Jedi Quest 2: The Trail of the Jedi

Chapter Nine

"So what now?" Anakin asked Obi-Wan.

"When you are the hunter, the best thing to do is turn the tables," Obi-Wan said. "You must become the hunter."

"Track the bounty hunters," Anakin said.

Obi-Wan nodded. "We can start with the sleep bomb. It need a nearby power source, which won't be far."

"Whoa, wait a second," Floria said. "I didn't sign on for this. If you're going to chase down the rest of the bounty hunters, you've got to let us go. This could be dangerous."

"Bounty hunting isn't dangerous?" Anakin asked.

"We minimize our risk," Dane said. He hooked his fingers into his thick black utility belt. "Which doesn't seem to be a consideration for Jedi."

"When it comes down to it, we just aren't very brave.," Floria confessed.

"Speak for yourself, Floria," Dane said scowling.

Floria ignored him. "So it's in your best interests to let us go. I tend to scream when trouble happens. And after all, it isn't fair. Bounty hunters are chasing you, not us. Why put us in harms way?"

"Let me ask you something," Obi-Wan said. "Don't you think the bounty hunter knew you were aboard our ship before activating the signal?"

Floria bit her lip. "You mean we're a target, too?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Think about it. After all, the fewer bounty hunters there are, the easier it is to win the prize."

"But there are rules!" Floria protested. "Bounty hunters are forbidden to attack one another."

"In my experience, the larger the reward, the greater the chance that the rules will be broken," Obi-Wan said.

"Granta Omega wouldn't stand for it," Floria said, but she sounded less certain.

"Would you bet your life on the ethics of a being who is using bounty hunters to trap Jedi on a training exercise?" Obi-Wan asked mildly.

Floria was silent.

Obi-Wan waited while the sister and brother exchanged a glance. He was not about to let Floria and Dane go. Despite their assurances that they weren't dangerous, the reward would still tempt them to make trouble for the Jedi. Obi-Wan had no doubt that he and Anakin could handle any attack the bounty hunting team could launch at them, but he'd rather not have to deal with it at all so that he could focus on rescuing Wren and getting to the bottom of who was behind this.

He wanted them close. But it was better that they think it was in their best interests to stay with the Jedi.

"I think you've got us there," Dane told him. "Lead on."

With Floria and Dane in tow, Obi-Wan and Anakin began a systematic search. They walked outward from their ship in widening circles.

"The power source for that size sleeper bomb has to be a generator that's fairly large," Obi-Wan said. "I'm guessing it's on a cruiser of some kind."

"If the power source in on a cruiser, the bounty hunter could be long gone," Floria called to them as she brought up the rear.

"Not if the prize is as big as you say," Obi-Wan answered.

Their route took the over a rocky hill and down into another low-lying meadow. The ground was mushy beneath their feet. Ahead lay a boggy field full of shoulder-high bushes with bright yellow flowers.

Floria reached out to pick one. "Ow!" She sucked her finger.

Now they could see that red thorns surrounded the bright flowers.

"I guess we have to turn back," Floria said hopefully. "We'll be torn to shreds if we try to make it through these bushes."

Obi-Wan hesitated. Floria was right. But their only chance of finding the power source lay in examining the surrounding area.

"Master," Anakin said quietly.

Obi-Wan heard it, too. The faint whine of a cruiser engine. He searched the sky and saw nothing.

"Everyone get down low," he said.

They crouched underneath the bushes in a hollowed out spot while Obi-Wan and Anakin scanned the sky.

The cruiser darted into view, a flash of silver against the blue.

"Fast, agile," Anakin reported, squinting at it. "Laser cannon mounted on either side of the bridge."

"It's Mol Arcasite's cruiser," Dane said. "I recognize it. She had it techno-tweaked by Sienar's Advanced Projects. Uh- oh."

The cruiser had made a sharp turn and now headed straight toward them.

Dane looked around. "what are we going to do? There's no place to hide. And if we go back we'll be caught in the open."

Obi-Wan withdrew his lightsaber and activated it. He leaned forward and expertly sliced through the thorny bush. The bush melted away.

"Those things sure come in handy," Floria said admiringly.

The cruiser darted lower. The laser cannons suddenly burst into a clatter of rapid fire.

"Move!" Obi-Wan urged as the fire scorched the bushes behind them. He darted through the hole he'd created with the lightsaber, swinging it in a short arc in order to clear the way farther into the brush.

Anakin pushed Floria through and waited for Dane to dart in before following. Obi-Wan used his lightsaber with fine- honed precision, cutting a hole in the bush just below the surface so that the bushes would seem intact from the air. There would be no telltale path to advertise their progress.

Obi-Wan moved fast, but in a wide zigzag over the length of the field. They grew tired and sweaty and were scratched by long, sharp thorns. Still, Obi-Wan pushed on, making Mol Arcasite dive again and again over the thorny field. At times the cannon fire was so close Obi-Wan could feel the heat from the blaster bolts.

"Is this a plan?" Dane asked. A long scratch went from his ear to his nose. "Because it doesn't seem like a plan. Are you trying to tire out a cruiser?"

Obi-Wan didn't answer. He had brought them to the edge of the field. Ahead was another rocky hill, the beginnings of the foothill to the mountains.

"Sty here," Obi-Wan told Floria and Dane. "Anakin follow me."

He stepped out into the open. He held his lightsaber high.

She's had to fly low and buzz us continuously," he told Anakin. "I see some slight smoke from the forward laser cannon."

"She could be overheating," Anakin said. "That's why you kept her moving."

"Exactly. Now lets keep going."

It was a challenge, but the Jedi moved fast, using the natural formation of the steep hill and the surrounding boulders for cover. Again and again, Mol Arcasite dived toward them, laser cannons blasting, but thy used deep rocky overhangs for cover.

"I'm going to try something," Obi-Wan told Anakin. "Keep her occupied down here."

As soon as the cruiser banked and turned for another approach, Obi-Wan leaped up to an overhang, then jumped to the next, and the next. Now he was above the low-flying cruiser, which was angling on to attack Anakin.

Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber. The bright blue glow attracted Mol Arcasite's attention. She reversed course and came at him, cannons blazing. Obi-Wan leaped toward the ground, bypassing the ledges he'd used to climb up. Cannon fire shattered the rock as the cruiser dived to follow him. An avalanche of rocks rained down on the body of the cruiser.

Obi-Wan landed lightly next to Anakin. "Good work, Master," Anakin said, watching the cruiser. "More smoke coming from the left side. That cannon might overheat."

"Good. Now for the final blow. Follow me." Obi-Wan jumped back up the hill. Anakin followed, moving from ledge to ledge until they reached the top. Below them. Shadows cast by an overhang concealed a thick fall of snow. In the shelter of the rock, the snow had not melted with the morning sun.

"When the cruiser returns, activates your cable launcher and jump," Obi-Wan told Anakin.

Anakin nodded, guessing his Master's plan.

"If it doesn't work, we'll be hanging there, perfect targets," Obi-Wan said. "So keep a free hand for your lightsaber." He kept his eyes on the cruiser. "Ready — go!"

The Master and Padawan swung off the mountain on their cable launchers. The sudden move caught Mol Arcasite by surprise. The cruiser dived after them, firing rapidly.

The noise and heat of the blaster bolts released an avalanche of snow and chunks of ice. The large blanket fell directly on the cruiser, binding Mol Arcasite momentarily. Obi-Wan and Anakin hung on their cable launchers as the snow showered down past them. The cruiser wobbled crazily, heading straight for the stone side of the mountain.

At the last moment before the cruiser hit, a cargo door opened and a swoop zoomed out. They could see that Mol Arcasite was astride it.

The cruiser crashed into the mountain with a whoosh and roar of fuel. Obi-Wan and Anakin kept under the shelter of a ledge as flaming metal rained down below.

The swoop took off into the distance, became a black speck, and disappeared.

Obi-Wan and Anakin lowed themselves to the ground. Floria and Dane rushed toward them.

"That was incredible," Floria said. "You defeated Mol Arcasite! I'm not betting on Hunti Pereg anymore."

"You're rid of Mol Arcasite for good," Dane told them. "She's good, but she's known for not sticking around if her first strike fails badly. She just lost a ship. Her own survival is her first priority."

"That doesn't sound like good business for a bounty hunter," Anakin said.

"She seldom fails," Dane said. "So it doesn't matter. No doubt she has a backup plan. She'll be on to her next assignment by nightfall."

"So we've paralyzed one bounty hunter, and another one took off," Obi-Wan said. "That leaves two."

"We know that Wren didn't leave the clues for us to follow," Obi-Wan said. "The question is, who did?"

"I'm betting on Teleq," Dane said. "It's just his style. He's clever, and he's fond of traps."

"Whoever it is doesn't know that we know we're being hunted," Obi-Wan pointed out. "As a matter of fact, he's probably still leaving clues for us to follow."

"So what should we do?" Floria leaned forward eagerly.

Obi-Wan noted her eagerness. Now Floria was on their side. Or else she was hoping that once the Jedi eliminated all the other bounty hunters, she and Dan would find a way to take the prize.

One way or another, it didn't matter. He wanted to keep Floria and Dane close.

"We give him exactly what he wants. We follow them, of course," Obi-Wan said.