Still, he was uncomfortably aware of how deeply Sano Sauro had unnerved him as a young Padawan. The man’s reserve had been icy. He did not seem to be able to speak without a sneer. Obi-Wan had felt that whatever he said to the prosecutor was wrong or foolish. He was a Jedi Knight now, and not easily intimidated. It would be interesting to see what the encounter would be like if Sano Sauro had not changed.
Obi-Wan reached the offices of Sano Sauro and strode inside. A team of assistants worked busily at their desks. An ornate carved door led to an inner office. Obi-Wan told the receptionist his name and requested a few minutes of the Senator’s time. He wondered if Sano Sauro would remember him.
He did not have to wonder long. The door hissed open and Sauro stood in the doorway. He looked oddly the same. He still had the same unlined face, the skin smooth and stretched tightly over the bones. His hair was still jet black. He could even have been dressed in the same clothes, a long black tunic and trousers. Obi-Wan could see small evidence of vanity in his brightly shined expensive boots.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” he said through tight lips. “Don’t tell me you’ve killed another Padawan.”
He had not changed at all.
Obi-Wan was glad to note that Sano Sauro’s words had not made even the slightest impression on him. He did not feel stung. He did not care what such a man thought of him. The opinion of a cruel man was worth less than nothing.
“I come on another matter and would welcome your help,” Obi-Wan said.
Sano Sauro stepped aside. Obi-Wan took this as an invitation to enter the office. The door hissed shut behind him.
Sano Sauro sat behind a long, low desk built of stone. Two massive red thorns marked the corners. Obi-Wan recognized them from the claing bush.
Sauro said nothing but waited for him to begin. Obi-Wan remembered that, too. The prosecutor had never wasted time on pleasantries.
“I am trying to locate a protŠgŠ of yours called Granta Omega,” Obi-Wan said. He waited to see if Sano Sauro would react to the name, but he did not. “Do you still know him?”
“He is a personal friend,” Sano Sauro said. “Can you tell me how I could contact him?” “Why?”
“In connection with a Jedi matter,” Obi-Wan said. “Why would I give you any information?” Sano Sauro asked.
Now it was Obi-Wan’s turn to say nothing. The rudeness was not unexpected.
“Because you ask?” Sauro said, folding his hands in front of him. “Because you are a Jedi?”
“Because there is no reason not to,” Obi-Wan said. “And if there is, I would be interested in uncovering it. I would expect that an investigation into the reason would not please you.”
“How interesting it must be to be a Jedi,” Sano Sauro said. “You can bully and threaten and yet hide behind your robes and your talk of justice and the Force. Very convenient.”
“I am not threatening you,” Obi-Wan said evenly. “I asked you a legitimate question, which you refused to answer. I am interested in why.”
“In that case, let me save you time. I am refusing to answer because I do not help the Jedi. It is as simple as that. The Senate in its collective delusion thinks we need you. I do not.”
The door hissed open behind Obi-Wan. Sauro rose. “I think I have come to the end of my patience,” he said. “Good-bye.”
The hatred in his gaze was no longer surprising to Obi-Wan. Sano Sauro had hated the Jedi ten years before and still hated them.
He could go over Sano Sauro’s head. He could get the Jedi Council involved. They could go to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. It was something to consider. If Granta Omega was planning to corner the market on bacta, the Chancellor would want to know.
Obi-Wan walked out of the inner office. The door hissed shut behind him. The assistants did not even glance at him. They sat hunched over their datascreens or talking on comlinks.
The assistant closest to Sauro’s inner office was distractedly speaking on a comlink while entering data into a datapad. “No, we’re not releasing copies,” he said. “The expedition was cut short and the report was inconclusive. Senator Sauro has been thoroughly briefed. No, I won’t put you through. Check with the Senate archivist, the Senator doesn’t have time.” The assistant cut the connection. “Journalists,” he muttered.
“Was Senator Sauro on the committee that oversaw the
mapping expedition that ended on Haariden?” Obi-Wan asked.
“Senator Sauro headed the committee,” the assistant said haughtily.
Obi-Wan hurried from the room. He headed straight to the Senate archives, where committee records were kept. He filled out a request and waited impatiently until the information flashed onto his screen.