The Dangerous Rescue Page 9

  against the giant filter. Already Qui-Gon had reached for his vibrocutter.

  He and Adi went to work as their Padawans hung on to the grates.

  Quickly, they sliced a hole in the filters and motioned their

  Padawans through first. Immediately after entering the pipe, they were

  sucked along by the action of the water, bumping on the sides of the pipe,

  turning and tumbling until Qui-Gon did not know which way was up. His

  shoulder wound cried out at the twisting motion. By the time he spilled out

  into a giant tank, he was overcome with dizziness.

  He felt Obi-Wan touch his shoulder. His Padawan had noticed his

  distress. Qui-Gon nodded to let Obi-Wan know he was all right even as he

  fought his queasiness.

  They quickly swam to the side of the tank and swung themselves up and

  over the side. They were in a large viaduct made of stone. Banks of

  equipment surrounded the tank. Further on the water was treated, but here,

  machines took random samplings of its quality.

  Adi pointed to a tech console nearby. While Adi, Obi-Wan, and Siri

  kept watch, Qui-Gon pressed buttons and levers until a long panel slid

  open. A storage unit held vials of water samples, labeled by date.

  "We'll never get out the same way," Qui-Gon said to Adi as he tucked

  the samples into his tunic. "We'll have to find some tech jackets and pose

  as workers."

  She nodded. "There's got to be a supply closet."

  Suddenly, a red light on the console pulsed. A few seconds later,

  they heard the sound of approaching droids. "I think it's time to leave,"

  Qui-Gon said, reaching for his lightsaber. "Let's do this quickly, before

  the Belascan guards arrive."

  The guard droids wheeled around the corner, blasters held high. The

  Jedi charged as one spinning block, lightsabers in constant motion. Qui-Gon

  took out two droids with one stroke. Adi flipped over the group and

  attacked from behind. Siri went down on one knee and came up with a mighty

  swing that knocked one droid over and cut the other in two. Obi-Wan went

  for the droids on Qui-Gon's left side, slicing the top off of one droid and

  burying his lightsaber in the control panel of the other.

  In just seconds, it was over.

  "Belascan guards will be here soon," Qui-Gon said, breathing heavily.

  "Never mind getting out quietly. Let's just get out."

  Together, he and Adi cut a hole in the durasteel exit door with their

  lightsabers. A siren began to clang. With the noise ringing in their ears,

  the Jedi leaped through the hole in the door and raced for the high fence.

  Qui-Gon reached out for the Force. He needed it desperately if he

  were to make it over that fence. He heard blaster fire ping near his ear.

  Obi-Wan and Siri sailed over the fence, clearing it by several centimeters.

  He saw that Adi had slowed her pace to make sure that he would be able to

  clear it.

  With a mighty effort, Qui-Gon forced his tired muscles to cooperate.

  His feeling of the Force surged, helping his leap. Still, he slammed

  against the top of the fence and had to haul himself over by hand. Out of

  the corner of his eye, he saw Adi sail over.

  Qui-Gon landed heavily and a little off balance. He raced for the

  treeline. He ignored the blaster fire behind him, counting on Adi to

  expertly divert any fire that came too close.

  He reached the safety of the trees and glanced back. "They are not

  following. They don't have to. They know who we are."

  Adi tucked her lightsaber back into her belt. "It won't take long

  before Min K'atel orders us off the planet. I think we just wore out our

  welcome."

  CHAPTER 18

  Qui-Gon leaned against the trunk of a tree, his eyes closed, as Adi

  ran the samples through an analyzer and then sent the data to Tahl.

  Obi-Wan approached him and sat down gingerly. He knew that Qui-Gon

  did not want him to speak. But he was worried.

  "You have not regained your strength, Master," he said quietly. "Are

  you sure that - " He stopped. Qui-Gon had opened one eye. That was enough

  to stop his voice in his throat.

  "Winna Di Uni told me it would take time," Qui-Gon said. "It is doing

  so." He closed his eyes. "Do not worry, Padawan. This will be over soon.

  Then I will rest."

  Obi-Wan nodded, even though Qui-Gon did not see him. He had observed

  his Master tired and in pain before, but never so diminished. It was a

  strange feeling. If Qui-Gon could weaken, any Jedi was vulnerable.

  Adi's comlink signaled, and she quickly pressed the holo function.

  Tahl appeared.

  "The bacteria have been bioengineered," she said without any

  preliminaries. "It has been cleverly done. The measures taken to restrain

  it actually caused it to grow."

  Qui-Gon sat up, alert. "Can you tell the scientists here how to

  control it?"

  "They already know," Tahl said. "A scientific research company on

  Belasco announced a discovery just a few hours ago. They now know how to

  neutralize the bacteria. They also have found a way to treat those who are

  already sick. They will make a fortune."

  "A fortune," Obi-Wan repeated softly. "And a piece of a fortune was

  offered to Ona Nobis if she came back."

  Adi leaned toward Tahl. "Can you trace the company back to - "

  "Zan Arbor Industries? I already have," Tahl said.

  Siri slapped a hand on her leg. "We've got her." "Now we have to find

  her," Adi said.

  "I'll be standing by," Tahl said, and her image faded.

  Qui-Gon stood. "Let's head back to the royal grounds. I'm certain the

  answer is there."

  The sun was lowering as the Jedi hurried through back streets toward

  the palace gates.

  Streams of Belascan citizens were heading there as well. They

  realized quickly that news had spread about the discovery. The people were

  gathering to celebrate. They would have plenty of cover.

  And so would Ona Nobis.

  They moved through the crowd on the palace lawns, searching for

  Astri.

  "I don't see her anywhere," Qui-Gon said. "She's supposed to be

  keeping an eye on Uta S'orn."

  "There she is," Obi-Wan said, pointing. "She's wearing a medic aide

  coverall."

  Dressed in white, Astri wheeled a young boy through the garden. She

  bent down to pull a blanket over his lap.

  "It's good cover," Qui-Gon said. "But what about Cholly, Weez, and

  Tup?"

  Tup burst out of one of the Med Wards at the head of a group of

  children, juggling three bright laserballs. Weez followed.

  "At least they are staying out of trouble," Qui-Gon said.

  Astri caught sight of them and hurried over, her face alight.

  "Have you heard the news? A cure has been found!"

  "We've heard," Adi said. "But we still have a problem."

  "I've been keeping track of Uta S'orn," Astri said. "I haven't seen

  anything suspicious. She's out in the open all the time. She's devoting

  herself to the children. She does everything, even helps with food service.

  "

  Qui-Gon tensed. "Do you have access to the palace kitchens?" he asked

  Astri.

  Astri nodded. "Food delivery
is one place that they are shorthanded.

  Everyone can pitch in and help."

  "Do you think it's possible to track the meals that leave the

  kitchens? Can you count the meal trays?"

  "Yes," Astri said. "Cholly has been helping to prepare the trays."

  "How are the meals delivered?" Adi asked.

  "Through the tunnels, mostly," Astri said. "They were built about a

  century ago, during a war with a neighboring planet. It's the fastest way

  to get from the kitchens to the ward areas. They built the domes over the

  old entrances in the gardens, just for that reason."

  "When is the next meal?" Qui-Gon asked. Astri checked her timepiece.

  "Cholly should be preparing the trays right now."

  "Good," Qui-Gon said. "Obi-Wan, Siri, I want you to go with Astri to

  the kitchens. Compare the number of food trays with the number of sick

  children. If there are more trays than children, follow Uta S'orn. Make

  sure she does not see you! Note where she delivers the trays. If Ona Nobis

  and Zan Arbor are on the grounds, they have to eat."

  Qui-Gon fixed Obi-Wan and Siri with his most serious glare. "If you

  see, or even sense, that Ona Nobis is near, do not engage with her. Come

  back for Adi and myself."

  Obi-Wan and Siri agreed and followed Astri to the palace kitchen. It

  was an enormous room filled with food stations and storage. Obi-Wan and

  Siri waited in the dim hallway while Astri went inside.

  Cholly was busy setting up trays with bowls of stew, bread, and a

  fruit tart. Other workers milled about, dishing up the stew and pushing the

  trays forward in a line to be loaded onto carts.

  Swiftly, Astri ran her eyes down the rows of trays, counting. She

  slipped outside to the hall.

  "There are sixty-four trays," she said. "Two extra. Qui-Gon was

  right. Now we have to wait for Uta S'orn."

  Moments later, the other workers began to fill the kitchen. They each

  took a cart and slid trays inside the warming element. Uta S'orn arrived

  and quickly worked to fill her own cart.

  "I'll take Ward Five, as usual," she said.

  She rolled the cart out into the hallway and headed for the tunnel.

  Obi-Wan and Siri pressed back against the wall. They moved silently behind

  Uta S'orn, keeping as close as they dared through the twisting maze.

  Uta S'orn delivered the meals to Ward Five first. They watched as she

  ascended the ramp into the ward. When she returned, she still had two trays

  on her cart. She made a sudden turn and came straight toward them.

  Obi-Wan and Siri threw themselves back into a side tunnel. They

  flattened themselves against a wall and tried not to breathe. If Uta S'orn

  came down this way, they would be discovered.

  They were lucky. She turned down an opposite tunnel. After a moment,

  they followed cautiously. The tunnel narrowed as it turned sharply to the

  left. Obi-Wan had been careful to keep track of how they were moving. He

  knew that they had turned away from the main wing of the palace and the

  wards and were heading toward Uta S'orn's private quarters.

  Suddenly, they heard the cart stop. Obi-Wan crept forward. He peered

  around the corner long enough to see Uta S'orn place the trays on the

  floor. Then she turned toward him.

  He ducked back and motioned to Siri. The two ran lightly down the

  tunnel, hearing S'orn behind them. She could not move as fast due to the

  cart. They reached the main tunnel and Obi-Wan headed left, guessing she

  was on her way back to the palace kitchens.

  After a few moments Uta S'orn emerged and took the route Obi-Wan had

  predicted. Obi-Wan and Siri headed back the way they had come. They waited

  at the curve of the tunnel.

  "What if Ona Nobis comes from behind us?" Siri whispered.

  "We run," Obi-Wan whispered back.

  To Obi-Wan's surprise, a small vent in the ceiling over the food

  trays opened. Ona Nobis slithered through, her Sorrusian skeletal system

  compressing to allow her to fit through the tiny space.

  Siri's hand went to her lightsaber. She began to draw it out. In a

  swift move, Obi-Wan put his hand on her wrist to stop her. She glared at

  him, but he did not let go.

  Ona Nobis picked up the sweet fruit tart from one tray and popped it

  in her mouth. Quickly, she gobbled up the second tart, then wiped her

  fingers delicately on her tunic.

  "Sneak," Siri whispered in Obi-Wan's ear.

  Ona Nobis pushed the food trays through the vent overhead. Then she

  hoisted herself up and through.

  "We should have attacked," Siri whispered fiercely after Nobis

  disappeared.

  "Siri, Qui-Gon told us not to," Obi-Wan said irritably.

  "But we were so close! And she didn't have her whip," Siri argued.

  Her blue eyes glinted a challenge in the darkness of the tunnel, and she

  thrust her chin at Obi-Wan. "Or were you afraid to meet her again?"

  CHAPTER 19

  Adi and Qui-Gon listened to Siri and Obi-Wan's story. Adi gave a

  satisfied nod.

  "They're here. That means that Noor is here as well." Adi glanced at

  Qui-Gon. "We have enough to speak to the Leader. We must take the risk."

  "I agree," Qui-Gon said. "If we are lucky, we will avoid a battle.

  Whether Uta S'orn is being forced to hide Zan Arbor or not, he must be

  told."

  Around them, preparations for a celebration had begun. The Leader had

  decided to throw a grand party for the city of Senta. More and more of the

  population streamed into the royal grounds. The gardens glowed with candles

  and lights. Musicians were beginning to set up near the flower garden.

  Servants, officials, and townspeople milled about on the lawns, fragrant

  with evening dew.

  Min K'atel sat, beaming, with his wife. Their daughter sat between

  them, wrapped in a warm quilt. Uta S'orn sat to their right. As the Jedi

  walked toward him, Min K'atel's wide smile faded and he fixed them with a

  stony glance.

  "I have received a report that saboteurs broke into the water

  purification center, no doubt to reintroduce more deadly bacteria," he

  said. "My security chief tells me these saboteurs were Jedi. Either you are

  impersonating Jedi, or everything I know of your order is wrong. Which is

  it?"

  The Leader gave a signal, and the gleaming guard droids appeared,

  flanking the group of Jedi.

  "We are neither saboteurs nor impersonators," Adi said in her strong,

  commanding voice. "We are Jedi Knights, come to find one of our own and to

  investigate your troubles."

  "We do not need your help," Min K'atel said haughtily.

  "But you need to know what we discovered," Qui-Gon said. "The

  bacteria in your water supply was deliberately introduced."

  "You are strangers here," Min K'atel replied stonily. "You do not

  know that on Belasco, this bacteria arrives every seven years."

  "We do know this," Qui-Gon said. "As did the person who bioengineered

  the bacteria to reproduce. She knew that you would not suspect that it was

  artificially introduced into your system because it was something you had

  seen before. But this bacteria was different. It was meant to multiply in

  respon
se to the attempt to contain it."

  Min K'atel stared at them. "And who would do this thing, and why?"

  "Someone who stood to profit by eliminating it," Adi replied. "A

  brilliant scientist named Jenna Zan Arbor. She is behind the scientific

  group who will cure it, and she will make a fortune, enough to help her

  escape justice and remain a fugitive."

  "She is not Belascan," Min K'atel guessed. "How could she do such a