He saw Obi-Wan watching him. The boy was wondering why he didn’t want him to go. For Obi-Wan, it would be a question of trust. Qui-Gon had to allow it.
“All right,” he said. “Obi-Wan and Andra will gather the evidence. Den and I will remain here. Now let’s make our preparations.”
Chapter 12
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon stood by the swoops that would carry Obi-Wan and Andra to the Sacred Pools. Andra stood nearby with Den, checking her survival pack.
Obi-Wan had only slept for a few hours, but he felt alert and clear. A scattering of stars twinkled in the dark sky. Dawn was still an hour away. Andra felt their best chance was to invade the park in the early morning, gather pictures and evidence, and leave. They would have to be back in Thani by midday, before the end of the last round of Katharsis.
“If there is a sign of trouble, just go,” Qui-Gon instructed him quietly. “If you think you cannot evade security, don’t even attempt to enter the area. Survey it first.”
“I’ve studied the maps,” Obi-Wan said. “Andra knows of a way to enter without being noticed. She used it when she was a girl. She thinks it will still be there.”
“Studying the map is not the same as knowing the area,” Qui-Gon said. “Do not trust it completely. Make sure your entrance can be your exit.”
“I know all these things,” Obi-Wan said. He felt frustrated and disappointed. Qui-Gon was treating him like a fourth-year student at the Temple. He knew if Qui-Gon took him back that they would have to start over as a Master-Padawan team, but did Obi-Wan have to turn back into a child?
Qui-Gon nodded. “I know you do. It is my own unease that makes me repeat these things. I trust you, Obi-Wan.”
The words trickled through Obi-Wan and filled him with warmth.
“I will not fail,” he said.
“Just be safe,” Qui-Gon responded.
Andra lifted her hood over her dark braids as she strode forward. “Ready, Obi-Wan?”
He swung his leg over the swoop. Qui-Gon had given him a quick lesson earlier. He wasn’t used to such maneuverable transport. A slight touch could cause it to lean and dive. Obi-Wan was a fast learner, but it had taken him time before Qui-Gon was satisfied with his skill.
Andra gunned her motor and took off. Obi-Wan followed.
“Don’t take any chances!” Den called after them.
“He sounds worried,” Obi-Wan called over to Andra.
She gritted her teeth. “He’s just trying to pretend to be a good person. It’s a strain.”
The black sky turned to gray as they traveled through the quiet outskirts of the city. Buildings grew farther apart. Land began to be cultivated. Then after the sun rose there were barely any dwellings at all, just occasional villages tucked into deep valleys.
Obi-Wan marveled at the beauty of the countryside. Fields of lavender and blue flowers swayed in a gentle breeze. Every few kilometers they came upon another deep blue lake glittering in the folds of the golden hills.
“This is beautiful country,” he called over to Andra as they flew.
“I was born here,” she said. “There’s a proposal to turn much of this into another global park. But now I wonder why. Will they develop this, too?”
That reminded Obi-Wan why he was here. He hunched over the swoop handlebars, determined to foil whatever terrible scheme Xanatos had for Telos.
The land began to climb, the hills growing higher and steeper. Rock formations towered above them as they followed a road cut into the stone mountains. Snow began to appear on the crags. Although Obi-Wan had felt too warm earlier, now he was glad he had followed Andra’s advice and worn his thermal gear.
“Almost there,” Andra called back.
Obi-Wan followed Andra as she left the road, entering a forest glade so thick with tall trees that it blocked out the sky. Andra wove expertly through the trunks. Obi-Wan had to concentrate to keep up. At last she pulled over and waited for him to stop next to her.
“I think we should leave the swoops here,” she said. “This glade adjoins the park. I know a way into the Mirror Caverns. Once we’re through them, we’ll be in the Park of Sacred Pools.”
They covered the swoops with branches. Their footsteps made soft sounds on the carpet of leaves as they hurried through the glade. They came to a craggy wall of stone, and Andra followed it down a small hill to a fast-moving creek. She hopped from rock to rock in the creek, Obi-Wan following. The creek suddenly stopped at a sheer wall of gray stone.
“I think you can make it,” Andra said, glancing back at him. “But you might have to wriggle a bit.”
Obi-Wan saw that there was a slight fissure in the rock wall, almost invisible to the naked eye. It ran from the creek up the wall, as tall as he was. First, Andra pushed her survival pack through, then slipped inside. Andra was slender and was easily able to pass through, but Obi-Wan had a bit more trouble. He made himself as thin as possible and popped out, almost falling. He threw out a hand to steady himself and felt a smooth, polished surface.