The Master of Disguise

  split second before he felt the touch of the lightsaber on his shoulder. It

  only just missed his neck. When he twisted away, he saw the gleam of

  triumph in Ferus's eyes.

  Fury roared through him. Ferus wanted to humiliate him in front of

  Soara!

  He did something Ferus would never expect him to do. He copied Ferus's

  move, dropping to his knees and rolling underneath him as he made his next

  leap. He flipped up onto his feet and then charged at the rock wall.

  The Force entered him. He felt it. He saw the rock wall as a shifting

  shape, ready to receive him. He sprang off the wall and straight over

  Ferus's head. It seemed the easiest thing in the galaxy to simply lean down

  and touch the side of Ferus's neck with his lightsaber.

  He landed and looked up. Soara had seen everything. He had never

  fought so well.

  She called down from the cliff, "Thank you, Ferus. Stay there, Anakin.

  "

  "Good fight," Ferus said, sticking the training lightsaber in his

  belt. "Except for one thing."

  "What one thing?" Anakin asked, irritated. He wiped the sweat off his

  forehead with his sleeve.

  Ferus only smiled. Then he walked off.

  Anakin jammed the lightsaber hilt into his belt. No one could get to

  him like Ferus could.

  Soara walked toward him. "That was your last lesson," she said.

  Anakin was surprised and pleased. She must have seen how seamlessly he

  had connected with the Force.

  "Before this, I had been impressed with your gifts," Soara said. "I

  had thought you had the potential to be one of the great Jedi fighters of

  all time. I thought I could teach you. Now I have grave doubts about you,

  Anakin."

  Anakin couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What did I do wrong?"

  "That question is the problem," Soara said, shaking her head. "That is

  what is wrong. You don't know what you did. Didn't you feel your anger,

  Anakin? Didn't you realize it was fueling the battle?"

  "Obi-Wan told you that Ferus and I do not get along," Anakin said

  sullenly.

  "Obi-Wan didn't need to tell me," Soara snapped. "I saw it. Not from

  Ferus. From you."

  "He wanted to win," Anakin said. "I saw triumph in his eyes when he

  surprised me."

  "And it made you angry." Soara sighed. "Ferus did not fight from his

  emotion, Anakin. If you saw triumph in his eyes, he absorbed it and went

  on. That is the lesson you must learn. You will feel the emotion. You must

  let it go."

  To his surprise, she suddenly strode forward and grabbed him by the

  shoulders. "You must do this, Anakin. You must learn this lesson. It is the

  most important one of all."

  He didn't know what to say. He could promise her that he would learn

  it, but his promise would mean nothing. He knew that as a Jedi only his

  actions would convince her.

  "Thank you for the time you devoted to teaching me," he said.

  She dropped her hands. Now sadness was in her eyes. That was the worst

  thing of all. "Go get something to eat."

  Soara left, heading for the turbolift. Anakin walked over to the lake.

  He knelt by the deep pool created by the waterfall. He ducked his head into

  the cold water and came up spraying droplets that shined like bright gems

  in the light created by the illumination banks overhead.

  He would not let this bother him, he told himself fiercely. He had

  made a mistake. Soara should have understood that. He was a Padawan, not a

  Jedi. Of course he would make mistakes. It wasn't fair.

  She said she had her doubts that he would make a great Jedi. Yet she

  had seen the potential for it. He would surprise her. He would surprise

  them all.

  He rose and headed away from the lake. He would start by surprising

  Obi-Wan. Thanks to Tic Verdun, he would locate Granta Omega.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Upon his return to Coruscant, Obi-Wan didn't stop at the Temple, but

  went right to the Senate. He paused inside the massive grand hall and

  accessed the directional system. He entered Sano Sauro's name and a map

  instantly appeared, highlighting the quickest route to his office. He would

  have to snake through several wings of the Senate complex. The system would

  print out a map on a durasheet, but Obi-Wan didn't need it. He memorized

  the route and took off.

  Ever since he'd come here as a Jedi student, he had seen a Senate

  bustling with beings from all over the galaxy, but lately the halls had

  seemed even more crowded. The Senators' staffs were bloated with consorts,

  advisors, clerks, secretaries, assistants, and droids. Committees and

  subcommittees were tied up in hearings that stretched on for months, and

  sometimes years. Obi-Wan had always found Senators to admire for their

  dedication, but it was getting harder. The Senate continued to legislate,

  but it took more and more effort and time to get the smallest things done.

  Coalitions were formed, favors traded, credits amassed. Betrayals caused

  grudges that resulted in deep rifts that lasted for years. It was a

  different place than he had known.

  Yet he continued to serve it. He did not think it was possible to have

  peace in the galaxy without it.

  What kind of Senator was Sano Sauro? He did not want to make judgments

  before meeting him again. He had not seen him in ten years. Beings changed

  with time. He had known an ambitious lawyer who had attacked the Jedi and

  mocked the Force. Perhaps Sauro had found peace in a life of service. Obi-

  Wan would not expect trouble. He would hope for the best.

  Still, he was uncomfortably aware of how deeply Sano Sauro had

  unnerved him as a young Padawan. The man's reserve had been icy. He did not

  seem to be able to speak without a sneer. Obi-Wan had felt that whatever he

  said to the prosecutor was wrong or foolish. He was a Jedi Knight now, and

  not easily intimidated. It would be interesting to see what the encounter

  would be like if Sano Sauro had not changed.

  Obi-Wan reached the offices of Sano Sauro and strode inside. A team of

  assistants worked busily at their desks. An ornate carved door led to an

  inner office. Obi-Wan told the receptionist his name and requested a few

  minutes of the Senator's time. He wondered if Sano Sauro would remember

  him.

  He did not have to wonder long. The door hissed open and Sauro stood

  in the doorway. He looked oddly the same. He still had the same unlined

  face, the skin smooth and stretched tightly over the bones. His hair was

  still jet black. He could even have been dressed in the same clothes, a

  long black tunic and trousers. Obi-Wan could see small evidence of vanity

  in his brightly shined expensive boots.

  "Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said through tight lips. "Don't tell me you've

  killed another Padawan."

  He had not changed at all.

  Obi-Wan was glad to note that Sano Sauro's words had not made even the

  slightest impression on him. He did not feel stung. He did not care what

  such a man thought of him. The opinion of a cruel man was worth less than

  nothing.

  "I come on another matter and would welcome your help
," Obi-Wan said.

  Sano Sauro stepped aside. Obi-Wan took this as an invitation to enter

  the office. The door hissed shut behind him.

  Sano Sauro sat behind a long, low desk built of stone. Two massive red

  thorns marked the corners. Obi-Wan recognized them from the claing bush.

  Sauro said nothing but waited for him to begin. Obi-Wan remembered

  that, too. The prosecutor had never wasted time on pleasantries.

  "I am trying to locate a prot©g© of yours called Granta Omega," Obi-

  Wan said. He waited to see if Sano Sauro would react to the name, but he

  did not. "Do you still know him?"

  "He is a personal friend," Sano Sauro said. "Can you tell me how I

  could contact him?" "Why?"

  "In connection with a Jedi matter," Obi-Wan said. "Why would I give

  you any information?" Sano Sauro asked.

  Now it was Obi-Wan's turn to say nothing. The rudeness was not

  unexpected.

  "Because you ask?" Sauro said, folding his hands in front of him.

  "Because you are a Jedi?"

  "Because there is no reason not to," Obi-Wan said. "And if there is, I

  would be interested in uncovering it. I would expect that an investigation

  into the reason would not please you."

  "How interesting it must be to be a Jedi," Sano Sauro said. "You can

  bully and threaten and yet hide behind your robes and your talk of justice

  and the Force. Very convenient."

  "I am not threatening you," Obi-Wan said evenly. "I asked you a

  legitimate question, which you refused to answer. I am interested in why."

  "In that case, let me save you time. I am refusing to answer because I

  do not help the Jedi. It is as simple as that. The Senate in its collective

  delusion thinks we need you. I do not."

  The door hissed open behind Obi-Wan. Sauro rose. "I think I have come

  to the end of my patience," he said. "Good-bye."

  The hatred in his gaze was no longer surprising to Obi-Wan. Sano Sauro

  had hated the Jedi ten years before and still hated them.

  He could go over Sano Sauro's head. He could get the Jedi Council

  involved. They could go to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. It was something

  to consider. If Granta Omega was planning to corner the market on bacta,

  the Chancellor would want to know.

  Obi-Wan walked out of the inner office. The door hissed shut behind

  him. The assistants did not even glance at him. They sat hunched over their

  data-screens or talking on comlinks.

  The assistant closest to Sauro's inner office was distractedly

  speaking on a comlink while entering data into a datapad. "No, we're not

  releasing copies," he said. "The expedition was cut short and the report

  was inconclusive. Senator Sauro has been thoroughly briefed. No, I won't

  put you through. Check with the Senate archivist, the Senator doesn't have

  time." The assistant cut the connection. "Journalists," he muttered.

  "Was Senator Sauro on the committee that oversaw the mapping

  expedition that ended on Haariden?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "Senator Sauro headed the committee," the assistant said haughtily.

  Obi-Wan hurried from the room. He headed straight to the Senate

  archives, where committee records were kept. He filled out a request and

  waited impatiently until the information flashed onto his screen.

  Obi-Wan's least favorite thing to do was wade through the minutes of

  Senatorial committee meetings. But he leaned forward, quickly scanning the

  report with interest. The decision to fund the mapping expedition took

  endless debate. Then names of scientists were submitted and debated. At

  last the team was decided on. Obi-Wan read the names and qualifications.

  Dr. Fort Turan. Joveh D'a Alin. Reug Yucon. Talie Heathe. And finally, Tic

  Verdun. He had been added at the last minute on the suggestion of the

  committee head, Senator Sauro...

  Obi-Wan remembered something Talie Heathe had said on Haariden. Tic

  had been the scout. That meant he had been able to get away from the group

  for hours at a time.

  Obi-Wan scanned Verdun's qualifications. He had graduated from the

  same scientific institute in the same year as Granta Omega.

  He activated his comlink and contacted Jocasta Nu at the Temple.

  "Please run a text doc identification search on Tic Verdun," he said.

  He switched off the screen and hurried out of the archive room. He

  knew Jocasta Nu would not take long to answer him. He started back toward

  the Temple. By the time he reached the front doors, Jocasta Nu had signaled

  him.

  "Interesting," Jocasta Nu said. "I just did a preliminary search, you

  understand. But the only information I can find is that he recently served

  on a Senatorial expedition to Haariden - "

  "I know that. I met him there, remember?"

  "And his credentials don't check out at all. If I had to guess, I'd

  say this was an alias. Strange that the Senate committee didn't pick it up.

  "

  "Not if the head of the Senate committee was his sponsor."

  "Ah. Yes. There's a strange coincidence, though. He is listed as

  having a degree from the same school that - "

  " - Granta Omega attended," Obi-Wan interrupted. Jocasta had told him

  everything he needed to know, which was nothing.

  And now he knew that Tic Verdun was Granta Omega. He had met Omega on

  Ragoon-6. He had met a man whose face was disfigured with synth-flesh. His

  eyes had been gray. Obi-Wan could not connect that memory with Tic Verdun,

  with his shock of dark hair and his youthful face. Yet he was positive the

  two men were the same.

  He stepped onto the lift tube and went straight to Anakin's quarters,

  but Anakin wasn't there. Obi-Wan tracked down Soara Antana, who was

  visiting Darra in the med center.

  "Do you know where Anakin is?" he asked her.

  "We had our practice session this morning," she said. "Then he headed

  off for an appointment. Do you remember Tic Verdun? Anakin went to meet

  him."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Anakin was starting to feel better. He had tried to tell himself that

  Soara had not been fair to him, but in truth, her words had shaken him. He

  had looked into her eyes and seen great disappointment there. He could tell

  himself that he would prove her wrong, but the loss of her respect was a

  blow. And what would she tell his Master?

  He had worried about these things all the way to the meeting with Tic

  Verdun, but now they had shrunk to vague feelings at the back of his mind.

  He was too caught up in meeting Tic's friends and hearing what they had to

  say about Granta Omega. Already he had collected a number of facts about

  the elusive businessman. If he could manage to put the pieces together, he

  and Obi-Wan would have a place to start.

  Tic's friends were all funny and smart. They had welcomed Anakin and

  seemed impressed at meeting "our first Jedi!" They poured him tea and sat

  around trying to prod their memories for facts about Granta Omega. They

  interrupted one another and corrected one another. But nobody interrupted

  Tic, Anakin noted. They all deferred to him, but in a way that Anakin could

  see was out of great respect.

  Anakin was especially impressed w
ith a young scientist named Mellora

  Falon. She had just graduated from an elite scientific institution even

  though she was only a few years older than Anakin. She had met Granta Omega

  on an expedition to the planet Uriek, and gave the most detailed account of

  him.

  "He had a weakness for pastry," she said, smiling. "The really sweet,

  sticky kind. He ate an entire plate of sweesonberry rolls."

  Tic Verdun shook his head. "Glad to see you noted the important

  things."

  But everything was important. Anakin knew that. He could take that

  information back to Jocasta Nu and in about thirty seconds she could tell

  him every planet where the sweesonberries grew, and could give him a list

  of the best pastry makers in the Core Worlds.

  "I just remembered something," Mellora said. "That morning, he said

  his favorite house was surrounded by sweesonberry bushes. He goes there for

  vacations. It's near the sea, too."

  More information for Jocasta Nu. Anakin took another sip of the

  excellent tea Mellora had brewed. He felt warm and comfortable. Night had

  fallen, and the stars twinkled like hard points outside in the cold night.

  He thought about reaching for another piece of fruit, but he felt too lazy.

  Just at the very moment he settled into his contentment, he felt a