by Jude Watson
"Proud that Obi-Wan tried his best to save him, even after Bruck Chun tried very hard to kill him," Qui-Gon said, his voice strong. "Proud that he was able to show mercy and compassion even while facing great anger from another. That is the Jedi way."
Sano Sauro sat with a sneer. "Did you see this ... .compassion for yourself, Qui-Gon Jinn?"
"No. I was engaged in a battle with Xanatos."
"Then we will have to take your word for it."
"No," Qui-Gon said. "You will have to take Obi-Wan's word for it. I do."
Sano Sauro waved his hand. "I have no more questions for this witness."
Pi T'Egal looked at the other Senators. None of them had questions. "Thank you, Qui-Gon Jinn. Now let us hear from Bant."
Qui-Gon strode back to the table, giving Bant an encouraging look on the way. Bant came forward. Her salmon skin glowed, but her eyes were dim with nervousness. When she sat, Obi-Wan saw how she reached down inside to calm herself. Her chin lifted, and she turned a resolute face to Pi T'Egal.
Pi T'Egal spoke gently, for Bant inspired gentleness in everyone. "Tell us what happened that afternoon, Bant."
"I was captured by Xanatos and Bruck Chun," Bant said in a clear, steady voice. "They took me to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. We used the water tunnels so that we would not be seen. There, Xanatos chained me to the bottom of the waterfall pool. He told me to prepare for death, that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon would not be able to save me. I did not believe him. But as the time went on, I realized that I had reached the limit of how long I could stay underwater. Then I went beyond it. I knew I was close to death. I prepared for it. And then I felt Obi-Wan's presence. I could not see him, but I knew he was there. I felt the Force surge and give me strength to hold on. A short time later, I felt Obi-Wan release me and carry me to the surface. He dragged me up onto the bank. I saw Bruck Chun lying nearby. He was dead," Bant concluded in a soft voice and bowed her head. "That is all I know."
The note of insolence in Sano Sauro's voice changed to the soft purring of a deadly animal. "You say you were near your limit underwater. Is there a prescribed amount of time a Calamarian can be without oxygen?"
"No," Bant said. "It varies from individual to individual."
"Have you ever passed out underwater, Bant?"
"No."
"Never reached your limit?"
"No," Bant said. "Not until that day."
"Yet you did not pass out, did you? How old are you, Bant?" Sano Sauro asked, suddenly switching gears.
"I am twelve. I was eleven at the time this happened."
"If you had never reached it before, and you did not reach it that day, how do you know you were close to death?" Sano Sauro fired the question abruptly.
She blinked slowly. "I felt death was near—“
"So it was a feeling."
Obi-Wan's muscles tensed. Confusion flittered over Bant's face. She had not expected this attack.
"Jedi are taught to trust our feelings."
"Ah. And what was your state of mind?"
"I was in a meditative state, waiting for death should it choose to come."
"Can you say for sure how much longer you could have held out, if Kenobi had not rescued you?"
Bant hesitated.
"The truth," he warned.
"No ... I cannot ..."
Sano Sauro spun around and faced the Senators. "So we are to trust the feeling of an eleven-year-old that she was in mortal danger, so that any efforts to free her were justified. A young man is dead because of this?"
"But I know my abilities and my capacities," Bant cried. "I am sure I was close to death!"
"I have no more questions," Sano Sauro said.
"I think it's time to end for today," Pi T'Egal announced. "We will meet again tomorrow at the same time."
The Senators rose. Bant rose shakily from the chair and approached Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.
"I failed you. ..."
"No," Qui-Gon said firmly. "You told the truth."
"It's all right, Bant," Obi-Wan said. "It was that Sano Sauro, twisting everything. He has no respect for Jedi."
"The Senators do," Qui-Gon told her. "They will not swallow his interpretation. Do not fret about it." He led her gently toward the door, speeding up his pace a fraction in order to avoid Vox Chun and Sano Sauro, who were also heading in that direction.
Obi-Wan was left with Kad Chun. Their eyes met. A wave of anger washed over Obi-Wan, a wave he knew he must resist. But he could not. They had attacked Bant, and he could not forgive them for that.
Kad caught his anger. Obi-Wan saw the flash of satisfaction in the pale gaze that was so like Bruck's.
"So you are not so perfect, are you, Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Kad asked in a tone of soft menace. "I see the hate in your eyes."
"I don't hate you, Kad," Obi-Wan answered, struggling to keep his voice even. "But that attack on Bant--is that your idea of justice?"
Kad's hands balled into fists. "And killing my brother--is that your idea of mercy?" he spat out.
Their gazes locked. Obi-Wan had never faced such blazing, personal hatred and pain. He felt the shock of it hit him. He wanted to run, but he stood his ground.
Kad finally tore his gaze away. Then he turned and hurried after his father.
CHAPTER 6
There was nothing more he could do for Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon reflected as he boarded an air taxi for Centax 2. He had said everything that needed to be said. One of the hardest tasks of a Master was the decision to step back. His Padawan needed to deal with his feelings on his own.
And Tahl needed his help, whether she wanted it or not.
He landed on Centax 2 and took the moving walkway to the Jedi base. He found Tahl in the tech dome, going over starship specifications. By now she could recognize his step moments after he entered a room.
"I thought I needed to know some details of a starship engine," she said without preliminaries. She pushed away the voice recorder that read specifications aloud to her and turned to him. "How was the hearing?"
"Hard to say." Qui-Gon sat next to her. "It was very hard on Bant."
"Bant? Why?" Tahl's tone was sharp. Qui-Gon noted how she instinctively jumped to Bant's defense.
"Sano Sauro grilled her about how long a Mon Calamari can stay underwater. Bant was forced to say that she could not be sure how close to death she was."
Tahl groaned. "And Bant would see that as a betrayal of Obi-Wan."
"I'm afraid so. I'm hoping Obi-Wan will talk to her at the Temple. Even in the midst of his own pain, he will reach out to Bant. Obi-Wan himself cannot find composure."
She sighed. "They do so much and have come so far. We can't forget they are still young."
"I know he'll be fine in the end," Qui-Gon said. "But it's hard to stand by and watch him go through this." He looked at Tahl searchingly. "Yet it is satisfying just the same to be able to stand by him."
Tahl turned and ran her fingers over a blueprint. The lines were raised so that her fingers could read the shapes, and the voice recorder told her what she was examining. "I didn't realize that the thrust dampers were located so far to the rear," she said coolly.
Obviously, even a gentle hint that Tahl could benefit from a Master/Padawan relationship would be ignored. Qui-Gon decided to follow her lead. Primarily because he knew he had no choice. "Have you interviewed the two workers yet?" he asked.
"No, I was just about to. They know an investigator is here. I wanted them to be nervous. Do you want to come?"
"If you don't mind—“
"Of course I mind," Tahl said, rising smoothly. "But since when does that stop you?"
At least there was amusement in her tone. Qui-Gon walked beside her to the adjoining hangar, where the starfighters were refitted.
Once they got into the hangar itself, Qui-Gon had to restrain himself from taking Tahl's arm. The ground was cluttered with tools and stacks of parts, large and small. But using her extraordinary reflexes and special training, Tahl now used a glidi
ng walk that guided her safely around obstacles.
"You do not need TooJay any longer for navigation, I see," Qui-Gon remarked, referring to Tahl's endlessly chattering personal navigation droid.
Her lips curved in a smile. "I worked very hard so that I don't. But I brought her here anyway. Unfortunately, I still need her for some things."
"The mechanics are to the left," Qui-Gon instructed. He studied them as he and Tahl approached.
One was a Twi'lek, with large head tails wrapped up in cloth to keep out of his way. His skin was light blue. The other mechanic was human, his body short and compact, the sides of his head shaved so that his close-cropped hair ran down the center of his head.
"We wonder if we could have a few words with you," Tahl said.
The two mechanics put down their tools and turned to them. "Of course," the Twi'lek said a bit nervously. "I am Haly Dura and this is Tarrence Chenati. What can we do for you?"
"We are investigating the mechanical failures on the starfighters," Qui-Gon explained.
"We already have gone through an investigation," Haly Dura said. "We were cleared."
"We just want to ask a few questions," Tahl said. "Clee Rhara has asked for our help."
"I'm sure we have answered all those questions," Haly Dura said impatiently.
"Then you will answer them a second time," Tahl said, a hard edge beneath her calm tone.
Tarrence Chenati glanced at his coworker. "Of course we will cooperate. We do not want a cloud of suspicion over our heads. We are concerned as well. We have gone over every moment of our shifts with Clee Rhara but can't understand how it could have happened."
"This is a restricted area," Haly Dura said. "We're the only ones allowed here. That means that someone must have broken in after hours."
Qui-Gon studied both mechanics. He concentrated on looks and gestures for clues that one might be lying, knowing that Tahl would pick up vocal clues.
"You do all the repair work on the starfighters, correct?" Tahl asked.
The two workers nodded, then realized Tahl could not see them.
"Yes," they said together.
"What about the ionization chamber?" Tahl asked.
The last accident had taken place because of a malfunction in the ionization chamber, Qui-Gon knew.
"The ionization chamber did not need retrofitting," Haly Dura said. "We ran a check on it, of course."
"How do you do that?" Tahl asked pleasantly.
"On the control panel. Here." Haly Dura indicated a computer panel. "It showed no problems."
"The starship was cleared for flying the next day," Tarrence Chenati said. "Until then the ship was here, in the hangar, under tight surveillance."
"Do you mind if we look around?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Help yourself."
The two mechanics went on with their work, soldering laser power converters. Qui-Gon and Tahl strolled through the hangar.
"Did you pick up anything from our two friends?" Qui-Gon murmured.
"A smell," Tahl whispered back. "It was on Tarrence Chenati but not Haly Dura. Could be nothing. It's an industrial smell, though. I have an idea. Let's come back after they've gone."
They did not have long to wait. The two workers soon quit for the day. Clee Rhara had given the Jedi all the security codes, so they quickly slipped back inside. Qui-Gon powered up the lights. Not too long ago, he would have been leery of relying on Tahl's sense of smell for a clue. He knew better now.
Tahl seated herself on a low bench."Qui-Gon, bring me the different compounds they use--grease, conductors, solvents--they should be all along the east wall. There's a storage unit--I know it from the schematic of the repair sector. Bring them one at a time."
Qui-Gon was too curious to mind being ordered. He found the storage unit. Everything was neatly labeled. Qui-Gon knew a fair amount about starship engines, but even he was surprised to see how many different kinds of grease, conductors, and solvents were used to keep a starship running.
He started with grease. Tahl inspected the various kinds, her eyes closed in concentration. After each deep sniff, she shook her head. Some of the chemical compounds caused her to cough violently, and her eyes streamed tears, but she kept going. They had run through eleven different chemical compounds when Qui-Gon brought her something simply labeled conductor X-112.
Tahl took a deep sniff and let out a racking cough. She leaned over and took deep breaths of air. When she could speak, she croaked, "That's it. No wonder I could still smell it."
Qui-Gon entered the compound into the computer to find out its uses. "It only has one function--as a conductor in the ionization chamber."
Tahl slapped her hand on the bench. "That's what I was hoping for. Chenati lied. He worked on the ionization chamber. Yet they said they didn't have to."
"And that's where the malfunction was," Qui-Gon said. "Let's go back and check out Chenati's credentials again."
After frustrated hours of searching, Tahl and Qui-Gon had come up with nothing.
"Everything checks out," Tahl said, sighing. "Just because I pick up a smell from the guy's coveralls doesn't mean he's a saboteur. There's probably another explanation."
"His security checks are flawless," Qui-Gon said, looking at the information they'd amassed. "His record is incredibly clean."
"Yet he has no family. Never married or had children," Tahl mused. "And he sure moved around the galaxy."
"You could say all those things about me," Qui-Gon said.
Tahl's lips curved in a smile. "Well, you are a suspicious character."
It was close to dawn. Soon the pilots and Clee Rhara would awaken and the day would begin. Today all the starfighter pilots would take to the air.
"Maybe his clearances are too good," Tahl said. "I've got one more idea." Her fingers flew over the data pad keys.
Qui-Gon leaned over her shoulder to look. "You're doing a search of the deceased register?"
"Just wait."
Qui-Gon suppressed a yawn as he stared at the screen. Finally a list of information popped up. As he scanned it, the voice recorder read it out to Tahl.
It was the same background as Tarrence Chenati. The same security clearances. The same retinal scan.
Only this Tarrence Chenati had died twenty years before.
CHAPTER 7
Obi-Wan woke at dawn. He heard the soft footsteps of the Temple students heading to meditation. He knew he should go with them. Meditation would calm his mind for the day ahead. But he could not bear to move. He did not want this day to begin.
The nighttime hours had seemed to stretch on endlessly. Obi-Wan had wanted to contact Qui-Gon, but he had nothing to say, just a longing for his Master's serene presence. He had looked for Bant, but she had told him she was going to sleep early and didn't want to talk. Just when he needed his friends, they disappeared.
Obi-Wan swung his legs over his sleep-couch. Across the room, his comlink was blinking. He hurried toward it eagerly. Maybe Qui-Gon had returned and wanted to take the morning meal together. The hearing wasn't for hours yet. If he'd thought last night was endless, this morning would be even worse.
He heard Qui-Gon's voice with joy, but disappointment flooded him within seconds.
"Obi-Wan, I'm still on Centax 2. Something has come up and I need to stay. I should be back for the hearing."
"Should be?" Obi-Wan couldn't keep the anxiety out of his voice.
"You will do fine, Padawan. Speak the truth. That is all you need."
It is not all I need! Obi-Wan wanted to cry. He needed his Master's presence.
Qui-Gon sensed his dismay. "Tahl and I are very close to solving the problems here. The lives of Jedi pilots depend on us. I will try to make it, Obi-Wan. Now I must go."
Qui-Gon sounded rushed. Obi-Wan said good-bye and ended the communication. He looked out at the spires of Coruscant, then above to the upper atmosphere where Centax 2 was shrouded in clouds. Tahl had gone there alone to solve the base's problems. She had made it clea
r that she did not welcome Qui-Gon's interference. Why had Qui-Gon made the decision to support Tahl instead of his Padawan?
Tahl had always been more important, Obi-Wan thought bitterly. On Melida/Daan, she had been Qui-Gon's first priority. He had been anxious to get her off-planet and out of danger, even at the cost of leaving his Padawan behind. Tahl's evacuation had been more important than a civil war and a righteous cause.
He rested his hot forehead against the cool pane. He knew his thoughts were petty. He knew that his guilt about Bruck was tearing him up inside.
Bant. Bant would help him. She always had a way of seeing things clearly, yet never making him feel stupid for having the thoughts he did. He went to her quarters, but she had already left. Obi-Wan searched for her in the meditation rooms and the dining hall, where students were beginning to gather. There was no sign of her. No one had seen her that morning.
Obi-Wan decided to go down to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Maybe he could calm his fevered thoughts there and prepare for the ordeal ahead.
The coolness of the air hit him as he exited the turbolift. He paused to listen for the quiet rush of the hidden fountains, then moved down the overgrown paths toward the waterfall. He threw himself on the grassy bank. The waterfall streamed over the rocks and caressed his skin with its cool, gentle spray. He gazed at the clear green of the pool, trying to calm his mind. ...
It was like a dream. Bant was at the bottom of the pool. Her eyes were closed. Her salmon skin was pale, paler than he'd ever seen it.
This was no dream. Bant was in trouble. Obi-Wan bounded to his feet and dived into the pool in one fluid movement. Bant's eyes opened as she saw him stroking frantically toward her. She shook her head slowly, as if to tell him to go away. Obi-Wan ignored her. He simply scooped her up in his arms and kicked toward the surface, panic sending a burst of energy through his muscles.
He came up gasping for air. Bant sucked air in through her lungs and shook her head violently.
"No, no, let me go back--“
He dragged her to the bank and pushed her up. Bant scrambled onto the grass and collapsed. He hauled himself out and sat next to her, breathing heavily.