the two students could continue. He sensed more Jedi Masters arriving.
Tahl's face was a mask. She had gone deep within herself, past her
exhaustion to a place of sheer will. Qui-Gon had never felt so tired. His
arm muscles shook. His legs felt watery. They trembled. Still he did not
stop or make a mistake.
Then Tahl's foot slipped. Just a fraction, but it was enough. The
floor was wet with their sweat. She left herself vulnerable for one split
second, and he moved forward, kicking out with one foot and driving the
lightsaber from her grasp. At the same time he brought his own lightsaber
close to her. He did not touch her with it. He was not willing to give her
even the slightest sting from the training saber.
"Match to Qui-Gon," one of the Jedi Masters spoke.
Qui-Gon and Tahl bowed to each other. Then they collapsed together on
a bench nearby.
"A good match," he said, panting.
"It would have been better if I'd won." He shook his head. "Don't you
ever give up?"
She wiped the sweat off her forehead with a towel. "Never"
Qui-Gon felt disoriented, as though he were in a dream. He was living
inside his vision. His greatest fear had visited him. He thought he had
known desperation in that vision, but the living reality was far worse.
Tahl's eyes closed, and she slumped against him. He felt her muscles
go slack, and she melted against him as though she no longer had bones. He
had never realized Tahl could feel so soft against him. He had only known
her strength. He held her against his chest.
"You should leave me," she whispered. "I don't have long..."
He leaned his head down to speak into her ear. "No. It is not too
late. You never give up. The Force is still with you. I am with you. You
cannot leave me now. Not now."
"I... will try, for you," she breathed. "Qui-Gon, we must go," Obi-
Wan said desperately.
He nodded and let his Padawan lead the way. Tahl was no burden. She
felt light in his arms.
Fissures had opened in the ceiling, and water streamed in from above.
The cave was slowly collapsing. Water poured out of the side tunnel where
Balog had left.
"Do you think we can reach the cave entrance?" Obi-Wan asked.
Qui-Gon eyed the water pouring from the ceiling and the thick smoke
ahead. "Doubtful. We can try to find another way out."
"There is another... exit," Tahl said. Qui-Gon had to bend down to
hear her. "To the underwater base."
"I saw it," Obi-Wan said. "Let's try it. But what about Eritha?"
Qui-Gon hesitated. "Let's get to the entrance to the underwater base
first." He did not want to have to decide between Tahl's life and Eritha's.
But he knew he could not leave without looking for the young girl.
Tahl stirred again. "Eritha is here? We can't leave her, we must..."
Each word seemed to cost her a great effort.
Qui-Gon stilled her with a hand on her hair. "We won't."
The cave had been evacuated. Another explosion shook the cave and
they staggered with its power. More water streamed from the ceiling.
They reached the side tunnel that led to the underwater structure.
Obi-Wan looked at Qui-Gon anxiously as the water grew deeper, now swirling
around their knees. It was icy cold.
"The tunnel where Eritha was held is just ahead," Qui-Gon said. "Try
there first. I will stay here with Tahl. If Eritha is not there, come back
here." If necessary, he would get Tahl out and return for Eritha. He could
feel how weak Tahl's connection to the Force was. It frightened him.
Obi-Wan turned to hurry away, but from the smoky dimness they
suddenly saw a figure pushing through the water toward them. It was Eritha,
her braided hair now loose and wet.
"They left me! They forgot about me!" she screamed, almost collapsing
in Obi-Wan's arms. "They set off explosives. The cave is collapsing!"
"It's all right," Obi-Wan told her. "We'll get you out of here."
He supported her and brought her back to Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon accessed
the entrance to the underwater structure. They squeezed through quickly to
prevent more water from flooding the connecting tunnel.
The relative dryness of the connecting tunnel was reassuring. Smoke
had not penetrated, and they breathed easier. The Absolutes had not chosen
to blow up the underwater structure.yet.
The connecting tunnel was fabricated from white duraplast, with
occasional transparent viewscreens that allowed watery light to filter in
from above. They passed through it quickly and entered the main structure.
This was obviously where the majority of the tech centers were
housed. The cave had been used for storage. They passed room after room of
holofile cabinets and computer banks. The offices were empty. No doubt this
part of the complex had been evacuated as well.
"Do you think Balog is planning to blow this area, too?" Obi-Wan
asked Qui-Gon.
"Possibly. But he might not have had time. We need to find the ramp
that can get us to shore." Qui-Gon knew the shore of the lake was to his
right. As soon as they found a main corridor, it would lead to the ramp
exit.
Obi-Wan ran ahead with Eritha. When they came to a main corridor,
Qui-Gon was glad to see his Padawan turn right. He relaxed a bit, allowing
his Padawan to lead them. He turned his attention to Tahl.
He could see a pale blue vein throb near one of her closed eyes. It
reassured him. Her life systems were still operating, her body still
functioning. The weakness he felt could be reversed. Her systems had been
shut down for several days. It would take time for her to regain her
strength. That was all she needed. Time. He held her more securely against
him.
Ahead, he saw Obi-Wan stop at the ramp control. He pressed his eye
against the panel. "There's an electroscope," he said, drawing away as Qui-
Gon came up. "I don't think we can activate the ramp. We'd be spotted
easily."
Qui-Gon leaned forward and put his eye against the electroscope. It
gave a view of the shore and the cave entrance. Smoke continued to billow
out from the cave. Absolutes gathered on the shore. Someone was organizing
a retreat with the remaining functioning vehicles. If they activated the
ramp, they would land right in the middle of them. Obi-Wan was right. Qui-
Gon felt sure that even if the Jedi weren't recognized, Eritha or Tahl
would be. Eritha had lost her tech jacket. Tahl was in no condition to
walk.
"We have to swim," Qui-Gon decided. "If we swim far enough away, we
can skirt those boulders and pass through the canyon to our vehicles." He
hesitated. "Can you?" he asked Obi-Wan. "Your leg..."
"I can," Obi-Wan said firmly. "I'll give my breather to Eritha."
Qui-Gon lowered Tahl carefully to the floor. Her feet couldn't hold
her, so he laid her gently down. He took out his breather from his utility
belt.
"Tahl?"
Her head turned. Qui-Gon's heart broke at how lackluster her response
was.
"We have to swim. Can you use a breather?"
There was a quirk at the
edge of her lips. Almost a smile. "Only
since I was three."
He smiled and gently fitted the tube on her. "When we get to the
beach, we'll have a short way to walk. I'll carry you. Our transports
aren't far."
She nodded slightly. He knew she was saving her strength.
Qui-Gon motioned to the emergency exit lever. Eritha had donned Obi-
Wan's breather. Qui-Gon knew that it would be a long swim for Obi-Wan. Obi-
Wan was a powerful swimmer, but the leg injury worried Qui-Gon.
They accessed the door, which opened into a small chamber. There was
a panel in the ceiling. Slowly, the chamber began to fill with water. The
water was cold, and Qui-Gon felt Tahl's involuntary shiver. They floated up
toward the ceiling. Qui-Gon nodded at Obi-Wan and the two Jedi took their
deepest breath. The panel slid open and they swam out.
Qui-Gon did not feel the cold water. He did not feel fatigued. Tahl
felt buoyant in his arms, so buoyant that he felt his hopes rise. He swam
with his Padawan by his side. Both of them kept their eye on Eritha, with
Obi-Wan drifting back to help her if she lagged.
His lungs began to ache. The smoke had weakened them. Qui-Gon peered
ahead, but couldn't see the shoreline. There would be no gradual rise,
since the pit was dug for mining purposes. His speed was hampered by being
able to use only one arm, but his kicks were powerful and propelled him
forward.
At last Obi-Wan's feet touched bottom. He surfaced, then quickly
signaled an okay. Qui-Gon surfaced as well, taking deep lungfuls of air.
Obi-Wan was doing the same.
Even as they took deep breaths, they moved toward the shore. The
Absolutes were lining up to be transported away. No one noticed them as
they ran up the short distance to the boulders. From there it was easy to
slip into the narrow crevices between the high cliffs. The rough ground
made for hard walking. Qui-Gon's arms began to ache with the effort of
holding Tahl. Obi-Wan was limping slightly, but he still was able to move
quickly.
"Almost there," Qui-Gon told Tahl. He did not know if she was
conscious.
They found their transports where they had left them. Relief flooded
Qui-Gon. His last fear was that the Absolutes would have found them.
"Take my landspeeder, Qui-Gon," Eritha offered. "It is faster than
yours."
"Thank you." Qui-Gon gently placed Tahl in the companion seat.
He swung into the pilot seat and glanced over. As always, she could
sense when he was looking at her. And as always, she could sense his mood.
"Stop being so worried," she said quietly. "I'll try."
"I'm gaining strength every moment from your strength."
He took her hand. He called up the Force from the air around them. He
felt her do the same, though her hold on the Force was weak. It was all
right. He would provide the extra strength she needed. He felt their power
combine.
Eritha came to stand by the speeder. "Go directly to the Supreme
Governor's residence," she said. "I will call ahead and have med care
waiting for you."
Qui-Gon nodded his thanks. He activated the engines.
"I will see you in New Apsolon," he told Obi-Wan. He reached inside
his tunic and handed Tahl's lightsaber to Obi-Wan. "Until yours recharges."
"I will guard it with my life." Obi-Wan swallowed. The concern in his
eyes was all for Tahl. He gently touched her shoulder. "Safe journey."
Tahl answered weakly. "Thank you for finding me, Obi-Wan."
"May the Force be with you," Obi-Wan said. "It is," Qui-Gon said
confidently, and raced off.
CHAPTER 18
There was still a long journey ahead of them to New Apsolon. Qui-Gon
would not stop. He would drive through the rest of the day and the night.
With the extra power of Eritha's land-speeder, he should be at the edge of
New Apsolon by dawn.
Tahl slid into a deep sleep. That would restore her. Qui-Gon reached
for a thermal cape and covered her. The temperature fell as the suns slid
down in the sky, melting over the horizon in tones of blazing red and gold.
while, Qui-Gon noticed the beauty. It was because Tahl was next to him, and
he wanted her to be a part of it. He did not wake her, but silently he told
her, Do not leave me. We have so much left to share together.
The moons rose, three delicate, luminous crescents. The stars seemed
even more brilliant next to the waning moons. Qui-Gon activated the
speeder's protective dome and turned on the heating unit. Whenever he
reached over to check Tahl's pulse, the coldness of her skin shocked him.
He did not feel hunger but he ate a food capsule and drank water. He had a
long night to get through.
Hours later, Tahl awoke. She pulled herself up a little straighter.
She looked more alert, Qui-Gon noted with relief.
"It's cold," she said.
Qui-Gon had felt too warm, but he set the heating unit to maximum.
"It's the middle of the night."
"Thank you for everything you have done," Tahl said. "I don't like
being rescued. I was furious at myself for being in that position again."
"Don't worry," Qui-Gon said. "You have rescued me in the past. I'm
sure you will again."
"Balog wanted something from me. That's why he kept me alive."
"Don't talk now. Save your strength. There will be time in New
Apsolon," Qui-Gon said.
"No, I need to tell you. There is a list of informers among the
Workers - "
"I know this."
"Balog thought I had it. Naturally I pretended I knew where it was.
So he kept me alive. But in that deprivation device I had time to think.
Why did he believe I had the list?"
"Because you were undercover and could have had access?" Qui-Gon
suggested.
"Is that reason enough to kidnap me?" Tahl shook her head. "I don't
think so. So I went over that last day undercover. I still don't know how
they found out I was a Jedi."
"Perhaps it was Alani," Qui-Gon said. "Eritha claims that Alani is in
league with Balog. She wants to take over as Supreme Governor."
"Alani?" Tahl asked, surprised. "But she found the way to smuggle me
into the Absolutes in the first place."
"She had a reason to keep you there, perhaps," Qui-Gon said. "When
you were no longer useful, she betrayed you."
"And perhaps she hoped I would find the list," Tahl said slowly.
Every word was an effort. "Naturally I would tell the girls I had found it.
I trusted them."
"Do you remember anything significant about your last day?"
The thermal cape slipped off her shoulders, and Tahl drew it around
her. "So cold..." she murmured. "Someone helped me that last day. I had
seconds to get out of the hideout before they came for me. I ran into a
message runner named Oleg. He was a low-level member of the Absolutes.
Instead of turning me in, he helped me. He showed me a door the message
runners used. When I asked him why he helped me, he said he was escaping,
too. He had been marked for interrogation by the Absolute
leaders. He did
not know why, but he was leaving before he could find out."
"Look," Qui-Gon said. "The lights of the city are ahead."
It was still dark. The city lights on the horizon seemed to merge
with the stars.
"Almost there," Qui-Gon said. "Rest. We'll talk later."
Tahl's voice had been growing softer. Now she closed her eyes and
slid into sleep.
Dawn grew slowly. The landscape lightened. The city grew closer. They