Clone Wars Gambit: Siege (33 page)

A
FTER NEARLY FOUR HOURS
of unrelenting effort, finally Obi-Wan had to accept he’d done as much as he could for Taria, at least for the time being. The droids and ammunition she’d warned them of had arrived a short while ago, but despite the renewed, ferocious bombardment, she slept. Still each exhaled breath was edged with a rasping hint of pain. Beneath her tranquil face there was pain. From now on, because she was so brave and so stubborn, pain would dominate every remaining day of her life.

“All right,” he said, and tugged the light blanket over her shoulder. “That’s enough for now.”

“But she’s not better,” said Greti, drooping on a stool beside him. The child was exhausted. He’d had no right to ask again for her help, but it was
Taria
. And they needed her in this fight.

“She’s better than she was,” he said. “Thanks to you, Greti. The strength you lent me made the difference. Now you should get some rest, too.”

“Teeb Kenobi’s right,” said Sufi, drying her hands at the sink. “It’s more than enough you’ve done, child.”

Obi-Wan glanced at her. She was still furious with him for waking Greti, for asking the girl to pit herself against Taria’s disease.

He nudged Greti with his knee. “You should listen to Teeba Sufi.”

“But—”

“
Greti.
”

With a huffing sigh, Greti gave in.

“You both need rest,” said Sufi, picking her way through her other patients to join him. “Go next door and sleep, Teeb. I’ll wake you if your friend stirs.”

Stifling his own pain, Obi-Wan stood. “I can’t. I’m long overdue at the plant. Please, make sure that Greti either goes home or sleeps here.”

She didn’t bother trying to argue with him. “Do what you like, you will.”

“Obi-Wan…”

Surprised, he turned. “Rikkard?”

Torbel’s head miner shoved his blanket aside, sat up and swung his feet to the floor. “If you’re going to the plant then I’m going with you.”

“You’re not,” said Sufi. “You’re—”

Rikkard stood, unsteady but resolute. “I am.”

Obi-Wan looked at him. Days of illness had left the miner haggard, but he wasn’t dying. “All right.”

“Teeb Kenobi—”

“Sufi,” Obi-Wan said, hand raised. “We’ve decisions to make. Rikkard’s your speaker. It’s his right to be there.”

“If it’s a speaker you need, fetch Jaklin! She can—”

“We both know Jaklin’s—not well,” he said. “Please. We must go.” He tapped his fingers on Greti’s hair. “And you? Mind Teeba Sufi.”

Rikkard paused to kiss his sleeping son’s forehead, then they left the sick house. Dawn was breaking. Beyond the plasma shield the new light bounced and sparkled on the mass of battle droids, ceaselessly firing at the shield. Rikkard stared at them.

“Your sick friend, Teeb. Is she the only help that’s coming?”

There was no point pretending. “Perhaps. I hope not.”

“Two of us, that makes,” Rikkard muttered.

If there was news, Master Windu would have commed. They’d spoken once more since their first comm.
Status unchanged
. It wasn’t what he’d wanted to hear.

“Come on,” Obi-Wan said, thrusting doubt aside. “Anakin’s waiting.”

F
IFTEEN MINUTES LATER
, they stood with Anakin and Devi in the power plant’s substation, surveying Torbel’s depleted supply of liquid damotite.

“That’s it?” said Rikkard, shocked. “That’s all we’ve got left? But—that’s a good month’s supply gone in days.”

“There wasn’t a choice, Rikkard,” said Devi. “Keeping the shield running and strong—that’s thirsty work. Especially for our old plant.”

“I know,” said Rikkard, sighing. “I’m not blaming you, Dev.”

Obi-Wan exchanged glances with Anakin. “Blame us,” he said. “We brought this on you.”

“I’d like to, believe me,” said Rikkard, glowering. “But then I look at my son—and I think of that filthy damotite weapon—” He shook his head. “What good does blame do anyway? Won’t save lives, will it? But with all those new droids out there…”

“Don’t worry about them,” said Anakin. “I can reconfigure the shields again.”

Rikkard looked at him. “And run through what’s left of our fuel in twice the time?”

“Sorry. That’s the trade-off.”

Rikkard rasped a hand over his stubbled chin. “And if I agree, you buy us how long? A day?”

“Maybe two,” said Anakin. “It should be enough, if the reinforcements arrive for our battle group—if they can break through Grievous’s blockade and—”

“
If,
” said Rikkard, scornful. “It’s all hope and guesswork, isn’t it? For all you know the Republic’s ready to cut its losses. Admit it, boy. We’re facing death.”

“That might be true, Rikkard,” Obi-Wan said quietly, “but this much I can promise: It won’t be because the Republic deserted us.”

“Rikkard.” Unsteady in her broken-down antigrav harness, Devi took hold of his arm. “We’ve trusted them this far.”

Aged years by his illness, beaten down with pain and grief, Rikkard nodded and turned away. “Do what you like. It makes no difference.”

“
Rikkard
—” Devi bit her lip, watching him stamp out of the fuel store. “I’ll go after him. Anakin, reconfigure the shields. Obi-Wan, you’ll need to recheck every feed valve in Bays Three through Twelve. I’ll come help you when I can.”

Alone again, Obi-Wan looked at Anakin. “You’re sure about this? What you’re planning—the shield generators can stand it? The power plant can stand it?”

Anakin grimaced. “Not for long, they can’t. But maybe for long enough, if we’re lucky. And I know—you don’t believe in luck.” He shrugged. “But I say it can’t hurt to cross our fingers, just this once.”

With a small, tired smile, he nodded. “Just this once.” Anakin was looking haggard, too, after another long night without sleep. “How’s Master Damsin?”

“She’s sleeping.”

“Obi-Wan—”

Sympathy, however well meant, would undo him. “Come on,” he said. “We’ve got work to do.”

B
Y THE TIME THE SUN
was halfway to noon, the shields were reconfigured, the power plant’s decrepit feed valves had been cleaned of accumulated impurities and six sections of shorting circuitry were replaced. With everything done that could be done, for the moment, the four of them met up in the monitoring station.

“And that’s it?” said Rikkard. He looked ready to drop. “What about the Republic? Teeb Kenobi—”

“They’ll comm when things change,” Obi-Wan said. “It would be a mistake to chivvy them. In the meantime, we do what we can.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” said Anakin. “If the shield fails before help reaches us, we’ll be fighting hand to hand. Thanks to those droids, we’ve got some blasters. We’ve got vibro-picks and other mining tools. And we’ve got what we need to improvise grenades.”

Feeling sick, Obi-Wan closed his eyes.
These are villagers, not soldiers. It’ll be a slaughter
. Then he nodded. “Agreed.”

“You want us to fight?” said Rikkard. “Teebs, we’ll fight. But there’s not a man or woman here who’s ever fired a blaster.”

“Or made a grenade,” added Devi.

“Don’t worry,” said Anakin. “We’ll show you how.”

Rikkard rubbed the ropy scars on his head. “You’ll have to.”

“But you both must rest first,” said Devi. “You’ve bought us a little time, Teebs. Now use it wisely.”

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin. “She’s right. We can afford an hour.”

“You can afford two,” Devi snapped. “Better yet, three. You’re as much a resource to Torbel as our liquid damotite. Don’t squander yourselves. We can’t afford it.”

“You heard the Teeba,” said Rikkard. “Three hours. We can mind the power plant and the shield without you that long. Now go. That’s my ruling, as village speaker.”

Too tired to argue, they went.

T
ARIA WOKE
to Obi-Wan’s pain as he tried yet again to heal her.

“Obi-Wan, stop,” she whispered. “You’re not helping me and you’re only hurting yourself.”

He shook his head. “No. I can do this. I just need to—I haven’t quite got the knack of—” His fist hit the side of her cot. “I’m not
trained
, that’s the problem. But I can—”

“
Obi-Wan!
” She caught his wrist. “I said no. I don’t want you to do this.”

Filthy and unkempt, he stared at her. “Taria, I can’t sit here and do nothing.”

“Of course you can,” she said gently. “Because there’s nothing you can do.”

As the
boom
and
blat
of blasterfire rattled the sick house’s window and its open doors, Taria looked around the room. Anakin was asleep in a nearby cot, Sufi was outside in the street, and there was no sign of the little girl, Greti. With her fellow patients lulled to silence by herbs and sickness, she and Obi-Wan were as good as alone.

“You shouldn’t have come,” he said, staring at his hands.

She released his wrist. “Don’t talk nonsense. That bioweapon had to be destroyed.”

“You shouldn’t have come
here,
” he snapped. “You’re a fool.”

“I know,” she said, and pressed her palm to his cheek. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Jerkily he pushed himself off his stool. “No. No. Don’t mind me, Taria. I’m just tired.”

Tired? She couldn’t think of a word to describe what he was. Empty, perhaps? Having poured so much of himself into healing these people, into keeping them alive? Yes. He was empty.

Or he was. But now here I am, filling him with grief
.

“Obi-Wan…”

He kept his back to her. He was so
thin
. He and Anakin were worn down to skin and bones, living on the Force.
And he calls me crazy?
“Obi-Wan,” she said again. “Please.”

Slowly, he turned. His face was naked, every guarded feeling laid bare. If they’d been in love once, it was only for a moment, in the breathless, fresh excitement of discovery, in that first annihilating shock of pleasure. But it had passed, which was a good thing, and in passing had transmuted to something deep and sure and true.

“Obi-Wan, you have to listen to me,” she said. “Really listen. And believe every word.”

Step by step he came back to her, and sat down again.

“I’ve been a dead woman walking ever since Pamina Prime,” she said, keeping her voice low. Willing him to
hear
her, and believe. “We both know that. So it wasn’t ever about living longer, but what I got to do with the life that was left to me. What I’m doing here?” She waved her hand, feeling the bite in bone and muscle. “Stopping Durd, helping to save you and Skyguy and this village? It’s important. So even if it hastens what must come to pass, Obi-Wan, how can I not rejoice? And how can you love me yet not rejoice for me?”

He shrugged. “I’m selfish, Taria. I don’t want to lose you.”

Though it woke the sharpest hurt in her, she sat up. “I made my peace with this dying business long ago. Don’t poison what little time we have left.”

For a moment she watched him struggle with that. Then she leaned forward and cradled his face between her hands.

“I’m going to tell you this now because I might not get a chance later,” she whispered. “They call Anakin the Chosen One but you have a destiny, too. You have a long road to walk and it won’t always be easy. I wish I could walk it with you, but that’s not meant to be. So you remember what I’m telling you, Obi-Wan. Everything happens for a reason.
Everything
. The good, the bad, the indifferent. They all have a purpose. Never forget who you are. Never forget what you serve. And no matter what happens, keep your face turned to the light.”

She watched her words sink through his skin and beneath the surface of his luminous eyes. She watched the grief rise in him, and the rage, and the despair. She watched his courage drown all of them.

She watched him… let go.

Beside them, Anakin stirred awake as Teeba Sufi bustled back into the sick house. Taria dropped her hands to her lap.

She smiled. “All right?”

“What’s all right?” said Anakin, groggy. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing yet,” said Obi-Wan, and slapped him on the back. “On your feet, Anakin. We’ve slept long enough.”

S
TARING FROM
A
DMIRAL
Y
ULAREN TO
M
ASTER
W
INDU AND
back again, Ashoka felt every predator instinct stir.

Oh, no. This isn’t good
.

“Master Windu,” said the admiral, his voice clipped, “while I appreciate the difficulty of your position I
must
think of my troops. You know as well as I that the acceleration of clone production has not succeeded as Fleet anticipated. Given the slowdown of numbers leaving the Kaminoan facility I
cannot
agree to prolonging this mission. Hammer and Arrow squadrons have lost almost one-quarter of their pilots each and Gold Squadron isn’t far behind.

“It’s time to return home.”

Ahsoka, standing far to one side and forgotten, sucked in a sharp breath. She could feel Master Windu’s coldness in the Force, and his ruthless self-mastery as he controlled it. More than anything she wanted to shout
Stop it! The enemy’s out there, not here in Battle Ops
. But she couldn’t say a word. She was a Padawan, a nobody, compared with these men.

If Skyguy was here he’d say something. He’d speak up
.

And the problem was, she was pretty sure what he’d say.
Admiral Yularen’s right. I don’t want anyone dying for me
. And if she heard him say that, well, then she’d be the one arguing.

I’m with Master Windu. We can’t leave them behind
.

Then came a great shudder in the Force as Master Windu released all emotion. “Admiral, help is coming. We only need a little longer. If we play felinx-and-rodus with Grievous, if we abandon this position and instead spread out the battle group, give him four scattered targets instead of—”

“No,” said the admiral. “Master Windu, I’m sorry, but I ask you not to do that. For the sake of your crew, for the sake of—”

“
Admiral?
” It was Lieutenant Avrey, on comm. “
I have a Priority Alpha signal coming through from the Jedi Temple. It’s Master Yoda. He’s asking for you.
”

Admiral Yularen hit the comm switch. “Patch it through, Lieutenant.”

Master Yoda wanted the admiral? Ahsoka, caught staring, felt herself blush as Master Windu fixed her with a cold look.

“Well, Padawan? What do you think?”

She lifted her chin. “Master, I think we don’t leave them behind unless we have to. And I don’t think we have to. Not yet.”

His nodded, his eyes suddenly warm. “Good answer.”

And then Master Yoda’s voice, slightly distorted by distance, came through the comm. “
Agreement we have reached with an auxiliary civilian fleet, Admiral. On its way to you now it is. Agreed to accept your temporary authority, the ship’s captains have. Remain at Lanteeb, can you, until arrive they do?
”

Admiral Yularen clasped his hands behind his back. “Master Yoda, our position is precarious. We’ve already sustained significant casualties. Grievous is holding fire for the moment, but that could change and we do not have the means to overcome him.”

“
Have it you will soon, Admiral.
”

“How soon, Master Yoda?”

“
Within hours.
”

“Master Yoda—what is the Supreme Chancellor’s position on this?”

“
Asked us, has Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, to rescue the trapped Jedi.
”

A long silence. Then Yularen nodded. “Very well, Master Yoda. We’ll wait until this… fleet… arrives.”

“
My thanks you have, Admiral. Good hunting.
”

Master Windu turned. “Padawan Tano—go belowdecks. Inform the Five Hundred First that they’ll be seeing action in the next few hours. Once the skies are clear, ground troops will be going in.”

“Yes, Master Windu,” she said, and came close to running out of the room.

The minute Rex saw her face, he held up a fist and silenced the entire mess, where everyone from the 501st, ground troops and pilots alike, were gathered to remember the dead and wait for action.

The weight of the clones’ stares was a fearsome thing.

“We’re going in,” she said to the room at large. “As soon as our reinforcements arrive we’re going to smash through that blockade to save Master Skywalker and Master Kenobi—and Master Damsin, too.”

The 501st let out a cheer. In the noisy aftermath, Rex came to stand with her. “You all right, little’un?”

It wasn’t until he asked her that she realized how not right she was. Stuck up here, above Lanteeb, away from Anakin, knowing how much trouble he was in, catching only fleeting snatches of him in the Force, not being able to fight by his side. Dreading that with every minute they’d get word of his death… or even worse, that she’d feel it.

“I’m fine,” she told Rex, daring him to contradict her. “Just looking forward to getting my boots on the ground, y’know?”

His eyes told her he could see the truth, but he smiled. “I know, Ahsoka. Never mind. It won’t be long. And then we’ll be downstairs kicking some tinnie clanker butt—and dragging our favorite Jedi to safety by the scruff of his neck.”

She grinned. “I’ll tell him you said that, Rex.”

“Little’un,” he retorted. “I’m counting on it.”

* * *