lecture. Things had been a little hazy.

  "Excuse me," Obi-Wan said, getting up from his chair and ignoring

  Qui-Gon's quizzical look. If it was Omal, Obi-Wan wanted to talk to him.

  Obi-Wan crossed the cantina quickly, but not quickly enough. Whoever

  was at the bar saw him coming. With a panicked glance over his shoulder,

  the person disappeared out the door and into the street.

  CHAPTER 11

  Obi-Wan rolled over on his sleep couch for the hundredth time. He

  could not rest. He wasn't sure if the synchronizing moons were the cause of

  his restlessness, or if it was just the ominous feeling he hadn't been able

  to shake since he first encountered Murk Lundi. Either way, he could not

  sleep.

  Giving up entirely, Obi-Wan left the lodging quarters and wandered

  down to the beach. Perhaps the rhythmic sound of the waves would soothe

  him. He needed to get some rest before taking a turn watching Lundi's door.

  Qui-Gon's shift was nearly up.

  Obi-Wan's steps echoed in the still night as he walked. The darkness

  seemed to swallow him. After donning his night goggles he walked and

  walked, expecting to see and hear the water at any moment.

  I'm sure the sea was much closer to the main street than this, he

  thought. Obi-Wan suddenly felt confused, as if he had walked onto a

  completely different planet. Wasn't Kodai covered by a vast sea?

  Obi-Wan stopped and stared ahead, concentrating hard. At first he

  could not see any water. Then he thought he saw a liquid shimmer, but it

  was far away. He suddenly realized that the water had receded hundreds of

  kilometers since that afternoon.

  Peering in the other direction, he spotted a large group of Kodaians

  farther down the beach. They carried torches and hovered around what

  appeared to be an ancient ruined structure, frantically digging at the

  seafloor. They were obviously trying to scavenge parts of the city that

  were lost in the flood hundreds of years ago.

  Watching them from a distance, Obi-Wan was suddenly filled with a

  deep sense of sadness. It would be awful to lose so much of your history to

  a raging sea. And to be tortured every ten years by the opportunity to find

  the broken pieces of it.

  Obi-Wan turned back to the water - or lack of it. In the near

  darkness he could not even be sure that the reflections he saw were, in

  fact, the sea.

  An image and a voice flashed in Obi-Wan's head - Lundi storming out

  of the storehouse on Nolar. "I just have to time it right," he had said.

  With a jolt, Obi-Wan knew that Lundi had been waiting for the water

  to recede so that he could get the Holocron. The Kodaian sea would be at

  its lowest tide in a decade in just over an hour.

  Obi-Wan raced through the darkness back to the lodging quarters.

  Outside the building he spotted someone racing away. Omal? Unfortunately it

  was too dark to tell, and he had no time to go after the figure. He had to

  get to Qui-Gon. When his comlink wouldn't go through, he headed back.

  "Master!" Obi-Wan shouted, but stopped short. Qui-Gon was not at his

  lookout post and the door to the professor's room was wide open. No one was

  inside.

  Suddenly Qui-Gon was behind him assessing the situation. "I was only

  gone a moment," he breathed. "I got a communication from Jocasta Nu and

  stepped away. He can't be far."

  Once again Obi-Wan felt frustration well inside him. How were they

  going to locate Lundi and the Holocron now?

  "We'll have to go on our instincts," Qui-Gon said, as if reading his

  Padawan's mind. "If we listen carefully the Force will guide us."

  Obi-Wan knew his Master was right. And anyway, they had no other

  choice.

  Silently, Obi-Wan led Qui-Gon toward the water. The seemingly endless

  beach was now teeming with Kodaians and their digging tools. Pausing for a

  moment to close his eyes and focus, Obi-Wan sensed that there was a

  deserted area farther north on the sand.

  The Jedi walked out for several kilometers, moving as quickly as they

  could. All around them Kodaians were uncovering artifacts from the infamous

  flood. Some held their newly discovered treasures high above their heads

  with glee, while others fell to their knees in tears. Obi-Wan felt for

  them.

  Up ahead was a strangely deserted strip of sodden land. Kodaians

  worked busily on either side of it, but the raised area was completely

  empty.

  "It's almost as if an invisible barrier is keeping them away from

  this area," Obi-Wan commented.

  "Perhaps one is," Qui-Gon replied, looking around.

  The Jedi hurried ahead. Several Kodaians stopped their digging and

  stared after them.

  They did not avert their eyes now. Some even shouted warnings. The

  Jedi ignored them. As Obi-Wan moved forward, he began to feel something

  dark and powerful surrounding him. Horror and relief collided within him.

  They were definitely approaching the right place. The Sith Holocron was not

  far away.

  Letting his fear slip through him like water through a sieve, Obi-Wan

  moved forward. He was so intent on finding Lundi and the Holocron that he

  didn't see the crevasse in front of him.

  "Obi-Wan, stop!" Qui-Gon shouted from behind.

  Obi-Wan skidded to a halt centimeters before a yawning black chasm.

  He peered into it, but could see nothing but darkne
ss. A wave of evil

  energy wafted up at him. The Holocron.

  Without speaking, the Jedi pulled out their cable launchers and

  anchored the ends firmly into the seafloor next to the crevasse. A thousand

  thoughts were running through Obi-Wan's mind, and he wanted to express them

  all to his Master. But doing so was impossible.

  Glancing at each other only briefly, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan

  simultaneously rappelled over the edge into the blackness. Before long the