"I'm glad to have run into you," Qui-Gon said, settling himself beside them. "Would you mind if I asked you more questions about the raids?
It might help us track the Absolutes."
"We will tell you what we can," Kevta said.
"I think I'll make sure Eritha is settled," Yanci said, rising. "Bini and Kevta are the strategists here." Qui-Gon noted how her hand lingered on Kevta's shoulder. He gave her a gentle smile as she left.
Qui-Gon questioned Bini and Kevta closely. By listening to the details, he was able to find a pattern in the direction of the attacks and the minimal amount of tracking the Rock Workers had done.
He left the two of them and walked slowly back to the med unit.
Without knowing it, Bini and Kevta had given him good news. The Jedi did not have to return to their last coordinates. They could track Balog from a point a few kilometers from the Worker settlement. If Balog was heading to the Absolute camp, they should find some evidence of his route. There were only a few possible routes through the canyons.
Of course, it all depended on whether Balog was heading for the secret hideout of the Absolutes.
It was a chance they had to take.
Qui-Gon checked on Obi-Wan, who was now sleeping deeply. Good. Qui- Gon needed to do the same. It had been days since his last sleep. He quieted his mind, allowing sleep to come. He knew he had to operate at his peak, and his body told him that he needed rest.
He slept, but his dreams were vivid and disturbing. Once again he was in the cafc on Zekulae. His heart lifted at the sound of Tahl's voice. He rushed forward to greet her. But her gaze was lifeless, her eyes a dull black color. He realized she could not move or speak.
He woke with a start, his heart pounding. It was still dark, but dawn was near. He immediately swung his legs over his sleep couch and went to check on Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan seemed to feel his gaze. His eyes opened slowly, and then he came awake at once.
He tested his leg muscles, stretching beneath the thermal blanket.
"Better," he said.
He swung his legs over his sleep couch. "Take it easy," Qui-Gon said.
"Yanci thinks you need one more day."
Obi-Wan slid out of bed, holding one hand against the wall to steady himself. He walked around the room. "Much better," he said. "I am ready to travel."
Qui-Gon studied his Padawan to make sure he was telling the truth. He knew Obi-Wan's desire to move on would be greater than his concern for himself. But his color was good, and there was no sign of pain on his face.
His gait was a bit stiff, but it was steady.
"We'll see what Yanci says," he said.
When Yanci arrived, bringing Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's breakfast, she was startled at Obi-Wan's recovery.
"I guess I'm better than even I thought," she said cheerfully. "I see no reason why you can't travel, Obi-Wan. Just try to rest the leg when you can, and apply bacta again tonight."
Qui-Gon left Obi-Wan finishing breakfast while Yanci added some items to his medpac. The suns were just a suggestion of orange along the horizon as Qui-Gon hurried to the speeders. They would need to be refueled before they took off. Every moment counted. And he should awaken Eritha. Part of him wanted to let her sleep so that they could leave her behind. He knew she would insist on coming with them, and he worried about her safety. Tahl was his first concern. Protecting Eritha would be a distraction he didn't need. But if he did not wake her, undoubtedly she would try to find them, and she could get into more trouble that way.
To his surprise, he found Eritha at the pen where their transports were kept.
"You're up early," he said.
She jumped. "You startled me."
"Obi-Wan is better."
She nodded. "I thought he would be. I came to start the refueling. I didn't want you to leave without me."
"I thought about it," Qui-Gon said. "Then I thought about how stubborn you are."
"It's a family trait." Eritha hesitated. "Tahl is important to me, Qui-Gon. I'd do anything for her. I promise I won't slow you down."
"I'll hold you to that," he said.
They completed the refueling in companionable silence, and Obi-Wan joined them. The stars had faded but the sky was still gray as they bid good-bye to Bini, Kevta, and Yanci.
Qui-Gon thanked them for their courtesy, but his mind was already on the day ahead. The tracking would not be easy.
"We wish you luck on your quest," Bini said. "Don't push yourself with that leg," Yanci told Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan thanked her and swung his leg a bit awkwardly over the saddle of his swoop. Eritha fired up her engines, and Qui-Gon took the lead.
With a last wave, they headed out of the settlement.
Qui-Gon went to the coordinates where the Rock Workers had lost the Absolute attack team the last time they pursued them.
"We need to find an indication that Balog headed this way as well,"
he told Obi-Wan. "The Rock Workers think the Absolutes took the west route through the canyons. Balog would have to change direction here."
"I don't understand," Eritha said. "The ground is sheer rock. How can you see anything?"
But the ground wasn't sheer rock, not to a Jedi. Obi-Wan left his swoop and began to search in ever-widening circles with Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon could see that his Padawan's leg was troubling him, but he focused on the task.
Obi-Wan found the first clue. At first it appeared to be a mere discoloration on rock. But further study told them it was the mark of Balog's high-speed engine. They recognized it now.
Qui-Gon crouched over the markings on the rock. "Good work, Padawan.
Balog is heading west. Look at the pattern of the exhaust. That way." Qui- Gon pointed to the crags in the distance. Beyond the crags, he would find her. He could feel it. Her presence suddenly pulsed inside him like a heartbeat.
Eritha watched them, mystified and impressed.
"Remind me never to hide from the two of you," she said.
They set off again. Without the help of the probe droid, it was slow going. They were forced to dismount time after time to check their progress. By midday, they had found the campsite where Balog had spent the night.
"He left this morning," Qui-Gon said quietly, studying the flat rock where Balog had placed his condenser unit for heat. He could see a scorch mark and some boot marks in the surrounding dirt. "We are close." His gaze was fierce when he lifted his head. He looked past Obi-Wan toward the rugged landscape. "Very close."