The Captive Temple Page 3

  Instead of heading to his quarters, Obi-Wan started toward the tech center. He was sure that Miro Daroon would let him have a new comlink.

  Ahead of him, he saw a familiar figure striding down the hall, munching on a piece of muja fruit as she walked. It was Siri, a fellow student. He didn't know her very well, but he knew she'd been a friend of Bruck's. Maybe if he questioned her, she could come up with a clue about Bruck. He could return to the Council with the information.

  He called her name, and she stopped and turned. The impact of her blue eyes was like a cresting wave. Siri had always been striking, but she hated to have anyone comment on her good looks. She kept her blond hair in a close-cropped style, swept straight off her forehead. The boyish style was probably intended to dim her beauty but instead only enhanced her intelligent eyes and glowing skin.

  When she realized who'd called her name, Siri's friendly expression cooled. Obi-Wan wondered why. They had never been friends, but they'd been friendly. Siri was two years younger than Obi-Wan, but her abilities had landed her in Obi-Wan and Bruck's lightsaber class. She had been a worthy opponent. Obi-Wan considered her style athletic and highly focused. Unlike other students, she never got distracted during a duel by emotions such as anger or fear, and she never involved herself in petty rivalries. Privately, Obi-Wan had always thought of her as a little too focused. She never seemed to relax or join in the jokes and fun that students enjoyed in their downtime.

  "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Siri said flatly. "I heard you were back." She took a bite of fruit.

  "Siri, you were a friend of Bruck's," Obi-Wan said urgently. "Did you notice any signs of anger or rebellion in the past few months? Or anything out of the ordinary?"

  Siri chewed, staring at him, not answering.

  Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably. He realized too late that these days, being Bruck's friend was not exactly a benefit around the Temple . He had blurted out the question without thinking, eager for answers and mindful of the time pressure. He supposed he should have phrased the question more diplomatically.

  While he was trying to think of a better opening, Siri swallowed. She spun the muja fruit in her hand, searching for the next place to bite.

  "What's it to you?" she asked.

  Her rudeness surprised him, and Obi-Wan struggled not to snap back. "I want to help Qui-Gon find Bruck and the intruder--" he began patiently.

  "Wait a second," Siri interrupted. "I thought Qui-Gon Jinn dumped you. And you dumped the Jedi."

  Annoyance filled Obi-Wan. "I didn't 'dump' the Jedi," he said irritably. "And as for Qui-Gon, we ..." Obi-Wan stopped. He didn't owe Siri an explanation! She stood there, chewing on her fruit and staring at him as though he were a lab experiment. "You shouldn't listen to gossip," he told her.

  "So why do you want me to gossip about Bruck?" Siri shot back coolly. She took another bite of the muja.

  Fuming, Obi-Wan took a breath. The interview wasn't going well, that was for sure. "The Temple is under siege," he said, struggling to keep his voice even. "I'd think you'd want to help."

  Siri's cheeks flushed. "I don't have to help you, Obi-Wan. You're not even a Jedi. But for your information, I wasn't a friend of Bruck's. He just used to hang around, trying to copy my lightsaber moves. He knew I was a better fighter than he was. So does the rest of the class. I thought he was a bore. He was always trying to impress me. That about sums up our supposed 'friendship,' all right?"

  "All right," Obi-Wan said. "But if you think of anything--"

  "And another thing," Siri interrupted, her eyes shooting sparks at him. "I do care about the Temple . You're the one who left the Jedi. When you did that, you cast doubt on the commitment of all Padawans, present and future. You made all Jedi Knights question whether we're as committed as we should be. You're almost as bad as Bruck!"

  Siri's words hit his cheeks like slaps from an open hand. Color rushed to Obi-Wan's face. Was this what the other students felt? That he had betrayed them?

  Obi-Wan hadn't considered before that his action could cast doubt on the commitment of all Padawans. Faced with a similar situation, would he offer to help someone who had done what he had done?

  With every encounter at the Temple , Obi-Wan received a wider picture of the consequences of his decision to stay on Melida/Daan. Now he realized that his action had left a wider pool of ripples than he'd thought.

  A decision is yours alone to make. Yet remember you should that you make it also for the silent ones who stand at your shoulder.

  How many times had he heard Yoda say that? Now the meaning was so clear that it mocked him with its simplicity. He understood completely what Yoda had meant. He should have understood it before.

  Siri seemed to regret her words. Her cheeks flushed almost as deeply as Obi-Wan's.

  "If you can think of anything that might help, please see Qui-Gon,” Obi-Wan said stiffly.

  "I will," Siri murmured. "Obi-Wan--"

  But he couldn't bear to hear an apology or an excuse. Siri, he knew, had blurted out exactly what was in her heart.

  "I have to go," Obi-Wan interrupted, and hurried away.

  Qui-Gon stood in the tech center next to Miro Daroon. Around them curved a blue screen that ran along the wall in the circular room. The screen flashed diagrams of every tunnel, service hallway, catwalk, and duct in the Temple .

  At first, the schematic drawings had seemed like a maze to Qui-Gon. But with Miro's help he had soon understood the logic of the diagrams. But logic hadn't helped to find the intruder. There were dozens of tunnels tall enough for someone Bruck's height to walk upright inside. Ducts were placed conveniently on every floor, giving outlets to every area of the Temple except those under the most severe security restrictions, such as the treasury room.

  The problem wasn't discovering a way for the intruder to navigate. The problem was narrowing it down. Qui-Gon had already called the Jedi Knight Tahl, his partner in the investigation, to send out search teams to comb the infrastructure. But that would take time - time they didn't have. He was still hoping for a clue.

  Behind them, the door hissed open. Qui-Gon saw Obi-Wan in the reflection on the screen. He saw the boy catch sight of him and pause.

  "Have any additional problems cropped up?" Qui-Gon quickly asked Miro.

  He wanted Obi-Wan to remain, but couldn't ask him. That would violate the wishes of the Council. But he felt that if he and Miro discussed Temple problems and Qui-Gon didn't ask him to leave, Obi-Wan would stay.

  So this is what Yoda meant, Qui-Gon thought.

  Miro sighed. He was a tall alien from the planet Piton, thin as a reed, with a high forehead and pale, almost white eyes. Pitons lived underground on their own planet. They had little pigment in their skin that was almost translucent. They were hairless, and Miro wore a cap and tinted eye shields to protect his eyes from glare.

  "When I tried to restore power to the service lift tubes in the lake area, the air circulation failed in the north wing. We have to move all the students to temporary quarters in the main building."

  In the screen reflection, Qui-Gon saw Obi-Wan studying the diagrams.

  "So now two wings of the Temple have been shut down," Qui-Gon murmured thoughtfully. "You must be very frustrated, Miro."

  Miro's mournful face collapsed in a deeper frown than the one he already wore. "Frustrated doesn't cover it, Qui-Gon. I know this system inside and out. But when I fix one problem, three more pop up. It's difficult to keep up. I've never seen such intricate sabotage, not even in hypothetical models. My last resort would be to shut the whole system down to run my own program. That's something I don't want to do."

  Qui-Gon felt bothered by this news. Miro was a brilliant, intuitive tech expert. Anyone who could confound him must be a tech genius. Bruck certainly wasn't capable of this. It seemed he was searching for a slippery being with a hatred of the Jedi, a knack for subterfuge, and now a technological wizard as well.

  Qui-Gon drew in a quick, startled breath. The knowledge had been in the ba
ck of his mind for some time, cold and insidious, like water seeping into the cracks of a boulder. Now it froze into certainty, blasting the rock to smithereens.

  "Xanatos," he murmured.

  Obi-Wan gave a start. Miro looked at Qui-Gon, shocked. "You think Xanatos is involved?"

  "It's possible ..." Qui-Gon murmured.

  The clues had ticked away for a while now. He had sensed a vengeful, personal motive in this operation. Xanatos held an implacable hatred for the Jedi - a hatred that was only surpassed by his hatred for Qui-Gon. And then there was that feeling he'd had in the Room of a Thousand Fountains...could Xanatos have been nearby?

  Disruption + Demoralization + Distraction = Devastation.

  During that mission, Xanatos had been his Padawan. He had been a boy of sixteen. He could have easily remembered the formula.

  "I remember him," Miro said quietly. "He was a year behind me. But he was the only Jedi student who was better at constructing tech infrastructure models."

  Qui-Gon nodded. The young Jedi student's mind had been what had first attracted Qui-Gon, first made him wonder if he would make a good Padawan.

  In that instant, Qui-Gon made a decision. He was not allowed to involve Obi-Wan in the investigation. But things had changed. He turned and acknowledged Obi-Wan for the first time.

  "I need your help," he said.

  Obi-Wan stood frozen, surprised at Qui-Gon's words.

  "I need to see Tahl and report all this," Qui-Gon said. "I'd like you to come along."

  "But the Council--”

  "It is my investigation," Qui-Gon said firmly. "You have faced Xanatos before. You could be helpful. So come."

  Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon into the corridor. He walked beside him, feeling a surge of contentment as their footsteps matched in their own rhythm. Not only could he redeem himself by helping the Temple , he would work with Qui-Gon again. Even if he were confined to the fringes of the investigation, he'd take what he could get. It was the first step toward reestablishing the trust between them.

  Tahl was checking on the status of the search teams when they arrived.She looked up at them, her lovely face worried. Obi-Wan hadn't seen her since Melida/Daan. She'd been ill after her rescue, thin and drawn. Now her extraordinary green-and-gold striped eyes were sightless, but they gleamed against the dark honey tones of her skin.

  "Nothing yet," she said by way of greeting. "Who is with you, Qui-Gon?" She paused. "It's Obi-Wan, isn't it?"

  "Yes," Obi-Wan said hesitantly. He was worried about her reaction to his presence. After all, in order to blow up deflection towers for the Young, he'd stolen the transport intended to spirit her off the planet. Would she hold a grudge? But relief flooded him as her face broke into a smile.

  "Good. I'm glad." She made a wry face. "You have a knack for rescuing me. It could come in handy. No luck here, I'm afraid."

  "I have news," Qui-Gon said crisply. Quickly, he outlined his suspicions about Xanatos.

  Obi-Wan could see as Qui-Gon spoke that Tahl was dubious about this supposition. Even as Qui-Gon was finishing, she was slowly shaking her head.

  "You're basing much on a leap of logic, my friend," she said.

  "It is a fact that Xanatos was known for his technological genius,” Qui-Gon argued.

  She waved a hand. "As are countless others in the galaxy."

  "None as good as a Jedi," Qui-Gon pointed out. "Except one who was a Jedi. We must look into Xanatos' recent whereabouts. There could be a clue there."

  "I'm not saying you're wrong, Qui-Gon. But what if you are? If we concentrate on one suspect, we could waste time."

  The indicator light over Tahl's door went on, announcing a visitor. At the same time, a muted bell sounded. Impatiently, Tahl stabbed at the door access that was at the keyboard on her desk. The door hissed open.

  "Yes, who is it?" she asked brusquely.

  Obi-Wan was surprised to see that the visitor was Siri.

  "I was told by Miro Daroon that Qui-Gon Jinn would be here," Siri said. "Obi-Wan told me to contact you if I remembered anything strange about Bruck."

  "Yes?" Qui-Gon asked kindly. "Anything could help."

  Siri took a step into the room. "It could be nothing ... but a few months ago, I had a strange conversation with Bruck. He told me about his father."

  Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon exchanged a startled glance. Those who were chosen by the Jedi gave up their birthright. The Temple became their home. That way, their loyalties could not be divided or exploited in any way. They committed themselves to the larger, deeper connection, the Force. It was highly unusual for a Jedi student to mention - or even think of - a parent, especially at Bruck's age.

  "I didn't understand how he knew about his father, or why he was so interested," Siri went on. "I asked him why he felt this new compulsion. The Temple is our home, the Jedi are family. These are the bonds we renew day by day. By now they are the strongest things in our lives. But not only was the mention of his father strange, his attitude was as well." Siri hesitated.

  "Yes?" Tahl prompted gently.

  "It seemed to me that it wasn't so much that he felt a need for a father, or wanted to contact him in any way. He just wanted to brag about him. Bruck discovered - and I don't know how, because he wouldn't say - that his father had become a powerful person on another planet."

  "Which planet?" Tahl asked. "Can you remember?"

  "One I never heard of," Siri answered. "Telos."

  Tahl stiffened. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon exchanged another glance. Qui-Gon had his proof. Telos was Xanatos' home.

  Yet satisfaction did not register on the Jedi's rugged face. Only disquiet.

  "Thank you, Siri," Qui-Gon said. "You have been of more help than you know."

  "I am glad to hear it." Siri gave Obi-Wan a quick glance, but he couldn't tell if it was a challenge or apology. She left, the door hissing behind her.

  "Well, I should know better by now than to doubt you," Tahl said to Qui-Gon. She let out a long breath. "Xanatos."

  "No wonder the student records were stolen," Qui-Gon said thoughtfully.

  "Any changes in the status of students' families are recorded in their files. Somehow, Xanatos got to Bruck through his father. He most likely intrigued the boy, planting longings for power in his head, working on Bruck's anger and aggression until he turned him to the dark side. The same thing," Qui-Gon murmured, "that Xanatos' own father had done to him."

  "And most likely Xanatos taught Bruck how to conceal the dark side as well," Obi-Wan added. He remembered during his own meeting with Xanatos how Qui-Gon's powerful enemy could manipulate the truth. His silky manner hid a devious purpose. He had placed doubt in Obi-Wan's mind about Qui-Gon.

  "True, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon nodded. "Bruck would have to be practiced at concealment. Because he was a senior student, he was given more freedom. That helped him, too."

  "So now we know our intruder," Tahl said.

  "I suggest we divide the investigation into two parts," Qui-Gon stated. "Obi-Wan and I must discover where Xanatos and Bruck are hiding."

  So he would be included! Obi-Wan felt a surge of quiet satisfaction.

  "Tahl, you must find out everything you can about Xanatos and Offworld. It will be tricky - he's very secretive. But your investigative powers are a legend around here. Start working your galactic network."

  "There's no need to flatter me," Tahl said dryly. "I can hardly crawl around tunnels with you and Obi-Wan."

  Qui-Gon paused. Obi-Wan saw concern suddenly etch his features. He wasn't sure why. Qui-Gon often told him he was not connected enough to the living Force. There was something in the exchange between the two friends that had hurt Tahl, and Qui-Gon had just realized it.

  Tahl turned her head, her hand almost knocking over a cup near her elbow. Lightning reflexes caused her to catch it before it fell. Her face flushed deeply.

  Then Obi-Wan realized what Qui-Gon had seen. Tahl had only recently lost her sight. She had once been a brilliant warrior. Now she must feel as though
she was being shuttled to the sidelines. But Qui-Gon was right. Tahl could not crawl through ducts and look for physical clues.

  He watched as Qui-Gon moved closer to Tahl's desk. "Clues are found in many ways, Tahl," Qui-Gon said quietly. "The right information can save a mission more surely than a battle."

  Tahl nodded. Obi-Wan could see the struggle on her face. Qui-Gon's fingers brushed her shoulder in a swift, compassionate touch.

  "It will be a challenge," he said. "Whatever clues there are will be well buried. Offworld is made up of a pyramid of false companies, phony titles. Their assets are hidden carefully. No one knows where their headquarters is."

  Tahl's eyes gleamed. "No one so far," she said.

  Obi-Wan noted her new determination. Qui-Gon had done this. He had not dwelt on her dissatisfaction. He had acknowledged it compassionately, then flung out a challenge to engage her.

  I have so much to learn from him, Obi-Wan thought. And it is not only about battles and strategies and the Force. It is about the heart.

  The door hissed open. "Sir Tahl! I am back from my errand. Here are the extra data sheets you asked for." TooJay, Tahl's navigation droid, hurried into the room.

  Tahl raised her eyebrows to let Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan know that she had created the errand to get TooJay out of her hair. The navigation droid was designed to help Tahl, but often was just a source of great aggravation to a person who preferred to do everything herself.

  "I'll leave you to your task," Qui-Gon said. "Obi-Wan and I have work to do."

  On their way out of the room, they almost collided with Bant, who was rushing through the open door.

  "I think I know how Bruck and the intruder are navigating through the Temple !" she cried. Bant's silver eyes met each of their glances. "I was thinking about all the different attacks," she said eagerly. "They all took place near water. Think about it - Yoda was attacked in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. The turbolift controls are by the lake. And you could reach the tech center itself through the water purification tanks."

  Qui-Gon nodded. "A series of water tunnels links all the systems. I saw it on Miro's diagrams, but I didn't think the tunnels were navigable."