The Master of Disguise Read online

  bother him as it would have the day before. He would get there.

  They had walked to the training site, and Soara had already left for

  the Temple. She rarely said good-bye. Anakin looked down at his tunic and

  made a face. There was a ragged tear down the side, and it was stained with

  sweat and filth. He had already gone through five tunics since he'd begun

  training with Soara.

  He started to trudge toward the lift tube that would bring him to the

  Senatorial level. From there he could take a series of connecting walkways

  to the Temple. It would be good to walk and see the morning bustle begin.

  He felt as though he had been facing nothing but a blank wall for hours.

  Anakin grinned. He had.

  Soara seemed to know every hidden corner of the seamier side of

  Coruscant. Over the past few days he'd climbed over junk heaps and through

  half-demolished buildings, crawled through tunnels, and even fought a

  battle with training droids in an airspeeder garage. He'd fallen into a vat

  of oil. That was a lesson he wouldn't forget.

  Anakin zoomed up on the turbolift with a crowd of workers. At least he

  was too tired to dwell on his disappointment that Obi-Wan had left for

  Nierport Seven without him. His Master had assured him that he was going

  only for research purposes. When and if Obi-Wan decided to pursue Granta

  Omega, he would bring his Padawan with him. Obi-Wan had promised that.

  Yet Anakin knew that Obi-Wan might run into surprises on Nierport

  Seven. He might find a clue he had to pursue immediately. He might not have

  time to send for Anakin. He could be left behind after all.

  There was nothing he could do about it, however. The turbolift doors

  opened and Anakin stepped out, carried along with the crowd for a few steps

  until he broke away. The sun was rising now, the pink rays flashing on the

  cruisers in the space lanes and the buildings surrounding him.

  He chose the least crowded walkway, the one that would bring him down

  the center of the fountains that lined one quadrant of the Senate complex.

  The coolness of the water freshened the air. He felt the droplets hit his

  skin. His weariness lifted, and he began to think about the morning meal

  ahead of him at the Temple.

  A man sat on the edge of the fountain, his face lifted toward the

  spray. Then he turned and saw Anakin and waved.

  For a moment, Anakin couldn't place him. Then he realized it was Tic

  Verdun, one of the scientists from Haariden. Verdun was now dressed in a

  cloak made of deep blue veda cloth. He looked completely different from the

  weary scientist he had met on Haariden.

  "I'm so glad to see you!" Tic said, hurrying toward Anakin. "At this

  exact moment I was thinking of you. I didn't want to be forward, but I was

  wishing I could go to the Temple and inquire about the young girl."

  "Darra will be fine," Anakin said. "The blaster bolts carried a

  chemical compound, but the medics were able to find the antidote."

  "That's good news," Tic said warmly. "I will see the others at the

  hearing, and they'll be happy to hear it, too. We've submitted our final

  report and now we have to answer questions from the committee." He sighed.

  "Too bad the expedition ended badly. We didn't get to do the experiments on

  Haariden that we hoped. We could have put a stop to that bloody civil war

  if we had."

  "How?" Anakin asked.

  "The two tribes are fighting over possible titanite deposits," Tic

  explained. "If we had found exactly where the titanite was and how much

  there was, the Senate might have been able to come up with a plan to divide

  it equally. Instead, the two tribes are fighting over something that might

  not even exist."

  "That's too bad," Anakin said.

  Tic nodded, discouraged. "The worst part of it is, there was another

  scientist on Haariden who was also conducting experiments. If we could talk

  to him, maybe he had found out more. But nobody can seem to locate him."

  "Another scientist? Who?" Anakin asked.

  "Granta Omega," Tic Verdun said. "We ran into him on Haariden."

  "You mean you know him?" Anakin asked, amazed.

  Tic nodded. "Not well. But I've met him several times." He noted the

  interest on Anakin's face. "Why do you ask?"

  "Because we're looking for him," Anakin said. "The Jedi would like to

  talk to him, too."

  "Popular fellow." Tic frowned. "You know, I'm here on Coruscant with a

  group of friends. Some of them are scientists, some involved in business.

  We're having a kind of reunion. Most of them know Omega, too. Or they've

  met him, at least. Maybe if we put our heads together, we could come up

  with a lead for you. There's a chance we could know things you don't know."

  "That wouldn't be hard," Anakin said ruefully. "We don't know much."

  "I'll talk to them and see if I can come up with anything," Tic said.

  "They would be happy to help the Jedi, I am sure."

  Anakin agreed enthusiastically. He said good-bye to Tic and hurried

  toward the Temple. He wouldn't contact Obi-Wan about this, he decided. Not

  yet. First he would compile information.

  Wouldn't it be amazing if he were to be the one to find Granta Omega?

  CHAPTER TEN

  Nierport Seven was within the Core, but its desolation reminded Obi-

  Wan of an Outer Rim planet. It was a cold, barren moon with only one small

  settlement. Nierport's meager vegetation appeared to be a wild bush with

  red thorns well over a meter long. It was said the bushes bloomed with

  beautiful violet flowers in the summer, but the summer only lasted a month.

  The rest of the year was numbingly cold and bleak. The buildings were built

  with thick blocks of stone designed to keep out the cold wind.

  Nierport Seven was one of seven moons in a small system that was

  notable only because it was a convenient refueling stop on the way to

  Coruscant. Most of the intragalactic travelers chose to refuel on the

  planet Eeropha, which at least had several small cities. But Nierport Seven

  was able to support a refueling stop of its own and a few small

  guesthouses, all serving the kind of pilots who could not afford to

  scrounge up even the low prices Eeropha charged.

  At least the moon was small, Obi-Wan told himself. The population was

  clustered around the refueling station. It did not take him long to locate

  several people who had known Granta Omega.

  That was the good news. The bad news was that no one knew very much

  about him.

  There was only one caf© on Nierport Seven, and it was next to the

  refueling station. The caf© was called Food and Drink, and the owner turned

  out to be as cut and dry as the title of his establishment.

  "Never knew him personally. Heard of him. He left." That was all the

  owner had to say.

  "Is there anyone else who would know him?" Obi-Wan asked. "Anybody who

  still lives here? He left seven years ago."

  "Most folks leave in three years," the owner said. "Can't take any

  more."

  Obi-Wan waited. He had learned this from Qui-Gon. Most beings would

  come up with additional information if you just stayed quiet.

  "Might try tha
t trio in the corner," the owner said gruffly. "They've

  stuck around. They were born here and they'll die here."

  The three natives of Nierport sat around the table. They were wearing

  grease-stained clothes that told Obi-Wan they had just finished a shift at

  the refueling station.

  Obi-Wan nodded a hello. They looked at him warily. "Jedi?" one of them

  said. "Never seen your kind here."

  Obi-Wan eyed their empty glasses. "Anyone for a refill?"

  Their empty glasses were pushed away and they looked at him hopefully.

  Obi-Wan signaled for another round. "And I'll have the same," he told the

  bartender.

  The drinks arrived. They clinked the smeared glasses.

  Obi-Wan peered at the red liquid. "What is this?"

  "Claing juice," one of the men said. "It's native to the system. We

  extract the juice from the thorns of the native bush."

  Obi-Wan took a small sip. The juice seared his lips and tongue and

  then burned like blazing fire going down. He managed not to cough, but his

  eyes streamed tears.

  The three men laughed uproariously.

  "Claing can even bring a Jedi to his knees," one of them chortled.

  "I'll say," Obi-Wan choked out.

  His streaming eyes and burning throat were worth it. He had passed a

  test. The trio decided to befriend him. He asked about Granta Omega, and

  they nodded.

  "He was a boy when he left," one said. "Went to study somewhere, I

  think. His mother Tura died two years later. He never came back to see her.

  "

  "Not even for the funeral," someone else said. "What about his father?

  " Obi-Wan asked.

  "Never knew him," the first man said. "Tura Omega showed up one day,

  got a job at the refueling station, had this three-year-old boy. Nobody

  asks questions on Nierport Seven."

  "Except for Jedi," another one said, and this caused them great

  amusement.

  "I could show you his house," the first man offered. He licked his

  lips. "I could use another claing, though." "I'll buy you one afterward,"

  Obi-Wan said.

  They walked out into the numbing cold. The ground was brittle with

  frost. They walked through the main street and then turned down a smaller

  road. It wasn't far to the outskirts of the settlement. The man pointed to

  a small house. It looked no different from the others. It was built with

  rounded walls and seemed to hunch against the wind.

  "That there is his house. A space pilot owns it now. Uses it on

  stopovers. Lots of pilots do that here. It's cheap and convenient."

  Obi-Wan peered into the window. The house was empty except for a stove

  and a bedroll. The room was small and low-ceilinged. Even with furniture it

  would look bleak. There was nothing to see here. There was nothing to

  learn. It was typical of his search for Granta Omega.

  "You said his mother worked at the refueling station?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "Did she have a good job?"

  The man laughed. "If you call hauling lubricant hoses around all day

  for no money a good job."

  "So how did she manage to send her son to study off-planet?" Obi-Wan

  wondered.

  "She had nothing to do with it," the man said. "The boy had

  brilliance. Everybody knew that. She found him a sponsor on Eeropha. He

  sent him to a scientific institute."

  "Do you know who the sponsor was?" Obi-Wan asked. "Does he still live

  on Eeropha?"

  "He lives on Coruscant now. Big fancy person now. He's the Senator

  from Eeropha. Name is Sano Sauro," the man said.

  Obi-Wan felt a chill. He knew Sano Sauro. He was once a prosecutor.

  Ten years before, Obi-Wan had to undergo an investigation into a fellow

  Padawan's death.

  Sauro had grilled him mercilessly about Bruck Chun's fall.

  Obi-Wan had since found peace about Bruck's death, but he wasn't

  looking forward to meeting up with Sauro again.

  He pressed some credits in the man's hand. "Thank you. Buy your

  friends another claing."

  The man grinned. "Sure you don't want to join us?"

  Obi-Wan winced. "I don't think I'd survive."

  The man took off. Obi-Wan looked down the street, then across the

  frozen wasteland. He could understand a boy wanting to leave this place. He

  could understand how poverty might mark him. But why Granta Omega wished

  harm on the Jedi, he still didn't know. He had a feeling that if he solved

  that mystery, he would find the man.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Anakin had expected that after his breakthrough his next practice

  session with Soara would bring him to the next level. Instead, she had him

  do more simple drills. At least this time he did not have to leave the

  Temple.

  He had to activate his lightsaber from different positions, again and

  again. He had to practice a midair thrust. He had to practice a double

  reversal. He had to practice moves he had done a thousand times before.

  Not once did Soara mention the spaces between particles, or

  concentration, or the Force. She just repeated, "Again," over and over

  until he thought he would break his lightsaber hilt in two.

  And then the session was finished. Anakin leaned over, trying to catch

  his breath. Disappointment swelled in him and he felt as though he were

  choking on it.

  After getting a glimpse of the fighter he could be, he was reduced to

  being a student again.

  He slammed his training lightsaber back in his belt. What he needed

  was something to eat and a fresh tunic. He took the long way back to his

  quarters in order to compose himself.

  The illumination banks were mimicking dusk as he passed by the lake.

  The green water looked inviting. The splash of the waterfall in the deep

  pool was tinted pink. He thought about taking a quick swim, but he was too

  hungry. Soara had kept him a long time, and he had missed the midday meal.

  He had a feeling she had kept him deliberately. She wanted him to feel

  hungry and empty. She wanted to see how far he could push himself. He hoped

  he had passed the test.

  Then he realized that his test was yet to come.

  He was tired. So tired that he almost missed the blur at the corner of

  his vision. A lightsaber had been activated and someone hurled at him from

  a tree branch above. It was another one of Soara's sudden attacks. She had

  enlisted another Padawan to surprise him

  Anakin forgot his fatigue and jumped back just in time. To his dismay,

  he saw that his attacker was Ferus Olin.

  If only it had been anyone else! Anakin didn't like to see Ferus under

  the best of circumstances. He certainly didn't want to fight him when he

  was tired and hungry.

  Soara appeared on top of the waterfall where she could watch. He knew

  he had no choice. As Ferus came at him with a somersaulting reversal,

  Anakin kicked into fight mode. She had sent the best Padawan fighter in the

  Temple against him. She wanted to see what he would do.

  He would win.

  What Soara could not know was that this time, friendship would not

  gentle him. Not with Ferus.

  Ferus was starting out slowly. He would fight smart. He would save his

  energ
y and pace himself. Anakin decided to surprise him.

  He launched an assault so fierce that he saw Ferus's eyes flare with

  astonishment. Ferus retreated fast, needing to collect himself. Anakin came

  after him, swinging his training lightsaber without pause. He almost

  touched him, but Ferus twisted away just in time, turning the movement into

  a twisting leap. He surprised Anakin by immediately swinging back a

  backward blow. Anakin ducked, feeling the whistle of air created by the

  power of Ferus's swipe.

  Ferus was tall and solid, but he was also agile. He was expert at

  using the ground.

  Unlike Tru, he used both hands equally well. The rocky terrain was

  perfect for his style.

  He jumped, spun, and leaped, keeping Anakin off guard. Now he was

  driving the battle. Anakin did not know how Ferus had regained the upper

  hand, but he wasn't happy about it. He was reacting to Ferus's moves

  instead of the other way around. What was Soara thinking?

  Anakin feinted to his left and then leaped straight ahead. To his

  dismay, Ferus dropped to the floor and rolled underneath Anakin, then

  sprang up in one smooth movement. He was behind him now. Anakin had only a