The Defenders of the Dead

15

They sneaked out before dawn. Cerasi led them to the Outer Circle through the tunnels. Then they left Zehava the same way Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had arrived—through the Hall of Evidence, back to the trap. This time, Nield had brought finely spun carbon rope, which he tossed up to the surface. A strong magnet adhered to the metal slide, and they were able to scale it easily.

The hike to the transport went quickly in the cool gray light. The three of them had stuffed proton grenades in their packs. They were heavy, but they hardly felt the weight. They were anxious to get to the transport and start their mission.

When they reached the starfighter, Nield and Cerasi helped Obi-Wan uncover it from the branches and brush he and Qui-Gon had dragged over it.

Nield beamed when he saw the sleek, small starfighter. Then he noticed the gash in the side panel. He turned to Obi-Wan.

“I guess I should have asked you something. Are you a good pilot?”

Obi-Wan looked at him blankly for a moment. Then Cerasi burst out laughing. Nield and Obi-Wan joined her, the sound bouncing off the canyon walls.

“I guess we’ll find out,” Cerasi said cheerfully.

They climbed into the starfighter. Obi-Wan slid into the pilot’s seat. For a moment, he hesitated, staring at the controls. The last time he’d sat here, he’d landed the craft with Qui-Gon in the copilot’s seat. Qui-Gon had kidded him about denting the side of the starfighter. Obi-Wan felt a pang of remorse. Was he doing the right thing? Was this cause worth betraying Qui-Gon?

Cerasi touched his wrist gently. “We know this is hard for you, Obi-Wan. That’s what makes your sacrifice even more valuable to us.”

“And we give you our deepest thanks,” Nield said quietly.

Obi-Wan turned and met their eyes. He felt a shock, as though he were looking at himself. In the steady gazes of his friends he saw what was held in his own heart—the same dedication, the same fierceness, the same daring. He felt his confidence surge. He was doing the right thing. Maybe Qui-Gon would come to understand that.

He started the ion engines. “Let’s get going.”

“We should hit the perimeter towers first, then the center towers,” Cerasi said. “We’re going to have to do everything by sight. I don’t have any coordinates for the nav computer.”

“It won’t be a problem,” Obi-Wan said. He kept the engines at low power as the ship rose in order to clear the overhanging cliff. Then he pushed the engines to full power to soar above the canyon. No one told him to slow down.

“I’m going to have to do some defensive flying, so it’s better if you two do the aiming,” Obi-Wan said. “The station for the laser cannon is right in front of you, Cerasi.”

Nield went to his own laser cannon station.

“I’ll open up the emergency weapon sighting plate as we get closer,” Obi-Wan said. “Remember to keep your eyes out for speeders. We’re going to have to come in low to blast the deflection controls.”

The two deflection towers flanking the main gate came into sight in seconds. “Here we go,” Obi-Wan said, gritting his teeth.

“Floater on the right approaching,” Cerasi rapped out. “We must have turned up on scanners.”

Obi-Wan cut sharply to the left, then veered right again. Surprised to see a starfighter heading straight for it, the floater turned sharply downward, firing at the same time. Obi-Wan made a minute adjustment that caused the ship to turn and the missile to harmlessly fall to his left. It crashed outside the city walls, causing an explosion.

“They won’t do that very often,” Cerasi noted. “They could level a building once we get over the city.”

“They’ll probably use smaller firepower,” Nield agreed.

“We have to do this without blasting them out of the sky,” Cerasi said worriedly. “We have to show them that our ultimate goal is peace.”

“That’s my job,” Obi-Wan said. “The tower is in range. Let’s blast it.”

Another floater approached from the left, and he could see others taking to the air like a flock of insects, probably from the Daan military headquarters in the distance. Obi-Wan calculated the slower speed of the floaters. He had to stay level long enough for Cerasi and Nield to aim. He should have just enough time…

He opened the firing panel for Nield. Bracing himself against the hull of the starfighter, Nield aimed his laser cannon. Cerasi waited, her fingers on her own control stick.

“Now!” Obi-Wan shouted, zooming closer to the deflection tower.

Cerasi and Nield fired the cannons. As soon as the projectiles were away, Obi-Wan pushed the engines to full power and climbed above the floater heading for his left flank. Blaster fire followed him. He took a small hit on his wing, but not enough to damage the craft.

Both Cerasi and Nield scored a direct hit on the tower. Obi-Wan felt the vibration of the blast ripple against the starfighter’s hull. The floater rocked as it rode the wind vibrations, the driver struggling to retain control. The particle shield was briefly visible, then fractured in a shower of blue-tinged energy atoms.

Obi-Wan, Cerasi, and Nield cheered, even as Obi-Wan circled around to hit the next tower. Now the military floaters were almost on him.

“Seven floaters,” Cerasi said, counting. Her face creased in worry. “Can we do this, Obi-Wan?”

“If we do it fast. Can you aim upside down?” Obi-Wan asked, hovering out of the floater’s range.

Cerasi grinned. “No problem.”

Nield positioned his laser cannon. “Do it.”

Obi-Wan pushed the engines. The starfighter rocketed down through the sky at full speed. He knew that technically he was going too fast for this altitude, but he also knew he could handle the craft. And there was no one in the copilot’s seat to remind him of star aviation rules, or warn him of the dangers. Exhilaration raced through him. For the first time in his life, he had no one to answer to. There were no Jedi rules or superior wisdom aboard this ship.

He zigzagged on the descent, pushing the ship as much as he dared. The floaters hung back and fired, afraid of colliding with the star-ship. Using the Force as a guide, Obi-Wan was able to avoid the worst fire.

As he got closer, the speeders grew more daring. One came at him dead-on, firing as it went.

“Ready—” Obi-Wan shouted.

At the last moment, he flipped the starfighter over and dived under the floater, maneuvering the craft so that it had a clear shot at the tower.

Nield and Cerasi fired. The deflection tower blew, scattering metal and parts. Obi-Wan flipped the starfighter right-side up and climbed at top speed. The floaters frantically dived to avoid getting hit.

“Everyone okay?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Dizzy, but okay,” Cerasi said, wiping sweat off her forehead. “That was incredible flying.”

“Okay, follow the wall,” Nield directed. “We’ll hit the towers one by one around the perimeter.”

The military floaters pursued them, but they could not fly as high or go as fast as a star-fighter. More floaters joined the chase as they flew. To hit each deflection tower, Obi-Wan had to practice the same too-fast maneuvering to avoid being blasted by the speeders or colliding with them. Their advantage was the speed and agility of the starfighter and the incredible accuracy of Cerasi and Nield.

One by one, they destroyed each tower, the speeders hard on their flank. The speeders tried to capture Obi-Wan in a pincer movement, but he was too quick for them.

When they saw the last tower go up, the three let out a whoop of exultation. Cerasi leaned over and hugged Obi-Wan. Nield pounded him on the back.

“I knew we could count on you, friend,” he said joyfully. He checked his laser cannon. “We have plenty of firepower left. What do you say we blow the Halls of Evidence into nanospecs?”

Cerasi frowned.“Now? But Nield, we need to get back. We have to hit both Melida and Daan for peace negotiations while they’re weak.”

“And besides, there could be people inside,” Obi-Wan pointed out.

Cerasi looked at Nield. “We said we would do this without taking a life.”

Nield bit his lip as he glanced out the spaceport down to the surface of Zehava. “The sooner those halls of hate are blown up, the sooner everyone on this planet can breathe again,” he murmured. “I despise everything they stand for.”

“I know,” Cerasi said. “So do I. But let’s take one step at a time.”

“All right,” Nield agreed reluctantly. “But let’s do one last thing. Before we land, let’s do a quick loop over the countryside. Deila was waiting to pass the message that the perimeter shields had been blown. The Scavenger Young should be mobilizing.”

Obi-Wan flew in widening circles over the countryside. Everywhere they saw young people, boys and girls, streaming out from farms and villages and woods. They were already beginning to clog the road into Zehava. Some rode on battered landspeeders or souped-up turbo-tractors. Those who walked formed columns, marching in military style. When they saw the starfighter overhead, they waved and shouted greetings the three could not hear. Obi-Wan dipped his wings in a return salute.

Tears stood in Cerasi’s eyes. “I will never forget this day,” she said. “And I will never forget what you did for us, Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

Obi-Wan turned the starfighter back toward the landing area. He didn’t care how angry Qui-Gon was, or if he got sent back to the Temple. This moment was worth it.