by Jude Watson
"Who controls the power grid now?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Striker, at the moment," Swanny said. "That could change. The main
generator is in a substation down here. Striker has it guarded."
"Can't you switch power from the main substation to another?" Anakin
asked.
Swanny shrugged. "Technically, yes. But it's not easy. They'll need a
lot of luck to boost the system from another source. Plus there's a relay
substation that will shut the whole system down if procedure isn't
followed. Nobody wants to do that, even the crimelords. Too much risk that
the entire system would never restart. They all want to control the power
grid. They don't want to destroy it."
"What did you do before the Purge, Swanny?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I'm a water rat," Swanny said cheerfully. "I programmed all the
wastewater systems. I know every pipe down here, just about. Rorq here was
on fuel transport tunnels."
"Barely got paid a living wage to keep the surface running," Rorq
grumbled.
Swanny clapped an arm around Rorq's shoulders. "Ah, but it was a sweet
life, wasn't it, my friend? Low life expectancy, no bonuses, the contempt
of our fellow citizens - you've got to admit, you miss it."
Rorq shook his head. "You're crazy."
"That's why I'm happy," Swanny said with a twisted grin. "How else do
I stay sane?"
"Why are you working with us?" Obi-Wan asked curiously. "If the
citizens take back Naatan, there's every chance you could end up
underground again."
"True words," Swanny said. "Most of the tunnel workers are hanging
back. They won't give their support. They like the power they have, even if
they're operating under a corrupt system that could get them killed at any
moment. Call me crazy, but I want to live long enough to see the sun again.
Naatan will be returned to the Mawans one day. I'm sure of that. If I help
the right people, I'll be rewarded." He grinned. "Just call me a visionary
with a deep interest in my own wellbeing."
"If you like," Obi-Wan said.
Anakin could see by the expression on Obi-Wan's face that his Master
was amused by Swanny. It never failed to surprise him when his proper
Master loosened up with some sort of odd character.
"Now, where would you Jedi like to start?" Swanny asked. "Naturally,
Rorq and myself would prefer to keep ourselves out of any extremely
dangerous scenarios, but we're ready for almost anything."
"We need to observe the systems they've set up, how they operate,"
Obi-Wan said. "I don't want them to know the Jedi are here, not yet. It
doesn't pay to present a deal until you know what's important to your
adversary."
Rorq looked nervous. "You mean infiltrate their hideouts?"
"Unless you can think of another way," Obi-Wan said.
"Down, boy," Swanny said absently to Rorq. His eyes narrowed as he
thought, and he stopped walking. "We arrange temporary markets for Feeana.
Set up a time and place for the Mawans to buy and trade. There's one
tonight. She's the one who deals with us most often. Doesn't cheat the
Mawans quite as much as the others. If you keep your hoods over your faces
and don't attract attention to yourselves, you could pass for Mawans.
Feeana will probably be there. She likes to keep an eye on things."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Let's go."
Swanny and Rorq led them through the maze of tunnels, walking fast and
purposefully now. They descended several levels and twisted through a small
network of tunnels that suddenly opened out into a large space.
It had once been used for storage, that was clear. Open shelving was
built into the curving durasteel wall frames. Plastoid bins lined one wall.
Everything was empty. Instead, blankets were spread out on the scuffed
floor of the space, and a ragtag assortment of items were spread out. Fruit
that was past its prime, flour, some battered kitchen items, a broken
warming unit. Folded thermal capes, their edges ragged and torn. An old
pair of boots.
The Mawans wandered among the goods. Anakin saw how their eyes
lingered hungrily on the different items, how their hands dangled uselessly
by their sides or how they fingered empty purses hung on belts. The last
time he had seen such hopelessness had been in the slave quarters on
Tatooine.
"They can't afford anything, but they come anyway," Swanny said.
Bored gang members, blaster rifles in their hands, stood against the
walls, some leaning and trying not to doze.
Across the space a Mawan female sat astride a battered durasteel box,
her hand resting lightly on her blaster holster. She was younger than
Anakin had imagined, about Obi-Wan's age, he guessed, and she looked wiry
and tough. She wore a comlink headset and spoke rapidly into it while her
eyes scanned the room. Anakin kept his hood forward to conceal his face.
Without the telltale blue veins of a Mawan, he would be identified
immediately as an outsider.
He and Obi-Wan kept their heads down and shuffled along with the
others. Anakin knew his Master was trying to get closer, hoping to overhear
whatever directions Feeana was giving on her headset.
He looked at her with a sidelong glance and saw how sharply she was
watching the crowd. Her gaze slowly dropped, and suddenly, she stood and
leaped. The strength and power of the leap surprised him. She landed only
centimeters away from him and Obi-Wan.
"Spies!" she cried, her blaster leveled at Obi-Wan's chest. "Surround
them!"
CHAPTER FOUR,
Feeana's quick action didn't extend to her troops. A leader with a
headset sputtered toward them, trying to corral others to follow. Anakin
knew that his Master could have foiled them in seconds, but he waited for
them to approach. Soon they were surrounded by twenty members of Feeana's
gang, and twenty blasters were pointed in their direction.
Anakin glanced at his Master. Obi-Wan said nothing. His gaze was calm
and watchful. Anakin knew his Master's strategy usually centered on
waiting. Obi-Wan could strike faster than any Jedi he knew, but he could
also wait longer than any Jedi should have to, in Anakin's opinion.
Especially when a blaster was pointed at his heart.
Still, he was an apprentice, and his job was to follow his Master's
lead.
"You're from Decca's gang," Feeana said. "Don't bother denying it."
Feeana whirled toward Swanny and Rorq, who were both backing away with
careful steps.
"Swanny and Rorq brought them," she said. Immediately, ten of the
twenty blasters turned on Swanny and Rorq.
"Whoa," Swanny said, holding up two hands while Rorq bared his teeth
in a nervous grin. "We just walked in at the same time."
"Never saw them before in our lives," Rorq said through clenched
teeth.
"We're not spies," Obi-Wan said. "We're Jedi. We're here for
diplomacy, not battles."
"Prove it," Feeana sneered,
Only by a small expression did Obi-Wan reveal how annoyed he was at
the request. He put out a hand, and Feeana's headset flew off her head and
direct
ly into his grasp.
Obi-Wan spoke crisply into the headset. "Cancel all orders. Take a
vacation."
The gang members looked at one another. The leader of the group, who
was wearing a comlink headpiece, put a hand to his ear, as if unable to
quite believe that Obi-Wan had just given an order.
Anakin could hear confused exclamations and questions faintly coming
from the headpiece in Obi-Wan's hand. He suppressed his grin.
Feeana tilted her head in a short nod of appreciation. "Okay, you're a
Jedi. Now, can I have my comlink back? They're hard to come by."
Obi-Wan tossed it to her. Feeana spoke into it. "Hold your positions
until further notice." She glanced at the Jedi. "So you're here for
diplomacy. Let's talk."
Feeana led the way to a corner. She pulled up a durasteel bin and
overturned another for a makeshift seating area. Then she motioned to the
Jedi to sit down. She looked at Obi-Wan expectantly.
"The Senate has sent a Provisional Government Committee for Mawan,"
Obi-Wan said. "They are aboveground right now. Senate security forces are
expected within a matter of days."
"In other words, they're finally going to do something," Feeana said.
"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "Mawan cannot remain an open world. After the
crimelords are put out of business, the Senate will arrange for a transfer
of power to the Mawans."
Feeana put her hands on her hips. "So what do you want from me?"
"We hope that the crimelords will voluntarily either dissolve their
gangs or move off-planet," Obi-Wan said. "Your choice. There's no other."
"And what do I get?" Feeana asked.
"You get to avoid going up against the Jedi and an extremely well-
armed security force," Obi-Wan said.
Feeana gave him a shrewd look. "You'll have to come up with something
better than that, Jedi. Surely you know that deals have high stakes when
one side has nothing to lose."
"Why don't you tell me what you want?" Obi-Wan suggested. "It will
save time."
Anakin admired his Master's cool. Obi-Wan seemed to know what Feeana
was thinking. He himself had no idea.
"Amnesty," Feeana said. "I'm a native Mawan. I don't want to go off-
planet. I'm not really a crimelord. Think of me as a thief who does well.
And you tell me what other choice I had. Because of the greedy leadership
of my government, I lost my home. I was forced underground. At first, I
stole to feed my family. Then I stole to feed other families. Then I needed
a cut of what I stole in order to keep stealing. Then I needed a few others
to help. Before I knew it I had a gang. I supply the Mawans with what they
need to survive. Without me they'd be at the mercy of Decca and Striker. At
least I am loyal to Mawan. I am a Mawan first, a criminal second. Amnesty
shouldn't be hard to give."
"I think that can be arranged," Obi-Wan agreed. "What else?"
"A promise," Feeana said. "No doubt this Provisional Committee will be
involved in setting up the Mawan government. Insiders will get the best
jobs. I want to be part of that group."
"A moment," Obi-Wan said. He stepped away to activate his comlink.
Anakin watched as he spoke quietly into it. Then he returned and nodded at
Feeana. "Your request is granted. And in return, you are expected to move
to the surface with your group to serve as a temporary security force while
the Provisional Committee works on getting control of the power grid."
"Hold that comlink," Feeana said. "I'm not doing anything until I'm
sure you're going to succeed."
"I don't think you're in a position to make demands," Obi-Wan said.
"You have to earn your amnesty by proving your loyalty to your homeworld.
Didn't you just say you were a Mawan first, or am I mistaken? And if I were
you, I'd want to make a generous gesture that will win you support later."
He held her gaze. Anakin watched the battle of wills. He had no doubt
who would win.
"All right," Feeana agreed at last. "I'll do it."
She moved off to speak into her comlink. Anakin let go of the breath
he didn't realize he was holding. "One down," he murmured to Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan gazed after Feeana. "Maybe. We'll have to move fast to keep
her loyalty. If she feels we might lose control of Naatan, she'll go back
on the deal. We have to neutralize Decca and Striker, and fast."
CHAPTER FIVE
Swanny and Rorq rushed across the hall. "My friend, that was a sweet
thing to watch," Swanny congratulated him. "You stared down Feeana and won.
If I had a hat, it would be off to you."
"Excellent diplomacy," Rorq echoed in a gush of obvious flattery. "I
learned a lot just watching you."
"Thanks," Obi-Wan said dryly. "Your support means a lot."
"Anytime," Swanny assured him.
"Particularly for the part where you pretended not to know us," Obi-
Wan added.
"What can I say?" Swanny said. "My survival mechanism just kicked in.
I run on instinct. Can't control it. I want to be brave, but something
happens, and I open my mouth and a womp weasel starts talking. Nothing
personal."
"Sure," Obi-Wan said. "But you owe me one." Swanny and Rorq looked
nervous. "And what would that 'one' be?" Swanny asked cautiously.
"Help us infiltrate Decca's camp," Obi-Wan said. "That means you come,
too. If I know Hutts, we won't be able to bargain the way we did with
Feeana. Decca won't willingly agree to vacate the planet. We'll have to
find the flaw in her organization, some way to smash it, or at least make
things too difficult for her to stick around. That means we have to get
right in the middle of things and see how they're done."
"We can certainly give you the location of Decca's camp," Swanny said.
"That is no problem."
"And your awesome Jedi skills would no doubt allow you to smuggle
yourself in," Rorq added helpfully. Obi-Wan just waited.
"I can see that you are looking for more from us," Swanny said.
"Which you already promised," Obi-Wan said. "Unless you'd like to take
this up with the Provisional Committee."
"N0000," Swanny said, drawing the word out. "Don't think I'd want to
do that. Maybe there is a way to get you inside. There's a revel tonight."
"A revel?" Anakin asked.
"Decca won a skirmish today with Striker," Swanny said. "She always
throws a big party so her gang can celebrate. Food, drink, music... and
that's where Rorq and I come in. I just have one question."
Obi-Wan and Anakin waited.
"Can you sing?" Swanny asked.
The band was called Swanny and the Rooters. Swanny told the Jedi that
they had played at many of Decca's revels. If they showed up at this one,
Decca would assume that someone from her gang had booked them. They would
be taking a chance, but not a very big one.
Obi-Wan and Anakin had to take the place of the other two band
members. Swanny handed Obi-Wan a vioflute and Anakin a keyboard.
"Just fake it," he told them. "I'm so good no one will notice you
can't play."
They set up in a corner of the vast substation while swaggering beings
from all
over the galaxy chugged flameouts while feasting on meat and
pastries. A Whipid, his fur matted with sweat and chunks of food, handed
two mugs of grog to a Kamarian, who rested one on his tusk and downed the
other.
"Fun crowd," Anakin muttered to Obi-Wan.
"Just what I was thinking," Obi-Wan said through his teeth. He settled
onto a stool, resting the vioflute uneasily against his shoulder. It had
been surprisingly easy to crash the party - but that didn't mean the rest
would be easy.
Anakin sat next to him, holding his handheld keyboard. He would have
to pretend to play it. Swanny and Rorq needed backup singers, however.
"Just a few 'whee-whoas' on the choruses," Swanny swiveled around to
tell them. "No solos or anything. You can follow along, can't you?"
"Of course," Obi-Wan assured him.
Swanny and Rorq ripped into a lively song, and Anakin's foot began to
tap. He was surprised to find that they were good musicians.
Swanny winked at him. "Wastewater is my life, but music is a close
second."
Decca the Hutt entered the room and heaved her enormous bulk onto a
