[Jedi Quest] - 08(11)

“Or not,” Obi-Wan said.

Zan Arbor looked up.

“It is also,” Obi-Wan said loudly, “a perfect place from which to do business.”

Zan Arbor inclined her head. “That, too. Or so I hear.”

“And we are far too young to retire,” Siri said, following Obi-Wan’s lead.

“As are you, I am sure,” Obi-Wan said.

Carefully, Zan Arbor put her teacup down on a polished stone table. “Perhaps you should tell me why you’ve come.”

“We’ve come to make the acquaintance of the finest scientific mind in the galaxy, it is true,” Obi-Wan said, crossing his legs and smoothing out some of the feathers attached to his cloak. “We have also come to tempt you with an offer.”

“I assure you, I am retired.” Zan Arbor slid an errant blond hair back into her perfect coiffure. “But I am listening.”

“We have a plan that I’m not at liberty to discuss fully,” Obi-Wan continued. “It involves a great deal of wealth. A planetary treasury, in fact. You may have heard that we’ve had some success in that area. We’re a modest bunch, but we’re most confident we can build on that success.” Obi-Wan smiled. Wouldn’t Slam smile, at this moment? A con man would toot his own horn, but he would do it with a wink. He would seduce his listener.

Zan Arbor seemed to respond to his smile. She waved a hand, allowing him to proceed.

“We have the tech diagrams and a detailed way to get inside our target,” Obi-Wan said. “We just need help with the guards. If we had an air delivery system that would slow down or incapacitate them for twenty minutes, we could raid the entire treasury.”

Zan Arbor gave a tiny smile. “And so you came to me.”

“Word has reached us of your experiments on Vanqor,” Siri broke in. “An exciting development. You have the key to controlling minds. If you can control minds, you can control fortunes.” She shrugged. “It’s as simple as that.”

“Or as complicated.”

“We would arrange it so that your involvement would remain hidden,” Siri continued. “We would take all the risks.”

“You would be an equal partner, however,” Obi-Wan said.

“We have the false ID docs ready,” Siri said. “We can leave tomorrow. Tonight, if you wish. You could come aboard our ship, and we’d have you back here in two days. No one would even have to know you were gone.”

Obi-Wan admired how Siri had picked up on his plan. Once they were in space, they could take her back to the prison planet. They would put her into custody without anyone getting hurt. Obi-Wan was hoping that her greed would be her undoing.

“A little effort for a great reward,” Obi-Wan said. He flashed her a smile again, but this time she did not respond as before. He felt his heart sink.

“Why would I do this?” Zan Arbor waved a hand. “As you can see, I have everything I want. Every luxury is here. I live in a palace. I have the fastest ship in the galaxy at my disposal. What more do I need?”

“I have found,” Obi-Wan said softly, “that there are needs, and there are wants. So the question is not what more do you need, but what more do you want?”

She raised an eyebrow, impressed with this despite herself. “Very clever. But I can supply my own wants.” She pushed her tea tray away in dismissal. “Your little plan sounds intriguing. I wish you luck with it.”

“I assure you, the rewards are greater than you can imagine,” Obi-Wan said, trying again.

This seemed to amuse Zan Arbor greatly. “I doubt that.” She gave a small laugh, as though to herself. “There is what I can imagine, and what actually lies ahead. I’m sorry to say that you must have more than this to tempt me. But don’t take it personally. We cannot be collaborators, but we’re going to be neighbors. Let us be friends as well.”

Pasting a smile on his face, Obi-Wan thought for a moment. He refused to believe that Zan Arbor had truly retired. Why would she turn down a chance to raid a planetary treasury with very little risk to herself? Of course, she might be wary to commit to a plan with a gang she didn’t know. Yet she had dismissed them quickly and then closed the door against any further exploration of working together.

Zan Arbor stood. “This has been lovely. I’m sure we’ll meet again. Hue will see you out.”

The same tall Phlog appeared. Zan Arbor disappeared through the doorway, leaving a waft of perfume behind.

“Charm him,” Obi-Wan quickly whispered to Siri as he pretended to swipe a sweet from the tray.

She looked at Obi-Wan in disbelief. “Are you serious? He’s a walking slab of muscle. It would be like charming a side of bantha meat.”