Obi-Wan fought for control. He activated the third wing to take up some of the control he had lost. The ship slowly steadied beneath his hands. He cut back the engines and spun the craft around. Should he follow the ship, or attempt another landing inside the exhaust shaft? He asked himself the question, but he knew the ship did not have the control necessary to navigate that shaft again.
He couldn't leave Anakin to be captured by Siri and Krayn. He could not allow his Padawan to become a slave once again.
Then as he watched, Krayn's ship blasted into hyperspace in a shower of light energy.
He could not follow. His Padawan was gone.
Chapter 10
His Jedi reflexes still needed honing. Siri-Zora had completely turned the situation around while he was still absorbing what was happening.
Krayn appeared on the catwalk above.
Krayn was humanoid, but had the size and heft of a natural formation, a boulder, a tree. His body seemed carved out of rock. His shaved head glinted in the dim light. As he drew closer Anakin could see various items hanging from the double utility belt he had slung around his waist. They swung with the motion of his walk. He clutched a vibro-ax in one meaty fist, and his small, glittering eyes swept the scene before him with shrewdness.
A huge Wookiee stood by his side. Anakin realized this must be Rashtah. Ammunition belts crisscrossed his hairy body and a row of blasters were strapped to his waist. A jagged scar began under the hair of his scalp and traveled through his eye down to his lip. An eye patch covered that eye, hiding the damage. Rashtah waved his vibrosword at Siri and sent his own bellow of greeting.
Siri reached over and powered down the turbines. Anakin wondered what his best move would be. There was no game plan for this particular situation. Would the Siri part of Zora cover for him, or would the heartless-seeming Zora give him up immediately? She had certainly acted ruthlessly in the case of Obi-Wan.
His instincts flared. Stay silent. Let her speak.
So Anakin said nothing as Krayn stomped toward them, the vibro-ax twirling like a child's toy in his other hand.
"What's this? Have you caught our intruder?"
"No. This is nobody, just a slave," Siri said. "I grabbed him as a shield just in case, but he wasn't needed. I'm afraid our intruders took the exhaust tunnel back into space."
"If they made it." Krayn's dark eyes glittered. "I gave the order to jump to hyperspace. If they were in the shaft when that happened, they're space dust."
The Wookiee gave a sound of amusement.
"That would be a bonus," Siri said. Her eyes glinted with the same cruelty as Krayn's.
She hates Obi-Wan, Anakin realized.
Krayn stuck his head closer to the exhaust shaft. "We'll have to figure out a way to block this from airships. Don't want to be surprised again. Heads will roll about this one."
While Krayn's back was to them and Rashtah was distracted, Siri reached over and deftly removed Anakin's lightsaber
of Qui-Gon's death hard.
A tall woman a little older than Obi-Wan stood by a table, chatting with two customers who wore the robes of Senatorial aides. The woman's springy dark hair spilled out from underneath a white cap, and her white apron was stained with various colors. As she motioned to the aides, she nearly knocked over the teapot. Despite his anxiety, Obi-Wan grinned. Astri hadn't changed.
She looked up and her gaze met his. Astri's pretty face bloomed into a wide smile.
"Obi-Wan!" She rushed toward him, knocking over a chair in her haste to greet him. She threw herself into his arms. Obi-Wan hugged her, feeling her curls brush his cheeks. He had once felt awkward at such displays of emotion. Not anymore. Qui-Gon had taught him by example. Obi-Wan remembered how surprised he'd been as a Padawan to see Qui-Gon enthusiastically hug Didi.
She drew back. "Are you hungry? I have delicious stew today."
He shook his head. "I need help."
Her dancing eyes turned grave. "Let's find Didi."
A small, rotund man was already heading for them, his soft brown eyes widened in pleasure. He, too, enveloped Obi-Wan in a huge hug, though he barely reached Obi-Wan's shoulders. "How my eyes delight me!" he burbled.
"The brave and wise Obi-Wan Kenobi, my good friend to whom I owe my life and my daughter!"
"Obi-Wan needs our help, Didi," Astri interrupted, for Didi would have gone on with flattery and sentiment.
Didi nodded. "Then come to the private office."
Obi-Wan followed Didi and Astri to a small, messy office behind the long counter. Although the cafc had improved significantly since Astri had taken over, the office was still a jumble of fading datasheets, mismatched plates, stacks of fresh tablecloths, and half-filled teacups.
"What can we do for you, my friend?" Didi asked. "Inadequate as I am, I am in your service."
"I'm searching for information only," Obi-Wan said. "Perhaps if you do not have answers, you could direct me to the party who does. I am investigating possible ties between a slave trader named Krayn and the Colicoids."