Part 14 (2/2)
Qui-Gon wondered briefly which one of them might be the Hawk-Bat.
He turned his back to the lake and let his gaze wander up over the lifeless rocks. a.s.sembled by hand rather than nature, the island was itself a pyramid, with the ruins of ancient structures surmounting it.
To both sides of Qui-Gon, Jedi and judicials were beginning to climb from the lake, their waterlogged tunics and uniforms weighing them down.
Following Qui-Gon's lead, Obi-Wan sprang from the water, landing atop one of the smaller rocks. Vergere floated in like a water fowl until she reached the stony beach, then she called on her powerful reverse-articulated legs to catapult her ash.o.r.e. Saesee Tiin's big hands cut through the waves like flippers. Yaddle rode in atop Ki-Adi-Mundi's broad shoulders, her short arms wrapped around his tall head, and her topknot of golden-brown hair plastered to her green skull.
Close by, Depa Billaba stepped gracefully to the beach, as if emerging from a warm bath.
Three hundred meters away, the dorsal hull of the Prominence was still visible above the waterline. Giant air bubbles broke the surface of the lake and popped loudly.
Everyone was a bit stunned. With a fractured arm, the cruiser's pilot was the most seriously injured. In obvious pain, she made her way over to Qui-Gon, breathless when she reached him.
”I thought we could break free,” she said, by way of apology.
”Don't condemn your actions just yet,” Qui-Gon replied. ”Nothing happens by chance.” The pilot nodded and looked at Saesee Tiin.
”Was it House Vandron that betrayed us?” The Iktotchi folded his arms across his ma.s.sive chest. ”That has little bearing on our present situation.” He glanced at Yaddle. ”The question is, what do we do next?”
”An immediate answer, that question begs,” the small Jedi replied, ”as company we're about to have.” Qui-Gon followed her gaze. Several vessels were approaching from the lake's south sh.o.r.e.
Obi-Wan reached to unclip his lightsaber, but Qui-Gon restrained him with a look. ”There's always time for that. Just now we need to a.s.sess where we stand.” Obi-Wan glanced around. ”On an island, in the middle of a lake, with adversaries on the approach, Master.”
”Wasn't it you who said that things are not always what they appear to be?” Obi-Wan frowned. ”I stand corrected.” Qui-Gon touched him on the shoulder and nodded his chin to the others. ”There's no sense making ourselves easy targets.” Drawing on the Force, and taking the judicials with them, the Jedi vaulted and bounded up into the boulders.
From higher up, they had a better vantage from which to see just what was approaching. Driven by repulsorlifts, the vessels were as gruesomely fanciful as the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps of House Vandron. Some had upturned animistic prows and ribcage gunwales; others had elaborately raised sterns, carved with ghastly visages. All were equipped with mounted repeating blasters.
The b.e.s.t.i.a.l flotilla came to a hovering halt just short of the island, weapons traversing the sh.o.r.e. Each vessel carried a crew of humans, Weequays, Rodians, Bith, Sull.u.s.tans, and others, many of them layered in heavy garments, gloves, and headpieces that covered noses and mouths.
Standing in the bow of the lead craft, a tall human unwound the colorful scarf that masked his lower face and cupped his hands to his mouth.
”For what it's worth, Jedi, we had planned on providing you with a warmer, and certainly drier, welcome.” Saesee Tiin, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Qui-Gon showed themselves. ”The same warm welcome you provided our other cruiser?” Tiin said.
The human had the boat brought about to face Tiin.
”In attempting to flee, your other cruiser struck several mines and was destroyed. We had no intentions of firing on it.”
”What are your intentions here?” Ki-Adi-Mundi asked.
”First, to declare that we are dismayed that the Jedi would oppose free trade in the outlying systems, by choosing to side with the Trade Federation.”
”We have taken no sides,” Tiin said gruffly. ”Our sole aim is to resolve this crisis before it intensifies into open warfare. That, too, is the goal of Supreme Chancellor Valorum, who is anything but your enemy is this matter.”
”We had nothing to do with the a.s.sa.s.sination attempt,” someone in one of the other boats shouted.
The terrorists” spokesman whirled angrily to the source of the outburst, then regained his composure. ”If Valorum is not our enemy, why was the Nebula Front excluded from the Eriadu summit?”
”If you will agree to meet with the Supreme Chancellor, he will explain his reasons.” The human shook his head at Tiin. ”That's not good enough.
The conference will unite the Trade Federation and the Commerce Guild against us. We demand that Valorum cancel the summit.”
”Is that what this is about?” Qui-Gon asked, gesturing broadly. ”You intend to hold us hostage while you issue your demands?” The human spread his gloved hands. ”What are the chances of Valorum listening to us otherwise, Jedi?” Tiin responded to it. ”And should the supreme chancellor refuse to listen to you now?”
”Then the blood of however many of you die here will be on Valorum's hands,” the man said after a long moment.
He continued before any of the Jedi could respond.
”All of us are aware of your abilities. We're not yet desperate enough to attempt to take you by force.
We know that you can probably survive on this pile of rocks for as long as you wish, even without adequate food and water. But that is also acceptable to us. For the moment, the fact that you are stranded here is all that matters. It is our hope, however, that you will come to your senses and allow us to imprison you in a style more in keeping with that which you are accustomed.” Night pa.s.sed slowly.
Warming themselves through the Force, the Jedi huddled on the stone floor of the island's ruined summit temple, with the judicials pressed in among them. Glow sticks provided light when they needed it, and food tablets provided some sustenance. But there was no water, even from the lake, because of its dangerously high salinity.
Vergere tucked her legs beneath her and sat as if roosting. Yaddle pulled her delicate robes around her and slipped easily into a trance state.
Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Depa Billaba, KiAdiMundi, and Saesee Tiin took turns at guard duty.
Lifeless as the island was, the Force was strong there, in the lingering presence of the ancients who had a.s.sembled it.
Through trapezoidal windows in the temple walls, dawn cast long red shadows into the room. When everyone was awake, Yaddle and Depa Billaba got right down to business.
”By now, Coruscant has learned of our predicament,” Billaba said. ”I'm certain that the Supreme Chancellor will not delay the Eriadu summit. But he may dispatch more judicials to Asmeru.”
”A conflict that guarantees,” Yaddle said.
”Lost already is the Ecliptic, presumably with all hands. Now, additional deaths in the offing are. A better way to resolve this there is.” It was not the first time in her 476 years that the tiny Jedi had been imprisoned. According to legend, she had ascended to the rank of Master as a result of having spent more than a hundred years in an underground prison on Koba.
”The Nebula Front can't hope to gain anything by holding us here,” Qui-Gon said with patent suspicion. ”Surely they know that we were able to communicate with Coruscant before we crashed.”
”Perhaps they don't think that way,” Ki-Adi-Mundi suggested. ”Perhaps strategy of that sort doesn't come into play.” Qui-Gon looked at him.
”But it does. I've already seen it in action.”
”Explain it to you Cohl will, when finally you confront him,” Yaddle said. ”Until that time, resolve to yield or fight we must.” Vergere's willowy ears p.r.i.c.ked up. She glanced knowingly at Qui-Gon, then cut her oblique eyes to the doorless portal that led to the temple's adjoining room. Qui-Gon listened intently for a moment, then he and Ki-Adi-Mundi stood up and moved silently to either side of the gaping opening.
Yaddle, Depa, and Vergere began to converse again, as if nothing were amiss. Suddenly, Qui-Gon and KiAdiMundi reached into the doorway, tugging into the scant sunlight a humanoid who looked as if he, or perhaps she, had risen from the ground itself. The being's thick skin was certainly impervious to wind, snow, or high-alt.i.tude solar radiation. Its four hands and bare feet were configured for digging and scooping, and its back was built for carrying loads. Eyes clearly capable of seeing in the dark were prominent in a mere suggestion of a face, lacking ears or nose, with a mouth barely suited to speech.
Held in the grip of the two Jedi, the biped began to babble nervously in an unknown tongue.
Depa got to her feet. ”He speaks the traders tongue of the Senex sector Houses,” she said.
Yaddle nodded. ”One of their allegedly flawed bioengineered slaves, he is.” The slave continued to speak, his gaze riveted on Depa.
She listened, then smiled gently and touched his shoulder. ”It seems there's an alternative we hadn't considered,” she told everyone. ”This one is offering to help us escape.” Qui-Gon spoke to the slave. ”By what method?” Depa translated the reply. ”By taking the route he took to reach us.” The slave motioned to the adjoining room. Qui-Gon and Obi - Wan lighted two glow sticks and ducked through the doorway. In the room's rear wall, a hinged stone door, a meter thick, was ajar.
”Explored this place during the night, did you not?” Yaddle asked from behind them.
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