Clone Wars Gambit: Siege Part 14

"I do, " he said. "Now let's go. "

They retrieved the glow lamps, left the cottage in darkness and went outside. Torbel's storm s.h.i.+elds arced overhead in an enormous bluish dome. Beyond that pale barrier the theta storm raged, a writhing soup of supercharged, reddish orange poison.

"It almost seems alive, " Anakin murmured, fascinated. "Like it's trying to get in. "

Obi-Wan gave him a look. "Less imagination and more focus, Anakin. "

"Sorry. "

They went their separate ways, Anakin heading for the nearest storm-s.h.i.+eld generator while he continued down the narrow street, the thin beam from his glow lamp bouncing with every stride. The power plant was on the far side of the village, distant from the mine and the refinery and anything else that could be damaged if there was an accident. Jogging across the square. Obi-Wan resisted the urge to Force-sprint. The streets might be empty now but that could change at any moment. He looked over at the charter house. The front windows were dimly lit with glow lamps, and he could sense the presence of some four-no, five-worried people.

Overhead, beyond the storm s.h.i.+eld, the theta particles thrashed and swirled. Lanteeb's atmosphere must be soaked in the stuff, bloated with it. What a way to live; every day waiting for this madness to erupt. Frantically hoping that the warning system worked, that the storm s.h.i.+elds would hold, that the worst of nature's impersonal cruelty would pa.s.s them by. Lanteeb might be a backworld but in its own way it, too, was living through a war.

When this is over, I'll ask Bail to use his influence to make a difference here. These people deserve better.

60.He found Devi alone in the small, antiquated power plant's monitoring station. Strapped into an antigravity support harness, she awkwardly prowled the banks of circuitry and gauges, her worried gaze reading off every tiny fluctuation in core temp, energy flow, and backfill status.

"Teeb Yavid?" she said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I have some experience with machinery, " he said, letting his senses touch the power plant's atmosphere. Not using the Force, not precisely... just letting it whisper in his ear. "Teeba Jaklin thought you might like a helping hand. "

Devi glared at the ceiling. "Blasted theta storms. On top of everything else. Yavid, when you say you've machine experience... "

Something wasn't right with the generator's central flux capacitor. A rough note, a hum of warning. Something out of place. Alerted, Obi-Wan began to wander down the bank of monitors, reaching out with his senses to pinpoint the problem.

I have a bad feeling.

"Markl and I didn't just work lumber on Alderaan, " he said, "we worked for nearly a whole season in a power generation plant. It was Alderaan so their equipment was much more sophisticated than yours-ours-but..." He glanced back at her. "I picked up a few tricks. So if I can be of use to you..."

"All the help you can give me I'll take, " Devi said fervently. "Now, what are you looking for?"

He trailed his fingertips above the surface of the monitors. Not here... not here... not here...

Yes. Here.

Putting aside his glow lamp, he took a closer look at the monitor's flickering gauges. Intrigued, Devi joined him, the servomotors in her antigrav harness grinding. It didn't fit her properly; he could sense the dull pain in her damaged back and legs.

"What's this do?" he said, tapping the bank of equipment.

"That's the readout for the conversion chamber mix valve, " she said, alarmed. "It's the feed valve for the liquid damot.i.te. "

Obi-Wan stared at her. Damot.i.te? n.o.body mentioned damot.i.te is being used as fuel. Surely that wasn't a good idea.

Devi was rapping her knuckles to her forehead, as though trying to encourage rapid thought. "Conversion chamber- conversion chamber, " she muttered. "What can cause a problem with the con..."

"Impurities in the prime fuel source?" he said, feeling the Force's warning sharpen. "If they've clogged one or more of the feed valves..."

"Stang, " she said softly. "Yavid, you're right. How did I not-stang. "

Turning so fast that she almost overbalanced, she clumped her way across the monitoring station to a bank of equipment heavily featuring levers, manual valves, and dials.

"I need to do a system flush, " she said. "Look at the readout again would you, Yavid? Which specific valves are affected?"

He looked. Eighteen valves in total, red warning lights flas.h.i.+ng on four. "Numbers two, eight, eleven, and seventeen. "

Her face screwed tight in concentration, Devi slammed down levers in the order he'd called. Then she activated the valve flush and stood back, eyes narrowed, as the dim, almost subliminal sound of the nearly obsolete hydraulic system kicked into play.

"Come on-come on ..." she murmured, singsong. "Yavid, what's the board reading now?"

He looked again. "No change, I'm-no, no, strike that. Seventeen is green. "

"Oh come on..." Devi implored. "Pathetic it is, one out of four!"

61."Two is green, " he said, as another red light morphed into a cooler, kinder color. "And so is eleven. "

Her head snapped around to stare, her eyes intent. "Not eight?"

One last stubborn red light flashed. Flashed faster. Stopped flas.h.i.+ng altogether and became a single glaring red eye. Obi-Wan felt a tremor of alarm. "I believe eight has gone critical. "

"Slang!" Devi shouted, and hit the valve flush again. "You blasted-I'm going to smash Arrad, the arrogant little barve, I told him..."

With an effort she got herself back under control. "Yavid, is it working?"

A shrill alarm buzzer answered for him.

"Devi, can the valve be flushed manually?"

"Yes, yes, it can, but..."

She looked down at herself, at the bulky, ungainly antigrav support harness that kept her on her feet but made her slow and clumsy.

On the monitoring station's opposite wall a status board started to light up.

Obi-Wan followed her anguished stare. " That's not good, is it?"

"No, Yavid, " she whispered. "It's very, very bad. "

"The system's overloading?"

She nodded, her pale face sweaty with fear.

He pointed to the closed door at the back of the monitoring station. "The plant proper's through there?"

"Yes, " she said, breathless. "Yavid, have you ever done a manual forced..."

"No. " He managed a quick smile. "But there's a first time for everything. And I'm a quick learner. "

Devi tried, but she couldn't answer his smile. "You're sure? It's not easy, and it's dangerous. "

"Do we have a choice?"

"Not really. " Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself.

"Through the door, turn right, ten ranks over, then six bays down. It's number eight valve, right? Then you're looking for the bank of green equipment. There's a spigot wheel and two levers. Pull down the left-hand lever. Open the spigot as wide as it'll go. Pull down the right-hand lever. Wait for the all-clear bell. Yank both levers back up at the same time, then close the spigot. You got that?"

He was already heading for the door. "Yes. I've got it. "

"Wait, Yavid!" she called after him. "You need a hazard suit. You'll find them in..."

"There's no time, " he said over his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll manage. "

"All right, " she said. "I'll keep monitoring things out here. Good luck. "

More alarms blared as he grabbed the door's handle, and turned it.

I'II need more than luck. May the Force he with me.

The raging theta storm had turned night into nightmare.

Though Anakin could sense the lives in this forsaken village, huddled in their homes, slaving deep beneath his feet and in the ever-hungry refinery, he felt like the only man alive in the world. Working his way around the perimeter of the storm s.h.i.+eld, he didn't need his glow lamp to see or the Force to guide him. The storm s.h.i.+eld generated its own ghostly light, and the glare of the storm was like a dying sun melting out of the sky.

62.Though it was frightening, he found the purity of its ferocity compelling. Alluring. It called to something deep inside him. But Obi-Wan was right. Less imagination, more focus. He had a job to do and lives to protect.

There were fifteen s.h.i.+eld generators in total, placed at intervals around the village. Each created a section of antigrav plasma that bled into and bonded with the next, forming a seamless, impenetrable whole. He reached the third generator to find another villager already there, checking its power cell and circuitry.

"You'd be Teeb Markl?" the man said, s.h.i.+ning a glow lamp into his face. In his late middle years, he had an old scar running right across both sunken cheeks. "I'm Tarnik. Jaklin warned you and your cousin were out to help. "

Warned? That sounded ominous. "We've a bit of machine work up our sleeves, Tarnik, " Anakin said, projecting guiless concern.

"With the village shorthanded and the mine swallowing men, Yavid and I thought..."

"No need to explain, " said Tarnik. Storm shadows flickered over him, hiding his eyes. "I'm glad of it. " He nudged the generator.

"This one's holding up. I'm thinking, since it don't take two men to look at one generator, could be you and I need to work in opposite directions. "

"You want me to cross the village? Start from the other side?"

Tarnik lowered his glow lamp. Despite their trouble he was smiling, his wry expression twisting the scar across his face. "If you don't mind running. Your legs are a few seasons younger than mine. "

"I can do that, " Anakin said. "The two generators behind me don't show any faults. "

"Glad to hear it, " said Tarnik. "And the village, it'll be glad to hear you and your cousin aren't afraid to put your shoulders to the wheel. Torbel can always use good men of your stamp. "

Maybe. But it could use a fleet of Republic Cruisers, the Seps kicked out, and some serious hards.h.i.+p a.s.sistance even more.

"That's good to know, Teeb, " he said. "I'll get looking at those other generators. Meet up with you somewhere around the s.h.i.+eld. "

He waited until the murky half darkness claimed him, then broke out of his jog into a proper Force-sprint. Only to the other side of the village. Not for long enough to make Obi-Wan frown. Not long enough, he was certain, to attract any malicious notice. And that there was notice to attract? That was yet another problem on their crowded plate.

I wish I knew what it was Obi-Wan felt down in the mine. I wish I knew why I didn't feel it, too.

All he could feel in this moment, speeding to the next generator, was what the storm would do to this vulnerable village if he and Obi-Wan didn't prevent it.

His mother's voice echoed in the caverns of memory: He can help you. He was meant to help you.

As he reached the next generator he dropped out of Force- sprint, his heart thudding hard in his chest and his breathing ragged, muscles burning for want of proper fuel. His lightsaber, still safe in its s.h.i.+elded pocket, felt heavy. Almost burdensome. They needed some decent food. Gritty gruel and anemic stew wouldn't keep them going for much longer.

Ignoring the glow lamp, he let the Force show him the inner workings of the generator. Old and overworked, yes, but reliable-at least for now.

One more down, lots more to go.

He forged on to the next generator.

Eardrums battered, skin scorching even beneath his filthy, sweat-stained clothes, Obi-Wan made his way through the ferocious heat and noise of Torbel's long-outdated, struggling power plant.

Ten ranks over, then six bays down. Look for the green section.

63.He tried to feel Anakin through the Force, make sure he was all right, but his senses were overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the storm. Its impersonal malevolence drowned every other thought and feeling, the danger it posed to every life in the village obliterating the other danger he knew was out there somewhere. Stalking them.

... rank six... rank seven... rank eight...

The air s.h.i.+mmered. It was like being back on Tatooine, feeling the menace of that extraordinary heat, watching the dry air s.h.i.+ver in the furnace between sand and sky. So many worlds he'd visited in his life, but not one came close to that stark and endless desert, a crucible for forging many strange and wonderful things.

Not the least of which is Anakin.

Ten ranks over and six bays down. The sense of dread increased, his awareness of urgency growing. The laboring power plant's struggle shuddered through him.

... rank nine... rank ten!

Now count to six and look for the green. Count to six and look for the- There.

As he confronted the bank of levers and valves, the Force shrieked a warning. Red lights flashed, a strident alarm sounded. He could feel the valve structure's imminent explosion. No time to think or worry or prepare. He dragged off his s.h.i.+rt and used the filthy material to protect his hands.

Pull down the left-hand lever. Open the spigot as wide as it'll go. Pull down the right-hand lever. Wait for the all-clear h.e.l.l. Yank both levers back up at the same time, then close the spigot.

The levers and spigot were jammed by heat and imperfect maintenance, by wear and tear and the pa.s.sing of time. Torbel's decrepit machinery was falling apart piece by piece.

He had no choice. He used the Force, knowing even as its transcendent power helped him s.h.i.+ft the levers and turn the spigot that the enemy seeking him would see him like a flare in the night sky.

Here I am. Come and get me.

Panting, his hands searing, his nose and mouth tainted with the stink of overworked hydraulics and overheated wiring and circuits and the peculiar stink of cooked damot.i.te, Obi-Wan dragged his s.h.i.+rt on again and stood back. The hysterically leaping gauges slowed...

and slowed... and slowed some more. Closing his eyes, he sank his awareness into the valve system itself, became a part of the agitated, liquefied mineral. Such a dangerously unstable fuel. How desperate must these people be even to contemplate using it. And then he felt the seething surge settle as the blocked valve washed clean and the fuel flowed once again through the plant's arteries.