by Jude Watson
Qui-Gon knew the child wasn't safe - why else would the parents be so afraid? But he held his tongue. He and Adi Gallia needed to work as a team.
Adi went on thoughtfully. "Our mission is also to demonstrate to Kegan the benefits of joining the galactic alliance. We are promoting peace. All I am saying is that we must tread carefully."
"We are telling each other things we already know," Qui-Gon said restlessly. "Let's raise Obi-Wan and Siri on their comlinks."
He activated his comlink, but Obi-Wan did not answer. Adi did the same with hers, but there was no answer from Siri, either.
"Perhaps they're in a situation where it is better not to answer," Adi suggested. "We told them to mingle with the native population and not advertise that they were Jedi."
"True," Qui-Gon agreed. "Let's try again later. In the meantime, searching for them will give us a good cover to look for O-Lana. Let's head for the Med Circle
."
They roamed through the various clinics, looking into nurseries and care centers. No one stopped them. In their rough tunics with their lightsabers hidden, they could pass for native Keganites.
"If we could access their records..." Qui-Gon murmured to Adi.
"That would involve violating their security," she said with a shake of her head. "A serious breach of conduct."
"But it's the only way," Qui-Gon argued. "Obviously they've hidden the child."
"We should keep searching," Adi said firmly.
Qui-Gon had a hard time suppressing his frustration. Cooperation among Jedi was a given. It was how they were raised to interact. But what happened when they disagreed?
"For a little longer," he said.
She arched an eyebrow at him. Tall and forbidding, with dark golden skin and blue facial markings, Adi Gallia was known to subdue a boisterous group of young students with just a glance. Qui-Gon was not as easily intimidated.
"There you are!" They heard O-Rina's chirping tone behind them. "Have you found your young aides? Strange that you are looking in the Med Circle
."
"Young Jedi are interested in all facets of society," Adi answered, composed.
"And how is the search for O-Lana?" Qui-Gon asked. "Strange that three people have disappeared in one morning."
"We have put another team on the problem," V-Haad said quickly. "O-Vieve and V-Tan thought it best."
"Perhaps we should speak with your Benevolent Guides," Qui-Gon said. "We would like permission to search the records of Kegan."
V-Haad was already shaking his head. "We would do anything for the Jedi. But appointments with V-Tan and O-Vieve must be requested weeks in advance. They are very busy."
"But you said they just saw you," Adi pointed out.
"This is true," O-Rina said, her ruddy cheeks deepening in color. "We are high-level Guides, you see."
"I think you will find that they will see us," Qui-Gon said firmly. "Shall we go together, or will you point the way?"
His tone told them he would not take no for an answer. O-Rina and V-Haad nodded reluctantly. "Of course, we are at the Jedi's service ..."
Qui-Gon echoed the blank smile of the Guides. "Then lead on."
"I still can't feel my legs," Siri whispered. Obi-Wan could hear the fear in her voice.
"It will wear off," he assured her. "But it will take a few hours."
They had been traveling for some time. The city had been left behind. From his position on the floor of the speeder, Obi-Wan could see a glimpse of sky. He had seen no other speeders around them for kilometers now, just the top branches of the trees, dancing in a brisk breeze. The temperature was dropping; perhaps they were heading to a higher altitude.
At last the engines thrummed to a lower speed and they stopped. The door next to Obi-Wan opened and he was dragged out roughly. His legs were too unsteady to hold him and he was dumped on the ground. Siri was dumped next to him.
"I thought children were revered on Kegan," Obi-Wan said, his cheek in the dirt.
A boot was suddenly placed on his head. His face was pushed farther into the dirt. "No back talk. You know very well that truancy is a criminal act on Kegan. You're old enough to be punished for it."
"But we're not Keganites!" Siri protested.
"I've heard all the excuses. Shut your mouth."
"We're from another world. We're visitors," Siri insisted furiously. "Take your boot off my friend's head."
The boot was removed from Obi-Wan's head and landed on Siri's shoulder. "Sure," the man said.
Enough, Obi-Wan thought. He struggled to rise, but the electro-jabber had done its work. He knew he wouldn't regain full use of his arms and legs for several more hours. It would be impossible to use his lightsaber effectively until then. Besides, he'd been instructed not to show Keganites that he was a Jedi. Obi-Wan tried to roll closer to Siri but couldn't move. He watched helplessly as the boot increased pressure on Siri's shoulder, driving her face into the dirt.
"What did I say about back talk?" the man asked again.
Siri gritted her teeth. Her vivid blue eyes blazed. She spat out the dirt in her mouth. Still, she didn't answer.
"V-Tarz!" A voice boomed from behind them. Instantly, V-Tarz took his boot off Siri's shoulder.
Obi-Wan saw another man approach, wearing the same navy chromasheath tunic as V-Tarz.
"Why are these students on the ground?" the second man demanded.
"Resisting capture," V-Tarz responded.
"No need to use physical force," the other man said. "We've discussed this before. The Learning works with love, not fear. Take them to class."
Obi-Wan was hauled to his feet. He locked his knees so that he would not fall. Siri did the same.
"But we're not Keganites," Obi-Wan protested to the second guard, who seemed more friendly. "We're visitors."
The second guard's dark gaze flicked over Obi-Wan and Siri. "No one visits Kegan. Three marks for lying." He turned away. "Take them to class."
V-Tarz nudged them with the handle end of his electro-jabber. "You heard V-Brose. Get moving."
"Let's make a break for it," Siri murmured to Obi-Wan as they stumbled across the yard, their muscles like pudding.
"Are you kidding? We wouldn't last five meters," Obi-Wan whispered through his teeth. "We have to wait until the effect of the electro-jabber wears off. We'll figure out where we are and contact Qui-Gon and Adi Gallia."
"Just let me at V-Tarz before we get out of here," Siri muttered.
"That does not sound like a Jedi," Obi-Wan said disapprovingly. "V-Tarz is not our enemy, merely an obstacle to our mission."
"That obstacle just ground the faces of two helpless young people into the dirt," Siri responded. "Just what do you require in an enemy, Obi-Wan?"
Their conversation stopped abruptly as V-Tarz pushed them against a wall. Rough hands reached under Obi-Wan's travel cloak. V-Tarz brought out Obi-Wan's lightsaber and examined it.
"What is this?"
Obi-Wan tensed. He could not lose his lightsaber without a fight, no matter how weak he was.
"It's just a hand-warming device," Siri said.
V-Tarz shoved it back in Obi-Wan's belt. "Then I don't need it. What's this...?"
He'd found Obi-Wan's comlink. He pulled it out of its pouch, then grabbed Siri's.
"You won't be needing these," V-Tarz said, holding them up. "They look new," he said, examining them. "Your parents must work in the Comm Circle in order to have comlinks like these."
He stuck them in his pocket, a delighted smile on his face. Obi-Wan was afraid he'd take their electrobinoculars next.
"For the last time, slab-brain, we're not Keganites," Siri snapped.
V-Tarz raised the electro-jabber. Obi-Wan tensed. Another blow could put Siri out of commission for a very long time.
A carved bust of a serene-looking woman sat on a high shelf over them. Obi-Wan called on the Force. The bust rocketed to the edge of the shelf and flew off. It missed V-Tarz by millimeters and crashed to the flo
or, sending chips of marble everywhere. V-Tarz stared down at it in disbelief.
A door near them opened. A Keganite woman stuck her head in. Her hair was pulled back behind her ears in a severe style, and she wore a plain brown tunic over black trousers.
"V-Tarz! What's going on? I'm trying to conduct a class." Her gaze traveled over the broken bust. "You smashed O-Vieve!"
"It fell, O-Bin," V-Tarz said. "An unfortunate accident. But here are two students for you. Keep your excellent eye on them - they're troublemakers."
O-Bin cast a cool gaze over Siri and Obi-Wan. Then she smiled. Obi-Wan felt a chill move through him. The smile was eerily similar to O-Rina's and V-Haad's.
"There are no troublemakers in The Learning," O-Bin said. "Come."
Glad to get away from V-Tarz, Obi-Wan and Siri followed the teacher through the durasteel door into the classroom. The door clanged shut behind them and an automatic lock snapped shut. Students dressed in gray tunics sat on long benches that ran the width of the room, row after row. Small data screens rose from the floor in front of each of them at eye-level. The students sat erect, hands at their sides. Only their eyes moved as they examined Obi-Wan and Siri.
"I'm afraid there's been a mistake," Siri said to O-Bin. "We aren't Keganites. We're..."
Obi-Wan heard a few titters from the class. A slight, sandy-haired boy with hair that brushed his shoulders gave him a sympathetic look, then quickly looked down at his data screen. O-Bin swiveled and fixed her smiling gaze on row after row. The room went still.
"Sit," she told Siri and Obi-Wan.
"But we are not -" Obi-Wan began.
"Sit." The smile didn't waver. "Put on the robes for The Learning." She handed them two gray tunics.
Obi-Wan and Siri exchanged glances. Should they continue to resist, or give in for now? Mindful of Qui-Gon's orders, Obi-Wan slipped into the tunic. Siri did the same.
The same slender boy moved over to make room for them. Obi-Wan and Siri sat. Immediately two data screens rose in front of them.
The teacher looked at them, her fingers poised over her datapad. "Names, please."
"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Obi-Wan said. "Of Coruscant."
"Three marks for lying," O-Bin said, smiling. "One mark for not giving your full name."
"That is my full name!" Obi-Wan protested.
"Three more marks for lying," O-Bin said. "I see you already have three. That makes ... ten marks. Class?"
"Marks reveal the Inner Guide's confusion," the class chanted in unison.
"V-Obi is confused," the teacher said, nodding. "His Inner Guide is cloudy. It is up to all of you to bring him to his contribution to the General Good."
The class nodded solemnly.
"Have we landed on Weird World?" Siri whispered to Obi-Wan.
"Two marks for talking, and what is your name?" The teacher turned to Siri.
"Siri--"
"One mark for not giving your full name, O-Siri," the teacher said. "We each have a letter before our names that we share with others. This demonstrates our commitment to the General Good. Class?"
"We are all unique, yet none is better than another. Such is the General Good," the class chanted.
"This is generally crazy," Siri muttered.
"Three marks for talking after being warned, O-Siri," O-Bin said. "Let us return to the lesson."
Obi-Wan's data screen flashed blue. Letters began to crawl across the screen:
TRAVEL TO THE INNER CORE IS DANGEROUS. THE FIRST OBSTACLE IS THE DELACRIX SYSTEM.
Obi-Wan frowned. He knew the Delacrix System. They'd passed it on the way to Kegan. Qui-Gon had said it was a thriving system of planets orbiting around three suns. All the worlds traded together in harmony. They had all recently joined the Galactic Senate.
"Who can tell me why the Delacrix System is dangerous?" the teacher asked. "O-Iris?"
"The Delacrix System is dangerous because it is controlled by pirates," a small, red-haired girl said in an almost-whisper. "Its third sun is in perpetual nova, so it can melt the engines of passing craft. The pirates divert passing traffic into the outer edges of the exploding sun to force a landing."
Obi-Wan stared at the small girl in amazement. Everything she'd said was untrue.
Observation without interference, Qui-Gon had said. If he kept his mouth closed, he could learn.
Just as Obi-Wan resolved to stay silent no matter what, Siri spoke up.
"But that's not true!" she protested.
"I did not call on you, O-Siri," O-Bin said severely. "If you wish to ask a question, touch your data screen."
Siri touched her data screen.
O-Bin's lips were tight as she smiled and turned back to her. "Yes, O-Siri?"
"The Delacrix System is not overrun by pirates," Siri said.
"That is not a question," O-Bin said. Her cheeks flushed red. "Two marks."
"And its sun is not in perpetual nova," Siri added. "It's a peaceful system with a thriving trade."
"Three marks." O-Bin's smile was forced. "That makes eleven marks all together. You have caught up to your stubborn companion."
"Come on, Obi-Wan," Siri muttered without moving her lips. "Give me a hand here."
Obi-Wan sighed. He touched his data screen.
"Question, V-Obi?"
"Delacrix is a safe, peaceful system," Obi-Wan said. "Travel is not dangerous. Caution is required, but--"
"Four marks for disobedience!" O-Bin's voice screeched. She cleared her throat and smiled. "You are not contributing to the General Good. Now we turn to the next outlying system. Please consult your screens."
The words scrolled across Obi-Wan's screen.
THE PLANET STIEG PRESENTS MORE HAZZARDS.
"Can anyone say why?" O-Bin asked, facing the class. "V-Davi?"
The slender, sandy-haired boy spoke up. "Stieg has no organized government or ruling system. Tribes are locked in constant warfare."
Siri stood up on legs that still trembled from the effects of the electro-jabber. "Hold on. The Stieg-Fan are peaceful and fun-loving. And Stieg has a perfectly fine system of government!"
O-Bin's face grew flushed. "Thank you for your contribution, O-Siri, but it is a lie."
"I don't lie!"
Obi-Wan wanted to tug on Siri's tunic to make her sit down. But he couldn't undo what she'd already said. He'd have to back her up.
"Siri is right. Stieg is peaceful," Obi-Wan said.
O-Bin seemed about to explode. She squeezed her hands together. Then, she smiled. "You two make it difficult to keep up with how many punishment marks you have," she said in a tone that hit each word like a sharp rap against a tuneless bell. "I'm afraid greater punishment is called for. You will both clean up the food service area for the entire school after the evening meal."
The sandy-haired student called V-Davi looked at them sympathetically.
"Think again," Siri shot back. "I don't have to follow your rules. I'm not under your authority!"
"If you choose to refuse your punishment and hurt the General Good,” O-Bin continued, "not one student will eat today."
Fifty pairs of angry eyes turned and stared at Obi-Wan and Siri.
"Now, do you still refuse?" O-Bin asked.
Under cover of his tunic, Obi-Wan nudged Siri to silence. He would not be responsible for depriving the students of food. When they didn't respond, O-Bin turned away, a smug smile of satisfaction on her face.
"Great," Siri whispered. "Not only are we trapped, we're trapped with dirty dishes."
O-Bin didn't turn. "Four punishment marks, O-Siri," she said sweetly.
Qui-Gon and Adi stood in the middle of the Gathering Circle. Around them rose an open-air coliseum with stone slabs serving as benches.
"All Keganites participate in the governing of Kegan," V-Haad said proudly. "V-Tan and O-Vieve bring problems to the people. They do not supply solutions, merely proposals. Every citizen gets a vote."
A low, circular building was built next to the coliseum. In one of th
e few examples of finery on Kegan, its dome was painted gold.
"Here is the Central Dwelling, where our Benevolent Guides reside,” O-Rina said. "We will request an audience for you."
O-Rina and V-Haad brought them to a small room with whitewashed walls that contained benches for seating. "They will be with you shortly," O-Rina said. "We'll await you at the front entrance."
In moments the door opened and two elder Keganites in soft white robes appeared. The woman's silver hair was braided and hung down her back. The man's was silver as well. Their beaming smiles seemed more sincere than those of the Hospitality Guides.
"Welcome, Qui-Gon Jinn and Adi Gallia," the woman said. "I am O-Vieve, and this is V-Tan. It is our honor to greet you."
The two Jedi bowed.
"We hope that you will be able to assist us," Qui-Gon said. "We arrived with our Padawans, Siri and Obi-Wan. They wandered off and we have been unable to find them."
V-Tan folded his hands. "The Hospitality Guides have informed us of this. We are concerned."
"We have decided to launch a search," O-Vieve said. "We will inform our citizens that the children are missing. We should have results very soon."
"We should like to join in the search," Qui-Gon said.
O-Vieve nodded at him sympathetically. "I feel your concern, yet you do not know our world. We can search quicker and more efficiently. V-Tan and I would be grateful if you would accept our hospitality during this short time. We have guest quarters prepared here in the Central Dwelling. I am certain you need food and rest. We will bring your Padawans to you."
Qui-Gon was about to protest, but Adi nodded. "Thank you," she said.
V-Tan and O-Vieve murmured that it was no trouble at all, and they were happy to be able to meet the gracious and kind Jedi. The Hospitality Guides would be waiting in the front reception hallway to show them the way to their rooms.
Qui-Gon and Adi strode into the hallway. As soon as they were out of earshot, Qui-Gon murmured, "We can't rely on them to search."
"Of course not," Adi agreed. "But if we had continued to protest, it wouldn't have done any good. They wouldn't have given in. They are not afraid of us the way O-Rina and V-Haad are."
