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    The Call to Vengeance

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      "I don't think so." Bent's tone was flat. She looked at him steadily

      with her large silver eyes. Mon Calamari had extraordinarily clear eyes,

      and Obi-Wan had always been able to read Bant's emotions. Now he was

      confused by the anger he saw there.

      "Your sympathy comes too late," Bant continued. "How could you keep

      the fact that Tahl had been kidnapped from me, Obi-Wan? You know that you

      and Qui-Gon should have contacted the Temple immediately."

      "I know," Obi-Wan said. "But so much happened so fast. Qui-Gon

      thought that more Jedi might endanger Tahl's life. We decided that if we

      couldn't rescue her in twenty-four hours, we would contact the Temple."

      Actually, it had been Qui-Gon's decision to wait. But Obi-Wan would take

      responsibility for it, too. He could have argued with Qui-Gon. He had not.

      "That wasn't your decision to make," Bant interrupted. Her normally

      gentle voice was crisp with anger. "How would you feel if another Jedi team

      had done that to you, Obi-Wan? What if Qui-Gon had been kidnapped?"

      Obi-Wan felt shame wash over him. Qui-Gon had been kidnapped once, by

      the scientist Jenna Zan Arbor. If he hadn't been involved in Qui-Gon's

      rescue, he would have gone crazy.

      "We didn't think it through," he admitted.

      "I'll say," Bant said bitterly. She had never taken such a harsh tone

      with him. "Did you think of me at all, Obi-Wan?"

      "Of course," Obi-Wan said. "I thought I would save you a day of

      worry. If we couldn't rescue Tahl, we would have called in a Jedi team."

      "But you didn't rescue Tahl," Bant said evenly. "At least, not in

      time. Did you?"

      Obi-Wan was stung. Bant had said nothing more than the terrible

      truth, but it wasn't like her to hurt him that way.

      She seemed to realize how severely her words had wounded him. "She

      was my Master, Obi-Wan," she said in a slightly softer tone. "She needed

      me. I wasn't there. You can't imagine how that feels."

      "No," he said quietly. "And I never would want to. I am truly sorry,

      Bant. You are right. We should have contacted you."

      Bant nodded stiffly. Obi-Wan's actions had caused a rift in their

      friendship. He didn't know how deep that rift was, or how long it would

      last.

      Tahl was dead. Qui-Gon was like a stranger. And now Obi-Wan's best

      friend had turned away from him.

      He had never felt so alone.

      CHAPTER 3

      The last thing Qui-Gon wanted was a private talk with Mace Windu. He

      felt such a heaviness of spirit that it was all he could do to be courteous

      to the Jedi Master. The pain inside him ebbed and flowed like an

      unpredictable tide. Sometimes it reared up so fiercely that it tore at his

      insides like a beast.

      Out of all the Jedi, why did Mace have to take this mission? There

      was a great deal of respect between the two Jedi, but Qui-Gon had never

      felt particularly close to his formidable colleague.

      The door slid shut behind them. Even here in his private reception

      room, Manex had turned the lights to pale blue. It gave an eerie cast to

      the gleaming black stone that covered the walls and floors, and turned the

      bright vivid greens of the seating areas and lush pillows into a sickly

      hue.

      "Do you wish to accompany Tahl's body back to the Temple?" Mace

      asked. "Bant, Obi-Wan, and I can remain here and conduct the mission."

      Qui-Gon saw that Mace was trying to be kind. There was deep sympathy

      in his sober gaze. He felt a rush of relief that Mace did not inquire into

      his feelings, or ask if there had been something deeper than friendship

      between Qui-Gon and Tahl. Qui-Gon suspected that Mace already knew these

      things without words.

      Qui-Gon did not intend to give up the search for Tahl's killer. But

      he needed to be careful. He could not tell Mace that his need to find Balog

      was burning inside him. His anger might show in his voice or his face. Mace

      might think that the anger was not under control. He would not understand

      that despite his grief, Qui-Gon's control was complete.

      It is because it has to be. It's the only way I can go on.

      "Thank you for the offer," he said. "But I must continue the mission

      in order to honor Tahl's memory."

      To Qui-Gon's relief, Mace nodded. He was not going to argue with him.

      Tahl would have. She always knew when he was trying to sidestep his own

      feelings. A fresh spurt of agony caused him to clench his hands together

      into fists by his side. If Mace noticed, he did not comment.

      The light over the door flashed, then slid open partway. Manex's

      protocol droid, fashioned of highly polished black plastoid, hovered.

      "Manex has returned and would like a word with the Jedi," it said.

      Glad for the interruption, Qui-Gon turned. "Please tell him to come

      in."

      A moment later the door opened wider and Manex entered, along with

      Obi-Wan and Bant.

      "Excuse the interruption please," Manex said, running a hand through

      his cropped curly hair. For the first time, Qui-Gon noticed that it had

      begun to turn gray like his brother's. "I have just come from the United

      Legislature, and I have some news that I thought you needed to hear. I'm

      glad to see the new Jedi team has arrived."

      "I am Mace Windu and this is Bant," Mace said.

      Manex bowed his greeting. "I'm honored to have distinguished Jedi in

      my home. But I'm afraid that my news is not good. Information has been

      leaked to the Senators that Tahl was helping the Absolutes. There is a

      holotape of a meeting that she chaired in which she is discussing taking

      over the government."

      "Tahl was working undercover in order to expose the Absolutes," Obi-

      Wan explained.

      "The Senators don't know what to believe," Manex said.

      "How did this tape get circulated?" Mace asked.

      "Balog," Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon said together.

      "Obviously it's been leaked by him," Obi-Wan continued. "He needs to

      discredit the Jedi in order to prepare the way to return to power."

      "It doesn't matter," Qui-Gon said. "We'll clear Tahl's name when we

      find Balog."

      "If you can find him quickly," Manex said gravely. "My fear is that

      he will come to, power and we won't be able to charge him with anything. Do

      you know who is backing him? Whoever it is, he or she must be powerful."

      "We are not certain of anything," Mace said. The Jedi were not ready

      to confide in Manex. He knew nothing of Alani's treachery. He might even be

      an ally of hers.

      "I have further news," Manex said. "I have been appointed Acting

      Supreme Governor until the elections are held. I haven't sought this

      position, nor do I want it. I'm a businessman, not a politician. But the

      Senators prevailed on my love of my planet and my desire for peace. They

      feel that Roan's brother has the best chance of holding the government

      together. No doubt the election period will be volatile. I've tightened

      security and closed the Absolute Museum. We are mainly trying to keep the

      people calm. And there's one more thing. As Acting Supreme Governor, I'm

      making an official request to the Jedi. I'd like you to oversee the

      preparations
    for the upcoming elections. We are holding them in three days.

      We can't afford to wait. It's the only way to keep the peace."

      "But not everyone trusts the Jedi," Obi-Wan said. "I'm sure the Tahl

      holotape didn't help."

      "There are enough who do," Manex said. "And once you find Balog, as

      you said, Tahl's name will be cleared. Until then, you'll have all my

      support. I've instructed World Security to give you cooperation."

      Mace nodded. "Then we accept."

      Qui-Gon bristled. Mace had not even glanced at him, or sought his

      opinion. He would have been against the acceptance.

      "I'll leave you, then," Manex said. He rushed out, his gold robe

      swirling around his soft, polished boots.

      Qui-Gon knew he should speak diplomatically, but he didn't have time

      for tact. "This is a mistake," he told Mace. "Overseeing elections will

      divert us from the investigation of Tahl's death. We should be

      concentrating on finding Balog."

      Mace took Qui-Gon's stern tone in stride. "I disagree," he said. "The

      political situation is part of the pursuit of justice for Tahl's killer. It

      is all tied together. We will be in the perfect position to gain

      information. Not to mention that our overall mission was to restore New

      Apsolon to stability. If the Supreme Governor requests our help in a

      legitimate cause, the Jedi must agree."

      Qui-Gon pressed his lips together. He knew better than to push the

      argument further. But he was furious at Mace's decision. He wanted to stalk

      out of the room, out of the house, and keep going. He wanted to push an

      airspeeder as fast as he could, even without a direction. Frustration

      boiled inside him. With every second that ticked away, he could feel Balog

      slipping out of his reach.

      CHAPTER 4

      "I suggest that we find our quarters and take some refreshment," Mace

      said, turning to Bant. "We had a long journey, and we don't know when we'll

      get a chance to rest. Then we'll head to the United Legislature and get

      started."

      Obi-Wan had felt Qui-Gon's displeasure with Mace's decision. It was

      clear how deeply he disagreed with Mace. Obi-Wan knew that Qui-Gon saw this

      as a waste of time. But his Master had not come up with an alternative

      plan, either.

      Mace lifted an eyebrow at Qui-Gon. "If you had an idea of Balog's

      whereabouts, or a way to find him, we would delay and follow your lead. But

      until then, the only course open to us is to gather information."

      Obi-Wan glanced at Qui-Gon. His Master had not told Mace about the

      probe droids he'd sent out to find Balog. It was one thing to break the

      laws of a planet because a Jedi was in immediate danger of death. It was

      another to employ them in tracking a citizen of the planet where they were

      illegal. He wasn't sure how Mace would react, which was most likely why

      Qui-Gon did not tell him. The Jedi were already on uncertain footing on the

      planet.

      Mace and Bant left the room. The tension did not dissolve. Qui-Gon

      paced, brooding. Clearly, he did not want to talk.

      Manex's protocol droid once again hovered in the doorway. "So sorry

      to intrude. Another visitor. She says you know her, so I took the liberty.

      Her name is Yanci."

      "Yanci? Show her in, please," Obi-Wan said, surprise in his voice.

      Yanci was the Rock Worker medic who had fixed his leg after a rock had

      crushed it. She had come after them and begged for their help in resisting

      an Absolute attack on their settlement. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had returned

      with her, but it was too late. Every man, woman, and child had been killed.

      Yanci's terrible grief still burned in Obi-Wan's memory.

      Yanci entered the room. Obi-Wan could see at once that she had

      changed in the course of two days. The massacre of her fellow Workers along

      with the death of the man she loved had etched sorrow into her features.

      Her eyes were different. He could see the loss there.

      For the first time since Tahl's death, Qui-Gon's distraction lifted

      and he truly seemed to focus on another person. It was as though the two

      recognized each other immediately as fellow sufferers. He moved forward and

      took her hand. "It is good to see you," he murmured.

      She stared into his face. "I heard about Jedi Knight Tahl. You have

      my deepest sympathy."

      He pressed her hand, then dropped it. Obi-Wan saw that Qui-Gon did

      not need words with Yanci.

      She turned to Obi-Wan. "And how is that leg?"

      "All healed, thanks to you."

      "And you. I have great respect for the Jedi powers of recuperation. I

      am sorry to come at such a time. I'm living with the Workers in the city

      now." Yanci's voice lowered. "I heard something that I thought might help

      you. It is about a Worker named Oleg."

      Obi-Wan's senses sharpened. Oleg was the Worker who they believed had

      the list of Absolute informers. He had been seen with Tahl, which was why

      Balog suspected that he had passed off the list to her. Instead, he had

      disappeared.

      "I heard that Balog is chasing Oleg," Yanci went on. "I don't know

      why, and I don't need to know. But I recognized that name. Several weeks

      ago, the Rock Workers were contacted by the Workers in the city. They asked

      if they could send a Worker to us who needed to go into hiding. It was

      Oleg. He had infiltrated the Absolutes and needed a place to hide once his

      mission was completed. They weren't sure when he would be coming. We

      agreed, of course. Later we got word that his cover had been blown and that

      he was being sent immediately. But he never showed up. We were concerned

      and searched the quarries, but we don't think he ever left the city. Then

      we ourselves were attacked. As you know."

      "Thank you for coming to us," Qui-Gon said.

      Obi-Wan could hear the disappointment in his voice. He felt

      disappointed as well. The information was interesting, but not very

      helpful. It didn't lead them any closer to Balog.

      "But that is not all I have come to tell you," Yanci said. "There was

      a reason the Workers were sending him to us. They knew that I had training

      in a specific medical condition that Oleg has. He got it as a result of

      being imprisoned by the Absolutes years ago. It's a form of hibernation

      sickness that recurs regularly, requiring treatment. I happen to be able to

      provide treatment because several of our Rock Workers had the same

      syndrome. But there are only a few med clinics in the city that can treat

      it. So I thought... I thought it would be a way to track Oleg, if you were

      looking for him. It could be a way to find Balog."

      Yanci reached inside her cloak and took out a durasheet. She handed

      it to Qui-Gon. "Here is a list of the clinics."

      Obi-Wan felt his spirits rise. If they could track Oleg, no doubt

      they would find Balog. Qui-Gon appeared frozen, transfixed by the list in

      his hand.

      "Do you think it could be helpful?" Yanci asked. "Yes," Qui-Gon said.

      "Very."

      Qui-Gon clutched the list, staring at it so fiercely that Yanci

      glanced at Obi-Wan, concerned.

      Obi-Wan moved forward to thank her. "This will help us," he told

      Yanci.
    "Thank you for coming. I'll see you out."

      He walked her to the front door and bid her good-bye. He hurried back

      down the hall to Qui-Gon, eager to discuss their next step.

      But when he opened the door to the sitting room, his Master had

      disappeared.

      CHAPTER 5

      Qui-Gon knew he should not have left Manex's residence without

      telling Obi-Wan or Mace where he was going, but he did not regret it. More

      talk meant more delay. If he had taken Obi-Wan with him, he would have put

      his Padawan in a bad position. If Qui-Gon was going to have conflicts with

      Mace Windu, he did not want Obi-Wan to be involved in them.

      And, truth be told, his instincts told him that he needed to do this

      alone. Four Jedi equaled four opinions, more talk, more discussion. He

     
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