Around him, the shapes of other tombs
loomed in the murky darkness. The Young
had made their headquarters in the
tunnels below the city. They had chosen the
vaulted space of an ancient mausoleum
as central headquarters.
"Obi-Wan, sit down," his friend Cerasi called. "You're making me dizzy."
In moments of crisis, Cerasi was always
calm. Nield, a tall slender boy with dark
eyes, was more serious. Obi-Wan could
see the strain on their faces. He could not
remember the last time any of them
had eaten or slept. They had been fighting
aboveground for fourteen days. Now
they waited for the news that seemed long in
coming.
The three had led the Young on a quest
to bring peace to the planet of Melida/Daan.
Their war with the Elders was yet another
war in the bloody history of Melida/Daan.
The planet had been torn by conflict
for centuries, as the two tribes, Melida and
Daan, struggled for control. It was
the Young who had finally called for peace. The
Elders had refused, and now the children
of Melida/ Daan were battling to save their
planet.
Obi-Wan had never believed in a cause
more. He had forsaken his Jedi training
because of it. After struggling to
become Padawan to the great Jedi Knight Qui-Gon
Jinn, he had turned his back on him
to battle for peace on a strange planet.
Sometimes, he could not believe that
he'd made the decision. Then he would look at
his friends and remember why he had
done so. He had never felt as close to anyone
as he did to Nield and Cerasi.
Cerasi's crystal green eyes gleamed
in a face streaked with dirt and sweat. She
patted a space on top of the tomb where
she sat with Nield. "I'm sure Mawat will
clear the tunnel to the spaceport any
moment now," she assured Obi-Wan.
"He has to," Obi-Wan said worriedly
as he took his place between them. "We have
to strike when the starfighters are
being refueled. It's our only hope."
Obi-Wan had been the one to notice that
the fleet of starfighters all attacked in the
same wave. Most of the advanced weaponry
on Melida/Daan had to be constantly
retooled and refitted. The people had
been fighting so long that equipment had worn
out. The aging starfighters had to
be refueled and checked more frequently. And the
Elders' mistake was that they were
refueling their entire fleet at the same time.
Which meant they were vulnerable.
Obi-Wan's plan was to invade the spaceport
with a small team during the refueling
process. While one member of the team
disabled the power converters on the
starfighters, the others would serve
as lookouts. If a battle started, the first objective
was to distract the guards.
It was risky, but if they were successful,
victory would be assured. Recently, the
Middle Generation had offered their
support to the Young. They would form an
alliance, but only if victory was in
sight. If the young gained the support of the few who
remained of the Middle generation,
the Elders would be outnumbered.
Mawat, the leader of the Scavenger Young,
was now working to expand a small side
tunnel into the spaceport's power shaft.
From there they would be able to enter the
port through a grate in the floor.
"All we need is timing and luck," Cerasi said.
Obi-Wan grinned. "Who, us? We don't need luck."
"Everybody needs luck," Nield shot back.
"Not us."
They held out their palms toward each
other, their hands as close as they could
without touching. The gesture was a
ritual they'd developed through the many battles
over the past weeks.
Suddenly, a small, slender girl rushed into the vault. "Mawat says we're clear."
"Thanks Roenni," Obi-Wan said, springing to his feet. "Are you ready?"
She nodded and held up a pair of fusion-cutters. "I'm ready."
He hated to involve Roenni. She was
younger and unused to battle, but her father
had been a starfighter mechanic. She'd
grown up around every kind of air transport
available. She knew how to use a fusioncutter,
and how to disable a power
converter. Obi-Wan was counting on
the fact that she was small and agile. She could
slip into the starfighter through the
cargo hold below. With any luck, she could do it
without being seen.
Obi-Wan, Nield, Cerasi, and Roenni hurried
through the tunnels. When they got to the
new tunnel immediately beneath the
spaceport, they moved more carefully. They
were now directly below the guards.
Mawat came toward them. His lean face
was completely covered in dirt and muck.
His clothes were filthy.
"Took longer because we had to work
so quietly," he murmured to them. "But, hey,
you'll come up right behind the fueling
tanks. Three of the starfighters are, bang, lined
up next to them. Two are close to the
entrance. There are two utility droids and six
guards. At least, blast, they won't
be expecting you to come from below."
Remember, Padawan, when you are outnumbered, surprise is your best ally.
Qui-Gon's calm voice entered Obi-Wan's
mind, twining through his apprehension
like a cool river. He felt a pang.
He had never carried off an operation like this
without his Master by his side.
Obi-Wan reached out to the Force. He
would need it in this battle. But the force
slipped away from him like an unseen
sea creature that brushed against him and
then moved on. He could not reach it
or summon it. He could not only imagine its
great power.
The Force had left him.
