The Dangerous Games

  "I certainly hope not," Obi-Wan answered. Wherever Fligh was, trouble

  was soon to follow.

  With a last bow, Fligh ran from the room, his belongings trailing from

  his packing case.

  "If they're sending Destroyer Droids, they must be worried," Siri

  said. "Whoever they are."

  "One of us should attend each event," Obi-Wan said. "The Padawans are

  already at the Podrace and it's scheduled to begin in... fifteen minutes.

  Can you head out there, Ry-Gaul? I'll contact Anakin and tell him that

  something is supposed to go wrong, but I'd feel better if you were there."

  Ry-Gaul gave a short nod and left the room, stepping over a pile of

  droidekas in the doorway.

  "I'll take the bowcaster skill contest," Siri said. "It's at Stadium

  Seven."

  "That leaves me with the obstacle course," Obi-Wan said, nodding.

  "Stay in touch."

  "I just wish I knew what I was looking for," Siri said. Obi-Wan tucked

  his lightsaber into his belt. "That makes two of us."

  Obi-Wan was able to give Anakin an update on the way to Stadium Nine.

  There was nothing much for Anakin to do except what the rest of them were

  doing - being mindful, and watching.

  Obi-Wan strode into the stadium. He felt the heat and the noise of a

  crowd eager for the event to begin.

  As the Euceron hero and record-setter for the event in the last

  Galactic Games, Maxo Vista was here as well. Obi-Wan found a seat as close

  to the judges as he could and watched on a viewscreen overhead while

  Vista's podium zoomed to the center of the stadium.

  "Welcome, all," he said, his voice amplified throughout the stadium.

  "I'd like to introduce myself. I am - "

  "MAXO VISTA!" the crowd roared.

  "You may not remember me - "

  The crowd roared once again.

  - but I was at this event seven years ago - " A cheer went up.

  " - I didn't do too badly - " Vista paused and waited for the cheers

  and laughter "- - and I truly hope that today, my record will be broken.

  I'm just a Galactic Games official now, seven years older and seven years

  slower, so I'd better make way for the next generation of athletes."

  The broad grin still on his face, Vista suddenly vaulted off the

  platform. The crowd gasped, but a cable launcher hidden in Vista's belt let

  out a long line, and he bounced at the end of it, only centimeters away

  from the ground. With a powerful thrust, he flipped his body upward, then

  twisted, flew through the air, and landed on his feet. His movements were

  so graceful it was more like a dance than an athletic feat.

  The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. The cheers went on and on.

  The cheers fell away for Obi-Wan. He heard only the absence of sound,

  the silence of concentration and revelation.

  The lines of Vista's body were suddenly familiar, the fluid, powerful

  way he moved. The way he made something that took great effort look

  effortless.

  Maxo Vista was the air-taxi pilot who had tried to kill them. And he

  was the speeder driver who had run down Aarno Dering.

  Which meant that the great hero of Euceron was the insider who was

  behind fixing the Games.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  It was his fault. If he hadn't been so irritated at not knowing who

  Maxo Vista was, he would have looked closer at him. He had made a mistake

  worthy of a Jedi Temple student, not an experienced Jedi Knight. He had

  allowed his own perspective, his own emotion, to color his perception.

  Perception comes from not one but all angles at once.

  Yes, Qui-Gon.

  Obi-Wan raced down the moving walkway that circled the stadium. He had

  to make it down to Level Twenty, where Maxo Vista would enter the VIP box.

  He could not risk losing Maxo Vista the way he had lost Aarno Dering.

  He was almost at the door of the box when Astri dashed toward him,

  curls bouncing and robe swirling. "Obi-Wan!"

  "Later," he said tersely, striding toward the door.

  She grabbed his arm. "You must know this! The Podrace! Something

  terrible is going to happen!"

  He half-turned and searched her dark eyes. "How do you know this?"

  "Bog," she said. "He went to Maxo Vista to tell him what you had

  discovered - "

  Obi-Wan almost groaned aloud.

  " - Vista wasn't there, and so Bog accessed his data-pad. He thought

  as a fellow Council member he could do this - " Her hand to her throat,

  Astri got the words out fast, between her panting breaths. " - and

  discovered that the Podrace is not only fixed, but booby-trapped. The nav

  computer will lead the Podracers close to the city's hub. The lead Podracer

  will get taken over by the nav computer. It will be made to crash into the

  crowd! We don't know if Vista himself is aware of this, it could have been

  sent to his dataport without his knowing. We cannot believe that Maxo Vista

  would be involved. Bog replaced the datapad and told me what he'd seen. He

  is going to tell Liviani Sarno. But I came to you."

  "Does Vista know about this?" Anakin is in danger. Obi-Wan reached for

  his comlink as he asked the question.

  "I didn't. But now I do." Vista's voice came from behind him. He

  smiled as Obi-Wan turned. "I promise you, I can explain everything. This

  way, Obi-Wan."

  Obi-Wan hesitated.

  "Trust me." Maxo Vista had a blaster pointed at Astri, but the

  friendly grin was still on his face. Astri could not see the blaster, which

  was on his other side.

  "This way," he repeated meaningfully to Obi-Wan.

  Obi-Wan stepped inside. He would follow Maxo Vista's instructions, but

  only for a few seconds. He had to make sure Vista would not hit anyone with

  blaster fire.

  The floor moved under his feet. He realized that he had not stepped

  out into the VIP box, but onto a moving podium. It suddenly zoomed to the

  center of the stadium. Vista's hand dropped and the blaster was lost in the

  folds of his cloak.

  "It is a long-range model, and it is still pointed at Astri," he said

  pleasantly.

  Obi-Wan tried to signal Astri to move, but she stood watching him from

  afar, not knowing the blaster was pointed at her. He could reach for his

  lightsaber, but he wasn't sure if even he could be fast enough to block the

  shot.

  Light suddenly hit his eyes, dazzling him for a moment. "Welcome to

  the exhibition match!" Maxo Vista's voice was amplified throughout the

  stadium. "Jedi against athlete! Let the event begin!"

  The crowd roared. A cube of white light settled over Obi-Wan. Another

  flashed over Maxo Vista. A holo - graphic image of a treton, a wild

  creature from the planet Aesolian, appeared in front of them. On the tip of

  one pointed ear a green laser glowed. His snarl was amplified and echoed

  through the stadium. There was a collective 00000hh of fear. Even though

  the spectators knew the treton was holographic, its fierce battle cry

  struck terror into their hearts.

  An announcer's steady voice boomed over the stadium. "Ten seconds.

  Contestants, prepare...."

  Obi-Wan reached for his comlink to contact Anakin, but it was dead.


  Now he remembered that in the stadium center a jamming device was employed

  so that no contestants could use hidden devices to aid them in their

  events. Maxo Vista had trapped him, no doubt in order to buy time.

  Obi-Wan judged the distance back to the stadium. It was too far. The

  podium was too high for even a cable launcher. He would have to wait. He

  was now officially in the obstacle course, and subject to its rules. He was

  trapped. And Anakin was just about to begin the Podrace.

  "Welcome to my world, Obi-Wan Kenobi," Maxo Vista whispered. "I had a

  feeling the Jedi would show up, so I've been planning this. Sorry it had to

  be this way, but at least you'll have some fun before you die."

  "Five seconds, contestants..."

  A lightweight weapon emerged out of the platform floor in front of

  Obi-Wan. He grabbed it. At the tip was a green laser. Obi-Wan guessed that

  in order to score points, he would have to hit the laser on the hologram

  with the laser tip of his weapon. He wished he had seen a holographic

  obstacle course before. He had no idea what was in store.

  "Yes, Obi-Wan. Something will go wrong and you will die in this

  stadium. You won't know when it will come, or how to fight it." Maxo Vista

  smiled. "May the best man win. Which means me, of course."

  "Begin!" the announcer said.

  The treton rushed forward. Maxo Vista was prepared. He charged ahead

  and slashed at the Treton even as it zoomed upward and around in a crazy

  evasive dance that no bulky treton would ever accomplish. Vista hit the

  creature precisely on the ear and a loud joyful clang clang! resounded

  through the stadium.

  "Point, Vista," the voice announced. The stadium erupted in cheers for

  the favorite.

  Obi-Wan's laser tip now glowed pink. The edge of the platform

  elongated into a ramp that rose almost straight upward. Vista began to

  bound ahead.

  After a second of hesitation, Obi-Wan followed. He had no choice. He

  would have to hope that somewhere in the course he would be able to break

  free.

  Obi-Wan gained on Vista easily. At the top of the ramp six snarling

  holographic neks sat guard. At the center of their collars, a laser glowed

  like a pink jewel.

  Now Obi-Wan knew that he had to hit each of the creatures precisely

  with the tip of his weapon, laser to laser, in order to progress.

  Vista sprang forward as the nek on the far left lunged, teeth bared.

  Vista twisted, but the holographic teeth grazed his ankle. A harsh buzzer

  sounded.

  "Minus point five," the announcer said.

  Obi-Wan somersaulted, avoiding the two neks who flew at him. He used

  the weapon like a lightsaber, touching the collars lightly. Two loud clang

  clang! clang clang! noises sounded, and he whirled and touched the other

  collars just as delicately, even as Vista was moving toward them. Clang

  clang! The neks dissolved in a shower of light.

  "Six points, Visitor." This time the cheers were not nearly as

  deafening.

  The laser shifted to blue. Ahead was a cliff face with shallow ledges

  forming a pathway upward. At the top were three multi-clawed

  ravenscreechers, large birds from the Outer Rim planet Wxtm. Each had a

  large wing span and six legs with claws half a meter long. Instead of an

  eye, a bright blue laser spot winked at Obi-Wan from each bird.

  Vista hurled himself at the cliff and began to climb. Obi-Wan

  followed. Vista reached out a leg and tried to kick him. The crowd hissed

  disapproval. No doubt Vista was risking the displeasure of the crowd in

  order to vent his anger at Obi-Wan defeating all the neks.

  Yes, you are a record-holder, Obi-Wan thought. But you've never

  competed against a Jedi.

  Accessing the Force, he vaulted into the air, bypassing Vista and

  landing on a ledge close to the edge. The ravenscreechers took off, diving

  toward him.

  While the crowd roared and cheered, Obi-Wan held on with only one

  hand. He slashed at one holographic bird, touching its eye and gaining a

  point, then hit the next one on a backswing without even turning. Using the

  momentum, he swung himself up to the top of the cliff and hit the third one

  as it rose to attack him.

  Clang clang! The points rang up on the screen. His laser tip flashed

  yellow. Now more of the crowd was on his side, and Maxo Vista was furious.

  His face was bright red as he scrambled from ledge to ledge, racing to

  catch Obi-Wan.

  On top of the ledge sat two swoops. Obi-Wan was about to spring

  forward when a tentacle bush appeared, its branches reaching out for him.

  It took him a moment to locate the tiny glowing tip of the yellow laser in

  the heart of the bush. If one of the other branches hit him, he would lose

  points.

  He could feel Vista behind him and was not surprised when the man

  launched himself at the bush. He knew Vista was furious, and anger would

  make him careless. He would give Vista the first chance at the bush, but he

  would not allow him to beat him to the swoops.

  The branches moved like the arms of dancers, fluid and graceful, yet

  lethal in their striking motions. In his fury, Vista tried to attack the

  bush with stabbing motions, but the waving branches kept him just out of

  reach. His movements were as fluid as that of the branches, and the crowd

  began to chant his name.

  Obi-Wan leaped. He somersaulted in midair, keeping his legs tucked

  close to his body to avoid the waving branches. When he was dead center

  over the bush, he reached down amid the cluster of wildly waving branches

  and touched the glowing laser with his weapon. Then he landed precisely on

  one of the swoops, legs astride, and took off. The whole operation had

  taken less than three seconds.

  The crowd was stunned into silence. The noise of the announcer echoed

  through the nearly silent stadium.

  "Point, Visitor."

  The crowd went wild.

  Obi-Wan did not think about what was behind him. Only what was ahead.

  The minutes were ticking away, and he had to contact Anakin. The worry

  ticked away inside him, but his movements did not betray him. Vista's

  warning that something would occur on the course didn't worry him. He

  trusted in the Force to warn him.

  Ahead were glowing circles of light. Holographic humming peepers

  twittered overhead. Each held a tiny violet laser in its beak. Obi-Wan saw

  that he would have to navigate through the spinning circles without

  touching the edges of each one, hitting as many humming peepers as he

  could. This obstacle did not require strength, but agility and precision.

  He did not look behind him, but he knew Maxo Vista was pushing his

  swoop to maximum speed. Obi-Wan only saw the glowing obstacles and the tiny

  birds. He dived through the first hoop and delicately touched the tiny bird

  with his weapon. The clanging noise sounded, then sounded again a second

  later. Vista, too, had scored a point.

  Vista piloted the swoop as if it were part of his body. He leaned over

  and scored another point, then flipped the swoop to quickly zoom through a

  circle. The
crowd kept up a steady roar now. Vista pushed his swoop, aiming

  for the back of Obi-Wan's. He bumped Obi-Wan's swoop but it appeared he was

  only attempting to get through the next loop. Obi-Wan knew better. He

  dived, engines screaming, then came at the next loop from an extreme right

  angle. He zoomed through the loop with a centimeter to spare. Taken off

  guard, Maxo Vista brushed against the side of the loop and lost five

  points.

  Obi-Wan zigzagged through the air of the stadium, sailing through the

  loops and hitting the laser targets. Vista gave up trying to unseat him and

  concentrated on gaining points. Soon the humming peepers had all been hit.

  The glowing hoops dissolved into particles of light.

  The stadium went black. Obi-Wan immediately pulled back on the swoop's

  power and hovered in the air, waiting. Below, on the mid-level landing

  platform, a group of holographic Gladiator Droids appeared. Bright orange

  erupted from flame projectors in their fists. A bright red laser winked in

  the center of their foreheads.

  Obi-Wan flew down to the landing platform and leaped off the swoop.

  The Gladiator Droids shot blaster fire at him, just harmless points of

  light. The flames licked close to him but there was no heat. He could not

  use the race weapon or his lightsaber against light, so he had to dodge the