by Jude Watson
Curi nodded and left. Obi-Wan and Siri headed out of the med center. He hoped it would not be a waste of time to investigate the Avoni.
The offer seemed a simple offer of help from a neighbor.
But he had been on enough missions to know that there were veils behind veils, where somewhere the truth would lie.
Chapter Ten
The Padawans were heading into the Emergency Command Center when Ferus held up a hand. The Padawans stopped.
Anakin nearly bumped into Darra. Annoyed, he stepped back.
"Before we meet with Galen, I suggest that only one Padawan conduct the questioning," Ferus said. "We don't want him to think we are accusing or bullying him. This should be done carefully."
"You should do it, Ferus," Darra said. "You have the most experience."
Ferus nodded. "All right."
Wait a second. Don't I get a vote? Anakin wondered. What happened to Jedi cooperation?
But Tru was agreeing as well, so Anakin nodded.
Ferus led the way into the room, which had been a minister's office before all the government officials had fled the planet. Now a row of datascreens glowed faintly as Galen sat on a repulsorlift chair, moving from screen to screen as he checked and matched lists.
"How is the evacuation coming?" Ferus asked politely as they entered.
Galen passed a harried hand through his hair. "All right.
There are so many details. And I don't have much help."
"We'd be glad to assist you," Ferus said. "How many workers do you have here?"
"Just me at the moment," Galen said. "I had a staff, but they all left when the ministers did." He gave the Padawans an impatient glance. "I can handle things here. You go ahead and keep patrolling the streets, or whatever you're doing."
He turned back to the datascreens, dismissing the Padawans as though they were naughty children who had interrupted his work.
"Can you tell us who has access to this information?"
Ferus asked. Anakin was surprised at his polite tone. How could he let Galen get away with patronizing them?
"The upper ministers of government had access," Galen answered without turning. "And now I do. Why?"
"Is there anyone who would release that information?"
Ferus asked.
Galen gave a weary sigh and turned around in his chair.
"No, of course not," he said. "It's classified. Sensitive.
If people knew in what order they would be evacuating, violence could erupt. The people at the bottom of the list will try to push themselves forward. I won't post the lists until immediately before the ships arrive." Galen looked at the Jedi curiously. "If there is something wrong, you must tell me. I am in charge of the city's security. I don't want the job, but I'm the only qualified one left."
"I'm afraid we have reason to believe that the raiders have information about the evacuation," Ferus answered. "We believe they are planning to plunder the homes of those who are leaving the planet."
Galen looked at them sharply. "Are you sure about this?"
At Ferus's nod, he shook his head. "Still, at least they will have their lives."
"But they will return to nothing," Darra said.
"If we can return." Galen looked away. "I have a feeling our beloved planet is lost to us for good."
"You don't know that," Ferus said. "The toxin could have a half-life."
"We don't have time to investigate that," Galen snapped.
"Don't you think we have enough to do?"
"We are not accusing you," Ferus said politely.
"Maybe not. But you are wasting my time. I am trying to save lives here." Galen waved at the datascreen.
"We need to find out who passed the information along,"
Anakin said in a forceful tone. He was tired of letting Ferus ask all the questions. He was getting nowhere with that polite tone. "Whoever it was wanted to foster instability on the planet. I don't call investigating that a waste of time. Do you?"
"Hey, there's no reason to jump down my throat, kid."
Galen held up two hands, as if to fend Anakin off. "Look, I'd like to help. But there's really no way to tell who passed on the information. Many of the ministers have gone to Coruscant. Some have scattered to other worlds to wait out the catastrophe in comfort." He frowned at them. "You're not thinking of leaving now that you've lost your Masters, are you?"
"We haven't lost them," Anakin snapped.
Ferus interrupted smoothly. "No, we're not leaving. We're to remain until the evacuations take place. Don't worry. And we've destroyed many of the Prototype Droids that the raiders were using."
"You kids did?" Galen looked impressed. "Maybe things are looking up." Suddenly the communicator sputtered to life. It crackled and buzzed, but they could hear a voice calling for Galen to answer.
He quickly adjusted the chair to swing over to the comm unit. "Galen here. Galen here. Do you read? Do you read?"
"Ships. . evacuation. . engine shutdown needs repair. ." The words came out in bursts of static "Delay.
Do you copy?"
"The ships are delayed? How long?" Galen asked desperately. "How long?"
But the comm unit went dead.
Galen turned to the Padawans. His face was pale. "That was the communication line of the Senate ship. Even a short delay will be fatal. The winds will shift in twelve hours.
Without those ships, we're dead."
Chapter Eleven
In the Isolation Sector, the Jedi Masters met outside the med center to check in. Soara and Ry-Gaul were also hesitant about Dol Heep's offer.
"The planet is extremely vulnerable now," Soara said. "One day the survivors will want to return, if they can. They should return to intact homes and businesses."
"This will take further study," Siri said soberly.
Ry-Gaul nodded.
Just then Curi hurried out of the building. "I've received a communication from the evacuation ships. It wasn't very clear, but I do know this — the ships have been delayed. How long, I don't know."
The Jedi exchanged glances. Obi-Wan reached for his comlink and tried to contact Anakin. He was unsuccessful. He jammed it back into his belt with unnecessary force. Siri glanced at him, then turned back to the others.
"Now we must take Dol Heep's offer seriously," said worriedly. "Lives are at stake."
"The prevailing winds will shift in twelve hours," Obi-Wan said. "We have to make a decision very soon."
"By the way, we encountered something interesting," Soara said. "We found someone who has been unaffected by the toxin."
Curi's worried expression changed to intent curiosity.
"What do you mean?"
"A Radnoran named Wilk sneaked back into the Isolation Sector to see his wife two days ago. He didn't have a bio- iso suit. His wife died, but he is completely healthy."
"He has no symptoms at all?" Curi asked. "Are you sure?"
"We brought him here," Soara told her. "We were just about to look for you."
"We must study him," Curi said, her voice rising with excitement. "He could have some sort of built-in immunity.
This could help us." She frowned. "I only have a few researchers here. My scientific skills are rusty, but we need to investigate this."
"There isn't much time," Obi-Wan told her.
For the first time since they'd met her, Curi smiled.
"Then I'd better get started."
She turned and rushed back into the building.
A voice suddenly boomed out from behind them, "Jedi! Glad to find you here."
It was Dol Heep. The Jedi bowed to him politely.
"You haven't been back to speak to us as you promised,"
Dol Heep said. "We don't understand this lack of courtesy."
"We have been busy with the sick," Siri said.
"You should be busy working to get them off-planet," Dol Heep said in a chiding tone. "Our planet has made a great and generous offer, and still you ignore us. Now we hear tha
t the evacuation ships have been delayed. And you still don't come to us?" Dol Heep's skin was mottled with anger.
"We deserve this treatment? If you do not allow our fleet to land, the Senate shall hear about it!"
"We were just coming to see you, Dol Heep," Obi-Wan said in a polite tone, even though he was nettled at the ambassador's rudeness. "We accept your offer of help."
It was a decision he'd made reluctantly. But Siri was right. Lives were at stake. The Jedi would just have to ensure that the Avoni were not planning a takeover of the famed Radnoran research labs. Though how they would do that, he didn't know. The Senate ships be delayed for days. It was more than time enough for the Avoni to raid the labs.
"More like it, we say," Dol Heep said, satisfied. "We will give the order for the ferry ships to land in both sectors.
We will load the citizens onto skiffs in the cities, then bring them to the ferry ships, which will transport them to the orbiting ships. Then we'll bring them to Coruscant. You see? We give all our resources to our friends the Radnorans."
Dol Heep hurried off, his septsilk cloak swishing with his lurching walk.
"I hope we don't come to regret this," Soara said.
"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "But it seems the only decision to make under the circumstances."
Siri withdrew her comlink from her utility belt. She punched out the coordinates for Ferus. To everyone's surprise, they heard Ferus's voice clearly.
"Yes, Master."
"Ferus! We have received word that the evacuation ships have been delayed — "
"We know this. And Master — "
"One minute, Ferus," Siri interrupted. "This is important.
Avoni ships will be here in a matter of hours. They will transport the population to ships orbiting the planet. Then they'll be taken to safety. There is no need for panic. Did you copy that?"
"Yes, Master. But we fear that someone has — "
Static overcame the line, and it went dead.
The Masters exchanged uneasy glances.
"He sounded worried," Obi-Wan said.
"Yes," Siri agreed quietly. "He did."
"Something is wrong in Tacto," Soara murmured. "I can feel it. But I don't have a clear sense of it."
The Jedi Masters exchanged glances. They all felt the same.
"I agree," Siri said. "We can only trust that our Padawans are able to handle it."
The usually composed Soara looked uncertain. "This is Darra's first mission."
"Ferus has experience with difficult situations," Siri said. "And the others look up to him."
Not Anakin, Obi-Wan thought. He had sensed Anakin's dislike of Ferus. It hadn't worried him. Anakin would naturally feel rivalries with other Padawans at this age. As he matured as a Jedi, he would outgrow them. Once, Obi-Wan had felt the same about Siri. Now he valued her friendship.
Anakin was still young. Without Obi-Wan there to guide him, would Anakin allow his strong will to bend with the needs of the group? Would his dislike of spill over into open conflict? The nagging doubts would not go away.
"They are all excellent Padawans, each in their own way,"
Soara said confidently. "Together they are even stronger."
"But they are not Jedi," Ry-Gaul said softly. "Not yet."
And somehow these gentle words from a Jedi who rarely spoke summed up everything they felt. And everything they feared.
Chapter Twelve
Ferus was right. Ferus was a/ways right. Except when he was wrong.
Anakin hurried along the streets of Tacto with the others.
News of the delay of the evacuation ships had leaked out.
Security officers had called for help. A riot had broken out in the last remaining shop to sell bio-isolation suits.
While he raced along with the others, Anakin's mind was busy furiously reviewing the scene with Galen. Ferus's too- respectful questioning had gotten them nowhere. As soon as Anakin began to make some headway, Ferus had interrupted.
"You handled Galen well back there," Darra said to Ferus.
"I don't think I could have held my temper."
"It does us no good to make him angry," Ferus said. "He is still a source of information for us."
Anakin snorted. "Some source. He didn't tell anything. He treated us like kids. And you let him get away with it."
Ferus glanced down and gave him a cool look as he kept up his easy, loping stride. Anakin wished he weren't so tall.
"He didn't tell you anything, either."
"He was about to," Anakin shot back.
"So you can see into the future," Ferus said. "Hmmm.
That's very unusual for a Padawan."
Anakin flushed angrily as Darra giggled.
"As long as we keep our lightsabers sheathed," Tru spoke up suddenly. The three Padawans looked at him. "We can handle the riot peacefully," he explained.
Now they could hear the roar of the crowd ahead. They picked up their pace and raced to the spot.
Blasters had been drawn. Radnorans lay bleeding on the streets. More pushed to get inside the store. Bio-iso suits had been torn to shreds by competing Radnorans. Over a voice amp system, the shop owner was desperately attempting to quiet the crowd.
"There are no more suits!" he cried. "No more suits! Go home! The shop is empty!"
"We need to get to the voice amp," Anakin said.
"Keep your lightsabers sheathed," Ferus warned. "We can handle this peacefully if we keep calm."
Ferus was giving orders again. Anakin turned away and tried to push his way through the crowd. Darra and Tru joined Ferus in breaking up fights and trying to calm the crowd. It was difficult to do this without hurting anyone.
At first the Radnorans were furious at the Jedi. They had to dodge blows as they sought to calm tempers.
Anakin made his way to the frightened owner. "I must use your voice amp," he told him. "I can calm the crowd."
The owner handed him the amp. "Be my guest."
Anakin spoke clearly into the amp system. "The Avoni have pledged a fleet of ships to airlift the citizens off-planet.
They are achieving orbit now. There is room for all.
Everyone will be evacuated before the winds shift."
A few Radnorans closest to the amp heard the message and began to talk among themselves. Anakin repeated the message.
Gradually, the crowd began to settle down.
"Where do we report to? How will this be handled?" someone called.
"The evacuation team will alert each of you where and when to show up," Anakin announced. "But that means you must return to your homes."
Slowly the crowd began to disperse. The crisis was averted. But the owner's business had been completely destroyed. The battered sign reading bio-iso suits 5,000 karsems swung crazily in the stiff breeze.
"It almost serves him right for charging so much" Darra said as a last burst of wind sent the sign crashing to the street.
"I wish communication were better with our Masters," Tru said. "They will know when and how the Avoni fleet is arriving. We need to give the Radnorans more information."
"I think we should take a look at the comm system," Anakin said. "There might be a way to fix it, or at least fabricate a makeshift comm unit that has enough power to reach the other sector."
Ferus shook his head. "We won't be able to fix a planetary system," he said. Atmospheric disturbances are too great."
"We don't know that," Anakin argued. "It's worth a try. We need to coordinate with the other sector."
"Here we go again," Darra said, looking from Anakin to Ferus. "Don't you two ever agree?"
Anakin looked at Tru. He needed backup.
"I think we should try it," Tru said.
"Why not?" Darra agreed. "We're at a dead end, anyway."
Ferus nodded. "All right. But while you and Tru work the comm problem, Darra and I should investigate those Prototype Droids. Maybe if we find out how they were stolen, we can find out more about the raiders.
/> I'm still worried about who is behind them."
So am I, Anakin said silently. We all are.