Anakin suddenly felt tired and was grateful for a bit of downtime.
The trip to Kodai would take more than a day, so he'd have a little while to rest and collect his thoughts.
Suddenly there was a loud explosion on the engine side, and the ship rocked hard to the left.
"I told you!" the captain screamed. "Someone has sabotaged my ship.
We have to land immediately!"
"We can't," Obi-Wan said rationally. "That is exactly what the saboteurs would want us to do."
The captain's eyes went wide. "But we can't fly like this," he said, his voice rising while smoke poured into the cockpit from the rear of the ship. "My controls are useless. We'll all die."
Anakin felt annoyance rise in him again. But this time it was mixed with a sense of guilt. Someone had obviously tampered with the ship, in spite of the fact that he initially didn't believe the captain's concerns.
"Nobody is going to die," Anakin said calmly. "Just show me where you keep your tools."
The captain pointed to a small cupboard right outside the cockpit.
Anakin retrieved the kit and moved to the back of the ship, waving his hands to clear the smoke. The flames had been extinguished by automatic fire controls and the damaged engine was accessible through a large hatch in a rear corridor. Though Anakin could fix it, it would not be easy while the ship was in motion.
Anakin opened the hatch and saw immediately that the circuitry bay had been fused. That meant that several circuits needed to be re-placed — and fast. The question was, which ones? Some were trivial, and others would repair the ship enough for it to fly to Kodai.
Anakin was not particularly familiar with the kind of ship they were on. He'd never flown one before, and certainly never repaired one. He'd have to follow his instincts.
Pulling out a light energy tool, he got to work on the circuitry wires. It was difficult to hold the tool steady, since the ship was banking in all directions. Working carefully, he reconnected the damaged wires one by one. Soon the ship stabilized, and the pilot once again had control.
Anakin repaired a few more wires and closed the hatch. On his way back to the cockpit he passed Lundi's cage.
"Nice work, young one," the professor said. "I could have used you on Kodai."
Anakin tried to ignore the comment as he replaced the tools in the cupboard. The Quermian was loony, and said crazy things all the time.
"Good job, Padawan," Obi-Wan said proudly as Anakin entered the cockpit.
"We can make it to Kodai now," the captain said. "Though it may take a bit longer than originally scheduled."
The relief in the cockpit was palpable. They were all safe — for the moment.
Chapter 19
Obi-Wan studied his Padawan as he put away the tool kit. He was relieved that he'd fixed the engine, of course. But as he watched his apprentice, Obi-Wan also experienced another feeling — worry.
When Obi-Wan had started this mission with Qui-Gon ten years earlier, he'd been troubled by the dark side. He'd felt frustrated, vulnerable, and afraid.
Anakin did not appear to be feeling any of these things. No, it was something else.
Obi-Wan saw the boy walk up to Lundi's cage and stare at the Quermian. He did not show any fear. Instead he seemed… fascinated.
His Padawan was extremely curious about Lundi and what had turned him into an insane criminal. In fact, he seemed drawn toward the power that had corrupted Lundi and Omal.
This curiosity worried Obi-Wan.
Of course Anakin had not seen the power of the dark side the way that Obi-Wan had. He had not witnessed his Master being cut down by a Sith Lord.
He had not been nearly killed himself.
After such a close experience Obi-Wan was well aware of the threat the Sith posed if they regained all of their ancient power. And recapturing the knowledge contained in a Sith Holocron would be a large step in that direction. It could be devastating for the entire galaxy.
Obi-Wan shuddered at the thought before letting it fade to the back of his mind. He needed to sharpen his focus and bring his attention back to the moment, and his Padawan.
The boy needed guidance, Obi-Wan knew. A decade earlier, his own Master had skillfully led him in the right direction — away from anger and frustration. It had kept Obi-Wan firmly on the Jedi path. When Qui-Gon died, Obi-Wan had promised to give that guidance to Anakin.
Obi-Wan remembered Anakin's angry outburst at Lundi when they were first on the ship. Anger was dangerous. Perhaps he should be warning his apprentice about the dark side — that it was an easy path to power, but also to self-destruction.
The problem was, he did not know how to put the words together. He did not know exactly what to say. And whenever he offered Anakin this kind of guidance, the boy brushed it aside. It was almost as if Anakin thought that the things Obi-Wan was trying to warn him about did not apply to him.
With a sigh, Obi-Wan wished that Qui-Gon were still alive. He would know just what to say, what to do. He would be able to get through to Anakin.
"I think we're being followed," the pilot said after they came out of hyperspace, breaking into Obi-Wan's thoughts.
Obi-Wan rose and approached the controls. It was not unlikely, he realized. Whoever sabotaged the ship could easily be on their tail.
Obi-Wan carefully searched the ship's detection system. He found nothing.
Soon they landed safely on Kodai. After instructing the pilot not to leave the planet, Obi-Wan led Anakin downtown.
"We need to get to the water soon," Obi-Wan explained as they made their way up the main street. The tide was already going out, but they weren't going to wait for it to hit its lowest point. If they did, they might be too late; they had to beat Norval, or whoever was after the Holocron. This time they had to get there first.
Anakin looked around. "There's not much here, is there?" he asked.
"No," Obi-Wan replied. "There was a huge tidal wave several hundred years ago, and many Kodaians were killed. Most of the survivors fled the planet. Those who remain await another giant wave, and in their minds, certain death."
Anakin grimaced. "That's pretty bad," he said.