The Death of Hope Read online

  flicker of warmth in her eyes. She was dedicated to the Workers' cause, and

  thought the Jedi were too friendly to the Civilized faction. Qui-Gon knew

  from experience how tough Irini could be. But he would not go away until he

  got what he wanted.

  She saw something in his gaze and quickly turned away. "I have to

  work," she said.

  "No." Qui-Gon's voice was soft, but it stopped her in her tracks. He

  told himself to go slowly. Irini would not respond to threats or

  intimidation. She would dig in her heels.

  "Just hours ago you came to us with information," he said. "You

  trusted us. We trusted your information."

  "Your Jedi has been kidnapped," lrini said, her head still turned

  away and her voice muffled. "I am sorry for that, but I am not responsible.

  It is Jedi business. One thing I do know-the Absolutes do not take kindly

  to betrayal."

  "How did you know that Tahl infiltrated the Absolutes?" Qui-Gon asked

  urgently. He took three steps toward her in order to see her face. "And why

  do you think they had something to do with her kidnapping?"

  She lifted her chin defiantly. "What does it matter? We are not on

  the same side, Jedi."

  "But we are," Obi-Wan said. "You are against the Absolutes. If they

  kidnapped Tahl, she may know things that you want to know."

  There was logic in what Obi-Wan said but Qui-Gon didn't think Irini

  would care. Yet something in Obi-Wan's words caused her to stop and give

  them a hard stare.

  "I might be able to find Lenz," she said reluctantly.

  "Then let's go," Qui-Gon said firmly. He had to keep pushing forward.

  He had to drown out his worst fears with action.

  They had only caught a glimpse of Lenz the first time they'd seen

  him, but Qui-Gon remembered him well. His was not a face to forget. It had

  been marked by suffering and illness, but there was nobility and strength

  in it. His body was weak, yet his spirit had great power. In a crowd he

  might be ignored, but Qui-Gon knew from the first glance that he was a

  leader.

  Lenz stood as Irini led the Jedi into a small room in the Worker

  section of the city. She had alerted him by comlink that they were coming,

  and why.

  Lenz gave Irini a questioning look. "Now you trust the Jedi? What

  happened?"

  "They have a good point," lrini said. "They have the best chance of

  finding Tahl. If Balog betrayed us for the Absolutes, we need to know."

  Lenz kept his gaze on Irini. Slowly, he nodded. "Maybe."

  His nerves on alert, Qui-Gon sensed something had passed between

  Irini and Lenz. It had been a wordless exchange of information. They knew

  each other very well, he realized. Well enough to speak without words, as

  he and his Padawan could.

  "Irini tells me you want a probe droid," Lenz said.

  Obi-Wan nodded. "Alani asked that you help us."

  Lenz smiled slightly. "When both Irini and Alani ask me to do

  something, I have no choice but to obey." He gestured at them to sit at a

  battered metal table. "I must warn you, we run some danger of being

  arrested. Since Roan's murder the government has been cracking down on

  those who run the black market. Power is slipping out of their hands, and

  they think a show of it will save them. The United Legislature is locked in

  a battle to appoint Roan's successor."

  "Many Workers think the time to strike is now," lrini said. "There

  are those who want us to conduct another campaign of industrial sabotage to

  get what we want. Of course we want a Worker to be appointed as Supreme

  Governor, but Lenz and I are urging caution. We will lose our support among

  the Civilized with another sabotage campaign. It worked once, but we do not

  feel it will work again. We don't want civil unrest."

  "Yet we are very close to it," Lenz said.

  "Do you think Balog is an Absolute?" ON-Wan asked.

  Lenz and Irini exchanged glances. "He was born a Worker," Irini said

  hesitantly. "And he was close to Ewane, the great Worker leader..."

  "But yes, we think his allegiance has now changed," Lenz said grimly.

  "Once you told us that he had kidnapped Tahl, it all clicked into place. He

  has most likely been working for the Absolutes for some time. That's why he

  kidnapped Alani and Eritha. He had always planned to let them go - his real

  target was Roan."

  "So he lured Roan to him through the ransom," Obi-Wan said. "Then he

  murdered him."

  Qui-Gon remembered Balog's show of grief when they had found Roan's

  body. Balog was a good actor. But he'd have to be, if he'd been working

  with the secret organization of Absolutes all along.

  "One thing puzzles me," Qui-Gon said. "Balog may be head of security,

  but he's no match for Tahl. Even without her lightsaber. How could he have

  overpowered her?"

  "The Absolutes often used a paralyzing drug," Irini said. "You remain

  conscious but immobilized. It is easy to administer. If she turned her back

  on him for a moment..."

  "Is the drug dangerous?" Qui-Gon asked the question, though he

  dreaded the answer.

  "Not with one dose," Lenz said. "Or even two. The trouble is that it

  wears off, and if it is reused many times - especially over a short period

  of time - it can result in permanent damage. Muscle deterioration is one

  side effect." Lenz pointed down at himself. "As you can see."

  "Lenz was one of the lucky ones," Irini added quietly. "There can be

  permanent damage to internal organs. They completely waste away in a short

  period of time. There were many who..." Her voice trailed off, and she

  flushed.

  She is telling me that Tahl could die. Underneath the table, Qui-Gon

  gripped his hands together. Thinking of Tahl helpless, her mind active but

  her body deteriorating, made him want to rip the room apart.

  The vision that had beckoned him to New Apsolon came back to him now.

  Tahl weak, her leg muscles unable to support her. She leaned against him,

  her hand curling around his neck. It is too late for me, dear friend....

  "You are hiding something from us," Qui-Gon said, gazing directly at

  Irini, then at Lenz. "What is it?"

  "Nothing," Irini answered. "We have agreed to help you find a probe

  droid - "

  "Yet there is something about the kidnapping that you know and we do

  not," Qui-Gon said, the anger escalating in his voice. "You admit that we

  stand the best chance of finding Tahl. Give us all the information we need,

  and the chances are greater still." He leaned forward. The time had come

  for a little intimidation. He did not like to use it, but his impatience

  had run its course. He needed to act, and these people could not stand in

  his way. "I remind you that it is never a good idea to cross the Jedi."

  Obi-Wan picked up on his urgency. "We have lost one of our own," he

  said. "This is a serious matter to us."

  The double threat from the two Jedi seemed to rock Lenz. He

  swallowed. "It is not something we know. It is something we suspect."

  "Lenz - "

  "No, lrini. They are right. They should know." Lenz silenced her with

  a look, then turned his atten
tion back to the Jedi. "We know that the

  Absolutes used secret informers when they were in power. There is a list of

  those who informed. This list is encrypted so that it cannot be copied.

  Only a few in the government knew of this list, even fewer have seen it,

  and we think most of them - maybe all of them - are dead. One of them was

  Roan. Roan had it, but it was stolen before he died. We know that much."

  "At first we thought Balog had been able to get it from Roan," Irini

  said. "Now we don't think so. Someone else did."

  "We think Balog is looking for it," Lenz said. "After all, his name

  is on it. If that was discovered, he would lose all credibility among the

  Workers. Our word against Balog will not be enough to turn people against

  him. We need proof. He needs to destroy that proof. We think his ambitions

  lie higher than the office of Chief Security Controller. Whoever has the

  list has great power. It will be his or her choice to expose the informers

  or keep them secret, to bribe them for silence or look like a hero for

  exposing them. Careers and reputations will be destroyed. The list is said

  to contain some prominent names."

  "What does Tahl have to do with this?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "The list was in Absolute hands for a short time, then disappeared,"

  Irini said. "We know this for sure. What if Balog thinks that Tahl has the

  list? It's the only explanation as to why Balog would capture her and yet

  keep her alive."

  Qui-Gon shook his head. "If Tahl had the list, we would have known

  it."

  "So you don't think she has it?" Lenz asked.

  "Perhaps she doesn't know she has it," Irini guessed. "Perhaps she

  knows where it can be found. She just doesn't know the significance of it."

  This news was disturbing. It meant that Balog could be keeping her

  alive only until he knew the truth. Tahl did not have that list. When he

  discovered that, he would kill her.

  Qui-Gon saw by Obi-Wan's pale face that his Padawan had come to the

  same conclusion. He stood. "If your theory is right, Balog won't have much

  patience. Neither do I. Let's get that probe droid."

  CHAPTER 3

  Lenz and Irini led them deep into the Worker sector, near the

  outskirts of the city. The area had been abandoned by the Workers when

  better housing became available after the election of Ewane. Block after

  block of abandoned housing showed the effects of neglect and disorder.

  Half-demolished buildings stood next to intact ones whose windows were

  shattered or blown out completely. Rubble lay in the street, and stacks of

  durasteel sheeting were piled up in vacant lots.

  "The government is planning to tear these down," Lenz said, gesturing

  at the devastated buildings. "The lawmakers can't agree on what to build

  instead, so the project is left half finished. But it has become a good

  place to hide for those who don't want to be found. Security sweeps are

  made frequently, so we must all be alert."

  "How will we program the droid to find Balog?" Qui-Gon asked. "We

  don't have complete information on him. We know that vitals on Workers are

  stored somewhere. Who has access to them?"

  "Everything you need you will be able to buy here," Lenz said.

  He stopped in front of a partially demolished building and took a

  laser signal from his tunic. He activated the laser point and blinked it

  several times in a pattern against the stone front of the building. A

  concealed sensor in the wall caught the signal and, after a moment, blinked

  twice.

  "We can enter," Lenz said.

  Obi-Wan glanced at his Master. He was relieved to see that Qui-Gon

  seemed himself again. Most likely it was because they had taken action. He

  could sense the frustration inside Qui-Gon - as well as something else

  there, some desperation that Obi-Wan didn't understand. At least Qui-Gon

  was back in control. He had found the calm he needed to proceed. Later,

  when Tahl was safe, Obi-Wan would ask his Master why he'd had such trouble

  focusing. Qui-Gon would not mind the question. He knew that Obi-Wan would

  only ask in order to learn.

  Lenz pushed open the door to the building. Obi-Wan noted that

  although the building appeared to be a ruin, the door was armored. The

  arming devices must have been released when the sensor blinked back an

  okay.

  A staircase led upward, but Lenz turned to the side and accessed a

  doorway flush to the wall. A ramp led down to a lower level.

  Lenz and lrini went first, and the Jedi followed. The ramp was lit

  with one dim glow rod attached to the wall. Obi-Wan strode down the sloping

  ramp, ready for anything.

  A figure stepped out of the dimness. "Lenz. We haven't seen you here

  in a while."

  "Greetings, Mota. You know I have forbidden the Workers to use

  illegal means to achieve our ends," Lenz said. "But my friends here need

  your help."

  The man stepped closer. He was dressed in the unisuit that Obi-Wan

  had seen many Workers wear. His gray hair was tied behind him, and his body

  looked strong. There were two blasters tucked into his utility belt.

  "You must be Jedi," he said, though Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were dressed

  in the garments of space travelers. "Never thought I'd see the day the Jedi

  would need my help."

  "We are grateful for anything you can provide us with," Qui-Gon said.

  "Don't get me wrong. It will cost you. I'm in the business for one

  reason only. Credits. I'm the one who takes the risks. You can hitch rides

  around the galaxy, but my products aren't free."

  "We are prepared to pay," Qui-Gon replied impatiently. "The speed of

  the transaction is more important than price."

  "Then let's get to it."

  Mota led the way down a long hallway into a large open space. Long

  metal tables stretched from one end of the space to the other. Isolated

  pieces of merchandise were laid out on the tables. There were some

  communication devices, some weaponry, and some pieces of tech equipment.

  "As you can see, our stocks are low," Mota said.

  Lenz looked at him sharply. "I'll say. Who is buying your weapons?"

  Mota's return gaze was neutral. "Whoever has the credits. I don't ask

  questions."

  "We need probe droids," Qui-Gon said.

  "I only have one. Probe droids are hard to get." Mota strode to a

  table and picked up a droid. "It's in good shape, though. All ready for

  programming."

  "They need the vitals of a citizen," Irini said. "Balog."

  "The Chief Security Controller?" At last an emotion flickered over

  Mota's face: surprise.

  But it smoothed out and became neutral again. "I have his stats. I

  can program the droid. The vitals will cost you more credits."

  "They'll need swoops or landspeeders," Lenz said.

  "Down below."

  "Let's program the droid first," Qui-Gon said.

  "Sure. Just let me see the credits." Mota named a figure, and Qui-Gon

  counted out the currency.

  Mota pocketed the credits without counting [hem and turned to a data

  screen. He began to access files.

  "The vitals on every citizen were entered into the main files o
f the

  Absolutes in the old days," Irini told them in a low voice. "It is illegal

  to access those files now, but that doesn't stop Mota. Having exact

  information on Balog will help greatly in tracking."

  Mota downloaded the information in the data-pad into the droid, then

  programmed it. The probe droid beeped and revolved.

  "When would you like to release the droid?" Mota asked.

  "Immediately," Qui-Gon answered tersely.

  Mota accessed a shuttered window, and the probe droid flew out. Mota

  handed the transmitter to Qui-Gon.

  "Keep this on at all times, and the probe droid will find you. If the

  droid is destroyed, it will tell you that, too. I've programmed the droid