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Obi-Wan nodded toward the first starfighter, and Roe
There were only five starfighters. Three were parked side by side. With luck, Roe
Cerasi, Nield, and Obi-Wan watched anxiously, their weapons at the ready, as Roe
Obi-Wan leaned close to Cerasi and Nield. "I'll go with Roe
"Hopefully, the guards won't turn around. You cover us."
His friends nodded. Obi-Wan moved quietly past the three starfighters, keeping away from the utility droids. He reached Roe
He squeezed her shoulder for reassurance, and she nodded with more confidence. They took off across the empty space, ru
They might have made it if a utility droid hadn't knocked into an empty fuel barrel. It rolled noisily across the floor and came to rest a few centimeters from their feet. One of the guards turned. Obi-Wan saw the surprise on his face as he registered the two invaders.
"Hey! "the guard called.
In the split second it took for the guard to fully recognize the threat, Obi-Wan was already moving. He gave Roe
He could see the guard's mouth drop in surprise as Obi-Wan hurtled toward him, feet first. He knocked him down, then grabbed his blaster.
The second guard turned just in time to see the first go down. Obi-Wan was already whirling, coming at the guard with a kick to the chin. The guard fell, cracking his head against the stone floor. His blaster rifle skidded away, and Obi-Wan jumped back toward Nield. Nield and Cerasi had already begun moving forward, firing at the guards.
The four remaining guards scattered. They were all wearing plastoid armor, but no one took chances with blaster fire. They fired as they ran, and Obi-Wan leaped back around the boxes for cover. Nield and Cerasi joined him a split second later.
"They've probably called for help on their comlinks," Cerasi said grimly as she took aim at the guards, who were crouching behind a pile of disabled floaters. She fired rapidly over one guard's head as he tried to take a clear shot.
Obi-Wan saw Roe
They kept up a rapid stream of blaster fire. Roe
"Last one," Obi-Wan said.
Two guards suddenly split off from the others and dashed to either side of the spaceport, ducking behind pillars for cover.
"They're trying to get behind us!" Obi-Wan alerted Cerasi and Nield.
Then he ran to the other end of the cargo boxes, keeping under cover. Roe
Obi-Wan saw him catch sight of the young girl, whirl, and aim.
Desperately, Obi-Wan reached out for the Force. This time, he felt it surge around him. He put out his hand, and the blaster flew from the surprised guard's hand. The blaster fire went awry and pinged harmlessly into the wall.
Roe
"I'm right here." Obi-Wan locked eyes with her, hoping to drive away the fear. "I won't let anything happen to you."
Roe
Never gone. Always there, it is.
Obi-Wan groaned. You think so, Yoda? Not for me!
Blaster fire ripped into the fuselage of the starfighter over his head.
Obi-Wan pushed Roe
"We're going to have to crawl," he told Roe
Roe
Obi-Wan rolled the huge barrel toward the front guard. It smashed into his knees, and he fell backward into the guard behind him. They teetered into the line of fire of the other guards.
The four friends took advantage of the moment and ran, firing as they went. They reached the safety of the fuel tanks. Cerasi was the most nimble of them all. She hustled Roe
"Run!" he yelled.
They all scrambled to safety — and then the tank exploded, taking most of the hangar with it.
"That should keep them busy," he told the others.
Nield raised Mawat on the comlink. "It's done," he said. "The Elders have no starfighters anymore. You can contact the Middle Generation."
Mawat's voice crackled over the comlink. Though the transmission was faint, they could hear his glee.
"I think we just won the war!" he crowed.
The lightsaber came down, missing him by millimeters. Qui-Gon jumped away, surprised. The blow came from nowhere. He hadn't been paying attention.
He whirled, raising his own lightsaber in defense. His opponent parried, then twisted away to come at him from his left. Their lightsabers tangled, buzzing. Suddenly, his opponent shifted his feet and moved right.
Qui-Gon hadn't expected the move, and his dodge was ill-timed. The lightsaber glanced against his wrist. The burn was nothing compared to his a