by Jude Watson
"Well, you're in the way here. Follow me."
The Jedi followed Helb into a quieter corner of the yard. A small
shed made out of salvaged materials stood against a durasteel fence. Helb
pushed the door open.
Inside, the din dulled to a dim roar.
"I'd ask you to sit, but you're leaving," Helb snapped. "I thought I
made it clear that I've told you all I know."
"I don't think you have," Qui-Gon said. "I think you've left
something out. I think your gang hired Fligh to steal Senator S'orn's data
pad. Most likely Fligh had to agree to do it because he owed you money."
Helb didn't say anything. He crossed his arms.
"Maybe Fligh didn't turn over the data pad. Maybe he thought he could
get more money out of you," Qui-Gon guessed, watching Helb carefully.
"Maybe that's why you put the deathmark on his head. You suspected he had
given the data pad to Didi."
"Listen, I'm not pretending to be overflowing with goodness, Jedi,"
Helb said. "I'd sell out my brother for money. But we didn't put a death
mark on Fligh. Now get out of here before I call the security droids."
Qui-Gon didn't move. He put one hand on his lightsaber hilt. Obi-Wan
did the same.
Helb shifted uncomfortably. "Look, we don't want to get on the wrong
side of the Jedi."
"Then tell us the truth, and we will go," Qui-Gon said.
"All right, all right. Yes, we did get Fligh to steal the data pad.
The bantha-brain stole the wrong one! He should have taken her official
data pad, not the one with her personal correspondence. But it worked out
fine, because we didn't know she was planning to resign. We got what we
wanted anyway. Her legislation is dead. Why would we put a death mark on
Fligh? Sure, he was a weasel, but he was a valuable weasel. Sent a lot of
clients our way."
"High stole two data pads that day," Qui-Gon said. "Do you know what
happened to the other one?"
Helb shrugged. "Probably sold it, or gave it to someone he owed money
to."
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon exchanged a glance. "Didi," Obi-Wan murmured.
"Maybe," Helb said, overhearing him. "I'm sure Fligh owed Didi, too.
Didi is the shrewdest sabacc player around. We all played that game of
sabacc together. I lost to Didi, too. None of us could pay off Didi that
day, but he let us slide. I didn't pay him off until a few days later.
Luckily I had something to trade with."
"What did you trade?" Qui-Gon asked.
"I passed along this hideout I had in the Cascardi Mountains," Helb
said. "I never would have used it, anyway. I won it in a game of chance off
some old fool wrapped in a pile of cloaks at the Splendor. As a matter of
fact, it was the day I met the two of you - "
Helb didn't get a chance to finish his sentence.
The two Jedi were gone.
CHAPTER 14
From above, the house in the Cascardi Mountains looked quiet. It was
a white, three-story structure built into the mountainside that blended in
with the snow. They could see Didi's cruiser parked on the small landing
platform that was off the second floor. There was no sign of Didi and
Astri.
Qui-Gon landed their cruiser next to Didi's. They climbed out and
approached the door with caution. They kept their lightsabers in their
hands but not activated. This time, they would be prepared.
Qui-Gon concentrated, listening for movement, for anything out of the
ordinary. Obi-Wan was tense beside him. He trusted the boy's instincts.
"What do you think?" he asked quietly. "I'm not feeling anything clearly,"
Obi-Wan said. "Yet something is wrong. As though Didi and Astri are not in
danger, but danger is here."
Qui-Gon nodded. "I feel that, too. She has lured them here. No wonder
she remained on Coruscant and trailed us. She did not have to track Didi
and Astri. She knew where they were. The sooner we get them away from here,
the better."
A window slid open above them, and Didi popped his head out. Relief
creased his features. "It's you, thank the moons and stars. I'll activate
the door for you. I am so very glad to see you."
A moment later the door slid open. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan walked inside
and were met by Didi as he hurried down a curving ramp from upstairs.
"Is everything all right?" Qui-Gon asked, clipping his lightsaber
back onto his utility belt.
Didi nodded. "I suppose. At first we were glad to be here. We felt
safe. The place is so remote and hidden. But now the isolation is getting
on our nerves. I think we would feel safer back on Coruscant."
"Where is Astri?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Here." Astri appeared from the other room. "I am so happy to see you
both. The hours have been very long."
"No sign of trouble?" Qui-Gon asked. "Nothing out of the ordinary?"
"Nothing," Didi said.
"We keep a lookout," Astri said. "We watch out the windows for
cruisers. We saw you approach. We weren't sure who it was." She tapped a
blaster strapped to her hip. "I was ready."
"Have you ever used a blaster before, Astri?" Qui-Gon asked
cautiously.
"How hard could it be?" Astri said. "Point and shoot. Easy as making
a meal."
After having seen her kitchen, Qui-Gon was not sure he trusted
Astri's shooting. "I'll give you a lesson in a moment," he told her. "How
about you, Didi? Do you have a weapon?"
"Are you serious?" Didi shook his head. "I don't like Astri having
one, either. How do you think I managed to stay out of trouble all these
years?"
"We must speak to you both seriously," Qui-Gon said. "You must tell
us the truth. Your safety depends on it."
"But you said we were safe here," Didi said nervously.
Qui-Gon shook his head. "I did not. This only bought us time. I'm
afraid time has run out."
"What do you need to know?" Astri asked. Qui-Gon turned to Didi.
"Fligh stole two data pads. We think one of them is the key to your
problem. He must have given one to you, Didi. Did he leave a case, or a
bin, or anything with you? Could he have hidden something when your back
was turned?"
"I would never turn my back on Fligh," Didi said. "You have asked me
this already, my friend. I give you the same answer. Fligh gave me nothing.
"
Obi-Wan noticed a flush spread over Astri's cheeks.
"What about you, Astri?" he asked.
She glanced at her father. "Well. Sometimes I used Fligh for more
than sweeping."
"You used Fligh?" Didi asked, incredulous. "After you told me I
should not associate with him?"
Astri looked uncomfortable. "We were not getting enough business. I'd
spent so much money on the caf©. If it closed you'd never let me forget it.
And I knew that Fligh hung around the Senate. I paid him to pass along tips
to me about which Senators would be hosting important dinners. Then I could
have a head start and bid on the job. Recently Fligh came to me with two
pieces of information: one, that someone might throw Senator S'orn a going-
away party soon, and two, that Jenna Zan Arbor was hosting a testimonial
dinner
. I paid him for both tips."
"You paid him for information? Ha!" Didi cried. "I am not the only
one in this family to stretch the truth a bit!"
"This isn't the time to reproach Astri," Qui-Gon said sternly.
"I am not reproaching! I am congratulating," Didi insisted.
Astri's cheeks were pink. "Anyway, Fligh gave me a data pad for
safekeeping. He told me he had just traded for it. He asked me to keep it
for him. I was in the middle of something, so I stuck it in one of the
ovens. The oven was broken," she added hastily. "To tell you the truth, I
forgot about it until the night we left."
"Where is it now?" Qui-Gon asked urgently.
"Here," Astri said. "I brought it with us. My data pad was smashed,
so I thought I'd use this one."
She reached over to a nearby table and handed it to Qui-Gon. "I
haven't had a chance to see what's on it yet."
Qui-Gon quickly accessed the files on the data pad. A strange code
streamed across the screen.
"The files are all coded," he mused.
"They must be Jenna Zan Arbor's," Obi-Wan said, looking over his
shoulder. "These are probably formulas."
"Yes. Let me send it to Tahl. She can take it to our code experts."
Qui-Gon jacked into the data pad and transferred the files to his own corn-
link. He then contacted Tahl.
"Sure, send it along," Tahl said. "I'll get right on it and contact
you as soon as we break it."
"This is high priority," Qui-Gon told her. He switched off the
connection. "I don't think we should wait. I have several destinations in
mind. There are contacts who can hide you," he told Didi and Astri.
"I won't mind leaving this place," Astri said with a shiver. "It's
awfully lonely. Just us and the lonesome wind. The caretaker told us
there's no one here at this time of year. At first we thought this an
advantage."
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon froze.
"Caretaker?" Qui-Gon asked.
"She came with the place," Didi said. "Relax, Qui-Gon. She's at least
a hundred years old."
"Where is she?" Qui-Gon asked, his hand on his lightsaber.
Astri looked puzzled. "She brings provisions once a day. She's not
here now."
Qui-Gon's uneasy feeling changed to alarm. Simultaneously, the two
Jedi activated their lightsabers.
"Let's get to the cruiser," Qui-Gon said. "But our things - " Astri
began.
"Leave them."
They started toward the door, but it was too late. At that moment,
durasteel coverings on the windows slid down with a clang. They heard the
harsh sound of locks snapping throughout the house. The snug hideaway had
turned into a prison.
They were trapped. And Qui-Gon had no doubt that the bounty hunter
was in the house with them.
CHAPTER 15
"What's going on?" Didi whispered.
"Where is the lighting console?" Qui-Gon asked Didi.
"Over there." Didi pointed to a console that was mounted on a table.
Qui-Gon strode over and powered down all the lights. Darkness dropped
like a curtain. Obi-Wan could not see a thing, but he waited, knowing his
eyes would adjust.
"Remember how she fought last time, Padawan," Qui-Gon said to him in
a murmur. "Her strategy is to attack those we defend in order to keep us
busy. Expect her to move in their direction first. Watch her shoulders to
tell you which way she will move."
"I have the data pad, Qui-Gon," Astri whispered. "It's in my tunic."
"Keep it safe," Qui-Gon whispered back. "We don't need it anymore,
but it is our insurance. If the bounty hunter thinks we can tell her where
it is, she won't kill us."
"Ah, reassuring news," Didi said. His voice shook with terror.
"Stay between us," Qui-Gon instructed Didi and Astri. "We can't
protect you if you stray. We're going to cut through those window shields."
They moved forward with Astri and Didi between them. Obi-Wan's vision
had adjusted and he kept his eyes moving around the room, waiting for a
shadow to move and materialize into the bounty hunter.
But even he was not prepared for how fast she struck. The laser whip
came out of nowhere, spiraling in the air toward Astri. Qui-Gon leaped
forward, lightsaber already slashing downward. It collided with the whip. A
harsh buzzing sound rose from the contact.
The whip curled back and struck again, this time toward Didi. Obi-Wan
was prepared, stepping into his left-to-right sweep. The whip wrapped
around his lightsaber and smoked before uncurling and flying backward. The
lightsaber could not cut it.
He could see her now. At least he could see the shape of her body. He
could not see her eyes. She was dressed all in black; it was hard to track
her as she moved. Only the slight gleam of her boots and armor told him
where she was heading. She did not make a sound.
The whip unfurled again, dancing over their heads as though it were a
living thing. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan kept their lightsabers moving, twirling
them above their heads to fend off the lethal whip. All the while Qui-Gon
pressed steadily forward.
Suddenly Astri began to fire her blaster. Her shots went widely off
the mark, peppering the durasteel over the windows. The blasts ricocheted
back toward them. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had to move quickly to deflect them.
In the meantime, the whip snaked out again and knocked the blaster from
Astri's hand. It skittered across the floor.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan kept moving toward the windows. The bounty hunter
realized their objective and sprang forward, somersaulting in a blur toward
them. Her move ended in a sharp kick, close enough to land a glancing blow
at Astri's ribs. A slight clang resulted from the sole of her boot hitting
Astri's tunic. Obi-Wan saw the knowledge in the bounty hunter's face. She
knew that Astri had the data pad.
Pushing Astri behind him, Qui-Gon launched an attack at the bounty
hunter. She kept the whip moving in a blur of light. Suddenly she flipped
backward in a series of fast moves, eluding the Jedi. She was still between
them and the windows. In a quick reversal of strategy, Qui-Gon pushed Astri
and Didi up the ramp.
"Run," he directed.
The bounty hunter was still flipping over, thinking she needed to put
distance between herself and the Jedi. She would need time to find her feet
and reverse again to face them.
"Run, Padawan," Qui-Gon said.
Obi-Wan dashed up the ramp. He guessed what Qui-Gon was thinking. If
they could get to the windows above, they could cut through the durasteel.
From there it would be an easy drop to the landing platform. He heard Qui-
Gon hit the ramp behind him.
As they reached the upper level, their keen hearing told them that
the bounty hunter was in fast pursuit. Quickly, Qui-Gon opened a shelving
unit with various cubbyholes that ran along the wall with the windows.
"Don't come out until I get you," he told Didi and Astri, herding
them inside.
He shut the doors after them and motioned to Obi-Wan to get to work
on the durasteel blocked windows. Then he rushed forw
ard to meet the bounty
hunter as she ran up the curving ramp. She came into sight in seconds but
instead of meeting Qui-Gon she gave a leap in the air. She grabbed onto the
system of conduit pipes near the ceiling and used her momentum to fly over
Qui-Gon's head, straight at Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan kicked out with one leg as he tried to turn to meet the
attack. He had been in an awkward position, just beginning to cut through
