“Do you have a suspect?” Obi-Wan asked. “Is that why you sent Helina and Moro out of the room?”
“I don’t suspect them any more than I do the rest of my top executives,” Taly said. “Anyone who has access to my inner office. That is a handful of workers.”
“Do you think the Separatists know about the codebreaker?” Padme asked.
“All communication leaving the compound is monitored,” Taly said. “That’s what happens when you work for a surveillance company - I make it impossible for you to spy on me. I control all access to communication. I monitor all outgoing messages.”
“Just like Quadrant Seven,” Siri said.
“I learn from experience,” Taly said. “So no, Senator, I don’t think the information has been passed. Yet. But this brings me to my third condition for making a deal.”
“We already made a deal,” Padme said.
“Not quite. You must find out who the spy is. And you must do it in the next twenty-four hours. Only then will I hand over the codebreaker.”
Anakin’s gaze was flinty. “The Jedi are not detectives.”
Taly rose. “They are now. It is non-negotiable.” The Jedi and Padme exchanged glances. Padme turned back to Taly.
“We accept,” she said.
CHAPTER 24
“This is ridiculous,” Anakin said as soon as they were left alone in their quarters. They had already done a sweep to ensure that they were not under surveillance of any kind. “He’s holding us hostage, expecting us to solve his business problems.”
“True,” Obi-Wan agreed.
“We’re wasting time,” Siri said, sounding as impatient as Anakin. “I hate wasting time. He’s taking advantage of us, and he knows it.”
“The codebreaker could make the difference for the Republic,” Padme reminded them. “It’s vital that we obtain it. Isn’t that worth a little snooping?”
Siri threw down her survival pack with an irritable gesture. It thunked against the floor. Obi-Wan gave her a curious look. He had seen Siri be impatient before - many times, as a matter of fact - but there was an edge to her mood now that he couldn’t identify.
“Well, we might as well start now,” Anakin said. “Taly said he’d get us a list of the executives who have access to his private office. Until then, I’m going to take a look around, get a feel for the place.”
“I’ll join you,” Padme said. “Maybe we can come up with something to go on.”
The door hissed behind them. Siri’s survival pack had snagged on the leg of a table, and when she tugged at it, some of the contents spilled out onto the floor. She gave it a swift kick for its disobedience.
Obi-Wan leaned down and gently unwound the strap of the pack from the table leg. “Are you angry at the pack, or the table? Or me?”
Siri sat on the floor and looked up at him. “I didn’t think we’d have to stay here.”
“Only for a day.”
“A day can feel too long, if it’s long enough. What do I know about corporate intrigue?” Siri growled. “I’m not the right Jedi for this job.”
“You’re the right Jedi for any job.” Obi-Wan sat next to her on the floor. “What is it?”
“I just told you.”
“No, you didn’t.”
She looked at him, chin first. Defensive, challenged, annoyed. Then she let out a breath, and she shook her head ruefully.
“Do you remember,” she said, “in the cave, when I wanted to help him escape?”
Obi-Wan felt his breath catch. They had not talked of this in almost twenty years. The subject of the mission with Taly was too close to the reality of what had happened between them.
He kept his voice light. “One of our many arguments.”
“What good did it do to have him testify?” Siri asked. “A bounty hunter alliance was smashed. Some bounty hunters went to prison worlds. I haven’t kept track, but I bet some of them are free now. His parents were killed, and now look at him. Look at what that boy has turned into. This unstable, suspicious, bitter man who only cares about wealth and power. But inside, the boy is there, I feel it, and he’s still in pain. Did you notice his office? The desk, the lamps? What did they remind you of?”
Obi-Wan shook his head, baffled.
“The two orange lights,” Siri said softly. “The golden desk.”
Obi-Wan let out a breath. “Cirrus. The two suns, the golden sea.”
“He hasn’t forgotten what he lost. Not for a minute,” Siri said. “What if we’d let him go? What if he’d been allowed to grow up in a loving family?”