Джуд Уотсон - Jedi Apprentice 12 - The Evil Experiment

"Very striking," Von Taub said. "She wore a silk turban and a lovely septsilk robe."

Obi-Wan realized he had seen her himself. He had a vague memory of a woman in a jeweled turban. He pushed his urgency away and left his mind open, let the memory come as it would, as he had been taught. The information he sought would come to him.

He and Qui-Gon had been talking to Astri when the guests arrived. He remembered the look of distaste on Jenna Zan Arbor's face. And one tall woman had gathered her rich robe around her as if it would get dirty from touching a chair or the floor. She had very strong hands…

It had been her. The bounty hunter.

He was sure of it. And now he had a name.

"One last question," Obi-Wan said. "Do you know if Zan Arbor has more than one lab? I know that her main lab is on Ventrux."

Both the scientists looked puzzled. "But why would she need another lab?" Von Taub asked.

"I have never heard such a thing," Yamele Polidor added.

"Thank you for your help," he said, rising and bowing. He hurried outside and immediately summoned Tahl on his comlink.

"We could have a lead," he said. "I think the bounty hunter posed as a scientist named Reesa On. Most likely she disguised herself in order to steal the datapad back from Didi and Astri. She would have if Qui-Gon and I hadn't returned and surprised her. The Senate still lists her as being on Coruscant. She's supposed to inform them when she returns to her home- world. I have the address."

"Don't go alone," Tahl warned. "Wait, and I'll send a team to you."

"I can't wait," Obi-Wan argued. "She's listed at a lodging only a short distance from here. Let me at least see if she's there."

"Do not engage her in battle or even show yourself," Tahl warned.

"She could lead us to Qui-Gon."

"I won't," Obi-Wan promised. "I'll just keep her under surveillance."

"I'll see what I can discover from here," Tahl told him. "Good work, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan cut the communication and headed down the walkway that led to Vertex, the street that was listed as Reesa On's address. He drew his robe around him and lifted his hood to cover his face. He must follow Tahl's advice. He knew Tahl was just as anxious as he was to find Qui-Gon. If she urged caution, it was only because being careful would bring them to Qui- Gon faster.

The inn where Reesa On was staying was similar to the one he had left. Many small guesthouses existed around the Senate to cater to wealthy guests with Senate business that required long stays. It was a far cry from the shabby, decrepit inn where he'd had his first confrontation with the bounty hunter.

And it had security. Guests used swipe cards to enter. All others had to be announced.

He loitered outside the building, wondering what to do. Most likely he would not be lucky enough to see her enter or leave. And would he recognize her even if she did? She had impersonated an old man, a wealthy scientist, and a young boy parking speeders at a grand hotel. Her powers of transformation were incredible.

The door to the house slid open, and someone stood on the threshold.

Concealed behind a row of speeders, Obi-Wan looked carefully. A Rodian stood for a moment as if to test the weather. Even a master of disguise could not impersonate a Rodian. This one was bulky and short, with green skin and the usual ridge of spines along his skull. No, this was not the bounty hunter.

Quickly, Obi-Wan stood and crossed the walkway. He headed up the ramp and nodded at the Rodian, then walked through the open door. It slid shut behind him.

The guesthouse was operated by automation. He glanced around quickly at the terminals set in the walls. Here guests used their cards to pick up messages. He spied a keyboard and quickly typed in Reesa On.

ROOM 1289 PLEASE SWIPE SECURITY CARD FOR MESSAGE ACCESS Obi-Wan took the turbolift to the twelfth floor. He moved quickly down the hall and stood in front of Room '1289. He pressed his ear to the door, every sense alert. Listening was a Jedi skill that was honed in exercises during Temple training.

He heard the soft whisper of fabric. Its regular movement told him that it was just a curtain stirring with a breeze. He could not hear footsteps or even breathing.

What now? Obi-Wan knew that it would not be the last time he would ask himself that question. Without Qui-Gon, he was unsure of every step.

Obi-Wan was concentrating so hard on the sounds behind the door that he heard the opening of the turbolift just a second too late. He felt a surge in the Force, warning him an instant before blaster fire slammed into the door over his head.

Obi-Wan ducked and rolled, reaching for his lightsaber at the same time. It was activated and ready for the next round of fire even as he leaped in the air toward his assailant.

"Obi-Wan, no!" Astri screamed.

She fell backward, the blaster flying from her grasp. Her feet flew up, barely missing the blade of the lightsaber. Obi-Wan quickly deactivated it. She landed with a thump and a cry that must have been heard by every guest on the floor.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed.

"What are you doing here?" she shouted at the same time.

Obi-Wan silenced her with a gesture and pointed to Reesa On's door.

Astri stood, straightening her tunic.

"She's not there. I already checked the room." "What?"

Down the hallway, a door slid open a few centimeters, and two orange eyes peered out at them.

"Come on," Obi-Wan muttered. "We can't talk here."

He grabbed Astri's blaster and tucked it into his utility belt. He didn't speak while they were in the turbolift. Astri stole a few glances at him. She opened her mouth once or twice, but decided to stay silent.

He waited until they had left the guesthouse and had walked a short distance from it. He struggled to gather his patience. He did not want to show his anger. But he did not have Qui-Gon's gift for serenity.

"What were you doing there?" he demanded. "You could have ruined everything!"

"I thought you would need help — "

"You're a cook, not a Jedi!" Obi-Wan burst out. "How did you find me, anyway? Did you follow me?"

"I read that durasheet you left," Astri said. "I recognized the names. They were the guests at Jenna's dinner party at our cafc. And you think the bounty hunter was one of them."

Obi-Wan stared at her in disbelief. "So how did you find out where Reesa On was staying? And how did you find out that the bounty hunter is Reesa On? Did you go to the Senate Liaison Office, too? That could tip her off!"

Astri waved her hand. "I don't have to go through official channels.

I'm Didi's daughter, remember? Everyone who comes to the Senate doesn't just go through a security check. They go through a criminal check."

"You mean they're scanned for outstanding warrants?" Obi-Wan asked.

She grinned as she sidestepped a group of tourists. "No, they're checked out by criminals. Nanno L'a and his gang keep tabs on all Senate petitioners and commission members who visit from other worlds. You never know who might have something worth stealing. So I talked to Nanno. He'd do anything for Didi. He gave me the rundown on the names on the list. His gang had copies of the textdocs on each of them. The only one who came up blank was Reesa On. She had a couple of ID facts in her textdoc, but no record of financial transactions. For someone with plenty of wealth, that seemed odd. So I figured Reesa On was a false identity. Nan no knew where Reesa On was staying. So I went there."

"How do you know she wasn't in her room?" Obi-Wan asked. He felt a little irritated that Astri was able to focus on Reesa On quicker than he had.

"These guesthouses all use the nearby cafcs and restaurants for food service," Astri explained. "I went to the Galaxy Grill down the street and asked my friend Endami for the service code. Then I pretended to have a meal delivery and punched in the code." She shrugged. "That got me inside.