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"This way," he called. He pushed Davi and 0-Lana gently down an adjacent corridor.
The Guides followed, a mass of bodies in chromasheath armor, blasters firing. The small missiles fired by the beam tubes thudded into the walls around them. The air began to fill with smoke.
Obi-Wan and Siri pressed on. They could see the exit ahead. But Obi-Wan didn't know whether they could protect Davi and 0-Lana, continue to fight the Guides, and activate the ramp. It would take time to figure out how the ramp was operated. There was most likely some sort of key or code. Their backs would be against a wall. Siri glanced over at him, and he knew she had thought of the same problems ahead.
More Guides suddenly appeared, ru
Obi-Wan felt sweat trickle down his back as he deflected a sudden burst of blaster fire. Would the battle end here? Would they have to surrender in order to save 0-Lana and Davi?
Just then he heard a whirr and a clicking sound. The door slid open. A ramp shot up to the surface and fresh air flooded the hall. A split second later, Qui-Gon and Adi raced down the ramp, their lightsabers activated.
With one quick glance they took in the situation, then leaped into the fray.
The Security Guides had gained confidence as their numbers increased.
But four Jedi were too much for them. Their blaster fire was deflected back relentlessly. They had to keep diving to the floor or ducking behind carts to avoid it.
Finally, they simply dropped their weapons and ran.
The Jedi turned to one another. The battle was over. Obi-Wan took O-Lana from Davi's arms. He handed her to Qui-Gon.
"I bet you've been searching for this," he said.
Qui-Gon looked over 0-Lana's head at him. "I have been searching for you, too, Padawan. I am glad to have found you."
[Image001] When the citizens of Kegan found out what was happening in the Re-Learning Circle, they revolted. They were horrified that children were hidden away and put in solitary confinement for questioning authority or having a chronic ailment. It violated everything O-Vieve and V-Tan had claimed Kegan valued.
Every citizen packed the Gathering Circle to debate the problem.
Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Adi, and Siri observed as V-Tan and O-Vieve were voted out as Benevolent Guides. A new council was swiftly appointed. Soon debate raged regarding travel outside Kegan. At last a vote was taken. A majority favored sending an envoy to the Galactic Senate. In the meantime, they would petition the Galactic Senate to send medical and scientific advisors to the planet to bring Kegan up to date.
Soon after, the Learning Circle was closed.
Students returned home to their families. They were given a short vacation until a new schooling system could be set up. People opened their homes to the orphans from the Re-Learning Circle, and the rest returned to their parents.
It was time for the Jedi to leave. They stood with Nen, Melie, and Davi at the landing platform. Melie handed Lana to Siri.
"Nen and I have decided that it is best for Lana to go," she said, tears in her eyes. "I have seen what the Jedi are and what they can do. We must honor her gift."
"O-Vieve and V-Tan were right about many things," Nen said, touching his daughter's cheek. "One of them is that we must sacrifice for the General Good. It is better for Lana, better for the galaxy, if she is able to be taught completely."
"We shall care for her and honor her," Adi Gallia said. "She will grow wise in the ways of the Force, and her life will be one of service."
"I can ask for no better life for my daughter," Melie said.
Nen put his arm around Davi. "And a new child has come into our lives.
Davi has agreed to stay with us."
"If he can stay away from the Animal Circle," Melie teased. "Our friend Via works there. She is teaching him how to care for the animals."
"I will never forget you," Davi told Obi-Wan and Siri shyly.
Obi-Wan put his hand on Davi's forearm. "We will always be your friends, Davi."
"If you ever need us, you have only to summon us," Siri told him.
"Safe journey," Nen said. "We are grateful to the Jedi for working to restore our world to justice."
Nen, Melie, and Davi walked away. Siri brought Lana into the ship to settle her in for the journey. Adi went inside to do her last-minute checks.
Obi-Wan took a last look at Kegan from the landing platform. "This world was a puzzle to me," he said. "I still don't understand how an entire planet could place its trust so blindly in visions and dreams."
"I'm not surprised," Qui-Gon said. "All living beings find comfort in a truth that makes their lives easier to bear. Here on Kegan the people did not have the strife or hunger that we've seen on other planets. Why should the people question a system that brought them ease and comfort?"
"But their freedom was an illusion," Obi-Wan argued.
"We do not know if 0-Vieve and V-Tan's visions were wrong, Padawan,"
Qui-Gon said thoughtfully. "O-Vieve's vision of the future was clouded, but that doesn't make it invalid. Perhaps she just misinterpreted what she saw."
"That I don't believe," Obi-Wan said. "I can't imagine one central evil controlling the whole galaxy. That would be impossible."
"I hope we do not see it, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "But we ca
Obi-Wan shook his head stubbornly. "She saw darkness coming from the Jedi itself. That could never happen."
Sun suddenly burst through the clouds overhead, dazzling Qui-Gon's sight. The glare caused Obi-Wan's features to blur and dissolve. For a moment, Qui-Gon didn't see the boy. He saw an elder man, alone, living on a desolate planet, his only companions his dark memories.
Qui-Gon felt the same shiver he'd experienced in O-Vieve's presence.
Did he just have a vision of himself as an elder? Was that the dark vision 0-Vieve had seen for him?
Then a sudden truth pierced him. That isn't me. It is Obi-Wan.
Or was it?
The sun retreated behind the clouds. The world became clear again.
Qui-Gon studied Obi-Wan. He saw the familiar boyish features, the shining eyes. He found reassurance in the sight of his youth. The future is not fixed, but fluid, he told himself. Visions did not have to come true.