[Jedi Apprentice] - 18(19)

Time to think on your feet, he told himself wryly.

“I think it would be better to wait until we have the results from the shuttle inspection,” Qui-Gon said rationally. Chairman Port had ordered an investigation of all the shuttles in the city, and they were waiting for the report. “The more information we have, the better.”

“They are to blame!” Chairman Port railed. “They need to be punished! “

“Do we, now?” came a voice from behind them. Qui-Gon turned and saw Felana standing in the doorway. Two large Vorzydiaks flanked her on either side.

Chairman Port’s face had lost all traces of anger. His expression was now a combination of confusion and fear. His large eyes were even wider than usual and his antennae twitched uncontrollably. It was obvious that he was not accustomed to unexpected political visitors - especially hostile ones.

“What are you - “

“I have come to set the record straight once and for all, Chairman,” Felana said, striding into the room. She was remarkably tall for a Vorzydiak, and her upright stance made her even more so.

The chairman blinked in surprise. Qui-Gon sensed that he wanted to know how she had gotten all the way into his office without being noticed and stopped. He imagined that it probably wasn’t too difficult in the chaotic aftermath of the shuttle explosions.

There were several long moments of awkward silence. Then Chairman Port straightened his jumpsuit and cleared his throat loudly. His expression shifted to one of self-righteous indignation.

“You have been sabotaging our production capabilities,” he said evenly. “You resent our productivity. You wish to appear stronger to the rest of the Vorzyd system. Our computers and assembly lines are malfunctioning. It is the only explanation.”

“Explanations are not my concern,” Felana replied. “Your baseless accusations are. And we do not resent your productivity,” she added, her eyes glinting. “On the contrary, we find your work customs to be rather tedious.”

If it were not for the seriousness of the situation, Qui-Gon would have smiled at Felana’s remark. The Vorzydiak kids obviously found the work customs to be tiresome as well.

“You see?” Chairman Port said, turning to Qui-Gon. “They resent us.”

Qui-Gon was silent. Part of him wanted to tell Chairman Port everything. But his gut told him that this meeting was not going to bring about any kind of immediate or violent action. And he still hoped that the Freelies would come forward on their own. Besides, he had promised his Padawan that he would wait. If all went well, there would be a meeting of the minds - between those truly involved and responsible - very soon.

“We did not resent you,” Felana insisted. “Until you began to accuse us of crimes we did not commit.” She glared at Chairman Port. “I want all of these baseless lies to stop at once, or we will be taking action against you in response.”

Chairman Port’s antennae began to twitch again. “What kind of action? ” he asked nervously.

Felana leveled her gaze at the Vorzyd 4 leader. “A kind much worse than the sabotage you’ve wrongly accused us of.”





CHAPTER 15


That night, Obi-Wan met up with Grath on the shuttle platform. He looked tired, but his eyes were clear. Obi-Wan sensed that the boy had found a new sense of direction.

“Some of the adults looked content as they made their way to work today,” Obi-Wan told him. “I think they enjoyed their time off.”

Grath nodded. “It can work without violence,” he said confidently. “People just need a little time to see how it could be.”

Obi-Wan was glad to see Grath back to his old self. He didn’t want to dampen his spirits by telling him about the conversation he’d overheard between Flip and the dark-haired girl. But he couldn’t keep that kind of information to himself, either.

“I overheard - “

Obi-Wan was cut short by the shuttle pulling up to the platform. Nania was driving, and she greeted Obi-Wan with a smile. Obi-Wan was grateful as he took a comfortable seat. A ride inside Nania’s shuttle could be a nail-biter, but it was better than clinging to the outside of the craft.

When they arrived at the usual office building meeting place, Obi-Wan spotted Flip right away. He was standing in a corner next to the same dark-haired girl, scowling.

Grath walked right up to them. “Hi, Flip,” he said in a friendly voice.

Flip didn’t say anything, and his scowl deepened. It was clear that he was still angry about the reprimand he’d received earlier in the day. The girl next to him was silent as well. Watching them, Obi-Wan suddenly realized that he’d seen the girl before, away from the Freelies. She’d been visiting her grandmother at the retiree complex the first night he’d been on the planet. But she seemed totally different now - there was no trace of the warm, affectionate young girl he’d enjoyed watching and listening to.