Star Wars - [Jedi Apprentice 15] - The Death of Hope (by Jude Watson)

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THE DEATH OF HOPE

CHAPTER 1

Obi-Wan Kenobi kept his eyes on his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. He did not

like to break Qui-Gon's concentration, but he was impatient to know what

his Master was thinking.

They sat in the small, elegant waiting room at the Supreme Governor's

residence on the planet of New Apsolon. A lightsaber lay on a small table

next to Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon didn't move his eyes from it. Every few minutes he

would pick up the hilt and hold it in his hand. He had even activated it a

few times, losing himself in the sapphire glow. Then he would deactivate it

and, still holding it tightly, get up to pace the room. In just moments he

would abruptly whirl, slam the lightsaber down on the table again, and sit.

The process had been going on for some time now.

Obi-Wan was sure that his Master was formulating a plan. Jedi Knight

Tahl had been kidnapped. They knew who the culprit was - Balog, the Chief

Security Controller of New Apsolon. They just did not know why, or where

Balog had taken her. Tahl had not been able to leave any clues behind.

Obi-Wan was trying to come up with the best course of action himself.

He hadn't gotten far. They both doubted that Balog was acting alone, but

they didn't know who he was in league with. Confidently, Obi-Wan waited for

Qui-Gon to conclude his internal strategy session. He had seen it in the

past. His Master would turn and look at him directly. His gaze would be

sharp and focused. He would crisply outline the best way to proceed.

Qui-Gon turned to him at last. "I should have gone with her to that

meeting," he said sadly.

Startled, Obi-Wan could only shake his head. Qui-Gon never wasted

time on what they should have done. "But Balog told us that only one Jedi

was allowed."

"I should have made her leave the planet when it was clear her

identity was compromised." Tahl had gone undercover and pretended to be one

of the Absolutes. They had once been the secret police of New Apsolon, and

had since been outlawed. They had never disbanded, though, and had

continued to meet in secret, gathering power over the years.

"But she would not have left." Obi-Wan spoke patiently. He wasn't

telling Qui-Gon anything his Master did not know already. "We need to

contact the Temple. They will send help."

"Not yet." Qui-Gon's tone was firm. "We know now that there are many

here who hate and resent the Jedi. If more Jedi arrive, it will make it

harder for us to find contacts to help us. Especially among the Workers."

"But a Jedi Knight is missing," Obi-Wan said. "It is our duty to

contact the Council."

"And we will," Qui-Gon told him. "But we need twenty-four hours

first. We will find her, Obi-Wan. I can feel her. I know she is alive. I

know she will find a way to help us once we get on her trail." Qui-Gon

returned to his pacing. "We should talk to Balog's assistant again."

"We've already spoken to him twice," Obi-Wan said quietly. "Both of

us felt sure he had nothing more to tell us." It would feel strange and

awkward to tell his own Master to focus, as Qui-Gon had told him so many

times. Yet Obi-Wan felt that Qui-Gon needed to slow down. His Master's

thoughts were circling in a pattern that would lead nowhere. Obi-Wan could

see it clearly, for he had been taught by Qui-Gon how to think calmly in

the midst of panic, how to find a way out.

Qui-Gon knew this. Why couldn't he practice it?

Obi-Wan could see anguish and desperation on Qui-Gon's face, and

something it took a beat for him to recognize - indecision. With a sense of

shock, he realized that Qui-Gon did not know what to do next. Qui-Gon

always knew what to do next.

Obi-Wan decided to use a method Qui-Gon had for helping to focus. If

you don't know which way to turn, review what you know.

"This is what we know," Obi-Wan began, even though he could tell that

Qui-Gon was only half-listening. Obi-Wan was starting to worry about his

Master, and that was taking his own attention from the task at hand. "There

are two factions battling for power on New Apsolon - the Workers and the

Civilized. The government is in disarray. Before we arrived on New Apsolon,

the Supreme Governor, Ewane, was assassinated. He was a Worker who had been

imprisoned for many years by the Absolutes. After his death, his close

ally, Roan, was elected. Though Roan was a Civilized, he had fought for the

Workers to become full citizens of New Apsolon. He took in Ewane's twin

daughters, Alani and Eritha. But Alani and Eritha still feared for their

lives. They contacted the Jedi to escort them off-planet."

Qui-Gon stirred impatiently. "We know all this, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan had once been impatient when Qui-Gon repeated facts to him.

But Qui-Gon had always ignored his impatience and continued. Now it was

Obi-Wan's turn to push forward.

"Tahl came to the planet alone and infiltrated the disbanded

Absolutes, who had gone underground. After we arrived, Eritha and Alani

were kidnapped. Roan disappeared to pay the ransom and was killed. Shortly

afterward, the twins were released, which led us to believe that Roan was

the true target all along. Tahl's identity as a Jedi was discovered but she

escaped. She went to a peace negotiation meeting of Workers and Civilized

organized by Balog. Only we have discovered that there was no meeting.

Balog lied in order to kidnap Tahl. The question is, why? Balog was a

Worker. It doesn't seem likely he'd kidnap a Jedi."

"Anything is likely on this planet," Qui-Gon said grimly, shoving

Tahl's lightsaber into his belt.

"Another question is whether Tahl's kidnapping is linked to the

twins," Obi-Wan went on. "Was Balog responsible for that, too? If so, he is

most likely responsible for the murder of Roan.

Irini gave us information from the Workers that suggested that the

person who masterminded the twins' kidnapping was in the inner circle here.

But why Balog?"

Qui-Gon's gaze was clear now. "We don't know the answers to any of

these questions," he said. "But it seems clear that it is all linked -

Ewane's assassination, Roan's murder, the kidnapping of the twins - and

that someone or some organization is behind these things. They want power."

"So kidnapping Tahl is a way for them to get that power? How?"

"Uncovering the answers will take longer than a day. Time we don't

have. We need to find Tahl first." Qui-Gon turned back to Obi-Wan. "What

was the principal method the Absolutes used to keep the Workers in line?"

"Probe droids," Obi-Wan answered after a moment. "The droids on New

Apsolon are technologically advanced. They can track subjects and attack to

stun or kill. The vital information of all Workers was kept in files, and

with that information a probe droid could be programmed to target a

specific person - " Obi-Wan slowly rose. "Of course. Balog is a Worker. If

we can get his vitals - "

"And a probe droid," Qui-Gon finished.

A soft voice came from behind them. "But they are illegal now."

It was Alani. The slight sixteen-year-old stood in the doorway for a

moment, dressed in a simple tunic, her golden hair braided and coiled

around her head. She had dark smudges under her eyes. The twins had stayed

awake mourning Roan, and the news of Tahl's disappearance had devastated

them. Tahl and the twins had a special bond.

She took a few steps into the room. "I didn't mean to overhear. I

came to see if I can bring you refreshment."

"We'd rather have a probe droid," Qui-Gon said.

"I might be able to help you with that as well," Alani said. "At

least, I know someone who can find one. Lenz."

"Lenz," Obi-Wan said, repeating the name. Lenz had been among the

Workers in a secret meeting he and Qui-Gon had overheard.

"He is the leader of the Workers," Alani said. "He will say he

doesn't know how to get one, but that's a lie. Tell him I sent you."

"You know him well?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Lenz took us in when our father was imprisoned," Alani said. "So

yes, I know him well. We are not in touch anymore, but he will help you if

I ask him to. The trouble will be finding him. He moves from place to

place."

"We have no time to waste," Obi-Wan said in frustration. Would they

need a probe droid to track Lenz, too?

Alani frowned, thinking. "Irini will know how to find him. She will

be at her job at the Absolute Museum by now."

The Jedi knew Irini. But knowing her didn't mean she would help them.

She was a prominent leader in the Worker movement, and she had made it

clear that she did not consider the Jedi her allies. They suspected her of

trying to kill them when they had first arrived on New Apsolon. But there

was no one else to turn to.

CHAPTER 2

It had been a time of great confusion for Qui-Gon. It had been as

though his body temperature had risen, as if there was a fever in his

blood. He had been restless and irritable. Deep meditation was hard to

sustain. Tired of waiting for a mission to distract him, he had taken Obi-

Wan on a survival trip to Ragoon-6, hoping the discipline would calm his

mind and body. It had not.

The first vision appeared on Ragoon-6. He saw Tahl in distress. In

his vision, he caught and held her. Her body felt so weak. He was filled

with helplessness and fear.

When he returned to the Temple, anxious to find her, he discovered

that Tahl was on the verge of leaving on a mission to New Apsolon. Qui-Gon

could not interfere. Yet after she had gone he was once again visited by

that same disturbing vision. He knew she was headed for danger. He knew

that she would need him. He knew she would resist his help.

He did not need Yoda to tell him that visions should not serve as a

guide for behavior. He did not listen to the Council when they cautioned

him to wait. He left for New Apsolon, drawn by a compulsion he did not

understand. He had to follow her.

But the most important thing had not become clear. Why had the

visions of Tahl in trouble come to him, haunted him, driven him? Why did

just the sight of her suddenly irritate him and warm him at the same time?

Then, in one blinding moment, he had received his answer. He had felt

a shock so deep it seemed his body could not contain it. He had found that

he was not just a Jedi, but a man. And the fever in his blood was Tahl.

Courage was something a Jedi did not think about. It was simply the

will to do right. It was the discipline to move forward. Qui-Gon had never

had to reach for it; it had always been there, ready for him. It deserted

him when he asked to speak to Tahl alone.

He had poured out his heart as only a quiet man could. He had used

few words. The time it took for her to respond had seemed endless. Then she

had taken a step forward, taken his hand, and pledged her life to his. They

would have one life, together, she had said.

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摘要：

THEDEATHOFHOPE CHAPTER1 Obi-WanKenobikepthiseyesonhisMaster,Qui-GonJinn.Hedid notliketobreakQui-Gon'sconcentration,buthewasimpatient to know whathisMasterwasthinking. Theysatinthesmall,elegantwaitingroomattheSupremeGovernor'sresidenceontheplanetofNewApsolon.Alightsaberlayona sma...

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Star Wars - [Jedi Apprentice 15] - The Death of Hope (by Jude Watson)

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