Джуд Уотсон - Jedi Apprentice 13 - The Dangerous Rescue

She looked at him anxiously. "I'll lose my job if you tell my supervisor about Ned — "

"Don't worry," Obi-Wan assured her. He crouched down and spoke to the boy. "That's a nice toy. Can I hold it for just a second?"

The friendly boy nodded and handed it to Obi-Wan.

It was a model of a tiny V-wing cruiser. It had been cleverly fashioned from slender threads tightly wrapped over bits of metal.

Obi-Wan fingered the threads. They had come from a Jedi's robe. Noor had only pretended to be unconscious. He had left them a clue.

Now that they knew for sure that Noor was on Belasco, they had to discover why Jenna Zan Arbor had traveled there. Adi and Qui-Gon set up two datapads on board the consular ship. They ran the Senate transcript on one datapad, and Uta S'orn's on the other. Obi-Wan and Siri sat, watching intently.

"Look for the smallest difference," Qui-Gon advised. "There will be much talk, so listen carefully."

The holocam had recorded a session in the Senate that dealt with regulations in the Mindemir system. Senators got up and spoke endlessly about complicated rules. They interrupted one another and heaped praise and scorn on one another. They spoke for long minutes and said nothing.

Siri caught Obi-Wan's eye and faked a huge yawn. Adi saw the gesture.

"Every task requires full attention," she told Siri sternly. Then she turned back to Qui-Gon and murmured, "But I'm having trouble myself."

"I don't understand," Obi-Wan said. "Uta S'orn isn't even visible in the transmission." "Exactly," Qui-Gon said.

Obi-Wan was mystified. He returned his attention to both transmissions, but it was hard to know what he was looking for.

At last a list of regulations was passed. The holocam hovered above as Senators rose to the front of their boxes to vote. The regulations were passed by a majority. Then, the screen went black.

"Shall we play it again?" Adi asked.

"Do we have to?" Siri muttered.

"Wait," Qui-Gon said. He scanned backward as the vote was called. "I think I know what is different. Here." He pointed to the screen on the left, which was the official Senate transmission.

"Look at the delegate from Hino-111," he said. He pressed the zoom function on the transmission for a closer view. "He is not pressing the 'yes' button. He is voting against the measure. Yet in the audio he is voting for it." Qui-Gon pressed the zoom function on the second datapad.

"And here, he has recorded a 'no' vote. This is Uta S'orn's version."

Adi leaned closer. "She altered the official Senate record?"

"I'm sure if we study this we will find other votes that have been changed. The Senate recorder uses the official transcript to record votes.

These regulations were never passed. Senators vote on thousands of regulations. Mindemir is a small system. It is a risky move, but this transcript is from eight months ago. Obviously, she got away with it."

"But why would she care about a regulation on Mindemir?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I'm sure she does not care for herself. She was paid to do this,"

Qui-Gon said. "Paid in credits or influence. The question is, who paid her?

" "Jenna Zan Arbor?" Siri guessed.

"That is what we need to know." Qui-Gon was already reaching for his comlink. "This is a job for Tahl." He walked away a few paces to speak quietly.

"Why would she keep the real transcript?" Siri asked. "It could incriminate her."

"For blackmail," Adi said. "She could always threaten to expose the person who engineered this. She could send it anonymously to the Senate.

Perhaps she's covered her tracks so well that they could not tie the deception to her."

Qui-Gon returned with the news that Tahl would get back to them as quickly as possible. They reviewed the other transcripts. It was easier now that they knew what they were looking for. In each case, the votes had been altered.

By the time they finished, Tahl had signaled Qui-Gon.

"You are right," she said. "Jenna Zan Arbor conducted a series of experiments on the water supply of Mindemir. She needed a large planetary system to prove her theory, apparently. Endangering a whole system was of course against Senate regulations. But Senator S'orn introduced legislation that would allow this, if the planet's legislative body agreed to the experiment. The measure passed in the Galactic Senate and a few weeks later the government of Mindemir voted to allow the experiment."

"Easier to bribe a politician on a small planet to push through legislation," Adi said shrewdly. "But she needed someone powerful in the Galactic Senate."

"So we've linked Jenna Zan Arbor and Uta S'orn at last," Qui-Gon said quietly. "Zan Arbor said S'orn had been helpful to her. I did not think she meant S'orn had acted illegally."

"It is hard to believe," Adi said. "She has a reputation for great integrity."

"Eight months ago, Ren S'orn was still alive," Obi-Wan said. "Jenna Zan Arbor was conducting her experiments on the Force as well. What if Senator S'orn knew this? What if Jenna Zan Arbor was blackmailing her?"

"So S'orn knew that Zan Arbor was holding her son, and she did what Zan Arbor asked?" Qui-Gon frowned thoughtfully. "It's possible."

"All the more reason to help Uta S'orn now," Adi said. "Whether she wants us to or not."

Faced with the evidence, Uta S'orn crumbled.

"Yes," she said. "I altered the record."

She sat on a bench, her hands dangling between her knees. The grounds were quiet now, with most of the patients back in the Ward Domes.

"I had to," Uta S'orn said. "She had my son." "So you altered the Senate record in order to save him," Adi prodded gently.

S'orn nodded. "And then she released him. But something went wrong.

He was found dead. She told me that he had tried to break back into the lab, and Ona Nobis had killed him. I don't know whether to believe her, but what can I do? I broke Senate laws. My son is dead. The only thing left for me is to devote myself to the people of Belasco, the only way I can. I cannot imagine why Jenna would contact me again. She must be here for another purpose. Surely she will leave me alone now, after all she's done."

Usually, Uta S'orn's manner was brusque and impatient. Now Obi-Wan saw how deeply her grief ran. Her voice trembled, and her eyes were full of tears.

A tall man dressed in rich robes approached, followed by royal droid guards. Although his hair was silver, his face was youthful.

"Uta, are you all right? Do I need to eject these people?"

She hurriedly wiped her eyes. "No. This is our Leader, Min K'atel,"

she said to the others.

Qui-Gon and Adi bowed. "We are Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Adi Gallia, and these are our Padawans, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Siri."

The Leader gave a short nod. "I don't care if you are Jedi, you are not to disturb Uta S'orn."

"They speak of things I'd rather forget," Uta S'orn said. "I don't mean to blame them, but — "

"Your distress is enough," Min K'atel said. He turned to the Jedi. "I must request that you leave the royal grounds. You have upset Belasco's greatest Senator."

"We are just leaving," Qui-Gon said politely. The Jedi bowed and made their way out of the glade. As they struck out across the lawn, Obi-Wan said, "I have never seen Uta S'orn so affected before."

"Yes, she seemed so," Qui-Gon said. "But you noticed she manipulated the Leader so that he would throw us out."

"She is lying," Adi said.

Qui-Gon shot Adi a quick glance. "You are certain?"

Adi nodded. "I don't know why. Something in her words is false." Her steps slowed, and she stopped. "I feel that he is here. Somewhere near."

"Moor is on the royal grounds?" Qui-Gon asked. "Let's return to Min K'atel and demand that he search."