"And is that your mission on Euceron, to free Djulla?" Obi-Wan asked
sternly.
"No," Anakin said. "But was it Qui-Gon's mission to free me? Must we
follow a mission so exactly that we turn our backs on beings who need help?
Every mission has a detour. You've told me that."
"I've also told you that it is the mark of a Jedi to recognize whether
or not to follow the detour," Obi-Wan reminded him.
"Then I ask you to let me make this choice," Anakin replied.
His Padawan's voice was firm. There was no pleading, no uncertainty.
He wanted what he wanted. Was that the right thing in this circumstance?
Obi-Wan pondered the problem. "Have you learned anything else?" he
asked.
"The Podrace is scheduled to take place this afternoon at three. A
viewing area has been set up for spectators in the underground caves.
Sebulba has placed enormous bets on his son to win. The official timekeeper
is supposed to send the Podrace route directly to onboard computers. But I
don't know who will takeover the job now that Dering is dead. I think the
best way I can find out how the race is fixed and who is behind it is to
enter it myself."
"All right," Obi-Wan said reluctantly. He did not like the sound of
pleasure in Anakin's voice. He would ask Siri and Ry-Gaul to send Ferus and
Tru to observe while Anakin piloted the Podracer. He could not be there
with his Padawan, but he did not want Anakin to be alone.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"I got it!" Anakin crowed. He tweaked the last screw to the energy-
binder plate. "We're set."
"Whew," Doby said, pushing his goggles to the top of his head. Two
round circles of grime circled his eyes. "I was getting worried."
"Maybe I should give the computer system another check," Anakin
wondered.
"I did it," Deland said. "You've done enough, Anakin. I actually think
we're ready." He patted the Pod-racer with his good hand. His other arm was
encased in a rigid bandage from elbow to fingers.
Anakin jumped off the scaffold he'd used to work on the turbines. "I
know I am."
Suddenly, his smile dimmed. He spied Ferus and Tru threading their way
toward him through a sea of pit droids and mechanics and pilots, the usual
frenzy of a pit hangar before a race.
My Master sent them. He doesn't trust me. The thought seared Anakin's
mind before rationality set in. It would be helpful to have backup, he told
himself, trying to be logical. There was nothing wrong with that. He dodged
a lubricant hose and went forward to meet them.
Tru's head swiveled, taking in the excitement. "Strange, if you think
about it," he said to Anakin. Anakin wiped his hands on a rag. "What?"
"That Podraces are so dangerous, but nobody looks scared," he said.
"There are beings who equate danger with pleasure," Ferus said, his
eyes dark with disapproval. "It is a mistake easily made for those who do
not think deeply." He gave Anakin a cool look.
"Well, there's such a thing as fun, Ferus," Tru said amiably. "Even
you have to admit that."
"Yes," Ferus said. "But not here." His cool gaze did not falter as he
studied Anakin. "I'm not clear on why you are racing, Anakin."
"It is the best way to discover how the race is fixed," Anakin said.
Ferus shifted his gaze to take in Doby and Deland and the Podracer,
then scanned the rest of the hangar. "I see. Our Masters have told us that
it is possible that advance knowledge of the track will be sent to one Pod-
racer's nav computer seconds before it is given to the rest. Do you know
which Podracer that is?"
"Hekula," Anakin said. "The Dug. The third Podracer down on the left."
"You know this for sure?"
"It is a guess," Anakin admitted. "Based on my knowledge of him."
Ferus turned back. "And that is all?"
"Sebulba, his father, proposed the new rule," Anakin said. "Sebulba
never proposes anything unless he knows he can profit by it."
"Do you know when and how the information will be transmitted to the
nav computers?"
"At the start of the race, and then at three-minute intervals," Anakin
said.
"So how do you propose to beat him?" Ferus asked.
"By being faster and better," Anakin answered. "I have something he
doesn't have. I have the Force."
"Who is the timekeeper?" Tru asked. "Do you think he is the one who
will transmit the information?"
Anakin nodded. "A race referee. The computer system is already in
place. Dering has already designed the program. This person will just
follow instructions."
Ferus frowned. "Isn't there any way to tell whoever is in charge of
the race what is going on? Surely it would be better to simply cancel the
race. Did you think of that?"
Anakin's cheeks flushed. Ferus was questioning every detail of what he
had learned as though he were a Jedi Master and Anakin was his Padawan.
"I'm sure Anakin thought of it," Tru said. "But we can't be sure who
knows that the program is a cheat. Whoever it is could alter it with a
keystroke and we'd never know who was behind it, or why."
"Maybe there is still some way to find out," Ferus said. "Tru and I
will investigate." He glanced at the Pod-racer. "You can go back to your
energy-binder plate."
Tru hung back as Ferus walked off. "He's just being careful," he told
Anakin.
Anakin's teeth gritted. "Is that what you call it?" "You'll understand
him one day," Tru said. "After you become friends."
"I will never be friends with Ferus Olin," Anakin answered savagely.
Tru studied him for a moment. "I feel... some darkness from you,
Anakin. Your enemy is here. But Sebulba cannot hurt you anymore. Remember,
Jedi do not have enemies."
"I just want to win," Anakin said.
"You mean you want to prevent injury and ensure fairness," Tru
corrected.
Anakin nodded. "That too."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Sleek Cruiser Inn was just as Didi had described it, a dilapidated
building made of patchwork plasteel sheeting. Seeing a way to rake in more
credits, the owner had leased out space in the hallways and closets.
Travelers from around the galaxy had stashed gear in every spare space and
were cooking up meals on portable stoves in the hallways. Others had rolled
themselves in bedrolls in various corners and were trying to catch a nap
between events. The smell of bodies, food, and dust was overwhelming. Even
this far from the Games, the hum of the crowds in the arenas could be
heard. Obi-Wan, Siri, and Ry-Gaul picked through the mess and knocked on
Fligh's door.
"I said I would settle the bill on the way out!" Fligh yelled behind
the door. "Such a hospitable establishment, I can't wait to return!" He
flung the door open and saw the Jedi. He swallowed. "Ah, Jedi. Always a
good sign."
He stepped aside and let them enter. Belongings were stuffed into an
open case. Still-wet laundry spilled out of a travel pack. A half-eaten
meal was spread on the sleep couch. It was clear that Fligh was in the
midst of a hasty depar
ture.
"Leaving so soon?" Obi-Wan asked. "The Games have just begun."
"I'm not a fan," Fligh said, shrugging. "There you go."
"Yet you came here to see the Games," Obi-Wan pointed out. "Don't you
want to see how your bets turn out?"
Fligh laughed. "Why? You have made sure I don't win. I may as well
return to Coruscant and make my living honestly, as a thief."
Siri and Ry-Gaul closed the door and stood in front of it. Obi-Wan
casually flung one leg over a stool and sat. "A funny thing happened after
we left you this morning. We took an air taxi - "
"Always a good idea," High said nervously. "The streets are so
crowded."
" - and the pilot tried to crash it," Obi-Wan went on. "Odd that he
knew just where we were and where we were headed."
"Maybe you were just lucky."
"Maybe you'd like to accompany us to the security office of the Ruling
Power and talk about it," Obi-Wan said. It was a bluff. He did not want the
Ruling Power to know that they were investigating.
Fligh gave a squeak of disappointment and threw himself down on the
unmade sleep couch. "I knew I'd never make it off this blasted planet. All
right. When you came to ask me about the fixed events, you made me nervous.
Why wouldn't I be? I saw my fortune disappearing in front of my eyes. So I
might have alerted someone as to your presence. They weren't supposed to
kill you. Just delay you. I swear! Didi is my friend. I would never allow
harm to come to him. And if you think I'd tangle with Jedi, you
underestimate my cowardice."
"Yet you lie to us," Obi-Wan said.
"And that is never a good idea," Siri said.
Ry-Gaul did not have to say a word. His fierce looks spoke for him.
"Yes, I see what you mean," Fligh said, backing away on the sleep
couch.
"Now, tell me again about your friend Quentor," Obi-Wan said, leaning
forward.
"Ha ha," Fligh said. "I see you know about my little joke. I thought
it better to protect a friend than expose him."
"Who?" Obi-Wan asked softly. "And tell me the truth this time."
"Aarno Dering," Fligh said. "Weeks ago, I was contacted anonymously.
Through messages on my data-pad. I was asked to find someone who could rig
a false timing device for a major race. Credits were transferred into my
account with a promise of a sure bet to come. I happened to know just the
person they needed. Aarno had been the timekeeper for races in the Outer
Rim. He was known for a certain... uh, casualness when it came to
scorekeeping. Then the anonymous person said they would hire Aarno for the
Galactic Games. The Galactic Games! I had no idea it was for something so
grand."
"How could he pass scrutiny?" Siri wondered. "The timers and judges
are screened very closely."
"That was just my question," Fligh said, nodding. "They told me not to
worry about it. To my great surprise, Aarno was hired for several events.
To Aarno's surprise as well."
"That's why you concluded that an insider had to be involved," Obi-Wan
said.
Fligh nodded. "Who else could get Aarno hired, with his record? So we
came to Euceron and Aarno got his instructions. It seemed like a deal as
sweet as a piece of blumfruit. Aarno would find a way to shave a few
seconds here and there and we'd take off with a small fortune. I didn't
expect anyone to get hurt. Didi was almost killed, and Aarno got run over
by a speeder." Fligh shivered. "I'm going back to Coruscant, where I'll be
safe. I just paved the way for some bets to be placed. I didn't want anyone
to get killed."
"You got the false text docs for Dering," Obi-Wan guessed. "Why did he
suddenly want to get off-planet?"
"I guess he lost his nerve," Fligh said with a nervous glance at Ry-
Gaul.
Siri had moved so that she was now sitting in front of Fligh on her
haunches, her hands dangling. Her bright blue gaze was piercing. "There is
something you're not telling us. Why was Aarno so afraid?"
Fligh fingered one of his long ears. "I had an appointment to drop the
text docs off to Aarno right after the swoop race. As soon as you left, I
went to his quarters and waited for him. He was in a big hurry to leave
Euceron, and I asked him why. He said if I knew what was good for me, I'd
leave too. Of course, I had to pressure him. I withheld the text docs until
he told me. He thought he had been hired just to fix the events. But then
he found out something else. Something's going to happen during an event.
Something will go wrong. They want people to get killed during an event so
that the Senators will be blamed."
"Which event?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I don't know," Fligh admitted. "Aarno didn't tell me. He found out by
mistake. He was afraid they would come after him because he knew."
"Who are they?" Siri barked in frustration.
"I didn't ask," Fligh said with a shudder. "I don't want to know. I'm
in over my head. And if I know anything about anything - which I don't, but
I know about this - sooner or later it's going to occur to them that I know
too much. And it's going to be sooner, not later. All in all I'd rather be
on Coruscant, so if you don't mind - "
Obi-Wan, Siri, and Ry-Gaul turned toward the door at the same instant.
The surge in the Force had warned them. At the same time, the sound of
heavy rolling could be heard in the corridor outside Fligh's room.
"Hey, I'm over here, guys," Fligh said. "Are you going to answer my
quest - "
Before Fligh could finish the word, the door blasted apart and a squad
of droidekas appeared in the smoldering opening.
CHAPTER SEVETEEN
Fligh dived behind the sleep couch as the Jedi ignited their
lightsabers. The droidekas unfurled and snapped into attack position,
blaster bolts firing. Obi-Wan's lightsaber was an arc of moving light,
deflecting the shower of blaster fire. Beside him Siri's lightsaber swung
in a continuous arc of precise movement, with Siri's two-handed grip and
her graceful footwork. Ry-Gaul did not move. He did not need to. His long
arms were a blur in the air as his lightsaber shifted from hand to hand.
The three-legged droidekas were built for battle and close to
invincible but these droidekas weren't shielded. Their heavy armor shells
and volts of firepower as well as their maneuverability made them capable
of cutting down opponents with fearsome efficiency.
It wasn't as though their power alarmed Obi-Wan. But he still was not
especially pleased to see them. There were twelve of them, so he was glad
to have Ry-Gaul and Siri by his side.
The air filled with smoke as the blaster bolts zinged, but the Jedi
deflected them and struck blow after blow at the heavy armor plates on the
droids. Because the doorway was narrow, the droidekas began firing through
the wall itself, quickly tearing gaping holes in the structure. After a
sweep from Siri's lightsaber, one droideka smoked and fell, and another,
its legs gone, bobbled and spun until it crashed against a wall. Obi-Wan
sliced a droideka in two and sent one piece flying o
ver the sleep couch and
crashing into the wall. Fligh shrieked as pieces of hot metal rained down
on him.
Droidekas had control centers, not brains. They could not feel fear or
apprehension. The amazing skill of the Jedi was lost on them. They
continued to advance and fire, continued to evade by rolling themselves
into balls and repositioning themselves to fire again. Time after time they
attacked, and time after time the Jedi struck blow after blow until the
harsh smoke and the heat caused Fligh to have a coughing fit. The Jedi did
not react to the smoke. Their minds and bodies were focused on battle, and
nothing else mattered but the moment.
Suddenly all three Jedi exchanged a glance. They leaped back as the
flimsy wall collapsed on the remaining droidekas. Ry-Gaul, Obi-Wan, and
Siri finished the rest off, disabling them with lightsaber thrusts. At last
the droidekas lay around them in pieces. Fligh raised his head from behind
the sleep couch.
His voice was hoarse. "Can I go now?"
"He can't help us," Obi-Wan told the others. "He's told us everything
he knows." He deactivated his lightsaber. "Yes, Fligh. You can go."
"Until next time, Obi-Wan," Fligh said fervently.