untrue one."
"I've got news for you," Anakin said. "You won't be the one to find
Omega. I will. I'd bet on it." The remark seemed to burst out of him
without his directing it.
Darra sucked in a breath through her teeth. Tru shook his head.
Ferus turned away. "I'm not going to bet on a mission."
"Because you have too much riding on it? If you lose, you might lose
the Council's favor," Anakin said. "No wonder you won't take me up on it."
Anakin had gotten to Ferus at last. He could see it. Suddenly Ferus
spun around and came within centimeters of Anakin.
"Okay, sure, I'll take the bet," he said. "Whatever you say, Anakin. I
wouldn't want to stand in the way of you and your ego."
"Ego? You're the one who spends all his time showing off!"
But if Anakin was heat, Ferus was ice. He buckled his utility belt.
"Someone has to teach you that you are not as powerful as you think you
are."
Anakin saw the Masters looking over. He bent over and pretended to
tighten the same tight strap so that Obi-Wan could not read his face. He
had to control himself. He had gone farther than he'd meant to, but he
didn't care. Now it was out in the open.
They followed their Masters out onto the main thoroughfare of
Dreshdae, a narrow unpaved street. A light gray rain was falling, and it
had an acid taste. Anakin felt foreboding settle on his shoulders.
Dreshdae was a hodgepodge, a drab spaceport that had grown and shrank
without regard for utility or beauty. Until recently it had been a
collection of temporary buildings made of plastoid blocks or cheaper metals
that rusted with age. The Jedi could see these buildings in various states
of disrepair. Sprung up around them was a collection of newer buildings,
most of them clustered near the Commerce Guild's Dreshdae Headquarters. The
Guild had spared no expense, building a multistoried edifice with durasteel
facing in a multicolored iridescence that was supposed to sparkle in
sunlight but instead looked cheerless in the drip of rain
Although Dreshdae tried to present itself as a typical new, brash city
struggling to grow, the strain showed. There was no disguising what the
spaceport had been and would slide back into again - a dark, dangerous,
lawless place. Undercurrents of its evil past bubbled up through the cracks
in the stone facings and the hastily erected walkways. Beings hurried
through the streets as if anxious to find shelter. No one lingered in the
caf©s. Anakin didn't hear one snatch of conversation, or one burst of
laughter.
"Our contact is a businessman named Teluron Thacker," Obi-Wan said.
"He's done favors for the Jedi in the past, and he agreed to help us if he
could. The meeting place isn't far."
Anakin felt a touch on his shoulder and turned. No one was behind him.
Perhaps it had been a leaf brushing his shoulder - but he knew, of course,
that there were no trees on Korriban.
Another touch - Anakin whipped around. He looked at Ferus, wondering
if he was trying to play a trick on him, but Ferus was several meters back,
talking to Soara.
He began to pick up a whisper. Then another. He couldn't make out the
words, only the intent. Someone was baiting him, cajoling him, laughing at
him... or was it his imagination? Was it just the wind whispering through
the stones?
They crossed the street and he thought he saw a flash of something -
blood coursing down a stone wall. When he blinked, it was gone.
"Master... "
"It is the dark side of the Force, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "I'm picking
it up, too. Ignore it."
But Anakin couldn't ignore it. There was something insistent about the
voices. Something that urged him to answer. Although the feeling made him
anxious, he also wanted to face it. He wanted to get to the root of this
dark power... to match himself against it... to prove, once and for all,
that he was as strong as it was.
CHAPTER SIX
given, but still he hesitated. Was it even open? The caf© was small, dingy,
and in serious disrepair. Half of the roof was caving in. It was a wonder
anyone would go inside at all.
"What is it, Master?" Anakin asked.
"Teluron Thacker is a prosperous businessman," Obi-Wan said. "Why
would he frequent this kind of place?"
"You think it's a trap?"
"I'm not getting a warning. But still..." Obi-Wan shook his head. The
problem was the energy on this planet. Dark waves buffeted him from every
side. It was like swimming in an evil sea. All that darkness made it hard
to distinguish what was a true threat.
"It could just be a case of not wanting to be seen with us," Siri
pointed out. "One of us should go in first to check it out."
"I'll go." Anakin and Ferus spoke the words together.
"I will." The words came from Ry-Gaul. He strode forward, pushed open
the rusty metal door, and disappeared inside. No doubt Ry-Gaul's height and
size would serve to deter anyone who wanted to challenge him.
The rest of them waited, every second wearing on their nerves. Finally
Ry-Gaul emerged and said, "He's there. All clear."
They followed Ry-Gaul into the caf©. Apparently the sagging roof
scared off customers, for only one man sat inside, at a table near the
door. He hugged a mug with one hand and kept his eyes darting from the door
to the roof, as if expecting it to crash down at any moment.
Teluron Thacker was a tall humanoid with pale skin and the soft look
of a being used to spending time indoors, sitting down. He greeted the Jedi
with a nervous nod and drew his red cape around his body.
"Thank you for seeing us," Obi-Wan said.
"The Jedi helped my home world of Eeyyon," Thacker said. "I pledged to
help whenever I could."
"How do you find yourself on Korriban?" Siri asked.
"Just lucky I guess," Thacker groaned. "I angered my boss. Such a
little thing, but she was so touchy. So I didn't check references and the
deal went bad. What's a few million credits? The next thing I know, I get
handed an assignment to open an office on Korriban." Thacker shuddered. "I
haven't slept through the night since."
Obi-Wan signaled to the bartender to bring a round of drinks. In such
a place, it was better to place an order, even though he wouldn't touch
anything they were pouring. He waited until the bartender slammed down a
pot of grog that slopped over the rim, then dropped a pile of not-too clean
mugs onto the table.
Thacker leaned over and whispered. "I wouldn't drink that if I were
you."
"Thanks for the tip," Siri said. "What can you tell us about the two
beings we're pursuing?"
"Only that they are here," Thacker said. "A human man and woman have
been seen. They match the descriptions perfectly. I checked the one hotel
and several guest houses, and they aren't registered."
"They wouldn't use their real names," Obi-Wan said. "Did you give
descriptions?"
"Well, I said a man and a woman, travel
ing together," Thacker said.
"Did you try anything else? Is there a database for arrivals and
departures?"
Thacker shook his head. "Nobody really keeps track."
"Have you looked into whether any businesses here are a cover for
Omega's enterprises?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Well, no," Thacker said. "Naturally I want to help the Jedi. But it
is not wise to ask too many questions on Korriban."
"Why?" This question came from Ry-Gaul, and it stopped Thacker in his
tracks.
"Uh, because." Thacker shrugged. "Because that's what everyone says."
Obi-Wan exchanged an exasperated glance with Siri. It was clear that
Thacker wasn't going to be much help. He was too intimidated by even the
rumor of possible problems.
"I should warn you about something. You know that the Commerce Guild
has its own army? Well, there's a division here," Thacker said. "They say
it's out of necessity, to protect the business workers from petty crime.
But spider and surveillance droids are everywhere. If Omega and Zan Arbor
have any contacts in the Commerce Guild, they could have access to all the
surveillance information. Which means they could see everything."
At last, a piece of information they could use. But what else could
Thacker tell them? Obi-Wan didn't want to leave the caf© without a solid
lead. Then a thought occurred to him.
"Zan Arbor has expensive tastes," he said. "She is most likely not too
thrilled to be here. There doesn't seem to be much luxury in Dreshdae."
"It's a stinking rot," Thacker agreed.
"Yet there are business executives here, creatures used to having the
best of everything," Obi-Wan said. "There must be something for them. If
you're looking to buy special items, where would you go?"
"There's a loose kind of black market," Thacker told them. "Run by
thieves, of course. Supplies are low, there are no stores, and it's hard to
even find essentials, like blankets or thermal capes, even though this dump
of a rotting death-hole freezes your bones. They rob when they can - from
the better buildings, the offices. No hotel room in the spaceport is safe.
They've made some hits on ships coming in with supplies for the Commerce
Guild executives."
"So how do you get in touch with this black market?" Obi-Wan asked.
"It's on the outskirts, in a plaza that's in ruins - that is, if you
can tell ruins from the rest of these crumbling, cracked-up excuses for
buildings." Thacker's darting gaze flicked to the ceiling. "I can give you
the coordinates. If you want something, go at dusk. Ask for Auben. She's
the best of a bad lot - she won't cheat you and she knows everything that's
going on. I've bought a few things from her myself. But watch out for the
army - the executives in the Commerce Guild are tired of buying back their
own items. They want to smash the black market."
The Jedi stood.
"One more thing," Thacker said. "The army isn't your only concern.
Auben might be less than cooperative. She won't trust you. And she's
heavily armed."
"That won't be a problem," Obi-Wan assured him.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Dusk on Korriban lasted for hours, beginning in midafternoon as the
weak sun slowly made its descent. The shadows cast by the buildings on
Dreshdae seemed thick and full of menace. There had been an attempt to
install glow lights on the streets, but they were staggered in odd
patterns. As the Jedi walked toward the plaza, they moved from light to
shadow. They knew it was dusk only because the light was failing. There was
so much cloud cover that they could not see the sun. The clouds just
deepened to a dark red.
"I have a suggestion, Master," Anakin said. "This Auben might feel
less threatened if she's approached by one person. Especially someone
young."
Obi-Wan nodded. "That's not a bad idea."
"We can't surround her, we'll spook her for sure," Siri said. "Why
don't Anakin and Ferus go?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "You can say that you're brothers, and you've been
stranded here. Sounds plausible."
Brothers! Anakin swallowed his groan. Being teamed with Ferus was bad
enough.
They approached the plaza. It was surrounded by pillars that had once
held up some sort of roof over the plaza. Part of the roof still hung over
the space. Behind the pillars were the ruins of a building. There were
plenty of places to hide, which was no doubt why it was chosen as the spot
to conduct illegal business.
"We'll stay here," Obi-Wan said, stopping a good distance away from
the plaza. "Whatever you do, don't reveal that you are Jedi. That's
information that can be sold. We know Omega is expecting us, but he doesn't
know when we'll arrive."
Anakin and Ferus took off for the marketplace in silence. The tension
hadn't lessened between them. Anakin had hoped to gain information about
Omega before Ferus did. He wished he were meeting Auben alone. It wasn't
that he would jeopardize the mission in any way, but he wouldn't mind being
one half-step ahead.
They didn't say a word as they walked. They didn't make a plan. Anakin
wanted to complete the assignment as quickly as possible and return to the
others.
They cruised once around the plaza. They could see a few beings in the
shadows. It wasn't until they'd made one circuit of the area that they were
approached.
A young woman dressed in a tight-fitting gray tunic and leggings came
to them. She wore a leather headpiece that fitted snugly over her ears, and
she carried an enormous satchel on her back without strain.
"Looking for something, friends?"
"Are you Auben?" Anakin asked.
Her eyes flicked over them. "Who wants to know?"
"Thacker sent us. He said you had things for sale."
"I've got it or I can get it. What's your need, friend?"
"Blankets and handwarmers," Anakin said.
She dumped the satchel on the ground and held up two handwarmers. As
she crouched, Anakin saw two blasters in her belt. "Let me see the credits
first," she said.
Anakin held out his hand. She took the credits from it, then tossed
the handwarmers to Ferus. "No blankets today, but I've got a tip on some
plush thermal capes. You can meet me here same time tomorrow and I'll have
them."
"How much?" Ferus asked.
Auben named the price. Ferus raised his eyebrows. "I said they were
plush. Top quality. I'll have some other luxury stuff, too." She shrugged.
"If you don't want them, someone else will."
"You have a lot of customers?" Ferus's gaze roamed the empty plaza,
pretending skepticism.
"I've got the whole spaceport as customers, friend." Auben shrugged
the pack back onto her shoulders.
It was clear she was about to take off. Anakin spoke quickly. "Our
parents marooned us here on Dreshdae. They said they'd be back, but it's
been a few weeks now, and we don't know where - "
Auben's face was expressionless. "I don't need your story, just your
credits."
"We heard that a couple landed at the spaceport re
cently," Anakin
continued. "A human man and woman. Maybe you've seen them - "
Auben's eyes grew hard. "I don't discuss my customers."
"But I just - "
" Ever."
Anakin knew they were at a dead end.
"So you only find things, not beings?" Ferus asked. "Seems to me that
there's not much difference. You need the same skills. Contacts and
discretion."
She stopped in her tracks. "What do you mean?"
"It seems to me that for the right price, you could help us with more
than handwarmers."
Auben hesitated. She gave them an appraising look, as if wondering how
much they could pay.
But before she could speak, a blast of artillery fire shattered a
column behind her. The explosion of rocks sent her flying toward Anakin and
Ferus. All three landed on the ground.
"Commerce Guild droids," she panted. "Run!"
CHAPTER EIGHT
Auben took off. Anakin dashed after her. She had placed herself in an
exposed position, her back to the blaster fire, thinking she could outrun
it. She was wrong. Anakin had no choice. The Force slowed down time, and he