Jedi Quest_ The Dangerous Games Part 9

"Bog will not be in trouble if he didn't do anything wrong," Obi-Wan told the couple. "I will make sure of that. Now, please excuse me."

Obi-Wan stepped outside, leaving the sounds of the match behind him. He quickly contacted Jocasta Nu at the Temple.

"I am sending you a list of Senators. I need to know if there is any link among them." Obi-Wan waited for her to read the list of names.

"Does anything come to mind right now?" he asked.

"Nothing," Jocasta Nu said. "There are many ways Senators can be linked, Obi-Wan. Through sponsoring legislation. Committees.

Subcommittees. Special hearings. Oversight subcommittees on special hearings - "

"I get the picture," Obi-Wan said. "Just do the best you can, as quickly as you can. Can you also look into the Ruling Power, and see if there is some connection with those Senators?"

"Of course. I'll contact you as soon as I have information."

Obi-Wan thanked Jocasta Nu and cut the communication. He leaned against the railing and looked out over the sprawling city. Beings streamed through the streets, and he could hear the distant roar of a crowd in the nearby stadium. If the betting were exposed, the Senators involved would be drawn into a scandal. It would not matter if they were guilty or innocent. Their reputations would suffer. Was that the goal?

An insider, Fligh had said. It could be someone in the Ruling Power. Or someone close to the Games themselves.

He called up Bog's file on his datapad again. He flipped through the holographic files, remembering the notations on Uso Yso's screen.

The bets had been placed on the bowcaster skill contest, the obstacle course race, and the Podrace. The same events that Aarno Dering had on his data-pad.

Obi-Wan contacted Didi on his comlink. "Have you found out where Fligh is staying?"

"The Sleek Cruiser Inn on Grand Eucer Street," Didi said. "Room 2222. But let me a.s.sure you, my friend, this inn is no sleek cruiser.

More like a garbage barge."

"Just make sure Fligh doesn't go off-planet," Obi-Wan told Didi.

"Contact me if he does."

"I am your servant, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan tapped his finger on his comlink, planning his next move.

He could handle Fligh, but on the other hand, this was more than a pesky problem. It was time to call in the other Jedi teams.

He activated his comlink and contacted Siri. He filled her in on what he had discovered.

"It seems as though the Ruling Power could be behind this," he said. "They might want to blackmail Senators in order to gain power in the Senate, getting appointed to powerful posts. But we have no real proof, and we don't have much time. All three events are scheduled to take place this afternoon."

"What do you need?" Siri asked, getting to the point as quickly as possible, as she usually did.

"I have to pay a visit to Fligh, and I'd like some company," Obi-Wan said. "I think some additional Jedi presence is needed."

"I'll be there. And I'll contact Ry-Gaul," Siri said.

The problem of Anakin entering the Podrace had never left Obi-Wan's mind. Why had his Padawan done such a thing without telling him? It was not the first time Anakin's impulsiveness had worried and alarmed Obi-Wan.

His comlink signaled. Anakin was calling. Obi-Wan answered.

"Master, things have developed here," Anakin said.

"Sebulba has recognized me. Because of that, Deland stepped in to avoid a fight and was injured. He cannot race. I... I offered to race in his place. Doby and Deland are trying to free their sister - "

"And is that your mission on Euceron, to free Djulla?" Obi-Wan asked sternly.

"No," Anakin said. "But was it Qui-Gon's mission to free me? Must we follow a mission so exactly that we turn our backs on beings who need help? Every mission has a detour. You've told me that."

"I've also told you that it is the mark of a Jedi to recognize whether or not to follow the detour," Obi-Wan reminded him.

"Then I ask you to let me make this choice," Anakin replied.

His Padawan's voice was firm. There was no pleading, no uncertainty. He wanted what he wanted. Was that the right thing in this circ.u.mstance?

Obi-Wan pondered the problem. "Have you learned anything else?" he asked.

"The Podrace is scheduled to take place this afternoon at three. A viewing area has been set up for spectators in the underground caves.

Sebulba has placed enormous bets on his son to win. The official timekeeper is supposed to send the Podrace route directly to onboard computers. But I don't know who will takeover the job now that Dering is dead. I think the best way I can find out how the race is fixed and who is behind it is to enter it myself."

"All right," Obi-Wan said reluctantly. He did not like the sound of pleasure in Anakin's voice. He would ask Siri and Ry-Gaul to send Ferus and Tru to observe while Anakin piloted the Podracer. He could not be there with his Padawan, but he did not want Anakin to be alone.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

"I got it!" Anakin crowed. He tweaked the last screw to the energy-binder plate. "We're set."

"Whew," Doby said, pus.h.i.+ng his goggles to the top of his head. Two round circles of grime circled his eyes. "I was getting worried."

"Maybe I should give the computer system another check," Anakin wondered.

"I did it," Deland said. "You've done enough, Anakin. I actually think we're ready." He patted the Pod-racer with his good hand. His other arm was encased in a rigid bandage from elbow to fingers.

Anakin jumped off the scaffold he'd used to work on the turbines.

"I know I am."

Suddenly, his smile dimmed. He spied Ferus and Tru threading their way toward him through a sea of pit droids and mechanics and pilots, the usual frenzy of a pit hangar before a race.

My Master sent them. He doesn't trust me. The thought seared Anakin's mind before rationality set in. It would be helpful to have backup, he told himself, trying to be logical. There was nothing wrong with that. He dodged a lubricant hose and went forward to meet them.

Tru's head swiveled, taking in the excitement. "Strange, if you think about it," he said to Anakin. Anakin wiped his hands on a rag.

"What?"

"That Podraces are so dangerous, but n.o.body looks scared," he said.

"There are beings who equate danger with pleasure," Ferus said, his eyes dark with disapproval. "It is a mistake easily made for those who do not think deeply." He gave Anakin a cool look.

"Well, there's such a thing as fun, Ferus," Tru said amiably. "Even you have to admit that."

"Yes," Ferus said. "But not here." His cool gaze did not falter as he studied Anakin. "I'm not clear on why you are racing, Anakin."

"It is the best way to discover how the race is fixed," Anakin said.

Ferus s.h.i.+fted his gaze to take in Doby and Deland and the Podracer, then scanned the rest of the hangar. "I see. Our Masters have told us that it is possible that advance knowledge of the track will be sent to one Pod- racer's nav computer seconds before it is given to the rest. Do you know which Podracer that is?"

"Hekula," Anakin said. "The Dug. The third Podracer down on the left."

"You know this for sure?"

"It is a guess," Anakin admitted. "Based on my knowledge of him."

Ferus turned back. "And that is all?"

"Sebulba, his father, proposed the new rule," Anakin said. "Sebulba never proposes anything unless he knows he can profit by it."

"Do you know when and how the information will be transmitted to the nav computers?"

"At the start of the race, and then at three-minute intervals,"

Anakin said.

"So how do you propose to beat him?" Ferus asked.

"By being faster and better," Anakin answered. "I have something he doesn't have. I have the Force."

"Who is the timekeeper?" Tru asked. "Do you think he is the one who will transmit the information?"

Anakin nodded. "A race referee. The computer system is already in place. Dering has already designed the program. This person will just follow instructions."

Ferus frowned. "Isn't there any way to tell whoever is in charge of the race what is going on? Surely it would be better to simply cancel the race. Did you think of that?"

Anakin's cheeks flushed. Ferus was questioning every detail of what he had learned as though he were a Jedi Master and Anakin was his Padawan.

"I'm sure Anakin thought of it," Tru said. "But we can't be sure who knows that the program is a cheat. Whoever it is could alter it with a keystroke and we'd never know who was behind it, or why."

"Maybe there is still some way to find out," Ferus said. "Tru and I will investigate." He glanced at the Pod-racer. "You can go back to your energy-binder plate."

Tru hung back as Ferus walked off. "He's just being careful," he told Anakin.

Anakin's teeth gritted. "Is that what you call it?" "You'll understand him one day," Tru said. "After you become friends."

"I will never be friends with Ferus Olin," Anakin answered savagely.

Tru studied him for a moment. "I feel... some darkness from you, Anakin. Your enemy is here. But Sebulba cannot hurt you anymore.

Remember, Jedi do not have enemies."

"I just want to win," Anakin said.

"You mean you want to prevent injury and ensure fairness," Tru corrected.

Anakin nodded. "That too."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

The Sleek Cruiser Inn was just as Didi had described it, a dilapidated building made of patchwork plasteel sheeting. Seeing a way to rake in more credits, the owner had leased out s.p.a.ce in the hallways and closets. Travelers from around the galaxy had stashed gear in every spare s.p.a.ce and were cooking up meals on portable stoves in the hallways.

Others had rolled themselves in bedrolls in various corners and were trying to catch a nap between events. The smell of bodies, food, and dust was overwhelming. Even this far from the Games, the hum of the crowds in the arenas could be heard. Obi-Wan, Siri, and Ry-Gaul picked through the mess and knocked on Fligh's door.

"I said I would settle the bill on the way out!" Fligh yelled behind the door. "Such a hospitable establishment, I can't wait to return!" He flung the door open and saw the Jedi. He swallowed. "Ah, Jedi. Always a good sign."

He stepped aside and let them enter. Belongings were stuffed into an open case. Still-wet laundry spilled out of a travel pack. A half-eaten meal was spread on the sleep couch. It was clear that Fligh was in the midst of a hasty departure.

"Leaving so soon?" Obi-Wan asked. "The Games have just begun."

"I'm not a fan," Fligh said, shrugging. "There you go."

"Yet you came here to see the Games," Obi-Wan pointed out. "Don't you want to see how your bets turn out?"

Fligh laughed. "Why? You have made sure I don't win. I may as well return to Coruscant and make my living honestly, as a thief."

Siri and Ry-Gaul closed the door and stood in front of it. Obi-Wan casually flung one leg over a stool and sat. "A funny thing happened after we left you this morning. We took an air taxi - "

"Always a good idea," High said nervously. "The streets are so crowded."

" - and the pilot tried to crash it," Obi-Wan went on. "Odd that he knew just where we were and where we were headed."

"Maybe you were just lucky."

"Maybe you'd like to accompany us to the security office of the Ruling Power and talk about it," Obi-Wan said. It was a bluff. He did not want the Ruling Power to know that they were investigating.

Fligh gave a squeak of disappointment and threw himself down on the unmade sleep couch. "I knew I'd never make it off this blasted planet.