Anakin grimaced. "Not for long, they can't. But maybe for long enough, if we're lucky. And I know-you don't believe in luck. " He shrugged. "But I say it can't hurt to cross our fingers, just this once. "

With a small, tired smile, he nodded. "Just this once. " Anakin was looking haggard, too, after another long night without sleep.

"How's Master Damsin?"

"She's sleeping. "

"Obi-Wan..."

Sympathy, however well meant, would undo him. "Come on, " he said. "We've got work to do. "

By the time the sun was halfway to noon, the shields were reconfigured, the power plant's decrepit feed valves had been cleaned of acc.u.mulated impurities and six sections of shorting circuitry were replaced. With everything done that could be done, for the moment, the four of them met up in the monitoring station.

"And that's it?" said Rikkard. He looked ready to drop. "What about the Republic? Teeb Ken.o.bi..."

"They'll comm when things change, " Obi-Wan said. "It would be a mistake to chivvy them. In the meantime, we do what we can. "

"I've been thinking about that, " said Anakin. "If the shield fails before help reaches us, we'll be fighting hand to hand. Thanks to those droids, we've got some blasters. We've got vibro-picks and other mining tools. And we've got what we need to improvise grenades. "

Feeling sick, Obi-Wan closed his eyes. These are villagers, not soldiers. It'll he a slaughter. Then he nodded. "Agreed. "

"You want us to light?" said Rikkard. "Teebs, we'll fight. But there's not a man or woman here who's ever fired a blaster. "

"Or made a grenade, " added Devi. "Don't worry, " said Anakin. "We'll show you how. " Rikkard rubbed the ropy scars on his head.

"You'll have to. "

"But you both must rest first, " said Devi. "You've bought us a little time, Teebs. Now use it wisely. "

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin. "She's right. We can afford an hour. "

"You can afford two, " Devi snapped. "Better yet, three. You're as much a resource to Torbel as our liquid damot.i.te. Don't squander yourselves. We can't afford it. "

"You heard the Teeba, " said Rikkard. "Three hours. We can mind the power plant and the shield without you that long. Now go.

That's my ruling, as village speaker. " Too tired to argue, they went.

167.

Taria woke to Obi-Wan's pain as he tried yet again to heal her.

"Obi-Wan, stop, " she whispered. "You're not helping me and you're only hurting yourself. "

He shook his head. "No. I can do this. I just need to-I haven't quite got the knack of..." His list hit the side of her cot. "I'm not trained, that's the problem. But I can..."

"Obi-Wan!" She caught his wrist. "I said no. I don't want you to do this. "

Filthy and unkempt, he stared at her. "Taria, I can't sit here and do nothing. "

"Of course you can, " she said gently. "Because there's nothing you can do. "

As the boom and blat of blasterfire rattled the sick house's window and its open doors, Taria looked around the room. Anakin was asleep in a nearby cot, Sufi was outside in the street, and there was no sign of the little girl, Greti. With her fellow patients lulled to silence by herbs and sickness, she and Obi-Wan were as good as alone.

"You shouldn't have come, " he said, staring at his hands. She released his wrist. "Don't talk nonsense. That bioweapon had to be destroyed. "

"You shouldn't have come here, " he snapped. "You're a fool. "

"I know, " she said, and pressed her palm to his cheek. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. "

Jerkily he pushed himself off his stool. "No. No. Don't mind me, Taria. I'm just tired. "

Tired? She couldn't think of a word to describe what he was. Empty, perhaps? Having poured so much of himself into healing these people, into keeping them alive? Yes. He was empty.

Or he was. But now here I am, filling him with grief.

"Obi-Wan... "

He kept his back to her. He was so thin. He and Anakin were worn down to skin and bones, living on the Force.

And he calls me crazy?

"Obi-Wan, " she said again. "Please. "

Slowly, he turned. His face was naked, every guarded feeling laid bare. If they'd been in love once, it was only for a moment, in the breathless, fresh excitement of discovery, in that first annihilating shock of pleasure. But it had pa.s.sed, which was a good thing, and in pa.s.sing had trans.m.u.ted to something deep and sure and true.

"Obi-Wan, you have to listen to me, " she said. "Really listen. And believe every word. "

Step by step he came back to her, and sat down again.

"I've been a dead woman walking ever since Pamina Prime, " she said, keeping her voice low. Willing him to hear her, and believe.

"We both know that. So it wasn't ever about living longer, but what I got to do with the life that was left to me. What I'm doing here?"

She waved her hand, feeling the bite in bone and muscle. "Stopping Durd, helping to save you and Skyguy and this village? It's important. So even if it hastens what must come to pa.s.s, Obi-Wan, how can I not rejoice? And how can you love me yet not rejoice for me?"

He shrugged. "I'm selfish, Taria. I don't want to lose you. "

Though it woke the sharpest hurt in her, she sat up. "I made my peace with this dying business long ago. Don't poison what little time we have left. "

For a moment she watched him struggle with that. Then she leaned forward and cradled his face between her hands.

168.

"I'm going to tell you this now because I might not get a chance later, " she whispered. "They call Anakin the Chosen One but you have a destiny, too. You have a long road to walk and it won't always he easy. I wish I could walk it with you, but that's not meant to be. So you remember what I'm telling you, Obi-Wan. Everything happens for a reason. Everything. The good, the bad, the indifferent.

They all have a purpose. Never forget who you are. Never forget what you serve. And no matter what happens, keep your face turned to the light. "

She watched her words sink through his skin and beneath the surface of his luminous eyes. She watched the grief rise in him, and the rage, and the despair. She watched his courage drown all of them.

She watched him... let go.

Beside them, Anakin stirred awake as Teeba Sufi bustled back into the sick house. Taria dropped her hands to her lap.

She smiled. "All right?"

"What's all right?" said Anakin, groggy. "What's going on?"

"Nothing yet, " said Obi-Wan, and slapped him on the back. "On your feet, Anakin. We've slept long enough. "

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE.

Staking from admiral Yularen to Master Windu and back again, Ashoka felt every predator instinct stir.

Ob, no. This isn't good.

"Master Windu, " said the admiral, his voice clipped, "while I appreciate the difficulty of your position I must think of my troops. You know as well as I that the acceleration of clone production has not succeeded as Fleet antic.i.p.ated. Given the slowdown of numbers leaving the Kaminoan facility I cannot agree to prolonging this mission. Hammer and Arrow squadrons have lost almost one-quarter of their pilots each and Gold Squadron isn't far behind.

"It's time to return home. "

Ahsoka, standing far to one side and forgotten, sucked in a sharp breath. She could feel Master Windu's coldness in the Force, and his ruthless self-mastery as he controlled it. More than anything she wanted to shout 'Stop it'! The enemy's out there, not here in Battle Ops. But she couldn't say a word. She was a Padawan, a n.o.body, compared with these men.

If Skyguy was here he'd say something. He'd speak up.

And the problem was, she was pretty sure what he'd say. Admiral Yularen's right. I don't want anyone dying for me. And if she heard him say that, well, then she'd be the one arguing.

I'm with Master Windu. We can't leave them behind.

Then came a great shudder in the Force as Master Windu released all emotion. "Admiral, help is coming. We only need a little longer.

If we play felinx-and-rodus with Grievous, if we abandon this position and instead spread out the battle group, give him four scattered targets instead of..."

"No, " said the admiral. "Master Windu, I'm sorry, but I ask you not to do that. For the sake of your crew, for the sake of-'"

"Admiral?" It was Lieutenant Avrey, on comm. "I have a Priority Alpha signal coming through from the Jedi Temple. It's Master Yoda. He's asking for you. "

Admiral Yularen hit the comm switch. "Patch it through. Lieutenant. "

Master Yoda wanted the admiral? Ahsoka, caught staring, felt herself blush as Master Windu fixed her with a cold look.

"Well, Padawan? What do you think?"

She lifted her chin. "Master, I think we don't leave them behind unless we have to. And I don't think we have to. Not yet. "

169.

His nodded, his eyes suddenly warm. "Good answer. "

And then Master Yoda's voice, slightly distorted by distance, came through the comm. "Agreement we have reached with an auxiliary civilian fleet, Admiral. On its way to you now it is. Agreed to accept your temporary authority, the ship's captains have. Remain at Lantech, can you, until arrive they dot"

Admiral Yularen clasped his hands behind his back. "Master Yoda, our position is precarious. We've already sustained significant casualties. Grievous is holding fire for the moment, but that could change and we do not have the means to overcome him. "

"Have it you will soon, Admiral. "

"How soon. Master Yoda?"

" Within hours. "

"Master Yoda-what is the Supreme Chancellor's position on this?"

"Asked us, has Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, to rescue the trapped Jedi. "

A long silence. Then Yularen nodded. "Very well, Master Yoda. We'll wait until this... fleet... arrives. "

"My thanks you have. Admiral. Good hunting. "

Master Windu turned. "Padawan Tano-go belowdecks. Inform the Five Hundred First that they'll be seeing action in the next few hours. Once the skies are clear, ground troops will be going in. "

"Yes, Master Windu, " she said, and came close to running out of the room.

The minute Rex saw her face, he held up a fist and silenced the entire mess, where everyone from the 501st, ground troops and pilots alike, were gathered to remember the dead and wait for action.

The weight of the clones' stares was a fearsome thing.

"We're going in, " she said to the room at large. "As soon as our reinforcements arrive we're going to smash through that blockade to save Master Skywalker and Master Ken.o.bi-and Master Damsin, too. "

The 501st let out a cheer. In the noisy aftermath, Rex came to stand with her. "You all right, little'un?"

It wasn't until he asked her that she realized how not right she was. Stuck up here, above Lanteeb, away from Anakin, knowing how much trouble he was in, catching only fleeting s.n.a.t.c.hes of him in the Force, not being able to fight by his side. Dreading that with every minute they'd get word of his death... or even worse, that she'd feel it.

"I'm fine, " she told Rex, daring him to contradict her. "Just looking forward to getting my boors on the ground, y'know?"

His eyes told her he could see the truth, but he smiled. "I know, Ahsoka. Never mind. It won't be long. And then we'll be downstairs kicking some tinnie clanker b.u.t.t-and dragging our favorite Jedi to safety by the scruff of his neck. "

She grinned. "I'll tell him you said that, Rex. "

"Little'un, " he retorted. "I'm counting on it. "

"TEEBA, I don't think you should be doing this, " said Sufi. "I don't think Teeb Ken.o.bi would approve. "