Part 41 (1/2)

Anakin grimaced. ”Not for long, they can't. But maybe for long enough, if we're lucky. And I know-you don't believe in luck. ” He shrugged. ”But I say it can't hurt to cross our fingers, just this once. ”

With a small, tired smile, he nodded. ”Just this once. ” Anakin was looking haggard, too, after another long night without sleep.

”How's Master Damsin?”

”She's sleeping. ”

”Obi-Wan...”

Sympathy, however well meant, would undo him. ”Come on, ” he said. ”We've got work to do. ”

By the time the sun was halfway to noon, the s.h.i.+elds were reconfigured, the power plant's decrepit feed valves had been cleaned of acc.u.mulated impurities and six sections of shorting circuitry were replaced. With everything done that could be done, for the moment, the four of them met up in the monitoring station.

”And that's it?” said Rikkard. He looked ready to drop. ”What about the Republic? Teeb Ken.o.bi...”

”They'll comm when things change, ” Obi-Wan said. ”It would be a mistake to chivvy them. In the meantime, we do what we can. ”

”I've been thinking about that, ” said Anakin. ”If the s.h.i.+eld fails before help reaches us, we'll be fighting hand to hand. Thanks to those droids, we've got some blasters. We've got vibro-picks and other mining tools. And we've got what we need to improvise grenades. ”

Feeling sick, Obi-Wan closed his eyes. These are villagers, not soldiers. It'll he a slaughter. Then he nodded. ”Agreed. ”

”You want us to light?” said Rikkard. ”Teebs, we'll fight. But there's not a man or woman here who's ever fired a blaster. ”

”Or made a grenade, ” added Devi. ”Don't worry, ” said Anakin. ”We'll show you how. ” Rikkard rubbed the ropy scars on his head.

”You'll have to. ”

”But you both must rest first, ” said Devi. ”You've bought us a little time, Teebs. Now use it wisely. ”

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin. ”She's right. We can afford an hour. ”

”You can afford two, ” Devi snapped. ”Better yet, three. You're as much a resource to Torbel as our liquid damot.i.te. Don't squander yourselves. We can't afford it. ”

”You heard the Teeba, ” said Rikkard. ”Three hours. We can mind the power plant and the s.h.i.+eld without you that long. Now go.

That's my ruling, as village speaker. ” Too tired to argue, they went.

167.

Taria woke to Obi-Wan's pain as he tried yet again to heal her.

”Obi-Wan, stop, ” she whispered. ”You're not helping me and you're only hurting yourself. ”

He shook his head. ”No. I can do this. I just need to-I haven't quite got the knack of...” His list hit the side of her cot. ”I'm not trained, that's the problem. But I can...”

”Obi-Wan!” She caught his wrist. ”I said no. I don't want you to do this. ”

Filthy and unkempt, he stared at her. ”Taria, I can't sit here and do nothing. ”

”Of course you can, ” she said gently. ”Because there's nothing you can do. ”

As the boom and blat of blasterfire rattled the sick house's window and its open doors, Taria looked around the room. Anakin was asleep in a nearby cot, Sufi was outside in the street, and there was no sign of the little girl, Greti. With her fellow patients lulled to silence by herbs and sickness, she and Obi-Wan were as good as alone.

”You shouldn't have come, ” he said, staring at his hands. She released his wrist. ”Don't talk nonsense. That bioweapon had to be destroyed. ”

”You shouldn't have come here, ” he snapped. ”You're a fool. ”

”I know, ” she said, and pressed her palm to his cheek. ”I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. ”

Jerkily he pushed himself off his stool. ”No. No. Don't mind me, Taria. I'm just tired. ”

Tired? She couldn't think of a word to describe what he was. Empty, perhaps? Having poured so much of himself into healing these people, into keeping them alive? Yes. He was empty.

Or he was. But now here I am, filling him with grief.

”Obi-Wan... ”

He kept his back to her. He was so thin. He and Anakin were worn down to skin and bones, living on the Force.

And he calls me crazy?

”Obi-Wan, ” she said again. ”Please. ”

Slowly, he turned. His face was naked, every guarded feeling laid bare. If they'd been in love once, it was only for a moment, in the breathless, fresh excitement of discovery, in that first annihilating shock of pleasure. But it had pa.s.sed, which was a good thing, and in pa.s.sing had trans.m.u.ted to something deep and sure and true.

”Obi-Wan, you have to listen to me, ” she said. ”Really listen. And believe every word. ”

Step by step he came back to her, and sat down again.

”I've been a dead woman walking ever since Pamina Prime, ” she said, keeping her voice low. Willing him to hear her, and believe.

”We both know that. So it wasn't ever about living longer, but what I got to do with the life that was left to me. What I'm doing here?”

She waved her hand, feeling the bite in bone and muscle. ”Stopping Durd, helping to save you and Skyguy and this village? It's important. So even if it hastens what must come to pa.s.s, Obi-Wan, how can I not rejoice? And how can you love me yet not rejoice for me?”

He shrugged. ”I'm selfish, Taria. I don't want to lose you. ”

Though it woke the sharpest hurt in her, she sat up. ”I made my peace with this dying business long ago. Don't poison what little time we have left. ”

For a moment she watched him struggle with that. Then she leaned forward and cradled his face between her hands.

168.

”I'm going to tell you this now because I might not get a chance later, ” she whispered. ”They call Anakin the Chosen One but you have a destiny, too. You have a long road to walk and it won't always he easy. I wish I could walk it with you, but that's not meant to be. So you remember what I'm telling you, Obi-Wan. Everything happens for a reason. Everything. The good, the bad, the indifferent.