Jedi Quest 0: Path to Truth (star wars) Page 9

  Krayn said, anger beginning to color his voice. "I know best — "

  "Perhaps. But we need to see the operation firsthand."

  "Captain Anf Dec has been given a tour."

  "And he has recommended an independent observer. He was not allowed the access he expected."

  Krayn looked astonished. "He didn't say a word! Naturally we would have given him a tour of any part of the operation — "

  "He was put off with excuses and promises," Nor Fik interrupted. "And he is not experienced in the slave trade. Neither are we, nor are we qualified to judge the work ability of such an assortment of beings.

  Therefore we have found an independent observer to report back to us. This is Bakleeda. He is in your business, and is willing to act as consultant for us."

  Obi-Wan took one step forward.

  "He will travel to Nar Shaddaa and you will give him free and open access. This is not negotiable. Agreed?"

  Krayn hesitated. Obi-Wan could see a deep red flush on his neck. It was the only sign of his rage. "Agreed."

  Obi-Wan remained impassive, but excitement flared within him. He had free access to Nar Shaddaa.

  Chapter 15

  Anakin was so exhausted that he craved his sleep-mat, on the hard ground in the large durasteel warehouse that served as slave quarters. The slaves were packed tightly in rows, and the rain came through leaks in the roof that made puddles that never dried. Sleep-mats were thin and tattered, and the cold and damp seeped up from the ground to chill bodies that had already been pushed to their limits.

  No matter how much he craved sleep, it was elusive. Anakin lay awake long after others around him were breathing quietly, huddled under thin blankets, some pressed close to one another for warmth. He stared up at a tiny sliver of sky he could glimpse through the roof. He could not see a star, but he imagined one. He imagined his Master in a ship speeding past that star, straight to Nar Shaddaa.

  Movement close to him jolted him to his elbows. Anakin peered through the darkness, expecting one of the scavenging creatures that overran the slave quarters. Instead, he saw someone crawling toward him. It was Mazie.

  She squeezed in between him and his neighbor, who obligingly grunted and rolled slightly away to make room.

  "I just wanted to thank you for today," she whispered. "I wasn't very nice to you at the beginning."

  "I know," Anakin said with his characteristic bluntness. "I've been thinking about that. Why did you call me a schutta? What does it mean?"

  Mazie squirmed. "I spoke harshly. A schutta is a weasel creature in my language. You see, you were assigned gravsled duty. It's easy duty, reserved for informants and favorites of the Nar Shaddaa guards. You must have someone protecting you."

  "But I don't," Anakin protested. "I've only just arrived." But suddenly he knew who his protector was: Siri. But why should she protect him? Surely she'd lost any sense of loyalty to the Jedi long ago. He would never forget the bitterness in his Master's voice. Obi-Wan just wasn't wrong about people.

  She must be playing with him, keeping him protected so that other slaves would despise him. Eventually, she would betray him.

  Mazie shrugged. "If you have protection, I guess I shouldn't say anything. My daughter was favored by Krayn, though she'd done nothing to earn it. Berri is a domestic worker-slave in Krayn's kitchen. Every day I thank my stars that it is so. At least she is not working here. The Nar Shaddaa guards aren't bad, but the droids kill without mercy."

  "Why do the people of Nar Shaddaa work as guards?" Anakin wondered.

  "The planet's leader, Aga Culpa, has made an agreement with Krayn that its people will remain free in exchange for Krayn's control of the factories," Mazie explained. "There is not much honest work on Nar Shaddaa, and the guards are well paid. So tell me, how do you come to be here? Is this your first experience as a slave?"

  "I was free when I was captured, but I was raised as a slave on Tatooine," Anakin said.

  "Tatooine! But that is where Berri and I lived! We were colonists. My husband and I started a moisture farm. Berri and I were taken in a raid. It was ironic — there were many raids on Ryloth. We left our home planet to escape them when Berri was born. She is now sixteen."

  "How long ago were you captured?" Anakin asked eagerly.

  "Ten years now," Mazie said. "I used to dream of escape. No more. My husband was killed in the raid along with countless others. He resisted."

  "Did you happen to know a human woman named Hala?" Anakin asked eagerly. Perhaps Hala was still alive!

  "Yes, we arrived here together. They brought us to processing. Hala saw Krayn and suddenly broke out of the line. She tried to kill him." Mazie cast her clear gaze down. "He struck her down and then… he made an example of her."

  Anakin shuddered. He did not want to know the details.

  "And he took her necklace as a souvenir," he muttered.

  "Yes. I used to make many friends among the slaves," Mazie said. "No more. Too many die. There is no escape, Anakin, so do not imagine that there could be one for you. Krayn has a death grip on us. He will never let go."

  The anger that always lay in wait deep within him surged. He directed it at Krayn. If it was the last act of his life, he would kill that fiend.

  No. It is not the Jedi way. Your anger feels like revenge.

  He was trembling with rage. He knew suddenly that he could not wait for Obi-Wan to rescue him. If he didn't try to escape, something essential in him would die.

  Krayn would win. He saw the battle clearly and personally. It was him or Krayn.

  "Do not fear, Anakin," Mazie said, misunderstanding his distress. "A slave's life is short. It will soon be over.

  "No," Anakin said. "I will find a way out."

  Chapter 16

  Obi-Wan was given permission to land at Krayn's personal platform.

  "You see?" Krayn had boasted back on Rorak 5. "I am showing every consideration."

  Privately, Obi-Wan thought that someone who was doing the right thing for good motives did not call attention to it, but he did not point this out to the Colicoids. He had a feeling that Nor Fik felt the same.

  He accessed the hatch and exited his transport. He was surprised there was no one to meet him. Technically he was allowed unlimited access, but Obi-Wan had felt sure that Krayn would try to control his movements.

  Perhaps they were keeping him under surveillance.

  There was no time to waste. Obi-Wan was anxious to get to the factories. Since it was also the objective of his alias Bakleeda, he would attract no suspicion by heading there immediately.

  It wasn't hard to spot the factories below. Black smoke belched from the stacks and then passed through scrubbers. The air up in the city was clean, but Obi-Wan looked down on thick toxic air below.

  Obi-Wan accessed the turbolift to take him to the moon's floor. He stepped inside and felt the turbolift drop. Soon he would find Anakin. His entire being was focused on that.

  Suddenly, the turbolift stopped. Obi-Wan felt a surge in the Force that warned him of danger a split second before the trapdoor overhead opened and Rashtah dropped down.

  The turbolift shook with the impact of the Wookiee hitting the floor.

  As he landed, he struck out with one mighty hand. The blow sent Obi-Wan flying against the wall of the turbolift. His head hit the durasteel with a crack.

  He reached for his lightsaber as Rashtah bellowed and came at him, casually smashing him again with a fist like a cannon. Obi-Wan felt the blow through his body armor. His arm went numb. He knew that when it came to brute strength, he was no match for a Wookiee. The last thing he could wish was to be trapped in a turbolift with one.

  He reached with his other hand for his lightsaber. At the same time he whirled to evade Rashtah in a spinning motion. There was not much room to maneuver. The Wookiee definitely held the advantage. As Obi-Wan spun by him, Rashtah reached out and hit him again, this time with an elbow slamming into his stomach.

  The air left Obi-Wan's lu
ngs in a whoosh. Rashtah followed the blow with one to his chin, and he fell to his knees. He had not yet been able to get his lightsaber out of his belt. The blows were coming too fast, and now he only had the use of one hand. He had tucked his lightsaber securely inside the belt in order to conceal it. That had been a mistake.

  Things didn't look good.

  The smell of the creature's wet fur made it even harder to breathe.

  Obi-Wan scrambled between Rashtah's legs to come up on his other side. He struck out with a series of fast combinations, using his legs as weapons.

  Rashtah grunted and tried to capture one leg, but Obi-Wan was too fast. At last he was able to activate his lightsaber.

  Rashtah let out a surprised bellow that shook the walls of the turbolift. Obi-Wan attacked, whirling and diving, as Rashtah tried to defend himself. He gave up on his fists and withdrew an electrojabber and a vibro?ax. Obi-Wan guessed his objective. With the electro-jabber he would paralyze Obi-Wan and then administer the death blow with the vibro-ax.

  It was imperative to avoid the electrojabber. If he was hit, he could be paralyzed for an hour, at least. Already feeling was coming back to his numb arm. Obi-Wan focused on healing it. It could mean the difference in the battle, for the Wookiee thought his right arm was useless.

  Obi-Wan struck at Rashtah, but the creature deflected the blow with the vibro-ax. The two weapons tangled and smoke filled the air.

  Turning, Obi-Wan suddenly tossed the lightsaber from his left hand to his right. He leaped forward and came at the Wookiee with a sky-to-ground sweep. He slashed at the creature's chest.

  Rashtah's eyes glazed, and his howl was terrible. He dropped the electrojabber and clutched at his wound. At the same time he swung the vibro-ax. Obi-Wan brought the lightsaber down on the Wookiee's arm. The creature fell over, his mournful death cry fading as his spirit left his body.

  Obi-Wan collapsed against the wall. Sweat stung his eyes. Rashtah had tried to kill him, but he did not glory in this outcome. Death at such close quarters was a devastating thing.

  He hit the turbolift button and the lift dropped. By the time it reached the planet floor, Obi-Wan had risen, adjusted his body armor and helmet, and tucked his lightsaber back in his belt.

  The doors opened. He was in a small enclosed anteroom. Through a window he could see a deserted yard outside. It held factory equipment that rusted in the rain.

  He had a problem. If Rashtah's body was found, suspicion would be on him. Krayn wanted it that way. The pirate was clever. If Rashtah had succeeded in killing him, fine. But if the slave trader Bakleeda somehow managed to kill the Wookiee, then Krayn could demand his removal from the planet, or kill Bakleeda himself. Either way, he would be rid of interference.

  Obi-Wan dragged the heavy body of the Wookiee out into the drizzle. He rolled it underneath a pile of outdated machines.

  Soon Krayn would look for Rashtah. The Wookiee would be found. Obi-Wan had less time than he'd thought. He had to find Anakin.

  Chapter 17

  As Anakin steered the gravsled to the drop-off pile, Mazie stepped closer. She had changed places with the worker closest to the pile, and she and Anakin exchanged smiles and glances throughout the day. It made the work almost bearable, Anakin thought.

  He made note of the fact that although Mazie had claimed not to make friends anymore, she had certainly befriended him. He noticed that she watched out for others, too. If a worker's output was slackening, she quickly organized other slaves to help. If they spread the work among themselves, the droids didn't notice. As she passed down the line, she often put a hand on a shoulder here, or bestowed a quick smile there.

  She had the loyalty of the slaves. Anakin both admired that and filed the information away.

  Mazie drifted closer as he unloaded the battered durasteel bins full of cut spice.

  "I have a little bread. Berri brought it to me," she whispered. "Here.

  " She pressed a bit of bread in his hand.

  "No," Anakin said, trying to give it back.

  "You're young. You need your energy." Mazie quickly drifted back. If he followed her, he might attract the attention of the patrolling droids, and she knew it.

  Anakin pocketed the piece of bread and finished unloading the bins. He would distribute it to a worker below who he noticed had been weakening daily.

  He climbed up on the gravsled and hit the forward controls, ready to take the long tunnel down to the caverns below.

  Suddenly Siri stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. He jerked the gravsled to a stop.

  "What is in your pocket?" she asked.

  He did not answer.

  Her lips thinned. "Come with me, slave."

  Anakin climbed off the gravsled. Siri led him to a corner away from the patrolling droids, the hooded gazes of the slaves, and noise of the machines.

  She turned on him immediately, her blue eyes snapping. "It is foolish to break the rules here. You are not supposed to fraternize with other slaves during work hours. No speaking is allowed unless a few words are needed for work."

  Anger sputtered through a weary Anakin. "You do not have to repeat the rules to me."

  "So you choose to break them? That is stupid. You will call attention to yourself, and attention is never good here. Your duty is to keep your eyes down and survive."

  "I am a slave, Siri," Anakin said, not bothering to hide the contempt in his voice. "I am your prisoner. Isn't that enough for you? Don't pull me aside to rub my face in it. How dare you?"

  Siri looked at him, shocked.

  "Who are you to tell me my duty?" Anakin spat out. "You betrayed us all. You turned your back on the Jedi and embraced the dark side. Now you are Krayn's spy. The ally of a slave trader, the most contemptible, despicable being in the galaxy — "

  A low chuckle reached his ears. Anakin sputtered to a stop as Krayn stepped around the corner.

  "Such praise," he said mockingly. "How lucky I am to be such an icon of evil to my property. It means I am doing something right."

  "I was just reprimanding this slave," Siri said. "He is new and did not know the rules."

  Krayn turned to her and his expression was no longer amused. "So you are a Jedi. What did he call you? Siri?"

  "No longer," Siri said. "I left them long ago, but they have this ridiculous code of loyalty. They think they own me. No one owns me!"

  "Ah, you forget something," Krayn said. "I do." Siri's eyes blazed.

  "No one owns me, Krayn." Suddenly guard droids appeared around the corner and surrounded them.

  "I left the Jedi for good," Siri said. There was no trace of begging in her voice. "I have been your loyal associate, Krayn."

  "Yes, the best I ever had," Krayn said sadly. "Yet I cannot take the chance that you are a spy. Whether you are loyal or not doesn't matter — you are a risk. You were the one to advise me about taking unnecessary risks, Zora. Isn't it ironic that you will be put to death because of that?

  " He turned to the droids. "These two are Jedi. Take them into the security prison to await execution." He smiled at Siri. "I think a little show for the Colicoids might be a good start for our partnership."

  The guards surrounded Anakin and Siri in a tight circle. They marched the two prisoners down the row toward the exit. Mazie looked at him furtively and tried to give him a smile of support. He gave her a meaningful glance.

  The guards marched Anakin and Siri to Krayn's complex high above the factory floor. Anakin was surprised that Siri did not try to resist. He wondered if she still had her lightsaber somewhere. If she had, surely she would use it.

  They were locked together in the lowest level of Krayn's complex in a high-security cell. Anakin put his palms on the door as if he could force it open.

  "The Colicoids are already here for the meeting," Siri said. "It might not be too long."

  Anakin didn't speak to her.

  The guards had stripped Siri of her weapons, but she reached into a slit in her utility belt and came up with a s
mall device. She activated it.

  "No listening devices," she murmured. "Good."

  Anakin said nothing. If she thought he was going to speak to a traitor, she was crazy as well as evil.

  "Anakin," Siri said quietly, "I am still a Jedi. I am working undercover."

  He turned, surprised. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

  "You don't. You have to trust me. Even Obi-Wan didn't know. No one at the Temple does, except for the Jedi Council. This was our final attempt to clean up Nar Shaddaa and end Krayn's reign of terror."