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Save for some confused murmuring in the ranks of the Borokii, silence greeted his speech. Then a Januul officer advanced on his ornamented mount. Pointing a ceremonial sword at the calm, composed human, he replied angrily.

“We know nothing of which you speak, offworlder!”

Obi-Wan responded serenely. “Of course you don’t. That’s because you have yet to hear us. Give us that chance.”

Behind him, a Borokii leader moved forward. “What kind of assistance is this? What happens here today doesn’t involve other worlds, offworlder. Attend to the business at hand, as you promised the elders!”

“Ansion is part of the Republic,” Luminara replied. “Within the Republic, all quarrels are the business of the Senate. And the Jedi Council.”

The Borokii reacted with a smirk. “So instead of helping us, you’ve decided to save us from ourselves? So be it, then. We don’t need your help. The Borokii have always taken care of themselves.” A defiant cry rose from the massed fighters assembled behind him.

It was matched by a challenging shout from the Januul, whose officer was not finished with the visitors. “Get out of the way, offworlders! We will settle this as we always have, in the traditional manner. Whatever your intentions, it is too late now to interfere. The Borokii have come, and we are ready for them.” Raising his sword, he let out a wild, high-pitched whooping no human could have replicated, and urged his sadain forward.

Concentrating hard, raising a hand to aid in mental focus, Obi-Wan thrust his open palm sharply in the direction of the charging officer. It was as if the sadain had run into a wall. Despite its six legs it went down in a heap, more baffled than hurt. Sent flying over the blunt, stunned head, its rider landed hard on the grassy ground. The impact sent his sword flying from his three fingers. With a cry, the line of eager Januul immediately behind him raised their weapons and surged forward. Bellowing and hissing defiance, the Borokii responded in kind.

Arrows came flying, spears were flung, and most dangerous of all, blasters were brought into play. Anything that came near the Jedi was deflected by lightsabers that seemed to spin and whirl as rapidly as the lightning itself. Missiles sent flying overhead were deflected by judicious and skilled application of the Force.

Three Januul tried to jump Luminara. Three strokes of her lightsaber disarmed the first, melted the blade of the second, and knocked down the heavy club wielded by the third. She was too busy to acknowledge their stunned stares. Weaponless, they backed slowly away from the olive-skinned dervish, retreating toward their own line. In this they were accompanied by more and more of their companions as Luminara and her comrades methodically neutralized one group of bewildered warriors after another.

Firing blasters, a pair of furious Borokii rushed Anakin. Instead of fleeing, he advanced toward his attackers, the blade of his lightsaber deflecting one shot after another. Two quick strokes swept the weapons from their hands. It would have been a simple matter to bring the lightsaber around, cutting off both their arms with a single swift stroke. But Obi-Wan’s instructions as they had marched from the Borokii line out onto the field of battle had been explicit.

“No maiming and no killing,” the Jedi had instructed him. “It’s hard to win hearts and minds when you’re cutting off heads and hands.”

Further forcefulness wasn’t necessary anyway, he saw. Certainly not to convince the two who had so boldly charged him. Without a glance at their expensive and now useless pistols, they fled back to the safety of the Borokii line.

Another ten minutes or so of ferocious futility finally impressed upon Januul and Borokii alike that the fight was over. Or rather, that it was useless to try to engage in one. In all their mutual history, in all their experience of combat, neither side had ever heard of a three-way battle. It was outside their experience, and they had no way of coping with it. Especially since the third