by Jude Watson
Slowly, O-Melie raised her head. Tears sparkled in her eyes. "Nen is right," she said shakily. "We need your help."
"And we are here to give it," Qui-Gon said.
V-Nen put his hand on Qui-Gon's forearm. O-Melie put hers on Adi Gallia's. V-Nen said, "Now we are Nen and Melie to you. Our fate is twined with yours."
"We will find your daughter," Qui-Gon assured them.
"You must be careful," Nen told them. "We are part of a faction on Kegan that opposes O-Vieve and V-Tan. We believe that the isolation policy is wrong. Trade and exploration could be good for Kegan. The surveillance is what has made our anti-isolationist movement so difficult. It's not that we are arrested or forbidden to discuss things - on the contrary, V-Tan and O-Vieve insist that Kegan is an open society. Yet somehow those of us who ask why we cannot travel beyond Kegan are punished - moved to job sectors we do not like, forced to share housing unexpectedly, given low priority for requests ... things that make life difficult on Kegan. You may imagine that the movement has thus lost many members. The rest have learned to be careful."
"But now they have gone too far. They have taken our daughter," Melie said. "I do not want to be careful any longer."
"V-Tan and O-Vieve have said that if one Keganite leaves the planet it will cause our destruction," Men continued. "They will prevent Lana leaving in whatever way they can."
"We must find her before it's too late," Melie said, her voice trembling.
"Yet every move is watched. Every word we say is heard," Nen added in despair.
"I have an idea," Qui-Gon said. "Auto-hoppers are controlled by CIPs - Central Instruction Processors."
"Yes," Nen agreed. "The CIP is in a guarded building right here in the Comm Circle."
"If Adi and I can disable the CIP, they will need to recall the autohoppers until it is repaired. In the meantime, the people will be able to share information more freely. You will be able to mobilize your group, and we will have time to search for Lana."
"Qui-Gon, I must speak to you," Adi said sternly.
She drew Qui-Gon into the corner.
"I must object to this plan," she said in a low tone that vibrated with worry. "It is totally opposed to the Council's wishes. We will directly interfere with the Kegan government if we disable a CIP."
"But how else can we complete our mission?" Qui-Gon argued. "We didn't know before we arrived that the people here were under constant surveillance. We didn't know that two powerful rulers were controlling them. And our Padawans and an innocent child weren't missing!"
Adi pressed her lips together. She cast her eyes on the floor, thinking.
"Adi, we must find them," Qui-Gon said softly. "This is the only way."
Adi raised her head. Her deep brown eyes still were clouded by doubt. She did not speak.
"I understand if you don't wish to help me," Qui-Gon said firmly. "But I will disable that CIP. The question is, will you come with me?"
Davi, Obi-Wan, and Siri sat in a dark corner of the food hall.
"What are we waiting for?" Siri whispered to Davi.
"Lockdown," Davi said. "The lights will go on and off three times. The Security Guides will change shifts. V-Tarz is on tonight. He'll sit at the surveillance post in the admin center. If anyone steps foot out of the dorm quads, an alarm will sound."
"So how will we escape?" Siri asked.
"V-Tarz waits five minutes after lockdown, then turns off security in Quad 7 and raids the kitchen," Davi said with a grin. "I found this out the night I met Scurry." He placed the ferbil on his palm and fed it a few seeds. "Scurry was in the food prep area. He must have gotten in somehow and couldn't find his way out. I knew if they found him he'd be ... gotten rid of. I was trying to figure out how to keep him when the lockdown warning came. I decided to spend the night where I was. It's six punishment marks if you're caught out after lockdown. V-Tarz came in for a snack, so I hid."
"How do you know he does it every night?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Because you can see the security light blink off in the dorm," Davi explained. "I come out here almost every night. Sometimes I'm ... I'm afraid to be alone in the dark."
"But you sleep in a room with twenty other boys," Obi-Wan said.
"I'm still alone," Davi said. Embarrassed, he looked down quickly to pet the ferbil.
"Listen, I know what you mean," Siri said bluntly. "This place could give anyone the wild shivers."
Davi looked up with a shy smile. Once again, Siri's forthright manner had reassured him, Obi-Wan noted. He would never have imagined that Siri was capable of comforting anyone.
"Scurry helps," Davi said. "And my other pets. I find them in the yard during rec period. Most of them are hungry or scared or hurt. I smuggle them in and keep them by my bed. At night I sneak in here to get food for them. Sometimes I sneak outside just to see the stars."
"How do we get out?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Through the windows in the cleansing room of Quad 7," Davi said. "You can use the shower heads to swing up. It's an easy drop to the ground. Then you'll have to steal a landspeeder. I can give you the coordinates of the city."
The lights turned on and off three times. A soft signal sounded.
"In another five minutes, the floor will be alarmed," Davi whispered. "But then V-Tarz will turn it off again. I'll show you the way."
"Why don't you come with us, Davi?" Siri asked.
Davi shrank back. "Why would I do that?"
"Don't you want to find out what's really happening in the galaxy?" Siri asked. "Don't you want a chance to do what you want to do?"
"But the galaxy is a dangerous place," Davi said.
"Some of it is dangerous," Obi-Wan said. "Not all."
"There are places on Coruscant, where we live, that place orphan children with parents," Siri told him. "You could have a family. You could keep pets and work with animals."
"I have a family," Davi said nervously. "The General Good is a family."
"But Davi, The Learning is telling you lies," Siri said. "Don't you trust us?"
"It's not that I don't trust you," Davi said worriedly. "But the power of evil that controls the galaxy might be telling you things that aren't true. Misinformation is spread to confuse the people and keep them in line."
"But that's exactly what's happening here," Siri protested.
"If I leave, the Masked Soldiers will come and attack Kegan," Davi said, shaking his head. "This is the vision of O-Vieve and V-Tan. No one must leave. The General Good will suffer, and invaders will come."
Siri and Obi-Wan exchanged a frustrated glance. Davi had been trained in The Learning for too long. He could not accept what they told him as true.
They heard the heavy tread of V-Tarz. The massive Keganite moved through the food hall, heading for the kitchens. Obi-Wan stayed perfectly still. In only a few minutes, he and Siri would be free.
If everything went according to plan ...
A voice suddenly split the silence. "V-Tarz!"
Another Security Guide stood in the doorway. "What are you doing?"
"Security alert in the kitchens," V-Tarz said quickly. "Probably just a malfunction. Maybe the infrared alarm. I was just checking it out."
"I'll go with you. New orders are for two posted guards during the lockdown hours. We'd better get Quad 7 back online quickly." The other Guide moved toward V-Tarz.
"There goes V-Tarz's snack," Siri murmured.
"We'd better get back to our dorm quarters," Davi said nervously. "We won't be able to escape tonight. I'm sorry. They've never put two guards on at night before."
They waited until the Guides had turned the corner. Then Davi led them out of the food hall.
"We can get back to the dorms through the admin center," Davi said. "Hurry, it won't take them long to check out the kitchen security."
They raced through the halls and entered the admin center, a round room that was in the center of the building. All the different quads spun off from this central location.
"Almost there,
" Davi said as he hurried toward the door that led to the Quad 7 dorm, where they were all quartered.
But just then they heard familiar footsteps behind them. There wasn't enough time to make it to the door. Quickly, Davi sprang behind a row of desks. Siri hurried after him. Obi-Wan was bringing up the rear. He slipped behind a wall of shelves that held data files. They could hear V-Tarz grumbling as he moved toward the security wall.
"Run the infrared check, he says," he muttered. "There's nothing wrong with the infrared. What's wrong is that I'm starving."
"V-Tarz? Are you there?" The voice came through the comlink on the console.
"I'm here."
"Run check."
"Running," V-Tarz said. "You idiot."
"What?"
"Nothing. Running check." V-Tarz's stomach rumbled. He sighed.
Obi-Wan leaned against the console to peer around it. Would they be able to slip past V-Tarz? Not if he didn't move. V-Tarz had a perfect view of the door they needed to pass through.
As Obi-Wan retreated back behind the shelves, he brushed against a container that was overstuffed with data files. One of them slipped off the top. Obi-Wan's reflexes were excellent, and he caught it soundlessly.
It was a file for someone named O-Uni. Obi-Wan leafed through it quietly. The girl had excellent reports from her teachers. A few visits to the med circle. Then a paper stamped reclassified to re-learning circle.
Obi-Wan carefully replaced the file. The Re-Learning Circle? What was that?
"Check complete," V-Tarz said into the comlink. "No problems."
"Copy that. Making one last check of kitchen and food hall before I get back."
"I'll give you a hand."
"Don't bother. I've got it covered."
"Didn't copy that. I'll check the kitchen." V-Tarz switched off the comlink. "Maybe I can sneak some veg patties when you're not looking, killjoy."
He lumbered off. Davi immediately poked his head out. "Let's go," he hissed.
They hurried toward the door, but Obi-Wan stopped Davi for a moment. "What's the Re-Learning Circle?"
"I'm not sure," Davi said. "But I know I don't want to end up there. You get sent there if you have enough punishment marks. But then some kids who are never in trouble get sent there, too. Nobody knows why." He shuddered. "But nobody ever comes back."
The morning gong shattered the silence before dawn. Instantly, students threw back their covers and stood, lining up to use the wash basins that ran along the wall.
Obi-Wan felt the shock of cold water against his skin. His mind was already clear. The next gong sounded, the signal to dress and proceed to the food hall within three minutes. Davi had explained what was required last night before they'd separated.
Obi-Wan reflected how different life at the Temple had been. There, a soft light began slowly and grew in brightness, mimicking a rising sun. The students all had their own quarters, as privacy was respected. Early morning was a time of meditation and gentle exercise before the day began. It was not harsh noise and hurry.
Here the students did not seem to mind the abrupt start of the day or the strict schedule they had to follow. They did not seem to notice the contrast between the smiles of the Guides and their sharp orders. And nobody seemed to mind the food.
Across the room, Siri sat with the other girls. She lifted a spoonful of grain mash and made a face at him. Obi-Wan laughed quietly to himself.
"Two punishments marks, V-Obi," one of the Guides said, entering it into a touch pad. "Concentration on nutrition is what we do during meal service. Interaction with others is saved for free time."
Obi-Wan chewed on the tasteless meal. Siri was right. They had to get out of here.
"Today we will play Response Time," O-Bin announced. "You all know how this is done. A topic will flash on your screen. Whoever hits their response button first will tell the class what the significant facts about the topic are. Good luck."
Obi-Wan glanced at his data screen. Coruscant flashed across it. He did not hit his response button. The best thing he could do today was try not to attract any attention from the Teaching Guides.
Jedi responses are lightning fast. The light on top of Siri's data screen lit up first. Obi-Wan threw her a warning glance, but she ignored it.
O-Bin was clearly not pleased at having to call on Siri. "O-Siri?" she asked through pursed lips.
"Coruscant is a world made up of one city. It is the home of the Galactic Senate. Billions of beings live on Coruscant. It is known for government and culture and its excellent transit and security systems--"
"I must interrupt you, O-Siri," O-Bin said with a smile. "That is all wrong. Can anyone correct O-Siri?"
Data screen lights glowed throughout the classroom. O-Bin consulted her screen to see who had been first. "V-Mina?"
"Coruscant is a world of corruption," V-Mina said. "Slavery is legal there."
"Precisely," O-Bin said.
Siri's face was burning. Obi-Wan fixed her with a steady gaze. They both had to keep quiet. They should not attract any more attention.
Next it flashed Jedi Order.
This time, O-Bin deliberately ignored Siri's glowing light. "V-Taun?"
"The Jedi Order is surrounded by darkness. They--"
Siri sprang to her feet. "The Jedi path is one of service to the galaxy!"
"Sit down, O-Siri! Five punishment marks! And you know what that means .. ."
Obi-Wan groaned loudly.
"Food service cleanup after the evening meal," O-Bin hissed through her teeth. "And V-Obi, from your groan I'm sure you'll be happy to join O-Siri. So much better for the General Good."
"I am capable of keeping my mouth shut," Siri told Obi-Wan later. "I just don't want to. What difference does it make if we're washing dishes? At least we're not sitting in a class listening to O-Bin tell us that the Core Worlds are corrupted."
Obi-Wan regarded the stack of dishes crusted with the remains of the evening meal. It was the second time they had been given cleanup duty that day. "I think I'd rather be sitting in class."
"I have a suggestion." Siri threw the dishrag into the sink. "Let's forget the dishes and escape. Tonight. If we can't outsmart that greedy V-Tarz, we don't deserve to be Jedi."
"All right," he agreed.
"Obi-Wan, you've got to listen to me sometime. You're not the only one who can--" Siri did a double take. "Did you just agree with me?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "You're right. We saw how the security system operates. Let's do it. Qui-Gon and Adi must be really worried now."
"There will be two guards," Siri said. "And V-Tarz might not be able to go for his snack. What do you have in mind?"
"The other Security Guide thinks the system malfunctioned last night, but they don't know where the problem is, right?"
Siri nodded.
"So let's create a real problem," Obi-Wan said. "They'll have to shut down the system to check and repair it. Meanwhile we'll sneak out the cleansing room window."
"How can we sabotage the system?" Siri asked. "We can't sneak into the admin center now. It's full of Guides."
"We have to sabotage it here," Obi-Wan said, glancing around the kitchen. "Any ideas?"
They examined the security devices set into the ceiling corners.
"Didn't V-Tarz say something about the infrared sensor?" Siri asked.
"He claimed that it could be malfunctioning," Obi-Wan said.
"Can we rig something to set it off again?" Siri asked. She ran her hand along the big warming unit. "What if we turned the stoves on low? They'd heat the room and eventually the infrareds would go off. They'd have to turn off the system to figure it out."
"Simple, but genius," Obi-Wan said. "Let's do it. But we'd better wash the dishes first. If a Guide comes in to check our work, he or she might notice the stoves are on."
"I knew there was a drawback," Siri groaned.
Working quickly, the two finished their task. The warning lights flashed for lockdown, and they ran for their d
orm quarters. They paused outside the admin center.
"We don't have time to say good-bye to Davi," Siri said in concern.
"He'll know what happened when he finds out we're gone. We can come back for him with Qui-Gon and Adi. Meet me here as soon as the security light goes out," Obi-Wan said. "Then we'll head for the Quad 7 exit."
Siri nodded. Obi-Wan headed to his dorm quarters. He managed to slip into bed just before the lights went out. He waited, listening to the breathing slow around him. The students worked so hard and long during the day that everyone fell deeply asleep within minutes of lying down.
At last the security light blinked off. Obi-Wan slipped into his boots and tiptoed out. He hesitated near Davi's sleep couch. It was better not to awaken him. Anything could go wrong, and he didn't want to get Davi in trouble. When he reached the hall outside the admin center, Siri was waiting.
"I just saw V-Tarz and the other Security Guide take off to check that sensor," she said. "It's an all clear."
They hurried down the long hallway, past the other dorm rooms. The cleansing room was at the very end of the long, circular building. They had almost reached it when they heard the scrape of a door opening slightly.
Without hesitating a fraction, Obi-Wan and Siri leaped together toward the curve of the hallway, where they would be out of sight. They hit the floor and began to run. If someone had caught a glimpse of them, or even merely heard them, Security Guides might be called. Each student was encouraged to inform on the others.
But would they?
An alarm pierced the silence. The door to the cleansing room was in sight. They raced toward it. But before they could reach it, Security Guides spilled out into the hallway and surrounded them.
They could have fought them. But that meant they would have to draw their lightsabers. Obi-Wan was still reluctant to do that, since Yoda had cautioned them against it. There had to be a better way. He saw Siri's hand drift to her lightsaber hilt, and he shook his head. But would Siri listen to him?
Students spilled out into the hall to see what had caused the disturbance. O-Bin and several other Teaching Guides hurried out, dressed in their sleepwear.
"I know these two well," O-Bin said. "What are you doing out in the hallways after curfew?"
