Ah, Obi-Wan thought. The eagerness in Taly’s eyes. The wish to be liked. That was gone. But of course it was. Taly was a man now, not a boy. A vastly wealthy man. Obi-Wan could not imagine the amount of grit and guile it would take to amass such a fortune, to be such a success in the cutthroat business of surveillance.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi and Siri Tachi.” Taly rose and came toward them. He stood in front of them, searching their features. “You look older.”
“That seems inevitable,” Siri said.
For a moment, Obi-Wan felt rocked on his feet. Seeing Siri and Taly standing together had brought back a memory of a night in a cave, a thermal cape draped around two bodies, low voices, laughter. Of the cold, hard floor of a cargo hold, a coldness he did not feel.
Memories that, when they came, he always pushed down and buried.
He pushed, but the memories did not obey. They surfaced again, rising. Siri’s smile. Her lips resting against his cheek.
Whatever happens, I’ll remember this.
She met his eyes. He saw the memory there, reflected back. Or did he? A light went out, a shutter closed. She turned away.
“Please sit down,” Helina said. Obviously, it was up to her to observe the polite rituals of meetings. “I’ll ring for refreshments.”
Taly led the way to the seating area. Within moments, food and drink arrived.
Taly leaned forward earnestly. “I don’t pay attention to politics. I had my fill of Coruscant and the Senate a long time ago. But when I made this discovery, it was obvious how valuable it was. Politics has found me again, for the second time in my life. I am as unhappy now as I was the first time it did.”
“Politics is another name for greed and corruption these days,” PadmŞ said. “But we must not forget that it is also about compassion and justice. “
Taly frowned at her for a moment as though she was speaking a language he didn’t understand. “I had to choose between the two of you. The Republic and the Separatists. So I examined the two sides. The Separatists have much in their favor. They have the guilds and the trade associations. They have vast amounts of wealth and much power in the Senate. Most important, they have ruthlessness. There is nothing they won’t do for power. But you - the Jedi - you tip the balance. Thousands of you are ready to fight for the Republic. I have seen what a handful of Jedi can do. I decided to bet on you. Because, believe me, I want to be on the winning side.”
“Thanks,” Obi-Wan said. “But we see this struggle as a noble cause, not a gamble to wager on.”
Taly waved a hand. “Noble cause - sure, okay. The point is, I want you to know that if we can’t come to an agreement, I’m ready to turn the codebreaker over to the Separatists. I’m giving you the first shot because I owe you, first of all, but also because I think you can win - if you have my device.”
“We are authorized to make a deal,” PadmŞ said. “What are your terms?”
Taly named a price. Obi-Wan sucked in his breath, but Padme’s face was impassive.
“That can be done,” she said. “You would have to accept two installments, however. The first immediately, the second after the codebreaker is in our hands and has been proven to work. Do we have a deal? “
“Whoa, not so fast, Senator,” Taly said. “I haven’t finished. I also want an exclusive contract with the Republic. You only use Fry Industries surveillance and communication devices in the Republic army for the duration of the war.”
“But that would mean abandoning systems that we already deploy and putting millions of credits into a system we don’t need,” PadmŞ said.
Taly shrugged.
Obi-Wan couldn’t believe it. The brilliant, vulnerable boy he’d known had turned into a war profiteer.
“All right,” Padme said. “We will agree to this if you give us six months to make the transition. And, of course, if your system works. We have to do it gradually. I will not endanger our troops for your profit.”
“Fine. I don’t want anyone to get killed for me. I just want the business,” Taly said. “We have a deal. Helina, can you get the contracts?”
Helina rose and departed.
“And Moro, can you bring me the model scenarios we developed for deployment of the codebreaker? We can surely share them with our new friends.”
“Of course.” Moro rose and left.
Obi-Wan noted how Taly watched until the door closed behind Moro and Helina. Then he activated a small device he had hidden in his palm.
“What - ” Siri started, but Taly held up a finger.
He entered a code into the device, then waited for a green light.
“We have been under surveillance,” he said. “Recently, I have discovered that there is a spy in my organization. Someone who wants to launch a takeover of the business. I have been able to intercept the surveillance device, but only for very short periods. I don’t want him or her to know I’m onto them.”