Den took a gulp of tea, then coughed. No one moved to help him.
“Okay, okay,” he croaked. “I think I can rig it. I mean, I think I can rig the part that’s already rigged.”
“And you know how to ensure that you’ll win the prize,” Qui-Gon said.
Den nodded reluctantly. “I can rig it so that I win the lottery. One winner is always someone selected by UniFy in advance. As the games go on, some contestants are given faulty equipment - not anything they would notice, but something slightly off that decreases their chances of winning. One of the contestants has been selected in advance and bribed. He or she agrees to pass half the fortune back under the table to the company. I can just put my name in the next winner’s place.”
Andra shook her head. “I knew you had an ulterior motive to helping me. You were going to take that fortune and run.”
“Joke, right?” Den said. “Because I can’t believe you would really think such a thing. After I won my fortune, I would have shared it. Some of it.”
“I don’t want any part of a fortune built on destroying our sacred spaces,” Andra said fiercely. “And you shouldn’t either!”
“It’s not my fault they’re being exploited!” Den protested. “And a fortune is a fortune.”
“That’s your trouble,” Andra said. “You really believe that.”
“Does anyone want to hear the second part of my plan?” Qui-Gon interrupted mildly. “Second, we should follow through on Andra’s original plan to visit the Sacred Pools. We’ll need to gather the evidence all over again.”
“It won’t be easy,” Andra said. “The security is extremely tight.”
“Just use some of that Jedi mind-altering-voice-bending stuff,” Den suggested.
“I’m afraid we’ll need more than that,” Qui-Gon said. “Andra, can you call in your supporters? I think the best plan is to infiltrate at several points so that we don’t rely on only one team.”
Andra looked down at her mug. She smoothed the wood of the table with her hand.
“Andra?” Qui-Gon prodded.
She looked up. “I can’t do that,” she said. “I haven’t been completely honest with you all. I have no supporters. I am the POWER party.”
“There’s no party?” Obi-Wan asked in disbelief.
She shrugged and gave a small smile. “Just me. I had a few supporters, but they all fell away when the investigative team was killed. No one will listen to me anymore. They all think I’m crazy because I see a bleak future no one wants to face, let alone prevent.”
Suddenly, Den burst out laughing. “So Captain Integrity has been lying all along!” he chortled. “This is the best news I’ve heard in a millennium!”
“Knock it off, Den,” Andra growled. “I had to pretend to have support. I needed you to help me.”
“Right,” Den said, nodding. “Of course. You’re allowed to trick someone because you’re saving the planet. I get it. As long as you have pure motive, you can do whatever you want.”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Andra shot back angrily. “If you cared about anything other than yourself, you’d understand.”
“I understand that you’d do anything to get what you want,” Den said. “We’re more alike than you want to admit, Andra.”
Andra glared at him. “I’d rather be compared to a dinko.”
“Sure, I can do that,” Den said promptly. “A dinko is a creature with fangs and a nasty disposition. The problem is, how are you different? Let me see your teeth.”
“Just keep it up. Den,” Andra warned.
“Okay, enough,” Qui-Gon snapped. “We have a problem. Who’s going to invade the Sacred Pools?”
“I will,” Andra said, with a furious glance at Den.
“I’ll go with you,” Obi-Wan said.
Qui-Gon shook his head. “No.”
“But it makes sense,” Obi-Wan argued. “A boy traveling with a woman won’t attract as much attention. We’d look like a brother and sister on an excursion. If we get caught, Andra and I can claim we got lost.”
“And you should stay here and watch Den,” Andra said to Qui-Gon. “If he rigs the lottery, he could take the fortune and leave the planet.”
“Thanks for your support,” Den said sarcastically.
“Have you given me any reason to trust you lately?” Andra asked coolly.
“Dinko,” Den shot at her.
“Thief,” she shot back.
Qui-Gon ignored their bickering for the moment. He felt exasperated and worried. He didn’t want Obi-Wan to travel without him. Xanatos was on the loose, on his home planet, and he was enraged at their escape. But the boy’s logic was sound. They had to take a risk in order to bring Xanatos down. But was this risk more than he was willing to take?