The Shadow Trap Page 3

  "Who controls the power grid now?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "Striker, at the moment," Swanny said. "That could change. The main

  generator is in a substation down here. Striker has it guarded."

  "Can't you switch power from the main substation to another?" Anakin

  asked.

  Swanny shrugged. "Technically, yes. But it's not easy. They'll need a

  lot of luck to boost the system from another source. Plus there's a relay

  substation that will shut the whole system down if procedure isn't

  followed. Nobody wants to do that, even the crimelords. Too much risk that

  the entire system would never restart. They all want to control the power

  grid. They don't want to destroy it."

  "What did you do before the Purge, Swanny?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "I'm a water rat," Swanny said cheerfully. "I programmed all the

  wastewater systems. I know every pipe down here, just about. Rorq here was

  on fuel transport tunnels."

  "Barely got paid a living wage to keep the surface running," Rorq

  grumbled.

  Swanny clapped an arm around Rorq's shoulders. "Ah, but it was a sweet

  life, wasn't it, my friend? Low life expectancy, no bonuses, the contempt

  of our fellow citizens - you've got to admit, you miss it."

  Rorq shook his head. "You're crazy."

  "That's why I'm happy," Swanny said with a twisted grin. "How else do

  I stay sane?"

  "Why are you working with us?" Obi-Wan asked curiously. "If the

  citizens take back Naatan, there's every chance you could end up

  underground again."

  "True words," Swanny said. "Most of the tunnel workers are hanging

  back. They won't give their support. They like the power they have, even if

  they're operating under a corrupt system that could get them killed at any

  moment. Call me crazy, but I want to live long enough to see the sun again.

  Naatan will be returned to the Mawans one day. I'm sure of that. If I help

  the right people, I'll be rewarded." He grinned. "Just call me a visionary

  with a deep interest in my own wellbeing."

  "If you like," Obi-Wan said.

  Anakin could see by the expression on Obi-Wan's face that his Master

  was amused by Swanny. It never failed to surprise him when his proper

  Master loosened up with some sort of odd character.

  "Now, where would you Jedi like to start?" Swanny asked. "Naturally,

  Rorq and myself would prefer to keep ourselves out of any extremely

  dangerous scenarios, but we're ready for almost anything."

  "We need to observe the systems they've set up, how they operate,"

  Obi-Wan said. "I don't want them to know the Jedi are here, not yet. It

  doesn't pay to present a deal until you know what's important to your

  adversary."

  Rorq looked nervous. "You mean infiltrate their hideouts?"

  "Unless you can think of another way," Obi-Wan said.

  "Down, boy," Swanny said absently to Rorq. His eyes narrowed as he

  thought, and he stopped walking. "We arrange temporary markets for Feeana.

  Set up a time and place for the Mawans to buy and trade. There's one

  tonight. She's the one who deals with us most often. Doesn't cheat the

  Mawans quite as much as the others. If you keep your hoods over your faces

  and don't attract attention to yourselves, you could pass for Mawans.

  Feeana will probably be there. She likes to keep an eye on things."

  Obi-Wan nodded. "Let's go."

  Swanny and Rorq led them through the maze of tunnels, walking fast and

  purposefully now. They descended several levels and twisted through a small

  network of tunnels that suddenly opened out into a large space.

  It had once been used for storage, that was clear. Open shelving was

  built into the curving durasteel wall frames. Plastoid bins lined one wall.

  Everything was empty. Instead, blankets were spread out on the scuffed

  floor of the space, and a ragtag assortment of items were spread out. Fruit

  that was past its prime, flour, some battered kitchen items, a broken

  warming unit. Folded thermal capes, their edges ragged and torn. An old

  pair of boots.

  The Mawans wandered among the goods. Anakin saw how their eyes

  lingered hungrily on the different items, how their hands dangled uselessly

  by their sides or how they fingered empty purses hung on belts. The last

  time he had seen such hopelessness had been in the slave quarters on

  Tatooine.

  "They can't afford anything, but they come anyway," Swanny said.

  Bored gang members, blaster rifles in their hands, stood against the

  walls, some leaning and trying not to doze.

  Across the space a Mawan female sat astride a battered durasteel box,

  her hand resting lightly on her blaster holster. She was younger than

  Anakin had imagined, about Obi-Wan's age, he guessed, and she looked wiry

  and tough. She wore a comlink headset and spoke rapidly into it while her

  eyes scanned the room. Anakin kept his hood forward to conceal his face.

  Without the telltale blue veins of a Mawan, he would be identified

  immediately as an outsider.

  He and Obi-Wan kept their heads down and shuffled along with the

  others. Anakin knew his Master was trying to get closer, hoping to overhear

  whatever directions Feeana was giving on her headset.

  He looked at her with a sidelong glance and saw how sharply she was

  watching the crowd. Her gaze slowly dropped, and suddenly, she stood and

  leaped. The strength and power of the leap surprised him. She landed only

  centimeters away from him and Obi-Wan.

  "Spies!" she cried, her blaster leveled at Obi-Wan's chest. "Surround

  them!"

  CHAPTER FOUR,

  Feeana's quick action didn't extend to her troops. A leader with a

  headset sputtered toward them, trying to corral others to follow. Anakin

  knew that his Master could have foiled them in seconds, but he waited for

  them to approach. Soon they were surrounded by twenty members of Feeana's

  gang, and twenty blasters were pointed in their direction.

  Anakin glanced at his Master. Obi-Wan said nothing. His gaze was calm

  and watchful. Anakin knew his Master's strategy usually centered on

  waiting. Obi-Wan could strike faster than any Jedi he knew, but he could

  also wait longer than any Jedi should have to, in Anakin's opinion.

  Especially when a blaster was pointed at his heart.

  Still, he was an apprentice, and his job was to follow his Master's

  lead.

  "You're from Decca's gang," Feeana said. "Don't bother denying it."

  Feeana whirled toward Swanny and Rorq, who were both backing away with

  careful steps.

  "Swanny and Rorq brought them," she said. Immediately, ten of the

  twenty blasters turned on Swanny and Rorq.

  "Whoa," Swanny said, holding up two hands while Rorq bared his teeth

  in a nervous grin. "We just walked in at the same time."

  "Never saw them before in our lives," Rorq said through clenched

  teeth.

  "We're not spies," Obi-Wan said. "We're Jedi. We're here for

  diplomacy, not battles."

  "Prove it," Feeana sneered,

  Only by a small expression did Obi-Wan reveal how annoyed he was at

  the request. He put out a hand, and Feeana's headset flew off her head and

  direct
ly into his grasp.

  Obi-Wan spoke crisply into the headset. "Cancel all orders. Take a

  vacation."

  The gang members looked at one another. The leader of the group, who

  was wearing a comlink headpiece, put a hand to his ear, as if unable to

  quite believe that Obi-Wan had just given an order.

  Anakin could hear confused exclamations and questions faintly coming

  from the headpiece in Obi-Wan's hand. He suppressed his grin.

  Feeana tilted her head in a short nod of appreciation. "Okay, you're a

  Jedi. Now, can I have my comlink back? They're hard to come by."

  Obi-Wan tossed it to her. Feeana spoke into it. "Hold your positions

  until further notice." She glanced at the Jedi. "So you're here for

  diplomacy. Let's talk."

  Feeana led the way to a corner. She pulled up a durasteel bin and

  overturned another for a makeshift seating area. Then she motioned to the

  Jedi to sit down. She looked at Obi-Wan expectantly.

  "The Senate has sent a Provisional Government Committee for Mawan,"

  Obi-Wan said. "They are aboveground right now. Senate security forces are

  expected within a matter of days."

  "In other words, they're finally going to do something," Feeana said.

  "Yes," Obi-Wan said. "Mawan cannot remain an open world. After the

  crimelords are put out of business, the Senate will arrange for a transfer

  of power to the Mawans."

  Feeana put her hands on her hips. "So what do you want from me?"

  "We hope that the crimelords will voluntarily either dissolve their

  gangs or move off-planet," Obi-Wan said. "Your choice. There's no other."

  "And what do I get?" Feeana asked.

  "You get to avoid going up against the Jedi and an extremely well-

  armed security force," Obi-Wan said.

  Feeana gave him a shrewd look. "You'll have to come up with something

  better than that, Jedi. Surely you know that deals have high stakes when

  one side has nothing to lose."

  "Why don't you tell me what you want?" Obi-Wan suggested. "It will

  save time."

  Anakin admired his Master's cool. Obi-Wan seemed to know what Feeana

  was thinking. He himself had no idea.

  "Amnesty," Feeana said. "I'm a native Mawan. I don't want to go off-

  planet. I'm not really a crimelord. Think of me as a thief who does well.

  And you tell me what other choice I had. Because of the greedy leadership

  of my government, I lost my home. I was forced underground. At first, I

  stole to feed my family. Then I stole to feed other families. Then I needed

  a cut of what I stole in order to keep stealing. Then I needed a few others

  to help. Before I knew it I had a gang. I supply the Mawans with what they

  need to survive. Without me they'd be at the mercy of Decca and Striker. At

  least I am loyal to Mawan. I am a Mawan first, a criminal second. Amnesty

  shouldn't be hard to give."

  "I think that can be arranged," Obi-Wan agreed. "What else?"

  "A promise," Feeana said. "No doubt this Provisional Committee will be

  involved in setting up the Mawan government. Insiders will get the best

  jobs. I want to be part of that group."

  "A moment," Obi-Wan said. He stepped away to activate his comlink.

  Anakin watched as he spoke quietly into it. Then he returned and nodded at

  Feeana. "Your request is granted. And in return, you are expected to move

  to the surface with your group to serve as a temporary security force while

  the Provisional Committee works on getting control of the power grid."

  "Hold that comlink," Feeana said. "I'm not doing anything until I'm

  sure you're going to succeed."

  "I don't think you're in a position to make demands," Obi-Wan said.

  "You have to earn your amnesty by proving your loyalty to your homeworld.

  Didn't you just say you were a Mawan first, or am I mistaken? And if I were

  you, I'd want to make a generous gesture that will win you support later."

  He held her gaze. Anakin watched the battle of wills. He had no doubt

  who would win.

  "All right," Feeana agreed at last. "I'll do it."

  She moved off to speak into her comlink. Anakin let go of the breath

  he didn't realize he was holding. "One down," he murmured to Obi-Wan.

  Obi-Wan gazed after Feeana. "Maybe. We'll have to move fast to keep

  her loyalty. If she feels we might lose control of Naatan, she'll go back

  on the deal. We have to neutralize Decca and Striker, and fast."

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Swanny and Rorq rushed across the hall. "My friend, that was a sweet

  thing to watch," Swanny congratulated him. "You stared down Feeana and won.

  If I had a hat, it would be off to you."

  "Excellent diplomacy," Rorq echoed in a gush of obvious flattery. "I

  learned a lot just watching you."

  "Thanks," Obi-Wan said dryly. "Your support means a lot."

  "Anytime," Swanny assured him.

  "Particularly for the part where you pretended not to know us," Obi-

  Wan added.

  "What can I say?" Swanny said. "My survival mechanism just kicked in.

  I run on instinct. Can't control it. I want to be brave, but something

  happens, and I open my mouth and a womp weasel starts talking. Nothing

  personal."

  "Sure," Obi-Wan said. "But you owe me one." Swanny and Rorq looked

  nervous. "And what would that 'one' be?" Swanny asked cautiously.

  "Help us infiltrate Decca's camp," Obi-Wan said. "That means you come,

  too. If I know Hutts, we won't be able to bargain the way we did with

  Feeana. Decca won't willingly agree to vacate the planet. We'll have to

  find the flaw in her organization, some way to smash it, or at least make

  things too difficult for her to stick around. That means we have to get

  right in the middle of things and see how they're done."

  "We can certainly give you the location of Decca's camp," Swanny said.

  "That is no problem."

  "And your awesome Jedi skills would no doubt allow you to smuggle

  yourself in," Rorq added helpfully. Obi-Wan just waited.

  "I can see that you are looking for more from us," Swanny said.

  "Which you already promised," Obi-Wan said. "Unless you'd like to take

  this up with the Provisional Committee."

  "N0000," Swanny said, drawing the word out. "Don't think I'd want to

  do that. Maybe there is a way to get you inside. There's a revel tonight."

  "A revel?" Anakin asked.

  "Decca won a skirmish today with Striker," Swanny said. "She always

  throws a big party so her gang can celebrate. Food, drink, music... and

  that's where Rorq and I come in. I just have one question."

  Obi-Wan and Anakin waited.

  "Can you sing?" Swanny asked.

  The band was called Swanny and the Rooters. Swanny told the Jedi that

  they had played at many of Decca's revels. If they showed up at this one,

  Decca would assume that someone from her gang had booked them. They would

  be taking a chance, but not a very big one.

  Obi-Wan and Anakin had to take the place of the other two band

  members. Swanny handed Obi-Wan a vioflute and Anakin a keyboard.

  "Just fake it," he told them. "I'm so good no one will notice you

  can't play."

  They set up in a corner of the vast substation while swaggering beings

  from all
over the galaxy chugged flameouts while feasting on meat and

  pastries. A Whipid, his fur matted with sweat and chunks of food, handed

  two mugs of grog to a Kamarian, who rested one on his tusk and downed the

  other.

  "Fun crowd," Anakin muttered to Obi-Wan.

  "Just what I was thinking," Obi-Wan said through his teeth. He settled

  onto a stool, resting the vioflute uneasily against his shoulder. It had

  been surprisingly easy to crash the party - but that didn't mean the rest

  would be easy.

  Anakin sat next to him, holding his handheld keyboard. He would have

  to pretend to play it. Swanny and Rorq needed backup singers, however.

  "Just a few 'whee-whoas' on the choruses," Swanny swiveled around to

  tell them. "No solos or anything. You can follow along, can't you?"

  "Of course," Obi-Wan assured him.

  Swanny and Rorq ripped into a lively song, and Anakin's foot began to

  tap. He was surprised to find that they were good musicians.

  Swanny winked at him. "Wastewater is my life, but music is a close

  second."

  Decca the Hutt entered the room and heaved her enormous bulk onto a