Den said. "And look how successful he's been. BioCruiser shows up at aplanet, and a few weeks later they allow Offworld development. It's a beautiful system. Kern is in the readout room. He triggers the need for fuel or repairs. It's not done often enough to cause suspicion. We orbit the planet, and Vox goes down to do Offworld's dirty work. No wonder his secret drawer was filled with crystalline vertex. He probably uses it for bribes."
"Do you think Uni knows?" Anakin asked.
"No way to tell," Den said. "I don't think so, though. I may not agree with Uni, but I don't think he's a crook like his father."
"I don't either," Obi-Wan agreed.
"But why was Kern heading to the docking bay now?" Den wondered.
"Is he planning to leave the ship?"
Obi-Wan leaned forward again and studied the list of planets where Offworld had mining operations. "What system are we near now, Garen?" he asked.
"Tentrix," Garen answered. "It'sa few hours away."
"That must be TRX. It's the only system that's coded." Obi-Wan accessed the name, and a new file appeared. Once again, they all leaned forward to study it.
After a moment, Den let out a long breath. "Kill me now," he breathed. "I can't believe this. Let me look at those evacuation plans again."
Den activated the evacuation file. He carefully studied the blueprints for long minutes.
"This is different from the official plan," he said finally. "The official plan calls for an escalating series of emergency codes so that we don't panic anyone. We would need organization and control to offload so many beings. This plan calls for an immediate Code Five. That means the vessel is breaking up, and evacuation has to proceed immediately. And the code is instituted in the tech readout room--not the bridge."
"Kern," Anakin said.
"It's clever," Obi-Wan said. "A false Code Five will be instituted.
A fake distress signal will be sent. And who will answer it?"
"Offworld ships," Garen said grimly.
"According to theBroken Circleplan, all the beings will be evacuated," Obi-Wan continued. "Offworld droids will board the vessel and remain -- only they won't be helping with the rescue effort, they'll be stealing the treasury. Then Offworld will blow up the BioCruiser. None of Uni's followers will realize that the ship was blown up intentionally.
Offworld will look heroic, and no one will know it stole the entire treasury."
"How will Offworld blow up the ship?" Anakin asked.
"It must be already set to blow," Densaid, his face white. "It's already been sabotaged."
"We did find out that Kern knows his way around a starship engine,"
Anakin said.
"Kern!"Garen burst out. "I know where I've seen him before. His name was Tarrence Chenati. He sabotaged the Jedi starfighters twelve years ago. He disappeared without a trace."
"And was given a new identity," Obi-Wan said. "Strange that both times Vox has been around, isn't it?"
"Do you think he was behind the sabotage of the starfighters?"
Garenasked, his face grim.
"It's a big coincidence if he wasn't," Obi-Wan pointed out. "Vox wanted to discredit the Jedi and distract us--" Hefrowned. "That reminds me of something Qui-Gon told me when Xanatos was sabotaging theTemple.
The keys to destroying something are disruption, demoralization, and distraction." He exchanged a glance with Garen. "Vox wanted to win in that hearing. He certainly managed to distract and disrupt us. I think we solved the mystery of who was behind the sabotage of your starfighters."
"Can we get back to the present?" Den asked. "Uh, I hate to remind you, but the ship might blow up."
"We must go to see Kad now," Obi-Wan said. "He needs to hear this information. Den, you try to find Kern."
"Do you think Kad will listen?" Anakin asked doubtfully. "You're his worst enemy."
"It doesn't matter," Obi-Wan said. "We have to try."
CHAPTER 20
Kad's face was pale. He was so furious he could barely form words.
"How dare you accuse my father of this?"
"We have the holographic files," Obi-Wan said. "And your father has a pouch full of vertex. If you would only look ..."
Vox Chun sat impassively during the Jedi's denunciation. Now he rose and pointed a shaking finger at them."Liars and thieves! Nothing has changed, my son."
"Are you so bent on destroying my family?" Kad asked Obi-Wan hoarsely. "Do you hate us so much?"
"It is not hate that brings me here," Obi-Wan said earnestly. "It is justice, and the safety of those you have brought aboard the BioCruiser. At any moment, Offworld ships will be surrounding us."
"I assume this is your pilot," Kad said, indicating Garen. "I am ordering you to leave my vessel. You have intruded on my peace for the last time. Go!" He shouted the last word, his pale face suddenly suffused with red.
Just then the announcement system on Kad's console crackled to life. "Attention, attention," a voice said. "Ships are ringing our vessel, claiming they received a distress call. We cannot trace the call.
Pleaseadvise ."
Kad moved his head in increments, as though it was painful for him.
At last he locked gazes with his father.
"You have done this?" he croaked.
Vox did not answer.
"Answer me!" His voice was suddenly full of strength.
Vox took a step toward his son. "You can come with me. They will take care of both of us, they promised-"
"No!" Kad covered his ears like a child for a moment, then dropped his hands. "You've betrayed me, you've betrayed my cause-"
"Your cause," Vox corrected angrily. "Did I have a choice in the matter? I am an old man."
"Obviously, you have made sure that your own nest is feathered,"
Kad said scornfully. "Didn't I give you everything you desired? The finest quarters on the ship, the ability to visit other worlds? You had a good life here. You did not need money. Is your greed so ravenous?"
"It is not money I want," Vox answered, drawing his fine cape around him. "It is power. You are right about only one thing in this philosophy of yours, my son. The galaxy is changing. Corruption is everywhere. And I will not be left behind! You have never understood that to be ruthless is to win. I have powerful friends, I always have. Yes, I would stop at nothing to get what I want. I wanted justice twelve years ago. So did you. If I arranged to sabotage a few Jedi starfighters, what of it?"
Kad straightened his shoulders and fixed his father with a steely gaze. "This ends now. I will inform the Offworld ships that the BioCruiser is not in danger. Then you may choose a planet, and I will transport you there. I will never see you again."
Vox appeared shaken by his son's cold tone. "I see I must agree."
He strode from the room without a backward glance.
Kad turned away from the Jedi for a moment to composehimself . When he turned back, his eyes were clear.
"I had no idea," he said.
"We know that," Obi-Wan told him.
Suddenly, the ship was rocked by an explosion. Kad was thrown to the floor. Obi-Wan and Garen planted their feet and rode out the blast.
Anakin staggered.
The comlink Den had given him signaled. Obi-Wan activated it. Den's agitated voice boomed out.
"Kern has sabotaged the ship! It's breaking apart!"
CHAPTER 21
Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Garen raced to the docking bay. Kad tried to keep up, but lagged behind. When the Jedi reached the docking bay, they saw Den desperately trying to detain both Kern and Vox, who were attempting to access the escape pod. Kern had his blaster drawn. Den was unarmed, and had grabbed a hydrospanner for defense. The attempt was foolish and brave.
Obi-Wan reached out to the Force. He held out a hand and a pile of equipment barrels shot out from a stack and tumbled to the floor between Kern and the pod airlock doors. That should also give Den cover.
Vox grabbed at Kern's arm. "You stole the treasury! That wasn't the plan! What is Offworld
going to do with me?"
Kern shook him off and tried to aim at Den. "Get away from me, old man!" He caught sight of the Jedi and turned the blaster fire toward them.
Garen and Obi-Wan deflected the fire as they ran, their lightsabers swinging and circling in a blazing trail. Frail Vox summoned up a burst of strength and dodged around the barrels toward the pod. He accessed the doors and jumped inside the pod.
Kern leaped over the barrels clumsily, keeping up a furious rain of fire at the Jedi. Obi-Wan jumped forward, accessing the Force to cross a great distance. He landed on the opposite side of Den. With a casual gesture, Kern turned for a split second, shot Vox, then threw him out of the pod. A wounded Vox hit the ground.
"Father!"Kad screamed. He had arrived at the landing bay and now began to rush forward.
Kern aimed his blaster at Kad as he dove backward into the pod.
Anakin sprang forward to deflect fire as Obi-Wan lunged for the closing escape pod doors. He was too late. Kern jumped inside, and the escape pod blasted off. Kad raced to his father's side and fell to his knees. Garen checked Vox's vital signs and shook his head at Obi-Wan. Vox was dying.
The ship reeled from another blast. Tech workers began to rush into the landing bay, trying to ready escape ships. Kad did not notice. He gathered up his dying father in his arms.
Vox's lips were white. "Forgive me, son." Tears fell like soft rain from Kad's cheeks onto his father's uplifted face. He wiped them away from his father's face with great gentleness.
"Yes, Father," he said. "I forgive you." Vox barely managed a nod.
Then, his gaze still on his son, he died.
Kad bowed his head over his father. Obi-Wan motioned to the others to step back.
"We have to get everyone off the ship," he said. "I've no doubt that if Kern really double-crossed Vox and stole thetreasury, he has rigged the ship to explode."
Just then Andra burst in, running toward them at full tilt. Her eyes took in the scene of Kad cradling his father's body. Another explosion sent the ship trembling.
"What's happening?" sheasked, her gaze wide and fearful.
"We must evacuate the ship," Den told her. "Kern has sabotaged it."
"We are also under attack," Andra told them. "Those ships that arrived due to a false distress call are now shooting at us. The defensive shield has been sabotaged."
Anakin stepped forward. "We need to fight them from the air."
Obi-Wan knew his Padawan was right. He also knew that Anakin wanted to be a part of that fight. His need to protect Anakin and the knowledge of Anakin's extraordinary skills as a pilot battled inside him. Anakin kept his gaze on Obi-Wan. There was no pleading in it. It was the steady gaze of a Jedi, not a boy.
Obi-Wan turned to Andra. "Do you have a fast attack ship?"
She nodded. "We are peaceful, not stupid."
"Anakin will pilot it."
"I'll use my starship," Garen said. "Come on, Anakin."
"I'll organize the evacuation with Andra," Den said. "There's no time to lose."
Kad rose from the floor. "I'm needed on the bridge. We'll have to find the closest port."
Kad's comlinksignaled, and a panicked voice boomed out. "An attack droid team has boarded the ship! They're-"
A burst of blaster fire sounded over the comlink, and the voice was cut off.
CHAPTER 22
"I'll handle the droids," Obi-Wan said. He tucked his lightsaber back into his belt and took off.
He raced down the corridors of the lurching ship. While he ran, his mind clicked over the facts that he knew, searching for what didn't fit.
He had learned from Qui-Gon that even in the midst of battle, he must not stop thinking.
Vox had accused Kern of stealing the treasury. If Offworld knew that Kern would steal the treasury before leaving the ship, why would they send droids to board it? The only answer was that Offworld did not know that the treasury was missing. Either Kern had double-crossed Offworld, or he had been a double agent and had never really worked for them at all.
That was a concern for another time. Obi-Wan guessed that the droids were following the original plan and heading for the tech readout controls, and then for the treasury. He hoped he was right. He raced into the tech readout room. Two tech workers lay on the floor, stunned from blaster bolts. One remaining worker had taken cover behind a console. The droids marched forward, keeping up a stream of blaster bolts from their chests and hands.
Obi-Wanwas on them in a flash. His lightsaber was in constant motion. With attack droids, he did not have to worry about the fine points of strategy. They did not have the split-second timing of a living being. They were relentless, and their firepower was rapid and fierce.
Obi-Wan could have relied on someone to cover his flank, but he took the natural defense of the pillars and consoles of the room for cover. He used long strokes to down two droids at a time. He somersaulted through the air, too fast for a droid to track. He slashed through the head of one droid and wiped out the front control panel of another. He turned and kicked, sending one droid flying, but another had sneaked up on his flank. Blaster fire burned his arm, but he kept moving, slicing the droid in two. He was hit, but he didn't know how badly. His left arm was on fire, and useless. Obi-Wan switched his attack to ground level, bending and then using a fast combination of upward strokes to vanquish the rest of the droids.
He stopped at last. Sweat rolled down his face and soaked his tunic. The floor was littered with droids. He felt dizzy from his wound.
The tech worker who had taken shelter behind a console popped up.
Obi-Wan recognized him as a Pho Ph'eahian by his four arms and matted blue fur. "You've been hit."
Obi-Wan winced as he looked at the wound. "It's not bad."
"We have a med kit here. Hang on." The tech worker hurried to bring the kit to Obi-Wan. "I have some medic training, don't worry." Using his four arms, he unwound a bandage at the same time he cleaned the wound, shook bacta on it, offered Obi-Wan a sip of water, and bandaged his arm.
"You should get to the loading bays," Obi-Wan told him when he had finished. "The ship is being evacuated."
"Where is Uni?" the worker asked.
"On the bridge. He won't leave the ship until everyone is safe. And he's hoping to get to a port to save the ship."
"Then I'll stay. He'll need someone in the readout room to monitor the equipment."
Obi-Wan nodded at him, admiring his courage. "What is your name?"
"Rhe Pabs."
"Thank you, Rhe Pabs. I'm heading for the bridge now. I'll tell Uni that you'll remain."
Rhe Pabs nodded. The ship suddenly shook from another blast, and Obi-Wan staggered, his arm slamming against the console. He stifled a cry of surprised pain.
"You should see a real medic," Rhe Pabs said.
"And you should evacuate," Obi-Wan said. They exchanged a grin, and Obi-Wan raced out the door. The corridor was now crowded with the inhabitants of the BioCruiser. Some were carrying belongings, some were panicked, some were just bewildered. Over the speaker system, he could hear Andra's calm voice.
"Panic will delay us. Watch out for your neighbor. Proceed to the loading bays. We have room for all. Safety is our first concern. Help your neighbor."
Obi-Wan dashed through the crowd, heading for the bridge. When he burst in, Kad was sitting at the main controls.
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