The Only Witness Page 5

  Lena looked Qui-Gon in the eye. "Without hesitation. As I told you,

  she is like my sister. Mica longs to avenge her mother and shed the

  corruption. Perhaps more than anyone."

  Qui-Gon did not point out that Rutin and Solan were brothers. Instead

  he took a breath and let it out slowly.

  "I'm afraid that Mica may have revealed your whereabouts," he stated.

  "Or else another party has discovered them on their own."

  CHAPTER 9

  Obi-Wan entered the food galley and was only half surprised to see

  that the room was empty. Turning back down the hall, he spotted an old

  turbolift in one of the makeshift bedrooms. A second later he felt the

  building shudder. Mica was running away.

  Obi-Wan leaped into the turbolift shaft, landing gracefully on top of

  the lift just as it came to a halt. Activating his lightsaber, he sliced a

  hole in the metal and jumped down a second time. But the lift was already

  empty. He heard the echo of Mica's receding footsteps as she raced toward

  the door.

  Obi-Wan knew he should continue to follow her... doing so could

  provide information vital to the mission, and to Lena. What if Mica was out

  to hurt her cousin - what if her actions put Lena in even greater danger?

  He couldn't risk that. He had to talk to Mica. Now.

  It did not take Obi-Wan long to catch up to the girl. Grabbing her

  arm, he was struck by the anger he felt well up inside him. He was furious,

  he realized, because Mica was jeopardizing Lena's safety.

  Obi-Wan calmed himself, intending to let the anger leave him before

  speaking. But as soon as he saw Mica's face the anger disappeared. The girl

  was clearly distraught.

  "Where are you going?" Obi-Wan asked, trying not to sound too stern.

  Mica looked alarmed. "I... I was..." She blinked, her eyes glistening

  with tears. "I need to go somewhere," she finished in a whisper.

  "Not before you tell me what's going on," Obi-Wan said. He spotted

  several large crates in a corner and led her over to them. Sitting her down

  on one, he found another for himself.

  "It's time for you to tell the truth. If you truly care about Lena,

  you'll do so," he said.

  Mica looked down at her feet. She didn't say anything for several

  minutes. Then she started to talk. "The Cobral is terrible," she began.

  "They do hideous, evil things. But I do not think that Lena - or anyone

  else - is capable of bringing them down. Rutin tried, and he is dead.

  Killed by his own family. My mother was killed by the Cobral as well."

  A sob escaped Mica's throat and she wiped her eyes. "Of course I want

  to avenge her death. And I know that she is not the only one. Mine is not

  the only loss. I long to see those killers pay for their crimes. But if I

  go after them I would probably be killed, too. And so would Lena. They

  think nothing of taking life. It means nothing to them. Not even in their

  own family."

  Obi-Wan nodded. "I cannot tell you that you are wrong," he said. "But

  the Cobral has Frego caught in an evil trap of violence and crime. Lena has

  a chance to destroy that trap - and those who made it - for good. She is

  willing to take that chance."

  Mica nodded. "I know. Lena is a hero. She thinks nothing of her own

  life, only of Frego and its people. And I am nothing but a coward, guilty

  of thwarting her plan."

  Obi-Wan nodded again, surprised that he was not filled with anger for

  a second time. He knew that Mica had been deceiving Lena but he was somehow

  relieved that Mica felt guilty about her actions. "How?" he asked simply.

  "I wanted to stop the trial," Mica explained. "It was too dangerous.

  So I convinced Lena to wait until you arrived before proceeding with her

  plan. Then I broke into her apartment and erased the files. I figured that

  if the evidence was gone, Lena would have to give up. And if she gave up,

  the Cobral would leave her alone. She would be safe. Of course, I did not

  expect to find the hired thugs at her apartment."

  "Thugs?" Obi-Wan repeated.

  Mica nodded. "They were heavily armed and ransacking the place. At

  the time I thought they were just street people, thieves after the jewelry

  and precious metals. Lena and Rutin had a lot of beautiful possessions."

  She paused for a moment before going on. "But then I realized that

  they must have been searching for something."

  "Did you see what they looked like?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "No," Mica said. "They fled as soon as they heard me coming. They

  left the bedroom alone. I only caught a glimpse of their backs as they

  climbed over the balcony. I did not try to get a better look because I

  didn't want them to see me. I only know that there were two of them - both

  men. One was quite tall and lanky. The other short and bald."

  "Not much to go on," Obi-Wan mused.

  "I'm sure they were hired by the Cobral," Mica said.

  Obi-Wan felt better about Mica now that she had confided in him. But

  there was still one question that was bothering him. "I understand why you

  wanted to erase the computer files, but why did you leave that threatening

  message on the screen?"

  Mica looked up, surprised. "What message?" she asked. "I didn't send

  any message." She paused for a moment. Then, as if reading Obi-Wan's mind,

  she said, "And I didn't tell anyone where Lena was hiding, either."

  CHAPTER 10

  Lena looked at Qui-Gon in disbelief. Qui-Gon could tell she did not

  think Mica would reveal her whereabouts, but the package on the table meant

  it was likely that someone had. The strange contents were not dangerous,

  but the knowledge of Lena's whereabouts was - especially in the wrong

  hands.

  "I must speak to Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon excused himself.

  Walking slowly toward the kitchen, Qui-Gon felt exhausted. This

  routine mission was turning out to be more difficult than he'd imagined. He

  felt a strong sense of deception, but something about it continued to elude

  him. He could not tell who was being deceived, or by whom. And he did not

  understand why Lena so fiercely protected her cousin. She had obviously

  learned - the hard way - that family lines do not protect you from being

  double-crossed. Or killed.

  The food galley was empty. Following his instincts, Qui-Gon started

  down the stairs. Halfway to the ground level, Qui-Gon met Obi-Wan and a

  sullen Mica coming up the stairwell.

  "The evidence is gone," Obi-Wan blurted. "Mica erased it."

  "Erased or stole?" Qui-Gon asked, looking directly at Mica.

  "Erased!" Mica spat back defiantly. "I do not profit by the

  misfortune of others, especially Lena." Her voice softened when she spoke

  of her cousin. "I only wanted to protect her. To make all of this go away."

  Mica hung her head and shuffled her feet before the Jedi led her back up

  the stairs. She obviously knew it was time to tell Lena what she had done.

  Although she was clearly ashamed of her actions, Qui-Gon felt that

  her conscience was clear. She was not deceiving them. He felt relief in

  knowing that somebody wasn't.

  "Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon stopped his Padawan on the landing, allowing Mica

 
to go farther ahead. "We must proceed with caution. All is not as it seems

  with our witness. On this planet, lies come easier than the truth, and at a

  lower cost."

  As Obi-Wan raised his eyes to meet his Master's, Qui-Gon saw tiny

  flames of anger burn inside them, then flicker out.

  "Lena is a noble woman," Obi-Wan said evenly. "She is struggling to

  do what is right. Your doubts will not help her."

  Qui-Gon could not help but smile faintly. Obi-Wan thought Qui-Gon was

  insulting Lena, and he was upset - ready to defend her. It confirmed what

  Qui-Gon had suspected, that Obi-Wan was infatuated with Lena. He should

  have pointed it out sooner, to try and warn the boy. Most likely he would

  end up getting badly hurt.

  "You are infatuated, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "Be careful not to let

  yourself be guided by your attraction."

  "I am - " Obi-Wan shook his head and struggled to keep his voice

  under control. "It is not infatuation. Lena's motives are good."

  "The motives she has told us are good, but there may be others. Think

  of what she is giving up. She will probably never live again in the manner

  to which she was accustomed. She lost her footing with the Cobral when

  Rutin was killed and is in danger of being an outcast. Not just from the

  family, but from all of Frego. Don't you think it is possible that she is

  trying to get evidence in order to have something to bargain with?"

  Obi-Wan made no gesture to show that he understood. "There is another

  day," he said softly. "Then we shall see." He turned to walk up the stairs.

  Qui-Gon entered Lena's quarters behind his apprentice. Mica stood

  over the table staring at an empty box. The contents of the package were

  gone.

  "I told her I erased the evidence," Mica said tearfully. "But I don't

  think she even heard me."

  "Where is Lena now?" Qui-Gon asked. Obi-Wan was already headed for

  the stairs.

  "I don't know," Mica sobbed, sinking into a low couch. "She didn't

  say anything to me. She just took what was in the box and left."

  CHAPTER 11

  "Obi-Wan, wait," his Master commanded. Obi-Wan did not want to

  listen. Not now. Not while Lena was alone and in danger. But he slid to a

  stop at the top of the stairs.

  "We'll have a better chance of finding her if we have some idea where

  she might have gone," Qui-Gon said. He sat down next to Mica. "Where do you

  think she went?" he asked evenly.

  Obi-Wan remained at the top of the stairs. He knew his impatience had

  little to do with finding Lena. He was impatient with his Master, and a bit

  confused. He used to know Qui-Gon so well that at times it felt like they

  shared one mind. They both knew how the other would react to a situation,

  what his thoughts and actions would be. But this was no longer the case.

  Just when Obi-Wan believed that Qui-Gon was beyond caring about the

  mission, he had taken charge. If Qui-Gon hadn't stopped Obi-Wan, he would

  be with Lena now, and sure of her safety. Leaning against the stair

  railing, Obi-Wan let out an exasperated sigh. There was no point in

  questioning Mica.

  "Let's go, then," Qui-Gon said. He stood and strode toward the stairs

  in fluid movement. Mica, eyes still red from crying, hurried in front of

  him.

  Obi-Wan followed. He had been too lost in his own thoughts to hear

  where they were headed. Breathing deeply, he let go of his frustration and

  focused his energy on the matter at hand. Qui-Gon had no right to doubt

  Lena. He had been too distracted until now to even notice who she was, her

  real nature. But if Qui-Gon was - at least for the moment - concentrating

  on the mission, Obi-Wan could too.

  Mica was not as concerned with being seen this time as she led the

  Jedi through the streets of Rian. They left the warehouses and alleys and

  hurried into the center of the city. Over Qui-Gon's head Obi-Wan saw a

  gleaming transparent structure, like an enormous serpent that snaked its

  way overhead, between the towering buildings.

  Inside the structure Obi-Wan saw green leaves and moving forms. Water

  beaded on the inside of the rounded transparisteel walls, making it look

  like a vast, multistoried greenhouse. Although Obi-Wan could not see where

  it began or where it ended, the structure appeared to wind through the city

  for several kilometers.

  "There," an out-of-breath Mica said, pointing toward a door to the

  structure. "I think she might be in the Tubal Park."

  "I was hoping for something a bit smaller," Qui-Gon said. Obi-Wan

  could not tell if he was mildly amused or truly frustrated.

  Obi-Wan caught up to Mica as they approached the entrance. "Why would

  she come here?" he asked.

  "This park means a lot to Lena. She used to come here with Rutin, and

  she always comes here to think," Mica answered. "Or at least she used to."

  The giant oval doors opened and the three stepped inside. As the

  doors closed behind them Obi-Wan felt as if he'd stepped off a ship onto

  another planet. Inside the air was moist. The noise of the city was gone,

  replaced by the echoing sound of running water and children's voices.

  Looking up, Obi-Wan could only barely make out the seams in the roof

  beyond the tops of the towering trees. Paths crisscrossed one another,

  leading toward brightly blooming plants or meandering beside creeks and

  trickling waterfalls. People strolled over the bridges and ducked through

  the tunnels that wove under and around the dense flora. There were small

  animals winging overhead, and even smaller amphibians flopping in the

  pools.

  Obi-Wan could see why Lena would come here. It reminded him of the

  Room of a Thousand Fountains at the Jedi Temple. That, too, was a sanctuary

  and a great place to go to think.

  "Do you know her favorite spot?" Qui-Gon asked.

  Mica shook her head sadly. "I never came here with her. She only came

  alone, or with Rutin. She could be anywhere."

  "Then I suggest we split up," Qui-Gon said to Obi-Wan. "Mica can come

  with me."

  Obi-Wan nodded and headed off to his left. It would be a relief to be

  away from Qui-Gon for a while. He could use some time alone to think.

  As soon as he had walked away from his Master, Obi-Wan's mind filled

  with thoughts of Lena. All around him people were gathered in small groups.

  They ate, played, and leaned back on the grass to stare up at the leaves.

  Yet Obi-Wan was only aware of them enough to know that they were not Lena.

  Could it really be infatuation? Obi-Wan wondered. After taking

  several deep breaths and letting go of his anger and frustration, Obi-Wan

  could not deny it. As usual, Qui-Gon was right. He was falling for Lena.

  But it was not just her beauty. No, it was more than that.

  It was her strength - the strength she drew from her vulnerability-

  that had enamored him. Lena was a grieving young widow. The husband she had

  loved was only recently lost. But instead of hiding in the hole that he'd

  left, she pulled new purpose from it. She was not drowning in it, refusing

  to speak of the loss. Not like Qui-Gon.

  Obi-Wan's thoughts drifted
back to his Master. He shook his head as

  he climbed a steep bridge arching over a waterfall. Perhaps the bond

  between them was not as damaged as Obi-Wan imagined. No matter how he

  tried, Obi-Wan could not deny that Qui-Gon correctly recognized Obi-Wan's

  feelings for Lena, and before he did.

  How can he be so clear about the emotions of others when he cannot

  seem to untangle his own? Obi-Wan wondered.

  "With time," Master Yoda would say. "With time all are healed."

  Obi-Wan felt new energy flood through him as he relaxed and let go of

  everything that had been bothering him. He had been in danger of letting

  his emotions blind him. Now he felt more sure.

  Still, Obi-Wan did not believe his Master had been right about