Jedi Apprentice 6: The Uncertain Path (звёздные войны)

by Джуд Уотсон

  The illumination bank had powered down to dusk when Bant resurfaced again. Qui-Gon was ready to ask her to stop. He didn't want to exhaust the girl. But she waved at them excitedly.

  "I found something!"

  Qui-Gon slipped off his boots and waded into the cool water. He swam out to Bant. Taking a deep breath, he followed her underwater.

  The lake water was dark. He could barely make out the flicker of Bant's pale skin as they swam down, down to the bottom. Qui-Gon wished he'd been prepared. He should have brought an underwater glow rod and a breather. He'd been too impatient.

  But suddenly the crate loomed in front of him, settled into the fine sand at the bottom of the lake. Qui-Gon circled around it. There was no plant life or algae on it, which meant it had only sunk recently.

  He signaled to Bant to surface, but she remained underwater as he fastened a carbon rope around the container. He tugged at it, and the container rose. It was heavy. Bant grabbed part of the rope to help, and together, they pulled the crate to the surface.

  Qui-Gon emerged, gasping for air. Bant was breathing easily. She treaded water while he regained his breath. Then they towed the container to shore. When he could stand, Qui-Gon carried it up to the beach.

  He described the container to Tahl. "I've never seen anything like it before."

  "I have," Bant said. She knelt and ran her fingers along it. "We have them back on my world. Since so much of it is underwater and prone to floods, we store things in watertight containers. Look." She found a hidden panel and opened it. "You can place things in this compartment. Then you close the panel and activate the vacuum pump. It removes the water, then slides the item into the dry interior compartment. That way you can put things in without taking the container out of the water."

  "Clever," Qui-Gon said. "Can you open it?"

  "I think so." Bant pressed another button. The hinged top popped open.

  Qui-Gon looked inside. "The lightsabers!"

  Qui-Gon searched through the items. "Most everything is here, but I think some things are missing."

  "The crystals?" Tahl asked.

  "Not here," Qui-Gon said. Disappointment thudded through him. But this was a start.

  "What do we do now?" Tahl wondered.

  Qui-Gon turned to Bant. "You have done well today. Can you keep what you did to yourself?"

  Bant nodded. "I will tell no one, of course."

  Qui-Gon ran his hands over the container. "I must ask you to do one last thing. Help me return this to where we found it." He looked at the calm, shadowy surface of the lake.

  "At last it's time," he said. "We can set the trap."

  "I call for a vote on a stop action for the New History Squad's demolitions of the Halls of Evidence," Cerasi called out. Her voice echoed off the crumbling walls of the building.

  For once, the council chamber was silent. All of the Young were stunned at the call to oppose Nield. Cerasi, Obi-Wan, and Nield were almost seen as one person by the group. The division between the friends was shocking.

  Birds wheeled overhead in the blue sky. Occasionally, one would fly inside the open roof and perch above, and a shrill caw would split the air.

  Deila stood. "I second the motion."

  The room erupted in shouts and demands. Obi-Wan could only pick out some of them.

  The Halls must be destroyed! Nield is right!

  Nield has taken this too far!

  Cerasi is right! We need housing, not rubble!

  Nield's face was still and white as he waited out the shouting. Cerasi gripped her hands together. As council head it was her job to control the crowd.

  At last she stood and pounded on the table with the stone she used to maintain order. "Quiet!" she shouted. "Sit down and be quiet!"

  Slowly, the boys and girls took their seats. Everyone looked at Cerasi expectantly.

  She cleared her throat. "The council shall vote. On the issue of a stop action on the demolition of the Halls, vote yes for the action, and no to continue the demolition." Cerasi turned to Mawat. "You may begin."

  "Hey, I agree with Nield," Mawat said. "The demolition must continue. I vote no on the stop action."

  Cerasi turned to the next council member, and the next. By the time the vote got back to her, it stood at four against the stop action and four for it.

  Cerasi gave a quick, nervous glance to Obi-Wan. There were only three votes left: Cerasi's, Nield's, and Obi-Wan's. Cerasi would vote for the stop action. Nield would vote against it.

  Obi-Wan would be the one to break the tie.

  "I vote yes," Cerasi said quietly.

  Everyone looked at Nield. "And I vote no, for the continued peace and security of Melida/Daan!" he called in a ringing voice.

  Now all eyes in the chamber turned to Obi-Wan. He heard the mocking caw, caw of the birds overhead and the moaning of the wind. His heart was heavy as he said, "I vote yes."

  "The motion is carried," Cerasi said, swallowing hard. "The New History Squad shall temporarily cease all demolition of the Halls until further study."

  For a moment, no one moved. Then Nield suddenly sprang to his feet. "I call for another vote!" he shouted. "I call for the removal of Obi-Wan from the council!"

  Obi-Wan stiffened. "What?" Cerasi cried.

  Nield turned to the crowd. "How can Obi-Wan get a vote when he is neither Melida nor Daan?"

  "Obi-Wan is one of us!" Cerasi cried in shock.

  "Nield is right!" Mawat stood, his eyes blazing.

  "Vote again!" a supporter of Nield cried.

  Obi-Wan felt as though he could not move. Never could he have imagined Nield making such a charge. He and Nield were like brothers. Just because they disagreed on this issue didn't mean that would change. At least not for him.

  Cerasi took charge. "Council members have been elected for a one-year period. Nield cannot oust any of us just because a vote went against him.

  Obi-Wan was a hero of the war, and was voted in by an overwhelming majority." She banged her rock on the table. "The stop-action vote has carried. This meeting is over."

  She stood and motioned for the other council members to do the same.

  But the crowd was angry. Shouts and cries filled the air. Someone in a back row pushed someone else, and a fight broke out.

  "We must decide on our own destiny!" Nield was shouting. "Melida and Daan together!"

  The shouting grew louder. Obi-Wan stood at his place, still unable to move. He didn't know what to do. Suddenly, he was an outsider.

  He glanced at Cerasi. She stared out over the crowd, her face white, her hands gripping the edge of the table. She met his gaze with despair. The unity of the Young was disintegrating before their eyes.

  In the days after the meeting Obi-Wan and Cerasi could only watch helplessly as the Young splintered apart. Nield would not talk to them. He moved aboveground and slept with Mawat and the Scavenger Young in the park.

  Heartbroken, Obi-Wan and Cerasi could only try to heal the division they had caused.

  We cannot let this divide us, they pleaded.

  But the divide only grew wider.

  Nield worked on Mawat to convince the Scavenger Young to support him.

  If he had enough votes, he could overthrow the entire council and call for a new one. He targeted Obi-Wan as an outsider who had no right to make decisions for Melida/Daan.

  "If he succeeds, war could break out again," Cerasi whispered to Obi-Wan late one night as they sat up together in the vault. "If the Elders see that we are divided, they will use the rift to divide us further."

  "I should resign from the council," Obi-Wan declared. "It's the only way to end this."

  Cerasi shook her head. "We fought because we believed in ending tribal rivalries. Remember our slogan, We Are Everyone? If we start singling out who hasn't been born here, how is that any different from tribal prejudice?"

  "Still, it would heal us temporarily," Obi-Wan argued.

  "Don't you see, Obi-Wan?" Cerasi asked despairingly. "It is
already too late."

  Obi-Wan got up restlessly and wrapped his cloak around himself. He drew comfort from Cerasi, but he needed answers she couldn't give. He said a quiet good night to her and headed aboveground.

  The night was cold. He climbed onto a nearby roof in order to be closer to the stars. Reaching inside his tunic, he withdrew the river stone that Qui-Gon had given him as a thirteenth birthday present. As usual, the stone was warm. When he held it between his hands, it heated them. Obi-Wan closed his eyes. He could almost feel the presence of the Force. It had not deserted him. It could not. He had to remember that.

  He needed Qui-Gon. His Master was not the most talkative companion, but Obi-Wan had not fully realized how much he relied on Qui-Gon's counsel. He could use it now.

  Once, when he was Qui-Gon's Padawan, he had only to concentrate and he could summon Qui-Gon. Now he reached out and felt nothing.

  Events were slipping out of his control. Everything he'd fought for was now in danger, and he had no idea how to fix anything. There were plenty of people to talk to on Melida/Daan, but no one whose mature insight he could depend on. Even Cerasi was at a loss.

  If war threatened to break out, could he appeal to the Temple to send a Jedi as guardian of peace? Would they send Qui-Gon? Could he dare to ask such a thing?

  And if he asked, would Qui-Gon come?

  Because of heightened security, the illumination bank was turned off.

  The darkness was absolute. Luck was with them, Qui-Gon thought. He crouched with Tahl in the trees by the shoreline of the lake. He could barely make out the glint of the water.

  "At last we're even," Tahl murmured when Qui-Gon told her how dark it was.

  They had calculated that another theft would happen that evening. They had seen the thefts fall into an escalating pattern. It was time to follow up on the stunning theft of the crystals with another crime. The thief would need to conceal what he or she stole, and would come to the lake.

  Or so they hoped.

  Tahl would not stay behind. He had argued with her and lost. If Qui-Gon saw who the culprit was, she could get the news back to Yoda.

  Qui-Gon might need to follow the thief. Tahl had argued that they should not rely on corn-links for communication. This was too important. And they needed to do everything as silently as possible. It was best not to tip off the thief.

  "All right," he finally agreed. "Just leave TooJay in your quarters."

  They had been waiting for five hours. Every so often they would stand and stretch each muscle in a Jedi exercise known as "stationary movement."

  That kept them awake and their muscles fluid.

  The lakeside was so still that it was no more than a flickering of a leaf that alerted Qui-Gon to the presence of another. Tahl had heard it; perhaps she had even heard a disturbance earlier, for her head was already turned toward the sound.

  Qui-Gon called on the Force to help him. He was dressed in a dark robe and blended in perfectly with the vegetation. He kept himself perfectly still.

  A figure emerged onto the beach from their left, not from the path he had anticipated. The figure was hooded, but Qui-Gon saw that it was a boy.

  Judging by his height, it was one of the older boys. The stance was familiar, too, Qui-Gon did not have to wait until the hood fell back to reveal the gleam of a white ponytail to know that it was Bruck.

  He leaned over and put his lips to Tahl's ear. He whispered Bruck's name, and she nodded.

  Bruck sat on the shore and took off his boots and outer cloak. Then he tied a waterproof parcel around his neck, lit a glow rod and waded into the lake. He took a deep breath and disappeared.

  "He's underwater," Qui-Gon said in a low tone to Tahl. "When he comes out, I'll follow him. You wait here. Don't move a muscle. He must not realize that he's being followed."

  "All right," Tahl agreed. "If you're not back in fifteen minutes, I'll get help."

  In minutes, Bruck resurfaced and swam with a strong stroke to shore. He walked out of the lake and pulled on his boots, then pulled the cloak around him. Instead of heading back to the turbolift, he chose an overgrown path.

  Qui-Gon knew it well. It led through the undergrowth toward the utility buildings that held floaters and hydrocrafts.

  Qui-Gon followed behind. Bruck could be heading for a meeting. He could be heading to where he'd stashed the other stolen objects. Either way, they would learn something important tonight.

  Bruck was being careful, but Qui-Gon was more so. He had more practice in moving silently than the boy did. He followed Bruck by sound rather than sight.

  The overhanging trees blocked out the surroundings as the path wound farther away from the lake. Soon they would be at the utility sheds. Would someone be there to meet Bruck? Qui-Gon picked up his pace slightly so that he could see the boy.

  "Tree root, two centimeters ahead." A well-known voice split the silence. "Leaf frond, three centimeters straight ahead at eye level!"

  TooJay! Qui-Gon stopped and went perfectly still. Bruck turned, his ponytail whipping around. He could not see Qui-Gon in the darkness. But he turned and ran.

  It was no use following him. He would most likely double back and return to the turbolift. He knew someone was out here.

  Disgusted, Qui-Gon turned back. Tahl was waiting on the path a few meters back. TooJay stood next to her.

  "Qui-Gon Jinn approaching," TooJay said pleasantly.

  Furiously, Tahl reached over and shut off TooJay's speaking mechanism.

  The droid waved its arms, but could not speak.

  "Qui-Gon, I'm sorry," Tahl said rapidly. "I didn't realize that TooJay was looking for me.

  As soon as I started down the path, she was behind me."

  "Why did you follow me?" Qui-Gon asked irritably.

  "Because someone was following you," Tahl explained. "They moved so quietly you might not have heard them. I was worried."

  "Someone from the Temple?" Qui-Gon asked. "Could you tell?"

  "I don't think so," Tahl said hesitantly. "Students and teachers, even workers, wear soft-soled boots. This person wore heavier boots. And the clothes had a whispery sound. Not like the sound of our cloaks or tunics. I think it's a man. The footfalls were heavy, and he brushed the icus leaves.

  He has to be close to your height."

  "So there is an intruder," Qui-Gon said. "That was who Bruck was going to meet."

  "Yes," Tahl agreed. "But not only that. He didn't hide in the bushes or try to track you through the trees. He knew the way. This intruder felt at home here. And he was not afraid."

  A sudden chill ran through Qui-Gon. This was the scariest news of all.

  When Obi-Wan woke the next morning, he was alone. Most of the Young had already headed aboveground. Cerasi probably hadn't wanted to wake him. He was sure that she'd been awake when he'd slipped back into his sleeping area near dawn.

  Cerasi had left him a plate of fruit and a muja muffin for breakfast.

  He ate, wondering when he'd get a chance to eat again. Each day was so busy.

  If he wasn't on duty with the Security Squad, he was trying, with Cerasi, to convince the Young that they needed to talk without anger.

  Suddenly Roenni burst into the space. He hadn't seen much of the quiet girl lately. She kept to herself.

  "Obi-Wan, they need you," she said breathlessly.

  "Who needs me?" he asked, standing up.

  "Everyone." Her eyes filled with tears.

  "Roenni, start from the beginning."

  "Nield has convinced Mawat that they must overthrow the vote of the council and demolish the Hall of Evidence on Glory Street," Roenni said.

  "He's gathered most of his squad and some of the Scavenger Young."

  Obi-Wan sighed. He would have to deal with this.

  "They have weapons," Roenni warned.

  "Where did they get them?" Obi-Wan asked sharply.

  "I don't know. But Wehutti is there with the Elders, and they have weapons, too."

  Dismay
filled Obi-Wan. This is what he and Cerasi had feared, what they'd tried to avoid. Open conflict was in the streets of Zehava once more.

  He debated whether to try to find Cerasi. He could call her on the comlink. But he didn't have much time, and it was better that she find out about the conflict after it was over. He remembered how torn she'd been to see Wehutti and Nield at odds last time.