The Shadow Trap

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  "You want us to bring you to Striker's hideout?" Swanny asked. "But no

  one knows where that is."

  "You said you knew where everyone was, and everything that went on,"

  Obi-Wan said.

  "A slight exaggeration can often seal a deal," Swanny said. "Note the

  word 'hideout,' however. That implies that something is hidden, doesn't it?

  "

  "Then we're just going to have to find it," Obi-Wan said.

  "We?" Rorq asked. "What do we have to do with it?"

  "Anakin came close to that thermal detonator because of the two of

  you," Obi-Wan said. "He saved your lives."

  "And we're sure he wouldn't want us to lose them, after all the

  trouble he went to," Rorq said earnestly.

  "Look, Master Obi," Swanny said. "The reason Striker is so effective

  is because nobody knows anything about him. They don't know where he came

  from. They don't know his name. They don't know where he lives. They don't

  know when he'll strike again. There are kilometers and kilometers of

  tunnels, some of them half finished, and empty substations on the

  perimeters. He could be anywhere. And it's not like we ever wanted to look

  very hard."

  "Then we'll smoke him out," Obi-Wan said.

  "I think I've had enough smoke for one night," Swanny said, rubbing

  his fingers along his smoke-blackened face.

  "Not real smoke," Obi-Wan said. "I mean provoke him so that he'll come

  out into the open."

  "Provoke him?" Rorq moaned. "That doesn't sound good."

  Obi-Wan was feeling on the edge of his patience. He should have stayed

  with Anakin when they were under attack. Now he did not know if Anakin was

  badly wounded or worse.

  He remembered feeling so angry on Andara. thought you'd be proud of

  me, Anakin had said. And he had wanted to reply that he was proud, that

  Anakin's progress astonished him, that there was so much about Anakin that

  he admired. Instead he had held his tongue, thinking there would be a

  better time. He did not want to praise Anakin when his apprentice had made

  such an error.

  But maybe he should have. That better time had not arrived.

  "Where is Striker most vulnerable?" he asked Swanny.

  "I have no idea," Swanny said. "Nowhere, if I had to guess. He's got

  personal guards that surround him at all times. Plus surveillance, weapons,

  assassins, a huge army... can I stop now?"

  Obi-Wan's comlink signaled. He snatched it up eagerly.

  "Speak with you, I must," Yaddle said. "At the airlift, meet we will."

  "Of course," Obi-Wan said. "But I was just about to contact you.

  Anakin is missing. I think Striker has taken him."

  Yaddle hesitated for only a beat. He could feel her concern. Then she

  said slowly, "Your problem, my problem - fix each other, they might."

  Swanny and Rorq seemed relieved at the diversion. They were happy to

  lead him to the airlift.

  Yaddle stepped off the airlift with the graceful, gliding step that

  never seemed to abandon her, even when she was tired or impatient.

  "In addition to the mainframe substation of the power grid, taken over

  another crucial station, Striker has," she said. "Substation 32, a central

  relay station. Crucial it is as a network point for restarting the grid."

  Swanny nodded. "That's right. He can override the power surge you need

  for start up from that substation."

  "Retake it, we must," Yaddle confirmed.

  "I was looking for a way to provoke Striker," Obi-Wan said.

  "That will do it," Swanny muttered. "He just got that substation back

  from Decca tonight. I imagine he feels pretty good about it."

  "If we attack the substation, he'll have to send reinforcements," Obi-

  Wan said to Yaddle. "We can tail them back to the hideout."

  "Can I say something here?" Swanny asked. "Taking the substation is

  impossible. Just wanted to mention that."

  "What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "He has his best men protecting the power grid," Swanny said. "His

  most explosive weapons. I've seen the Jedi in action and it's a sweet

  sight, don't get me wrong. But can two Jedi go up against grenade launchers

  and missile tubes?"

  Obi-Wan exchanged a glance with Yaddle.

  "There's only one entrance to substation 32," Swanny went on. "It's

  the only way in. And you won't go more than two meters before you're

  blasted to pieces."

  "I guess that's that, then," Rorq said. "There's no other way."

  Yaddle smiled. Obi-Wan turned to Swanny and Rorq. "For the Jedi, there

  is always another way," he said.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Don't let him see your surprise. Don't give him even a flicker of

  satisfaction.

  "Oh, come on, Anakin," Granta Omega said. "You're surprised. Admit it.

  And maybe just a little bit pleased?" Omega smiled at him. Anakin was

  always mystified by his charm. He had liked him, once. Before he'd tried to

  kill Obi-Wan. Before it was clear that the dark side dominated his acts.

  Granta Omega was out to lure a Sith into the open. He was not Force-

  sensitive, but he wanted to be close to the Force. He wanted to understand

  the source of such power. He would do anything to attract the one Sith he

  knew was at large in the galaxy. He was enormously wealthy, and would use

  anyone or anything to get what he wanted. Even the Jedi.

  "I wouldn't say pleased," Anakin replied. "And I wouldn't say

  surprised. I'd say very unhappy."

  Omega cocked his head and regarded Anakin. "I'm sorry to hear that.

  But I know that soon you'll understand why we keep running into each other.

  You are strong in the Force. Stronger than any Jedi. Stronger than your

  Master - and he knows it. I'm still interested in the Sith, but I'm

  becoming even more interested in you."

  "The feeling isn't mutual."

  Omega strolled around the empty room. He was what was known as a

  "void," a being who could neutralize his appearance and aura so completely

  that those who met him could not recall what he looked like. To Anakin,

  he'd seemed different each time they'd met. The first time he'd seen him,

  he'd appeared to be a weary bounty hunter. Anakin had also spent time with

  him when Omega was posing as a scientist named Tic Verdun. He'd had a

  haphazard, nervous manner then, and friendly brown eyes.

  Now Anakin had the feeling he was seeing the real Granta Omega. His

  hair was dark and flowed to his shoulders. His eyes were a dark, deep blue,

  not brown as they'd appeared before. His body was slim but strong. And he

  looked younger, too, perhaps even younger than Obi-Wan.

  "At least be impressed at how I've forgiven you," Omega said. "You

  notice I don't hold a grudge. You and your Master killed a good deal for me

  last time we met. I was close to cornering the market on bacta. I would

  have made a fortune. Instead I almost drowned in a tidal wave. Then I was

  forced to erase all my secret financial records. No hard feelings, though."

  "On your side, maybe," Anakin said.

  "As I was saying, that little adventure cost me. I had to make it up

  somehow. Planets like Mawan are made for beings like me. We can set up

  operations witho
ut too much interference. There's no one to bribe, no one

  to fight. We just grab our piece. I already had some business interests

  here, so it was just a matter of coming myself and devoting all my effort

  to it. I've made up what I lost in just a few months."

  "Am I supposed to say congratulations now?" Anakin asked.

  Omega sighed. "Still a Jedi," he said. "Moons and stars, you can be

  boring. Your Master's influence, no doubt." He leaned against the table.

  "Can't you relax? Not all Jedi are as rigid as your Master."

  "How would you know?"

  "Some are interested in investigating deep in the archives and finding

  that the Jedi know more about the dark side than they care to reveal. They

  don't waste their time meditating on favorite rocks in the Room of the

  Thousand Fountains or sneaking into the Council Receiving Room to watch the

  Senatorial starships dock in the restricted space lane."

  "How do you know those things?" Anakin asked, startled. Only Jedi knew

  those things. They weren't important, but they were things that Padawans

  did.

  "Maybe I know more about the Jedi than you," Omega said in a teasing

  tone. "Jealous?"

  He laughed at the expression on Anakin's face. "You look worried. And

  angry. Didn't I suggest that you relax? You'd think you'd just gotten a

  reprimand from Rei Soffran."

  Rei Soffran was a revered Jedi Master and a teacher of the

  intermediate students. He was legendary at the Temple for his tough

  lectures. When you were called to Rei Soffran's chamber, you knew your

  faults would be dissected and you'd be carved up like a roasted doisey

  bird.

  But how did Omega know that?

  Omega swung himself up on the table. He sat on the edge and faced

  Anakin, swinging his legs like a young boy. "Oh, come on, Anakin. You don't

  need Obi-Wan. You don't need the Council. Haven't you figured that out yet?

  "

  Anakin thought of his last mission on Andara. He had infiltrated a

  group of students who acted as a secret squad, hiring themselves out on

  missions throughout the galaxy. They chose what they wanted to do. They

  answered to no one but themselves. Before it all fell apart, he had admired

  them and maybe envied them. It had felt like freedom. It had made him think

  what he would be like without having a Master or the Council to tell him

  what to do. He had shoved those thoughts deep into his mind, like a dirty

  tunic in his utility bag.

  Something must have changed in his face, for Omega's eyes gleamed,

  becoming a sharp, clear blue. "You have figured that out." He continued to

  study him. "But you can't face it."

  Anakin shook his head. "That's not true."

  Omega laughed. "I thought Jedi weren't supposed to lie. You've got one

  foot on the dark path, Anakin. Are you sure you are meant to be a Jedi?"

  "It's all I've ever wanted," Anakin said. The words came out without

  him wanting them to. They were in his head, as they always were.

  "Yes, you were a special case," Omega said. "I've heard the story.

  Chosen as a young boy. You were a slave, so of course you dreamed of a

  better life, a life you thought of as free. Welcome to reality, Anakin. Are

  you free?" Omega snorted. "If I held on to my dreams as a young boy, I'd be

  repairing starships for a living. I used to think that was exciting. How

  can you be so sure that your dream was the right one?"

  "The dream is real because I am living it," Anakin said.

  "The dream," Omega said softly, "was for opportunity and freedom and

  adventure. That is not the same thing. You began as a slave. Of course you

  dreamed of freedom. But you are not a boy now. You must know that the only

  thing that buys freedom in this life is wealth. I have it. I can give you

  more freedom than the Jedi can."

  Anakin shook his head. "I don't want your brand of freedom."

  "Why not? I can do anything I want. Let me tell you, power is a good

  thing to have. It's even fun. You could do anything you want. With my help,

  you could raise an army. You could return to the miserable planet of your

  birth and free your mother. Isn't that your deepest wish? Why are the Jedi

  holding you back from it?"

  Startled, Anakin remembered his vision. He had touched the cuffs on

  Shmi's hands and they had fallen to the floor. It hadn't been a vision of

  what would happen, he realized suddenly. It had been a vision of what could

  be.

  What could be...

  The thought flared up, searing him with promise. He thought of how

  he'd felt in the dream. So powerful, so sure. Closing his hands over the

  remembered texture of Shmi's skin, seeing the light in her eyes when she

  saw him.

  "Yes, Anakin Skywalker," Omega said softly. "I can give you the means

  to do it. We could leave here tomorrow if that's what you wished."

  "No," Anakin said. I am not listening to this. I am not hearing this.

  Omega pushed himself off the table. Anakin heard the slap of his boots

  on the floor, but he didn't look at his face. "Well, think about it. You

  don't have to leave the Jedi forever. You could give me a trial run. See

  how you like real freedom. You can always return to the Jedi. They're

  pretty desperate these days. They'll take you back."

  "I will never give you anything," Anakin said.

  "How about a deal? Something I want for something you want? I know the

  Jedi want me off-planet. I'm not sure if I'm ready to go, but if the Senate

  is going to get tangled up in Mawan politics, I'd be a fool to stay.

  Nevertheless, I have some demands. If you'll contact Yaddle and get her to

  come to a meeting here, I'll guarantee her safety."

  "Who will guarantee yours?" Anakin shot back.

  Omega chuckled. "You will. The fact that I'm holding a Jedi means that

  whoever is in charge up there won't send an army after me to `negotiate.' I

  may be somewhat greedy, but I'm practical. I'm willing to move my

  operation. But Yaddle is the only one who can authorize my conditions. Set

  up the meeting. Then, while I make preparations to depart, you can decide

  whether you want to come with me."

  "I don't have to make a decision. I know what I am. I know what I

  want."

  Omega sighed. "You Jedi. Always so resolute." He shuddered. "All that

  self-righteousness gives me the spooks. Let me know if you'll set up the

  meeting. I'll arrange to bring your comlink to you."

  He accessed the door and strode out into the busy substation. Anakin

  turned and watched him move across the room. He noticed how Omega quickly

  checked and conferred with his assistants as he walked. He made decisions

  quickly and moved on. The room hummed with activity. For the first time he

  saw how this man had amassed such a fortune.

  How did Omega know such things about the Temple? Had he corrupted a

  Jedi? Had he infiltrated the Temple? Such things were unthinkable, but

  there had to be an explanation.

  Omega's invitation for him to join his operation was laughable. Yet it

  had brought the vision freshly into his mind, and Anakin still felt the

  ache of it.

  We could leave here tomorrow....

  He could
see her again. He could free her, and make sure she was well

  and safe. And then he could return to the Jedi. Omega said he could do

  that.

  But the Jedi would not take him back if he did such a thing. Anakin

  knew that. Most likely Omega did, too.

  His offer was hollow at the core.

  But was there truth there, too? Were the Jedi holding him back from

  his deepest wish?

  And was he strong enough to face the answer?

  CHAPTER TEN

  Yaddle looked around the tunnel with distaste. "Too much time

  underground, I have spent," she murmured lightly. "Glad I will be to see

  the sky again."

  Obi-Wan smiled at her humorous tone, but he knew there was truth

  behind Yaddle's words. He remembered the words from Anakin's vision: The

  One Below remains below. Yoda had interpreted it as a warning, and Obi-Wan

  agreed. Now Yaddle was belowground. What if the attack on the substation

  failed and something happened to Yaddle?

  "I can handle this," he told her. "You should go back."

  Yaddle shook her head at him. "Know what you are thinking, I do, Obi-

  Wan. Worried about your Padawan's vision, I am not. Think you that I should