Jedi Apprentice 9: The Shattered Peace (звёздные войны)

by Джуд Уотсон

  Leed split off from them as soon as they landed. He headed toward the prison. He would pretend to do a spot inspection as part of his royal training. King Frane had lost no time in announcing to the Rutanians that the prince had returned and would take up his legacy.

  Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Drenna moved through the crowded streets of Testa. The buildings were carved of enormous blocks of stone in somber colors. The city had a teeming population, and in an effort to retain order there were strict controls on behavior. Qui-Gon felt it would be an easy task to get arrested. He had insisted on avoiding any violence or destruction of property. Instead, they merely needed to find an open park or plaza.

  Drenna pointed ahead. "I see a place."

  They made sure a pair of security police were nearby as they strolled through a plaza planted with green grass and shrubs. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan casually unfurled their survival tent and began to set up a condenser unit. Drenna unpacked some food.

  Within minutes, the two security police appeared.

  "What do you think you're doing?" "Cooking," Drenna said brightly.

  "Loitering is against the law," one of them said. "So is cooking outdoors. Move along." "But we're hungry," Obi-Wan said.

  "We won't be long," Drenna said.

  Apparently Drenna's youth and winning smile had an effect. The tall Rutanian policeman looked at his companion, a female even taller than he was. They both shrugged.

  "End of my shift," the male murmured.

  "I'm too tired for this," the female said. "If we arrest them, I won't be home for dinner."

  "We didn't see you, okay?" the first one said, and turned away. "Just pack up and get lost."

  The Jedi and Drenna exchanged surprised glances. They had thought this would be the easy part of their plan.

  "We're staying," Drenna insisted quickly.

  "And we're going to feed everyone in the park!" Obi-Wan added. "We brought plenty of food. We can stay until sunset."

  Slowly, the two officers turned back.

  The female sighed. "Are you going to make this hard or easy?"

  Qui-Gon concentrated on her mind. "I guess you have to arrest us."

  "I guess we have to arrest you," the officer said. "Stand up."

  "Whew," Drenna said under her breath as she leaped to her feet. "I never thought I'd feel relieved to hear that."

  They packed up their survival gear under the watchful eyes of the police. They were searched, but Qui-Gon used another Jedi mind trick to prevent the police from confiscating their lightsabers and Drenna's dart shooter, informing them to let them pass unhindered — a command the officers repeated dutifully. Then they were herded into the police landspeeder and transported to the prison.

  As they passed through the gray durasteel gates, Obi-Wan watched as they slid shut behind them. A system of locks snapped shut in a series of loud clicks. Drenna swallowed.

  "Are we sure this is a good idea?" she asked.

  "It's too late now," Obi-Wan murmured.

  "That's exactly what I mean," she said.

  Chapter 14

  Once they got to the prison, they were marched to a booking desk.

  "Charge?" the desk clerk asked the two security police.

  "Loitering," the tall female said. "Can we do this one quickly, Neece? It's the end of our shift."

  The guard looked at his timepiece. "Almost the end of mine, too. Long day. Names?"

  Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Drenna gave their names. They were subjected to a retinal scan. The security police left and two guards were called.

  "Escort the prisoners to the holding cell."

  The clerk activated the security door and they marched through. The door clanged behind them and the locks snapped in with a final sound.

  They headed down the hall between the guards. They had to pass through a number of checkpoints. The sensors glowed red over the open doorways. When the guards approached, they shot at the sensor with a laser pointer located at the tip of an electro-jabber. They were expert at timing their pace with the swing of the jabber in order to make it through the checkpoint smoothly.

  The guard on the left swung up his jabber and shot a beam of light at the sensor. It glowed green, but Drenna pretended to cough and brought her dart shooter to her mouth.

  Her aim was perfect. The sensor went into a flashing mode, and an alarm sounded.

  The guards looked around in surprise. The hallway was empty. The guard's comlink buzzed. "Guard seven, report in."

  He spoke into the comlink. "Nothing here. Must be a malfunction. Check the system."

  They continued walking. At the next sensor, Drenna set off the alarm before the guard could raise his jabber. The alarm sounded again.

  "Guard seven, report in." This time the voice was annoyed.

  "Again, it's nothing."

  A groan came over the comlink. "Not another bird."

  They passed through four sensors on the way to the holding cell. Drenna was so good at concealing the dart shooter that Qui-Gon did not even have to use the Force. The sensors went off, the alarm clanging.

  The guards were clearly annoyed as they ushered the group into the holding cell. They led Drenna and the Jedi in and closed the durasteel door.

  "Two minutes to shift change," Qui-Gon said softly.

  Drenna put her eye to the small opening in the door. It was just big enough for her to aim the dart shooter. She aimed at the sensor across the hall.

  The alarm clanged again.

  "Why don't they shut it all down?" the guard outside complained, putting his hands over his ears. "All we need is to get the royal guard down here to investigate."

  "Prince Leed is here," the other said. "The king will find out about this no matter what."

  "Be quiet," the other muttered. "Here comes the warden. Let's head for our shift change before he tells us we have to stay."

  They heard the guards' footsteps receding and then, Leed's voice.

  "I don't understand this," Leed said angrily. "Your system must be too sensitive. This has happened before. My father will be furious."

  "Yes," the warden said nervously. "Perhaps another bird, or some sort of small creature, is triggering the system."

  "It must be shut down at once!" Leed thundered, sounding like his father.

  "But —"

  "At once!"

  The warden and Leed hurried away. Qui-Gon kept his eye on his timepiece, Obi-Wan on the sensor.

  "The sensor just went off," Obi-Wan said. "The system has been shut down."

  "And the guards are changing shifts. Time to go." Qui-Gon activated his lightsaber. Obi-Wan followed. Quickly, they cut a hole in the durasteel door. Then the three of them climbed through.

  The hallway was empty, but it wouldn't be for long. They raced down the hall. Leed had told them the location of the high security cell where Yaana would most likely be held.

  The system was off, but there was now a guard outside Yaana's cell. His blaster was in his holster. No doubt he was not nervous about a ten-year-old girl making an escape attempt.

  Drenna blew a paralyzing dart at the guard. It landed in his neck. He toppled over, a surprised look on his face.

  Drenna leaned over. "You'll be able to move in twenty minutes," she told him in a friendly way. "Just relax and enjoy the chance to rest."

  Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon swiftly cut a hole in the door. The metal peeled back, and they climbed inside. A slender Senali girl with large dark eyes sat in a corner. She shrank back when she saw the Jedi.

  "Yaana, don't be afraid. We have come to take you back to your father on Senali," Qui-Gon told her.

  The apprehensive look faded. She raised her chin and nodded. "I am ready."

  They ran down the hall. When they reached a turning, Qui-Gon held up a hand. He peered around the corner. Leed was shouting at the warden in a good imitation of his father. When he saw Qui-Gon, he quickly swiveled the warden around by the shoulder so that he would not see them. He made a quick hand motion behind the
warden's back to indicate a door near him.

  Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Drenna, and Yaana moved silently down the hall. Qui-Gon walked to the doorway that Leed had indicated. It led to another long gray hall. This one was lined with closed office doors. They were now in the administrative section of the prison.

  A console desk was directly ahead of them. It was the checkpoint to leave the prison. Qui-Gon strode forward.

  "We are authorized visitors with an exit pass signed by the warden," he said. He concentrated on the guard's mind. "We may go."

  "You may go," the guard said, activating the door.

  Walking casually, the four strolled past the checkpoint and out the door. They quickened their pace as they passed through the yard. When they hit the streets of Testa, Drenna began to hurry, but Qui-Gon stopped her.

  "Do not attract attention," he said.

  They were almost to the platform when Leed caught up to them.

  "So far, so good," he said. "But I'm afraid the warden put in a call to my father to apologize for the disturbance when it first started. He could be here any minute."

  "Now you can hurry," Qui-Gon told Drenna.

  They ran down the last section toward the landing platform. Their transport sat waiting. The landing platform was deserted.

  Suddenly Obi-Wan sensed danger. This is a public landing platform. Why is it deserted? he wondered.

  He and Qui-Gon activated their lightsabers in one simultaneous motion. Qui-Gon pushed Yaana toward a stack of container boxes. "Get behind them," he ordered crisply.

  In the next split second, blaster fire erupted from around the corner of a tech shed. The ship was peppered with blasts.

  They rushed forward, lightsabers activated. A row of guard droids was emptying weaponry into the transport. Blaster fire hit the fuel tank, and it went up in an explosion.

  Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Drenna, and Leed went after the droids. Drenna's exceptional crossbow aim sent three of the droids smoking within seconds. Leed fired just as rapidly with his own crossbow, taking down two droids. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon leaped and tumbled as one unit, lightsabers a blur of motion, to behead the rest.

  "Well done," a familiar voice said.

  They turned to see King Frane standing with the royal guard. "A pleasure to watch, in fact." He glanced at Drenna with admiration. "I've never seen such good shooting. Who would think a Senali could be such a good shot?"

  One of King Frane's nek battle dogs suddenly leaped forward, barking, with its long, deadly teeth bared.

  "Back!" the king called to the ferocious dog.

  Drenna stepped forward before anyone could stop her. She held out a hand, and the dog quieted, then sniffed her. Qui-Gon had never seen a nek battle dog react in a friendly fashion. By the look on his face, neither had King Frane. Drenna scratched the nek behind the ears.

  "You're not a killer. Just misunderstood," she cooed.

  "Tell that to a kudana," King Frane said. "Now, where is Meenon's daughter?"

  Qui-Gon stepped in front of Yaana, who had emerged from behind the boxes. "We will not let you take her again," he told King Frane. "The Jedi are here at your request. They will not stand by and watch you violate diplomatic law."

  King Frane stared him down. "Foolish words. I decide the law on Rutan."

  "No, Father." Leed stepped forward. "There is no need to threaten my friends the Jedi. I see I have no choice. I will stay on Rutan."

  "At last you see your duty," King Frane said, satisfied.

  "Are you sure, Leed?" Qui-Gon asked. "I promised you that we would not allow your father to force you to remain here."

  Leed shook his head. "I am not forced. I see now that my legacy is a burden I must accept. Not to do so would be selfish. Perhaps my father was right about that."

  "Perhaps?" King Frane asked irritably. "Of course I'm right!"

  "And you will allow us to take Yaana back to Senali?" Qui-Gon asked the king.

  King Frane shook his head. "Then I will have no Senalis here. I need leverage with Meenon. No. She remains."

  "Meenon has set his conditions to avoid war," Qui-Gon said. "One of them is the return of his daughter. I do not think Leed remaining here will change that. Once you threw his daughter in prison, he ceased trusting you."

  "Let him attack! What do I care? We will pulverize them!" King Frane cried angrily.

  Drenna stepped forward. "Send Yaana home. I will remain."

  King Frane looked at her curiously. "And who are you, besides being such a good shot?"

  "I am Drenna, Meenon's niece," Drenna said. "I am loved by him, too. If I remain, he will not attack Rutan."

  "I am not afraid of his attack," King Frane said scornfully. He eyed her. "Still, it is a solution. All right. I accept."

  "You will not imprison her?" Qui-Gon asked warningly.

  "No. She will live on the royal grounds, where I can keep an eye on her," King Frane said with satisfaction, turning back to Drenna. "I will install you in the hunting lodge. You'll be under my watchful eye, unable to escape, but not imprisoned. Maybe you will teach my royal guard how to aim. And take care of my neks. Taroon was in charge of care of all my trackers. He was afraid of the neks and never could fix the droids. I'm sure you can't be worse. I will call Taroon from school and send him back to Senali." King Franc stamped his foot. "There, we have a trade once more. Are you satisfied, Jedi?"

  "Taroon goes to Senali?" Drenna asked. "But he hates it there!"

  King Franc shrugged. "Good. Then I know he will return."

  He turned abruptly. "All is over. Now, it's time for the hunt. Come, Leed."

  Leed walked closer to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. He placed a hand on each of their forearms. Sadness was on his face, but he nodded at them in a dignified way. "I will never forget all you tried to do for me."

  "You may call on us again if you need us," Qui-Gon said.

  "I am sorry, Leed," Obi-Wan said.

  "Duty is more important than feelings," Leed said. "That is what I must learn. I wish you ease and serenity."

  He left them to join his father. With a sad glance of good-bye at the Jedi, Drenna joined them. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stood watching them go.

  "At least Drenna will be here for a time," Obi-Wan observed. "That will give Leed great comfort. The mission hasn't ended as I thought it would. Somehow I thought Leed would be allowed to remain on Senali."

  "Is that what you hoped would happen, Padawan?" Qui-Gon asked. "This time you must tell me the truth."

  So Qui-Gon had known he had evaded his question back on Senali. "At first I did not want to tell you that I sympathized with Leed," Obi-Wan admitted. "I thought it would remind you of my decision to stay on Melida/Daan and leave the Jedi. I thought it might give you pause about my commitment to you."

  "We have put that matter behind us, Padawan," Qui-Gon said. "Do not be afraid to share your feelings with me. I would never hold them against you."

  "My feelings seemed to change from day to day," Obi-Wan admitted. "When King Franc spoke to Ibis son, I was moved by his argument, too."

  "That is because there is no clear answer," Qui-Gon said. "Emotions are tangled, as I said in the beginning."

  "Well, there won't be a war," Obi-Wan said in conclusion. "I'm sorry for Leed. But at least the planets remain peaceful."

  "You are wrong, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, his eyes on the king's transport as it rose in the air. "The mission is not over. And I fear the two worlds are closer to war than ever."

  Chapter 15

  Obi-Wan hurried to catch up to Qui-Gon's long stride. The tall Jedi moved purposefully through the crowded streets of Testa.

  "But I don't understand," Obi-Wan said. "Why are we close to war? Both leaders got their children back. There is no reason for them to fight."

  "It is not them who still wants war," Qui-Gon said. "It was a Rutanian force that kidnapped Leed."

  "How do you know?"

  "Think back, Padawan," Qui-Gon said as he skirted a food seller. "Was there anything in their camp
that could tell you where they came from?"

  Obi-Wan focused his mind. He remembered the kidnappers sleeping in the trees. He had immediately assumed they were Senali because of their silvery skin and coral necklaces and headpieces. Except they didn't have silvery skin. He had just assumed that they did.

  "Their skin was smeared with clay," he said. "I thought it was because they wanted to look fierce. But it could conceal the fact that they didn't have tiny scales on their skin."