Jedi Apprentice 12: The Evil Experiment (звёздные войны)

by Джуд Уотсон

  It had been her. The bounty hunter.

  He was sure of it. And now he had a name.

  "One last question," Obi-Wan said. "Do you know if Zan Arbor has more than one lab? I know that her main lab is on Ventrux."

  Both the scientists looked puzzled. "But why would she need another lab?" Von Taub asked.

  "I have never heard such a thing," Yamele Polidor added.

  "Thank you for your help," he said, rising and bowing. He hurried outside and immediately summoned Tahl on his comlink.

  "We could have a lead," he said. "I think the bounty hunter posed as a scientist named Reesa On. Most likely she disguised herself in order to steal the datapad back from Didi and Astri. She would have if Qui-Gon and I hadn't returned and surprised her. The Senate still lists her as being on Coruscant. She's supposed to inform them when she returns to her home- world. I have the address."

  "Don't go alone," Tahl warned. "Wait, and I'll send a team to you."

  "I can't wait," Obi-Wan argued. "She's listed at a lodging only a short distance from here. Let me at least see if she's there."

  "Do not engage her in battle or even show yourself," Tahl warned.

  "She could lead us to Qui-Gon."

  "I won't," Obi-Wan promised. "I'll just keep her under surveillance."

  "I'll see what I can discover from here," Tahl told him. "Good work, Obi-Wan."

  Obi-Wan cut the communication and headed down the walkway that led to Vertex, the street that was listed as Reesa On's address. He drew his robe around him and lifted his hood to cover his face. He must follow Tahl's advice. He knew Tahl was just as anxious as he was to find Qui-Gon. If she urged caution, it was only because being careful would bring them to Qui- Gon faster.

  The inn where Reesa On was staying was similar to the one he had left. Many small guesthouses existed around the Senate to cater to wealthy guests with Senate business that required long stays. It was a far cry from the shabby, decrepit inn where he'd had his first confrontation with the bounty hunter.

  And it had security. Guests used swipe cards to enter. All others had to be announced.

  He loitered outside the building, wondering what to do. Most likely he would not be lucky enough to see her enter or leave. And would he recognize her even if she did? She had impersonated an old man, a wealthy scientist, and a young boy parking speeders at a grand hotel. Her powers of transformation were incredible.

  The door to the house slid open, and someone stood on the threshold.

  Concealed behind a row of speeders, Obi-Wan looked carefully. A Rodian stood for a moment as if to test the weather. Even a master of disguise could not impersonate a Rodian. This one was bulky and short, with green skin and the usual ridge of spines along his skull. No, this was not the bounty hunter.

  Quickly, Obi-Wan stood and crossed the walkway. He headed up the ramp and nodded at the Rodian, then walked through the open door. It slid shut behind him.

  The guesthouse was operated by automation. He glanced around quickly at the terminals set in the walls. Here guests used their cards to pick up messages. He spied a keyboard and quickly typed in Reesa On.

  ROOM 1289 PLEASE SWIPE SECURITY CARD FOR MESSAGE ACCESS Obi-Wan took the turbolift to the twelfth floor. He moved quickly down the hall and stood in front of Room '1289. He pressed his ear to the door, every sense alert. Listening was a Jedi skill that was honed in exercises during Temple training.

  He heard the soft whisper of fabric. Its regular movement told him that it was just a curtain stirring with a breeze. He could not hear footsteps or even breathing.

  What now? Obi-Wan knew that it would not be the last time he would ask himself that question. Without Qui-Gon, he was unsure of every step.

  Obi-Wan was concentrating so hard on the sounds behind the door that he heard the opening of the turbolift just a second too late. He felt a surge in the Force, warning him an instant before blaster fire slammed into the door over his head.

  Chapter 6

  Obi-Wan ducked and rolled, reaching for his lightsaber at the same time. It was activated and ready for the next round of fire even as he leaped in the air toward his assailant.

  "Obi-Wan, no!" Astri screamed.

  She fell backward, the blaster flying from her grasp. Her feet flew up, barely missing the blade of the lightsaber. Obi-Wan quickly deactivated it. She landed with a thump and a cry that must have been heard by every guest on the floor.

  "What are you doing here?" he hissed.

  "What are you doing here?" she shouted at the same time.

  Obi-Wan silenced her with a gesture and pointed to Reesa On's door.

  Astri stood, straightening her tunic.

  "She's not there. I already checked the room." "What?"

  Down the hallway, a door slid open a few centimeters, and two orange eyes peered out at them.

  "Come on," Obi-Wan muttered. "We can't talk here."

  He grabbed Astri's blaster and tucked it into his utility belt. He didn't speak while they were in the turbolift. Astri stole a few glances at him. She opened her mouth once or twice, but decided to stay silent.

  He waited until they had left the guesthouse and had walked a short distance from it. He struggled to gather his patience. He did not want to show his anger. But he did not have Qui-Gon's gift for serenity.

  "What were you doing there?" he demanded. "You could have ruined everything!"

  "I thought you would need help — "

  "You're a cook, not a Jedi!" Obi-Wan burst out. "How did you find me, anyway? Did you follow me?"

  "I read that durasheet you left," Astri said. "I recognized the names. They were the guests at Jenna's dinner party at our cafc. And you think the bounty hunter was one of them."

  Obi-Wan stared at her in disbelief. "So how did you find out where Reesa On was staying? And how did you find out that the bounty hunter is Reesa On? Did you go to the Senate Liaison Office, too? That could tip her off!"

  Astri waved her hand. "I don't have to go through official channels.

  I'm Didi's daughter, remember? Everyone who comes to the Senate doesn't just go through a security check. They go through a criminal check."

  "You mean they're scanned for outstanding warrants?" Obi-Wan asked.

  She grinned as she sidestepped a group of tourists. "No, they're checked out by criminals. Nanno L'a and his gang keep tabs on all Senate petitioners and commission members who visit from other worlds. You never know who might have something worth stealing. So I talked to Nanno. He'd do anything for Didi. He gave me the rundown on the names on the list. His gang had copies of the textdocs on each of them. The only one who came up blank was Reesa On. She had a couple of ID facts in her textdoc, but no record of financial transactions. For someone with plenty of wealth, that seemed odd. So I figured Reesa On was a false identity. Nan no knew where Reesa On was staying. So I went there."

  "How do you know she wasn't in her room?" Obi-Wan asked. He felt a little irritated that Astri was able to focus on Reesa On quicker than he had.

  "These guesthouses all use the nearby cafcs and restaurants for food service," Astri explained. "I went to the Galaxy Grill down the street and asked my friend Endami for the service code. Then I pretended to have a meal delivery and punched in the code." She shrugged. "That got me inside.

  The service code will also tell you who is staying in what room. It was easy."

  Easy! "So did you break into her room?" Obi-Wan asked irritably.

  "I knocked and said I had a food delivery," Astri said. "No one answered, so I opened the door."

  "But it was locked."

  Astri smiled. "I learned how to bypass a basic security lock when I was seven, Obi-Wan. My guess is she's not coming back. There was a travel bag there, but it's filled with things that are supposed to make you think someone is there."

  "If that makes sense, I'd sure like to hear why," Obi-Wan grumbled.

  "It's got a new personal care kit with soap and bath items, but they haven't been used. A couple
of fresh tunics and sleepwear that haven't been worn. My guess is that the bounty hunter never even stayed there at all — she just paid up for her two week minimum so that she'd have an official address."

  Astri was probably right, Obi-Wan thought.

  They were no closer to finding Reesa On's true identity. In frustration, he turned away and started to walk.

  "Where are we going?" Astri asked.

  "You are going back to the Temple," Obi-Wan said. "I'm trying to find Qui-Gon. This is Jedi business."

  "This is my business." Astri stopped short, forcing Obi-Wan to stop, too. "Didi isn't waking up, Obi-Wan," she said, her dark eyes serious. "Not without that antitoxin. You and I both know that. And Reesa On is our first clue to where Jenna Zan Arbor is. You think she is holding Qui-Gon, right?"

  Obi-Wan nodded reluctantly.

  "So I have just as much reason to find Reesa On as you do. The bounty hunter could lead us to Zan Arbor. And I have another reason. Nanno told me that because of Fligh's murder and Qui-Gon's disappearance, a warrant has been issued for the bounty hunter's arrest by the Coruscant security forces. There's a reward, too. Don't you see?" Astri tossed the curls out of her eyes impatiently. "This is the only thing I can do for Didi. I can find the antitoxin and get us a new stake. All I have to do is find Reesa On."

  He shook his head. "It's too dangerous." "I can help you, Obi-Wan."

  "What are you going to do, cook us out of danger?" Obi-Wan asked skeptically.

  "There are other things I can do!" Astri protested. "Do I have to point out that I found Reesa On quicker than you did? You have to admit I have some skills."

  "Not with a blaster," Obi-Wan muttered. He thought for a moment. He knew Astri well enough to guess that if he didn't include her, she would try to find the bounty hunter on her own. She would be safer with him.

  "We can team up, but I need a couple of conditions," he said. "First of all, you don't use a blaster."

  "But I need protection," Astri protested. "And I'm getting better at aiming."

  Obi-Wan winced. "Sure. You came within five centimeters of killing me instead of six. I'll make a deal with you. We have to wait until Tahl comes up with information about Reesa On. I'll go back to the Temple with you and choose a new weapon. We'll see how you do with a vibroblade. You should have some kind of protection, I suppose."

  "What's the other condition?" Astri asked.

  "If things get dangerous, I'm going to ask you to return to the Temple," Obi-Wan said. "A pile of credits isn't going to help Didi if you're dead."

  Astri hesitated.

  "I know you think I have no right to tell you what to do," Obi-Wan said. "That's true. But I represent the Jedi. You must trust us, not just me."

  Reluctantly, Astri nodded. "So we're a team?"

  Obi-Wan nodded grimly. "For now."

  Astri was hopeless with a blaster, but she was adept with a vibroblade. Obi-Wan gave her a quick lesson in strategy and defense. Her body was agile and strong, and she was surprisingly quick.

  "Try to stay behind me or at my side," Obi-Wan told her. "But don't get in the way of my lightsaber."

  "Don't worry," Astri told him.

  The door to the training room opened and Tahl hurried inside. She immediately turned her face toward Didi's daughter.

  "Astri, you're here, too?"

  "Yes."

  "I have a clue," she said. "It's not much, but it's something. I couldn't find anything on Reesa On, but just on a hunch I ran the name through the language of Sorrus."

  "The bounty hunter's home planet," Obi-Wan told Astri.

  "It turns out that 'reesa on' means something in an obscure Sorrusian dialect," Tahl said. "It's spoken by a tribe living in a remote area of Sorrus."

  "What does it mean?" Astri asked.

  Tahl's mouth twisted. "'Catch me.' There is actually a childhood game among this tribe called 'reesa on."

  "So the name is a taunt," Obi-Wan said. "Catch me if you can."

  "Exactly," Tahl agreed. "I have the coordinates of the tribe's area.

  I doubt that the bounty hunter is there. Jedi teams have been sent on other leads. Most are working on finding Zan Arbor's lab by tracking medical shipments. This is such a tiny lead. Still…"

  "We could find out more about her," Obi-Wan said.

  "And we have nothing else to go on," Astri agreed.

  Tahl cocked her head as if testing the meaning behind Astri's words.

  "We?"

  "I'm going with Obi-Wan," Astri declared. Tahl shook her head. "You can't go on a Jedi mission, Astri."

  "But this isn't a mission," Astri argued. "There's no danger involved."

  "Where the bounty hunter is or could be, danger is there," Tahl said sharply. "Don't forget that."

  Astri's chin set defiantly. Even though Tahl couldn't see her, Tahl was able to pick up her stubbornness. She frowned.

  "I promised Astri she could come with me for a time," Obi-Wan told Tahl. "The bounty hunter shot her father, Tahl. She has a right to track her, too. And she'll be in less danger if she's with me. I'll send her back to the Temple if I think the bounty hunter is on Sorrus."

  "I don't like this," Tahl declared. "I should confer with Yoda. You need to be temporarily assigned to a Jedi Master, Obi-Wan. Or else stay at the Temple."

  "But I'm not going on a mission, just scouting out a lead. Qui-Gon needs my help," Obi-Wan argued.

  He saw the hesitancy on Tahl's face.

  "I have to find my Master, Tahl," Obi-Wan said steadily. "I feel him.

  I know he needs me. Let me go."

  "I'm sure we are breaking several rules here," Tahl murmured.

  Obi-Wan smiled. "Qui-Gon would like that."

  Tahl smiled, too. "Yes," she said softly. "There is a tech transport ship that could drop you off at the capital city closest to the desert tribe…"

  Obi-Wan looked at Astri. "Let's go."

  Chapter 7

  Qui-Gon waited for his hour of freedom. He did not know when Zan Arbor would grant it. He wanted it so badly it was difficult for him to think of anything else.

  Being suspended in this vapor without sight and sound was a particular kind of torture. Deprived of his senses, he experienced dislocation. He had to be conscious of his mind at all times, wrench it back to its surroundings. He could move his muscles very little, and he flexed them, one by one, every half hour. That was an effort. The constant withdrawal of blood was beginning to sap his strength.

  He knew that at the Temple he was appreciated for several things: his physical strength, his connection to the living Force, and his patience.

  Now he hung in a chamber, and none of these things were available to him.

  He would just have to find other things he was good at.

  The loss of his patience was the worst. He could not calm his raging desire to be free. He dreamed of freedom as another might dream of food.

  So much for his great forbearance. Now he realized that he had many more lessons to learn. How many times had he heard Yoda advise an advanced student that for a Jedi, true mastery of a skill was only the beginning step to understanding it? How many times had he said the same to Obi-Wan?

  The more you know, Padawan, the less you know.

  By the time this was over, he would see how much he still had to learn about patience.

  Was it his imagination, or was the vapor beginning to thin? Qui-Gon looked down and could see his feet. Yes, the vapor was slowly siphoning away. Did that mean that Zan Arbor was about to release him?

  He had made no plans for his first release. His only intention was to talk to Zan Arbor again. Somehow he felt he would gain a clue of how to proceed.

  The vapor cleared. His heartbeat quickened. He saw movement outside the transparent wall of the chamber.

  "I see you're excited, Qui-Gon." Zan Arbor's cool voice penetrated the chamber. "Try to contain yourself. I didn't throw you a party."

  The chamber walls slid down, disappearing into the floor. Qui-Gon's kne
es buckled and he fell forward. The floor against his cheek felt like a gift. Sense had been deprived for so long that the texture of the stone, the coolness of the temperature, felt like fresh rain on his face.

  He saw Zan Arbor's boots approach, centimeters from his nose.

  "Men have fallen at my feet, but it was in my younger days," she remarked. "How nice to see I still have that power."