Jedi Apprentice_ The Hidden Past Part 2

"You're a criminal?" Obi-Wan couldn't believe it.

"Oh, yes, but such a little one," Guerra said.

"No so, brother! You have price on your head!" Paxxi chortled. "As do I! a.s.sa.s.sin droids are ordered to shoot on sight!"

"So, it is true, brother!" Guerra agreed. "You are right again, for the first time!"

"Who put a price on your head?" Qui-Gon asked. Obi-Wan could see that he was both irritated and amused by the Deridas. "And why?"

"The Syndicat," Guerra answered. His amiable face grew grave. "Vast criminal organization who has gained control of Phindar. Things are very bad here, Jedi. I'm sure you saw, even in the short time you were here.

They started the blockade. No one can leave, no one can land. But we thought even the Syndicat wouldn't oppose two Jedi in trouble. They would let you land, refuel, and take off again. Then my brother and I could sneak out and stay on Phindar. Easy plan!" Guerra congratulated himself.

"Very smart! Not so," he amended with a look at Qui-Gon. "It didn't happen that way . . . ."

"No, it didn't" Obi-Wan spoke up. "first of all, we were attacked by a.s.sa.s.sin droids. Now we're stuck on Phindar with no way to get off."

"A, I've thought of this!' Guerra exclaimed. "true, it seems you are stuck. But en though the main s.p.a.ceport is tightly controlled by the Syndicat, there are ways to get people off-planet, if you have enough money."

"But we're Jedi," Obi-Wan said impatiently. "We don't have much money. Maybe you should pay, since it's your fault that were stranded."

"True, Obawan! We should pay! Do you hear this, Paxxi?" Guerra asked, amused. He and Paxxi held on to each other's shoulders and laughed loudly in each other's faces.

When they stopped, Guerra wiped tears from his eyes. "Good joke, Obawan. Very funny. We have no money. But no worry, please. We have a way to get money. Much money. We can do this easily. Well, not so - we might need a little help from Jedi."

"Ah," Qui-Gon said lightly. He fixed his penetrating blue stare on Guerra. "Now we finally get to the truth. Why don't you tell us the real reason you brought us here . . . and why you want us to stay?"

Chapter 6.

Guerra smiled at Qui-Gon. "Wait, my friend. You seem to say that we deceived you, yes? Me, deceive my friend Obawan? How could such a thing be?"

Qui-Gon waited.

"Oh, my, perhaps I did so," Guerra said. "But for such a good reason!"

"What's the reason, Guerra?" Obi-Wan asked. "And this time, tell the whole truth."

"I always tell the whole truth to Obawan," Guerra a.s.sured him.

"well, not so. But now, I will for you, Jedi men of honor. But where to begin?"

"Why don't you tell us why there is a death order on your head,"

Qui-Gon suggested. "That seems like a good place to start."

"True, it is so! Well, I suppose the Syndicat would call me a thief," Guerra said. "And others as well."

"Not a thief, brother!" Paxxi interrupted. "A freedom fighter who steals!"

"True, thank you, brother," Guerra said, bowing to Paxxi. "That is what I am. And my brother as well. You see, the Syndicat controls everything. Food and materials, med supplies, heat, everything Phindians need to survive. Naturally, in such a situation, one must find ways to buy and sell things the Syndicat does not control."

"A black market," Qui-Gon supplied.

"Yes, so, a black market, you could say," Guerra agreed, nodding.

"We steal a little here, sell a little there. But all for the good of the people!"

"An your own profit," Qui-Gon added.

"Well, that too. Shall we suffer more than we are already?" Paxxi asked. "But the Syndicat doesn't like this. If we are to steal, we must steal for them. This, we refuse."

"Why should we give our talents to a gang of thieves?" Guerra asked, pounding the table. "Of course, we are thieves ourselves. But honest ones!"

"So, my brother!" Paxxi agreed. "And we are not murderers and dictators."

"So, my brother!" Guerra nodded. "that's why we must free our beloved planet from the grip of these monsters. The Syndicat leader is Baftu. He is a gangster without a conscience. He enjoys seeing the people suffer!" Guerra's orange eyes were mournful. "And his a.s.sistant Terra is no better, I am sorry to say. For all her beauty, her heart is black and cold."

"They must be the Phindians we saw in the gold landspeeder," Obi-Wan said.

"They were in gold coats?" Paxxi asked. "Yes, they are the ones."

Guerra and Paxxi shared a sad look. They shook their heads, their cheerfulness gone.

"What about the people we saw on the street?" Qui-Gon asked. "The ones with the blank faces."

Paxxi and Guerra shared another mournful look. Guerra sighed.

"The renewed," he said softly. "So sad."

"So," Paxxi agreed.

"It is the method of ultimate control," Guerra explained. "You know the memory wipe?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "it's used to reprogram droids. It removes all traces of their memory and training so they can be reprogrammed."

Guerra nodded. "The Syndicat has developed a device to do this to Phindians who they consider enemies or agitators. They memory wipe the person, then drop them on another world, somewhere terrible. The person has no memory of who they are or what they can do. It is a game for the Syndicat. They bet on how long the person will survive. A probe droid follows them and sends back holo-pictures of what happens. Most do not survive."

Qui-Gon's face went very still. Obi-Wan has seen that look before, a look that spoke of how deeply Qui-Gon was outraged at injustice and sheer cruelty.

"And some are not sent off-planet," Paxxi said softly. "That is saddest of all, maybe. Phindar is full of rootless people who do not remember their families, their loved ones. Or the things they could once do. They are helpless. Now Phindar is full of those who pa.s.s their fathers, their wives, their children on the street and do not recognize them."

"So you seem" Guerra said, "the Syndicat will stop at nothing.

Which brings us to how you can help."

"If the wise Jedi would be so kind," Paxxi added.

"You saw the signs in the shops, the market place," Guerra went on.

"The Syndicat controls all the shortages. It is a method of time control, just as renewal is mind control. The shortages are fake. If the people are waiting in line all day just to feed their families, they don't have time to revolt you see. Do you ever get enough? Not so. Supplies are doles out carefully so that you have to wait in line the next day as well."

"The Syndicat has stored everything we need," Paxxi continued.

"Food, med supplies, building supplies, everything. It is all hidden in warehouses. We know this."

"And some of it is held in giant storage rooms underneath their headquarter here in Laressa," Guerra said. "So you see our plan? If we can liberate the goods, we can show the people that the Syndicat has been depriving them of food and medical supplies. They will rise in revolt!

All we need is your help. I saw the Jedi mind control on the mining platform. Obawan convinced the guards to let him into storage. You see, he can do the same here!"

"Stop," Qui-Gon said flatly. "First of all, Jedi Knights aren't thieves. Second, we have our own mission. We are not here to interfere in another planet's problems. And, just for argument's sake, how are you two planning to get all those goods out of the building without a fight? And why do you think this will break the back of such a powerful criminal organization? Surely the Syndicat has enormous sums at their disposal.

Why would breaking into one storage area change anything?"

"Aha! Good, Jedi-Gon. So smart, just like Obawan!" Guerra said, nudging Qui-Gon with a friendly shoulder. "Let's discuss. First I must tell you that the storage area must have another entrance. How else could they sneak goods in and out? So all we have to do id get inside, find the other entrance, and so easy! We take everything out!"

"Not so east," Qui-Gon said.

"But worth the risk, I think," Guerra insisted. "Another point I must make - along with food, medical supplies, and weapons, Paxxi and I know there's a vault, too. All the Syndicate treasury is there!"

"A vault," Qui-Gon repeated. "That implies high security."

"Yes, so!" Guerra agreed happily. "But Paxxi and I have the key!"

"How did you get a key?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Ha! He asks how!" Guerra said to Paxxi.

"Ha!" Paxxi agreed. "Long story!"

"We have a way to get in the building, too," Guerra said. "You see?

Easy. So? You will go?"

"Let me get this straight," Qui-Gon interrupted in disbelief. "You want two Jedi to help two common thieves steal a treasure from a bunch of gangsters?"

Obi-Wan was silent. He agreed with Qui-Gon. It was not a Jedi-style mission. Yoda would never approve. As much as he liked Guerra, he was glad the qui-Gon had raised the objection.

"Yes, exactly!" Guerra said, still cheerful in the face of Qui-Gon's irritation.

"Wait, brother, we should explain further," Paxxi said. "We should a.s.sure the Jedi that we are far more interested in liberating our people than in stealing treasure."

"So, of course!" Guerra agreed. "Not that a little treasure wouldn't help -"

Guerra was interrupted by a commotion coming from the caf.

Quickly, Paxxi slipped out of the room to investigate. Within moments, he was back.

"So sorry," he announced. "I'm afraid it's time to go. a.s.sa.s.sin droids searching for us all, I fear!"

Chapter 7.

Qui-Gon sprang to his feet. He was not anxious to meet up again with those deadly killing machines. "Is there a back door?"

"Better that that, Jedi-Gon," Guerra answered. "Follow me, please."

Guerra moved to the fireplace. He pressed something Qui-Gon could not see. The wall s.h.i.+fted, and an opening was revealed.

They heard a crash from the caf. "Time to hurry, I think," Guerra remarked pleasantly. "You first, Paxxi. Show the way to Obawan."

Paxxi slipped into the opening, and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon followed.

Guerra came last, shutting the opening behind him. The steps were stone with a depression in the center from the pressure of hundreds of years of footsteps. Paxxi moved quickly, Obi-Wan on his heels. At the top of the stairs he pushed through a grate and disappeared.

Qui-Gon climbed out and saw that he was on the roof, as he expected. The opening for the secret staircase was concealed as part of the venting system. Guerra slid the grate back into place.

Qui-Gon moved closer to the edge of the room and dropped to his knees. He lay flat, then moved forward a few inches to peer over the side.

a.s.sa.s.sin droids patrolled the streets below with jerky movements.

Silver-coated Syndicat guards directed them, waving blasters. Swarms of the droids entered one shop or business after another. They threw chairs, tables, shelving, personal items out into the street as they moved. It was like a tribe of insects, picking each area clean. Any Phindian who had the misfortune to find themselves on the street quickly scurried away before the a.s.sa.s.sin droids or the Syndicat guards could administer a blow with the b.u.t.t of a blaster or a jolt from a force pike.

"It doesn't look like they're searching," Qui-Gon said in a low tone to Guerra, who had lay flat beside him. "It looks as though they mean to spread terror."

"Yes, so, Jedi-Gon!" Guerra agreed nervously. "And their plan is working."

Qui-Gon froze. "Footsteps,' he said in Guerra's ear. "Coming up an outside staircase."

"Time to go," Guerra said. He pushed himself back out of sight.

The gestured to Obi-wan and Paxxi to keep quiet. Using their long, powerful arms, the brothers swung themselves over to the next roof. Qui-Gon looked at Obi-Wan. The gap between the two roofs was wide. If Obi-Wan couldn't make the jump alone, Qui-Gon would have to carry him on his back.

He asked the question silently: Can you make it? Obi-Wan nodded instantly. Once again, Qui-Gon was impressed by his Padawan's sharp instincts. Obi-wan always seemed to know what he needed from him.

The boy hesitated only a fraction of a moment. Qui-Gon saw him gather the Force around him. Then he ran with quick, long steps up to the roofs edge and jumped. The Force and Obi-Wan's own strength propelled him safely to the other side.

Qui-Gon leaped after him. Obi-Wan courage often impressed him, as did his instincts.