The Shadow Trap Read online

  those fortunes are built on the ashes of our civilization."

  "No longer," Yaddle said softly. She had talked little on the journey

  and had spent much of it meditating. Now the sharp gaze from her green-

  brown eyes seemed to give strength to Euraana, who nodded. Although Yaddle

  was small in size, her presence loomed large.

  Without air traffic guidelines, the Senate pilot didn't need clearance

  or coordinates. The landing platforms for the city had all been destroyed.

  He set the cruiser down in a large courtyard of a formerly impressive

  living complex, carefully avoiding the rubble.

  Obi-Wan watched Anakin as his Padawan grabbed his survival pack and

  waited with the others for the ramp to lower. Usually at the start of a new

  mission Anakin's eyes were alive with curiosity. Obi-Wan had always

  appreciated how his Padawan threw himself into a new situation, using all

  of his senses to gather information. But Anakin's expression looked

  shuttered.

  He walked beside him as they exited the craft. "Any impressions?" He

  was always interested to hear what Anakin had picked up. The Force spoke to

  Anakin in a different way than anyone Obi-Wan had ever known.

  Anakin shook his head. "Nothing to speak of. I feel the dark side of

  the Force, of course. That's clear."

  "And to be expected," Obi-Wan said. "What about your vision? Any

  connections?"

  Anakin shook his head. "Nothing."

  There were shadows between them now. He could see them in the way

  Anakin held his shoulders, the way his eyes spoke. It wasn't as though

  Anakin didn't meet his gaze directly. But his gaze was like glass. Obi-Wan

  found himself sliding off it into uncertainty.

  He knew he was partly responsible. Ever since Andara he had held

  himself back from his Padawan. His anger had gone, but it had been replaced

  with caution. He had wanted to give Anakin room, time to reflect without

  the pressure of his own opinions and interpretations. He knew he could be

  heavy-handed at times. He remembered Qui-Gon, how his own Master had

  sometimes withdrawn his focus on him and gone to a place Obi-Wan could not

  reach. It had sometimes left Obi-Wan feeling stranded, but it had forced

  him to come to terms with his own feelings. He wanted to do the same for

  Anakin. His Padawan was sixteen now. It was time for him to achieve a

  deeper connection to his core.

  Anakin had been wrong on Andara. The fact that he had concealed the

  disappearance of a Jedi still astonished Obi-Wan. His actions did not take

  away from the fact that Anakin was special. When he made mistakes, they

  were big ones. His need to be perfect, to be powerful, was a flaw. Try as

  he might, Obi-Wan could not show Anakin that if he held himself back,

  everything would come to him. Anakin just kept pushing.

  He resolved to work out some of their differences on this mission.

  They were on a journey together, and for each phase they would develop

  different rhythms, different paces. Anakin needed to understand that. A

  little distance between them didn't mean that the core was threatened.

  "Our contacts are meeting us nearby," Euraana Fall said. "This way."

  The Jedi picked their way through the rubble of the courtyard and

  followed Euraana down the dark street, leaving the pilot and cruiser

  behind. "Better not use a glow rod," she said. "No need to attract

  attention. This part of the city isn't used much. It will be a good place

  for us to set up operations."

  She led them to a building that seemed miraculously untouched by the

  signs of war, until they entered and saw that part of the rear portion had

  been blown out. The domed ceiling was half destroyed. Stars littered the

  sky above, thrown like mineral dust on shimmersilk.

  "This was once a meeting hall." Euraana's voice echoed in the space.

  "I attended lectures here, and concerts. There are still offices and even a

  caf© here. We can make it work."

  Two forms separated from the shadows. Obi-Wan tensed, but he saw

  almost immediately that they were friendly. They were most likely the Mawan

  contacts. They were both short, muscular men with pale complexions and long

  hair that was tied back with metal clasps. One of the men had gleaming dark

  hair, the other snowy white.

  The shorter one with the white hair and youthful face gave a short nod

  to Euraana and held out his hand, palm out, in the Mawan gesture of

  friendship and welcome. "Glad to see you made it." His voice rumbled like a

  balky sublight engine.

  "Greetings to you, Swanny," Euraana said to the white-haired man. Then

  she faced the dark-haired Mawan and said, "Hello, Rorq." Euraana turned and

  introduced the two to the Jedi party. The two men nodded greetings.

  "Swanny and Rorq were tunnel workers before the war," Euraana

  explained. "They live below. The tunnel workers have agreed to help us, and

  they are their representatives."

  "I'm afraid I haven't been thoroughly briefed," Obi-Wan said politely.

  "Tunnel workers?"

  Swanny bristled. "What's wrong with that?"

  Euraana said quickly, "Let me explain. Before the war, the tunnel

  workers were... well, near the bottom of the social structure - "

  "Meaning the high-and-mighties looked down on us," Rorq said, crossing

  his thick arms. "Called us subrats."

  "Even though we kept everything running for them," Swanny added with a

  cynical twist to his mouth.

  "So the order of things," Euraana said, holding her hand up and

  flipping it over, "is now reversed."

  "Subrats on top," Swanny said. "It's a sweet thing."

  "The citizens below depend on the tunnel workers to bring provisions

  and keep their generators going," Euraana continued. "They have practically

  fashioned a city down below."

  "We saved their hides," Rorq growled.

  "We've gotten a taste of power, and we like it," Swanny said. "Not

  only that, we're good at it. So we'd like to be involved in the rebuilding

  of Naatan. Not from the bottom, though. Things have changed."

  "Everything has changed," Euraana said quietly.

  "Before the Purge, Euraana here wouldn't have given me the time of

  day," Swanny said. "Now she has to deal with me."

  "Oh?" Euraana said, cocking an eyebrow. "Do you know me so well,

  Swanny Mull? Enough to call me a snob and an opportunist in one breath?"

  Swanny grinned and held up his hands. "Maybe I spoke too soon."

  "Maybe you should stick to things you know about," Euraana snapped in

  a tart tone. "The crimelords, for example." She turned to the others. "The

  tunnel workers serve as go-betweens. The citizens are forced to buy their

  food and goods from the crimelords in temporary markets set up below in the

  tunnels. The tunnel workers set it up." She gave Swanny an icy glance.

  "They are paid by the crimelords for their services, as well as by the

  citizens."

  "Why shouldn't we be paid?" Swanny asked mildly. "We take the risks."

  "Tell us about the crimelords," Obi-Wan said. If he didn't step in, he

  had a feeling Euraana and Swanny would trade taunts for hours. "Who is the

  most dangerous? Who is the most power
ful? Sometimes they aren't one and the

  same."

  Swanny frowned. "Most of the criminals in Naatan are low-level types

  working for bosses. I'd say your three biggest problems are Striker, Feeana

  Tala, and Decca."

  "Let's start with Decca," Obi-Wan said.

  "She's a Hutt," Rorq said with a shudder. "The daughter of Gardulla.

  Decca took over Gardulla's organization when she died. Her center of

  operations used to be on C-Foroon, near Tatooine, but she got chased off.

  She came here and brought her goons with her. She's mainly in the spice

  trade."

  "But she has a personal grudge against Striker," Swanny said. "He hit

  her operation within days of arriving on Mawan. Grabbed control of the

  power grid and a warehouse full of weapons. But Decca's got the edge in

  transport. She controls most of the main tunnels. She stole most of

  Naatan's transports when she arrived and she's managed to hold on to them."

  "The only trouble is, she doesn't have fuel for them," Rorq said.

  "Striker keeps raiding her fuel supplies, just to make her angry. He

  doesn't need that much fuel. He doesn't have as many transports."

  "Nobody knows who Striker is?" Anakin asked.

  Swanny shook his head. "Not many have even seen him. His operators

  were in control for years, and he only dropped in from time to time. But

  he's been spending all of his time here lately." He nodded at Obi-Wan. "I'd

  say he was the most powerful. And dangerous."

  "And Feeana Tala?" Yaddle asked. "A native of Mawan, she is."

  Rorq nodded. "She controls most of the goods and services that are

  sold to the citizens below. Small potatoes for the other crimelords."

  "Still, they raid her when they feel like it," Swanny said. "They want

  to control as much of what happens on Mawan as they can. Decca wants

  Striker off-planet, and he wants the same for her. Feeana's edge is that

  she knows the tunnels below almost as well as we do."

  Euraana looked at Yaddle. "So what is our first step?"

  "Return and take back the city, the citizens must," Yaddle said. "So

  control of the power grid we must have."

  "You'll have to guarantee their safety," Euraana said.

  Yaddle turned to her and blinked in a gesture that was very much like

  Yoda's. "Guarantee, you say? Guarantees, there never are." She spread her

  hands. "Help them we will. Courage must they find themselves."

  Euraana nodded. "If we can get the power grid back, we might be able

  to persuade them to leave the tunnels. And if there was at least some

  progress with the crimelords - "

  "That is our job," Obi-Wan said, indicating himself and Anakin. "They

  must be told that if they don't voluntarily leave the planet, Senate

  security forces will make them go."

  "If the Senate will send them," Euraana said worriedly. "They still

  have not agreed."

  "Agree they will, if take back the city we can," Yaddle said.

  "What if the crimelords don't listen to talk?" Swanny asked. "In my

  experience, they seldom do."

  "We have to find a reason to make them listen," Obi-Wan said.

  "Everyone is vulnerable somewhere. For now we just need to learn more about

  their operations."

  "Swanny and Rorq can help you there," Euraana said. "Aboveground has

  been so destroyed that even the crimelords have bunkers belowground."

  "Safer down there in case something bad happens," Swanny said. He

  grinned at Obi-Wan and Anakin. "We know just about everything that goes on

  down there."

  "Take us below," Obi-Wan said. "We'll be in touch while you take care

  of the power grid," he said to Yaddle. Yaddle nodded good-bye.

  "If you'll follow me." Swanny gave a bow to the Jedi that held a hint

  of mockery.

  Obi-Wan and Anakin strode after the two. Obi-Wan's instincts were on

  alert. He had his doubts about the value of Swanny and Rorq's assistance.

  They were scruffy, rude, and probably untrustworthy.

  Qui-Gon would have befriended them instantly.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Anakin walked with Obi-Wan, following Swanny through the dark streets

  to an industrial part of Naatan, an area made even darker by the presence

  of the shells of unlighted buildings looming overhead. Swanny led them to a

  booth that was a tall cylinder made of opaque black glass in a passage

  between two former warehouses.

  "This is a forced air tube," Swanny said. "We use them instead of

  turbolifts. If you've never been on one, it can feel a little strange. You

  step out on air, and the pressure lessens, dropping you below." He opened a

  control panel and punched in a level and a speed. "I'll keep it slow for

  your first time. Just don't ever turn the control to 'eject.' That's what

  we used to get rid of toxic substances - we'd just blast them into the

  atmosphere. The roof of the cylinder retracts, and you'd find yourself lost

  in the clouds."

  "Are there many levels below?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "About twenty," Rorq said. "And the tunnels extend over the entire

  area of Naatan. It's like another city down there. You'll see."

  Rorq stepped into the air tube with no floor. He hung there for a

  second, grinning at them, then shot below. Swanny gestured. "After you."

  Obi-Wan stepped out into what seemed to be a black void. Anakin heard

  the faint sound of rushing air. The next thing he knew, his Master had sunk

  down out of sight.

  "Next," Swanny said.

  Anakin stepped into the chamber. It felt strange to feel the air

  pressure against his boots. He descended, the air rushing against his ears.

  The sensation felt oddly familiar, even though he'd never been in an

  airlift before. When he reached the bottom he felt the shock of the ground

  against his boots and almost stumbled as he stepped off.

  Obi-Wan and Rorq were waiting. After a moment, Swanny joined them,

  stepping off the airlift with the ease of long practice.

  "Ah," Swanny said, spreading his arms to take in the dim, dirty

  tunnel, "home, sweet home."

  Anakin wrinkled his nose. The air was dank and heavy and smelled

  stale.

  Swanny grinned. "The purification system is hooked into the power

  grid. Sometimes it's off, sometimes it's on. Lately it's been off."

  Swanny activated a glow rod and they set off down the tunnel. It was

  wide and high, big enough for the four of them to walk side by side.

  "This is one of the main transport tunnels," Swanny explained. "We

  used to have speeders operating along here. Now we motor the old-fashioned

  way."

  Obi-Wan glanced around at the network of tunnels branching off from

  the one they were walking down. "I don't know how you keep from getting

  lost."

  "There are map kiosks, but when the power's down, we can't access

  them," Rorq said. "Luckily, we could find our way around down here

  blindfolded. Patrol, Swanny."

  Quickly, Swanny deactivated the glow rod. Rorq dived into a side

  tunnel and Swanny urged them through the opening. They pressed against the

  walls of the side tunnel as a speeder slowly made its way down the main

  tunnel. Two guards sat, blaster rifles at the ready.

  "Better
to avoid them," Swanny whispered. "Decca's crew."

  "Does she run patrols frequently?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "I'd say randomly," Swanny said. "She doesn't have enough fuel for

  regular patrols, so she counts on surprise. She's always looking to round

  up some of Striker's men if she can. They capture you and ask questions

  later. I'd rather avoid a rifle butt on the scalp, thank you."

  They walked back into the main tunnel. "The substations are where the

  main computer relays used to be," Swanny said, holding the glow rod high so

  that they could pick their way down the tunnel. "Most of them have been

  destroyed in blaster shoot-'em-up battles. There are also docking bays for

  our once-gleaming fleet of transports. Decca controls most of the docking

  bays. And the rest of the crimelords have taken over most of the

  substations."

  "Where do the Mawans live?" Anakin asked.

  "They took over a half-dug-out area that was supposed to be another

  loading bay before the Purge. They set up a kind of tent village there. We

  subrats serve as scouts to protect them from raids. We also ferry food,

  water, and other supplies."

  "For a fee," Obi-Wan said.

  Swanny nodded. "A small fee, just to cover costs. We have to pay

  bribes to the crimelords."