Джуд Уотсон - Jedi Apprentice 14 - The Ties That Bind

She kept her face toward him, as if reading him with her senses. He regarded her strange new eyes, and his disquiet at seeing her disguise faded as he saw his familiar Tahl behind their new color. He could not help it; he was happy.

She must have known it, for suddenly she reached out and touched his face with her fingertips. He felt her fingers against his lips.

"You are smiling."

"Yes."

"Don't."

She did not drop her hand, but kept it against his mouth. He saw that she unable to keep the small smile off her face and his own smile broadened beneath her hand.

"I can't seem to get rid of you," she said. "No," Qui-Gon replied.

"You cannot."

Obi-Wan watched the two friends. He felt that they had forgotten he was in the room. They even seemed to have forgotten the mission. He could not begin to know the tangle of feelings in this deep friendship. Tahl had been angry at Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon had kept himself aloof from her for awhile.

These things he knew. But he did not know why these things had happened. He only knew it had something to do with Tahl's resentment of Qui-Gon's need to watch out for her since she had been blinded.

On this mission, he had often felt out of step with Qui-Gon. Over the years he had learned how his Master strategized. But now it was as if Qui- Gon was following some sort of internal logic he could not decipher. He did not know what was in his Master's mind. There had been many times when Qui- Gon's thoughts had been unclear to him, but never had it felt quite like this. There was a veil between them. Yet, looking at Tahl, he saw that she did not feel it. He tried not to feel jealous of that.

Tahl stood. "We can't talk here. Follow me. There is an exit this way."

She walked purposefully toward the door and accessed it. Obviously she knew this place well. She turned right down a short corridor. Obi-Wan could not tell what kind of a building they were in. It was industrial, and completely bare. Perhaps it had been a warehouse of some kind.

Tahl climbed a ramp to the next level. They saw no one. She walked toward a set of tall bay doors suitable for loading merchandise. Next to them was a smaller door for workers. She accessed this and they stepped out into the cool night.

"It's an abandoned warehouse," she told them. "The Absolutes bought it. They have a large treasury. The street is down at the end of the yard.

I'll walk a little way with you, but I must return."

They slipped through the yard and exited out on a narrow street.

"Where are we?" Qui-Gon asked.

"At the very edge of the Civilized Sector," Tahl explained. "If you follow this road, you will meet the State Boulevard where the government offices are."

"Tell us your plan," Qui-Gon said. "Obviously, the situation is more volatile than we'd thought. We are here to help."

"I must admit that help would be welcome," Tahl said. "It wasn't hard for me to see that the twins are in danger. But I don't yet know from whom.

I suspect the Absolutes, which is why I infiltrated them. But I've found nothing. Roan could be the secret leader behind them, but I've yet to discover if that is so."

"The twins told us they hadn't seen you," Obi-Wan said.

"They were trying to protect me," Tahl said. "We agreed I should go underground. They got me the false identity papers that said I was once a member of the Absolutes. It was a large, bureaucratic organization at one time. Many did not know the top-level operatives."

"So the twins did send for you," Qui-Gon said.

Tahl nodded. "When I arrived, I was surprised to find that they were not in hiding, as they'd said. They admitted embellishing their plea in order to ensure that I would come. They suspect that Roan was, in fact, responsible for the murder of their father. They are virtual prisoners in his home. I was ready to escort them off-planet into exile, but as we all discussed the situation, I was impressed with their maturity and courage, and also distressed by the state of things on New Apsolon. The twins are symbolic to the people. If they leave, the last traces of honorable government go with them. The twins changed their minds and insisted on staying. I decided that they needed to know exactly how much power the new Absolutes were gathering, and proposed that I go under cover. The twins were against the idea, but eventually agreed and helped me."

"How strong are the Absolutes?"

"Not as strong as they think," Tahl said. "Their numbers are small, and their organization is in a state of chaos. There is no real chain of command. It was easy for me to rise in the structure. The Absolutes are now engaged in low-level activity — gathering information, doing surveillance, and occasional harassment of the Worker Resistance. But what I don't like is that they have a vast treasury. They are amassing weapons."

"So they must have important backing from somewhere," Qui-Gon observed.

"Yes. But I don't know where. Yet. That's where you can help."

Obi-Wan glanced at his Master. He saw a struggle on Qui-Gon's face.

He knew why. Qui-Gon did not want to oppose Tahl, but he did not agree with her. The reason was obvious.

"Tahl, the Jedi have not received an official request to help any party in this government,"

Qui-Gon said. "It is unclear as to whether Roan was involved in the late leader's death. It is uncertain whether the Absolutes will ever gain enough power to be a real threat. The planet is struggling with its new society, yes. But is that a reason for the Jedi to interfere?"

"But we did receive a request," Tahl argued. "From the twins. They are the daughters of the late ruler. Surely they have an official voice.

And they are in danger."

"If that is so, then we should return to the original plan and get them off-planet," Qui-Gon said. "There is no reason to get involved in internal politics."

Tahl stopped walking. "What about our loyalty to those girls?"

"This is not a question of loyalty — "

"On the contrary. They asked for my help, and I intend to give it.

They want more than safety. They want to remain on their home planet. A planet that is stable and peaceful."

"The Jedi cannot promise them that," Qui-Gon said.

"You are so logical," Tahl said, shaking her head. "You block out your feelings, just as you did years ago. You look at this so dispassionately. You do not care enough."

Obi-Wan saw that Tahl's words had wounded Qui-Gon.

"I am a Jedi," he said. "So are you. There are ways to approach a mission, ways that have been shown over thousands of years to work."

"You were always the first one to break the rules."

"When the mission called for me to do so. This mission does not. And please…" Qui-Gon's voice roughened. "Do not accuse me of not caring. That is unfair."

They walked in silence for a moment. Obi-Wan longed to find the wise words to heal this division between the two friends, but he did not know how. Tahl had hurt Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon had hurt Tahl. He could feel that. He felt helpless to change it. The two friends now seemed to almost hate each other. He could feel their anger and disappointment in the crisp slap of their footsteps on the pavement.

At last Tahl spoke. "Let us reach a compromise," she said. "I need your help. Just give me one week. I will remain with the Absolutes under cover. You and Obi-Wan will investigate the murder of Ewane. I would ask you to begin with Roan's brother, Manex. Manex is extraordinarily wealthy — he used his political contacts to make a fortune before and after the bloodless revolution. There are many who suspect him of corruption. He could have been behind a plot to murder Ewane in order to bring his brother to power. Roan might have been involved in the plot as well. If we can find evidence that either Roan or his brother is guilty, we can begin to bring peace to New Apsolon."