The Threat Within Read online

  The Freelies grew completely silent as Tray's words sank in.

  "What?" Grath said. "What did you say?"

  Tray's eyes were full of tears. "The Multycorp annex is going to

  explode," she repeated. "We thought it would be empty. There were no

  meetings on the roster."

  Obi-Wan reached for his comlink. If he could tell Qui-Gon what was

  happening, they might be able to stop the explosion. But before he could

  even attempt to make a transmission Tray was shaking her head.

  Obi-Wan tried the comlink, but there was only interference and

  static.

  "It won't work anymore," she said woodenly. "We've scrambled

  communication." She pointed to her timepiece. "We're too late."

  Tray leaped to her feet. "We have to stop the explosion!" she

  shouted. "Come on!"

  Leading the way, Tray rushed out to the maintenance shuttle and

  climbed into the cockpit seat. For a moment, Nania looked as though she

  might try to take the controls from her, but she changed her mind. Tray

  needed something to do.

  Unfortunately, Tray was not much of a pilot. If a ride with Nania was

  an adventure, a ride with Tray was a hazard. The shuttle lurched and

  bounced, tossing the other Freelies around in the back.

  As he slammed into his seat, Obi-Wan tried to clear his mind. He

  wanted to send Qui-Gon a warning about the explosion. But there was so much

  anxiety and commotion in the shuttle it was difficult to concentrate. He

  closed his eyes and shut out all of the noise and emotion. Gathering the

  Force around him, he sent a warning to Qui-Gon. Get everyone out of the

  Multycorp annex, he told him. Now.

  Obi-Wan opened his eyes to find Grath staring at him. "I hope

  whatever you just did works," the boy said in a shaky voice. "If anything

  happens to my father because of me, because of what I've done...." he

  trailed off, suddenly at a loss for words.

  Obi-Wan tried to reassure Grath. "We're doing all we can. We mustn't

  lose hope," he said.

  But Obi-Wan himself had a foreboding feeling. They might be too late.

  "It's all my fault," Grath went on. "I started to change the pranks.

  I wanted to get their attention. To make them see..." Grath's eyes filled

  with tears as he stared out of the shuttle portal. "And now my father, the

  leader of the planet, is in danger."

  "It's not your fault, Grath," Tray piped up, her voice wavering.

  "It's mine." She made a sharp turn and the shuttle banked to the left.

  There was a groan from a few Freelies who were thrown against the shuttle

  wall.

  "I convinced Flip that the pranks should become violent. I told him

  you would respect him for taking the next step, that you would be proud....

  " Tray took a hand off the controls to wipe her eyes, sending the shuttle

  into a nosedive. It skidded against the ground before Tray righted it

  again.

  "And he believed me," she said with a sob. "He believed every word I

  said."

  Finally the shuttle rounded a corner and the Multycorp annex came

  into view. Obi-Wan let out a huge sigh of relief. It was still standing.

  But before the shuttle got close enough for anyone to shout a

  warning, a huge explosion rocked the workspace. Chunks of metal, cement,

  and other debris shot into the air as the front of the Multycorp annex

  exploded, collapsing in on itself.

  "No!" Grath screamed, covering his face with his hands. Nania stared

  ahead, too shocked to speak. Tray slumped over the shuttle's controls. Obi-

  Wan scanned the area through the view-screen, waiting for the dust to

  clear. Did Qui-Gon get his message? Did the Vorzydiaks get out in time?

  Obi-Wan sensed that his Master was nearby, but could not tell if he was all

  right.

  Obi-Wan immediately saw a group of people. Some were crouched, others

  lay on the ground amid the rubble. There was not much movement.

  Forcing open the shuttle door, Obi-Wan raced toward them. He

  desperately hoped that he was not running toward a scene of death.

  CHAPTER 21

  The explosion site was in chaos. Vorzydiak laborers and retirees were

  everywhere, lying on the ground, droning, and nursing injuries. All of them

  were in shock. Obi-Wan followed Grath and Tray as the Vorzydiaks searched

  the crowd for their families.

  At last Obi-Wan spotted Qui-Gon's brown robe. His Master was kneeling

  beside a body on the ground. Next to him was Chairman Port.

  "Father!" Grath shouted and sprinted ahead.

  Chairman Port turned. His face was singed. With one hand he protected

  the injured arm that hung awkwardly at his side. Being careful not to hurt

  his broken arm, Grath stepped close to his father. They did not speak but

  instead embraced using their antennae, letting their feelers entwine,

  assuring each other that they were going to be all right.

  Obi-Wan hurried toward Qui-Gon. He was relieved to see his Master was

  not injured, but the Jedi did not embrace. The look on Qui-Gon's face

  stopped Obi-Wan in his tracks. Tray's grandmother was the figure on the

  ground. Her eyes were closed and there was blood on her face.

  Tray dropped to her knees beside her grandmother, unable to speak.

  "She's going to be fine," Qui-Gon said softly. "She was hit on the

  head by a small piece of falling debris on her way out of the building."

  The old woman's eyes fluttered open and she reached out for her

  granddaughter. Tray took her hand, but her face remained a mask of horror.

  Obi-Wan knew she was blaming herself.

  Qui-Gon put his hand on Tray's shoulder. "Your grandmother is a brave

  woman."

  Tray looked gratefully at Qui-Gon through tear-filled eyes. He

  returned her gaze reassuringly before turning to Obi-Wan.

  "Thanks to your warning almost everyone was able to get out of the

  building in time."

  "Almost everyone?" Obi-Wan asked. Qui-Gon did not need to say

  anything else. Obi-Wan knew who had been left inside. "Flip," he said

  quietly, not wanting to upset Tray further. But she overheard.

  "No!" Tray sobbed. "No, not Flip. We've got to find him. We've got to

  get him out."

  Obi-Wan nodded solemnly. Of course they needed to find Flip. He only

  hoped they would find him alive.

  Grath shouted and waved the growing group of Freelies to the corner

  of what had been the front of the Multycorp annex.

  "There's a sound coming from the basement," he explained. "We have to

  get in there."

  The team of laborers had searched the rubble for only a few minutes

  before they first heard the soft pinging. It could have been a piece of

  machinery still trying to operate. It could have been a wild creature. Or

  it could have been Flip.

  A dozen large laborers gathered together and pushed with all of their

  strength on a heavy beam that blocked access to the basement level. It

  didn't move.

  "Lift together," Grath shouted. "On three."

  Several of the laborers looked skeptically at the young Freelies. But

  they made room for them around the beam.

  "One, two, three," Grath counted. Working together, the group lifted

  the beam, easily sliding
it over until they'd created an opening about a

  meter wide.

  "Brace the side," Grath shouted.

  The opening wasn't much, but it was big enough for Obi-Wan to squeeze

  through. "Hurry, Obi-Wan," Grath urged as the young

  Jedi began to lower himself into the darkened basement. He didn't

  need to ask twice. Obi-Wan knew that the remains of the Multycorp annex

  were unstable at best. Even with the beam braced over the entrance, the

  chance of a collapse was great. And if Flip was still alive his time could

  be limited.

  Obi-Wan paused a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. He

  listened for the pinging. It seemed to be coming from a spot ahead of him

  and to the left. It was getting less frequent.

  Suddenly dirt and pebbles poured down onto Obi-Wan's head.

  "Look out," called a voice above him. "I'm coming with you."

  The light from the opening was blocked for a moment. Then Tray

  dropped down beside Obi-Wan.

  "The noise is coming from over there," Obi-Wan pointed. He started to

  lead the way but Tray rushed past him.

  "Flip?" she yelled. "Flip? Hang on, we're coming." The Vorzydiak girl

  ducked around a large piece of machinery. She moved quickly and easily in

  the cramped quarters and disappeared from view. But Obi-Wan could still

  hear her calling to her friend.

  "Flip? Flip!" Tray's exclamation left no doubt that she had found the

  boy. Obi-Wan pushed past a pile of rubble to join them.

  "Flip," Tray repeated more quietly. Together Obi-Wan and Tray heaved

  the piece of durasteel bracing that pinned Flip to the floor off his chest.

  Dropping down beside him, Tray took the boy's hand. She loosened his grip

  on the scrap of durasteel he'd been pounding on the brace as a distress

  signal.

  Except for a large bruise on his forehead, Flip appeared to be okay.

  But even though the brace was no longer holding him down, he couldn't get

  up. Watching him struggle to get enough air to speak, Obi-Wan realized that

  he was in bad shape. Flip coughed and winced in pain.

  "Lie down," Obi-Wan instructed. "Don't try to move or speak. Then he

  turned to Tray. "Stay with him while I get the medics."

  As Obi-Wan made his way back to the basement opening he heard Tray

  speaking softly.

  "I'm so sorry," she whispered. A sob caught in her throat. "I was

  wrong."

  CHAPTER 22

  Tray stood as close as she could to the gravstretcher as Flip was

  slowly maneuvered out of the basement. Grath fidgeted nervously as they

  emerged. It was obvious to Qui-Gon that the boy wanted to talk to Flip, but

  that something was holding him back.

  Qui-Gon glanced at his Padawan, mentally urging him to coax Grath

  forward. But Obi-Wan was already approaching the Freelie leader. Qui-Gon

  could not hear what Obi-Wan spoke into Grath's ear, but whatever it was

  gave him the courage to take a few steps toward the wounded boy.

  Grath put his hand over Flip's and bent close to his face, speaking

  quietly. Although Flip could not respond, the look in his eyes said that

  all was forgiven. Grath and the younger boy touched their antennae together

  briefly. Then Flip's antennae drooped across his face, and his body went

  still. Flip was gone.

  "No!" Tray sobbed. She leaned over Flip's body, laying her head on

  his chest. "No," she whispered. "Not you."

  Grath put a comforting hand on Tray's back. "It's not your fault,

  Tray," he said softly. "Flip was his own person, and made his own choices.

  We were all doing what we thought needed to be done."

  Tray looked up at Grath gratefully, her large eyes full of tears.

  Then she dropped her head. "But our way was not the right one," she said.

  "I do not think so, either," Grath said. "But now we are on another

  path. The path to peace."

  Tray nodded slowly. Qui-Gon sensed that over time she would come to

  terms with Flip's death. But it would not happen quickly.

  Grath gazed down at Flip's lifeless body, then leaned over and

  briefly said good-bye. Tray did the same, then several other Freelies. The

  medics covered Flip with a heavy gray cloth and loaded the gravstretcher

  into the transport.

  Grath, Tray, and Obi-Wan stood silently together as the transport

  took off. Slowly more Freelies gathered around the trio, twining their arms

  and droning. The sound was soft at first, then grew louder and more

  intense. It was full of pain and sorrow. The young group had been through a

  lot, and would now need to cope with a death among them. It would not be

  easy, Qui-Gon knew. And there was still much work and challenge to come.

  When the last of the injured Vorzydiaks had been taken to med units

  and the dust had finally settled, there was a moment of calm. But soon the

  moment of peace was over.

  A large Vorzydiak laborer pointed an angry finger at the Freelies.

  "Look at what you've done," he said, gesturing toward the rubble. "How can

  we work?"

  "Have you no respect?" asked another angry laborer, shouting at the

  Freelies. "Have we taught you nothing?"

  "You've taught us plenty," answered a voice from the cluster of

  Freelies. "You've taught us that work is all you care about. And that this

  is what we have to do to get your attention."

  Very quickly the scene erupted into a giant shouting match between

  the Freelies and the laborers. Qui-Gon watched from the sidelines beside a

  handful of retirees. The argument was going nowhere, each side convinced

  that the other was at fault. Qui-Gon was about to take a step forward when

  Obi-Wan separated himself from the Freelies and moved to stand between the

  two groups.

  "It is useless to lay blame," he said in a commanding voice. "I think

  you can all agree that the damage has been done." Obi-Wan spoke slowly and

  calmly, looking into the faces of laborers and Freelies alike. Qui-Gon felt

  a wave of pride well up within him. When had Obi-Wan become so wise?

  "You must work together to heal the wounds that have shown themselves

  today." Obi-Wan directed his plea toward the laborers. But in spite of the

  truth in Obi-Wan's words, Qui-Gon could tell the adult Vorzydiaks were not

  convinced.

  "My Padawan is right," Qui-Gon said as he joined Obi-Wan in the space

  between the factions. "The generations have much to offer one another." He

  placed an arm around Obi-Wan's shoulder. "In time you may understand that

  there is more to life than work and productivity. You do not have to agree

  all of the time, but if you take time to listen, to learn from one another,

  the work you do together will become infinitely more rewarding."

  The words resonated within Qui-Gon as he spoke them. He hoped Obi-Wan

  understood that he was not just speaking about the Vorzydiaks. He was

  talking about the two of them. How much they taught each other. How happy

  it made them to work together, to depend on each other, to know that they

  would always be there for each other, even when they did not agree.

  With a glance at his apprentice he saw that Obi-Wan understood. The

  two Jedi did not need antennae to communicate emotions. Their bond was


  strong.

  Qui-Gon's words reached some of the Vorzydiaks, too. But many

  remained unconvinced.

  "Who are you to tell us what to do?" one of the laborers asked Qui-

  Gon and Obi-Wan angrily.

  Chairman Port struggled to the front of the crowd and Grath rushed to

  help him. "You are right," Port said to the angry Vorzydiak. "The Jedi are

  not the ones who should solve our problems. Together we have created this

  disaster." He leaned heavily on his son. "And together we must work to

  resolve it."