Free The Rising Force by Dave Wolverton Page A

him.
    *
    *
    *
    Heavy blaster fire ripped through the hull of the Monument. To Togorian warship had taken aim at the bridge, but with the sudden thrust of the huge ship, the blaster bolts had struck the ship behind their mark.
    Obi-Wan pushed away the thought of who might have died in the attack. He reversed thrusters.
    The warship‘s next salvo fell short, blasting harmlessly into space. Obi-Wan took half a moment to aim his proton torpedoes, the launched them down the warship‘s gullet.
    As he was sucked toward the space vacuum, Qui-Gon called his lightsaber to his left hand. He aimed a blow at the pirate captain‘s feet. The Togorian grabbed a handhold and leaped high, evading the cut,
    then landed directly on Qui-Gon‘s left arm with his booted feet.
    Fighting the pain, Qui-Gon tried to bring up his lightsaber, but the huge Togorian had him pinned. Qui-Gon twisted desperately, but he
    couldn‘t get away.
    With his left arm pinned and his right arm badly wounded Qui-Gon could do little to fight the monster.
    The pirate captain roared madly in triumph, and the wind seemed to roar with him. It tore down the corridors like a tornado. Qui-Gon could hardly breathe.
    Suddenly the pirate‘s head disappeared. The huge Togorian hurtled
    backward, grabbed by the fury of the wind.
    Qui-Gon looked up the hall. Clat‘Ha crouched on the floor, desperately clinging to the handle of a locker door with one hand, her heavy blaster in the other.
    In the heat of battle, the Togorian had forgotten all about the woman.
    Down the hall was a bulkhead door that should have closed automatically when the air pressure dropped. But with all the damage to
    the ship, it was no surprise that it hadn‘t worked.
    Qui-Gon was bleeding badly, and could hardly breathe. Weakly, with the last of his will, he reached out with the Force and moved a bit of debris, touching the controls to the door and sliding it closed. As the wind stopped screaming through the ship, everything became deathly silent.
    All that Qui-Gon could hear was his own heart beating, and Clat‘Ha
    gasping for air.
    The Togorian warship exploded in a burst of light.
    Si Treemba worked at the communications console, launching distress beacons. It might take days for a Republic ship to respond, or one could arrive in a matter of seconds. It was impossible to know who would be traveling the space lanes.
    Suddenly the Togorian warships peeled away from the Monument. Their gun ship and warship were destroyed. Their captain‘s cruiser and second boarding vessel had ripped away from the Monument‘s hull, and dead
    pirates could be seen littering space.
    The last of the pirates blasted off into hyperspace, never guessing
    that they‘d been bested by a twelve-year-old boy.
    Obi-Wan piloted the Monument among the glimmering stars. Warning claxons were ringing everywhere. Monitors showed air leaks from a dozen holes.
    ―It looks like the shi is falling apart,‖ Obi-Wan said to Si
    Treemba.
    Si Treemba nodded his triangular head worriedly. ―We have to land
    now, Obi-Wan.‖
    ―Land where?‖ Obi-Wan asked, looking ahead at nothing but empty space.
    Si Treemba bent over the nav computer. ―It‘s not working,‖ he said.
    ―I know,‖ Obi-Wan replied. ―That‘s why I‘m flying manually. Where are the crew? Why isn‘t anyone coming to help us?‖
    ―They‘re probably dealing with the wounded or maybe they are
    wounded
    themselves.‖ Si Treemba peered ahead through the view screen.
    ―Wait! There!‖
    Obi-Wan could just glimpse the planet ahead, a blue marble the color of water, shot through with white clouds.
    ―How do we know we can breathe the air?‖ Obi-Wan asked. The atmosphere might be poison, the planet might be hostile.
    ―It had got to be better than breathing in a vacuum,‖ Si Treemba
    suggested.
    The Arconan‘s faceted eyes met Obi-Wan‘s. The great ship shuddered, and another warning monitor went off, signaling that the air pressure was dropping.
    ―We don‘t