by Джуд Уотсон
Qui-Gon shut down the datapad. He glanced at Adi.
"What are you thinking?" he asked her quietly.
"I do not like how Uta S'orn keeps coming into this mission," Adi said. "Let's get to the landing platform."
Chapter 14
On the way to the platform, Qui-Gon contacted Tahl and asked her to investigate the odd bacteria formation on Belasco.
He was about to sign off when he had a thought. "Tahl, can you forward the official Senate hovercam transcripts from… hold on." Qui-Gon accessed the file listing and read out the dates and times.
"Sure," Tahl said dryly. "I just love dealing with the Senate bureaucracy. Nothing I like better."
"That's what I thought." Smiling, Qui-Gon cut the communication.
"Why did you ask Tahl to do that?" Siri asked.
"Just a hunch. I want to make sure the transcript on Senator S'orn's datapad matches the official filed version," Qui-Gon explained. "I've heard of senators bribing the operators to alter official transcripts for one reason or another. There must be a reason Senator S'orn has kept those transcripts on her datapad. Maybe we'll find out why."
At the docking platform, the Jedi headed for the official in charge of off-planet vessel registration. Transports to Belasco had slowed to a trickle as word had reached the galaxy of the water shortage. It was easy for the dockmaster to check the records over the past two days.
"That V-wing cruiser is unusual," the official said. "You don't see many of them in private use. I think I can find it… here it is.
Registered to a Belascan native who was arriving home. Cir L'ani and one passenger."
"Do you have a record of the passenger?" Adi asked. "Can you give us a description?"
"Do you think I remember every ship that docks here?" the official asked, shaking his head. "Just the pilot of the vessel registered. That's all we require. Sorry."
They thanked the official and walked out onto the busy platform.
"It could be them," Adi said. "But we need proof."
"Let's ask a worker," Qui-Gon suggested. He gazed around the platform. "Why don't we each pick someone and see what we can find out."
The group split off. Obi-Wan stayed where he was. He scanned the different workers on the platform. Some were checking text docs, some directing transport, and some refueling ships. He did not know how to choose.
But then he noticed a young woman, dressed in the coveralls of a mechanic, who was working at the refueling bay. The young woman was busy doing her job, but as she worked she gazed at the different ships as they came in for landings. Something about the alertness on her face caught Obi- Wan's attention. This was someone who admired sleek airships. She would remember the V-wing cruiser.
He walked over and nodded a hello.
"If you need refueling, you have to signal the controller," the worker said. "Get a number and wait your turn. You can signal from your ship or go over there." She pointed to a booth a short distance away.
"I don't need refueling," Obi-Wan said. "I'm looking for someone. She landed in a V-wing cruiser. Black with silver underside — "
"I remember that ship," the young woman said, her eyes suddenly brightening. "She was a beauty. I'd love to get my hands on those controls.
" "Do you remember the pilot and passengers?"
She wiped her hands on her coveralls, thinking. "I remember I was surprised. I expected some hotshot pilot to come strutting out of that cockpit. Instead there was a petite human woman and a sick old man. Her father, she said. I refueled them."
"How do you know he was sick?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Because he was taken out on a med-splint. I don't think he was conscious. A medic met them when they landed. A tall Belascan male."
That could have been Ona Nobis in disguise.
"Do you know where they went?" Obi-Wan asked.
The worker shifted her feet. She was constantly moving as Obi-Wan asked her questions. And she seemed so nervous. "No, but they had to file a flight plan." Gazing at Obi-Wan, she wiggled her foot.
Obi-Wan noticed the movement and looked down. A small hand was curled around the worker's ankle.
"That's my boy, Ned," she said in a whisper. "Please don't report me.
I had to bring him to work this week. My mother is ill and she's the one who takes care of him."
Obi-Wan smiled down at the boy, who looked up at him. A small toy was clutched in his dirty fist. "I won't tell. Thank you for your help."
He hurried over to Qui-Gon to tell him what he'd learned.
"That sounds like a good lead," Qui-Gon said. "I'm sure the flight plan is false, however."
But Adi was more skeptical. "I would like better confirmation," she said. "There are many ill elders on Belasco. I'm not sure if this will convince Uta S'orn."
"I hate the thought of Noor being unconscious," Siri said worriedly.
"She drugged him, most likely," Qui-Gon said. "If that was really Noor," Adi said.
Obi-Wan caught Qui-Gon's irritation. Adi's instincts were renowned, but she did not abandon her need for absolute facts. They needed proof.
Suddenly, Obi-Wan remembered something that had nagged at him.
"Wait," he told the others. Then he hurried back over to the worker.
She looked at him anxiously. "I'll lose my job if you tell my supervisor about Ned — "
"Don't worry," Obi-Wan assured her. He crouched down and spoke to the boy. "That's a nice toy. Can I hold it for just a second?"
The friendly boy nodded and handed it to Obi-Wan.
It was a model of a tiny V-wing cruiser. It had been cleverly fashioned from slender threads tightly wrapped over bits of metal.
Obi-Wan fingered the threads. They had come from a Jedi's robe. Noor had only pretended to be unconscious. He had left them a clue.
Chapter 15
Now that they knew for sure that Noor was on Belasco, they had to discover why Jenna Zan Arbor had traveled there. Adi and Qui-Gon set up two datapads on board the consular ship. They ran the Senate transcript on one datapad, and Uta S'orn's on the other. Obi-Wan and Siri sat, watching intently.
"Look for the smallest difference," Qui-Gon advised. "There will be much talk, so listen carefully."
The holocam had recorded a session in the Senate that dealt with regulations in the Mindemir system. Senators got up and spoke endlessly about complicated rules. They interrupted one another and heaped praise and scorn on one another. They spoke for long minutes and said nothing.
Siri caught Obi-Wan's eye and faked a huge yawn. Adi saw the gesture.
"Every task requires full attention," she told Siri sternly. Then she turned back to Qui-Gon and murmured, "But I'm having trouble myself."
"I don't understand," Obi-Wan said. "Uta S'orn isn't even visible in the transmission." "Exactly," Qui-Gon said.
Obi-Wan was mystified. He returned his attention to both transmissions, but it was hard to know what he was looking for.
At last a list of regulations was passed. The holocam hovered above as Senators rose to the front of their boxes to vote. The regulations were passed by a majority. Then, the screen went black.
"Shall we play it again?" Adi asked.
"Do we have to?" Siri muttered.
"Wait," Qui-Gon said. He scanned backward as the vote was called. "I think I know what is different. Here." He pointed to the screen on the left, which was the official Senate transmission.
"Look at the delegate from Hino-111," he said. He pressed the zoom function on the transmission for a closer view. "He is not pressing the 'yes' button. He is voting against the measure. Yet in the audio he is voting for it." Qui-Gon pressed the zoom function on the second datapad.
"And here, he has recorded a 'no' vote. This is Uta S'orn's version."
Adi leaned closer. "She altered the official Senate record?"
"I'm sure if we study this we will find other votes that have been changed. The Senate recorder uses the official transcript to record votes.
&nbs
p; These regulations were never passed. Senators vote on thousands of regulations. Mindemir is a small system. It is a risky move, but this transcript is from eight months ago. Obviously, she got away with it."
"But why would she care about a regulation on Mindemir?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I'm sure she does not care for herself. She was paid to do this,"
Qui-Gon said. "Paid in credits or influence. The question is, who paid her?
" "Jenna Zan Arbor?" Siri guessed.
"That is what we need to know." Qui-Gon was already reaching for his comlink. "This is a job for Tahl." He walked away a few paces to speak quietly.
"Why would she keep the real transcript?" Siri asked. "It could incriminate her."
"For blackmail," Adi said. "She could always threaten to expose the person who engineered this. She could send it anonymously to the Senate.
Perhaps she's covered her tracks so well that they could not tie the deception to her."
Qui-Gon returned with the news that Tahl would get back to them as quickly as possible. They reviewed the other transcripts. It was easier now that they knew what they were looking for. In each case, the votes had been altered.
By the time they finished, Tahl had signaled Qui-Gon.
"You are right," she said. "Jenna Zan Arbor conducted a series of experiments on the water supply of Mindemir. She needed a large planetary system to prove her theory, apparently. Endangering a whole system was of course against Senate regulations. But Senator S'orn introduced legislation that would allow this, if the planet's legislative body agreed to the experiment. The measure passed in the Galactic Senate and a few weeks later the government of Mindemir voted to allow the experiment."
"Easier to bribe a politician on a small planet to push through legislation," Adi said shrewdly. "But she needed someone powerful in the Galactic Senate."
"So we've linked Jenna Zan Arbor and Uta S'orn at last," Qui-Gon said quietly. "Zan Arbor said S'orn had been helpful to her. I did not think she meant S'orn had acted illegally."
"It is hard to believe," Adi said. "She has a reputation for great integrity."
"Eight months ago, Ren S'orn was still alive," Obi-Wan said. "Jenna Zan Arbor was conducting her experiments on the Force as well. What if Senator S'orn knew this? What if Jenna Zan Arbor was blackmailing her?"
"So S'orn knew that Zan Arbor was holding her son, and she did what Zan Arbor asked?" Qui-Gon frowned thoughtfully. "It's possible."
"All the more reason to help Uta S'orn now," Adi said. "Whether she wants us to or not."
Chapter 16
Faced with the evidence, Uta S'orn crumbled.
"Yes," she said. "I altered the record."
She sat on a bench, her hands dangling between her knees. The grounds were quiet now, with most of the patients back in the Ward Domes.
"I had to," Uta S'orn said. "She had my son." "So you altered the Senate record in order to save him," Adi prodded gently.
S'orn nodded. "And then she released him. But something went wrong.
He was found dead. She told me that he had tried to break back into the lab, and Ona Nobis had killed him. I don't know whether to believe her, but what can I do? I broke Senate laws. My son is dead. The only thing left for me is to devote myself to the people of Belasco, the only way I can. I cannot imagine why Jenna would contact me again. She must be here for another purpose. Surely she will leave me alone now, after all she's done."
Usually, Uta S'orn's manner was brusque and impatient. Now Obi-Wan saw how deeply her grief ran. Her voice trembled, and her eyes were full of tears.
A tall man dressed in rich robes approached, followed by royal droid guards. Although his hair was silver, his face was youthful.
"Uta, are you all right? Do I need to eject these people?"
She hurriedly wiped her eyes. "No. This is our Leader, Min K'atel,"
she said to the others.
Qui-Gon and Adi bowed. "We are Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Adi Gallia, and these are our Padawans, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Siri."
The Leader gave a short nod. "I don't care if you are Jedi, you are not to disturb Uta S'orn."
"They speak of things I'd rather forget," Uta S'orn said. "I don't mean to blame them, but — "
"Your distress is enough," Min K'atel said. He turned to the Jedi. "I must request that you leave the royal grounds. You have upset Belasco's greatest Senator."
"We are just leaving," Qui-Gon said politely. The Jedi bowed and made their way out of the glade. As they struck out across the lawn, Obi-Wan said, "I have never seen Uta S'orn so affected before."
"Yes, she seemed so," Qui-Gon said. "But you noticed she manipulated the Leader so that he would throw us out."
"She is lying," Adi said.
Qui-Gon shot Adi a quick glance. "You are certain?"
Adi nodded. "I don't know why. Something in her words is false." Her steps slowed, and she stopped. "I feel that he is here. Somewhere near."
"Moor is on the royal grounds?" Qui-Gon asked. "Let's return to Min K'atel and demand that he search."
Adi shook her head. "It's only a feeling." "That is all we have! What good are your instincts, Adi, if you do not trust them?"
Adi met his gaze sternly. "I trust them. But I do not expect them to sway others. We cannot involve a government in our investigation without proof. You know that as well as I do."
Qui-Gon struggled with his impatience. His mind was tired, his body spent. He was not connecting to the Force as Adi was. His ragged nerves screamed for an end to this.
Adi had spoken to him of cooperation and loyalty. He would have to submit to her wishes now. She had just as much right to choose a direction as he did.
"What, then?" he asked. "What do you suggest?"
"Let us follow our suspicions to the logical next step," Adi said.
"We must have permission to search those grounds. Min K'atel is not likely to give it to us as things stand. We will have to convince him. There is one last place to go."
Qui-Gon nodded. "The water purification plant. But we'll never get permission to enter."
"Then we'll just have to break in," Adi said grimly. "Yes, sometimes I do act on my instincts, Qui-Gon. The answer lies there."
Chapter 17
The plant was gated and heavily guarded. No doubt the security had been increased because of the bacterial invasion. The Jedi hovered in a heavily forested area on the fenced perimeter. Qui-Gon swept the area with macrobinoculars.
"There are none of the usual ways to breach security," he noted.
"Anyone entering must go through a retinal scan. There are guard droids posted at every entrance. Even after we took care of the guards, we would have to break in with our lightsabers. And that would most likely trigger a full-scale security alert."
"We want to get in and out without being seen," Adi said.
"Not to mention without any loss of life," Qui-Gon added. He stared at the plant, thinking. Then, suddenly, he saw a way. "Of course," he said.
"We can't walk in. But we can swim."
The Great Sea narrowed to a fast-moving river downstream from the plant. The water foamed around boulders and formed mini-falls in the center of the river.
"The current is very strong." Adi glanced at Qui-Gon. He saw the concern on her face. "Maybe it would be better if only one team goes in."
"We have a better chance if we all do." Qui-Gon took out his breathing tube and was the first to wade into the shockingly cold water.
"When we get to the in-draw pipes, there will most likely be a filter covering the opening," Qui-Gon said. "We can't use our lightsabers, so we'll have to use vibrocutters. Stay close to us, Padawans. Do not be afraid to ask for our help if you tire."
And you, Qui-Gon? Will you ask for help if you need it?
Adi's dark gaze asked the question. He ignored it.
The Jedi slipped underwater. Qui-Gon felt the current pull him along.
It was carrying him in the right direction, but he had to take
care not to bump against the boulders or get caught in the swirling eddys. It took all of his strength.
The current swept them toward the pipes. As they got closer, they felt themselves being sucked along even faster. Now the danger would lie in being slammed up against the filters.