"Surprised you look, Obi-Wan," Yoda observed.
"Merely that the Senate has acted so quickly," Obi-Wan said. Mired in bureaucracy, the Senate sometimes took months to debate a simple issue.
"Dire, the situation is," Yoda said, nodding. "Bail Organa was responsible for this quick action."
"There will be room for the sick as well as for those who haven't been exposed," Mace Windu went on. "But on the planet's surface there is panic among the healthy population, for they are afraid that there will not be enough room. Corrupt lower officials are taking bribes, so it is also feared that the sick will never make it off the planet at all."
"Chaos begun cannot be ordered so easily," Yoda said.
"You must go in and ensure that the evacuations take place in a peaceful and orderly manner," Mace said. "There are still those who survive in Aubendo, and their places on the evacuation ships must be assured. There is looting and unrest in Tacto, so the Jedi must keep the peace as well.
It is a volatile situation that means life or death for many, so we have decided that four teams are needed."
"Transport you must medications to the sick on the planet," Yoda added. "And leave you must this morning."
"A Senate transport is waiting," Mace Windu concluded.
"May the Force be with you."
Chapter Four
The Senate transport slid into orbit around Radnor. No transports were allowed to land on the planet. They would take a small cruiser to the surface.
Anakin stared down at the planet. From space, it looked blue-green, and he knew that vast seas covered much of the surface. The main landmass was small, and appeared as thought the seas around it would swallow it up.
He had visited other worlds since he'd become a Padawan.
It no longer surprised him when he saw planets whose surfaces were dominated by oceans and seas. As a boy, he could not imagine seas that could stretch as far as the eye could see. On Tattooine, he had lived in an ocean of sand.
"Hard to imagine, isn't it," Tru said, breaking into thoughts. "When you look down at a planet, I mean."
"What?" Anakin asked.
"Suffering," Tru said. "Everything seems peaceful from orbit. Then you get down there, in the middle of things, and everything changes."
"How many missions have you been on?" Anakin asked.
"Enough," Tru said softly. "Enough to have seen what I've seen. Enough to know I will see more."
It sounded like a riddle. Yet, strangely, Anakin knew what he meant. Each mission made him feel so much older. Each mission had exposed him to sadness and anger and grief.
Nevertheless he looked forward to the next, and the next.
That was what Tru meant.
"This is my first mission." Darra Thel-Tanis spoke behind them. She had not said much on the journey, instead studying the research materials the Council had provided. She had lively, rust-colored eyes and a piece of bright fabric woven through her long Padawan braid. Her energy crackled. Anakin could almost feel it in the air when she was near. "So I'm depending on you two to make me look good." Darra gave Tru and Anakin a cheerful grin.
Obi-Wan came by and put a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "It's time to board the cruiser."
The four Jedi teams — Anakin and Obi-Wan, Tru and Ry-Gaul Darra and Soara, and Ferus and Siri — made their way to the cargo bay. They settled into the cruiser and Siri took the controls.
Ferus Olin sat up front next to her, the light glinting off the streaks of gold in his thick dark hair. Anakin watched his profile. It was strictly emphasized in the Jedi Temple that no student was better than another. Different students had different gifts. Yet Ferus had them all. He was steady and brilliant, a physically gifted athlete, and popular with all the students. He was a few years older than Anakin, and the Masters were still talking about him long after he had gone on to become a Padawan.
He had excelled at everything he tried. Yet no student was jealous of him. They admired him and wanted to be like him.
He was also popular with the Jedi Council. Anakin knew they expected great things of him. There was no one at the Temple who did not speak the name Ferus without praise.
Except for Anakin. There was something about Ferus he did not like. That was not appropriate, of course. It was not up to Anakin to like or dislike a student. Judgment was forbidden in the Jedi Order.
He tried to control the feeling. He would control it. He knew well that he couldn't be a Jedi without doing so.
Siri expertly maneuvered the craft down to the landing site at Tacto. She came in fast and whipped the craft around, landing with a whisper-light touch that Anakin admired. All Jedi were excellent pilots, but it was rare to find someone who approached the task as artfully as Siri.
"Great landing," Anakin told her. Obi-Wan just sighed.
Siri activated the landing ramp, and they filed down onto the surface of the planet. Ry-Gaul carried the case holding the needed medications. Anakin reached out to the Force to feel what he could about the mission ahead. He exchanged a glance with Obi-Wan. The Force was dark here. Fear had gripped the population of both cities — and with fear came desperation, anger, and chaos.
Radnorans were a humanoid species, short in stature and sturdy in appearance. Several uniformed security officers waited at the transport desk. A Radnoran dressed in a white unicoat hurried forward.
"Welcome, Jedi. We are relieved to see you. The city of Tacto is under great stress." He passed a hand over, his head full of curly brown hair. "The people don't believe that there will be enough room on the ships."
"Who are you?" Soara Antana asked bluntly. She was known for her no-nonsense approach. Her powerful hands rested lightly on her belt.
"Excuse me. I should explain. I am Galen, the coordinator of the rescue effort. The officials have abandoned the planet, so I suppose I'm now in charge. Only a small security force remains. I inherited this job — I'm normally a scientist. Most of my colleagues have left. | volunteered to help with the evacuation. My sister Curi has gone to the Isolation Sector to help there." Galen turned to the security officers. "Remain here with the Jedi ship."
The lead officer nodded. "Affirmative."
"Let me take you to the emergency command post,"
Galen said.
Galen started across the landing pad, taking quick steps with his short, muscular legs. "Rumors come and go daily.
The ships are late. The ships are not coming. There will not be enough room. We try to keep information flowing, but it's difficult. So many have left, and those who remain are frightened."
"How are things in the Isolation Sector?" Soara Antana asked.
"Worse," Galen said curtly. "Communication is erratic. The toxic cloud has apparently interfered with our comm systems.