"Did you hear if she accepted, or where she is headed?" Obi-Wan asked
urgently.
"I merely heard stray words," Goq said. A look of blankness had come
over his face. Obi-Wan recognized it. It was the look of a Sorrusian who
did not want to get mixed up in a stranger's business. Obi-Wan shot a
glance at Astri.
"Surely you picked up some indication of what she was up to," Astri
said gently, her hand still on Bhu's shoulder.
Goq's eyes warmed as he looked at Astri and his son. Astri had saved
his tribe. For that, he would overcome his Sorrusian instinct for self-
preservation at all costs.
"I do know where she is headed, wonderful lady. Belasco."
Obi-Wan stood on the landing platform of Arra. The sunsets were long
on Sorrus, and the sky was still ablaze with orange and yellow. He had just
concluded a difficult conversation with Qui-Gon. It had not been easy to
tell his Master that contrary to orders he had stopped in the desert before
heading to Coruscant.
Now he waited out Qui-Gon's silence.
At last the Jedi spoke. "You were told to come straight to Coruscant.
"
"The stop, we felt, would have been quick. And I had a strong feeling
that Astri was in danger."
"The stop was not quick, and you put yourself and Siri in danger as
well."
"And now we know that Ona Nobis is headed to Belasco. It is the home
planet of Senator Uta S'orn! She was Jenna Zan Arbor's only friend. This
can't be a coincidence. Uta S'orn could be in great danger. We should go
there immediately!"
Another long silence. "Adi and I are disappointed in both of you. We
will discuss this later. For now, we will meet you on Belasco."
CHAPTER 12
Qui-Gon gazed through the cockpit of the consular ship that was
ferrying the Jedi to Belasco. From high above, the capital city of Senta
glowed. It had been built centuries before out of native rose-colored
stone. It was a spectacular sight, crowning the golden hills that
surrounded a sea of sparkling blue.
Casually, he stretched his arms and legs, testing his strength. His
continuing weakness dismayed him. He knew he had not given his body a
chance to recover. But he was driven on by his fierce desire to bring Jenna
Zan Arbor to justice. He was the one who knew firsthand how her mind
worked. He could not leave this mission to others.
"Do you feel you are regaining your strength?" Adi asked politely. He
knew she would not ask such a personal question if she were not concerned.
"Yes," he said shortly. He liked and respected Adi, but he did not
wish to tell her his concerns. He hoped that would be the end of the
subject.
He should have known better. Adi was not one to pry. But when she
wanted a true answer, she did not give up.
"I noticed that your connection to the Force was a bit weak back at
the lab," Adi said. "I would not wish you to return to the Temple, or ask
you to do so. But..." Adi turned her face to look at him directly. Qui-Gon
was forced to meet her dark, commanding gaze. She was almost as
intimidating as Mace Windu when she wanted to be.
"I just want things clear between us," she continued. "Here is what I
see. You are pretending to have made a full recovery, but you have not. You
compensate for your weakness by demonstrating your strength in strategy and
decision-making. You should have consulted me before ordering Siri and Obi-
Wan to Sorrus, Qui-Gon. I am your comrade. Not your enemy. If you have
weakness, I should be aware of it."
Adi didn't let anything slide. Qui-Gon knew he had overstepped. He
should have consulted his fellow Jedi Master before issuing the order.
"I'm sorry," he said. He did not find it hard to apologize when he
knew he was wrong. That didn't mean he enjoyed it. "You are right on all
counts. My connection to the Force has weakened along with my body."
"All right. Now I know." Adi turned to look out the cockpit
windshield. "The landing platform is crowded. I don't see our Padawans."
"They had better be there," Qui-Gon said. He was still irritated that
Obi-Wan had made the stop in the desert of Arra without consulting him.
"Unless they decided to go off on their own mission again."
Adi gave one of her rare smiles. "They did well, and you know it."
Qui-Gon frowned. "They disobeyed."
"They had reason."
"They did not contact us."
"They are learning independence."
"At a cost of disobedience?"
Adi leaned back. "You know the Jedi look at things differently, Qui-
Gon. We are not an army. Our discipline comes from within. Each Jedi has
his or her own connection to the Force. We all are taught to trust our
feelings and hone our instincts. Obi-Wan had a strong feeling and followed
it. Siri backed him up. You did the same on Kegan, and I backed up your
instinct - even though you did not ask my opinion. I am pleased that Siri
is learning cooperation. Perhaps Obi-Wan has taught her more about it than
I can."
"Obi-Wan is usually cautious," Qui-Gon said as the ship began landing
procedures. "Yet sometimes he is swept away by feeling. I worry about those
times."
"As the Council worries about you," Adi said in an amused tone. "You
and Obi-Wan seem so different. But at the core you are very alike."
"Perhaps that is not good," Qui-Gon mused. As the craft descended, he
could just make out Obi-Wan standing, waiting for him.
Adi looked down at Siri, who was standing next to Obi-Wan. "It is the
same for me. I see Siri's defiance and independence and see myself. In
guiding her I guide myself. It is good that this is so."
Qui-Gon felt her words strike his heart. Obi-Wan's face was upturned
now, his expression anxious. Being a Master was difficult for Qui-Gon.
Pride in his Padawan battled with the need to be stern. He saw so much
potential in Obi-Wan. He wanted to mold this being into a better Jedi than
he was himself. He was impatient with himself as often as he was impatient
with Obi-Wan. He saw that Adi was right: When he was stern with Obi-Wan, it
was sometimes because he saw his own mistakes in the boy.
The consular ship slid into a narrow space among larger vessels. Adi
turned to the pilot. "We do not know how long we will be on Belasco, but we
might need to leave quickly."
"I will be on alert, waiting for your signal."
The landing ramp was activated, and Qui-Gon and Adi walked down to
their Padawans.
Siri and Obi-Wan faced them, their gazes expectant. They awaited
whatever their Masters might say.
Qui-Gon strode forward "Next time, contact me first," he told Obi-
Wan.
Adi spoke to Siri quietly so that the other Jedi could not hear. She
preferred to give her Padawan instructions privately when she could. Then
she turned back to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.
"I would say that our first step is to warn Uta S'orn that she could
be in danger," she said. "I think we all agree that if Ona Nobis is here,
Jenna Zan Arbor must have been the one who summoned her. And the fact
that
Zan Arbor picked her old friend's home planet can't be a coincidence. She
must be planning to contact Uta S'orn."
"We have no proof to bring to Senator S'orn, only suspicion," Qui-Gon
said. "But we owe her that, at least."
"We've learned that because of her years of service, she has been
granted a home in the palace on the old royal grounds," Obi-Wan told them.
Qui-Gon nodded. "Then let us head there. But first, where is Astri?"
"She was nervous about seeing you," Obi-Wan said. "She feels badly
that she put Siri and me in danger."
Qui-Gon glanced around. Amid the throngs of people standing on the
landing platform, he glimpsed Astri standing next to the departure
checkpoint area. A long line of Belascans snaked around her.
He walked closer. Astri looked thinner and more muscular, and her
shaved head gave her a fierce appearance. She did not look like the soft,
pretty girl he had known. But her eyes were the same, clear and honest.
Right now they were filled with uneasiness.
"I'm so sorry," she said. "I did not think Obi-Wan would follow me. I
would not ask for more help from the Jedi. You have done so much for me
already - "
"All of which we were happy to do," Qui-Gon said. "And Obi-Wan's
decision was his decision. But I am concerned, Astri. Didi is recovering
quickly. He will find new investors for a new business. You must know this.
Why are you still chasing Ona Nobis? I do not think it is because of the
reward."
Her warm gaze grew hard. "She shot him as though he were nothing,
just something in her way."
"Yes. She feels nothing for living beings. But revenge makes one
careless," Qui-Gon said. "Leave Ona Nobis to us."
She shook her head stubbornly. "I can't."
Annoyed, Qui-Gon fell silent. He could not control Astri's behavior.
She was a distraction to the mission, but he could not allow her to go off
alone. He was too close to her father and cared too much for her to watch
her walk off into danger.
Qui-Gon sighed. "I have no right to tell you what to do."
"Now we agree," Astri said cheerfully.
"But I have a right to make a request," Qui-Gon added.
She looked at him warily.
"Remain with our party for the time being. Ona Nobis is here on
Belasco. Either we will find her, or she will find us. You will learn more
with us than without us."
Hesitantly, Astri nodded. "All right. I thank you."
"If you persist, I cannot protect you," Qui-Gon warned. "But at least
I'd like you near."
Obi-Wan walked up. "Adi is feeling a disturbance in the Force."
Qui-Gon hid his dismay. He had not felt anything.
"All right," he said shortly. "Come, Astri." "What about my friends?"
Astri asked.
Obi-Wan glanced over. He saw Cholly, Weez, and Tup trying to make
themselves inconspicuous nearby.
Qui-Gon frowned. "After years of disapproval of your father's
friends, now you consort with criminals?"
One corner of Astri's mouth lifted. "They are not competent enough to
be criminals. And I'm almost growing fond of them."
With a sigh, Qui-Gon beckoned to Cholly, Weez, and Tup. The trio came
forward uneasily. "It appears that we are stuck with you," Obi-Wan told
them.
"It is usually our policy to run away from trouble," Cholly said. "So
don't worry."
The group headed over to Adi and Siri.
"Something is wrong, Qui-Gon," Adi told him in a low voice. "I'm
feeling desperation and fear here. Look at the departure checkpoint."
Qui-Gon's keen gaze swept the Belascans in line. Now that Adi had
alerted him, he felt what he should have known all along - a rippling
disturbance in the Force. But he did not need the Force to alert him to the
fear on the faces of the Belascans.
"You are right," he said. "And this landing platform is
extraordinarily busy."
"Everyone seems to be leaving, not arriving," Siri observed.
pick up on what is wrong."
They took the turbolift down from the main landing platform to the
city streets below.
"We did not have time to do much research on Belasco," Adi said.
"Here is what we know. This is a wealthy world with a rigid class system.
The planet was once ruled by a royal family, but now a Leader is elected,
who then elects his own Council. Senators are greatly revered."
"And Uta S'orn is a favorite of the current Leader, Min K'atel," Obi-
Wan said.
"Look," Qui-Gon pointed out. "There are clinics set up on almost
every block. They look temporary. Maybe a sudden illness has infected the
population. There aren't many people on the streets."
An elder Belascan sat nearby on his front stoop, his hands dangling
between his knees, a lost look on his face. He wore the distinctive
elaborate headwrapping of the Belascan people, but two loose ends of fabric
trailed over his shoulders as though he'd lost interest halfway through the
task. Adi walked closer.
"I'm sorry to disturb you," she said gently. "We have only just
arrived on your world. We sense that something is very wrong here."
"Very wrong." The handsome elder turned a bleak gaze on them. "Have
you not heard? Our water supply is contaminated."
"We have not heard. You get your water supply from your Great Sea, do
you not?" Adi asked.
He nodded. "It is run through the desalinization tanks and provides
us all with drinking water. Every seven years, a naturally occurring
bacteria invades. We prepare for this. We know how to contain it, and we
stockpile water for our use while the scientists control the bacteria. This
year, they could not control it. It has multiplied and spread. But not
before it took the lives of many elders and children. Among them my
granddaughter."
"I am so sorry," Adi said. She bent down slightly to give the man a
brief touch on the arm. Underneath Adi's regal manner, her intuitive nature
gave her insight into suffering.
"I am not alone," the Belascan continued. His bleak gaze swept the
empty street. "Many are ill on Belasco. Even the Leader's own daughter.
Most of the ill are children and elders. The Leader has set up med wards on
the royal grounds. But every day there are more funerals. Even while all
our scientists work to contain the bacteria, we are running out of water.
And running out of time."
Adi bid the elder good-bye and turned to the others. "This news is
distressing. It can't be a coincidence."
"Jenna Zan Arbor must be behind this," Qui-Gon said grimly. "She has
done this before, introduced a virus or bacteria into a population in order
to rush in at the last moment and save it."
"We'd better get to the royal grounds," Adi said.
Hurrying now, they followed the curving streets to the palace, which
was visible on the main hill of the city. The palace gates stood open to
all so that the population could enjoy the gardens. As they walked through
they could see that large temporary domes had been set up on t
he wide lawns
surrounding the sprawling rosy palace. Medics walked rapidly by them, and
some children sat on benches nearby. They wore white robes, and their thin
faces were turned toward the sun.
Adi looked shaken. "If Zan Arbor is responsible, this is monstrous."
"Could she deliberately make all these children sick?" Siri asked.
"I'm afraid she could," Qui-Gon said.
Tup swallowed. "If she could do this to kids, imagine what she would
have done to us."
They asked a medic for Uta S'orn's whereabouts, and he pointed them
to a garden at the back of one of the Ward Domes. They found S'orn sitting