Part 25 (1/2)

”Captain Cohl.” Cohl didn't stop until the stranger repeated the call, then he maneuvered himself through a resigned turn. Ten meters down the corridor stood a tall, long-haired, and bearded Jedi, displaying a green-bladed lightsaber.

”This just isn't our day,” Boiny muttered.

Cohl heard the characteristic snap and hiss of another lightsaber and glanced over his shoulder. The second Jedi was a clean-shaven young man, wearing the thin braid of a Padawan.

”We've been looking forward to meeting you since Dor - valla,” the older one said.

Cohl and Boiny swapped looks of surprised dismay.

”You were the ones in the diplomatic Lancet,” Cohl said.

”You led us a merry chase, Captain.” Cohl snorted and shook his head.

”Well, you found us now. And you can put your glow sticks away.

We're unarmed.” Qui-Gon merely pointed the lightsaber toward the floor as he approached. ”I congratulate you on surviving the destruction of the Revenue.” Cohl sagged on his crutches. ”A lot of good it did me, Jedi. My partner and I are shot to pieces.” Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan regarded them through the Force, and understood that Cohl wasn't lying. Both he and the Rodian were seriously injured.

”How did you find out about the Dorvalla operation, anyway?” Cohl asked.

”A member of the Nebula Front,” Qui-Gon said. ”Now dead.”

”So there was an informant. I guess Havac was right to have been secretive about this one.”

”We're eager to meet Havac, as well,” Obi-Wan said.

Cohl looked at him. ”You'd do better to destroy the droid Havac infiltrated into the summit.”

”Droid?” the Jedi said in unison.

”A battle droid,” Cohl elaborated.

”It's right up there with the rest of the directorate's droids. We figure Havac plans to have the droid kill Valorum.”

”That's impossible,” Qui-Gon said. ”Battle droids can't act without a cue from a central control computer.”

”Havac's is one of Baktoid's new and improved models,” Boiny said. ”A commander. More of a freethinker. It only needs to be tasked, by voice command or remote signal, and it's capable of swaying the droids around it.” Obi-Wan's jaw dropped slightly. ”Are you saying that instead of one a.s.sa.s.sin, there are a potential dozen?”

”Thirteen, actually,” Boiny replied.

”It still can't initiate an act like that on its own,” Qui-Gon insisted.

”That's where Havac comes in. He's the one with the remote.” Qui-Gon stepped toward Cohl. ”Where is he?”

”I have some idea.”

”Tell me what you know, and let me handle this.

Obi-Wan will escort you and your partner to medical attention--and into custody.” Cohl shook his head. ”If you want Havac, we go together, Jedi, or not at all.” He canted his head to Boiny. ”Besides, we're the only ones who can identify him.” Qui-Gon didn't even have to think about it.

He glanced at Obi-Wan. ”Padawan, report back to Master Tiin and the others. Quickly.”

”But, Master--was ”Go, Padawan. Now.” Obi-Wan showed him a tight-lipped nod and spun on his boot heels.

Qui-Gon watched his apprentice rush off, then he deactivated his lightsaber and put one arm under Cohl's trembling shoulder.

”Lean on me, Captain.” w ith ten drummers setting the tempo, twice as many horn players raised their long instruments to their mouths and trumpeted the first of the three prolonged fanfares.

By then Obi-Wan had reached Tiin and the other Jedi.

”It's the droids,” he began in a sally of words.

Tiin had him slow down and repeat everything he and Qui - Gon had learned from Cohl. Then the Iktotchi turned to Adi, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Vergere, and the rest.

”Position yourvs as close to Valorum as possible,” he instructed Adi and Vergere.

”Obi-Wan, Ki, and I will be near the Trade Federation rostrum. The rest of you, disperse to deflect blasterfire. Be una.s.suming but prepared.”

”Master Tiin, do you think the Trade Federation suspects what's in their midst?” Obi-Wan asked as they set out across the floor of the hall.

”They couldn't. They are aggressive only when it comes to commerce.

However this Havac infiltrated the droid among the others, it had to have been done without the knowledge of the directorate members.”

”Should we order the delegation to remove the droids, Master?” Ki-Adi-Mundi replied. ”Whoever is watching may decide to trigger the droids into action. If that happens, it could appear that we posed a threat, prompting the droids to respond with blasterfire.

If there was time, we could get someone aboard the Trade Federation freighter to shut down the central control computer.”

”Have you fought these droids before, Master Tiin?”

”I know only that they're not very accurate, Padawan.” Obi-Wan frowned as he ran. ”With thirteen of them firing, that may not matter.” Not even a quarter of the way around the upper level corridor that accessed the media booths, Boiny spied Havac through a small transparisteel panel set high in the door.

Leaving Cohl to stand on his own, Qui-Gon pressed his back to the corridor wall. ”How many of them are in there?” he asked the Rodian.

”Havac and maybe two other humans--seated to the right of the door.” Qui-Gon nodded to the door release lever. ”Try it.” Gingerly, Boiny placed his hand on the lever.

”Locked.” He glanced at the touchpad mounted on the wall. ”I can probably slice--was ”I have a quicker way,” Qui-Gon interrupted.

Activating his lightsaber, he shoved the glowing blade through the lock mechanism. The metal glowed red and instantly began to slag, tainting the air with biting odors. With a grating sound, the door slid into xs wall pocket.

By then, Havac and his two confederates were on their feet, weapons in hand. A flurry of blaster bolts glanced from Qui - Gon's blade, which he held upraised and threw left and right in precise parries. The deflected bolts blazed around the room, two of them wounding Havac's men and knocking them to the floor.

Undiluted terror fumbled the blaster from Havac's grip. As it fell, Qui-Gon called the weapon to him with a Force summons and tucked it into the wide belt that cinched his tunic.

Havac dropped back into his seat at the console, cowering in fear and raising his shaking hands above his head.

Boiny and Cohl followed Qui-Gon into the booth.

Cohl took stock of the situation and looked at Qui-Gon. ”I'm glad I never had to go up against you people.”

”Cohl,” Havac said in genuine amazement.