Jedi Quest 1: The Way of the Apprentice

Chapter Two

Manikons ran on four legs and reared up to two when attacking. They had blunt, heavy feet that they used to bludgeon their enemy. If they got close, they could spew a stinging venom from their eyes that had the power to temporarily blind their attacker.

There was no question that Anakin and Tru would need their lightsabers. Before the thought had completely registered, Anakin found the hilt in his hand. He didn't think it was such a good idea to reveal the fact that two Jedi were scavenging beneath the city. But he didn't particularly want to be pummeled and blinded, either.

Tru jumped to his left, and Anakin immediately saw his strategy. He wanted to avoid the pummeling feet and the stinging venom, which could only be directed straight ahead.

Anakin followed Tru, leaping to engage the first Manikon. He knew he was a more aggressive fighter than Tru. He needed to avoid wounding or killing. He just had to frighten the Manikons enough to retreat.

"If we attack their bundles, they'll retreat," he told Tru confidently. "They won't want to lose what they have."

He leaped forward, going after the booty tied to their backs in large sacks. Whirling and dodging the flying feet, he slashed at the straps of leather tying the bags to their backs. The maneuver required the most precise of touches. A fraction off, and he could easily slice off an arm. This was why he loved the action of a lightsaber. It was the ultimate instrument. He had seen firsthand the mistake that many Jedi students made. They did not realize how delicate it could be, how you could use it like a breath of air. Like a feather, not a stick, the best lightsaber teacher, Soara Antana, had said.

Three bundles fell, scattering parts, and the Manikons howled in rage. They leaped over the parts and thundered toward Anakin and Tru.

Ffffffeewwwww!

Anakin had never heard the sound of a Manikon spewing venom before, but he didn't need a lesson.

"Whoa, really good plan, Anakin," Tru observed.

Anakin leaped to his right as a snarling Manikon approached, rearing up on two legs. Tru rushed forward and delivered a fast series of moves to push back the Manikon.

"Okay, time," Tru said.

"Time for what?"

"New plan. Run."

"Good idea." Anakin took off after Tru.

The two of them leaped together, using the Force to help them gain the top of the junk heap in one bound. They sent a shower of debris down behind them, but they managed to keep their footing.

Below, the snarling Manikons began to scale the heap in their fury. But they were heavier and clumsier than the Jedi. The junk heap began to tumble and sway.

Anakin looked over at Tru.

"What now?"

"Jump?" Tru suggested.

"Sure. Any suggestions where?" They were surrounded by other junk heaps, all of them unstable. It was impossible to know if they would be able to land safely.

A huge Manikon was halfway up the slope when he dislodged a power converter fragment. The entire heap began to collapse.

"Anywhere!" Tru yelled, and leaped into the air.

Anakin followed. In midair, he had a second to decide on his landing spot. If he hadn't had Jedi training, chances were good that he would have landed on a spike or sharp piece of metal. But he was able to evaluate and direct his descent, even as he fell. Everything below him was suddenly sharp, suddenly clear. He felt he could see every pebble, every grain of dirt and debris. That was how clear the Force could make his vision.

It was moments like this that he lived for. The night air, so crisp in his lungs. Danger so near. The Force around him.

If he could hang in the air forever like this, he would.

He landed lightly, precisely, on the edge of a heap, then jumped the rest of the way to the ground. Beside him, Tru landed safely as well.

Ffffffeewwwww!

Anakin jumped, pulling Tru aside. The venom hit only millimeters away.

They looked behind them. Three furious Manikons were trying to slide down the heap toward them. Junked parts were shifting and sliding.

"Time to go," Tru panted.

They ran. Behind them, the enormous junk heap collapsed in a cloud of dust. The cry of the Manikons was terrible.

Choking, Anakin and Tru kept running. They didn't stop until they reached the relative safety of the walkway.

They paused to catch their breath. It had been a close call.

They struck off in the direction of the lift ramp to the upper levels of Coruscant.

"Well, if you say so," Tru said.

Anakin looked at him, confused. "If I say what?"

"Your droid has a bad motivator," Tru explained. "What makes you think so?"

"The reactivate switch keeps cutting out. This is my second motivator. The first one just blew when I hooked it up. I spent two weeks rebuilding it, too."

"Then your problem isn't the motivator," Tru said. "Have you run a check on the sensory plug-in system?"

Anakin shook his head. "Nothing wrong with it."

"Maybe. But sometimes it can interface with the reactivate switch and cause the motivator to fuse. Did something funny happen with the vocabulator when the first motivator blew?"

"That's funny," Anakin said. "It went crazy. My droid started talking in Kyhhhsik."

"That's your problem, then," Tru said. "The sensor suite has a short. Sometimes in Protocol Droids it can trigger the vocabulator. It's a pretty simple problem to fix. Much more simple than a bad motivator."

Anakin glanced at Tru's tall, gangly body. Tru had never impressed him. Sometimes Anakin had wondered if his connection to the Force was strong enough to be a Jedi. Yet Tru had recently been picked as a Padawan by Ry-Gaul, a quiet and respected Jedi Knight. Anakin had wondered about that, too.

"I didn't know you knew so much about droids, Anakin said.

"I don't. I just picked up a few things along the way,"

Tru said. "I like to read manuals in my spare time. Droids.

Transports. Circuit boards. You name it."

Anakin tossed him the motivator part. "Here. I guess I won't need this after all."

Tru tucked it into the pocket of his tunic. "Thanks."

"That is, if you're right," Anakin added.

"If I'm not, you can have the part back."

Suddenly, Anakin began to understand why Tru had been picked by Ry-Gaul. There was the sense of assurance Tru had.

He gave off a sense of calm. That was unusual in a young student, even a Jedi. Anakin himself was aware that he felt confused and uncertain some of the time. He covered it well.

But Tru didn't seem to have an undercurrent. He was just Tru.

"Give me a summary when you're done with the analysis,"

Tru said.

"Of the droid?" Anakin asked.

"Of me," Tru answered. "Aren't you analyzing me right now?"

Anakin grinned and didn't bother to deny it. "I haven't come to any conclusions yet."

Tru took a bag of sweet figda candy from his pocket and tossed one to Anakin. "Too bad living beings don't come with manuals. Listen, I'm not very mechanical, but I'll help you with your droid problem, if you want."

Anakin was surprised at the offer, but he wasn't sure why.

Then he realized what it was.

It wasn't often that he was offered help.

Most assumed he didn't need it.

"Sure," Anakin said. Saying that one word opened a door.

He saw that suddenly. He had forgotten it. He had once known how to make a friend, and he had made friends easily. It was a skill he had lost.

His comlink signaled, and he groaned. He knew who it was.

"Where are you?" Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin looked around. He was still quite a few levels away from the Temple. At least a few hundred. If he told his Master that, Obi-Wan would know where he'd been, and why.

Tru suddenly stepped up closer. "Master Kenobi, it is Tru Veld. Anakin is with me. I asked his help on… a personal matter. We are returning to the Temple now."

"All right." Obi-Wan sounded surprised. "Come and see me, Anakin, as soon as you arrive."

Anakin turned off his comlink. "Thanks," he said to Tru.

"Obi-Wan wouldn't be happy if he knew where I'd been."

"Neither would Ry-Gaul," Tru said.

"If you're not so good at fixing droids, why were you there?" Anakin asked.

"I'm helping out Ali Alann," Tru said. "He has a droid helper in the nursery now. It needs a new motivator and the tech service department is running low. I thought j I'd surprise him."

Anakin felt ashamed. Here he had fought for the part for himself, and Tru was doing a good deed. He sighed. It was times such as this he wondered if he'd ever become a Jedi.

Students like Tru had a dedication he feared he lacked.

They hurried back to the Temple. It was dark and quiet as they checked in. They headed for the lift tube.

Obi-Wan came around the corner. He frowned when he saw Anakin's stained tunic and dirty face.

"Where have you been?" he asked sternly.

Tru and Anakin looked at each other, then began to speak at once.

"You see, Ali Alann — " Tru began.

"The tech service department has shortages — Anakin started.

Obi-Wan held up a hand. "I don't want to know.

Good night, Tru."

Tru nodded respectfully and hurried off to his quarters.

Obi-Wan turned back to Anakin.

"Anakin, these late hours will do you no good if you have to leave early on a mission the next day."

"But I don't have a mission tomorrow," Anakin said.

"Ah. Are you so certain of that, young Padawan? Do you see into the minds of the Jedi Council?"

"The Jedi Council wants to see us," Anakin guessed, excitement rising in him. "You mean we have a mission?"

"We shall see," Obi-Wan said neutrally. "They've asked for our presence before dawn tomorrow. So get some sleep. If I see one yawn tomorrow, I'll forbid you to go outside the Temple grounds at all."