Obi-Wan looked at the other Jedi Masters. Curi's news was exasperating, but Jedi did not waste time on such emotions.
He knew that, like him, they were all thinking of what to do next.
"We should contact our Padawans with more detailed instructions," Soara spoke crisply.
"They will have to handle any problems in Tacto," Siri said. "Perhaps we should contact the Jedi Council and ask for an additional Jedi team, or maybe two."
"By the time they arrive, the evacuation ships will be here," Obi-Wan said. "The Padawans will have to handle things on their own."
He could see that none of them liked this prospect. Some of the Masters had not had their Padawans very long. It made him uneasy to think of Anakin in an unstable situation without him. But there was no other solution.
Obi-Wan activated his comlink. He was relieved when he heard Anakin's voice. He knew the communication between the two sectors could be difficult. That would be another problem.
"We have a problem here," he told Anakin. "We are unable to return to the Clear Sector. You and the rest of the Padawans will have to manage that aspect of the mission."
"I see," Anakin said neutrally.
"The safety of the population is your first priority," Obi- Wan said. "Establish safety patrols to keep the peace. Try to keep misinformation from spreading. Coordinate with Galen as to the evacuation schedule. Avoiding using violence, and take no lives."
"Yes, Master."
"Now, as for details," Obi-Wan began, but suddenly, the communication was cut off. When he tried to con-ct Anakin again, he could not reach him. Obi-Wan hid frustration as he tucked his comlink back in his belt.
"They'll be fine," Siri said. "I trust Ferus. He's been on many missions."
"And I trust Anakin," Obi-Wan agreed. Still, a small voice inside him hoped that Anakin would be able to work well with the other Padawans without his watchful eye.
"We'll try again later," Soara said. "In the meantime, we should split into teams."
Obi-Wan glanced at Siri, and she nodded. There were many times that they had clashed in the past. But that did not matter. They had worked together before and knew each other's rhythms.
"Obi-Wan and I will begin to search the city for more of the sick," Siri said.
"We'll take the north sector," Obi-Wan said. "We need to compile lists so that we can assure there is space for everyone. We must make sure all the sick are evacuated.
We'll check in when we can."
Ry-Gaul nodded.
"May the Force be with you," Soara said.
"May the Force be with you," Obi-Wan and Siri repeated.
They turned toward the eerie emptiness of the city and began their walk toward death.
Chapter Seven
The Padawans had just left the med center when Obi-Wan contacted Anakin. They had remained to make sure that the Radnoran father would be all right. They had questioned the family, but no one knew the raiders. They had arrived out of nowhere. Other families in the neighborhood had been hit, too, so they'd been worried that they would be attacked. But there was no way to defend themselves against the prototype droids.
The four Padawans paused on the outside of the med center.
Suddenly, they felt very alone.
"I spend half my time impatient to be a Jedi Knight,"
Darra said finally. "Now all I want is to be a Padawan. I wish Soara were here." She reached into the pocket of Tru's tunic and withdrew the bag of candy he kept there. She popped a piece of figda in her mouth and chewed furiously.
"We'll do fine," Anakin said confidently.
"No stress," Ferus agreed. The expression in his dark eyes was serene. "Among all of us, we've been on enough missions to handle this."
"How should we start?" Tru asked. "Did they want all of us to go on safety patrols? Or should one team coordinate with Galen on the evacuation?"
"Obi-Wan didn't say," Anakin answered. "But if you ask me, safety patrols won't accomplish much if we don't flush out the raiders."
"Hold it," Ferus said. "That would be overstepping our instructions."
"We've received no clear directions," Anakin pointed out.
"The communication cut out. We know our first priority is the safety of the citizens, and we can't possibly accomplish that with safety patrols alone."
"You don't know that for sure," Ferus said.
Darra looked from Anakin to Ferus. "Excuse me. I don't want to interrupt, but I just wanted to point out that there are two other Padawans here. Do we get a vote?"
"Sure you get a vote," Anakin said. "As long as you agree with me." He smiled to let her know he was kidding.
"What do you have in mind?" Tru asked Anakin. "Let's discuss the plan first, then vote on it."
"It would be much more fun to stand here arguing," Darra said.
"I say we split into teams," Anakin said. "One team can conduct safety patrols. The other can work on finding the headquarters of the raiders." He knew very well that he wasn't going to be on the team conducting safety patrols. He and Tru would go after the raiders.
"How?" Ferus asked. "We don't have the resources to comb the whole city."
"We don't have to. I have an idea," Anakin declared. "Even a Prototype Droid would have a homing device. All we have to do is take one of the droids we deactivated and tap into it."
"Do you know how to do that?" Darra asked.
"Sure," Anakin replied.
"It can't be that easy," Darra said.
Anakin grinned. "I didn't say it was easy. I said I could do it."
"Hold on a second," Tru said. "These are Battle Droids.
Most likely they undergo an automatic memory wipe if they are captured or deactivated."
"There isn't a memory wipe that I can't get around,"
Anakin said confidently. "The homing device is coded into the main sensor suite. I can find it. If we revive a droid, it will lead us straight to the headquarters."
Darra shrugged. "It's worth a try."
Tru nodded. "All right. I say we go after the headquarters."
"Then it's decided," Ferus said. "Though I don't think we should split into teams. If Anakin is successful and we do find the headquarters, no doubt there will be more of those Prototype Droids. Too many for one team to handle."
Privately, Anakin thought that he and Tru could handle the droids, but he nodded. "All right." Obi-Wan had given him a warning that he must cooperate, respecting Jedi values.
Anakin took that seriously.
They headed back to the Radnoran family home. The fallen droids still littered the grounds. Anakin found one that was mostly intact. It had lost its arms and its artillery control panel had fused, but the main sensor suite wasn't too badly damaged.
Anakin removed his utility kit from his belt and went to work. He opened the sensor suite panel. Tru bent over to look.
"Standard, except for those circuits," he said, pointing.