[Jedi Apprentice] - Special Edition - 01(33)

“Does a nightcrawler crawl?” Den grinned.

Den knew the unused corridors of the ship, where food and supplies were moved from one area to another. He was able to get them to the docking bay without being seen. They lingered near the outflow pipes. Garen’s sleek starship had landed, and he was checking in with the BioCruiser’s technicians.

“If they don’t know we’re missing, they will soon,” Obi-Wan said. “We have to get Garen’s attention.”

Anakin focused inward. He drew in the Force from all the elements around him. He motioned to Garen and saw the tall young man look up. His gaze roamed around the docking bay and then focused on where they were hiding.

“He knows we’re here,” Anakin said.

Den gazed at him, baffled. “How did you do that?” He shook his head. “Is it really too late for me to become a Jedi? I could use some of those skills. Not to mention those lightsabers.”

“Yes, it’s too late,” Obi-Wansaid, his eyes on Garen.

Garen was now talking in a friendly way with the BioCruiser tech worker, gesturing around the giant hangar. Obi-Wan knew that his old friend was complimenting the ship and the design. The tech worker nodded, gesturing at the space, and walked off. Garen began to casually stroll around the hangar, seeming to admire its design.

He came closer and lingered near them. “What’s up?”

Obi-Wan spoke in a low voice. “Things have changed. We need you to sneak away and come with us.”

“Be happy to.” Garen glanced around at the tech workers. They were busy at the console, so he quickly melted back in the shadow of the outflow pipes.

Obi-Wan quickly explained the situation. “We need to investigate what Vox Chun is doing before we leave the ship,” he concluded. “I have a feeling the people aboard the BioCruiser could be in danger.”

Gravely, Garen nodded.

“I’ve got a place where we can hole up until I break this code,” Den told them. “It’s not far.”

They sneaked back the way they had come. As they reached the utility corridor they had used to enter, suddenly Den sprang back and motioned to them to do the same. “It’s Kern,” he whispered. “Why is he heading to the docking bay?”

They pressed back into the shadows of the columns supporting the bay. Kern passed them, looking harried.

Garen frowned. “Who is that?”

“We think he might be in league with Vox,” Obi-Wan told him. “We don’t have proof yet.”

Garen nodded, but his expression still seemed absentminded.”He looks… familiar.”

“Come on,” Den urged.

Den led them through a maze of utility corridors to the greenhouse where he raised the native flowers and vegetables of Telos. At the sight of blooming purple flowers, Obi-Wan suddenly remembered a ride on a speeder over the fields and mountains of the Telosian wilderness, so many years ago. They had fought so hard to save Telos. Yet its natural beauties had ended up destroyed. Offworld had started the process, under the name of the company UniFy. Other powerful interests had taken up where Offworld had left off. …

Remembrance flooded Obi-Wan. “Broken Circle,” he said to Den. “What happened to Offworld after it was kicked off Telos?”

“I suppose they went on to ravage the rest of the galaxy,” Den said. “They reorganized under a different name, I heard. They were never allowed to operate on Telos again.”

“Xanatos had a scar on his cheek,” Obi-Wan said. “He made it himself by pressing his father’s molten ring against his skin. The ring had been broken by Qui-Gon’s lightsaber. It was a broken circle.”

“Do you thinkBroken Circleis Offworld?” Garen asked.

“It makes sense,” Obi-Wan said. “Vox was secretly in league with Xanatos and Offworld. What if he never broke those ties? And Offworld was used to setting up other companies to conceal their involvement.”

“So Vox could have never stopped working for them!” Den said excitedly. “Let me tackle that coded file.”

Quickly, Den set up the holoprojector. He used the code “Offworld,” and nothing happened.

“Try UniFy,” Obi-Wan suggested.

Den typed out the word. “We’re in,” he said in satisfaction. The others pressed forward to read the file.

“We’re right,” Obi-Wan said. “These are the records of a mining corporation.”

Anakin’s face fell. “But this is just a list of planetary operations. That doesn’t help us much.”

Obi-Wan exchanged a glance with Den. “Unless …”

Den nodded grimly. He called up the file that listed the BioCruiser’s scheduled stops.