The Shattered Peace Read online

  The odor of roasting meat filled their nostrils as they followed King

  Frane to the main table set up near the pit. Smoke blew in their faces.

  Obi-Wan coughed, then stared in distaste at the bloody carcass revolving

  over the flame. Qui‑Gon was sure his usually ravenous young Padawan would

  not have much of an appetite this evening.

  "Sit down, sit down," King Frane urged them as he took a seat at the

  head of the long table. "No, Taroon. Let the Jedi sit next to me."

  A tall, light-blue Rutanian with coiled braids arranged in loops

  around his head stepped back and glowered at the Jedi.

  "My son, Prince Taroon," King Frane said. Qui-Gon turned to greet

  him, but King Frane waved his hand, and Taroon took a place at the other

  side of his father. "Let's talk about Leed. That's the reason you're here,

  eh?"

  Qui-Gon sat as a server placed a heaping plate of meat in front of

  him. He nodded his thanks.

  "Prince Leed has decided to stay on Senali - " he began.

  "Decided!" King Frane interrupted with a roar. He pounded the table.

  "So that lying dinko Meenon tells me! My son has been kidnapped!"

  "But you yourself saw the holocom," Qui-Gon pointed out. "I have seen

  it, too. Prince Leed seems sincere."

  "He has been coerced, or threatened," King Frane insisted, forking up

  a huge piece of meat. He shook his fork at Qui-Gon. "Or they gave him one

  of their potions. They are primitives. They can use herbs and plants to

  cloud the mind. Leed would never decide to stay. Never!"

  Suddenly, even as he stared fiercely at Qui-Gon, Frane's large green

  eyes filled with tears. He picked up his napkin and began to mop his

  streaming eyes. "My oldest child. My treasure. Why won't he face me?" He

  blew his nose in his napkin and brooded. When he next looked at the Jedi,

  his face wore a mask of anger. "It is the dirty Senalis who made him do

  this!" he bellowed. "Why will he not come and face me?"

  Perhaps because he is afraid of you, Qui-Gon thought. But he could

  not say it aloud. The king's changes of mood were startling, but they

  seemed sincere.

  "What am Ito do, Jedi?" King Frane forked the meat again and chewed

  vigorously. "Declare war?"

  "Naturally we oppose such a step," Qui-Gon said. "That's why we are

  here. We can meet with Leed and assess the situation."

  "Bring him home," King Frane said. "And eat your dinner. It is the

  best Rutan has to offer." Qui-Gon took polite bites. "Meenon has agreed to

  our coming."

  "He is a pig! He is a savage!" King Frane cried. "Do not believe a

  word he says. He stole my son. What does he know of loyalty? My son is a

  jewel. I kept up with his progress on their filthy planet. They have annual

  contests of speed and endurance and skill. He has won every year since he

  was thirteen. He is a jewel, I tell you. A natural leader!" He thumped the

  table. "Meant to be my heir. He is the only one who can succeed me!

  Everything I have, everyone around me is worthless if I cannot have my

  firstborn son follow me."

  Qui-Gon glanced at Taroon. The younger son was pretending not to

  listen, but King Frane's bellow was certainly audible to him. Why did his

  father treat him as though he were invisible? He was only a year younger

  than Leed, a thin, awkward young man with long arms and legs. Was he

  worthless to his father?

  "I will read the truth in Leed's eyes," King Frane continued, heaping

  another helping of meat onto Qui-Gon's still full plate. "Bring him to me,

  and I will know. If they will not let him go, I will invade their planet

  and bring them to their knees. You tell Meenon that."

  "Jedi will not deliver a threat," Qui-Gon said firmly. "We will try

  to persuade your son to come back. We will not force him, or force the

  government of Senali. But if we bring him back, you cannot force him to

  stay. I must have your word on that."

  "Yes, yes, you have my word. But Leed will want to stay, I guarantee

  you. The boy knows his duty. I will send my younger son Taroon with you to

  deliver the threat to Meenon. He will also take Leed's place on Senali when

  my boy returns home."

  "I will not allow Taroon to deliver a threat, either," Qui-Gon said.

  "If that is your objective, Taroon must stay behind. His presence could

  compromise a diplomatic mission. Meenon could feel pressured by the

  presence of someone from the royal family. Besides, Jedi always negotiate

  alone."

  King Frane tore off a piece of meat with his sharp yellow teeth.

  Craftiness gleamed in his eyes. "I have just signed an order to imprison

  Meenon's daughter, Yaana, here on Rutan. I hear she is just as beloved to

  Meenon as Leed is to me. Let him know the pain of a grieving father! What

  do you think of that, Jedi?"

  "It is a mistake," Qui-Gon said quietly. "Meenon will take it as a

  provocation. It will bring you close to war. I don't think you want that,

  no matter what you say. Your people do not want war."

  "My people want what I tell them to want!" King Frane bellowed

  furiously. "Am I not king?"

  Qui-Gon didn't blink. "We will allow Taroon to accompany us if you

  rescind your order to imprison Yaana."

  King Frane stopped chewing and gave QuiGon a hard stare that lasted

  several moments. Then he slammed his hand down on the table again. "Done!

  The Jedi is clever!" He turned to the rest of the table, beaming. "The Jedi

  will bring Leed home again!"

  The rest of the royal party erupted in cheers.

  King Frane turned back to Qui-Gon. "In three days," he said. "That is

  all I give you. If you don't return with Leed, Yaana gets thrown into the

  foulest prison on Rutan." In another abrupt change of mood, he slapped Qui-

  Gon on the back. "Now enjoy!"

  The rest of the royal party now felt free to relish their food.

  Conversation rose and buzzed amongst them.

  Obi-Wan leaned over and spoke to Qui-Gon. "Taroon does not seem happy

  to be accompanying us," he said in a low tone.

  "I noticed that," Qui-Gon answered. "Yet the negotiation went well. I

  wanted Taroon with us all along. I suspected that King Frane would imprison

  Yaana. We have bought her a few more days of freedom."

  "But how did you know these things?" Obi-Wan asked, puzzled.

  "Find the emotion, predict the deed," Qui-Gon replied. "It was a

  natural step - it is the only thing King Franc has to threaten Meenon with.

  King Frane is the type of ruler to lash out in the only way he can. Yet he

  is afraid of war, so he will allow himself to be persuaded to wait. Now all

  we have to do is bring back Leed. If we believe he is sincere and wants to

  remain on Senali, we must help him reconcile his father to his decision. If

  nothing goes wrong and every party acts with honesty and forgiveness, the

  situation will resolve itself."

  Qui-Gon glanced over at Taroon. The young Rutanian had not joined in

  the feasting or conversation, but had kept his arms folded. His eyes were

  watchful and sullen.

  "So you don't see danger ahead?" Obi-Wan asked.

  Qui-Gon gave a brief smile. "I see tangled loyalties and the
/>   potential for misunderstandings. And even the smallest misunderstandings

  can bring danger when a situation is as volatile as this one. Words do not

  always echo what is in the heart. And things are rarely as simple as they

  appear."

  CHAPTER 4

  From above, the planet Senali looked like a shining blue jewel. So

  much of its surface was water that it reflected light and seemed to

  shimmer. As their transport skimmed over the surface toward Meenon's

  landing platform, Obi-Wan thought he had never seen such a beautiful world.

  The seas seemed to hold a thousand shades of blue and green. Chains

  of islands dotted the water like necklaces. Lush green foliage and blooming

  flowers dotted the islands and were planted on the docks of the floating

  cities. Many of the structures were fashioned out of the branches and

  fronds of a native tree with bright red bark.

  They landed on the royal landing platform and were greeted by several

  members of the chief's guard. Senali were the same species as Rutanians,

  but they had a silvery cast to their skin due to the tiny scales that

  covered their bodies. They were excellent swimmers with unusually strong

  breath control. Unlike Rutanians, their hair was worn short, and many of

  them wore headpieces and necklaces fashioned from coral and shells.

  The Jedi and Taroon followed the guards into Meenon's dwelling. It

  was a long, low building that floated on the waters of a deep, green

  lagoon. The guards led them to an interior courtyard that had been

  transformed into a blooming garden, with drooping fronds that shaded them

  from the hot sun.

  Meenon was tending to the garden, but straightened up and gave a

  formal bow to the Jedi when they arrived. He was dressed in a linen tunic

  and was barefoot. A simple headdress of white shells circled his shaved

  head.

  "I am honored to have the Jedi on my beautiful planet," he said.

  "We are honored to be here," Qui-Gon responded. He introduced

  himself, Obi-Wan, and Taroon. "We would like to see Prince Leed as soon as

  possible."

  "Ah." Meenon looked down at the basket of flowers in his hand. He

  touched one bloom. "We have a small problem."

  Beside him, Obi-Wan felt Taroon tense. "Problem?" Qui-Gon asked

  neutrally.

  Meenon looked up. "Leed has gone into hiding."

  Qui-Gon did not react, but studied the leader carefully.

  Taroon threw his chest out in a challenge. "What a surprise to hear

  my brother has disappeared! And you should refer to my brother by his

  title. He is Prince Leed. You show him disrespect."

  Meenon bristled. "We do not believe in titles on Senali. Titles make

  divisions. We are all equal on Senali, unlike on your barbaric world."

  Taroon's eyes glinted. "Unlike primitives, we value our bloodlines."

  Qui-Gon inserted himself smoothly into the conversation before it

  could flare into open argument. "You say that Leed has disappeared. He left

  no word of where he was going?"

  "No," Meenon said, turning his back to Taroon. "I do not know where

  he is."

  Taroon put himself in front of Meenon again. "And you'll swear to

  this?" he demanded, eyes flashing.

  Meenon gazed at Taroon. "I do not need to swear. I do not lie."

  Qui-Gon spoke a beat more quickly than his usual reserve. Obi-Wan

  knew that he was trying to restrain Taroon without seeming to. "This is

  unfortunate."

  Meenon shrugged. "He knew of your coming. I assume that is why he is

  in hiding. He does not want to return to Rutan."

  "We are not here to force him," Qui-Gon said. "We only wish to talk

  to him."

  "I assured him that if he met with you I would not allow him to be

  taken back to Rutan by force," Meenon said. "Apparently he has taken

  matters into his own hands despite my advice."

  "We will search for him, with your permission," Qui-Gon said as

  Taroon fumed beside him. "Can we question the family who brought him up?"

  "Here on Senali we live in clans," Meenon said. "I entrusted him to

  my sister's clan, the Banoosh-Walores. They live one kilometer to the west,

  on Clear Lake. You are welcome to question them."

  Qui-Gon nodded. "We will be in touch."

  "I wish you ease and serenity," Meenon said, bowing.

  Obi-Wan could feel Taroon's anger as they walked out of the courtyard

  to exit Meenon's dwelling.

  "He wishes us ease and serenity after such news?" Taroon said,

  disgusted. "He was mocking us!"

  "It is a traditional good-bye of the Senali," Qui-Gon remarked

  mildly.

  "This is intolerable!" Taroon continued. "He plays us for fools!"

  "Your father will not take this news well," Qui-Gon said. "He will be

  angry, as you are."

  "I am nothing like my father," Taroon said through his teeth.

  "I wonder if Meenon knows more than he is telling," Obi-Wan wondered.

  "Of course he does," Taroon spit out. "All Senali are treacherous.

  This is simply a tactic to delay us."

  "Let's hope we can learn something from his sister's clan," Qui-Gon

  said. "Until then, let us remain calm."

  They walked out into the bright sunlight. Suddenly Taroon wheeled and

  kicked a tall flowering bush that stood near the entrance to the dwelling.

  He attacked it in a frenzy, fists flailing and feet flying. Red petals

  showered from the bush and soon were strewn all over the walkway.

  "Well, I see you have inherited your father's temper, at least," Qui-

  Gon remarked.

  CHAPTER 5

  The red-and-blue dwelling of the BanooshWalore clan was part of the

  main city of Senali, which was built on floating docks and platforms. The

  various islands were connected to each other by graceful silver bridges

  that arched over the blue water.

  The brightly painted structure sprawled over a large area. The main

  part of the dwelling was merely a frame connected with walls of woven

  fronds that rolled up to let in sea breezes. One wall was let down to

  protect those inside from the sun. The rest of the house was open on three

  sides. There was no need to knock. They could see the members of the clan

  gathered in the large central room.

  A tall female Senali with pink coral studded in her short dark hair

  beckoned them inside. "Meenon said you were arriving. Welcome, welcome! Let

  me introduce you. I am Ganeed, Meenon's sister. These are my sons Hinen and

  Jaret, and this is Jaret's wife Mesan and their daughter Tawn. That is

  Drenna, my youngest, and Wek, my sister's boy, and Nonce, and my husband,

  Garth, and my father, Tonai. Oh, and there's my elder mother, Nin, and the

  baby, we call her Bu."

  A small boy tugged on Ganeed's tunic. "And me!"

  She put a hand on his head. "Of course, Tinta. I didn't forget you. I

  saved you for last because you are so important."

  Obi-Wan nodded to the bustling, busy group. He knew he would never be

  able to keep the names straight. He had recently begun memory training at

  the Temple. He could redraw a tech blueprint that he had only glimpsed for

  ten seconds or recite a complicated formula he had just heard once, but he

  still was not v
ery skilled at remembering the names of a crowd of living

  beings. He counted on Qui-Gon to do that.

  One of Ganeed's sons, either Jaret or Hinen, sat at a long table,

  peeling fruit with a young Senali female. Was it Wek or Mesan? The elder

  Senali stood at a stove, stirring something in a pot that smelled

  delicious. A young man rocked the baby, and a slender young Senali female

  with silvery hair sat in a corner, mending a fishing net. Everyone seemed

  to be talking at once, and he could not distinguish any one voice except

  for Ganeed, who called for everyone to be quiet. Finally she picked up a

  pot and spoon and banged on the pot bottom. The clan members finally were

  still.

  "There," she said with satisfaction.

  Taroon remained a stiff presence by Obi-Wan's side. Obi-Wan felt just

  as awkward. He admired the way Qui-Gon swung his leg over a stool and began