Part 40 (1/2)

Tryn set down his datapad. ”Fine. But you can witness from over there. ” He pointed to the other side of the lab. ”Seriously, Bail. You are cramping my style. ”

”Our apologies, Doctor Netzl, ” said Yoda. ”s.p.a.ce to work we will give you. ”

”Yes, sorry, ” Padme added. ”We'll get out of your way. ”

They s.h.i.+fted to the other side of the lab and watched in silence as Tryn ran a series of complicated biosimulations using the data Obi-Wan had provided.

”I still can't believe this, ” Padme muttered. ”How many more last-minute reprieves are we going to get?”

Bail frowned. ”We're not reprieved yet. ”

”Oh, I think we are, ” she said. ”I have a feeling. Don't you. Master Yoda?”

163.

Resting on his gimer stick, Yoda sighed. ”Hopeful I am. Senator. Say more than that I will not. ”

”Can you say if we'll get Obi-Wan and Anakin back?” Bail asked. ”And Master Damsin?”

Padme tensed. ”Yes, we will. We have to. ”

Bail rested his hand on her shoulder. It was a warning, the closest he could come to telling her Be careful. You keep it secret for a reason.

On the other side of the lab, Tryn's scientific gadgets started beeping. Then a series of holoimages appeared, complicated multibranched coded-sequence matrixes, slowly rotating above each gadget's small imaging pad. Red. Red. Red. Red.

”Stang, ” said Padme. ”Red's bad, isn't it?”

Bail watched exhausted Tryn's face fall. ”Yeah. Red's bad. ”

And then a fifth holoimage coalesced, slowly rotating. Instead of red, it was a rainbow of colors-and Tryn was smiling. He was laughing. He pounded his lab bench with both fists.

”That's it!” he cried. ”That's the sequence. That's the missing link and it works. ”

Bail crossed the lab in a few swift strides. ”You're sure? Tryn-are you sure?”

”I'll synthesize a sample and test it, ” said Tryn, grinning, ”but yes. I'm sure. We've got ourselves an antidote. The key was in those three active bioingredients. All naturally occurring, all easily synthesized. It was just a matter of getting the balance right. ”

”How soon before you've got live test results?”

”Give me an hour. ”

And after that it was simply a matter of high-speed bulk manufacture. But that was under control, thanks to the cooperation of a Corellian medchem company with facilities in Coruscant's high-end Abroganto scientific research precinct. They had an entire production complex on standby, waiting for his word.

”Doctor Netzl, you are good, ” Bail said, shaking his head. ”So. We get the antidote into production by this afternoon- s.h.i.+p enough doses for every citizen on Bespin, just in case our team can't stop Durd in time-and the rest we stockpile for insurance. ” He turned.

”Padme...”

She held up her comlink, her dark eyes alight with triumph. ”I'm on hold for Brentaal's Prime Minister now. Master Yoda, we've got our civilian fleet. ”

Master Yoda rapped his gimer stick on the floor. ”Then leave you to your business I will. Make contact with the Lanteeb battle group I must. Inform me you must when ready to depart your civilian fleet is. ”

”Of course, Master Yoda, ” Bail said. ”I'll keep you informed every step of the way. ” With Yoda departed, and Padme still on her comlink, he looked again at Tryn. ”I don't know what to say. What we asked you to do... it was impossible. And you did it. ”

Tryn dragged chemical-stained fingers through his lank, unraveled hair. ”I did some of it. But without that missing link- without your Jedi friend...” He laughed. ”I can't believe how it worked out. That they'd end up in the one place that could give us the answer? How does that happen? It's crazy. It's impossible. It's-it's unscientific. ”

And that made Bail smile. ”The Force isn't science, Tryn. The Force just... nudges things along. ”

Tryn's eyes widened. ”The Force? Since when did you put your faith in mystical powers?”

”Since they saved my life, ” he said simply. ”It's a long story. I'll tell you some of it when this is over. ”

”In that case you'd better let me get back to work, ” said Tryn. But then he hesitated. ”Bail, this friend of yours. This Jedi. He's not safe yet, is he. ”

A cold s.h.i.+ver of dread. ”No, ” he said. ”He's not. ”

”I'm sorry. ”

164.

”Comm me when you've got your live test results and I'll start the ball rolling on the next step. ”

”Bail?” said Padme, calling across the lab. ”Brentaal's confirmed. We need to coordinate with everyone else, then set up a holoconference for the fleet's captains and commanders. Let's go...”

Bail gave Tryn a crus.h.i.+ng hug, startling them both. ”The Republic's in your debt, Tryn, ” he said, stepping back. ”I'm in your debt.

Whatever you want. Ask and it's yours. ”

Tryn let his gaze flick to Padme, waiting impatiently at the laboratory door. ”I wouldn't mind a candlelit dinner with your other friend, over there. ”

”I'm sorry, ” he said, ”but I think she's spoken for. ” He grinned. ”How about a candlelit dinner with me?”

Tryn kicked them both out so he could get back to work.

”This is important, Bail. This means something. I can feel it, ” said Padme as he flew them back to her apartment. ”Despite the difficulties and in the face of real danger, the people of the Republic have come together. Not for profits, not for power or prestige or anything ordinary. But because it's the right thing to do. Because it's a chance to spit evil in the eye. ”

He loved her confidence, her unrelenting dedication to any cause she took up. But as he slid his speeder out of the main traffic flow and into the priority lane that was the fastest way to her apartment, he glanced at her and saw the churning fear in her eyes.

”We'll get them back, Padme, ” he said, and took her hand in his. ”We're not leaving them on Lanteeb. ”

”I know, ” she said. ”1 know. Our boys are coming home. ”

She looked strong. She sounded strong. But her fingers in his were cold, and holding him so tightly he was hard-pressed not to wince.

He flew the rest of the way one-handed... and tried hard not to think about all the ways the Lanteeb rescue could go wrong.

After nearly four hours of unrelenting effort, finally Obi-Wan had to accept he'd done as much as he could for Taria, at least for the time being. The droids and ammunition she'd warned them of had arrived a short while ago, but despite the renewed, ferocious bombardment, she slept. Still each exhaled breath was edged with a rasping hint of pain. Beneath her tranquil face there was pain.