No, Anakin's silence was not about the Council's reaction, or Palpatine's words. He was hurt because Obi-Wan had tried to get out of the assignment. It suggested to his Padawan that he did not have faith in him which was far from the truth.
Words that hurt were spoken in a moment. But words
him? Obi-Wan could never understand how it beat inside him, threatening never to leave. It had the power to consume him. It frightened him, and Anakin did not want to accept fear, either. Did this mean he could never be a Jedi Knight?
When he thought of his fears, his thoughts circled in just this way, bringing a spark of panic deep in his belly. It was better to pretend the anger wasn't there. Wasn't being a Jedi all about control? He had to find his own way to control his feelings. That would be the best way.
Suddenly, Anakin felt a tremor in the ship. It caused him to stumble slightly. The tremor was followed by a blast that sent him flying into the corridor wall. Alarm signals began to sound.
Anakin took off through the maze of twisting corridors toward his quarters to find Obi-Wan. The ship was hit again by another blast, and began to practice defensive maneuvers. Anakin knew the ship was too large to outmaneuver most crafts.
He was halfway there when he saw Obi-Wan running toward him.
"We're under attack. It's Krayn," Obi-Wan said tersely. "Let's head for the bridge."
Chapter 7
Outside the view-port, they could see vapor trails of proton torpedoes and showers of explosives. The ship shook with every nearby blast. It was an ambush Krayn must have known where they would appear.
Captain Anf Dec stood, his hands gripping the arms of his control chair. "Where is the ship?" he screamed. "Where is the ship?"
"It dived below us, Captain," one of the crew members shouted.
"Full speed ahead! Full speed! No, left engines full!" Captain Anf Dec shouted, his voice on the edge of hysteria. "Where is the ship now?"
The ship lurched to one side as the crew struggled to reconcile the captain's contradictory orders. This lurch was followed by another blast that sent everyone on the bridge staggering.
"Krayn is off to our port, sir," one of the crew members said. "We've taken a blow to the fuel driver."
"What is he doing!" Captain Anf Dec shouted. "Doesn't he know who we are?"
"Yes, Captain. We informed the ship that we were a Colicoid ship with a Jedi observation team aboard. As per your instructions," the crew member added pointedly.
"Port-side deflector shield is down," another crew member shouted.
"What?" the captain asked, scuttling over to stare at the readout.
"How could that be?"
"We didn't get it fully operational in time "
"Idiots!" Captain Anf Dec nearly fell over as another blast shook the ship. "It's an ambush they must have reset the coordinates of our nav computer."
Anakin and Obi-Wan stared out the view port as the pirate ship shot into view. It was smaller than the Colicoid transport, but highly maneuverable. By the look of the orbital gun platforms and laser cannons, they were also vastly outgunned.
Because of his acute connection to the Force, Anakin knew his ability to read situations was far-ranging. He didn't need the Force now to tell him that with a failing ship and a panicked captain, they were in trouble.
If they couldn't outmaneuver Krayn or outrun him, what options were left?
He looked at his Master. When it came to strategic thinking, he depended on Obi-Wan. His Master could not only process all aspects of difficult situations, he could come up with several strategies and hone in on the best one all within seconds.
"Our only hope is to get a small transport off this ship and infiltrate Krayn's ship," Obi-Wan said. "If we can get aboard, we could disable the weapons system."
"What's that?" The Colicoid captain turned his long head. "What did you say?"
"Will you authorize release of one of your transports to us?" Obi-Wan asked.
"What for?"
"To infiltrate Krayn's ship," Obi-Wan repeated. "It's the only way we'll escape destruction or capture."
"Do what you want. I don't care." Captain Anf Dec clutched the arms of his chair as the ship lurched from another blow. "Just do something!"
"We'll need you to create a diversion."
"Fine!"
Without another word, Obi-Wan turned and ran off the bridge. Anakin followed, his heart racing. He admired how his Master had sized up the situation and chosen a course of action within seconds. It was a daring move, but it could be their only hope.
They reached the cargo bay doors, where a number of small transports sat. They were used to ferry passengers or cargo to and from the surface while the large ship orbited a planet.
Obi-Wan stopped and turned to Anakin. "Choose."
Gratified by his Master's trust, Anakin turned to the ships.
He surveyed them with a pilot's eye, but also drew in the Force to help with the decision. He needed to go on instinct now. He trusted that it would tell him the right ship to choose.
"The G-class shuttle," he said to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan hesitated. "The lighter could be faster." Anakin grinned. "Not the way I fly."