Obi-Wan shook his head. "Sin, you are asking too much of yourself. Of us all."
"You didn't answer my question," Siri said.
"Question?"
"Do you look back?"
Did he look back? Of course he did, all the time. Mostly about Anakin. At a time they should be closest, they were further apart than ever. What could he have done differently? Had he turned his face away from what he did not want to see? Anakin was still his Padawan, but Obi-Wan was hardly his Master. Anakin had gone to a place where Obi-Wan could not reach him. He had the sense of a creature held in check by a harness that was long-worn. One of these days Anakin would break free ... a thought that chilled Obi-Wan. But Obi-Wan chose to ignore those thoughts — out of friendship.
But he didn't want to tell Siri these things. What had she said, so many years ago? We will be comrades. Not best friends. She was not available for confidences. If he poured out his heart to her, where would he stop?
"I look back," he said, trying to find the words he wanted. "But I tell myself that the galaxy will be made safe with deeds, not regrets."
For some reason, his answer saddened her. He could see it in her eyes. "Yes," she said. "I hold onto duty. That's always saved me."
She jumped to her feet. In a flash, her mood had changed and she was back to the purposeful Jedi he knew best. "Speaking of which, we have twenty-four hours. We'd better get started."
CHAPTER 25
With access to Taly's records and a quick tour of the complex, the Jedi soon reached the conclusion that it was not going to be easy to solve Taly's problem.
"All of his employees are well paid," Anakin said. "They even own shares in the company. It would make no sense to throw it into disarray."
"Not only that, without Taly the company will cease to be profitable," Padmê said. "Every breakthrough and discovery has been his. There's no other inventor on his level on staff."
"I agree — it makes no sense for someone to try a takeover," Obi-Wan said.
"So is Taly just paranoid?" Siri asked. "He thinks his employees are out to get him, but they're loyal."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Taly may be paranoid, but he's still sharp. I doubt he would invent a plot. And his inner office is under surveillance, according to our devices as well. So he didn't invent that. But I don't think someone is attempting a takeover."
"But you just said he didn't invent a plot," Padme said.
"There is no takeover plot," Obi-Wan explained. "But there is a spy. Someone is out to steal the codebreaker. And I think the Separatists are behind it."
"Taly said there's been no unobserved communication since the codebreaker was developed," Siri pointed out. "We've gone over the comm monitoring system, and it's solid."
"That's because we're thinking like Jedi," Obi-Wan said to Siri. "How do the Separatists think? Someone very wise once said to me that they plant seeds. They're willing to wait years for results." Obi-Wan pointed to the holofiles that filled the air around them. "All the employee records look perfect because they are meant to."
"One of them is a mole," Siri said slowly, revolving to stare at all the files. "Someone planted here, years ago, because someone in the Separatists knew that Taly was a brilliant innovator, and that someday there would be something to steal."
"So they don't want the company," Padme said. "They want the codebreaker. Only they don't know it's a code-breaker. Not yet."
"It has to be someone in the inner circle. Someone he trusts." Anakin said. "Helina Dow? Moro Y'Arano? Dellard Tranc, the head of security?"
"I don't know," Obi-Wan said. "We don't have to know. All we have to do is set the trap."
They had something going for them. Because of Taly's expert foiling of the office surveillance, the mole didn't know that Taly was aware of the bug. So they could plant information and set the trap.
They explained their plan to Taly, and he agreed. Then they gathered in his office.
"I'm glad we were able to come to terms," Taly said. "I think given the sensitive nature of the codebreaker, it would be best to get it out of the complex as soon as possible."
"We can leave tonight," Obi-Wan said. "Can you arrange for security to be lifted?"
"I will handle the security myself," Taly said. "I'll tell my staff after you leave that the codebreaker is gone. This deal is on a need-to-know basis, and nobody needs to know but me that the codebreaker is leaving until it's gone. Here."
Taly handed the codebreaker to Obi-Wan. It was a black metal box the size of a small suitcase. He slipped it into a carrying case.
"When you open it, a holographic file will appear that will explain the procedure for deployment," Taly said.
"We'll leave at nightfall," Siri said.
Night fell, and the Jedi and Padmê started on their walk to the hangar. Obi-Wan carried the codebreaker. He felt confident, or at least as confident as he ever allowed himself to feel. There was every chance that the mole would not realize that the Jedi were waiting. And three Jedi against one attacker would surely prevail.
Padme, too, had grown quite handy with a blaster. Obi-Wan was always happy to have her on his side in a battle. Funny, Obi-Wan thought, how he had dismissed her when they'd first met. She had been so young, and posing as the queen's attendant, of course. He had seen her as someone he had to protect, not the fierce, determined ally she eventually proved herself to be. It was Qui-Gon who had seen her strength. Obi-Wan missed Qui-Gon with an acuteness that hadn't diminished in the long years since his death. There was still so much he wanted to learn from his former Master.
Anakin held up a hand. They could hear footsteps approaching. Helina Dow suddenly appeared around the corner. She smiled as she came forward.
"Taly told me to make sure you were escorted to your ship. He wanted you to know that security has been cleared for you."
Was this true? Obi-Wan doubted it. Still, he was surprised that Helina had turned out to be the spy. She had been with Taly from the beginning. She had built the company with him. It seemed strange that she would abandon all that she had gained.
"Here we are." Helina stopped in front of the entrance to the hangar. She bowed. "Have a safe journey."
Surprised, Obi-Wan half-turned to watch her go down the corridor. He raised an eyebrow at Anakin, who shrugged — then tensed as the Jedi walked through the hangar door.
They found themselves not in the hangar, but a small, windowless room. The door clanged shut behind them.
"She tricked us," Siri said. "We just walked through a holographic portal."
CHAPTER 26
Three lightsabers blazed to life. Within moments, they had cut a hole in the door. They rushed out into the corridor.
It was completely different. Instead of a set of double doors on one side and a corridor leading off to the right, there were doorways all the way down the corridor. Taly stood at the end of the corridor, smiling.
"What's going on?" Padmè shouted at him.
"It's a hologram," Anakin said, when Taly's image didn't answer.
"Helina Dow did this," Siri said. "There must be holograms all over this place. They use them for security."
"She wants to confuse us," Obi-Wan said. "But how does she expect to get the codebreaker?"
"Maybe she just wants to prevent us from leaving with it," Padme said.
"Well, it doesn't matter. We know who the spy is. Let's tell Taly." Obi-Wan opened his comlink to contact Taly. There was no signal. "She must have blocked communication. This doesn't make sense. What is she hoping to accomplish?"
"Obi-Wan, maybe you should check the codebreaker," Padme said.
A certain dread settled inside Obi-Wan as he flipped open the box. No holographic file appeared. He searched the database. No files were loaded.
"She switched it somehow," Siri said.
"Or Taly did," Anakin observed.
Siri and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance. They knew Taly hadn't switched the codebreaker. They believed in him, even after all these ye
ars. They remembered the boy who had run into a nest of pirates to save their lives. They knew that boy still lived in Taly.
"We've got to get to the hangar," Anakin said.
The low lighting made it harder to discern which of the doorways were holographic portals. It was impossible to navigate what they remembered as the route to the hangar. The Jedi charged down the hallway, Padmê trailing behind, letting them access the Force to discover which doors were holograms and which were real.
At last they found the doors to the hangar and charged through. Helina was ahead, racing to a cruiser, the code-breaker swinging with the motion of her run.
Obi-Wan and Anakin leaped at the same instant that Siri gave Helina a Force-push that sent her sprawling. The codebreaker slid away on the polished floor.
Obi-Wan and Anakin's boots thudded as they hit the ground near her head. She looked up at them, wide-eyed. "It's just business," she said. "Don't kill me."
"We're not going to kill you," Anakin said. "Who hired you?"
She shakily sat up, resting on her elbows. "Passel Argente hired me to get a job here five years ago. I was supposed to pass information along when I could to the Separatists. If something big came up, I was to steal it."
"Do they know about the codebreaker?"
"They know I'm bringing them something big. That's all. I can't send a communication, so I send out a code through one of Taly's business communications. It's to a supplier we've used for years, but Argente arranged to have someone there pass along the message to him."
Suddenly blaster fire lit the air and a smoke grenade exploded. Padmê dived to the floor, coughing. Anakin started toward her. Obi-Wan groped his way toward the codebreaker.
Someone else was here. Someone was firing, peppering the ground with blaster fire so fast it had to come from a repeating rifle.
The hangar bay doors were open, and the cool night air began to disperse the thick gray smoke. As it cleared, Obi-Wan saw the glint of a red-and-black starfighter. Someone was leaning out. He saw an arm sweep down and gather up the codebreaker.
He began to run, his eyes tearing from the smoke. The being wore an armorweave tunic and trousers as well as a full helmet with a breath mask, but Obi-Wan recognized him instantly.
It was Magus.
Taly suddenly ran into the hangar. Magus turned and saw him. Obi-Wan could not read his expression, but he sensed the satisfication Magus felt as he aimed the repeating blaster even as he leaped back into his speeder.
Obi-Wan made a midair leap, his lightsaber swinging, as the intense fire ripped through the air. Behind him he felt Siri jump in front of Taly to protect him. Anakin blocked Padmê.
Magus turned and gave one more blast of fire. It hit Helina where she still lay stunned on the duracrete. She died instantly. Her usefulness to the Separatists was over, and she had become a liability.
Magus took off. Obi-Wan knew it was useless to go after him. By the time he got to a cruiser, Magus would be in the upper atmosphere.
He turned and walked toward Helina. He crouched next to her and allowed himself a moment to mourn the loss of a life.
"I can't believe it was Helina," Taly said, his voice hollow.
"Magus got the codebreaker," Siri said.
Taly shook his head. "Helina only thought she had it. We made two prototypes. She took one, but I put a bug in it. I'm the only one who knows where the real one is."
"Magus is no doubt taking it to the Separatists," Siri said.
"We have to get the codebreaker to the Republic before the Separatists know the one they have is a fake," Obi-Wan said. "We have to monitor their broadcasts."
"Bring it to us," Padme told Taly, sounding like the queen she had once been.
"I have it," Taly said, opening his tunic to reveal the codebreaker strapped across his chest. "And I'm coming with you. If Magus is after me again, I want your personal guarantee for my safety for the duration of the Clone Wars. That's a condition of your purchase of the code-breaker."
Padme gave him a cool glance. "You never stop negotiating, do you?"
"I just want what I want."
"This is your last condition," she told him. "And you had better guarantee that this box is the real codebreaker."
Taly grinned, and the boy Obi-Wan had known was back. "It is."
CHAPTER 27
They blasted off for the Azure Spaceport. The finest tech experts in the Republic army were already there, waiting to receive the codebreaking device.
Obi-Wan spoke to Anakin. "I suggest you get some rest on the journey. And Padmê looks exhausted. If you could persuade her that she needs rest, it would do her good."
Anakin's gaze was opaque.
I so rarely know what he is thinking anymore, Obi-Wan thought.
"Yes, Master," Anakin said.
He is still obedient, but it is as though he makes an effort to be so.
Obi-Wan watched as Anakin went over to speak quietly to Padmê. She nodded, and the two of them left the cockpit.
That left Siri and Taly and Obi-Wan. Siri kept her eyes on the instruments, even though Obi-Wan had plotted the course and there wasn't much for her to do. It all felt so familiar, the three of them in a cockpit, heading away from danger and most likely into more of it.
"Tell me something, Taly," Obi-Wan said, spinning around in his chair to face him. "Passel Argente placed Helina Dow in your employ. She bided her time, but Argente always meant to destroy you. Why are you still protecting him?"
"Protecting him?"
"He hired those bounty hunters and you never told the Senate."
"It was my last bargaining chip."
"But he hired Magus, and Magus killed your parents."
"Magus did that for revenge. I didn't blame Argente for their deaths. I blame Magus." Taly's face grew hard.
"So why didn't you tell?"
"I knew I would have to start over," Taly said. "I knew I needed a patron. I waited until I was older, and then I approached him when I was ready to take back my name and start my company. Who do you think gave me my first business loan?"
Obi-Wan shook his head ruefully. Qui-Gon had been right. Taly had known all along, and he had used that information. It must have taken an enormous amount of nerve to contact Passel Argente and demand hush money.
"I used Argente, but I never trusted him. He ended up coming at me in a way I didn't expect. But if I went to the Senate today and told some committee about a twenty-year-old plot, they'd laugh me out of the chambers. They have enough problems. Everything has changed, hasn't it? My best revenge on Argente now is to help you win the Clone Wars."
"Well, that's one thing we should be grateful for, at least," Siri said. She seemed more amused than irritated by Taly.
Taly approached her. "I have something for you." He held out his hand. Siri's old warming crystal lay in his palm, the cool deep blue of the crystal glowing slightly.
She took it wonderingly. "But how —"
"I went back to Settlement Five and bought it back from the same vendor you sold it to," he said. "I tracked him down. I always wanted to give it to you someday."
"Thank you, Taly," Siri said. She closed her fingers over it. A flush of pleasure lit her face.
"You think I don't remember," he said to both of them. "I remember how you fought for me. I remember everything."
He walked out of the cockpit. Obi-Wan gave a quick glance at Siri.
And you, Siri — do you remember everything?
She was keeping her face from him. They had buried this for so long. But how could they keep forgetting, when the reminders were so real?
"I promised you once never to remind you," Obi-Wan said.
"It's not you who is reminding me, though, is it?" A smile touched Siri's lips. "So much time has passed."
"And so little."
"And we've changed so much."
"Yes. You're more beautiful." The words left Obi-Wan before he could stop them. "And smarter, and stronger."
"And y
ou," Siri said, "you've grown sadder."
"You can see that?"
"Forgive me if I still think I know you better than anybody else."
"You do."
"I don't regret our decision," Siri said. "I wouldn't want to go back and change it. Would you?"
"No," Obi-Wan said. "It was the right one. But . . ."
"Yes," Siri said. "It doesn't prevent you from regrets, does it? Regrets you can live with. It took me awhile, but I realized that Yoda and Qui-Gon were right. I would have regretted leaving the Jedi Order every day of my life. And that is not a life I would want to live. I've lived the life I wanted to live."
"I'm glad." Obi-Wan felt the same. But was it that simple for him? He wasn't sure. Somehow, on this trip, he was fully understanding, for the first time, how many regrets he did have. And secrets.
"What I regret," he said, "was not so much the decision we made, but what happened to us afterward. When we made the decision to part, it made our friendship become something else. Something that couldn't be quite as close as it should have been."
"Comrades, not best friends," Siri said.
He nodded. His other deep friendships — with Garen and Bant — were different. With them, he felt no barriers. With Siri, there was always a barrier. He did not think of it or speak of it, but it was always there. He wished it hadn't been. In some way he couldn't quite define, he felt like he had lost her twice.
"Well, it's not too late, is it?" Siri asked. "It took us almost twenty years to talk to each other about the past. Maybe now we can be the friends we were meant to be. I would like that. I'm tired of pushing away the past."
"Best friends, then."
Siri smiled, and the years fell away. Obi-Wan felt it then, the pain in his heart he had put away with his memories. It was as vivid as Siri's grin.
"Best friends," she agreed.
CHAPTER 28
"You're going to tell me to live in the present moment," Padme said to Anakin. "But I can't help it. We have the codebreaker. We have a chance now to end it all, a real chance."