Jedi Apprentice 6: The Uncertain Path (звёздные войны) Page 5

  "I cannot get lost, sir," TooJay replied, hurrying after them. "I'm a navigation droid."

  Qui-Gon and Tahl hurried to the small conference room where they had agreed to meet Yoda for updates. The room was the most secure at the Temple, with a scanner that constantly monitored for surveillance devices.

  Yoda was waiting as they entered the white chamber.

  "Door to close in approximately two seconds," TooJay told Tahl.

  "TooJay — " Tahl said impatiently.

  "I shall wait outside, sir," TooJay answered.

  The door hissed shut behind them. Yoda looked grave.

  "Bad news, I have," he said. "Another theft to report. Stolen this time are the healing crystals of fire."

  "The crystals?" Qui-Gon asked, stunned. "But they're under the highest security."

  Tahl let out a breath. "Who knows?"

  "The Council only," Yoda said. "But fear we do that word will get out."

  Every time Qui-Gon thought the situation could not get worse, it did.

  The seriousness of the thefts was escalating. Which could be the point.

  There is the pattern, Qui-Gon thought. This isn't random. It's planned.

  This time, the thief had struck at the very heart of the Temple. The healing crystals of fire had been a Jedi treasure for thousands of years. They were held in a meditation chamber that was accessible to all students. The room's only heat and light source was from the crystals themselves. Embedded in the heart of each rock was an eternal flame.

  When the students discovered them stolen, it would surely rock their belief in the Temple's invincibility. Maybe it would test their belief in the Force itself.

  "Find who did this you must," Yoda told them. "But something more important you must find."

  "What is that, Yoda?" Tahl asked.

  "You must find why," Yoda said urgently. "Fear I do that in why the seed for our destruction lies."

  Yoda walked out. The door hissed behind him.

  "First step?" Tahl asked Qui-Gon.

  "My quarters," Qui-Gon answered. "I have notes on my datapad. And from now on, we should carry our notes on us at all times. If the healing crystals are vulnerable, so are we."

  Qui-Gon and Tahl entered the chamber. Qui-Gon had worried that his datapad would be missing, but it was right where he had left it, in a drawer by his sleep-couch. There were no locks or safes at the Temple.

  "All right," he said. "Let's get back to — "

  He stopped to watch Tahl. It was obvious his friend wasn't listening to him. She stood in the middle of the room, a look of intense concentration on her face. He waited, not wanting to interrupt.

  "Do you smell it?" she asked. "Someone has been here, Qui-Gon. There is your scent in the room… and something else. An intruder."

  Qui-Gon looked around the room. Nothing had been disturbed. He activated his datapad. All his coded notes were still there. Interviews with students, security procedures. Could someone have broken the code and read them? It didn't matter much. He hadn't recorded speculation, only facts. But still, someone had been here.

  Sudden excitement rippled through Qui-Gon. Tahl turned, catching the change in his mood. More and more, it was extraordinary what she could pick up without seeing.

  "What is it?" she asked.

  "You just found a way to catch the thief," Qui-Gon replied.

  Obi-Wan, Cerasi, and Mawat emerged from the tunnel only a block from the Hall of Evidence. Obi-Wan had alerted all members of the Security Squad to meet him there. He did not want to use violence, but a show of weapons could come in handy. A showdown must be avoided at all costs.

  But they were too late. A showdown was already in progress.

  Wehutti and the Elders had formed a human chain around the Hall. They stood shoulder to shoulder facing Nield and his helpers.

  Nield had apparently started the demolition before being outmaneuvered by the Elders. Some markers had been dragged out and partially demolished.

  Floaters packed with beam-drills and other demolition equipment were parked outside the human wall. Obviously, Wehutti and the Elders had managed to get between Nield and the equipment.

  Cerasi and Obi-Wan hurried over to Nield.

  "Look at them," Nield said disgustedly. "Protecting their hate with their lives."

  "This is a bad situation, Nield," Obi-Wan said.

  "Thanks for the information," Nield said sarcastically. Then he sighed.

  "Look, I know it's bad. Why do you think I'm standing here, not doing anything? If we use force to break through them, it can backfire. But we can't let them win. We have to destroy the Hall."

  "Why?" Cerasi asked.

  Nield whipped his head around. "What do you mean? You know why."

  "I thought I did," Cerasi said. "I've been having second thoughts, Nield. Is it wise to destroy the only place we have collected our history?"

  "A history of death and destruction!"

  "Yes," Cerasi admitted. "But it is our history."

  Nield just stared at Cerasi. "I can't believe this," he muttered.

  "Nield, we have to consider Zehava, too," Obi-Wan put in. "When I said this was a bad situation, I meant more than just the destruction of this Hall. If you insist on using force, the news will travel all over the city.

  The people are already unhappy with us. They're cold, and winter is coming.

  They need to see signs of rebuilding, not more destruction."

  Nield looked from Cerasi to Obi-Wan in disbelief. "What happened to our ideals? Are we going to compromise so soon?"

  "Is compromise so bad?" Cerasi asked. "Whole civilizations are built on it." She put her hand on Nield's arm. "Let Wehutti win this one, Nield."

  He shook his head violently. "No. And since when do you care if your father is defeated? You didn't care during the war! You shot at enough Elders. You would have killed him if you could!"

  Nield's words seemed to hit Cerasi in the face. She turned away.

  "Nield, listen," Obi-Wan pleaded. "This isn't about Wehutti. We all want what's best for Zehava. These are matters we all need to discuss. We should put it to a vote. Isn't that why we set up the system of government?

  You yourself wanted the council. You didn't want complete authority, remember?"

  Nield's dark eyes were stormy. "All right. I can't oppose both of you."

  Cerasi looked at him pleadingly. "We aren't opposing you, Nield. We're still together." She held up her palm.

  Nield ignored it. He turned away and stalked off. He signaled to his squad, and after a moment, they followed, with baffled expressions on their faces. They had never seen Nield give up before.

  The Elders let out a great cheer. Wehutti's strong voice boomed out.

  "We have our victory!"

  Cerasi's face was troubled as she watched her father. "I think I just made a mistake. I shouldn't have argued with Nield in front of them."

  "I don't think we had a choice," Obi-Wan said, though he, too, was worried by the Elders' reaction. Knowing Wehutti, he would turn this into a great victory and use it to his advantage.

  Wehutti suddenly turned and looked over the heads of the crowd, straight at Cerasi. Their gazes locked. Obi-Wan saw the bravado slip from Wehutti's gaze as he looked at his daughter. A softness took its place.

  So he is a man, after all, Obi-Wan thought. For the first time, he thought there might be hope for Cerasi to reconnect to the father she longed for.

  An Elder tugged at Wehutti's arm, and he brusquely turned away. Cerasi let out a small sigh.

  "Nield said his parents were more than warriors to him," she said. "I feel that way, too. I know my father is filled with hate. But if I want to remember, I can recall love, too."

  "I think love is there," Obi-Wan said.

  "That is sacred to me," she said. "And that means that the memories in the Halls might be sacred, too." She turned to Obi-Wan. "Do you know what I mean? Is anything sacred to you?"

  Unbidden, an image flashed in Obi-Wan's mi
nd. He saw the Temple, rising through the blue skies and white buildings of Coruscant, impossibly high, flashing golden in the light. He saw long, cool halls, quiet rooms, rushing fountains, a lake greener than Cerasi's eyes. He felt the hush inside himself as he sat in front of the healing crystals of fire and gazed into their flickering depths.

  The emotion swamped him. He missed being a Jedi.

  He missed his sure, strong connection to the Force. He had lost that.

  It was almost as though he were a first-year student again, aware of something he could feel, but unable to control it. He missed the sense of purpose he felt at the Temple, the sense that he knew exactly where he was going and was content to follow his path.

  And he missed Qui-Gon most of all.

  That connection was over. Obi-Wan could return to the Temple. Yoda would welcome him, he knew. Whether he could be a Jedi again was up to the Council to decide. Others had left and come back.

  But Qui-Gon would not take him back, nor would he welcome him. The Jedi Master was through with him. And, Obi-Wan knew, he had every right to be.

  Once broken, such profound trust cannot be regained.

  Cerasi read the truth in his eyes. "You miss it."

  "Yes."

  She nodded, as though this confirmed something she'd been thinking about. "It's not a shameful thing, Obi-Wan. Maybe you were meant for a wider world than we can offer you here. Your destiny might be for a different life."

  "But I love Melida/Daan," Obi-Wan said.

  "That doesn't have to change. You could contact him, you know."

  Obi-Wan did not have to ask who she meant.

  "You chose as you had to at that moment," Cerasi continued. "From what you've told me of the Jedi, no one will blame you."

  Obi-Wan looked over the plaza toward the gray sky, up into the atmosphere where a few stars were beginning to twinkle. Beyond them lay the other worlds of the galaxy, Coruscant among them. A distance of three days with a fast ship. Yet for Obi-Wan, unreachable.

  "One will blame me," he replied. "Always."

  Tahl and Qui-Gon went through their lists. Every student, teacher, and Temple worker who had access to the various stolen items and could not account for their time during that period was cross-checked against the central list. They hoped to narrow down who they needed to interview.

  The computer tallied the names. The list was narrowed to two hundred and sixty-seven.

  Tahl groaned aloud when the computer read the number. "It will take days to interview so many."

  "Then we'd better get started," Qui-Gon said.

  One advantage they had was that the interviews could be short. They scheduled each one for five minutes only. All they needed was for Tahl to pick up the scent she'd smelled in Qui-Gon's quarters.

  The short time between interviews meant that students ran into each other outside the room. Gossip buzzed out in the halls. The rumors about the stolen crystals were starting. Soon, there was a continual pileup of students in the hall.

  "Where is TooJay when I need her?" Tahl complained wearily at the end of a long day. "Somebody should take charge out there."

  "We're almost through," Qui-Gon said. "Bant Eerin is next."

  A gentle knock came on the door, and Qui-Gon activated the release. The door hissed open.

  Bant was only eleven, and small for her age. A Calamarian, she thrived in moist, humid climates. Qui-Gon knew that she had been a special friend of Obi-Wan's. She looked nervous as she approached the table where Qui-Gon and Tahl were sitting. Too nervous?

  Tahl didn't indicate any surprise or special alertness. But underneath the table, she reached out and grabbed Qui-Gon's knee.

  She had smelled the intruder.

  Qui-Gon looked at the slender girl again. Surely this couldn't be the thief! Bant's silver eyes slid away from his gaze involuntarily. Then she remembered her Jedi training and quickly met his gaze.

  "You seem uncomfortable," Qui-Gon began neutrally. "This is not an inquisition."

  Bant nodded uneasily.

  "But you can see that with the thefts, we need to speak with all students."

  Again, she nodded.

  "Would you consent to have your room searched?"

  "Of-of course," Bant replied.

  "Have you ever violated Temple security?"

  "No," Bant said, her voice wobbling a bit.

  Tahl leaned over to murmur in Qui-Gon's ear. "She is afraid of you."

  Yes, Qui-Gon could feel it, too. Why should Bant be afraid?

  "Why are you afraid?" he asked sternly.

  Bant swallowed. "B-because you are Qui-Gon Jinn. You took Obi-Wan away.

  All he wanted was to be your Padawan, but a short while later he left the Jedi. And I wonder…"

  "What?" Qui-Gon asked.

  "W-what you did to him," she whispered.

  "The girl is innocent," Tahl said.

  "I know," Qui-Gon replied heavily.

  "She didn't know what she was saying," Tahl said. "Obi Wan's leaving was not your fault."

  Qui-Gon didn't answer. The long day had taken its toll. He could march for hours, fight off ten armed enemies, and here he was exhausted after interviewing children.

  Without speaking, they headed for the lake. TooJay had not shown up to bring Tahl back to her quarters. Qui-Gon was grateful not to have her trilling voice calling out every obstruction. If Tahl held his arm, she could move just as quickly as he, even over uneven ground.

  They reached the lake, and Tahl slipped her arm out from his. She did not want to take any more help than she needed.

  "We should decide on our next step," Qui-Gon said, staring out at the clear green lake, now dusky with evening shadows. The lake took up five levels of the Temple, and was landscaped with trees and shrubs. Narrow paths wound through the greenery. One had the illusion of being on the planet's surface instead of suspended high above. "It's time to flush out the thief.

  We could — "

  "Qui-Gon, I smell it." Tahl interrupted him excitedly.

  Qui-Gon looked around. They were alone. "But there's no one here."

  She reached down and trailed a hand in the water. "It wasn't a person I smelled. It was this." She held up her glistening hand. "I smelled the lake!"

  Suddenly, the cloudiness of Qui-Gon's mind cleared, and facts clicked into place.

  "We have to explore the bottom of that lake," he said.

  Tahl's mind made the connection as quickly as Qui-Gon's did. "The thief is hiding the stolen items there?"

  "Maybe."

  "Obviously, I'm out," Tahl said ruefully. "How's your swimming, Qui-Gon?"

  "Fine," Qui-Gon said. "But I know someone who can do the job better."

  Bant's silver eyes widened as she opened her door and saw Qui-Gon and Tahl.

  "I would never hurt the Temple — " she began tearfully.

  "Bant, we need your help," Qui-Gon interrupted kindly.

  Quickly, he told her what they needed. He didn't want to involve the regular Jedi security patrol if he didn't have to. Everyone at the Temple was still a suspect. But both Qui-Gon and Tahl were convinced of Bant's innocence.

  The Calamarian girl was the perfect choice. She swam every day, and her clothes gave off a faint smell of water and humidity. That was the scent Tahl had picked up in Qui-Gon's quarters. Bant no doubt knew the lake bottom well. She could do the search more efficiently than Qui-Gon could.

  Bant nodded her acceptance, her tears already drying.

  "Of course I can do that," she said. "For a Calamarian, it's nothing."

  Together, the three hurried back to the lake.

  "You'll have to cover the whole lake," Qui-Gon told Bant as they came to the beach. "But I'm guessing that if something is hidden below, it will be fairly close to shore." He smiled at her. "Not everyone is as good a swimmer as you."

  Bant stripped down to the suit she wore for bathing. "Don't worry if I'm underwater for a long time."

  Qui-Gon was glad she'd given him the instruction
after she disappeared under the surface. Even though he knew she was amphibious, the amount of time she could spend underwater still tried his nerves. He watched and Tahl listened just as intently for the small splash Bant made as she resurfaced.

  Each time, she shook her head, took a deep breath, and dived underwater again.