The Threat Within Read online

  Obi-Wan quickly made his way back toward the noise. Rounding a

  corner, he spotted two Vorzydiaks - one young and one elderly - together in

  one of the retirement rooms. The elder sat on her sleep couch, while the

  other leaned casually against a wall.

  "Grandfather was so silly," the younger Vorzydiak said.

  The elder nodded. "That is what I loved about him." She smiled, and

  her small, thin body seemed to surge with energy as she straightened up on

  the sleep couch. "He was like a breath of fresh air. Of course, we are not

  allowed to show such silliness. Especially not now."

  The young Vorzydiak nodded solemnly. "Things are going to change,

  Grandmother," she said. The girl glanced at a timepiece on her belt and

  pushed off the wall, moving toward her grandmother. "I have to go now, but

  I will be back soon."

  The elder softly stroked her granddaughter's face with her antennae.

  Her eyes were full of sadness. "Promise me," she said softly. "I do not

  have much time."

  The girl frowned and shook her head. "Do not say that, Grandmother.

  You might live for a long time." She wrapped her feelers around the elder's

  and they stood quietly together for several long moments.

  In spite of the girl's words, Obi-Wan sensed that she knew her

  grandmother spoke the truth. The elder Vorzydiak was quite frail-looking,

  and it appeared as though her life systems were beginning to fade.

  "To wor - " The elder stopped herself from giving the traditional

  Vorzyd greeting. "Goodbye, then," she said with a sad smile.

  "See you soon, Grandmother," the girl replied in a near-whisper. But

  she waited a few more seconds before unwrapping her feelers from her

  grandmother's. Then she turned and quickly left the room.

  Obi-Wan ducked behind a corner, not sure if the girl had seen him. He

  felt a little bit guilty, for the visit was clearly meant to be private.

  But he was glad to know that there were relationships on Vorzyd 4 that were

  emotional. It gave him a sense of hope.

  The girl hurried down the corridor and out the door. Obi-Wan

  followed. Outside, the night was dark and still. There was no sound except

  the echo of the girl's footsteps. Most of the planet was clearly asleep.

  As the girl slipped into a nearby building, another figure appeared

  just outside the Ports' dwelling. It was a boy. The Ports' son, Grath, Obi-

  Wan guessed. He felt a small surge of excitement. He had already gathered

  valuable information tonight and might be able to gather even more before

  the suns rose.

  Looking around furtively, Grath made his way across the street to the

  shuttle platform. This surprised Obi-Wan. If almost everyone was in bed,

  why would the shuttles be running? It would not be an efficient use of

  transportation.

  While Obi-Wan hid in the shadows, Grath waited on the platform. It

  wasn't long before a small maintenance shuttle pulled up and came to a

  halt. A second later the doors opened, and Grath stepped inside.

  Obi-Wan knew he wouldn't be able to ride in the shuttle without being

  seen. That left only one option...

  Quickly scanning the outside of the vehicle, he spotted a durasteel

  overhang running along the top. It was a few meters above his head and very

  narrow. He wasn't sure it would bear his weight or if he could successfully

  hold on to it. There was nothing for his feet to rest on, and no way of

  knowing how long the ride was going to be.

  Obi-Wan didn't have much time to think. At that moment the doors

  whisked closed. He leaped off the platform and grabbed the railing. His

  fingers arched over the top, barely securing a grip.

  This was not going to be fun.

  The small shuttle gradually picked up speed and was soon roaring

  along. Obi-Wan tried to ignore his aching arms and fingers so he could

  focus on the conversation taking place inside the shuttle. It was difficult

  with the vehicle's noise and the wind in his ears. But one of the portals

  was open, and he was able to overhear occasional tidbits.

  "The meeting..." "Our best one yet..." "Our parents' attention..."

  As he listened, Obi-Wan felt sure that he'd discovered Vorzyd 4's

  secret. The kids on this planet were up to something; there was a lot more

  going on than the adult laborers knew. It was even possible that the kids

  themselves were responsible for the sabotage.

  Obi-Wan was wondering what the kids' motives were - as well as what

  their next prank would be - when he looked off to his right. The shuttle

  was about to enter a narrow tunnel, and he wasn't going to fit!

  CHAPTER 6

  Obi-Wan squeezed himself tightly against the side of the shuttle as

  it zoomed into the tunnel. The hard duracrete surface grazed the back of

  his tunic, but didn't scrape his skin. A moment later the tunnel widened

  and the shuttle came to a screeching halt.

  Obi-Wan nearly went flying. Using all of his resolve, he tightened

  his grip on the railing. His knuckles were white and the tips of his

  fingers throbbed with pain. But he couldn't fall and risk being discovered.

  After what seemed like a long time, the shuttle came to a full stop. Obi-

  Wan let out a deep breath and slid carefully to the ground.

  The shuttle doors opened again, and Grath exited along with the

  driver, who Obi-Wan now saw was female. The two chatted animatedly as they

  disappeared down a passageway.

  Obi-Wan followed several paces behind. The passageway was dark, and

  he had to walk carefully because the floor was not entirely smooth.

  Grath and the girl quickly made their way through a maze of hallways

  and up several flights of stairs. Obi-Wan noted that Vorzydiak kids walked

  rapidly, like the adults. For efficiency, he supposed. But their animated

  discussion was nothing like their parents' clipped method of communicating.

  When they emerged at the top of the stairs they were in a deserted

  office building. Empty desks and dusty tables and chairs were scattered

  around the space, which had clearly not been used for a while. A small

  group of kids had already gathered in a large, empty office. Obi-Wan

  decided not to enter the room, and hid under a large desk just outside the

  door.

  "What took you so long?" one of the kids asked as Grath and the girl

  entered the office.

  "Shuttle hang-up," Grath replied slowly.

  There was a pause, and for a moment Obi-Wan was worried that Grath

  was talking about him. But he couldn't imagine why Grath would pretend not

  to see him if he had.

  "Nania was late," Grath added.

  Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief.

  "My parents were watching me like a pair of harks," Nania explained.

  "I had to wait until they were asleep."

  "Well, you're here now," a boy's voice said. "The Freelies meeting

  can officially begin."

  There was a moment of silence while the kids all dropped their hands

  to their sides. Then everyone spoke at once. The words "It is to remain

  secret. It is to remain peaceful. It is to remain a surprise," echoed off

  the walls.

  Obi-Wan was struck by how different this chanting was compared to the


  low drone the laborers made at the end of their workday. The kids' chant

  sounded alive and full of energy.

  With the rules recited, the meeting began in earnest. From what Obi-

  Wan could gather, it centered around the youth reporting on their latest

  pranks and acts of sabotage. They took turns speaking, telling one another

  what they had done and how things had turned out. There was a lot of

  excitement in the voices, but the teens also waited patiently to speak. The

  meeting was energetic but orderly.

  "We changed the traffic signals and the workers were an hour late for

  their posts," a boy reported.

  "My father came home furious about that," a girl piped up. "But I

  think I saw my mother smile when he told her about it."

  "Good," Grath said. "We want to get them thinking."

  "The fake work orders we gave at the electronics factory really got

  everyone confused," someone else said. "They were actually putting the

  machines together the wrong way for half the morning."

  "I heard those machines played music instead of giving off static,"

  reported another voice.

  "Did they know it was music?" a girl asked.

  As Obi-Wan listened, he felt torn. He was not sure that what the kids

  were doing was right. He had seen firsthand that it was causing confusion

  and distress to the adults. And the accusations against Vorzyd 5 were

  unfair. But he had to admit that if he were a boy on Vorzyd 4, he would get

  pleasure out of pulling pranks such as these - especially if faced with the

  bleak, work-filled future that lay ahead. And the kids were working

  together, putting their minds to creative use. Not to mention that they

  clearly trusted, liked, and relied on one another. That was more than many

  of the laborers could say.

  Besides, Obi-Wan reasoned, nobody was really getting hurt. The

  Freelies' own rules plainly stated that the pranks were to be peaceful. And

  though he couldn't be certain, he suspected that they had a good motive.

  One Obi-Wan could believe in.

  All of a sudden, images of Melida/Daan flashed in Obi-Wan's head.

  Death, destruction..

  Melida/Daan was a planet ravaged by generations of civil war, and a

  group there called the Young was trying to bring an end to the fighting.

  Obi-Wan had felt strongly about the Young's cause, and had even left the

  Jedi path to join them.

  The decision had been a mistake. While the ideas of the Young were

  just and good, the situation was complicated. There was fighting among the

  leaders, and deceit between the generations. Many of the Young were killed,

  and there was much bloodshed on the planet. Obi-Wan had been caught in the

  battle. When it was all over he felt as ravaged as the planet itself. He

  was grateful that the Jedi Council had agreed to take him back. He knew

  from experience that it was dangerous to believe too quickly in the causes

  of others.

  Suddenly Obi-Wan felt crowded under the desk. He needed air and

  space. Sitting up, he felt better and could actually see the kids in the

  office. He noticed that some of them had adorned their jumpsuits with

  brightly colored scraps of fabric. Others wore homemade hats or bandannas

  on their heads. The group was still talking animatedly. Lost in his

  observations, Obi-Wan did not see the Vorzydiak girl coming toward him.

  "Hey, what are you doing out here?" she asked.

  Startled, Obi-Wan looked up and quickly pulled his hood over his head

  to hide the fact that he did not have antennae. Luckily the office building

  was quite dark.

  "I'm not feeling well," Obi-Wan said, getting slowly to his feet. "I

  came out here to rest. But I think I should just go home."

  The girl eyed him curiously. "What's with the funny clothes?" she

  asked.

  Obi-Wan looked down at his Jedi robe. "It's my new bathrobe. I had to

  sneak out at the last minute and didn't have time to change." He looked at

  the girl's plain tunic and hoped that Vorzydiaks had different

  nightclothes. "Weird, isn't it?" he added shyly.

  "I guess," the girl replied. Obi-Wan thought she looked a little

  doubtful, but she smiled casually before he headed down the corridor and

  out the door.

  As he made his way down the steps, he heaved a sigh of relief. So

  far, so good.

  CHAPTER 7

  Qui-Gon opened his eyes and sat up in a single fluid movement. The

  room was dark, but he did not need to look at his timepiece to know that it

  was very late. He did not need to see the empty couch to know that the room

  was still empty. Obi-Wan had not returned.

  Where is he? Qui-Gon thought in frustration. He should have conferred

  with me before leaving.

  Reaching into his Jedi robe, he found his corn-link and switched it

  on. He was about to contact his Padawan when something told him not to.

  Let the boy do some exploring. He is not a child who needs constant

  instruction any longer. He may be doing something important. And his

  investigations may prove fruitful to the mission.

  Qui-Gon put his comlink away with a sigh. Again he was bombarded with

  images of his Padawan - images of a talented, impatient boy becoming a man.

  They had been through a lot together - revenge, deceit, war, death. And

  things had not always been smooth between them. They each had a strong will

  and those wills sometimes clashed. But they had also grown to depend on and

  trust each other. More than a formidable Jedi team, they loved each other

  and were true friends.

  As he looked around the empty room, Qui-Gon wanted Obi-Wan to stay a

  young man forever. He did not want him to change, to grow up.

  If he does, I will lose him, he thought. Just as I have lost TahL

  Qui-Gon was horrified at his own desire - how could he want such a

  thing? Obi-Wan had his own life to live, his own destiny. It was not Qui-

  Gon's place to interfere with or wish it to be any different than it was

  meant to be.

  As he lay back on his sleep couch, guilt and sadness kept him awake.

  He tried to let the emotions flow out of him.

  It was a long time before they finally did.

  Qui-Gon was resting peacefully when Obi-Wan returned. As the door

  slid closed behind his Padawan, Qui-Gon sensed his excitement. Energy

  sparked from the boy like an electric current. Qui-Gon sat up.

  Obi-Wan turned on a soft light and sat down on his sleep couch.

  "Master," he said, his eyes shining. "I have news. I have learned many

  things that will help us in this mission."

  Qui-Gon smiled. Just a year or so ago Obi-Wan would have burst out

  with whatever news he had like an excited boy. Now he was introducing it in

  a logical fashion, in spite of his stimulated state.

  "Go on," Qui-Gon prodded gently.

  "There are two things," Obi-Wan explained. "The first is that

  Vorzydiaks are capable of sharing strong emotional bonds. I saw a young

  girl with her grandmother, and it was clear from their interaction that

  they loved each other very much."

  Qui-Gon was glad to hear this news. Somehow it was comforting to know

  that the Vorzyd 4's had more emotions than they
usually displayed. "And the

  other piece of information?"

  "That is even bigger news," Obi-Wan said. "Vorzyd 5 is definitely not

  responsible for the pranks."

  Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow. "And I assume you are going to tell me who

  is?" he asked.

  Obi-Wan inhaled slightly. "Freelies Vorzydiak kids."

  Qui-Gon was quiet for a moment, letting this information sink in. It

  changed their mission considerably.

  "I followed some kids to a secret meeting and listened from outside

  the room," Obi-Wan explained. "If I can pass myself off as a Vorzydiak boy,