The Deadly Hunter

by Jude Watson

  with glow rods, entering information in their data pads, talking in groups.

  It could be any being lying on that cold stone walkway. Fligh had ceased to

  matter. Only the manner of his death was important.

  Obi-Wan looked up at the dark sky. Stars glittered with edges that

  looked hard enough to cut. Already he felt at times that he had seen too

  much death and cruelty. How did Qui-Gon, who had seen so much more, feel?

  It was the Jedi's job to meet such things. To help. The helping was easy

  compared to this.

  Will I ever get used to death? Obi-Wan wondered.

  Obi-Wan saw something glitter in the dim shadows. He walked closer.

  It was a bright green stone. He leaned down to study it and realized it was

  Fligh's prosthetic eye. It must have rolled away from the body. He pointed

  it out to Qui-Gon, who nodded.

  Qui-Gon showed it to Captain Yur T'aug. "It belonged to the victim,"

  he said.

  The captain crouched to examine it. "Sergeant!" he called. "Tag this

  item."

  Another officer scurried over with a specimen bag and carefully

  picked up the eye with a tweezer device.

  "What was the cause of death?" Qui-Gon asked quietly.

  "Strangulation, we believe," Captain Yur T'aug said shortly.

  "I saw the marks," Qui-Gon said. "It seems like a slender cord of

  some kind. Not hands." The captain nodded.

  "And the unusual... ah, pallor?" Qui-Gon asked.

  "The body was drained of blood," Captain Yur T'aug said. "He was

  killed elsewhere and then dropped off here."

  Obi-Wan looked back at the tarp and shuddered again.

  Qui-Gon's voice was calm. "Any suspects?"

  The captain sighed, tapping his comlink with an impatient finger. "I

  should be investigating, not filling you in. You can read the report when I

  am done."

  Qui-Gon did not show his impatience, but Obi-Wan could feel it. "I do

  not have time to read your report," he said, his voice as brittle as ice.

  Captain Yur T'aug hesitated, then said, "No suspects yet. Nobody saw

  anything. But we know this High character. He's a well-known informant and

  petty thief. Could have a hundred enemies. Not to mention that he owes

  money all over town. I hear he has a major debt to the Tech Raiders."

  Qui-Gon studied the officer for a moment. "There is something else,"

  he said.

  "This is not the first body we've found drained of blood," Captain

  Yur T'aug said hesitantly. "Drifters, lowlifes - beings no one would miss.

  Over the past year, there have been a half dozen. Maybe more we haven't

  found. Who knows? Coruscant can be a hard world. Many transients come here

  to scrounge a living."

  "If this is the case, the killer is most likely not someone Fligh

  owed money to," Qui-Gon said.

  Captain Yur T'aug shrugged. "Or else the killer copied the method to

  throw us off the track. It's our job to find out."

  "You might want to check into a female bounty hunter," Qui-Gon said.

  "She's a Sorussian who might have had reason to dispose of Fligh. She's

  been staying at the Soft Landings Inn."

  "Sure," Captain Yur T'aug said. "Thanks for the tip." His lack of

  interest was obvious.

  "Good luck to you," Qui-Gon said. "You should know that Didi Oddo

  will pay for the funeral. Fligh was not friendless. He will be missed."

  Qui-Gon motioned to Obi-Wan, and they walked past the officers back

  onto the main walkway that curved around the Senate.

  "Are you all right, Padawan?" Qui-Gon asked him.

  "Fligh wasn't my friend," Obi-Wan said. "I only spent a few minutes

  with him. There was something likeable about him, but I can't say that I

  liked him. Yet I feel almost as sad as Didi."

  "I do as well," Qui-Gon said.

  They walked a few steps in silence. "Do you ever get used to death?"

  Obi-Wan asked.

  "No," Qui-Gon said. "That is how it should be."

  "Why do you think Fligh was killed?" Obi-Wan asked. "Do you think

  that he knew something important but didn't realize it, like Didi?"

  "Perhaps," Qui-Gon said. "And remember that Fligh said he would try

  to help Didi. I wonder if he did try. No doubt it would be easy for him to

  discover where the bounty hunter was lodging."

  "You think that is what happened?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "Let us swing by the inn on the way back to the caf©," Qui-Gon

  suggested. "We should have another talk with this bounty hunter."

  They walked quickly through the streets until they reached the Soft

  Landings Inn. This time the front door was slightly ajar, so they were able

  to walk in without ringing the innkeeper. They quickly climbed the stairs

  to the third level. Qui-Gon knocked on the door, and it swung open. The

  room was empty.

  "She's gone." The Togorian stood behind them with a bucket and vibro-

  mop. "Checked out. I have to clean. Get out of my way."

  They retreated down the stairs. "I don't like this," Qui-Gon

  murmured. "Let's get back to Didi's."

  They quickened their pace and began to run. Didi's wasn't far.

  They swung around the corner. Ahead was the caf©. There was no spill

  of light from the windows, and the front door was shut tight.

  "We are too late," Qui-Gon said.

  CHAPTER 9

  Lightsabers drawn, they rushed into the caf©. With a quick sweep,

  they saw that it was empty. Plates with half-eaten food sat on the tables.

  Qui-Gon charged past the tables to the kitchen. Pots were overturned, their

  contents on the floor. Bins of flour and grain spilled onto the counters.

  The cooler door was open.

  They ran to Didi's private office. Papers and files were thrown on

  the floor, the contents of durasteel bins upended and kicked through.

  Everything on the shelves had been tossed onto the floor.

  "Upstairs," Qui-Gon barked.

  He raced up, Obi-Wan on his heels. They burst into Didi's private

  quarters together.

  In times of danger, Qui-Gon's senses slowed down. He took in

  everything in the room in what felt like several long seconds but was more

  likely the flicker of an eyelash. Astri on the floor, unconscious or dead.

  Didi standing, wrapped in the bounty hunter's whip, his eyes wide with

  terror, a bruise on his forehead. And the bounty hunter turning, pausing

  for an instant when she saw them. Her expressionless gaze showed no

  surprise, no fear.

  Real time snapped back. Qui-Gon anticipated the bounty hunter's reach

  to the blaster strapped to her thigh. He moved forward to counterattack. He

  did not anticipate that she would aim at Astri, not at him. His Jedi

  reflexes were fast enough so that he was able to spin and turn, sweeping

  his lightsaber wide. He was slightly off-balance, but he managed to deflect

  the fire.

  Astri stirred. Relief streamed through him. She was alive.

  A perfect attack blended deception with speed and strategy. Qui-Gon

  feinted a pass to the bounty hunter's left and instead charged straight at

  her. She did not respond to the feint but fired straight, then leaped high

  to the left to avoid him. His lightsaber whizzed through empty air where

  she'd been.

  She was even better
than he'd thought.

  Obi-Wan moved forward to cover Astri so that Qui-Gon could

  concentrate on the attack. The bounty hunter activated her whip and

  retracted it. It spun off Didi in a dizzying circle, sending him flying

  against the wall. He hit it with a thud and fell to the floor, dazed.

  The whip reverted to laser mode. With a slashing maneuver, the bounty

  hunter shattered the transparisteel in the window. Qui-Gon sprang forward,

  still keeping his body between his opponent and Astri. Didi began to crawl

  toward his daughter, getting underneath Qui-Gon's feet. Qui-Gon jumped to

  avoid him, his attention now focused on protecting Didi.

  The bounty hunter leaped out the window. Outside was a small

  enclosure that held various speeders and swoops. She jumped into one and

  took off.

  Qui-Gon stood at the window as the lights of the swoop twinkled and

  receded. He felt anger rock him, and he took a minute to accept and release

  it. His opponent had eluded him. Sometimes it happened. He had fought the

  best fight he could.

  But she has eluded me three times now.

  "Astri," Didi said brokenly. "Astri..."

  Qui-Gon knelt by the young woman's side. He felt carefully around her

  skull. "What happened?" he asked Didi. "Did she get hit by blaster fire?"

  "No, no. Knocked out from behind," Didi said. "With the handle of the

  whip."

  Qui-Gon felt a lump rising on Astri's skull. Her eyes fluttered open.

  Her pupils were not dilated and her eyes focused on his face.

  "Ouch," she said.

  "She's all right," he said to Didi. "Lie still, Astri. You're going

  to have a headache." She let out a hiss of air. "I'll say."

  "We should call a medic," Didi said worriedly.

  "I'm all right," Astri said. Wincing, she raised herself on her

  elbows. "What happened? The last thing I remember is all my customers going

  out the door."

  "Did anyone come in while they were going out?" Qui-Gon asked.

  "No," Astri said. "I locked the door behind them and told Renzii to

  go home. Locked the door behind him, too. Then I came upstairs. That's all

  I remember..."

  "I was up here," Didi said. "I heard Astri on the stairs. She opened

  the door and suddenly fell down. Then the bounty hunter came in. She tied

  me up while she searched the place. She went downstairs and I heard her

  searching my private office."

  "And the kitchen," Qui-Gon said.

  "No, not the kitchen," Didi said.

  "But it was chaos, pots everywhere," Obi-Wan said.

  "It always looks that way," Astri said with a sigh. "What bounty

  hunter? I thought we were talking about a common thief."

  "Why did the group leave?" Qui-Gon asked Astri.

  Astri cradled her head in her hands. "I tried my best," she mumbled.

  "I guess I'm not quite elegant yet. Renzii kept mixing up the orders. I

  couldn't handle all the cooking. Some of the food was cold. So Jenna Zan

  Arbor had a fit, and they left. Next time I'll hire extra help. That was a

  big mistake. It's just that I spent all the extra money on the food..."

  "So how did the bounty hunter get in?" Obi-Wan asked.

  Astri lifted her head. "What bounty hunter?" she asked again in

  frustration.

  "Didi, tell her," Qui-Gon said.

  "Not while you're hurt, Astri," Didi said nervously. "You need to lie

  down - "

  "What bounty hunter?" Astri asked through clenched teeth.

  "I might-ah-have gotten myself in a tiny spot of trouble," Didi told

  her. "Nothing serious."

  "Sure," Astri said. "This isn't serious. Just another ordinary

  evening in the caf©. I get knocked out on a regular basis."

  "What a sense of humor my daughter has,"

  Didi said to the Jedi nervously. "Isn't she marvelous?"

  "Your father may have a piece of information that is valuable to

  someone," Qui-Gon broke in impatiently. "That someone has sent a bounty

  hunter after him. We're assuming they want the information back at any

  cost. And yet, the bounty hunter did not kill him when she had the chance."

  "That's a good sign," Didi said encouragingly. Then he looked fearful

  again. "Isn't it?"

  "You're selling information again?" Astri yelled angrily. Then she

  winced and closed her eyes. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You slimy,

  slithery, snaky son of a Kowakian monkey-lizard," she hissed through her

  teeth. "You lied to me. Again."

  "I didn't lie so much as not tell you everything," Didi said, patting

  her shoulder. "I would not say that I have the thriving business I once

  did. But Fligh still came to me with bits and pieces to sell. How could I

  abandon him? Without me, how could he sell his little tidbits? It is tragic

  that he has been killed."

  "Killed? See where his business has gotten him," Astri said, fixing

  her father with a steady stare. "Am I next, Papa?"

  Didi turned away, unable to face his daughter. She got up unsteadily

  and left the room. "Let's return to what we know," Qui-Gon said to Didi.

  "The bounty hunter has not found what she is looking for. She tore this

  place apart. That means there is an actual object she wants, not just

  information in your head. What is it, Didi? This time you must tell the

  complete truth. You see now that you have put the ones you love in danger."

  "Yes," Didi said heavily. "I see that. But I cannot help you, my

  friend. I do not have anything. Fligh didn't give me anything but

  information. This I swear."

  "Not a data pad?" Qui-Gon asked.

  Didi shook his head. "Nothing."

  Qui-Gon sighed. "Then there is no alternative. You must close up the

  caf©. Take Astri and leave Coruscant."

  Astri was just returning to the room as Qui-Gon finished. She paused

  in the act of pressing a cold cloth to her head. "Close up the caf©?"

  "Just until we know what the bounty hunter is looking for," Qui-Gon

  told her. "We can't stay by your side all day and all night, Astri. I think

  you are in danger as well as Didi." He paused, then said gently, "I know

  you are angry at your father, but you do not want to see him hurt."

  Astri bit her lip and nodded. "But where will we go?"

  "I know where," Didi said. "I have a house in the Cascardi Mountains.

  "

  "You bought a house?" Astri exclaimed. "But you say you have no

  money!"

  "It was a deal I could not refuse," Didi explained. "I haven't even

  been there yet, and I haven't told anyone about it."

  "Where are the Cascardi Mountains?" Obi-Wan asked.

  "On the planet Duneeden," Qui-Gon said. "A short journey from

  Coruscant. But the mountains are a good choice. The Cascardis are remote

  and rugged. It's a good hideout for a time. Obi-Wan and I will wait while

  you pack a few things. You must leave quickly."

  Didi sprang up and helped Astri from the room. They went into their

  bedrooms to pack.

  "Do you think they'll be safe?" Obi-Wan asked Qui-Gon in a low tone.

  "Safer than here on Coruscant," Qui-Gon said. "But the bounty hunter

  is no doubt an expert tracker. Even though the galaxy is wide, it's hard

  for beings to just disappear. No, I fear we must unravel this mystery. No<
br />
  matter where they are, Didi and Astri are still in great danger. She will

  find them, and it will be sooner rather than later. Of that I have no

  doubt."

  CHAPTER 10

  As they entered the cool halls of the Jedi Temple, Qui-Gon saw the

  relief Obi-Wan tried to hide. The boy was worn out. Qui-Gon had not