Part 16 (1/2)

”Yes, Markl?” She scowled. ”If that's even your name. ”

”It's my name at the moment, ” he said, his teeth gritted against the relentless pain of the storm. ”Teeba Jaklin, please. Find Yavid for me. Make sure he's all right. ”

The explosion's echoes rolled around the village, trapped beneath the barely holding s.h.i.+eld. The red stormglow beyond it was matched by the red glow of leaping flames. The refinery was burning. He and Jaklin stared at each other as the rest of Torbel's people ran to help, shadows in the glare of the storm. Some headed for the artesian well, for water. Others made straight for the burning building full of raw damot.i.te.

68.A chilling thought struck him. Was the mineral itself flammable? That smoke-was it a toxic cloud poised to poison every last man, woman, and child beneath the storm s.h.i.+eld?

”Teeba Jaklin! Is there danger from the...”

Her eyes were full of fear. ”Yes. Not drop-dead-on-the-spot trouble but even with our secret protection we'll all of us be sickly in the next few days. ” She looked up at the thras.h.i.+ng theta storm over their heads. ”Unless that clears quick soon and we can down the s.h.i.+elds so the smoke gets to blow clean away. ”

”Which...” He had to pause, to rebalance himself. The effort of fighting the storm was threatening to drive him to his knees. He'd started to breathe in harsh gasping pants. ”Which is-worse? The theta particles-or the damot.i.te-smoke?”

The question made her laugh grimly. ”The storm-unless it don't clear and we're left breathing smoke for hours on end. Then we'll be likely done for whichever way you slice the bread. ”

Of course they would be. The universe had a stinking sense of humor.

”You need-to find Yavid, ” he gasped. ”If he's-not hurt he-can help you. ”

The look on her face said she thought they were all beyond help. ”I'll look for him. How much longer before you fail, Teeb?”

He didn't know. He didn't want to think about that. ”I'm- all right. Go. Please. ” Another deep, shuddering breath. ”Find Yavid. ”

They were alone now, save for the men working on the s.h.i.+eld generator. Jaklin turned away from him. ”Guyne! How soon before that generator's fixed?”

The oldest of the four feverishly tinkering men spared her a glance. ”Going as fast as we can, Jaklin. Half the circuits are burned out. ”

Anakin tightened his hold on the Force, feeling the seethe and surge of the storm like living fire. ”I can-hold on, Teeba. Don't-worry-about me. Just go. Co!”

Half step by half step, Jaklin retreated. In the garish light her eyes were narrowed. A muscle worked along her jaw. ”I know what you are, young Teeb. You're...”

”Not-now, ” he said, almost groaning. ”Please. Find Yavid. Tell him-I'll get there-soon as-I can. ”

Instead of answering, she turned to look at Guyne one last time. ”Could he our lives are with you now, old Teeb, ” she said, her voice cracking. ”Don't you be letting us down. ”

His teeth showed briefly in his thin, seamed face. ”Not planning to, old Teeba. Get on now. Rikkard'll have need of you. ”

Anakin took another rib-cracking breath. ”Teeba...”

”I know, ” she snapped, retreating. ”Yavid. I said I'd look, and I will. I'm an honest one-even if you aren't. ”

She broke into a flat-footed run. He watched her for a few short, uneven strides, feeling Guyne's measured stare.

Don't look at me, old man. Fix that generator, would you?

Anakin hurt so much now it would be easy just to... give in. Give up. Let go. But he couldn't do that. Hundreds of lives were depending on him. He had to stand here and take it until the generator was fixed-or his heart gave out. So he closed his eyes. Whether it made sense or not he always found it easier to focus his will when coc.o.o.ned in darkness.

With sight denied him all his other senses leapt to keener life. The stink of the s.h.i.+eld generator's scorched circuitry. The stink of burning damot.i.te from the exploded refinery. The stink of his own sweat. He heard-felt-three more explosions. Smaller this time, in swift succession. There were shouts, sirens. Sounds and echoes drumming. The worst of the Force's insistent warning had faded, leaving him scoured hollow and stunned. Now all he felt in the Force was confusion, fear and pain. Everything he usually felt, no matter where he was. It was terrible and yet, in the strangest way, also comforting. He knew how to deal with that.

It was the unknown that made him nervous.

69.How long had he been standing here, holding back the storm? Probably less than an hour. It felt like days. Years. He didn't have much time before the choice of whether to let go or endure would be out of his hands. Even the Chosen One had limits.

He remembered himself as a small boy, boasting to Qui-Gon at his mother's rough table.

Has anyone ever seen a Podrace? I'm the only human who can do it.

And now he was probably the only Jedi who could turn himself into a living storm s.h.i.+eld.

It isn't boasting. It's the truth. I've got a knack for beating the odds.

Now all he had to do was beat these odds for just a little bit longer...

Sweat pouring, heart pounding, dimly aware that he was burning himself out, Anakin clung to the Force like a child to its mothers hand. Time pa.s.sed. He pa.s.sed with it, in silence.

”All right, ” said Giuyne at last. ”I think that's got it. Teeb Markl...”

Stirring, he opened his eyes. ”Teeb?”

”We're going to try the generator. Get ready. ”

He managed to nod.

The other three men stepped back from the generator as Guyne, sore and sorry and tired, took a deep breath and reconnected the power supply. He flipped a series of switches, waited-waited-then activated the s.h.i.+eld.

With a sizzling hum the storm s.h.i.+eld came back online. Guyne and his three friends cheered, tiredly ecstatic... and Anakin slumped, falling boneless and graceless to the hard, dry ground.

He could feel himself shaking. Teeth chattering, lungs aching for air, he rolled on to his side and curled into a ball. His lightsaber, undiscovered, banged against his ribs as Torbel swung and spun around him. Vaguely he was aware of agitated voices calling his name and concerned hands poking and prodding to see if he was still in one piece. He couldn't say. He couldn't answer their anxious, shouted questions. He couldn't even tell if he was still hurting or if what he felt now was just the memory of pain. Only once before had he ever felt anything close to this, and that was on Geonosis, in the cave, after Dooku's savage Force lightning had come close to killing him. After a while... eons... the worst of the shuddering pa.s.sed. He opened his eyes, uncurled his spine and looked up. Yes, Torbel had a storm s.h.i.+eld-and it wasn't him. On the other side of the plasma the theta storm continued to spit radioactive rage.

Spit away. I don't care. You're not getting in.

He rolled onto his hands and knees and then levered himself upright. Reaching hands helped him, and he was grateful for that. Red and black spots danced before his eyes. He had to blink and blink to clear his vision.

”Steady there, young Teeb, ” said Guyne, holding tight to his elbow. ”Went down hard, you did. Just you catch your breath. ”

”I'm all right, ” he said, and was startled to hear how raw his voice sounded. Staggering, he turned to look across the darkened village toward the refinery. The flames were dying down, and the smoke. But the air was still tainted and thick. He tried not to think about the poison he was sucking into his lungs.

He looked back at Guyne. ”Stay here and keep an eye on that generator, Teeb. And if it looks like blowing again send for me. I'll come back. ”

In the s.h.i.+fting light the old villager's salt-gray eyebrows lifted. ”Mighty sure of yourself you are, for a young Teeb, ” he said, very dry.

”Never knew a Lanteeban farmer with your knack of taking charge. Never knew any farmer could hold back a theta storm, neither.

Not with the power of his mind. ”

Behind him, his friends nodded agreement, a small knot of suspicion even though they were grateful.

Anakin sighed. ”Teeb Guyne, we both know I'm not a farmer. Will you stay here?”