Grath cleared his throat and calmed everyone down - at least for the moment.
“Many people were hurt this morning,” he said gravely, “and some may not live. Our mission is to wake people up, make them see what is happening. It is not to kill them.” Grath looked directly at Flip. “You should not have altered the plan,” he said flatly. “It was wrong.”
There was a brief moment of silence. Everyone looked at Flip. The boy looked confused, then angry. He glared up at Grath. “It was necessary,” he said. “And it was the right thing to do. Now they’re really paying attention.”
The group erupted. Obi-Wan could see a split beginning to develop. Some of the kids felt that Grath was right. Acting peacefully was the only way. Others had had it with the peaceful tactics. They felt violence was a necessary part of revolution.
“The adults will never pay attention to us if we continue to act peacefully,” Flip shouted. “What we’ve been doing so far is not working. Our pranks need to become tactics.”
“We don’t want to start a war!” someone shouted back. “We’re talking about our parents.”
“We’re talking about adults who ignore us!” yelled another.
Soon everyone was shouting so loudly that Obi-Wan couldn’t understand much of what was being said. He could only tell that everyone felt strongly, and that the group was divided. Then a voice rang out over the rest. It was Flip’s.
“Only cowards are afraid to stand up and fight for what they need!” he shouted.
This set the Freelies off again. The camaraderie that Obi-Wan had admired in the group completely disappeared. Kids who had worked together peacefully began to shout in one another’s faces. Antennae jabbed wildly in aggressive movements. The room was in chaos.
Finally Nania jumped onto a tall pile of rubble. “Stop!” she screamed. The group quieted instantly and turned to look at her. Some of the kids looked annoyed by the interruption, but nobody said anything.
“This fighting is useless,” Nania said. “We need to work together or we will accomplish nothing. Let’s report to our work training spaces before we are missed. Then tonight we can meet as planned.”
Some of the Freelies grumbled aloud, but the group slowly made its way out of the facility. There was little discussion, and Obi-Wan could feel the tension in the air.
He could also feel the knot in his stomach. The division in the group was not a good sign. lithe Freelies wanted to be taken seriously, they would have to come forward peacefully and talk to the adults as a cohesive group. It looked like the chances of that were getting slimmer by the minute.
Obi-Wan decided to find Grath and see what he was thinking. He circled a pile of rubble near where he had last seen him, but instead spotted Flip and a dark-haired girl he didn’t recognize.
The two were clearly deep in conversation, and Obi-Wan tried to look casual as he tuned in to what they were saying.
“It’s not enough,” the girl said. “Grath is on their side.”
He saw Flip nod slowly, and the girl leaned in closer. She spoke almost in a whisper.
“We have no choice but to take action on our own,” she said. “And soon.”
Obi-Wan took a step closer to the two Freelies. He wanted to hear every word. But his movement caught their attention, and they immediately split up. It was obvious they didn’t want to be overheard. But he couldn’t tell if they knew he’d been listening in.
Obi-Wan’s mind reeled. He needed some time to clear his head. Exiting the refuse facility, he watched groups of kids make their way toward the work training space. He knew instinctively that work training was not a good place for him to think things through. So he turned in the other direction, heading toward the homespace.
Walking along, Obi-Wan now noticed the adult laborers who were still making their way to work. Some walked in pairs, talking. Others ambled along, gazing at the sky. None of them seemed desperate to get to work. And there was no audible droning. It was almost as if being forced out of their work environment gave them a new perspective.
Perhaps the adults are ready for change, Obi-Wan thought. He felt a small surge of hope. If he and Qui-Gon could just bring the kids and adults together, Vorzyd 4 might have a chance.
CHAPTER 14
“Vorzyd 5 must pay,” Chairman Port said as he and Qui-Gon entered the Multycorp offices. “We shall contact them immediately.”
Qui-Gon exhaled slowly. Although he’d expected the chairman to react in this way, he had not yet come up with a plan to stop the communication from going through.
He again questioned the wisdom of his decision to let Obi-Wan infiltrate the Freelies. He’d wanted to empower his Padawan. And he believed that Vorzyd 4 would have the best chance at a peaceful resolution if the kids came forward on their own. Unfortunately, that belief was of no help to him at the moment.