Slowing his speed just a fraction, he glanced in his rearview mirror. Hekula was going to attempt to pass him. Anakin would allow him to do so. He’d need to follow Hekula now. He had to let Hekula guide him to the finish line, then find a way to get ahead. His first objective was to protect the spectators, but Anakin had not forgotten for a moment that he meant to win.
Now he did not have to worry about injuring anyone. He had solved the problem of the steering. He just had to follow the course. His comlink activated again, but it was on the floor of the Podracer. He could not bend down to retrieve it. He would lose precious seconds. Now Anakin was focused on only one thing: the need to win.
“I’m sure he is all right, but you might as well go to the finish line,” Siri said when Anakin didn’t answer. “I’ll stay with Vista.”
“Bring him to the Ruling Power,” Obi-Wan said. He knew Anakin was all right. He had to believe he would feel it if it weren’t so. “I’ll contact you after Anakin finishes the race.”
Maxo Vista smirked as Siri led him away. “Good luck!” he called cheerily to Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan hurried out of the stadium. He would have to get to the finish line on a swoop or speeder. It would be the fastest way to travel.
Astri was waiting outside, her eyes searching the crowd anxiously. She waved at Obi-Wan and pointed to a speeder by her side.
“Is everything all right? Is Maxo Vista involved?” she asked.
“I’m afraid so. Siri is taking him to the Ruling Power,” Obi-Wan said.
Astri handed him a small viewscreen. Obi-Wan could see the three Podracers roaring through the streets of Eusebus.
“They are selling these on the streets,” she said. “Anakin seemed to have trouble, but he’s in second place now.”
Obi-Wan nodded, taking the viewscreen and jumping into the speeder.
She put her hand on the speeder for a moment. “Vista used Bog. Bog admired him.”
Obi-Wan nodded. “Bog will be all right. He just needs to tell the truth.”
Biting her lip, she nodded.
Obi-Wan took off. His comlink signaled, and he answered it.
“I have information for you on those Senators,” Jocasta Nu said. “They aren’t on a committee together. But they have all taken the same position on the same issue. The Commerce Guild is proposing legislation that would give them control of banking practices in the Core Worlds. It is an enormously profitable contract.”
“Do the Senators oppose it?”
“Of course. It’s a terrible idea to consolidate power that way,” Jocasta Nu answered. “Rumor has it that many have been bribed to support it. The vote will be close. But the list of Senators you gave me have sworn to block it.”
“Are the Ruling Power of Euceron involved?”
“No. But don’t you want to know who is a member of the Commerce Guild? “
“Maxo Vista?”
“Indeed,” Jocasta Nu said, sounding disappointed that Obi-Wan had guessed. “He was recently invited to join. Do you know who proposed his candidacy?”
“No, and I don’t have time to guess - “
“Liviani Sarno.”
Obi-Wan let out a breath. So his worst suspicions were true. The treachery had begun at the top. The Commerce Guild would do anything to ensure that the legislation would pass. As head of the Games Council, Liviani Sarno was in the perfect position to concoct a scheme to discredit the Senators who opposed it. Eager to join the Guild, no doubt Maxo Visto had agreed to take part.
No wonder Liviani Sarno had been so concerned about the theft of Bog’s speeder. She knew the information on Bog’s datapad could be traced back to her once the bats were discovered.
He ended the communication and concentrated on getting to the finish line as fast as he could. He would not feel easy until he saw Anakin cross the line, safe.
He contacted Siri. “Don’t let Liviani Sarno interfere,” he told her. “She may have been the one behind everything.”
“I haven’t seen her,” Siri said. “But Vista seems pleased about something. That must be it. He must think Sarno will save him.”
Obi-Wan returned to his piloting. He was almost at the caves now. It was strange how he had pulled a thread, and the plot had come undone. Didi’s bet had led to a web of treachery. It never failed to surprise him, just a little, how far beings would go to advance their interests, how much they would risk for an easy gain. Together Liviani Sarno and Maxo Vista had wealth and prestige, yet it was not enough. And poor Aarno Dering, just a petty criminal with nothing to lose except his life. Obi-Wan thought back on his few possessions, his neat quarters. Dering was probably hoping to have enough credits to support himself for the rest of his life. No doubt he had taken pride in what he did. Obi-Wan thought back on the two chronos, set for morning. Dering must have been good at his job. He knew the importance of backup.