Jedi Apprentice 12: The Evil Experiment (звёздные войны)

by Джуд Уотсон

  "Maybe Tino will have more answers than that bunch," he told Astri.

  "Let's hope so," she agreed.

  By the time they reached the warehouse they were almost as muddy as Cholly, Weez, and Tup. Huge loading doors stood open and inside they could see a multilayered structure of catwalks, ladders, ramps, and chutes.

  Small, compact tech droids rolled through the aisles, pushing graysleds filled with durasteel crates and boxes. Obi-Wan scanned the area until he glimpsed the person in charge, a woman of middle years in a gray unisuit with a headset, who was barking orders at the droids.

  Obi-Wan approached her.

  "We're looking for Tino," Obi-Wan said.

  She didn't take her eyes off the droids. "He's unloading in Sector Two. Through that door there. Tell him to get a move on and get back here,"

  she said. "I need those droids!"

  Obi-Wan and Astri followed the woman's directions and hurried through the door into the Sector One portion of the huge warehouse.

  There was no one on the ground floor, but one level up they saw a sandy-haired young man in a unisuit. Droids on the next level were pushing crates onto a chute. The crates slid down and the young man hefted them and loaded them one at a time onto a gravsled.

  Obi-Wan glanced around for the ladder that would take them up one level. He paused as he felt a sudden disturbance in the Force.

  Quickly, he scanned the warehouse. The droids moved in orderly rows, the crates rolled down. There was no movement on the catwalks above…

  Then he saw her one level above Tino. At first she was just a shadow.

  Then she moved, and the shape became Ona Nobis. Dressed all in black, she looked down at Tino. Unaware, the young man below continued to work, sweeping a bin off the chute and loading it onto the gravsled.

  She unfurled her whip.

  "Watch out!" Obi-Wan shouted.

  Chapter 13

  Tino looked up, startled by Obi-Wan's cry. Obi-Wan was already gathering the Force to make his leap. He landed on the catwalk overhead and teetered back for an instant, trying to get his balance.

  Fortunately, Ona Nobis was surprised and her timing was off. The whip flailed uselessly in the air. Obi-Wan had time to note the shock turning to anger on Ona Nobis's face as he raced down the catwalk and onto the chute leading straight toward her.

  Astri was already running up the stairs, trying to get to Tino. His lightsaber in his hand, Obi-Wan dodged the boxes that Ona Nobis began throwing down at him. He did not look forward to tangling with the bounty hunter without Qui-Gon by his side.

  He reached the next catwalk. The whip flashed above his head. Obi-Wan saw it coming and slashed at it with the lightsaber. The two lasers tangled as the whip wrapped around the blade of his lightsaber.

  Below him, Astri pushed Tino behind a stack of durasteel bins. Ona Nobis unfurled her whip once more, releasing Obi-Wan's lightsaber.

  Immediately, he charged toward her. In a flash, she set the whip to normal mode and snaked it around the railing of the opposite catwalk. Then she used the whip to swing to the other side. Obi-Wan heard the clang of her landing on the metal catwalk.

  She now had a clear shot at Tino.

  "Astri!" Obi-Wan yelled.

  Astri looked up and saw Ona Nobis. Her face was white and drawn with fear but she grabbed Tino and pushed him farther behind the bins, making sure he was safe before joining him. Obi-Wan admired her courage as he jumped on top of the catwalk railing and paused before his leap across open space.

  For him, the Force was sometimes elusive. He was still learning. But now he could feel it around him, steady and strong. It was almost as though Qui-Gon was with him, joining his strength with Obi-Wan's. He leaped across the gap.

  He grabbed the railing of the opposite catwalk, his body slamming against the metal. He had no time to feel the pain. He swung himself up and over and charged.

  Ona Nobis's lip curled as she set her whip to laser mode. With the other hand, she drew her blaster. The fire pinged around him as he swung his lightsaber in a wide swath, deflecting the fire. He moved steadily toward her.

  Meanwhile, Astri urged Tino onto the gravsled. Kicking aside several bins, she got behind the controls and pushed the gravsled to full power. It zoomed down the catwalk away from Ona Nobis.

  Good work, Astri.

  Ona Nobis cracked her whip. It tangled with the lightsaber. Obi-Wan twisted his wrist, hoping to flick the whip away. Instead, it curled back and struck again.

  Obi-Wan twirled his lightsaber around in a lightning-fast move, corkscrewing around the flexible whip. It wound around his lightsaber in a complex tangle.

  With a snarl, Ona Nobis pulled back on the whip, but could not dislodge it. She fired her blaster, but she was off-balance and Obi-Wan was able to turn away to avoid it.

  He knew he would not be able to avoid it for long, however. He needed his lightsaber to deflect the fire. Still, he was anxious to deprive his opponent of her most potent weapon. He did not want to let go of the whip.

  Use your opponents' strategies against them and you take away their power.

  He took a chance and moved closer. She had expected him to pull back, and he drove her farther off balance.

  Get your opponents to lose their grace, and they will lose their purpose, Padawan.

  Grimly, he advanced farther, pushing against the lightsaber as she stumbled backward, still unwilling to let go of the whip. Her blaster fire pinged harmlessly on the metal catwalk. Her eyes burned with hatred.

  He saw now that two of the fingers of her left hand had fused together. No doubt it was as a result of the injury he had inflicted in the battle in the Cascardi Mountains. The hatred and rage she felt was like a thick toxic cloud surrounding them.

  He guessed that if he moved quickly, he might be able to release the whip and strike her down before she had a chance to land a blow. He remembered how casually she had shot Didi. And Qui-Gon. He remembered his Master falling back into her ship. He matched her rage and hate with his own.

  Do not meet hate with hate. Meet it with purpose.

  But what was his purpose? He did not want to take her life, only her freedom. He needed to capture her. Only then would they be able to force her to lead them to Jenna Zan Arbor and Qui-Gon. She would have to make a deal.

  Suddenly, he saw Astri behind Ona Nobis. Alone on the gravsled, Astri drove at top speed toward the bounty hunter. They had her between them now.

  Ona Nobis heard the noise behind her. She gave one last, enraged look at Obi-Wan. Then she abandoned the struggle for the whip and leaped over the catwalk onto a ramp below. She slid down, her body straight and sleek.

  The ramp disappeared through the floor below into a lower level.

  Obi-Wan leaped after her. He, too, slid down the ramp, bumping down as fast as he could, keeping his lightsaber in the air.

  But when he got to the bottom, Ona Nobis was gone. He saw a small door leading outside that the droids used. He could not fit through it, but Sorrusian bones compressed so that they could fit in small spaces. He had lost her.

  Furious, Obi-Wan trudged back up the ramp to Sector One. Astri waited on the ground floor with a shaky Tino.

  "She's gone," Obi-Wan said.

  "At least she left this." Astri held up the whip. "Who was she?" Tino asked. He shook his head dazedly. "And who are you?"

  Quickly, Obi-Wan explained why they were there. "If there's anything you can add about Ren, we would appreciate it," he finished.

  "I owe you both my life," Tino said. "Of course I'll tell you what I know."

  He wiped his hands on his unisuit. His blue eyes grew cloudy. "Ren was my buddy. He watched my back, and I watched his. When he told me about volunteering for this experiment, I tried to talk him out of it. He wouldn't listen. Nobody listens to anybody. Especially on Simpla-12. Those clowns Cholly, Weez, and Tup thought it was a great idea."

  Tino sat down shakily on a durasteel bin. "He came back really spooked. Said he didn't realize what
he'd been in for. He talked this scientist into letting him go and promised to come back. But he wasn't going back, he said."

  "Did you notice a change in him?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "Sure. He lost all his strength," Tino said. "He could hardly squash a bug. That's why he hid at my place. He kept saying…" Tino looked at Obi-Wan. "That he'd go to the Jedi for help, as soon as he was strong enough. But first he had to go back to the lab."

  "What was he afraid of?" Astri asked.

  "Her," Tino said. "Whoever she is. He said he'd stared pure evil in the face."

  Obi-Wan felt a chill. This was the person who held his Master.

  "Then why did he have to go back?" Obi-Wan asked.

  Tino shook his head. "He wouldn't tell me. Maybe because I didn't really believe him. Ren was always such a big mouth. Always talking about his big connections. Said he came from a powerful family."

  "He did," Obi-Wan said.

  "Yeah. So I heard, after he was dead. But I didn't know then. So when he said he had to get insurance, that this scientist wouldn't dare kill him if he went back, I didn't believe that, either." Tino looked up, his eyes bleak. "And then he died."

  "I'm sorry," Astri said quietly.

  "Me, too. You know, I told all this to the security force."

  "Simpla-12 has a security force?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised. He'd thought it was one of the lawless worlds.

  "The Coruscant security police investigated," Tino said. "Some big Bothan…"

  "Captain Yur T'aug?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "That was the guy. He was in charge of investigating the murder. I told him what Ren told me — that if something happened to him, he had left behind a clue, something that would lead them to this scientist and her lab. I told them to ask Cholly, Weez, and Tup. Ren talked to them, too. But he never questioned anybody on Simpla-12. He just shipped Ren's body back to Coruscant, to his mother. I guess they didn't care that much about solving the murder."

  Obi-Wan thanked Tino. He and Astri walked slowly from the warehouse.

  "What now?" Astri asked.

  "I wonder why Captain Yur T'aug didn't follow up on any leads," Obi- Wan said.

  "You know him?"

  "He investigated Fligh's murder," Obi-Wan said. "He didn't seem very interested in finding that killer, either."

  Astri nodded. "I have a feeling we're heading back to Coruscant."

  Chapter 14

  Qui-Gon floated in the chamber. His limbs felt heavy, but the paralyzing dart was wearing off.

  Jenna Zan Arbor's face loomed through the vapor outside the chamber.

  He could just make out the outlines of her face. "Did you really think you could escape?"

  "It seemed worth a try," Qui-Gon said.

  "I am tired of our game," Zan Arbor said. "You amused me once. I was kind to you. I let you out of the chamber."

  "Let us not forget that it was you who imprisoned me in the first place," Qui-Gon said. "It's hard for me to muster up gratitude under these conditions."

  She shook her head slowly. "Look at you. You still have your dignity, even when you are at my mercy."

  Qui-Gon met her gaze steadily. "I am a Jedi."

  She waved her hand, as if this was something that didn't matter.

  "You know," Qui-Gon remarked, "there is something strange to me in your attitude. You seem to have great respect for the Force. Yet you do not respect those who are closest to it."

  "That isn't true. I respect you, Qui-Gon. Just as I respect a chemical, or the physical properties of a gas. You are a means to an end."

  "You will never gain what you seek," Qui-Gon told her. "There is a fatal flaw in your plan."

  She smiled. "So you say. And what is that?" "Understanding the Force takes wisdom — " "Are you telling me I am not wise?" she asked.

  "You have intelligence. Maybe genius. But that is not wisdom."

  He had disturbed her. She covered it with a laugh. "I've heard of Jedi mind tricks. You are trying to get me to doubt myself. "That is impossible."

  "Here is an example of what I mean," Qui-Gon said. "You do not recognize what truth is, so you call it a trick. That is why you are not wise, Jenna Zan Arbor. Wisdom is something you cannot identify because you cannot measure it with your instruments."

  She struggled to maintain her tight smile. "Anything else I am lacking to understand the Force?"

  "The most important thing of all," Qui-Gon said. "An open heart."

  Her expression tightened. "That is an abstraction. Meaningless.

  Enough of your games. Enough of you. The final experiments will begin.

  Thank you for your contributions to science. You will die in the isolation tank. I need your blood.".

  The vapor grew thick. Jenna Zan Arbor's face disappeared. The syringe entered and pierced his flesh. He watched his blood move down the tube.

  Qui-Gon closed his eyes. Now, there were only two things ahead. Two things he must keep in balance, far apart though they might be. He must hope for rescue. And he must prepare for death.

  Chapter 15

  "Captain Yur T'aug is busy," the sergeant said.

  "He will see me," Obi-Wan said firmly. "This is a Jedi matter."

  The sergeant paused. Coruscant security forces were expected to cooperate with the Jedi, even if they didn't want to.

  "I will ask him — "

  Pushing past the sergeant, Obi-Wan strode through the door. Captain Yur T'aug sat at a long, polished desk. He was a tall, muscular Bothan, dressed in the security force navy uniform with tall boots polished to a high gleam. He was bent over, staring in a mirror while he clipped his beard. He looked up in surprise as Obi-Wan and Astri walked in.

  "I am not to be disturbed!" he shouted. "Why did you drop the investigation into Ren S'orn's death?" Obi-Wan demanded. He had no time for preliminaries.

  "How dare you question me!" Captain Yur T'aug sprang to his feet and stalked toward Obi-Wan and Astri. He came within centimeters of their faces. "Get out!" he bellowed.

  "Not until I get answers," Obi-Wan said, meeting the captain's gaze resolutely. He had learned from Qui-Gon how to meet bullies with calm strength. He did not raise his voice. Still, he felt intimidated by the captain's manner. He was only a boy. Would the captain listen to him?

  "I have no answers to give you," Captain Yur T'aug sneered. "I investigated a murder. The killer was not found. The case file was rotated to inactive. Do you know how full our caseload is here?"

  "Ren's friend told you that he might have been killed because he had information that someone did not want to get out," Obi-Wan said. "You did not question anyone else. Why is that?" Obi-Wan paused. "The Jedi are making this investigation a priority, Captain Yur T'aug."

  "So they send a boy to question me?"

  "I represent the Jedi Council. Know that if you oppose us, we will pursue this matter."

  Captain Yur T'aug backed up a step. "Always the Jedi stick their noses in my business and I am asked to accept it."

  "We are working for the same goal," Obi-Wan pointed out. "Justice.

  Did Jenna Zan Arbor pay you to drop the investigation?"

  A flicker of surprise flared in Captain Yur T'aug's angry gaze. But was it because Obi-Wan had guessed the truth, or because he did not know Jenna Zan Arbor was involved?

  "The Jedi Council wishes to know the answer," Obi-Wan said. "We will go through official channels if we must. It would be easier if you would tell me the truth here and now."

  Captain Yur T'aug let out a breath, as if he'd made a decision. "It is true I was asked to drop the investigation. But it was the request of Ren S'orn's mother. Uta S'orn is — was — a powerful Senator. And it was her son who had died. Naturally I followed her wishes."

  "Why wouldn't Senator S'orn want her son's killer to be found?" Astri asked, baffled.

  "You will have to ask her," Captain Yur T'aug said. "I do not know."

  The last time Obi-Wan had seen Senator S'orn, he had been ushered into a grand office in the Senate building.
She had been dressed in rich ceremonial robes. Since that time, Senator S'orn had resigned.

  She lived in a building near the Senate where other Senators from many worlds kept quarters. She opened the door, dressed in a plain linen smock that hung to the floor. She was not wearing the elaborate wrapped headdress of her home world of Belasco. Her dark hair hung loosely down her back.