"I've got it or I can get it. What's your need, friend?"
"Blankets and handwarmers," Anakin said.
She dumped the satchel on the ground and held up two handwarmers. As she crouched, Anakin saw two blasters in her belt. "Let me see the credits first," she said.
Anakin held out his hand. She took the credits from it, then tossed the handwarmers to Ferus. "No blankets today, but I've got a tip on some plush thermal capes. You can meet me here same time tomorrow and I'll have them."
"How much?" Ferus asked.
Auben named the price. Ferus raised his eyebrows. "I said they were plush. Top quality. I'll have some other luxury stuff, too." She shrugged.
"If you don't want them, someone else will."
"You have a lot of customers?" Ferus's gaze roamed the empty plaza, pretending skepticism.
"I've got the whole spaceport as customers, friend." Auben shrugged the pack back onto her shoulders.
It was clear she was about to take off. Anakin spoke quickly. "Our parents marooned us here on Dreshdae. They said they'd be back, but it's been a few weeks now, and we don't know where — "
Auben's face was expressionless. "I don't need your story, just your credits."
"We heard that a couple landed at the spaceport recently," Anakin continued. "A human man and woman. Maybe you've seen them — "
Auben's eyes grew hard. "I don't discuss my customers."
"But I just — "
"Ever."
Anakin knew they were at a dead end.
"So you only find things, not beings?" Ferus asked. "Seems to me that there's not much difference. You need the same skills. Contacts and discretion."
She stopped in her tracks. "What do you mean?"
"It seems to me that for the right price, you could help us with more than handwarmers."
Auben hesitated. She gave them an appraising look, as if wondering how much they could pay.
But before she could speak, a blast of artillery fire shattered a column behind her. The explosion of rocks sent her flying toward Anakin and Ferus. All three landed on the ground.
"Commerce Guild droids," she panted. "Run!"
Chapter Eight
Auben took off. Anakin dashed after her. She had placed herself in an exposed position, her back to the blaster fire, thinking she could outrun it. She was wrong. Anakin had no choice. The Force slowed down time, and he could see the blaster bolts streaking toward her emanating from a phalanx of spider droids. He withdrew his lightsaber and leaped to deflect them.
He twisted in midair and landed on the top of a pillar, where he leaped again, this time next to Auben as he swept his lightsaber to deflect more fire.
"Who are you?" she yelled, but there was no time for Anakin to answer.
Ferus dashed forward, covering their retreat. Anakin hustled Auben into the shelter of the dark ruins. They paused a moment to catch their breath.
Auben looked at the lightsaber. "Where can I get one of those?"
Ferus ran in, already sheathing his lightsaber. "They have tracking droids. We've got to get out of here."
"We don't know which way," Anakin said to Auben.
She blew out a quick, exasperated breath, then nodded her head. "Okay, okay, seeing that you saved my life, I'll save yours. Come on."
She led the way through the ruins, twisting through narrow passageways and climbing through blasted-out holes. Anakin knew that the other Jedi were following them. He could feel them close.
The noise of the blaster fire faded, but Anakin knew the army hadn't given up. He could feel their presence, too. They were heading toward the outskirts of the spaceport now.
Auben led Anakin and Ferus out of the ruins and into a series of narrow, twisting streets. The street dwindled into a lane. The small hovels and buildings were spaced farther and farther apart until they were alone in a rocky landscape. The lane turned into a narrow dirt path that twisted and turned sharply upward. Anakin guessed that they were climbing the lip of the plateau that cradled the spaceport. Sure enough, they soon scrambled over a last obstacle of huge boulders and reached it.
Anakin looked down. Below them an ancient structure rose out of the steep mountainside and spilled out into a narrow valley. The mountain made two-thirds of the structure impenetrable. The entrance was in ruins, blocked by huge toppled columns and blocks of crumbling stone.
Anakin felt the peculiar stomach-turning wrench he experienced when faced with the tremors of the dark side of the Force. He knew what this wreck of a building was.
The ancient Sith monastery spread out below him, deserted for centuries, and still a presence of evil. Here was where thousands of Sith had once trained — and thousands of hopefuls had once disappeared forever.
"Is that where we're going?" Ferus asked.
"Creepy, huh? Don't let it bother you," Auben said. "Nobody lives there. Everyone's afraid to go inside, except for me. We won't be followed, that's for sure."
"What was it?" Ferus asked, even though Anakin knew he was perfectly aware of its history. Ferus was too good a student. He had read the same briefing material that Anakin had.
"Just an old monastery. They blasted out the side of the mountain to build it. Will you two hurry up?" Auben started down the steep path toward the monastery. It wound through the boulders and crags.
Something in Anakin suddenly revolted. He rarely felt fear, but he felt it now. A deep voice within him was warning him not to enter.
And yet another voice, deeper than fear, told him to go inside.
Chapter Nine
Obi-Wan lowered his electrobinoculars. "The Sith monastery," he said.
"Why is she going there?"
"She doesn't want to be found," Soara answered. "I'd guess very few go in there if they don't have to."
They stood on the lip of the plateau, looking down. Thousands of standard years ago, the original inhabitants of Korriban had all been killed after toiling for years to build the monastery. Nothing living thrived there now. Not a bush, not a blade of grass. If the ancient stones could speak, they would talk of blood and terror.
"It could be a trap," Siri said.
"Every step we take on this planet could be leading us to a trap,"
Obi-Wan said.
Siri gave a half-smile. "So let's go."
They climbed down the steep, rocky path. Through the electrobinoculars, Obi-Wan had seen Auben lead Anakin and Ferus into the monastery through a crevice in the stones. He led the team there. The rocks that made up the giant walls had shifted over the years. Some large slabs leaned against each other, while others had toppled and crumbled into boulders.
Darra and Tru slipped through the crevice easily. Siri, Soara, and Obi-Wan followed — Obi-Wan with a bit more difficulty. Ry-Gaul had the worst time. He was tall and solidly built, and even the Force couldn't get him through the crack. "I'll find another way in," he said when it was clear he couldn't make it.
"I'll come with you, Master," Tru said, starting to slither out again.