[Legacy of the Jedi] - 02(37)

Taly provided for his workers by supplying them with a small city, with entertainment and leisure activities and luxurious dwellings that his workers would not be able to afford in the cities. The only thing he would not allow was families. Workers had to be single and childless. He said this was because personal connections interfered with work habits, but Obi-Wan had to wonder if there was a deeper reason.

The Jedi and Padme had traveled on a fast Republic cruiser. The journey had taken less than a day. Anakin flew low over the desert, lower than Obi-Wan would have liked, skipping over the boulders and rocks, some of them fifty or a hundred meters tall, then zooming down to hug the ground again.

“This isn’t a Podracer, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said. Siri grinned and PadmŞ smiled.

“He does this to me on purpose,” Obi-Wan grumbled. “I don’t see the landing platform,” PadmŞ said. “I don’t even see the compound.”

“It’s behind a holographic portal,” Anakin explained. The Jedi had been thoroughly briefed on Taly’s security plan. “The hologram mimics the landscape. It’s hard to see.”

Padme drew closer and leaned over Anakin’s shoulder. “Can you see it?”

Obi-Wan watched them, her dark head against his shoulder. They had the ease of intimacy. Long friendship, he wondered, or attraction?

“When I use the Force, I can. See the shimmer over there, by that big rock?”

A craggy rock - at least a hundred meters tall - rose over the others.

“No,” PadmŞ said, half-laughing as she shook her head. “I just see a big rock.”

In answer, Anakin flew straight toward the rock. PadmŞ braced herself. Obi-Wan sat calmly. He wasn’t about to admonish Anakin again. Let him have his fun.

Anakin did not slow his pace. The rock loomed, closer and closer. Just at the moment of impact, they passed through it, punching a hole through the image of rock, sand, and sky.

The landing platform lay ahead, a small, circular pad outside a larger hangar. Beyond it rose Taly’s compound, a series of connected buildings made of stone that matched the desert tones of ocher and sand.

Anakin guided the ship to a featherweight landing. A male of middle years stood waiting. Obi-Wan recognized the violet-tinged skin of a native Genian. The visitors grabbed their kits and headed down the ramp.

Obi-Wan announced their names, and the Genian nodded. “You are expected,” he said. “I am Dellard Tranc, head of security for the complex. Please follow me.”

They followed him through the hangar. Anakin whistled softly when he saw the state-of-the-art cruisers lined up in the hangar bays.

“Very nice,” he murmured to Obi-Wan. “He can get anywhere in a hurry, that’s for sure.”

The hangar door opened into a long corridor.

“We’re now in the main building,” Dellard Tranc said. “I’ll escort you to the main business office.”

The natural stone around them was like being in a cave. It was cool and dim. Obi-Wan was used to business complexes being built of durasteel and transparisteel, as if the corporations were trying to advertise their purity by using transparent materials in their buildings. He found the natural materials here refreshing.

They entered a large office suite, and Tranc left them with a bow. Two people stood in the center, waiting for them. A trim woman about Obi-Wan’s age came toward them. Her skin was lavender-colored and her hair was white. “Welcome,” she said. “My name is Helina Dow. I’m Talesan Fry’s executive in charge of production and distribution.” She smiled briefly. “In other words, his second-in-command.”

The male Genian at her side nodded at them. “And I’m Moro Y’Arano. Executive in charge of business outreach. Talesan asked me to be present at the meeting.”

These were the trusted advisors Mace had spoken of, the ones who were Taly’s connection to the outside. Obi-Wan introduced them all. Helina bowed. “It’s an honor to meet such distinguished Jedi and officers in the Republic army. Senator Amidala, your reputation precedes you. Thank you all for coming. Please follow us.”

The double doors opened into Taly’s office. In contrast to the neutral colors of the walls and floor, a table made out of a golden-tinged stone served as a desk. Two tall lamps behind the desk sent out a glow with an orange-yellow tint. On one side of the office, a seating area was set up, a long, cushioned sofa and a low table made out of the same gold-hued stone.

Taly sat behind the desk, his hands clasped in front of him. Obi-Wan was surprised at the man he’d become, but he couldn’t say why. He recognized the same sharp intelligence in the eyes, the thin features, the rusty shock of hair. Taly had not grown very tall or broad. He was thin, and vibrated with an intensity Obi-Wan remembered well. But there was something missing….