by Jude Watson
Anakin started for the door again.
"All right!" Marit's voice was amused, and she was smiling when he turned. "You're very tough."
He grinned. "Yeah. But isn't that why you recruited me?"
"It's Rana Halion, the leader of leria. She approached us through Rolai. The countermovement is willing to negotiate with Berm Tarturi, but the Senator hasn't taken them seriously enough. They want to show him how powerful they are."
Rana Halion! This could be the connection Obi-Wan was looking for.
"How?" Anakin asked "They want to conduct a passive strike on the Andaran security transport landing platform," Marit said. "Passive strike?"
"We're just going to penetrate their airspace and then get out. Buzz the starfighters. Show Tarturi that we could have destroyed his fleet if we'd wanted to. That way he'd be forced to join negotiations. We need to get in and get out quickly. There could be some antispacecraft fire." She hesitated.
Anakin waited.
"We were going to vote on whether to include you tonight," Marit said.
Anakin said nothing. He had learned from Obi-Wan that not asking a question sometimes got you more information.
"We need a pilot," Marit said. "Hurana is good, but she's not as good as she thinks she is. She takes too many chances. We need a lead pilot. But this won't be on a simulator. leria is loaning us the air transport. I don't expect you've ever flown a starfighter, have you?"
"As a matter of fact, I have," Anakin said.
"Are you as good in a starfighter as you are in a swoop?"
" Better."
"I can talk to them… convince the others… if you're sure you want to go."
"I'm sure," Anakin said. He wanted to go on the mission. If the planets in the Andaran system were being exploited, they should have a voice in their destiny. Marit's ideas made sense to him. He had been a witness to the greed of Senators. It sounded as though leria needed help.
"Well, I'm not authorized to tell you that you can go," Marit said.
She grinned. "But you're on board. We're scheduled to leave tomorrow."
Elation roared through Anakin. Then he realized something startling.
He hadn't been glad because of the Jedi mission. He'd been glad because he wanted to go. Not for the Jedi. For himself.
Chapter Twelve
Anakin was filled with excitement about the coming mission. He had a strong feeling that not only would he help the Andaran system, he would also discover the key to Gillam's disappearance. Rana Halion must be behind it. Her cause might be just, but her methods could be ruthless. Anakin felt sure that Gillam was on leria.
He saw Ferus in the hall between classes and signaled that he needed to talk to him. They met in Ferus's room and closed the door. They had a few minutes before the midday meal before they needed to pass the checkpoint to the dining hall.
Anakin quickly filled in Ferus on what had happened.
Ferus frowned. "You told Marit that you would go?" "I think I should,"
Anakin said. "I still have a feeling about Gillam."
"That's fine," Ferus said. "But penetrating a planet's airspace? You can't do that."
"No one will be hurt."
"How can you be sure of that? Are you saying that no one will fire their laser cannons? Are you saying that if they fire on you or the others, you won't fire back? Think about it, Anakin! And what about the reaction in the Senate? This will be seen as an unprovoked attack on Andara."
"Not unprovoked," Anakin argued. "Senator Tarturi refuses to negotiate a compromise. This will force him to."
Ferus shook his head. "Jedi can't take part in such things. Have you told Obi-Wan this?"
"No," Anakin admitted. "Our next scheduled communication isn't until tonight."
"We can use the emergency signaling system," Ferus said.
"But that could blow our cover! We're on comm silence. The school could trace the frequency."
"We have to risk it," Ferus said. "I can't believe that you even considered going without consulting him. Even you should know that — "
"Even me?" Anakin took a step toward Ferus, angry now. "What does that mean, Ferus?"
Ferus went very still. "A personal argument is not productive," he said stiffly. "Will you meet me later and contact Obi-Wan?"
Anakin counted several beats of his tripping heart. He accepted his anger and tried to let it go. He pictured it leaving him like a black storm cloud blown by a high wind, but traces of it clung to him and he could not shake it off.
"Yes," he said reluctantly.
He left and hurried toward the dining hall. He sat with Marit and Hurana. Hurana was quiet, but Marit was in high spirits. They did not talk about the mission ahead, but the secret lay between them, giving a charge to their conversation. He could see that Marit had accepted him fully into the squad. She trusted him now.
But you're going to betray that trust.
Was he? He hoped not. But the time was coming when he would have to leave the school and the squad.
Anakin went to his next class so that he would not be missed and compromise the squad. Then he faked an illness and started toward the med clinic. Their emergency plan was for Ferus to also fake a reason to leave class. They were to meet in his room.
Ferus wasn't there. Anakin waited, watching the clock, knowing that he was pushing his luck. When Ferus didn't appear, Anakin hurried to his next class. He would see Ferus there, and he hoped to get a chance to ask him why he had insisted on a meeting he didn't show up for. Maybe he was busy polishing his utility belt.
Anakin took his usual seat. He glanced over, but Ferus's seat was empty. The professor began, but Anakin couldn't listen. Ferus's seat remained empty. Suddenly, Anakin was seriously worried.
After class, Anakin walked quickly through the halls. He searched the library, Ferus's room, and all the classrooms. He searched the athletic fields and the research centers and the computer labs. He casually asked Reymet if he'd seen him, but Reymet hadn't, either.
Ferus had disappeared.
Anakin could not believe it. Security had not been violated. No one had seen Ferus, not even Reymet. It was just like Gillam's disappearance.
If Ferus hadn't shown up for class, it would have been reported. Soon the school would be involved. Security would tighten even further.
He would have to contact Obi-Wan. The disappearance of a Jedi was a matter for the whole Council, not merely his Master.
Still, Anakin hesitated. It was hard to be certain that Ferus had truly disappeared. What if he was chasing a lead and hadn't told Anakin?
Anakin knew it would be out of character for Ferus not to fill him in, but Ferus might be teaching him a lesson after Anakin hadn't asked his opinion about going off with the squad.
Yet if Anakin violated comm silence, he risked the whole school being put into lockdown. How would the secret squad be able to get out then?
Marit found him in the library during his free mod period, still debating the issue in his mind.
"We've moved up the mission," she whispered. "We're leaving now. We all signed out for leave. If you're coming, you'd better do it, too. I'll come with you. We made up a research trip to the library in Utare and got Professor Totem to sign a pass for us."
Anakin hesitated.
"Aren't you coming?" Marit asked. She frowned. "Did you change your mind? I know the mission sounds dangerous."
Anakin felt the conflict inside him as though he was being physically torn apart. He knew his duty as a Jedi. He had to inform Obi-Wan about Ferus. But if his suspicions were correct and the answers were on leria, that meant he could find out answers about Ferus's disappearance as well.
If he broke comm silence he could jeopardize everything. His only chance to find Ferus and possibly Gillam was to maintain his cover.
"I didn't change my mind," Anakin said. "Let's go."
Chapter Thirteen
Obi-Wan landed his starship on the main public landing platform in Utare. He compl
eted his postflight check and activated the landing ramp. As he strode down it, he saw Siri waiting at the bottom. Her hands were on her hips and her blue eyes sparked fire.
He guessed that she did not have good news.
She spoke when he was still only halfway down the ramp. "How could you withhold this from me, Obi-Wan? Did you think you could solve it by yourself and I'd never have to know? Were you afraid of how I'd react?" She put one booted foot on the ramp as though she were ready to charge at him.
"Well, you were right to be afraid!"
"Nice to see you, too, Siri," Obi-Wan said, coming up to her. He had been friends with Siri for over ten years now, and she could still nettle him like no one else. He wondered what minor infraction he was guilty of.
"Now, do you mind filling me in on what you're talking about?"
"Ferus is missing!" she exclaimed. "Don't tell me you didn't know."
Obi-Wan's mild amusement faded immediately. "No, I didn't."
"Didn't Anakin contact you?"
"Our next scheduled communication isn't until tonight, and I received no emergency signal. Are you sure about this?"
"Ferus contacted me via the emergency channel. I was on a mission and couldn't answer for an hour. When I tried to reach him, he didn't answer."
"He never sent me a signal," Obi-Wan said.
"I think something happened before he could," Siri said. "His message was cut off. But he did say that Anakin was taking off on a mission with the secret squad. They're going to conduct an air strike on the Andaran security transport landing platform."
Obi-Wan stopped short. "What?"
"You didn't know?"
"Of course not." Obi-Wan was staggered by this news. He couldn't absorb it. A Jedi was missing, and Anakin had not informed him? Anakin had agreed to take part in an air strike against a nonhostile planet? It seemed inconceivable.
"I don't understand," he said. "Was Anakin captured, or forced to leave with the squad?"
"No," Siri said. "It was his own free will. Ferus was clear about that. He sounded worried about Anakin."
Ferus was often worried about Anakin, Obi-Wan thought. He had noted that already. Ferus was concerned that Anakin would let down the Order in some way.
And so he had. Obi-Wan felt the betrayal like a hard blow to his stomach. He had trouble getting air. He struggled with his own emotions, surprised at the depth of them. He felt betrayed, he realized. Why hadn't Anakin trusted him?
He swallowed. "Did Ferus know where Anakin was headed?"
"To leria. That's all. And it's a big planet."
He wished Siri would look away. Her eyes had not left his face. Her gaze scorched him.
He had promised to watch over Ferus like his own Padawan. He had failed.
He had lost both Padawans. It was unthinkable. Yet here he was.
He did not know what to do. Whatever step he took could be the wrong one. And if he took the wrong one, he could lose one of them. Or both.
Obi-Wan's thoughts whirled crazily. He could not focus.
"Let's decide how to proceed," Siri said crisply.
That was the way of the Jedi. Accept the mistake and move on. But Obi- Wan's mind was a blank.
"We need to get into the school," Siri said. "Ferus is still there. I feel it."
The confusion cleared, and Obi-Wan remembered why he had come to Andara.
"I think Gillam is there, too," he said. "But without Anakin and Ferus to help us, we can't infiltrate the campus without being detected. We can't come as Jedi. We can't take the chance that someone will be watching. We must appear as though we belong there."
"But how?" Siri asked. "Security there is incredibly tight. And we don't look like students."
"I have an idea," Obi-Wan said.
Siri gave him a searching look. "I can tell I'm not going to like it."
"You're going to hate it," Obi-Wan said.
"Your excellencies," the president of the school said graciously. "How kind of you to consider the Leadership School for your son."
Obi-Wan and Siri walked into the inner office. It had taken only minutes to contact Tyro for some fast false text docs.
"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice," Obi-Wan said.
"The king and queen of Cortella are always welcome," the president said. "Now, how old is your son?" "Thirteen," Obi-Wan said.
"Eleven," Siri said at the same time.
They looked at each other.
"Two sons," Obi-Wan said quickly. "We have two. One for each of us,"
he added heartily.
"I see. And you wish to enroll both?"
"No," Siri said.
"Yes," Obi-Wan said at the same time.
"Remember, we talked about this, uh, dear?" Siri said, her eyes flashing a warning at Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan tried not to smile. He couldn't help enjoying how much Siri was hating this.
"Of course. But you agreed with me, as you always do," he said.
Siri's gaze flashed sparks at Obi-Wan, but the president could not see. Siri inclined her head haughtily. She hadn't done much to change her appearance, merely slicked back her hair more severely, but she looked suddenly regal to Obi-Wan.
"Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether the princes will both attend," she said in a distant tone. "We must be assured, of course, that the school is up to the highest standard."
"It must be suitable for our royal regal sons," Obi-Wan said. Siri shot him a look that said, Let me handle this.
"Of course," the president said nervously. "Shall we get started on our tour?"
Obi-Wan and Siri stood. "We would prefer to tour on our own," Obi-Wan said.
"We feel we will absorb the spirit of the place in that manner," Siri said. She indicated their traveler's tunics. "We dressed this way precisely so that we would not be conspicuous. We will not disturb your students."
"Uh, ah… this is not exactly customary…" the president stammered.
"Nevertheless, it is our wish," Obi-Wan said in a tone that implied that he was not used to being overruled.
"If there is a problem, we will go elsewhere," Siri said. "There is an excellent school on Alderaan — "
"No, no, no problem," the president said. He waved a hand. "You are free to explore. I will alert security that you are not to be disturbed."
Siri tilted her head again. Obi-Wan nodded. They swept out the door.
"If you ever get tired of being a Jedi, you'd make an amazing queen,"
Obi-Wan told Siri as soon as the door had slid shut behind them.
"And you'd make a terrible king," she said. "Royal regal sons?"
"I was trying to sound pompous," Obi-Wan said.
"Do you really think you need to try?" Siri asked. Her clear blue eyes held a mischievous glint. In the middle of any crisis, Siri was always able to joke. It never failed to take him by surprise. Now he realized with a sense of relief that her teasing was designed to tell him that she did not hold him responsible for the disappearance of Ferus. He was grateful to his old friend. He knew her so well. She would not speak of her feelings, but she would always manage to let him know what they were.
"Did you notice that the president seemed nervous?" Obi-Wan asked.
"And it wasn't just because he was meeting with a king and queen. The school must know Ferus is missing."
"And they want to keep it quiet," Siri said, nodding. "That's why they haven't put the school in lockdown. If it's discovered that there are two missing students, they could lose students… and revenue."
"Exactly. But the school must be looking for Ferus, too. They'll search the obvious places."
"So we have to get to the un-obvious ones," Siri said. "Where should we start?"
"I think we should try to find Reymet Autem," Obi-Wan said. "Ferus said several times that Reymet hinted at knowing something about Gillam's disappearance. And he also said he knew how to get around security. Ferus never found out if he really did, but…"
"He's our only lead,
" Siri finished.
They started down the halls. Most of the students were in class. The president must have alerted security, for they were waved through all checkpoints.
But with the halls empty, they would have no luck finding Reymet.
"We're not getting anywhere," Siri said, frustrated. "Maybe we need to go to registration. We can think of something in order to gain access to the class schedules — "
