He couldn"t risk that. He had to talk to Mica. Now.
It did not take Obi-Wan long to catch up to the girl. Grabbing her arm, he was struck by the anger he felt well up inside him. He was furious, he realized, because Mica was jeopardizing Lena"s safety.
Obi-Wan calmed himself, intending to let the anger leave him before speaking. But as soon as he saw Mica"s face the anger disappeared. The girl was clearly distraught.
"Where are you going?" Obi-Wan asked, trying not to sound too stern.
Mica looked alarmed. "I... I was..." She blinked, her eyes glistening with tears. "I need to go somewhere," she finished in a whisper.
"Not before you tell me what"s going on," Obi-Wan said. He spotted several large crates in a corner and led her over to them. Sitting her down on one, he found another for himself.
"It"s time for you to tell the truth. If you truly care about Lena, you"ll do so," he said.
Mica looked down at her feet. She didn"t say anything for several minutes. Then she started to talk. "The Cobral is terrible," she began.
"They do hideous, evil things. But I do not think that Lena - or anyone else - is capable of bringing them down. Rutin tried, and he is dead.
Killed by his own family. My mother was killed by the Cobral as well."
A sob escaped Mica"s throat and she wiped her eyes. "Of course I want to avenge her death. And I know that she is not the only one. Mine is not the only loss. I long to see those killers pay for their crimes.
But if I go after them I would probably be killed, too. And so would Lena. They think nothing of taking life. It means nothing to them. Not even in their own family."
Obi-Wan nodded. "I cannot tell you that you are wrong," he said.
"But the Cobral has Frego caught in an evil trap of violence and crime.
Lena has a chance to destroy that trap - and those who made it - for good. She is willing to take that chance."
Mica nodded. "I know. Lena is a hero. She thinks nothing of her own life, only of Frego and its people. And I am nothing but a coward, guilty of thwarting her plan."
Obi-Wan nodded again, surprised that he was not filled with anger for a second time. He knew that Mica had been deceiving Lena but he was somehow relieved that Mica felt guilty about her actions. "How?" he asked simply.
"I wanted to stop the trial," Mica explained. "It was too dangerous. So I convinced Lena to wait until you arrived before proceeding with her plan. Then I broke into her apartment and erased the files. I figured that if the evidence was gone, Lena would have to give up. And if she gave up, the Cobral would leave her alone. She would be safe. Of course, I did not expect to find the hired thugs at her apartment."
"Thugs?" Obi-Wan repeated.
Mica nodded. "They were heavily armed and ransacking the place. At the time I thought they were just street people, thieves after the jewelry and precious metals. Lena and Rutin had a lot of beautiful possessions."
She paused for a moment before going on. "But then I realized that they must have been searching for something."
"Did you see what they looked like?" Obi-Wan asked.
"No," Mica said. "They fled as soon as they heard me coming. They left the bedroom alone. I only caught a glimpse of their backs as they climbed over the balcony. I did not try to get a better look because I didn"t want them to see me. I only know that there were two of them - both men. One was quite tall and lanky. The other short and bald."
"Not much to go on," Obi-Wan mused.
"I"m sure they were hired by the Cobral," Mica said.
Obi-Wan felt better about Mica now that she had confided in him.
But there was still one question that was bothering him. "I understand why you wanted to erase the computer files, but why did you leave that threatening message on the screen?"
Mica looked up, surprised. "What message?" she asked. "I didn"t send any message." She paused for a moment. Then, as if reading Obi-Wan"s mind, she said, "And I didn"t tell anyone where Lena was hiding, either."
CHAPTER 10.
Lena looked at Qui-Gon in disbelief. Qui-Gon could tell she did not think Mica would reveal her whereabouts, but the package on the table meant it was likely that someone had. The strange contents were not dangerous, but the knowledge of Lena"s whereabouts was - especially in the wrong hands.
"I must speak to Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon excused himself.
Walking slowly toward the kitchen, Qui-Gon felt exhausted. This routine mission was turning out to be more difficult than he"d imagined.
He felt a strong sense of deception, but something about it continued to elude him. He could not tell who was being deceived, or by whom. And he did not understand why Lena so fiercely protected her cousin. She had obviously learned - the hard way - that family lines do not protect you from being double-crossed. Or killed.
The food galley was empty. Following his instincts, Qui-Gon started down the stairs. Halfway to the ground level, Qui-Gon met Obi-Wan and a sullen Mica coming up the stairwell.
"The evidence is gone," Obi-Wan blurted. "Mica erased it."
"Erased or stole?" Qui-Gon asked, looking directly at Mica.
"Erased!" Mica spat back defiantly. "I do not profit by the misfortune of others, especially Lena." Her voice softened when she spoke of her cousin. "I only wanted to protect her. To make all of this go away." Mica hung her head and shuffled her feet before the Jedi led her back up the stairs. She obviously knew it was time to tell Lena what she had done.
Although she was clearly ashamed of her actions, Qui-Gon felt that her conscience was clear. She was not deceiving them. He felt relief in knowing that somebody wasn"t.
"Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon stopped his Padawan on the landing, allowing Mica to go farther ahead. "We must proceed with caution. All is not as it seems with our witness. On this planet, lies come easier than the truth, and at a lower cost."
As Obi-Wan raised his eyes to meet his Master"s, Qui-Gon saw tiny flames of anger burn inside them, then flicker out.
"Lena is a n.o.ble woman," Obi-Wan said evenly. "She is struggling to do what is right. Your doubts will not help her."
Qui-Gon could not help but smile faintly. Obi-Wan thought Qui-Gon was insulting Lena, and he was upset - ready to defend her. It confirmed what Qui-Gon had suspected, that Obi-Wan was infatuated with Lena. He should have pointed it out sooner, to try and warn the boy. Most likely he would end up getting badly hurt.
"You are infatuated, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "Be careful not to let yourself be guided by your attraction."
"I am - " Obi-Wan shook his head and struggled to keep his voice under control. "It is not infatuation. Lena"s motives are good."
"The motives she has told us are good, but there may be others.
Think of what she is giving up. She will probably never live again in the manner to which she was accustomed. She lost her footing with the Cobral when Rutin was killed and is in danger of being an outcast. Not just from the family, but from all of Frego. Don"t you think it is possible that she is trying to get evidence in order to have something to bargain with?"
Obi-Wan made no gesture to show that he understood. "There is another day," he said softly. "Then we shall see." He turned to walk up the stairs.
Qui-Gon entered Lena"s quarters behind his apprentice. Mica stood over the table staring at an empty box. The contents of the package were gone.
"I told her I erased the evidence," Mica said tearfully. "But I don"t think she even heard me."
"Where is Lena now?" Qui-Gon asked. Obi-Wan was already headed for the stairs.
"I don"t know," Mica sobbed, sinking into a low couch. "She didn"t say anything to me. She just took what was in the box and left."
CHAPTER 11.
"Obi-Wan, wait," his Master commanded. Obi-Wan did not want to listen. Not now. Not while Lena was alone and in danger. But he slid to a stop at the top of the stairs.
"We"ll have a better chance of finding her if we have some idea where she might have gone," Qui-Gon said. He sat down next to Mica.
"Where do you think she went?" he asked evenly.
Obi-Wan remained at the top of the stairs. He knew his impatience had little to do with finding Lena. He was impatient with his Master, and a bit confused. He used to know Qui-Gon so well that at times it felt like they shared one mind. They both knew how the other would react to a situation, what his thoughts and actions would be. But this was no longer the case.
Just when Obi-Wan believed that Qui-Gon was beyond caring about the mission, he had taken charge. If Qui-Gon hadn"t stopped Obi-Wan, he would be with Lena now, and sure of her safety. Leaning against the stair railing, Obi-Wan let out an exasperated sigh. There was no point in questioning Mica.
"Let"s go, then," Qui-Gon said. He stood and strode toward the stairs in fluid movement. Mica, eyes still red from crying, hurried in front of him.
Obi-Wan followed. He had been too lost in his own thoughts to hear where they were headed. Breathing deeply, he let go of his frustration and focused his energy on the matter at hand. Qui-Gon had no right to doubt Lena. He had been too distracted until now to even notice who she was, her real nature. But if Qui-Gon was - at least for the moment - concentrating on the mission, Obi-Wan could too.
Mica was not as concerned with being seen this time as she led the Jedi through the streets of Rian. They left the warehouses and alleys and hurried into the center of the city. Over Qui-Gon"s head Obi-Wan saw a gleaming transparent structure, like an enormous serpent that snaked its way overhead, between the towering buildings.
Inside the structure Obi-Wan saw green leaves and moving forms.
Water beaded on the inside of the rounded transparisteel walls, making it look like a vast, multistoried greenhouse. Although Obi-Wan could not see where it began or where it ended, the structure appeared to wind through the city for several kilometers.
"There," an out-of-breath Mica said, pointing toward a door to the structure. "I think she might be in the Tubal Park."
"I was hoping for something a bit smaller," Qui-Gon said. Obi-Wan could not tell if he was mildly amused or truly frustrated.
Obi-Wan caught up to Mica as they approached the entrance. "Why would she come here?" he asked.
"This park means a lot to Lena. She used to come here with Rutin, and she always comes here to think," Mica answered. "Or at least she used to."
The giant oval doors opened and the three stepped inside. As the doors closed behind them Obi-Wan felt as if he"d stepped off a ship onto another planet. Inside the air was moist. The noise of the city was gone, replaced by the echoing sound of running water and children"s voices.
Looking up, Obi-Wan could only barely make out the seams in the roof beyond the tops of the towering trees. Paths crisscrossed one another, leading toward brightly blooming plants or meandering beside creeks and trickling waterfalls. People strolled over the bridges and ducked through the tunnels that wove under and around the dense flora.
There were small animals winging overhead, and even smaller amphibians flopping in the pools.
Obi-Wan could see why Lena would come here. It reminded him of the Room of a Thousand Fountains at the Jedi Temple. That, too, was a sanctuary and a great place to go to think.
"Do you know her favorite spot?" Qui-Gon asked.
Mica shook her head sadly. "I never came here with her. She only came alone, or with Rutin. She could be anywhere."
"Then I suggest we split up," Qui-Gon said to Obi-Wan. "Mica can come with me."
Obi-Wan nodded and headed off to his left. It would be a relief to be away from Qui-Gon for a while. He could use some time alone to think.
As soon as he had walked away from his Master, Obi-Wan"s mind filled with thoughts of Lena. All around him people were gathered in small groups. They ate, played, and leaned back on the gra.s.s to stare up at the leaves. Yet Obi-Wan was only aware of them enough to know that they were not Lena.
Could it really be infatuation? Obi-Wan wondered. After taking several deep breaths and letting go of his anger and frustration, Obi-Wan could not deny it. As usual, Qui-Gon was right. He was falling for Lena.
But it was not just her beauty. No, it was more than that.
It was her strength - the strength she drew from her vulnerability-that had enamored him. Lena was a grieving young widow. The husband she had loved was only recently lost. But instead of hiding in the hole that he"d left, she pulled new purpose from it. She was not drowning in it, refusing to speak of the loss. Not like Qui-Gon.
Obi-Wan"s thoughts drifted back to his Master. He shook his head as he climbed a steep bridge arching over a waterfall. Perhaps the bond between them was not as damaged as Obi-Wan imagined. No matter how he tried, Obi-Wan could not deny that Qui-Gon correctly recognized Obi-Wan"s feelings for Lena, and before he did.
How can he be so clear about the emotions of others when he cannot seem to untangle his own? Obi-Wan wondered.
"With time," Master Yoda would say. "With time all are healed."
Obi-Wan felt new energy flood through him as he relaxed and let go of everything that had been bothering him. He had been in danger of letting his emotions blind him. Now he felt more sure.
Still, Obi-Wan did not believe his Master had been right about everything. Walking more quickly and scanning the park for Lena, Obi-Wan realized his resolve to help her was stronger than ever. Whether or not his judgment had been clouded by affection, he knew that Lena was on the side of rightness.
For the first time in hours, Obi-Wan felt clear. And he was more certain than ever that Lena was doing the right thing. She was fighting for peace and justice, and not just for herself. For her entire planet.
As a Jedi it was his duty to help.
As these thoughts formed in his mind, a new one floated over them like a dark cloud: They were running out of time.
CHAPTER 12.
Qui-Gon pulled his comlink from his utility belt. He was about to activate it and summon Obi-Wan when his Padawan appeared, walking toward him on one of the paths.
"There he is," said Mica a moment later. She craned her neck to see what Qui-Gon already knew. Lena wasn"t with him, either. The three of them had scoured most of the enormous park, but Lena was nowhere to be found.
Mica and the Jedi left the park and walked back to the deserted warehouse in silence. Qui-Gon tried to stretch out with his feelings, to get a sense of whether or not Lena was in danger, or even alive. But he felt nothing.
The dim evening light made the hideout look less welcoming than it had early that morning. Qui-Gon strode into the room ahead of the others, and immediately saw a figure sitting on the couch in the darkness.