"Jedi Apprentice 3: The Hidden Past" - читать интересную книгу автора (Уотсон Джуд)

Chapter 19

They heard a cry behind them. Qui-Gon turned. Duenna stood in the doorway, her hand at her heart.

"My good mother," Guerra said, his orange eyes full of tears. "Our Terra is gone."

Duenna knelt beside her daughter. Guerra put Terra in her arms.

Qui-Gon touched Guerra's shoulder. "We must go, my good friend," he said. "If a battle begins, Obi-Wan will be in great danger. Your people will think he's taking all the bacta."

Duenna looked at her son as she cradled Terra. Her eyes were clear. "Yes so, my son. You must go. Your sister must not die in vain."

Qui-Gon only paused to lift Obi-Wan's lightsaber from the weapons rack near the door. They hurried through the street toward the warehouses.

They heard the commotion from blocks away. Blaster fire and shouting punctured what sounded like one continuous roar of rage. Qui-Gon and Guerra began to run.

As they drew closer, they began to see Phindians, their arms full of supplies, rushing past them. Qui-Gon knew the plan Kaadi had devised. She had designated runners to deliver food and medicine to the sick and restock the hospitals with med supplies.

They rounded the last corner to the warehouses. Qui-Gon saw in a quick glance that Paxxi and Kaadi had done their work well. They had passed out weapons to the rebels, who held a line of resistance against the Syndicat guards. Behind that line, Phindians passed supplies from hand to hand, passing the supplies to runners who took off with them.

He saw Paxxi toss a proton grenade into a sea of Syndicat guards. Kaadi ran forward with a force pike and attacked a guard trying to blast a runner with her hands full of medpacs.

Qui-Gon quickly made his way to Paxxi's side. "Have you seen Obi-Wan?"

Paxxi shook his head. "Maybe his is by his ship."

But then Qui-Gon saw him in the midst of the Syndicat guards. Baftu stood nearby, watching the battle. Qui-Gon watched as Obi-Wan slipped a blaster from a guard's holster without him noticing. Qui-Gon sent out the Force to his Padawan, and Obi-Wan looked over the crowd straight at him. He nodded.

Qui-Gon powered up both lightsabers. They arced green and blue, glowing in the gray air. Obi-Wan leaped forward over the Syndicat guards. Qui-Gon tossed his Padawan's lightsaber high in the air. It revolved slowly, turning in a graceful arc. Obi-Wan reached out his hand and the hilt of his lightsaber landed in his palm. As he landed, he slashed out at the front line of Syndicat guards. Baftu gaped at Obi-Wan, frozen with shock to see the boy he knew as Prince Beju on the attack.

"Kill him!" he screamed at the guards.

Qui-Gon was already moving forward himself, adding to Obi-Wan's assault with his own frontal attack. They now knew where the Syndicat guards were vulnerable, and they did not waste time directing blows at their armor. Instead, they slashed out at ankles and necks, and managed to flip off the armored visors so they would have clear shots to disable them.

The Force was around them, guiding them. Obi-Wan felt its power as it battled against the dark side of the cruel Syndicat guards. He felt to good energy of the Phindians at his back, helping him. His blows landed where he aimed, and he evaded blaster fire with the help of the Force, which told him when to twist, move, leap, and block.

The success of the Jedi empowered the Phindians. The surged forward, crying in rage. Qui-Gon saw Baftu suddenly pale as the line of Syndicat guards broke. Guerra was the first to leap forward, a blaster in one hand and a bowcaster in the other. He drew back the bow of the bowcaster, and the laser shot out, straight at Baftu.

Baftu cried out and grabbed a Syndicat guard. He blocked the blow with the guard, who fell. Baftu turned and ran, with Guerra in pursuit.

Obi-Wan leaped over a pile of fallen Syndicat guards and took off after Baftu and Guerra. Qui-Gon evaded a blow from a force pike easily and swiveled, looking for Paxxi.

He spotted Paxxi and Kaadi off to his right. They had been surrounded by Syndicat guards with electro-jabbers. Qui-Gon cut down a guard heading toward him and leaped high over whoever was in his way. He hit the ground and used the momentum to leap up onto a partially collapsed wall.

But he was too late. A Syndicat guard jabbed Paxxi, whose arm went numb, and he dropped his blaster. Kaadi rushed to help Paxxi as another guard fired.

The blaster fire hit Kaadi, and she fell. With his good arm, Paxxi threw the anti-register device he held at the guard. Blaster fire hit the device, causing it to ricochet back at the guard. Qui-Gon leaped into the fray, his lightsaber humming. He struck the killing blow at the guard, then turned to the next. Together, he and Paxxi finished off the rest of the guards.

Paxxi knelt by Kaadi.

"Don't look so sad," Kaadi said weakly. "I'm still alive."

Qui-Gon quickly tossed two blasters to Paxxi. "Stay with her," he told him.

Quickly, he turned and ran. He found a medic who was distributing supplies and directed her toward Paxxi and Kaadi. Then he headed for the spaceport.

When he reached it, Baftu was surrounded by assassin droids and Syndicat guards. Prince Beju's ship stood, half loaded with bacta. While the guards protected Baftu, Phindians hurriedly unloaded the bacta from the cargo hold under fire. More and more rebels appeared to cover the line of those unloading bacta. Guerra and Obi-Wan were in the thick of it. Qui-Gon saw the blue glow of Obi-Wan's lightsaber slashing and jabbing as the boy moved, evading blaster fire.

Qui-Gon hurried to support Obi-Wan. But before he could strike a single blow, Baftu suddenly turned and dashed toward the entry ramp of the ship.

"He's trying to escape!" Guerra shouted. He turned to the guards. "You see where your leader's loyalty lies? with himself only!"

Baftu stumbled as he reached the ramp. The Syndicat guards turned. The closest one tackled Baftu and brought him down. They both rolled to the bottom of the ramp.

Guerra hurried forward. He placed his blaster against Baftu's head. "I arrest you in the name of the Phindian people," he cried.

"Kill the rebel!" Baftu screamed at the guards.

The Syndicat guards exchanged glances. Their arms dropped to their sides.

"Destroy him!" Baftu screamed again, this time to the assassin droids.

But Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon leaped as one from opposite ends. Lightsabers flashing, they cut the droids down like twigs.

Ion engines suddenly roared to life. The ship began to move.

"Prince Beju," Obi-Wan said. "He must have escaped from the cargo hold."

The ship rose slowly, jerkily, into the air.

"Let him go," Qui-Gon said. "His fate lies elsewhere."