The Dangerous Games

  Fligh saw Obi-Wan's hesitation. "You might want to place a bet

  yourself, my friend. Even the Jedi can use wealth. You could stop hitching

  rides and have your own transports, maybe invest in some new robes - "

  Obi-Wan turned and searched the event board. "The event is starting

  soon."

  "Yes, unfortunately too late for you to do anything about it," Fligh

  said. "So sorry. There you go."

  "Stadium Five. It's not far," Obi-Wan said. "Come on, Anakin. You too,

  Didi."

  "Not me, surely," Didi said. "I need to visit with my old friend -

  000000hhh!" Obi-Wan had grabbed his collar and yanked him into step next to

  the Jedi.

  "We can make it," Obi-Wan said. "We have four minutes."

  They hurried from the plaza. The streets had emptied as various events

  had begun. Obi-Wan and Anakin quickened their pace, so Didi had a hard time

  keeping up. Obi-Wan was reluctant to let him go. There was no way to keep

  track of Fligh, but they could at least keep hold of Didi, their tie to

  Fligh.

  "There's an air taxi!" Didi called, breathing hard. "I beg you, Obi-

  Wan, take it!"

  Obi-Wan signaled and the air taxi zoomed to a stop. It was empty

  except for the pilot.

  "The swoop obstacle course event, Stadium Five," Obi-Wan said.

  The pilot nodded without turning and glided back into the air lane.

  Obi-Wan settled back into a seat next to Anakin.

  "What will we do when we get there?" Anakin asked him in a low tone.

  "I'm not sure yet," Obi-Wan said. "We can't say for sure the event is

  fixed. We can't make that accusation without more proof."

  The ship's velocity pushed him back against the seat. Buildings were a

  blur of bright color as they flashed by.

  "Isn't he going a trifle fast?" Didi asked, pressing his hands

  together.

  "Master, I feel a disturbance in the Force," Anakin murmured.

  Obi-Wan had been startled by the same feeling. He rose and started

  toward the pilot, but the cruiser jerked violently to the left, almost

  throwing him to the floor. He grabbed a pole and righted himself, then

  started toward the pilot again. The ship veered to the right, grazing a

  sign. Metal shrieked and the cruiser lurched again. Didi fell off his seat

  with a yelp.

  Obi-Wan fought his way to the front of the taxi as the ship careened

  down the road, clipping branches, signs, and narrowly missing buildings.

  Then the pilot reversed the engines and zoomed down another spacelane.. the

  wrong way.

  Cruisers were heading straight for them. The pilot pushed the speed to

  maximum and jumped to his feet. He balanced for a moment on the lip of the

  air taxi, then calmly leaped into the air. He was wearing an anti-gray

  propulsion belt, so he dropped quickly but safely to the ground, leaving

  them in a runaway cruiser screaming the wrong way down an air lane.

  "We're going to die!" Didi screamed.

  CHAPTER TEN.

  Anakin vaulted over the rows of seats and landed in the pilot's chair,

  his hands already outstretched for the controls. In midair, he had seen

  precisely what he needed to do.

  A less-experienced pilot would have immediately reduced speed. Anakin

  knew better. He needed the speed to avoid the collision. Instead of

  slowing, he made a hard right. The cruiser passed them by, so close Anakin

  could see the fearful gaze of the pilot, who did not have the time or

  reflexes to alter his course.

  The air taxi was slower and clumsier than a Podracer, but Anakin felt

  the familiar thrill of pushing a machine to its limits as he negotiated

  tight spaces at high speeds.

  As soon as they were past the cruiser, Anakin reduced speed while

  turning to the left. He had just enough speed to avoid the next collision.

  Then he kept the air taxi turning until they were facing in the correct

  direction. Anakin calmly joined the stream of traffic.

  Didi spoke from the floor, his head in his hands. "Are we dead yet?"

  "Good piloting, Padawan." Obi-Wan sank into a seat behind Anakin.

  "That was close."

  Didi rose shakily to his feet. "What kind of a pilot tries to crash an

  air taxi and then jumps off? I've had some bad air-taxi drivers, but.." He

  looked at the Jedi. "No. No, no."

  "Yes," Obi-Wan said. "It was deliberate. We were definitely targeted.

  Most likely by Fligh."

  Didi shook his head. "Not Fligh. He's my friend."

  "Well, your friend told someone we were on our way to the stadium,"

  Anakin said. "That empty air taxi didn't show up by accident."

  Warning lights suddenly flashed behind them and a voice boomed. "Pull

  over. Ruling Power security. Repeat. Pull over."

  "You'd better do it," Obi-Wan told Anakin. "We're going to have to

  explain this."

  "Security!" Didi exclaimed. "You don't need me, do you, Obi-Wan? I can

  go to the stadium and report to you what goes on - "

  "If I hear you placed a bet, you will regret it," Obi-Wan warned him.

  "No bets!" Didi stood by the door, waiting for Anakin to slow enough

  for him to jump off. "Promise!"

  Anakin slowed the craft, and Didi leaped off and disappeared into the

  crowd as the security officers exited their Flash Speeder and approached

  the Jedi.

  The security officer was dressed completely in black. He flipped up

  the visor of his shiny helmet.

  "We received reports of a runaway air taxi endangering traffic."

  "We are Jedi," Obi-Wan said. "The pilot exited and disappeared, and we

  got the taxi under control."

  The officer studied them for a moment, then entered the information

  into his palm-sized datapad. "Description?"

  Obi-Wan gave his estimates of height and weight. "He was dressed in

  the regulation air-taxi pilot uniform," he said. "He had a reflective visor

  on his helmet, so his features were obscured, but he appeared to be a

  humanoid. Left earlobe slightly larger than the right. A tear on the third

  knuckle of his right glove. He was right-handed."

  "One boot had a two-centimeter slash in the leather near the instep,"

  Anakin supplied. "Dark matter on the right glove."

  "Possibly blood, but there was no evidence of injury, so we could

  assume it was from another being," Obi-Wan interjected. "Sour smell

  indicates he had recently exerted himself. Perhaps from the battle to

  commandeer the air taxi. You'll probably find an injured air-taxi pilot."

  "We already have. He gave a description. He said the guy was tall."

  The officer tucked the datapad into his belt. "Never believed that stuff

  about Jedi. Now I do. Larger left earlobe, huh?" He shook his head. "It's

  good information, but the city is packed. We might not find him. You can

  proceed."

  Stadium Five was now only steps away. Obi-Wan and Anakin hurried

  through the tall arches and into the open-air arena. Their ears rang with

  the noise of a roaring crowd. The race had already begun.

  Didi had entered the same way and was waiting for them by the

  refreshment stand while watching the race on a monitor. Obi-Wan saw that

  the large circular track was made up of many levels, from the floor of the r />
  arena to the top. Each level had a series of holographic obstacles for the

  swoops to avoid or evade, such as trees, creatures, and traffic officers.

  He hurried over. "Did they ask about Bog's speeder?"

  "No, they were only interested in the air taxi," Obi-Wan said. "Has

  anything odd happened?"

  "Nothing that I can see. All the swoops are performing well. The

  Alderaan pilot is in the lead." Didi wrung his hands. "And to think I could

  have bet on him!"

  Obi-Wan strode toward a viewing platform. The noise of the crowd

  reverberated off the walls of the stadium and caused the air to ring

  against his ears. He was high above the race below. The agile swoops,

  wearing different planetary colors, zoomed around holographic obstacles

  that suddenly appeared in their paths. The crowd roared approval or fury at

  the spectacle.

  Obi-Wan watched carefully. The swoops seemed to be functioning

  perfectly. The pilots were battling with every ounce of concentration they

  possessed.

  "It has to be the timers," he murmured to Anakin. "Someone must have

  tampered with them. Only a hundredth of a second off, and the race will be

  won."

  "Are the timers controlled by one person?" Anakin asked.

  "I don't know," Obi-Wan said. "But we can find out."

  The race ended with the Alderaan pilot zooming past the finish line to

  cheers and boos. Beside Obi-Wan, Didi groaned.

  "There goes my fortune," he said.

  A viewing platform glided into the center of the stadium. A tall,

  handsome Euceron male held a flashing hologram embedded in crystal over his

  head. It was the first-place award. The crowd went wild.

  "It's Maxo Vista," Didi breathed in tones of awe. Anakin peered across

  the distance. "He's older than I thought."

  "He is magnificent," Didi said.

  "Didi, I want you to do something for me," Obi-Wan said, turning his

  back on the award ceremony. "First of all, stay out of trouble. Second,

  stick close to Fligh. I might need to talk to him again."

  "All right, Obi-Wan. I will do what you say. My fate is intertwined

  with your desires," Didi said, his sad eyes still on the ceremony.

  "Let us go, Padawan," Obi-Wan said. "I'd like to have a word with the

  timekeeper for this event."

  On the way to the exclusive VIP skybox on Level Twenty where the Games

  Council members and other officials sat, Obi-Wan contacted the keeper of

  the Archives, Jocasta Nu, at the Temple.

  "Can you do a quick search for me on a being named Quentor? Your basic

  operator who hangs around the Senate. He trades in information and stolen

  goods."

  "What do you need to know?" Jocasta Nu asked. "I'm not sure. His

  whereabouts, for one thing. Any ties he might have to the Ruling Power of

  Euceron or the Galactic Games."

  As he spoke, Obi-Wan stepped inside the Council skybox. In the first

  row of the box, Maxo Vista was talking to a tall Euceron dressed in a long

  white robe. Obi-Wan assumed the Euceron was a Ruler, but he didn't know

  which one. He hung back for a moment.

  "Can we meet him? Can we meet Maxo Vista?" Anakin whispered, close by

  his side. He had heard stories of how Vista performed in the last Games.

  "Maxo Vista?" Jocasta Nu asked, overhearing Anakin. Her voice lost its

  businesslike quality. Obi-Wan had never heard her sound so warm. "Have you

  met him?"

  "No," Obi-Wan said.

  "You don't know who he is, do you?" Jocasta Nu demanded.

  "Can you retrieve that information for me?" Obi-Wan asked irritably.

  "Yes, Obi-Wan. I'll do what I can." Jocasta Nu's voice brimmed with

  humor, an unusual occurrence.

  Maxo Vista caught sight of them and came forward with the tall

  Euceron. "I have hoped to meet the Jedi," he said. "This is Ruler Three,

  one of the esteemed Ruling Power."

  Obi-Wan introduced himself and Anakin. Maxo Vista flashed a

  charismatic smile, his vivid green eyes shining. "We are grateful that the

  Jedi have graciously agreed to attend the Games. With so many worlds coming

  together for these Games, it holds out a promise for peace throughout the

  galaxy."

  Ruler Three bowed. "Our government thanks you. Now I must attend the

  next event."

  As soon as Ruler Three had left, Obi-Wan turned back to Maxo Vista.

  "We would like to speak with the official timekeeper for this event."

  "Of course." Maxo leaned forward to touch a glowing screen. "That

  would be Aarno Dering." He peered over at a glass skybox with an excellent

  view of the action. "He's already left, I'm afraid. But I can give you his

  room number at the official Games quarters."

  "We'd appreciate it."

  Maxo Vista hesitated. "Is anything wrong?"

  "Just a routine check," Obi-Wan assured him.

  He nodded and consulted the screen again, then gave them Aarno

  Dering's location. Obi-Wan and Anakin hurried out of Stadium Five. The air

  taxis were full of the departing crowd. Obi-Wan and Anakin threaded through

  the crowd, moving quickly and easily through the crush.

  "I can't believe I actually met Maxo Vista," Anakin said. "I'll never

  forget his performance in the swoop races in the last Games. And did you

  see him in the holographic obstacle course? He set a new galactic record."

  Obi-Wan's face was blank, and Anakin sighed. "I can't believe you don't

  know who he is. Everybody - "

  " - knows Maxo Vista," Obi-Wan finished. "But right now I'm more

  interested in Aarno Dering."

  At the quarters, they passed the security checkpoint and quickly

  accessed a map for directions to Block Seven, Room 4116.

  "This way," Obi-Wan said.

  They hurried down the outdoor walkways that connected the various

  temporary buildings built of hard duraplastoid materials in bright colors.

  When they reached Block Seven, they took a moving walkway up to the fourth

  story.

  "Room 4116 should be at the end of the walkway," Anakin said.

  A tall humanoid male came out of a door at the end of the walkway. He

  paused while he carefully placed various personal items in different-sized

  pockets. His neutral gaze slid over the surrounding area and lit on the

  Jedi.

  He jumped and a look of surprised panic lit his eyes. He turned

  abruptly and headed the other way.

  "Aarno Dering?" Obi-Wan called, quickening his pace. "We'd like to

  talk to you."

  Dering began to run. Obi-Wan and Anakin leaped forward in a surge of

  speed.

  Dering had a good head start, but he was no athlete. He leaped onto

  the moving walkway and zigzagged past athletes and workers, pushing some

  aside roughly. Obi-Wan leaped off the second story and landed lightly on

  the ground. Anakin followed.

  When Dering raced out an exit from the quarters and into the street,

  Obi-Wan was merely steps away. Suddenly, a fast-moving airspeeder headed

  straight for Dering. Obi-Wan reached out, ready to grab the waving hem of

  the man's tunic, but the speeder struck the slight man first, sending him

  flying through the air. Aarno Dering landed with a sickening thud.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

/>   "Go to him," Obi-Wan ordered Anakin tersely.

  Obi-Wan jumped after the speeder. Landing on the speeder's outrigger

  component, Obi-Wan drew his lightsaber and severed it with one stroke. The

  speeder veered and crashed into a bright yellow bench, and the pilot leaped

  out. Obi-Wan recognized him instantly as the pilot of the air taxi.

  Something about the way he held his body alerted him. His movements were

  quick and powerful, but loose and graceful as well.

  The pilot leaped over the speeder and raced down the street. Without

  breaking stride, he shot a cable launcher up to the roof of a high

  building. The cable launcher pulled him up and he disappeared onto the

  roof.

  Obi-Wan activated his own launcher and followed, the wind rushing past

  his ears. He jumped onto the roof just as the pilot leaped to the next

  building. Obi-Wan followed.

  The pilot never looked back. Obi-Wan noted his coolness. There were

  not many, being pursued, who did not pause to check on the location of

  their pursuer. Obi-Wan was gaining and the pilot seemed to know it, for his

  pace quickened as he leaped to the next roof. It was twenty meters below,