"You have no idea what to do with power."

Obi-Wan could see that Norval was not going to give up without a fight. Reaching down to his utility belt, he unhooked and ignited his light-saber.

I must end this quickly, Obi-Wan thought. He hoped the sight of his lightsaber would make Norval back down and hand over the Holocron. I must get back to help Anakin before it is too late.

But Norval did not back down. He simply reached for his belt and ignited a lightsaber of his own.

Chapter 24

Anakin unleashed another round of laser fire. He'd been circling the sleek gray ship, pummeling its hull. Every blast appeared to find its quick-moving target. But they didn't seem to have any effect.

I should have chosen a ship with decent firepower as well as speed, Anakin thought grimly. I should have known I'd need to be prepared for battle.

Anakin had taken several hits without sustaining much damage. Only that first firing had created a problem, and losing the hyperdrive was minor compared to what could have been damaged.

Still, the ship could be hit again at any moment — and with dire results. He had to get out of there. But where could he go? The large gray craft clearly had a long firing range. It would take several minutes to get far enough away to be safe….

Thinking fast, Anakin turned the ship around and headed straight for Norval's behemoth. If he could just keep the giant vessel between him and the mystery ship, he'd count on the gray ship not firing on him. The pilot wouldn't want to risk the Holocron — he hoped.

Anakin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the gray ship was not coming after him. But before he could inhale again it turned its fire on Norval's ship. Somehow, the pilot knew the Jedi were getting close.

Chapter 25

Obi-Wan gaped at the lightsaber in Norval's hand for half a second.

Such a weapon was extremely difficult to construct, and doing so took patience and skill. Attributes he wasn't at all convinced that Norval had.

Norval stepped forward, his blade raised. He was clearly pleased to see the look of surprise on Obi-Wan's face.

"You Jedi think you are the only ones who can wield lightsabers?" he laughed menacingly. "Dr. Lundi's lessons only took me so far. But the Quermian did help me gather the tools I needed. It's actually quite simple, once you have the knowledge — and the power…"

Obi-Wan was barely listening. He circled Norval, carefully studying the lightsaber. Its construction was crude, and he guessed that the crystals inside were weak and badly tuned. At least he hoped that was the case.

Norval brought the weapon high over his head, then thrust it back down. It missed Obi-Wan by several centimeters and crashed into the table where the Holocron rested. The glowing artifact tumbled to the floor. Both Obi-Wan and Norval watched the Holocron fall, but neither made a move for it.

His lightsaber might be crude, but it is still deadly, Obi-Wan noted.

He knew from experience that a powerful weapon could be even more dangerous in the hands of an unskilled user. He would have to tread carefully.

Norval's eyes glinted. "Did the Jedi like my messages?" he asked, moving slowly forward. "I thought they were appropriate. Imagine being able to bring down the pathetic Jedi and get rich doing it!"

Norval slashed at the air, his fury building. It was clear to Obi-Wan that the young man was strong, but not very technically advanced with the lightsaber.

Obi-Wan sprang ahead, slashing with his own blue blade and pushing Norval backward. He had no desire to kill Norval — he simply wanted to disarm him and take the Holocron. This fight was wasting valuable time.

Obi-Wan closed in. But before he could knock Norval's lightsaber out of his hands, another explosion caused the ship to bank sharply. Obi?Wan fell backward, losing his grip on his lightsaber and hitting his head hard on the floor.

It was some seconds before his vision cleared. When it did, Norval was standing over him. Obi-Wan could feel the heat from the glowing lightsaber blade, which was trained on his throat.

"You didn't think I could actually get the Holocron, did you?" he gloated. "Nobody did. If only Omal hadn't interfered the first time, I would be even stronger now — and you and Dr. Lundi would be long dead."

Obi-Wan pretended to listen as Norval ranted. The longer he talked, the more time he'd have to formulate some sort of plan. Once Norval decided to strike, Obi-Wan would be out of time — perhaps permanently.

Out of the corner of his eye Obi-Wan saw his lightsaber rolling away from him. Beyond it was the glowing Holocron, still on the floor.

Norval raised his saber. But just as he began to bring it back down another blast pelted the ship. It took Norval a moment to steady himself.

That moment was all Obi-Wan needed. Reaching out with both hands, he used the Force to bring his lightsaber and the Holocron to him. He caught one in each hand as he leapt to his feet. Then, reigniting his lightsaber, he gracefully knocked Norval's weapon out of his hand and across the room.

The crude handle shattered, and the interior crystals spilled across the floor.

Stunned, Norval climbed to his feet. "Your young Padawan would have made a wonderful Sith," he growled, his face contorting into an expression of rage. "Too bad he and that ship he's on are about to be destroyed by some friends of mine." He grinned. "They'll stop firing on me once they know you've been taken care of."

Obi-Wan wondered for a split second how Norval knew about Anakin. He supposed the evil young man made many things his business. But before he could consider the thought further, Norval lunged for the ship's communicator. "The Jedi has the Holocron!" he shouted. "You've got to get me out of here."

Obi-Wan turned and ran out of the room while Norval begged for help.

The Jedi Master would not strike down an unarmed being. He would not leave his Padawan to face the mystery ship alone. And he would not be leaving without the Holocron this time.