Part 20 (1/2)

84.”So you share my faith in Master Ken.o.bi and Anakin?” he said. ”You believe they can save us? Again?”

Yoda remained silent for some time, his eyes half lidded. ”Believe I do that more time they should be given, ” he said at last. ”Unclear to us the situation on Lanteeb is. ”

”But Master Yoda, it's not unclear to them, ” Organa protested. ”And they've asked that we act. ”

Sidious raised a warning hand. ”And act we will. Senator. But first I believe we should give our Jedi friends the chance to complete their mission. If we can somehow succeed in thwarting this Separatist plot without further alarming the public or redeploying our already overtaxed GAR forces, then I would consider ourselves triply blessed. ”

Swallowing emotion, Organa nodded. ”Obviously, Supreme Chancellor, the final decision is yours. ”

”I fear it must be, ” he said. ”I wish I could put this matter before the entire Senate, my friends. I wish I could lift some of this burden from your shoulders. But if this terrible war has taught me nothing else, it has taught me that above all things circ.u.mspection is paramount. There are wheels within wheels, endlessly spinning. To win we must, as the saying goes, play our cards very close to our chests. But...” Again he lifted his hand, and let a whisper of censure creep back into his voice. ”-never so close that I cannot see them.

I trust I won't need to remind you of that again. ”

”No, Supreme Chancellor, ” said Organa, so pleasingly contrite. ”You won't. Thank you. ”

”Master Yoda?”

”Tell you I will, Chancellor, the moment contact we again make with Ken.o.bi and Skywalker, ” said the old Jedi fool. ”If successful they are, no action will we need to take. But if fail to stop Lok Durd they should, then an attack upon Lanteeb we must launch. ”

”Agreed, ” Sidious said. ”And in the meantime-what can be done to aid the work of this scientist?”

”Nothing, Supreme Chancellor, ” said Organa. ”Doctor Netzl has everything he requires. And he's a genius. He will come up with an answer to the bioweapon. ”

”I hope you're right, Senator, ” he said, frowning. ”For all our sakes. Keep me apprised of every development, no matter how trivial. ”

And that was their dismissal. As soon as they'd been escorted from his apartment he tried to make contact with his apprentice, but Dooku did not answer the summons. Even as he raged, he realized it was likely not an insolent defiance. It just felt like one, coming on the heels of these most recent revelations. He left his signature on his apprentice's comm station and withdrew to meditate upon Anakin and his current plight. Dooku would return the comm as soon as he saw his Master's mark.

At which time be will feel my wrath. For I have not labored these many long years to have my plans disrupted by a weak corruptible like him.

The first tinges of dawn were touching Coruscant's night sky as Bail navigated his speeder back to the Jedi Temple. He waited for Yoda to say something, but the Jedi Master remained silent, almost withdrawn. Finally, with the Temple looming large before them, he cleared his throat.

”I think Palpatine had a right to be angry, Master Yoda. Ultimately, the safety of the Republic is his responsibility. ”

Yoda glanced at him. ”No, Senator. In all our hands does the safety of this Republic lie. To give away personal responsibility is to make freedom a hostage. Protect the Republic we all must, with every decision we make. ” A longer, sideways measuring look.

”When began this did, agree not to tell Palpatine of your suspicions you did. ”

Trust Yoda to bring that up. ”Yes, because that's all they were then. Suspicions. And with our ongoing security issues I felt that such extreme caution was warranted. But we've gone way past suspicions. Master Yoda. ” He eased back on the speeder's control yoke, preparing to slip into the dedicated Temple traffic lane. ”If I might ask-were you ever intending to tell him?”

”I was, ” said Yoda, as they smoothly switched slipstreams. ”When successfully completed the mission was. ”

”He has so much faith in them. Obi-Wan and Anakin. ” Bail shook his head. ”I think it scares me a little. Not because I don't believe they're brilliant. I do. It's just...”

85.”The Jedi are not creatures of myth and magic, ” said Yoda. He almost sounded sad. ”They are flesh and blood. They bleed. They break. Too much you fear we ask of Obi-Wan Ken.o.bi and Anakin Skywalker. ”

”Yes. I do. ” He looked at Yoda. ”Don't you?”

Yoda answered with silence.

Well, that's rea.s.suring.

After returning the Jedi Master to the Temple, Bail made his way to Padme's apartment. He desperately wanted to see Tryn, find out how close his sequestered friend was to a breakthrough on the antidote, but it was too early. Really it was too early to see Padme, but she'd never forgive him for holding back his news of Obi-Wan and Anakin. Well-of Anakin in particular. He was almost convinced now that if her interest lay anywhere, it was with the younger man.

And if that doesn't stir up a nest of gundarks, I don't know what will. Oh, Padme.

To his surprise he found her already awake, dressed in a forest-green bodysuit and throwing clothes into a suitcase. She was distinctly unamused.

”I'm sorry, Bail, ” she said, as he halted in her bedroom doorway. ”I'm abandoning you with the most awful schedule of meetings, I know. But the Queen has made it abundantly clear that if I don't fix this mess with the Artisans' Guild there are going to be interplanetary repercussions. ”

”What?” He crossed the chamber's threshold and stood at the foot of the bed. ”I thought you said you'd resolved that dispute. ”

”I did resolve that dispute!” she retorted, s.n.a.t.c.hing a pair of shoes from her wardrobe. ”But now it's back to being unresolved. ” She threw the shoes into her suitcase. ”I swear, the next barve who tells me he's got an artistic temperament and can't be expected to observe the civilities is going to find himself...”

With an enormous effort she discarded the rest of the threat, exhaled a deep breath, and dropped to the edge of the bed. Even at this early hour, and so angry, she looked immaculately beautiful as usual. Casting him a rueful glance, she shook her head.

”I'm sorry. You've caught me in a very bad moment. ”

”No need to apologize, ” he said, trying to smile. ”Sometimes being a senator is like being nibbled to death by Tartarian mice. ”

”True, ” she said. ”In fact I...” And then she seemed to register that he was standing in her bedroom. ”Bail? It's the crack of dawn.

What are you...”

Then she realized what it had to be.

”They're in trouble. How bad is it? Have they been-are they...”

”Not dead, ” he said quickly. ”Not hurt. I don't think, anyway. Just trapped. ”

”On Lanteeb?”

He nodded. ”They're still trying to stop Durd. ”

”And then what?” Her voice was faint, all her pa.s.sionate energy smothered by fear. ”How are they going to get off that planet?”

”I don't know. ”

”The Jedi won't rescue them?”

”Padme, I don't know. ”

Leaping up, she began an agitated pacing. ”They rode to the rescue on Geonosis. They have to-they can't just...” Her face hardened.

”Well, if the Jedi Council won't help them, I will. Because I am not going to leave them stranded there. ” She whirled around, her gaze hot on him. ”And you'll help. Because you got them into this. Bail. You sent them on this wild bantha chase to Lanteeb and just because it turns out you were right and there was trouble brewing there, that is no excuse for you to...”

86.”Padme, Padme, cool your thrusters!” he said, holding out both hands. ”You can't go charging in like a random blaster bolt. The situation is unbelievably volatile. One wrong move and we could get them killed! Is that what you want?”

”Of course not, ” she snapped. ”What I want is them home again, on Coruscant, safe and sound. What I want is...”