Part 7 (2/2)

Without another chitter, the Xi Charrian let go his tools and launched himself from his work pallet - - not at TC-16 or either of the Jedi, but straight up into the web of overhead girders. Ignoring indignant squeals from rudely awakened Xi Charrians, he began to leap from one girder to the next, clearly determined to reach one of the tall skylights that perforated the roof.

Obi-Wan watched him for a moment, then turned to Anakin. ”I don't think he wants to speak with us.”

Anakin kept his eyes on t'laalak-s'lalak-t'th'ak. ”Well, he has to.” And with that, he leapt in pursuit.

”Anakin, wait!” Obi-Wan said, then added, more to himself, ”Oh, what's the use,” and sprang up toward the ceiling. Hurling himself from truss to truss like some circus performer, Anakin arrived quickly at the intricate tracery surrounding the partially opened roof window through which t'laalak-s'lalak-t'th'ak was desperately trying to squirm.

The Xi Charrian's insectile forelegs were already outside the window when Anakin leapt again, clutching on to him in an effort to return him to the floor. But the alien was stronger than he looked. Chittering madly, he leapt for a higher window, this time taking Anakin with him. Ten meters away, Obi-Wan paralleled the Xi Charrian's flight into the upper reaches of the vaulted ceiling, where the chase had now roused scores of roosting Xi Charrians, inciting more than a few to join in. Anakin was still trying to drag his quarry down, but his weight was insufficient to the task. Fearing what might result should Anakin call too strongly on the Force - - Obi-Wan had visions of the entire workshop crumbing to pieces!

- - he fairly flew after them, barely managing at the apex of his ascent to grab hold of t'laalak-s'lalak-t'th'ak's rear legs.

And down they came. All three, entwined, and bringing with them more than thirty inverted Xi Charrians. Cascading onto the floor, Obi-Wan and Anakin lost their hold on t'laalak-s'lalak-t'th'ak, and suddenly couldn't tell one Xi Charrian from the next. Losing t'laalak-s'lalak-t'th'ak had ceased to be an immediate concern, in any case, because Xi Charrians throughout the workshop were rus.h.i.+ng to the aid of those the two Jedi had caused to plummet from the rafters. Some were already attempting to zap the Jedi into submission by brandis.h.i.+ng a.s.sorted soldering and engraving tools, while others were busy constructing a plasteel hemisphere under which the violence might be contained.

”No mayhem!” Obi-Wan shouted. Anakin showed him a wide-eyed glance from beneath a three-meter-tall heap of irate Xi Charrians.

”Who exactly are you talking to?”

Obi-Wan glanced around the workshop. ”Topple something - - quickly!

Before they complete the mound!” With a shoving motion of his free hand, Obi-Wan overturned a small table twenty meters away, spilling several stacks of freshly engraved comlinks and droid summoners. Chittering in panic, half the Xi Charrians who were holding him to the floor - - and most of the ones rus.h.i.+ng toward him - - scampered off to repair the damaged devices.

”Quickly, Anakin!” Even with his hands pinned under him, Anakin managed to upend a pallet of kitchen appliances, then knock over a carefully arranged collection of toys, then tear from the wall more than half a dozen sconces. Chittering in dismay, more Xi Charrians raced off.

”Stop making it look like fun!” Obi-Wan cautioned. Eyes riveted on a bin filled with musical instruments, he was about to rid himself of his remaining tormenters when blasterfire erupted in the workshop, and into the midst of the throng of infuriated Xi Char appeared the Prelate himself, seated on a litter carried by six bearers and grasping a weapon in each foot. Twenty Xi Charrians flattened themselves to the floor as the Prelate brought the blasters to bear on Obi-Wan and Anakin. But before a bolt could be fired TC-16 emerged from a side gallery, his body realigned and polished to a dazzling l.u.s.ter, shouting: ”Look what they've done to me!”

The droid's tone of voice combined anguish and wonder, but the change in him was so unexpected and remarkable that the Prelate and his bearers could only gape, as if a miracle had occurred in their midst. A babble of chitterings was exchanged, before the Prelate swung back to Obi-Wan and Anakin, raising the blasters once more.

”But they meant no harm, Excellency!” the droid intervened. ”t'laalaks'lalak-t'th'ak fled in response to their questions! Master Obi-Wan and Jedi Skywalker sought merely to ascertain the reason!”

The Prelate's gaze singled out t'laalak-s'lalak-t'th'ak. TC-16 translated. ”Master Ken.o.bi, the Prelate advises you to pose your questions, and to leave Charros Four before he has a change of heart.”

Obi-Wan looked at t'laalak-s'lalak-t'th'ak, then at TC-16. ”Ask him if he remembers the chair.”

The droid relayed the question. ”He remembers it now.”

”Was the engraving done here?”

”He answers, 'yes,' sir.”

”Was the chair brought to Charros Four by the Neimoidians or by another?”

”He says, sir: 'By another.'”

Obi-Wan and Anakin traded eager looks. ”Was the hyperwave transceiver already affixed to it?” Anakin asked.

TC-16 listened. ”Both the tranceiver and the holoprojector itself were already affixed to the chair. He says that he did little but inscribe the legs of the chair and tweak some of its motion systems.” Lowering his voice, the droid added: ”May I say, sirs, that t'laalak-s'lalak-t'th'ak's voice is... quavering. I suspect that he is hiding something.”

”He's afraid,” Anakin said. ”And not of Nute Gunray.”

Obi-Wan looked at TC-16. ”Ask him who made the transceiver. Ask him where it s.h.i.+pped from.”

????? t'laalak-s'lalak-t'th'ak's chitterings sounded contrite.

TC-16 said: ”The transceiver unit arrived from a facility known as Escarte. He believes that the device's maker is still there.”

”Escarte?” Anakin said.

”An asteroid mining facility,” TC-16 explained, ”belonging to the Commerce Guild.”

17.

”Ten years ago it would have had all the makings of a full-blown diplomatic incident,” Intelligence officer Dyne was explaining to Yoda and Mace Windu in the data room of the Jedi Temple. Filled with computers, holoprojector tables, and communications apparatus, the windowless chamber also housed an emergency beacon that transmitted on a frequency known only to the Jedi, allowing the Temple to send and receive encrypted messages without having to rely on the more public HoloNet.

”Since when are the Xi Char so forgiving?” Mace asked. Dressed in a brown belted tunic and beige trousers, he was poised on the edge of a desk, one booted foot planted on the s.h.i.+ny floor.

”Since they've been forced to make do with subcontracting work,” Dyne said. ”What they want is to get back in the game by landing a nice fat Republic contract for starfighters or combat droids. It has to be driving them mad, knowing that Sienar is getting even richer on techniques he basically stole from them.”

Mace glanced at Yoda, who was standing off to one side, both hands resting on the k.n.o.b of his gimer stick. ”Then the Xi Char Prelate isn't likely to report the incident to the Senate.”

Dyne shook his head. ”Not a chance. No real harm was done, anyway.”

”Reach the ears of the Supreme Chancellor, it won't,” Yoda said. ”But surprised I was by Obi-Wan's report. Losing some of his better judgment, Obi-Wan is.”

”We both know why,” Mace said. ”He's become Anakin's partisan.”

”If the Chosen One Skywalker is, then a hundred such diplomatic incidents we should suffer without concern.” Yoda shut his eyes for a moment, then looked at the Intelligence a.n.a.lyst. ”But come to tell us of these things, Captain Dyne hasn't.”

Dyne grinned. ”We've succeeded in deciphering the code Dooku - - and, we have to a.s.sume, Sidious - - has been using to communicate with the Council of Separatists. Using the code, we were able to intercept a message sent to Viceroy Gunray, through the mechno-chair.”

Mace came to his feet. ”Your people have been working on cracking that code for years.”

”The chair's hyperwave transceiver provided us with our first solid lead.

We saw right away that the code embedded in the transceiver's memory was a variant on codes used by the InterGalactic Banking Clan. So we decided to offer a deal to one of the Muuns arrested after the Battle of Muunilinst. It took some convincing, but the Muun finally confirmed that the Confederacy code comes closest to a code used on Aargau, for transferring bank funds and such.” Dyne paused, then added: ”Remember the missing credits that became the basis for accusations leveled against Chancellor Valorum back in the day?”

Yoda nodded. ”Remember the incident well, we do.”

”The credits that allegedly disappeared into the pockets of Valorum's family members on Eriadu were routed through Aargau.”

”Interesting, this is.” Dyne opened an alloy briefcase and removed a ribbed data cell. Moving to one of the holoprojector tables, he inserted the cell into a socket. A meter-high holoimage appeared in the table's cone of blue light.

”General Grievous,” Yoda said, narrowing his eyes.

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