Clone Wars Gambit: Siege Part 24

"But-you're Jedi" Rikkard said, disbelieving, as though they were supposed to be invulnerable.

"Ordinarily that would make the difference, " Obi-Wan said, with a faint smile. "But Count Dooku, the Separatists' leader, was once a Jedi. He has certain... insights. Tricks to keep us under control. "

Teeba Jaklin snorted. "Sounds to me like you're trying to talk us into leaving our s.h.i.+eld up. Not very heroic. You want us to keep on sheltering you? Then ask. Straight out. "

"Jaklin, " said Rikkard. "You can't..."

"What, Rikkard?" she demanded. "What can't I? I'll tell you. I can't stand by and see these Jedi bring ruin on our heads. "

"Who says it's up to you?" Rikkard said, offended. "There's two of us chosen to speak for Torbel. "

Jaklin looked like she wanted to shake him. Or slap him. Or cry. "Are you stupid, man? I let them in. I offered them shelter. It's my doing we're trapped inside this bubble with dead and dying in the sick house and no hope of escape. " Her dirty fist struck her chest.

"Every drop of bloodshed is blood shed by me. "

Rikkard pulled her close. Despite their mutual exasperation and fear, even though there was aggravation on both sides, there was deep affection, too. Rikkard was hurting, feeling Jaklin's pain along with his own.

"I'll say it once more and this time you'll hear me, " he said. "We survived one storm because of them. And Jaklin, with their help we'll survive the storm they brought with them, not meaning to. "

She wrenched free of him, then turned her burning gaze on Obi-Wan. "If you go with those droids, what happens to us? Do they leave Torbel alone or do they punish us for sheltering you?

If we tell them we had no idea you were Jedi, will they believe us?"

"They're droids, Teeba Jaklin, " Anakin said, before Obi-Wan could answer. "Believing humans isn't a high priority in their programming. "

"So whatever we do makes no matter? The damage is done? For helping you we're punished?" Stifling fresh grief, Jaklin stared at the straggle of frightened children on the village square. "How is that right?"

"It's not, " he said, fighting to keep her pain at a distance. "Teeba, I'm sorry. "

"You mustn't lose hope, " said Obi-Wan. "Don't forget, they need Torbel's damot.i.te. "

"But do they need us to mine it?" she retorted, still staring at the children. "They could kill us all and bring in miners from other villages. "

"They could, " Obi-Wan agreed, reluctant. "But that would likely stir up trouble, which is the last thing they want. Besides, what you're suggesting would take time-and time is one thing the Seps don't have in abundance. "

101.

Sighing, Rikkard rubbed his hand across his scarred head. "If we give the word to lower our s.h.i.+eld, can you promise me those droids won't open fire and kill every one in Torbel that's not a Jedi?"

"No, I can't promise you that, " Obi-Wan said tightly. "But we'd do everything in our power to prevent it. "

"Then can you promise me, if we do hand you over without getting ourselves killed, that you and Anakin won't be put to death?"

A heavy silence, then Obi-Wan shook his head. "No, Rikkard. I can't promise that either, but..."

"A moment. Tell me this, Teeb. " Rikkard's eyes were fierce. "What do you want?"

Taken by surprise, Obi-Wan stared at him. "What do I- Rikkard, I want you and your people safe. I want to stop Lok Durd and his bioweapon. "

"And you want to live, " said Jaklin. "Don't..."

"What if you can't have everything you want?" said Rikkard, a hand on Jaklin's arm holding her to silence. "Who do you save, Teeb Ken.o.bi? Yourself and Anakin? Us? Or the rest of the galaxy?"

Obi-Wan didn't answer.

Rikkard turned. "And you, Anakin? What do you want?"

Anakin looked at the ground. He knew what Obi-Wan wanted him to say.

But we don't agree. Obi-Wan. I think giving ourselves to the droids should be our last choice, not our first.

"Rikkard, I can modify your storm s.h.i.+eld, " he said, keeping his voice flat and unemotional, ignoring Obi-Wan's dismay. "I can strengthen it and modulate its pulse frequency so the droids' weapons won't penetrate it. And with those modifications I believe we can hold them off until help gets here. At least, we can if you've got enough stored fuel. "

Rikkard rubbed his scar-knotted scalp again. "That depends on what you mean by enough, " he said slowly. "We have some liquid damot.i.te stockpiled. "

"How much?"

"It should last us maybe a month. We can't store huge amounts, it's too volatile. "

Stang. There was no way they'd last a month with the modified storm s.h.i.+eld running without respite. "Can you make more if we need it?"

"No, " said Jaklin, bitter with fear. "Not unless you can wave your fancy weapon over what's left of the refinery and un-destroy it. Can you do that, Jedi?"

"I wish I could. " Anakin blew out a sharp breath. "You want to know what I want? I want surrender to lie a last resort. I'm confident our message reached the Temple and help is on its way. I think we can hold out until it gets here, if we're careful. Rikkard, I want us all to survive. And I believe we can. "

Rikkard looked at him in silence for a long time, hope and doubt warring behind the shadows in his eyes. "But you don't know. "

"No, " said Obi-Wan. "He doesn't. "

The coldness beneath Obi-Wan's politely detached voice almost made him flinch.

Now I'm in trouble.

"Rikkard, if it turns out I'm wrong we can still surrender, " he added, not looking at Obi-Wan. "If we reach the breaking point and no help arrives, we'll make it look like we were holding Torbel hostage and you managed to overpower us. Please- I know it's a risk, but I think it's one worth taking. "

Teeba Jaklin looked at Obi-Wan. "You don't agree. "

102.

"Oh, I agree it's a risk, " said Obi-Wan, blandly furious.

"Is he lying about the storm s.h.i.+eld? Can he do what he says?"

No matter how angry he was, Obi-Wan was always fair. "Yes, he can. "

Jaklin eyes narrowed. "Are you afraid, Jedi?"

Her belligerence made Obi-Wan blink. "Teeba, we Jedi are taught that fear is dangerous. It can lead us down dark pathways, to ends we would not wish for ourselves or others. "

"But you're a man, aren't you?" she demanded. "You have a heart? You have feelings?"

Looking at Obi-Wan, recognizing his withdrawn expression, Anakin hit his lip.

Come on, Obi-Wan. Give a little. She needs to know you 're more than a mysterious Jedi, that you know what it's like to feel alone and afraid. She won't ask her people to risk themselves for us if she thinks we're no better than droids ourselves.

"I know what you want from me, Teeba, " Obi-Wan said at last. "And I know why. But I won't claim to be something I'm not simply to placate you. That would be an insult. I understand your fear and I will do everything in my power to see that what you fear does not come to pa.s.s. "

"There, Jaklin, " said Rikkard. "You can't ask for more than that. "

Looking at Jaklin, Anakin thought she could, and wanted to, but Rikkard's glower changed her mind. "Our poor village, " she whispered. "Will the bad times never end?"

"Yes, they will, " said Rikkard, his voice unsteady. "They have to. Nothing bad lasts forever. "

Anakin felt a little catch, underneath his ribs.

No. It just feels that way sometimes.

Rikkard and Jaklin stared at each other, lost in a private, wordless conversation.

Aware of Obi-Wan's simmering displeasure, Anakin considered the storm s.h.i.+eld pulsing above their heads. The design dynamics a.s.sured them of an osmotic oxygen supply. Was it possible for the droids to somehow tamper with that? Was there a way to seal the s.h.i.+eld from the outside so they could suffocate Torbel into submission?

Maybe. But they'd have to think of it first. Droids aren't big on thinking.

Right. So, what else could go wrong?

Aside from us running out of liquid damot.i.te, another crisis in the power plant, more generators fusing, using up all our water and food and our message not getting through to the Temple... or if it did, help not getting here soon enough. Or not getting here at all.

He was starting to tire of discovering new and more interesting kinds of trouble.

Stirring out of silence, Jaklin folded her arms. "Even if we thought the same on this, Rikkard-and we don't-it's not a choice you and I can make for the village. "

"I agree, " said Obi-Wan. "Call a meeting, Rikkard. Give your friends and neighbors all the facts and let them decide what's to be done. "

"And you'll abide by our choice?" said Jaklin, belligerent again. "No fancy Jedi tricks to get your own way?"

Anakin watched Obi-Wan recoil, almost imperceptibly. Despite their efforts to help Torbel, despite the lives they'd saved, Jaklin was still so angry. Terrified of the danger they'd brought to her village, offended they'd come to her under false pretenses, and mortified that she'd let herself be deceived. He understood how she felt. He could feel how she felt. So could Obi-Wan. Sometimes that was the problem with being a Jedi.

Obi-Wan exhaled slowly. "Of course not, Teeba. Whatever you decide will be binding upon us. Now, if you'll excuse me, while you and your people are debating the problem I'll return to the sick house. Send for me when a decision has been reached. "

103.

With a shallow bow, he turned and walked away. Watching him, knowing that a confrontation between them was only postponed, not avoided, Anakin breathed out a sigh of his own.

"You've displeased him, " said Rikkard. "He wanted you to follow his lead. "

Obi-Wan entered the sick house and closed its door behind him.

Glancing at Rikkard, Anakin nodded. "I was his student for many years. He taught me almost everything I know about being a Jedi.

Yes. He wanted me to follow his lead. "

"But you didn't, " said Jaklin. "Some would call that disrespectful. Arrogant, even. For all you're tall and have a way with machinery and a few clever Jedi tricks stuffed into your pockets, you're a boy still. Who are you to ignore what he thinks? Anyone can see he's a man of experience. "

"Yes, he is, " Anakin agreed. "He's a great man, Teeba Jaklin. And it may turn out that he's right and I'm wrong and we do have to surrender to those battle droids. But like I said-that's not my first choice. "

Rikkard dragged a hand down his scarred face. "He's trying to protect us. "

"I know. " And that's the trouble. "So am I. "

"Anakin... " Rikkard stared as though he could see inside him to some hidden, unspoken truth. "Are you afraid?"

"Yes, " he said simply. "I'm afraid that because we came here, more of your people will get hurt, or worse. I'm afraid that while we're stuck behind the s.h.i.+eld something will go wrong that I can't fix. I'm afraid that in disagreeing with Obi-Wan I've hurt him, and our friends.h.i.+p. " I'm afraid that I'll die on your horrible planet and never see Padme again. "I'm a man, Rikkard. I feel fear. But I choose not to let it rule me. "

Some of the tension in Rikkard's tired eyes eased. "The honesty's appreciated, young Teeb. If we can't speak our hearts to each other, we'll not survive. That's what you learn in the mining life. What a man like you learns in yours? Most of it I'm not about to understand.

But I'll tell you what I do know, for you and Arrad are of an age and I know a bit of what you're feeling-and what he's feeling, too. "

He nodded toward the sick house.

"Sort yourself to a comfortable place, then find your common ground with him and stand on it. You and him, you need each other.

And Torbel needs you standing shoulder to shoulder if we're going to survive this. "

"Rikkard's right, " said Teeba Jaklin roughly. "So here's a question I want answered, young Jedi. Can you untangle what's tangled between you and your friend so the people of this village pay with no more of their blood?"

"Yes, " he said, and hoped he was telling the truth.

Jaklin sniffed. "Then best you get to untangling, while Rikkard and I call our village meeting. "

Teeba Sufi worked alone in the sick house, struggling to settle the last of the wounded onto their cots. The small main ward was crammed with patients, most of them sleeping or unconscious. Anakin stared at them, appalled. Even he, with his conspicuous lack of talent for healing, could feel their discordant pain in the Force. Their breathing was slow and heavy, ragged exhalations on the borderline of moans. The air smelled thickly of stale blood and fresh poultices. He was abruptly, unpleasantly, reminded of the aftermath on Kothlis, of the countless triage staging areas he'd faced since the start of the war. Pain and loss and terror, everywhere he turned. The cruel difference was that those casualties of war, be they civilian or Republic- troops, had access to the very best in medical expertise.

And what have these poor people got? Some bandages, some ointments, a scattering of third-rate pills, and Obi-Wan, who's exhausted and doesn't really know what he's doing.

Obi-Wan, who hadn't looked around when the sick house door opened. Who was ignoring him as though he didn't exist.

Stang.

104.

Caught drifting dangerously close to despair, Anakin throttled any further dark thoughts and instead counted the occupied cots. There were twenty-three casualties-a handful from the refinery explosion and the rest from the droid attack. Oh, and Bohle, that little girl's mother, whose life Obi-Wan had managed to save. The girl-Greti-wasn't here. She was an odd child, strong with the Force, and wasted in Torbel. It was a pity. Obi-Wan should keep her out of the sick house. It was no place for a young girl. Greti wasn't Ahsoka.

Seated on a stool beside a laden cot, holding the hand of a villager caught in the open by one of Durd's mosquito droids, Obi-Wan was doing his best to give the woman strength to overcome her agony. Anakin could feel his struggle in the Force. When it came to medicine Torbel was practically primitive. There was a good chance people here would die of shock and pain, from wounds that a med droid could easily fix.

Mom and I and the other slaves got better medical treatment on Tatooine. But then that was a matter of protecting invest- merits.

These people aren't anyone's investments. n.o.body cares about them except them. And me now.