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Obi-Wan opened his eyes to find Grath staring at him. "I hope whatever you just did works," the boy said in a shaky voice. "If anything happens to my father because of me, because of what I've done…." he trailed off, suddenly at a loss for words.
Obi-Wan tried to reassure Grath. "We're doing all we can. We mustn't lose hope," he said.
But Obi-Wan himself had a foreboding feeling. They might be too late.
"It's all my fault," Grath went on. "I started to change the pranks.
I wanted to get their attention. To make them see…" Grath's eyes filled with tears as he stared out of the shuttle portal. "And now my father, the leader of the planet, is in danger."
"It's not your fault, Grath," Tray piped up, her voice wavering.
"It's mine." She made a sharp turn and the shuttle banked to the left.
There was a groan from a few Freelies who were thrown against the shuttle wall.
"I convinced Flip that the pranks should become violent. I told him you would respect him for taking the next step, that you would be proud….
" Tray took a hand off the controls to wipe her eyes, sending the shuttle into a nosedive. It skidded against the ground before Tray righted it again.
"And he believed me," she said with a sob. "He believed every word I said."
Finally the shuttle rounded a corner and the Multycorp a
But before the shuttle got close enough for anyone to shout a warning, a huge explosion rocked the workspace. Chunks of metal, cement, and other debris shot into the air as the front of the Multycorp a
"No!" Grath screamed, covering his face with his hands. Nania stared ahead, too shocked to speak. Tray slumped over the shuttle's controls. Obi- Wan sca
Obi-Wan sensed that his Master was nearby, but could not tell if he was all right.
Obi-Wan immediately saw a group of people. Some were crouched, others lay on the ground amid the rubble. There was not much movement.
Forcing open the shuttle door, Obi-Wan raced toward them. He desperately hoped that he was not ru
Chapter 21
The explosion site was in chaos. Vorzydiak laborers and retirees were everywhere, lying on the ground, droning, and nursing injuries. All of them were in shock. Obi-Wan followed Grath and Tray as the Vorzydiaks searched the crowd for their families.
At last Obi-Wan spotted Qui-Gon's brown robe. His Master was kneeling beside a body on the ground. Next to him was Chairman Port.
"Father!" Grath shouted and sprinted ahead.
Chairman Port turned. His face was singed. With one hand he protected the injured arm that hung awkwardly at his side. Being careful not to hurt his broken arm, Grath stepped close to his father. They did not speak but instead embraced using their ante
Obi-Wan hurried toward Qui-Gon. He was relieved to see his Master was not injured, but the Jedi did not embrace. The look on Qui-Gon's face stopped Obi-Wan in his tracks. Tray's grandmother was the figure on the ground. Her eyes were closed and there was blood on her face.
Tray dropped to her knees beside her grandmother, unable to speak.
"She's going to be fine," Qui-Gon said softly. "She was hit on the head by a small piece of falling debris on her way out of the building."
The old woman's eyes fluttered open and she reached out for her granddaughter. Tray took her hand, but her face remained a mask of horror.
Obi-Wan knew she was blaming herself.
Qui-Gon put his hand on Tray's shoulder. "Your grandmother is a brave woman."
Tray looked gratefully at Qui-Gon through tear-filled eyes. He returned her gaze reassuringly before turning to Obi-Wan.
"Thanks to your warning almost everyone was able to get out of the building in time."
"Almost everyone?" Obi-Wan asked. Qui-Gon did not need to say anything else. Obi-Wan knew who had been left inside. "Flip," he said quietly, not wanting to upset Tray further. But she overheard.
"No!" Tray sobbed. "No, not Flip. We've got to find him. We've got to get him out."
Obi-Wan nodded solemnly. Of course they needed to find Flip. He only hoped they would find him alive.
Grath shouted and waved the growing group of Freelies to the corner of what had been the front of the Multycorp a
"There's a sound coming from the basement," he explained. "We have to get in there."
The team of laborers had searched the rubble for only a few minutes before they first heard the soft pinging. It could have been a piece of machinery still trying to operate. It could have been a wild creature. Or it could have been Flip.
A dozen large laborers gathered together and pushed with all of their strength on a heavy beam that blocked access to the basement level. It didn't move.
"Lift together," Grath shouted. "On three."
Several of the laborers looked skeptically at the young Freelies. But they made room for them around the beam.
"One, two, three," Grath counted. Working together, the group lifted the beam, easily sliding it over until they'd created an opening about a meter wide.
"Brace the side," Grath shouted.
The opening wasn't much, but it was big enough for Obi-Wan to squeeze through. "Hurry, Obi-Wan," Grath urged as the young Jedi began to lower himself into the darkened basement. He didn't need to ask twice. Obi-Wan knew that the remains of the Multycorp a
Obi-Wan paused a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. He listened for the pinging. It seemed to be coming from a spot ahead of him and to the left. It was getting less frequent.
Suddenly dirt and pebbles poured down onto Obi-Wan's head.
"Look out," called a voice above him. "I'm coming with you."
The light from the opening was blocked for a moment. Then Tray dropped down beside Obi-Wan.