Star Wars - [Jedi Apprentice 18] - The Threat Within (by Jude Watson)

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THE THREAT WITHIN

CHAPTER 1

Obi-Wan Kenobi stood perfectly still. He sensed no movement in the

darkened room, yet his muscles were tensed, ready for attack. The only

light came from the glowing blue blade of his lightsaber. The only

discernible sounds were the hum of the blade and the Jedi's almost

undetectable breathing. Obi-Wan had been standing in the same position,

balanced on a thin rail, for nearly an hour. Still, he waited.

Suddenly Qui-Gon's voice penetrated the silence, breaking Obi-Wan's

concentration. A message from his Master over the comlink was not what Obi-

Wan had expected. Momentarily distracted, he almost missed the stealth-

training probe moving rapidly toward his head. That was what he had been

waiting for.

Obi-Wan turned awkwardly on the slim rail and sliced the probe out of

the air. Leaping high to another unseen rail, he knocked out two more

probes. A moment later the lights in the room came on and the young Jedi

deactivated his lightsaber.

Obi-Wan shook his head. The exercise was complete, but the seventeen-

year-old Jedi was not pleased with his performance.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied to Qui-Gon over the comlink.

"We've been summoned by the Council. Meet me there."

"Of course," Obi-Wan replied. Hope sprang within him. Perhaps the

Council had at last summoned them for a mission. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had

spent the last two months at the Temple. It was always a relief to come

home when a mission was complete, but Obi-Wan did not like to stay too

long.

Being a Jedi was constant work. And somehow the dedication, energy,

and patience it required seemed to intensify when Obi-Wan was at the

Temple, when he wasn't working toward a mission's specific objective.

Jedi never stopped learning. But after endless training exercises,

Obi-Wan could feel his focus begin to slip. He should not have been so

clumsy with the training probes. He should have been prepared for anything.

He was growing bored, and that was dangerous.

Outside the Council Chambers, Obi-Wan spotted his Master's large

frame. Even with his back turned, Obi-Wan could sense that Qui-Gon shared

none of his eager anticipation, his anxiety. As always his Master exuded

calm. Qui-Gon was almost always content with training and meditation alone.

Why did Obi-Wan crave action?

Qui-Gon smiled and nodded at his approaching Padawan before

activating the door and entering the chamber. A half step behind, Obi-Wan

followed as Qui-Gon strode to the center of the room and acknowledged the

seated Masters.

Obi-Wan's pulse quickened slightly. But it was nothing like the

nervousness he used to feel when summoned to appear before the Council.

Mace Windu leaned back in his chair, his arm draped across the back.

"We've received a message from Vorzyd 4," he said plainly. "They report

that they are being sabotaged by Vorzyd 5 and have requested mediation. The

planets in the Vorzyd system have never been engaged in war of any kind.

But tensions have been brewing between the fourth and fifth planets. All of

the planets are interdependent and a dispute between two could trigger a

chain reaction, disrupting the whole cluster. Clearly this is something we

wish to avoid."

"So the situation is delicate," Obi-Wan finished Master Windu's

thought and immediately regretted it. It would not do to reveal his

impatience to the Council.

"Very," Mace continued, appearing to notice neither Obi-Wan's

eagerness nor his interruption. "And to make matters more complicated,

Vorzyd 5 denies any wrongdoing."

"Before you can bring these planets together to talk you will need to

assess the matter carefully," Master Yarael Poof added. "There may be more

at stake here than meets the eye."

Obi-Wan saw Qui-Gon nod slowly, and knew that their work would begin

before they even left the Temple. He had heard of the Vorzyd cluster

before, but only in passing. The next step was a visit to the Temple

archives. Mediation required a good deal of research and background

knowledge. The Jedi would have to be prepared for any possible conflict.

Jocasta Nu was ready when the Jedi arrived. She spent most of her

time pulling research for Jedi missions. Although she was regularly briefed

by a member of the Council as to what planets or systems might soon require

Jedi assistance, her ability to access just the right information at just

the right time was uncanny. She could almost always sense the moment when a

brewing problem was about to boil over.

The viewscreen in the archives was playing a recorded communication

from Chairman Port, the leader of Vorzyd 4, when Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon

entered the room. Jocasta quickly shut it off.

"Sending you to Vorzyd 4, are they?" she asked with a chuckle. "I'm

sure that will be a productive trip." Obi-Wan did not get the joke. But as

Jocasta told them more about the Vorzyd 4's, he began to understand.

The small planet was best known for its amazing production and sale

of goods. Alone, Vorzyd 4 produced almost all of the food and hard goods

used by the five planets in its system.

"All of the inhabitants of Vorzyd 4 work," Jocasta explained.

"Children begin working at the age of ten, when their school cycle wanes.

Instead of attending school seven days they attend six and work one. Each

year thereafter they gain another day of work until the age of seventeen,

when they begin to work full-time. From then they work seven days a week."

Jocasta narrowed her eyes. Obi-Wan thought he sensed disapproval. Even Jedi

rested sometimes.

"At age seventy, laborers are required to retire," Jocasta continued.

"Vorzydiaks fear that the elderly will not be able to keep up with the work

pace. Sadly, most of the retirees die within a few weeks of being forced

out of their jobs. The cause of these deaths is unknown. Most retirees are

in good health until they are forced to stop working."

Obi-Wan glanced at his Master to see what he thought of this

practice. Qui-Gon was in his fifties, and Obi-Wan could not imagine that

anyone would think of him as anything other than productive. And Master

Yoda was over eight hundred years old. It was unthinkable that he be asked

to retire. His wisdom was one of the Council's most valuable assets.

The thought of someone asking these Jedi to step down made Obi-Wan

smile, but Qui-Gon shot him a stern look and he quickly checked himself.

Of course, Vorzydiaks on Vorzyd 4 were unique beings with unique life

cycles and cultural practices. Although they looked mostly human - their

bodies were humanoid but they had a pair of long antennae and slightly

larger eyes - Obi-Wan knew better than to judge them by any other beings'

standards.

"What of Vorzyd 5?" Qui-Gon asked. "And the tensions between the two

planets?"

"Vorzyd 5 produces less than half of its planetary needs and depends

largely on trade with Vorzyd 4 for its subsistence. In the past they

struggled and were often in debt to Vorzyd 4, though relations between the

two have remained peaceful and friendly. Debt did not matter to the 4's

because they had a constant surplus. Neither were the 5's troubled that

they owed so many credits to their neighbor. But now things have changed."

"How so?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Vorzyd 5 has begun building casinos. The profit they've made has

allowed them to pay off many of their interplanetary debts."

"And they are no longer beholden to Vorzyd 4," Qui-Gon said softly.

"Exactly. Vorzyd 4 claims that Vorzyd 5 now wants to be the planet in

power. That they are sabotaging Vorzyd 4's production in order to appear

stronger to the rest of the system, and the galaxy. Vorzyd 5, of course,

claims this is nonsense. And the continued accusations are making them very

angry."

Handing Qui-Gon a stack of disks, Jocasta replayed Chairman Port's

message. The large man on the screen looked uncomfortable, but his plea was

direct.

"I am contacting you to request mediation. We are being attacked.

Vorzyd 5 is to blame. All diplomats and suspected spies have been expelled.

The sabotage continues. Please contact us at once." As he talked, the ends

of Chairman Port's antennae moved about like birds looking for a place to

land.

"It is unusual that the chairman has contacted us," Jocasta said once

the image had disappeared from the screen. "In the past Vorzydiaks have had

little contact with the galaxy outside their cluster. They were even

reluctant to have representation in the Senate. The fact that they have

requested outside help can only mean that they feel their situation is

desperate."

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan thanked the archivist and left with stacks of

additional information to review on their own. Obi-Wan did not relish the

task. This mission, he realized, would not provide the action he craved.

The Vorzyd system sounded dull, and diplomacy was often a long and tedious

process. Obi-Wan sighed and inwardly scolded himself. He knew he should be

grateful for any mission. At least it was a change.

CHAPTER 2

Qui-Gon started down the shuttle ramp before it touched the floor of

the hangar on Vorzyd 4. He had spent the entire journey reviewing

information about the planets and their history, and was anxious to move

around and get some fresh air. All of the disks held data about the

planets' corporate history, and while Vorzyd 4's success as a peaceful

corporation was admirable, it had been dry research. Qui-Gon had been

totally unable to get any sense of what Vorzydiaks were like as

individuals.

The hangar they'd landed in was uncluttered. Aside from the workers

loading cargo on what appeared to be export ships, there were not many

beings about.

"Are we being met?" Obi-Wan asked. He stifled a yawn as he joined

Qui-Gon outside the shuttle. Qui-Gon guessed his Padawan's research had not

been any more entertaining than his own.

Before Qui-Gon could reply in the affirmative, a young Vorzydiak

appeared before them. He stood for a moment, then bowed slightly to the

Jedi. His demeanor was calm, but his antennae twitched nervously. Qui-Gon

knew that it was unlikely the Vorzydiak had encountered beings from outside

his planetary system before.

"Welcome. Follow me," their guide said without expression. He turned

and walked quickly out of the hangar. The Jedi had to follow at a rapid

pace to keep up.

Qui-Gon had been looking forward to talking with the young Vorzydiak.

He'd hoped it would help him to understand the species better. But after

the brief greeting, the Vorzydiak offered nothing more. He simply led them

briskly through the streets.

When Qui-Gon tried to ask one or two questions it was obvious by the

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摘要：

THETHREATWITHIN CHAPTER1 Obi-WanKenobistoodperfectlystill.Hesensedno movement in thedarkenedroom,yethismusclesweretensed, ready for attack. The onlylightcamefrom the glowing blue blade of his lightsaber. The onlydiscerniblesoundswere the hum of the blade and the Jedi's almostundetect...

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Star Wars - [Jedi Apprentice 18] - The Threat Within (by Jude Watson)

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