The Rising Force (13 page)

But it wasn‘t just Qui-Gon. Danger was coming to all of them. Qui-

Gon wasn‘t just calling for his help. He was trying to warn Obi-Wan.

―I mean it, Jemba,‖ Obi-Wan warned. ―We‘re all in trouble!‖

―What would you have of me, little one!‖ Jemba asked. ―Do you want me to look down at my shoes so that you can stab me? Ho, ho, ho! That trick won‘t work on me. Hutts don‘t have feet!‖

He was wasting time. Obi-Wan somersaulted once in the air, and landed in front of Jemba. Then, using the momentum of his landing, he

sprang over the Hutt‘s head. Obi-Wan landed on Jemba‘s back, and the Hutt

howled.

―You have been warned!‖ Obi-Wan shouted, gripping his lightsaber tightly. Then he raced down Jemba‘s tail and sprang over the heads of the surprised Whiphid guards.

One Whiphid fired his blaster at Obi-Wan‘s retreating form, but Obi-Wan managed to bring his lightsaber over his back and deflect the blow. He raced through the tunnels, past the startled Hutts and Whiphids. His need to find Qui-Gon was overpowering. He was astonished to feel the

Jedi Knight‘s warning call, to feel this connection.

Behind him, a few Whiphids roared war cries, but Jemba shouted

above the rest, ―No! Leave him to me! The boy id mine!‖

―There my friend,‖ Qui-Gon said to the draigon. He pointed toward the caves.

The dozen passages to the cavern were all set within a single hill, and from the sky the cave mouths looked like wormholes.

Qui-Gon fought to control the draigon‘s mind, bring it safely to

the ground. He was worried. As far as the eye could see, draigons flocked

toward the caves.

Their roars were deafening as they called to each other.

Qui-Gon had seen the giant trees in the Silver Forest of Dreams on the planet Kubindi. Some of their vast leaves could be twenty meters wide, and when they fell in the autumn, they floated like giant rafts through the sky. That is what the draigons reminded him of. They dropped through the leaden skies, just as the leaves floated from the Kubindi forests.

Yet these creatures were deadly; and like Qui-Gon, they were headed toward the caves.

Qui-Gon called with his mind, warning young Obi-Wan Kenobi again of the danger.

Then he waited as the draigon wafted downward, close to the narrow ledge outside the caves. Qui-Gon chose his moment, then sprang off the back of the beast. He landed on the ledge, steadying himself with a hand against the outside wall of the cave. The draigon flew off with a soft confused cry, his mind released.

Qui-Gon had taken two steps toward the cave when he saw Obi-Wan race from its mouth, lightsaber held high.

Obi-Wan ran from the cave only to stop short. He stared at the sky in horror.

At first, he‘d thought it was just dark clouds. But now he realized that scores of draigons were blocking the sun. And they were all winging toward the caves.

Never in his young life had he imagined such terror. His legs went

weak, and his mind was suddenly blank. He didn‘t know what to do.

The he saw Qui-Gon heading toward him. Relief flooded him. The Jedi looked battered and bloody, and he was holding one shoulder stiffly. Still, he was alive.

―Did you get the dactyl?‖ Obi-Wan called. Qui-Gon nodded. ―The Arconans?‖

―Still alive, but barely. Go, Qui-Gon. I‘ll hold the mouth of the cave.‖

Obi-Wan expected Qui-Gon to argue, to send him back into the cave with the dactyl. The Jedi Knight merely gazed at him for a tenth of a

second. In the master‘s eyes, Obi-Wan saw respect and acceptance.

―I will return,‖ Qui-Gon promised, and rushed into the caves.

In seconds, the draigons were on Obi-Wan. His lightsaber slashed

and burned, sizzled and shrieked. Draigons roared in pain and fell before

him. He was fighting better and stronger than he ever had, ever thought he could.

But he knew he could not hold the draigons off for long.

Qui-Gon raced through the caves, past Whiphid and Hutt guards, carrying his bag of dactyl.

him.

?Such was the look of purpose in his eyes that no one dared to stop

Instead, Jemba‘s guards cowered in fear, until Qui-Gon, halfway through the tunnel, meet Jemba himself.

―Halt!‖ the enormous Hutt ordered. ―Where are you going?‖

Qui-Gon stared evenly at Jemba. You had better get your guard to

the mouths of the caves,‖ Qui-Gon warned. ―We‘re in trouble.‖

―Hah!‖ Jemba laughed. ―Your foolish pupil already tried that

trick!‖

Suddenly a draigon roared near the mouth of the tunnels. The sound was astonishing. The cave trembled. Bits of dust shook loose from the roof.

―It has started,‖ Qui-Gon said evenly.

He shouldered past the enormous Hutt and raced to get the dactyl to the Arconans.

Grelb squeezed between two flat rocks and lay for a moment, his heavy blaster in hand, staring down at the caves. He‘d missed his chance to kill Qui-Gon Jinn.

The big Jedi had already raced into the caves. But his pupil guarded the moth of the cavern, lightsaber ready.

He wanted the Master, but the pupil would have to do for now. Draigons hurtled from the sky by the dozens, converging on the lad.

Even Grelb had to admire the young Jedi‘s skill. His lightsaber struck

again and again, and the boy showed no sign of tiring. It was almost a

pity to kill him.

Lightning split the sky. Rain pounded the stones over Grelb‘s head.

One good thing about hiding under these rocks – at least it was dry.

He raised his blaster rifle and tried to aim at the young Jedi. The

boy‘s lightsaber flashed among the draigons.

All I need now, Grelb thought, is one brief moment to pull of my shot. Just one . . .

The battle was like none Obi-Wan had ever imagined. He felt no fear. He had accepted his death. The odds were just too great against

him. Now he only fought to protect the Arconans. He felt no anger. He did

not hate the hungry beasts that dropped endlessly from the blackened skies.

The Force was his ally.

He could feel it moving him, moving through him, and through the draigons. He leaped and somersaulted. He spun and slashed through muzzles and claws. The battle became a dance of sheer survival.

As he danced, Obi-Wan changed. He felt subtle promptings he‘d never felt before. He saw attacks before they came. He sensed the flail of a tail before it happened. The muscles of the draigons seemed incredible defined, so that he could read tiny flickers of movements that revealed which way a draigon would turn. Dead draigons piled on the ground around him. He gave himself entirely to the dance.

After several long minutes, he began backing toward the mouth of

the cave. He had an idea. If he could kill the draigons at the very mouth

of the cave, the bodies would block the entrance. If enough entrances were blocked, they might have a chance.

He fought his way back ferociously. He had just gained the entrance when he heard a familiar laugh.

―Well done, little one!‖ Jemba chortled. The enormous Hutt

slithered from the shadows farther back in the cave. He held an oversized

blaster rifle.

Obi-Wan barely had time to glance at the Hutt, for three draigons had gathered at the mouth of the cave.

―Help me!‖ Obi-Wan called to Jemba as he fought. It would be easy for the Hutt to shoot the draigons. He could help with his plan. Obi-Wan knew he wouldn‘t care to save him, but Jemba would certainly want to save

himself.

―Of course,‖ Jemba chortled. ―I‘ll help you – to death!‖ He raised

his blaster rifle and aimed.

Grelb huddled beneath his rock. Draigons lay at Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s

feet. The boy stood with the mouth of the cave yawning wide behind him.

The Hutt chuckled softly. He saw his chance and squeezed the trigger of his blaster.

The bolt shot out – but the Grelb‘s surprise, young Obi-Wan must have sensed it coming, for he dodged to the side. The bolt barely missed him.

Grelb shouted in rage and prepared to fire again. This time, he would not miss.

But suddenly, he felt huge teeth rip into his tail.

He had been concentrating too hard. He had forgotten to keep a lookout. A draigon had found him.

He barely had time to cry out before the draigon yanked him from under his rock.

Obi-Wan stood panting. He‘d felt the Force, had dodged as the blaster bolt came from nowhere and sizzled past his head. Perhaps no one felt as surprised as Jemba the Hutt.

The enormous Hutt took the blaster bolt in the chest. For the briefest moment, Jemba stared down at his wound in disbelief. ―Well, ha!‖ he laughed in horror.

His surprised eyes stared into Obi-Wan‘s for a moment. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Then Jemba slumped onto the muddy ground and died.

A draigon‘s cry wrenched Obi-Wan‘s attention back to his situation. He barely had time the thrust his lightsaber at the huge attacking mouth, then jump back.

―That was a little to close, I‘d say,‖ Qui-Gon remarked from behind him. His lightsaber powered up and glowed green. ―I think you could use some help.‖

Together, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon jinn fought side by side. The Forced pulsed between them. They knew without speaking where the other would move, when the other would strike. When Qui-Gon moved forward, Obi- Wan sprang back to protect his flank. When Obi-Wan leaped to the right, Qui-Gon made sure he was covered from the left.

Clat‘Ha joined them, a blaster in each hand and a spare strapped to

her leg.

Qui-Gon and Clat‘Ha had worked quickly to administer the dactyl to the Arconans, and they had revived enough to stand together and fight. Si

Treemba and a group of Arconans handled any draigons who dared breach the opening.

Obi-Wan‘s plan worked. Draigon bodies piled up at the entrance, blocking it.

Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Clat‘Ha left a small squad to protect it and

raced to the next cave opening. Then the battle began all over again.

Before his death, Jemba had ordered the Whiphids and Hutts of Offworld Corporation to defend the cave where they had gathered. He instructed them to fire from the rocks outside the cave. It was a foolish strategy. Hundreds of miners had been slain. Finally, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon convinced them to fight at the cave entrance and use the draigon bodies

as shields.

The Offworld miners and the Jedi worked to guard the cave entrances, but draigons dug new entrances through the rock, so that at times they broke through and came at the miners from above or behind.

That‘s where the Arconans came in handy. By evening, it was evident to

every Hutt and Whiphid on that rock that the Arconans were not cowards.

They were creatures born to caves and darkness, and when it came to time to fight in their own element, they proved themselves to be ferocious and cunning.

No draigon that tunneled through a cave‘s roof caught an Arconan by

surprise.

Indeed, the Arconans were so fierce that the Whiphids and Hutts finally retreated and left them to finish the battle.

Near nightfall Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were still battling at the last entrance to the caves. Smoke rose from the draigons‘ mouths as they let out their piercing cries in the dusky air. But the cries had changed from

war cries to signals.

Suddenly, what was left of the flock roared and leaped into the air. The draigons circled the island twice, then flew off in defeat.

When a ragged cheer went up from the surviving Hutts and Whiphids, Obi-Wan thought that it was merely a cheer of relief. But when a huge Whiphid came out of the cave and gave him a rough pat on the back, and when Hutts actually circled him and began to clap, Obi-Wan realized that these were not cheers of relief. Their former enemies cheered for the Jedi.

And later, when he and qui-Gon went into Jemba‘s chamber of the cavern and took the rest of the dactyl back for the Arconans, no one tried to stop them.

Because of Jemba‘s orders, over three hundred Offworld miners were killed in the battle. Eighty-seven Arconans had lost their lives. The caves filled with the Arconans‘ hum of mourning.

Obi-Wan lingered at the cave, watching his friend grieve with his fellow Arconans. It was time for Si Treemba to be with his people. Obi- Wan put a hand on his shoulder and pressed gently, then walked away.

The miners‘ work force was nearly cut in half. While the Arconans grieved, Clat‘Ha made plans for their future. She went to one of Jemba‘s chieftains, a Hutt named Aggaba, and said, ―Aggaba, I want to hire you and your people.‖

―Which ones?‖ Aggaba asked suspiciously.

―All of you,‖ she said. ―You‘re temporarily the head of these men, until you reach Bandomeer. I‘ll buy out your contracts.‖

―And then what?‖ Aggaba asked. He had a cunning look in his eyes,

as if he wondered how he might make a profit.

―I‘ll offer all of you an invitation to work for our mining company,‖ Clat‘Ha said. ―We share the profits, so it‘s a step up for you. Think about it. When we get to Bandomeer, your bosses there will demote

you, put someone else in over your head. This is your chance to escape from Offworld Mining, get decent jobs that will pay you better now, and

in the long run.‖

Aggaba licked his lips and stared around like a cornered Jawa. ―Out contracts would not be cheap,‖ he said. ―I would want, say, two thousand per worker.‖