Moment of Truth (9781484719794) Read online

  He was not sure how much time had passed. Maybe no more than a day or two. Anakin occasionally thought about escaping. The thought would drift across his mind like a warm breeze, and then disappear.

  One afternoon two med technicians came into the garden and stood before him. “Someone would like to see you, Prisoner 42601.”

  Anakin rose and followed them. He felt a slight curiosity. They walked on either side of him, not touching him or restraining him in any way. There was no need to.

  Anakin was led into an office. The technicians left, shutting the door quietly behind them. Unlike the rest of the complex, which was comfortable but spare, this office was full of color and luxury. A thick, patterned carpet was on the floor and septsilk curtains in deep blue hung at the windows. He thought he could smell a pleasant perfume. He sat down in a soft chair and leaned back against a rose-colored pillow.

  A human woman walked into the room. Her blond hair was threaded with silver and coiled at the nape of her neck. She was older, he sensed, but he could not tell by her face, which was unlined and smooth. Her eyes were penetrating but warm.

  Instead of sitting behind the desk, she perched on the edge of it. “Thank you for coming.”

  Anakin nodded. He could hear a ghost in his head, a murmur of the person he had been. That person would have said, Did I have a choice? But now he did not feel like challenging this person, this woman with the pretty hair and the warm smile.

  “I asked to see you,” she said. “I am the doctor who invented the Zone of Self-Containment. You have seen that we haven’t lied to you. Your experience is about pleasure, not pain. I have a theory that if you are surrounded by pleasant things and no worries, your mind will elevate to that level. Are you happy here?”

  Anakin considered the question. Happy? Suddenly he felt confused. What did the word mean? Had he ever been happy? He remembered a flash of a young boy, running home through narrow streets. He remembered laughing with his friend Tru Veld, a fellow Padawan who he had not seen in a year. He could locate the memory, but not the feeling.

  For some reason, his confusion made her smile. “Wrong question. Let me rephrase. Are you content?”

  That he could answer. “Yes.”

  “Good. That is our goal. Now. The reason I asked for you is that the technicians tell me that you were able to fight the paralyzing agent we used when you first arrived. I should explain that the agent is used only to allay any anxiety you might feel. Naturally as prisoners of war you would suspect that something terrible might happen to you. The agent was only used to make the experience more comfortable for you. You needed to be bathed and dressed, and the paralyzer allowed us to do that without you or the technicians getting hurt. It was for everyone’s benefit, you see.”

  That seemed reasonable, but Anakin said nothing. Although he was perfectly content to talk to this doctor, and was enjoying this wonderful peace he felt, being here had not completely erased the memory of being a Jedi. He did not necessarily trust what this doctor had to say.

  “It is impossible to resist that paralyzing gas, yet you assaulted a technician.”

  “I grabbed his collar,” Anakin corrected pleasantly.

  “And you spoke to him.”

  “It seemed appropriate under the circumstances.”

  She nodded in appreciation. “I see that though you are in the zone, you still have your wits about you.”

  “I don’t like to abandon them completely, no,” Anakin offered.

  She studied him now. Anakin could feel sunlight touch his face. His skin warmed, and he wanted to close his eyes to enjoy the sensation, but he didn’t.

  “I feel something in you,” she said. “There is a mastery of your body, of your mind. I’ve seen it before. Have you ever heard of the Force?”

  Anakin did not show by a flick of muscle that the question had startled him. His Jedi training ran deeper than anything else. He felt it stir, and he leaned into it for support. “No.”

  She nodded again, slightly. “That may be true, and it may not. If you don’t know it already, you might be Force-sensitive. That means you could have special abilities.”

  Wary now, Anakin shrugged. He didn’t want to discuss the Force with this woman. He wanted to go back to the garden. The quickest way to do this, he knew, was to seem bored by her questions.

  “Did you ever see something happen before it actually happened?” she asked.

  He made himself look blank. “I don’t think so.”

  “Are your reaction times unusually fast? Do you have an unusually strong focus?”

  He took a long pause that stretched for a moment. She leaned forward in anticipation.

  “Uh, what was the question?”

  She made an impatient gesture. “Were your reaction times unusually fast? Before you came here.”

  “I was always the first to reach the table for a meal.”

  She leaned back, disappointed. Her eyes went blank. It was as though now that she was bored with him, he didn’t exist.

  “You can go back to the garden now.”

  Anakin stood and left the room. He walked back to the courtyard. The doctor was working for the Vanqors. She wasn’t a native Vanqor. Vanqors were humans, but they all dressed in gray tunics and didn’t adorn their clothing. She was an outlander, no question.

  There was a time he would have been on fire to discover who she was and why she was here. But today the sun shone, and it was warm in the courtyard. And it was almost time for the midday meal.

  Chapter Nine

  Even with the help of the cable launcher, it took Obi-Wan hours to scale the peak. The sun was setting as he reached the top and sat down to rest under a rock outcropping that had created a small cave. He would need all his strength for his task.

  Over the wide chasm below, he saw the camp. He was close enough to see without electrobinoculars beings moving about. He watched as a small transport came toward him. He knew he could not be seen, so he was able to study the flight line of the ship. It buzzed overhead, seeming close enough to touch, then zoomed down to land at the camp landing platform.

  Obi-Wan fingered his cable launcher. If he timed it exactly right, he should be able to hook onto the underside of a low-flying transport. They wouldn’t be able to feel the drag for that short a distance. He would let himself be towed by the transport and then drop to the ground during the landing. If everything went right.

  If something went wrong, he’d be squashed like a bug against the side of a crater.

  He rolled himself up into his thermal cape and told himself to go to sleep. Worrying about Anakin would only interfere with the rest he needed. Yet the sky turned black and many stars had appeared before he felt sleep overtake him.

  He smelled the dawn in his sleep before he woke. The freshness of the air infiltrated his dreams, and when he opened his eyes he felt hopeful.

  He stretched in the chill, trying to warm his muscles. He munched on a protein cube as he made his preparations. He tested the cable several times. His life depended on its strength.

  Trust your materials, but test them twice.

  Yes, Qui-Gon.

  The first transport came in too high. The second, too fast. Obi-Wan crouched in the shadow of the rocks. Patience was necessary. He couldn’t make a mistake.

  The next transport came in low and kept reducing speed. It was a midsize cruiser, big enough that it would not feel the jolt of the launcher or the drag of his body—he hoped. He didn’t think he’d get a better opportunity.

  As the shadow of the cruiser touched the peak, Obi-Wan aimed and sent the cable flying. It latched onto the underbelly of the ship. He was yanked upward with such force he nearly lost consciousness. He had expected a bad jolt, but not this bad. With the wind whistling past his ears and his body whirling and flopping, he tried to get his hands around the cable. He had to steady himself if this was going to work.

  His arms were nearly wrenched from their sockets as he held onto the cable. He tucked his knees
up and his chin down. He kept his finger on the cable control. He brought himself up closer to the body of the ship, knowing he couldn’t get too close or he’d be burned by the exhausts as the ship began to land.

  A boulder loomed ahead. He activated the launcher to get closer to the ship. He zoomed up as the rock approached, passing under him by a few meters. He activated the launcher to drop him again, out of reach of the rocket exhaust. He couldn’t be this close when the ship began to land or he’d be burned to a cinder.

  A large rock formation appeared out of nowhere. Obi-Wan quickly tucked his legs up, but the ship bumped on an air current and his shoulder slammed against the rock. Pain shot through him. He held on. The ship banked, nearly slamming him into a cliff wall.

  Maybe this wasn’t such a smart idea.

  The muscles in his arms and legs began to shake, and his fingers clenched in the effort to hold on to the cable.

  Obi-Wan called on the Force to help him. He was part of the ship, part of the air, part of the cable itself. He would move when he needed to move, he would allow the grace of the ship to pull him to a safe landing.…

  The pilot of the transport apparently liked to show off. He dipped the transport sideways and wagged its wings. Obi-Wan was whipped from side to side.

  Safe landing? I’ll be lucky if I make it without being squashed.

  The landing platform was ahead. He would have to drop off quickly, very close to the perimeter wall. If not, he could be spotted.

  The ship slowed and dipped. Obi-Wan counted out the seconds. At the last possible moment, he disengaged the cable. Bracing himself, he fell through the air, landing hard. He felt the jolt up to his eyebrows. He rolled and ducked behind a parked ship.

  He caught his breath as the ship he had hitched a ride on came to a stop. Droids began to unload cargo. He saw a small utility shed nearby and quickly headed for it.

  The shed held tools and equipment. Obi-Wan searched and was glad to find what he was looking for, a bin full of greasy coveralls. He pulled a pair on. Then he quickly darted out of the shed. His surveillance through his electrobinoculars had given him a rough outline of the camp. He knew the prisoners filed out into the yard at this time. There was always some confusion as they poured out of the buildings. He couldn’t have arrived at a better time.

  He walked briskly across the landing pad as if he belonged there. Then he struck out toward the fenced yard. He had tucked a servodriver in his pocket, and he pretended to be checking the energy fence as he moved down, searching the crowd for Anakin.

  He saw Shalini. She sat, removed from the others, close to the fence. Her head was bowed and her hands were clasped in front of her. He made his way down the length of the fence toward her.

  She lifted her head as he came near. At first she didn’t see him. Her gaze passed over him, just another one of her captors, as she sought the sky. Then she jerked her gaze back to him. Obi-Wan admired her discipline. She gave no sign that she had recognized him. Instead she casually scooted back until she was closer to the fence. She absently drew in the dirt with a finger, looking casual.

  “Is everyone all right?” Obi-Wan asked, bending over with the servodriver.

  “Yes. But Anakin has been taken away. No one knows why.”

  “Where?”

  “There is a gray building across the compound. Unmarked. He was taken there. Listen, they don’t know who we are yet. They don’t know he’s a Jedi. Which makes me think.”

  He was anxious to find Anakin, but Obi-Wan bent closer to hear what Shalini would say. “If Mezdec had gone straight to Vanqor, he would be there by now. He would have told them we were traveling in Vanqor airspace and they would have figured out who we are. Which tells me that Mezdec didn’t go to Vanqor.”

  “Where do you think he went?”

  “I think he went to Typha-Dor. He would assume that either we had been captured or we were still making our way there.”

  “But why would he go to Typha-Dor?”

  “To deliver the invasion plans. But not the real ones.”

  Obi-Wan let out a breath. “Of course. They would accept whatever he would bring as real.”

  “He will destroy us single-handedly,” Shalini said, her voice raw. “All is lost.”

  “No,” Obi-Wan said. “If we can make it in time—”

  “Anakin has the disk. You must get it—”

  “You there!” An angry voice cut through Shalini’s words. “Attendance check!”

  “Find him and go. Don’t worry about us. Save Typha-Dor.”

  Shalini rose and walked off, unwilling to risk exposing Obi-Wan.

  Obi-Wan tucked the servodriver in his pocket and went off in search of the building Shalini had indicated. He knew from experience that wearing dirty coveralls and affecting a purposeful stride would render him close to invisible.

  He found the building and decided his best course was to walk right in. He was making up his plans now as he went along, counting on his connection to the Force to guide him. He found himself in a small vestibule. A security checkpoint was just inside the plain durasteel door.

  “Checking on those valves in the air handlers,” Obi-Wan said.

  The officer looked down at his datascreen. “I didn’t get an alert.”

  Obi-Wan shrugged. “I’ll come back. They probably won’t blow.”

  The officer nodded, then did a double take. “Hold on. Probably?”

  Obi-Wan shrugged again.

  The officer sighed. “I’m not going to get blamed for this one. Come on in.” He pressed a button, deactivating the security shield. Obi-Wan strolled in, as though he had all the time in the world.

  As soon as he was out of sight, he walked rapidly down the corridors, looking in open doors and observation windows. Many of the rooms were empty. He rounded a corner and saw a pair of double doors. Through a window he saw a courtyard dappled with sunlight.

  He drew closer to the window. Anakin sat on a bench, his hands in his lap. He didn’t appear to have been abused. He wasn’t in pain. Nothing about him had altered, and yet…he looked different somehow.

  Something was wrong. Something was off. And Obi-Wan didn’t have time to analyze it. He had to get Anakin out of here.

  Chapter Ten

  Anakin was thinking about detachment. It was the goal of Jedi training. It was a discipline that took years to learn. It was not about controlling emotion, but allowing it to flow through you.

  Well, he certainly felt detached. He knew somehow he had been drugged, his brain chemistry altered, even though he wasn’t sure how it had been done. Was this how it felt, he wondered, to be truly one with the Force? It was a peaceful place to be, so unlike the battles he usually fought in his mind and heart. Was it so terrible to reach this place through a simple procedure, rather than through years of study and trial? He had admired Obi-Wan’s serenity, had envied it. Now he had it. Why did he feel that Obi-Wan would not value it?

  The flash of irritation he felt at his Master was gone in a moment, almost before he had felt it. Anakin smiled. That was certainly something he was unable to do on his own. Being able to think about his Master without emotion was an interesting experience.

  Sunlight flashed on the double doors. Someone was entering the garden. At first the sun was in his eyes. Then he saw that it was his Master, dressed in coveralls. No doubt he had come to rescue him. Anakin noted that he should feel glad. Yet he did not. Did he feel disappointed? He couldn’t locate an actual feeling.

  “Anakin? Are you all right?” Obi-Wan’s voice was low.

  “I’m fine,” he said.

  “We have to get out of here. I have a way out.”

  “That’s good.” It was good that Obi-Wan had a way out. Anakin stood. He moved with the same alertness he always had, but something was different. It was as though he was watching himself from above.

  Yet how good it was to fall into step beside Obi-Wan. Good because he felt so peaceful. How pleasant it was to be Obi-Wan’s companion and
yet not worry about the emotion connected with that.

  Obi-Wan peered into his face. “What did they do to you?”

  Anakin decided at that moment that he must not tell his Master what had been done to him. There was no reason to. No doubt the effect would wear off soon, and until then he wanted to spin out the peace he’d found without Obi-Wan judging how he’d found it.

  “Nothing.” Technically, this was true. He’d received no drugs that he knew about. “I suppose they had plans for us.”

  Obi-Wan gave him a quick look, as though he didn’t believe him. But they didn’t have time to stop.

  Obi-Wan led him to a utility closet. There, he gave Anakin a medic’s pale blue coat. “Do you still have the disk?”

  The disk. How odd that he hadn’t thought of it. But Obi-Wan had, of course. Was that why his Master had come? For the disk. Not for him. There had been a time when he would have pondered on this, and the thought would have given him pain.

  Anakin wrenched his mind back to Obi-Wan’s question. It seemed to take more effort than it should to remember what had happened to the disk.

  “I know where it is. It’s with my lightsaber.”

  Obi-Wan gave him an odd look. “And where is that?”

  “Where we bathe. There are storage bins.”

  “Show me.”

  Obi-Wan followed behind Anakin so that it would not seem that they were together. Anakin led him into the room with the large tubs. It was empty. He walked to the storage bin, which was jumbled with the same tunics and belts.

  “In here.”

  With a sound of exasperation, Obi-Wan plunged his hands into the bin. He sorted through the tunics and belts. Anakin bent over to help. He found his belt and removed the disk. Obi-Wan handed Anakin his lightsaber. Then he took the disk from Anakin and slipped it inside his tunic.