keep you updated."
"Anything I can do for my son, I will do," Berm said.
"I appreciate that, Senator Tarturi," Obi-Wan replied. He believed
that the Senator was sincere. But he did not believe that Tarturi had told
him everything. Senators were used to concealing some of the truth in order
to place themselves in the best light. It was their nature. He needed a
clear view of Senator Tarturi's role in the Senate, and he knew just who to
ask.
Obi-Wan tried to access the door to Tyro Caladian's tiny office, but
the door stuck after it had slid open only a few centimeters.
"Tyro?" he shouted inside the crack.
"Go away," a muffled voice answered.
"It's Obi-Wan!"
"Obi-Wan! For star's sake, don't move." Obi-Wan heard the sound of
crashing and banging. "I'm coming - oof! Don't... I'm almost there... ah!"
The door slowly opened, pushed by Tyro. "Can't you..." he puffed "...
use your Force... to help?"
Obi-Wan leaned against the door frame, watching. "I'm enjoying this
too much."
Tyro got the door all the way open. He wiped his forehead, where his
fur had matted with sweat. "So happy to amuse. Thanks."
Obi-Wan strolled inside. Tyro's office was filled with plastoid boxes
crammed with durasheet documents. More plastoid file boxes were stacked
against a wall. Some of the boxes had been shoved against the door, causing
it to jam. "What's going on?"
"I told you I'd get something on Sano Sauro," Tyro said, climbing over
a box to get to a holodocument strewn desk. "I requisitioned all the
documents in the Senate registry that involve his homeworld. He couldn't
seal everything, just his personal docs."
"All of them?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously. "But he's been a Senator
for nine years!"
Tyro ruefully surveyed the crowded office. "Well, it might take a
while. But what can I do for you, Obi-Wan? I'm at your service, as always."
"What do you know about Berm Tarturi?" Obi-Wan asked. He raised a hand
and used the Force to push aside a tower of documents in order to sit down.
Tyro looked from the ease of Obi-Wan's gesture back to the door he had
struggled with. His ears twitched as he sat down. "I sure could use that
Force of yours. Think how I could save on maid service. Anyway - Tarturi.
The one whose son has been kidnapped."
Obi-Wan was startled. "How do you know that? There's been no official
word."
Tyro smiled, his small, pointed teeth glistening. "Why are you in this
office?"
Obi-Wan inclined his head. "Because you hear everything."
"What exactly do you need to know?" Tyro said. "I know many things
about Senator Tarturi. For example, at the moment he is engaged in the
fight of his political career."
"Who is his biggest enemy in the Senate?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Are you serious?" Tyro said. "You don't know?" "Why else would I be
here?" Obi-Wan asked irritably. "Because I enjoy filing?"
"Sano Sauro is his biggest enemy," Tyro said. "Sauro?" Obi-Wan felt
his pulse quicken. "Tarturi didn't mention him."
Tyro snorted. "He wouldn't. They are locked in a bitter battle over
the redistribution of trade routes. Typical Senate bureaucratic tangle, but
for them - it might as well be life or death. It means money, payoffs...
and reelection. The battle has left them mortal enemies."
"But why wouldn't Tarturi tell me this?" Obi-Wan wondered.
"Because Senators never admit they have enemies, Obi-Wan," Tyro said
patiently. "Don't you know that by now? It gives their opponents more power
if they acknowledge them."
"Even when his son is missing?"
Tyro laughed, but the laugh had no humor in it. "His mother could be
missing, his wife, and his pet nek battle dog. He still wouldn't tell you
everything."
"So," Obi-Wan said thoughtfully, "if Berm Tarturi was distracted by
his son's kidnapping..."
"Sauro could profit handsomely," Tyro finished. "The committee is in
session right now. If Tarturi misses even one meeting, Sauro could gain the
upper hand." Tyro sat up straighter. "Do you think Sauro could be involved?
"
"Does Sauro know Rana Halion?" Obi-Wan asked.
"The leader of the Andaran opposition? I don't think so," Tyro
answered. "But if he did meet with her, it would have to be in secret.
Naturally he would support her efforts in the Andaran system. It would
destroy Tarturi's power base." Tyro tapped a triple jointed finger on a
pile of datasheets. "Not to mention that Halion could get her new trade
routes if she throws her support to Sauro. They both have much to gain from
an alliance."
"So if Halion cooked up a plot to kidnap Gillam Tarturi, Sauro might
help," Obi-Wan said.
Tyro nodded. "My enemy's enemy is my friend, you mean."
"Or he could have cooked up the plot and enlisted her. It is certainly
something he is capable of."
Tyro's ears twitched excitedly. "If we could find proof, it would mean
the end of his career. I'd have him in prison. And you'd have your files.
The block of the order to reveal would be dissolved."
"And we'd find Gillam Tarturi," Obi-Wan said.
CHAPTER SIX
"Today we shall consider the geopolitical effect of the great Lali
Plague," Professor Win Totem said. Then she sat down with great dignity,
right on a custard turnover.
The class exploded with laughter. It went on a little too long, Anakin
noted. The constant anxiety the students felt led them to grasp at any
relief.
The tall professor with the regal bearing stood and regarded the ruby-
colored stain on the back of her white septsilk gown.
"Ferus Olin," she rapped out. "You are responsible for this!"
Ferus started. "I assure you, Professor, I am not." "Ten more demerits
for lying," Professor Win Totem barked. Her blue skin flushed an angry
purple. "You are the only one who could have done it I asked you to
distribute the notes before class."
Anakin watched as Ferus clenched his hands. He knew what Ferus was
thinking. Ferus and Reymet had distributed the notes together. They did
everything together now. Flattered by Ferus's attention, Reymet had become
his tagalong. But Reymet couldn't resist playing his practical jokes, and
Ferus was getting blamed. Anakin also knew that Ferus could not point the
finger at Reymet. He was trying to befriend him. Besides, if Ferus told on
Reymet, he'd be a tattletale, what the students called a womp fink.
Reymet's face was pure innocence. He shook his head with concern as he
studied the stain on Professor Totem's gown.
Totem turned back to the lesson. Anakin hid his grin as he bent over
his datascreen. It served Ferus right. He had grabbed the assignment to
watch Reymet. He deserved the consequences. Anakin couldn't imagine two
people more unlike each other than Ferus and Reymet. He knew that the
secret pleasure he got from watching Ferus being blamed for a practical
joke wasn't very Jedi-like, but on the other hand, he couldn't wait to tell
his friends Tru and Darra that Ferus had got
ten demerits for putting a
custard turnover on a teacher's chair.
Out of the corner of his vision, he saw Marit eyeing him curiously. He
had been playing a waiting game with her. After he'd discovered that his
stone was missing, his first impulse was to rush after her and demand it
back. It was his most precious possession, and he hated being without it.
But he had stopped himself. What would Obi-Wan have done?
Take a breath and think, Anakin.
So he asked himself why Marit had taken it. She must have known that
he would immediately realize that she had it. Did she want to provoke a
confrontation? Did she want to see what he would do?
Anakin had decided to wait. Not the easiest course of action for him.
Not at all. But he was puzzled and intrigued by Marit, and he wanted her
to feel the same. Let Ferus chase after Reymet. Anakin's instincts told him
that there was more to Marit than he knew.
So even though he felt her eyes on him, he didn't turn. Nor did he
acknowledge her when Professor Totem had them break into groups and Marit
joined his. He didn't respond when she tried to catch his eye, even during
the most boring stretch of the professor's lecture.
She would come to him, he knew. After the class, she would find a
pretext to talk to him. He was driving her crazy because he had waited her
out.
Better to wait to catch your prey than strike too soon.
Obi-Wan had counseled him again and again on the virtue of patience.
At last he was beginning to understand why his Master pushed it. It worked.
Sometimes.
The class ended. Anakin headed out the wide carved door. He left the
hallway and accessed the brushed durasteel doors that led to the courtyard.
Even though it was overlooked by windows, it felt removed. It was a gloomy,
dark day, and he had it to himself. Students avoided isolated places now.
They traveled in pairs or groups and went directly to their classes.
"All right, I give up the battle," Marit said from behind him.
He turned. "I didn't know we were in a war."
She held up the stone. "You know I have this. Don't you want it back?"
"Yes," Anakin said. Even in the gloom, the river stone shone, its
shiny black surface like a mirror full of reflected light.
"And you didn't report me."
"No."
"This stone is important to you. I can tell. Why?" "It was a gift,"
Anakin said.
"From your father?"
Longing burst inside him. He did not have a father. Shmi had been very
clear about that. He didn't understand it, but he accepted it. He did not
think about his lack; he never had. But unexpectedly the ache would well up
in him and take him by surprise.
Then he thought of Obi-Wan, and the ache went away.
"Yes," he said. "Are you going to give it back?"
She held it up, fingering it thoughtfully. "I'm not sure yet."
It would be so easy for him to use the Force to get it back. Instead,
Anakin moved. His kick barely grazed her fingertips, but it dislodged the
stone and sent it flying straight toward him. He reached up with one hand
and caught it.
Marit blinked. She looked down at her hand, still outstretched but now
empty. "I didn't even see you move. How did you do that?"
Anakin slid the stone back into the concealed inside pocket of his
tunic. "Lots of practice. Now it's your turn to answer questions. Why did
you take it?"
Her dark eyes glinted. "Because I wanted to see what you would do."
"A test," Anakin said. "Did I pass?"
Marit only smiled and changed the subject. "I saw you in the flight
simulator the other day. You were pretty good."
It was the one area where he had not hidden his skill. It was hard for
Anakin to sit in a cockpit and not fly fast and expertly. "Thanks."
"I'd like you to meet some friends of mine. Will you come with me now?
It's our free mod."
Anakin nodded. Marit may not have answered his question about passing
her test, but she didn't need to. He had passed. The question was, for what
purpose?
CHAPTER SEVEN
Obi-Wan stared down at the holofile in front of him. He flipped
through the data for what felt like the thousandth time. He couldn't find
the key.
Something had happened the night Gillam disappeared, yet the security
record showed that nothing had been breached. Obi-Wan had gone over the
report. The best security expert at the Temple, Jedi Knight Alam Syk, had
gone over it. Nothing was out of the ordinary. It was as though Gillam had
disappeared into thin air.
Obi-Wan had also gone over the short note sent by the kidnappers. It
was strange that they had not asked for credits or made any demands. The
note seemed more like a delaying tactic than anything else. There was a
chance the note could be linked to a particular datapad, but until they had
a suspect, they could do nothing with it.
Obi-Wan looked at the security report again. He had the nagging
feeling that he was missing something obvious.
His comlink signaled, and he answered it brusquely. "Yes?"
Tyro's excited voice vibrated through the air. "I've got something. I
analyzed the data from the past five years of Sauro's illicit activity -
the stuff he's been caught at, anyway - and ran it through my probabilities
program, looking for connections. I narrowed his secret meeting places to
three. Then I cross-referenced his schedule and committee meetings, and - "
"Tyro," Obi-Wan said with great patience, "please, get to the point."
"He's meeting Rana Halion secretly," Tyro said in a rush.
"Now?"
"I think so. I'm following her right now, and she's heading to a place
he's used for secret meetings in the past. It's just a hunch, but - "
"Tell me where," Obi-Wan demanded.
Tyro gave him the directions. Obi-Wan rushed out of the Temple. He
took one of the Temple's speeders and raced through the jammed space lanes
of Coruscant, diving several hundred levels below to a grassy quad
surrounded by stores and caf©s. He parked the speeder and quickly hurried
to the prearranged spot where Tyro was waiting.
Tyro sat in a crowded caf© under an awning that cast deep shade. From
here he had a view of the quad seating. With a nod at Tyro, Obi-Wan sat
next to him and surveyed the area.
It was a wise choice of location for a secret meeting, he thought. The
many stores and caf©s made for crowded passageways. There were numerous
entrances and exits, and several busy space lanes converged nearby. Glass
turbolifts connected to levels above and below. If someone needed to get
lost quickly, it would be easy to do.
"There she is," Tyro said in a low tone. "Right on schedule."
Obi-Wan looked curiously at Rana Halion. He had studied her image in
her docs, but she appeared more commanding in person. Dressed to blend with
the crowd, she was wearing a brown traveler's cloak with a hood. She was a
tall, lanky humanoid with white hair cut short and twisted into spikes.
Wide gold cuffs encircled each strong wrist. Even from this distance, he
noted the inte
nsity of her eyes, a blue so light they were almost
colorless.
She strolled around the quad, glancing in shop windows. To a casual
passerby, she appeared to be window-shopping. But Obi-Wan saw how her
glance continually darted to the seats on the quad. She was definitely
waiting for someone.
Tyro ordered a round of drinks so that they wouldn't be conspicuous.
Obi-Wan sipped his juice, alert for any sign of Sano Sauro. The minutes
ticked by.
He could see the impatience in Rana Halion's walk. Her hands twisted
together, then relaxed. She sat for several minutes, then got up to stroll
again.
"Where is he?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I don't know," Tyro fretted. "I'm certain he's meeting her. it's too
much of a coincidence, her being in this place. You'd think if you go to
all the trouble of putting someone under surveillance that they would
cooperate. How can Sauro do this to us? it's like he knows we're here."
Obi-Wan suppressed a groan. He held out his hand. "Let me see your
comlink."