Джуд Уотсон - Jedi Apprentice 11 - The Deadly Hunter

"It doesn't make sense, true," Qui-Gon answered. "But it has to, somehow. We just have to figure out the connection."

Qui-Gon left the speeder in the Senate landing area. He strode into the Senate building. The usually crowded hallways were almost empty. Their footsteps echoed on the slate floor.

"What makes you think she'll be here so late?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Because her resignation was announced," Qui-Gon answered. "No doubt she had a busy afternoon. And she seems the kind of Senator to work late. Most of them leave as soon as Senate business has concluded." Qui-Gon paused, then remarked, "The Senate is not what it was. And it is getting worse. It has lost one idealist after another."

They made their way to the Senator's office. The outer office was dark, but Qui-Gon knocked on the inner door.

"Come in."

They entered. Only one light was on in the office. Senator S'orn sat in a chair, staring out at the bright Coruscant night. "Yes?" she asked without turning.

Qui-Gon closed the door behind them. "We regret having to disturb you."

She spun the chair around and sighed. "It has been a day of disturbances. I didn't expect my announcement to cause such a stir. I guess there's not much else going on."

"I do not wish to bring up something that is no doubt painful for you," Qui-Gon said gently. "But is your son's death the reason you are leaving?"

Senator S'orn's face changed. Her features hardened and her lips thinned. "Yes, I know why you are here. I should have given him up for Temple training. I was selfish."

"No," Qui-Gon said quickly. "Not at all. Many parents choose to keep a Force-sensitive child. There are many paths in life. You make the best choice you can for your child."

"So I chose to keep him with me, and that decision destroyed him," Senator S'orn said bitterly. "I chose a path that led to death."

"No, Ren chose his own path," Qui-Gon said firmly. "Senator S'orn, I do not know you. But I have known many Force-sensitive children. There is no more guarantee a Force-sensitive child will grow up to find happiness than one who does not have that ability. Many do not choose the Jedi path. Some flourish outside the Temple, and some do not. We are not here to question your decision or blame you."

"There is no need. I blame myself," Senator S'orn said bleakly. "Ever since I heard the news of Ren's death, I have been unable to focus, unable to do my job the way it needs to be done. I have managed to concentrate for only brief periods of time. What right have I to serve my people when I could not save my son?"

"I cannot answer that question for you," Qui-Gon said. "But perhaps you are right to take time apart from your life's journey. I have found such a time helpful, if you can look at your choices with forgiveness and calm."

"Forgiveness and calm seem very far away when your son is dead," Senator S'orn said in a choked voice. She spun her chair around so that her back was to them. When she turned again, she had composed herself. "But if you didn't come here to blame me, you certainly didn't come to counsel me, Qui-Gon Jinn. What is it that you are looking for?"

"I'm not quite sure," Qui-Gon said honestly. "Tell me something. When your data pad was stolen, why didn't you report the theft?"

She shrugged. "The chances of Senate security finding it were slim. My friend's data pad was stolen as well. Jenna didn't think it worthwhile to report. We were both too busy to bother."

Qui-Gon's watchful gaze turned alert. "Jenna?"

"Jenna Zan Arbor," Senator S'orn said. "She's a friend of mine, visiting the Senate for a conference. Surely you've heard of her. She's the foremost transgenic scientist in the galaxy, and a great humanitarian."

"Of course," Qui-Gon said. "You were together when the theft occurred?"

"It was in one of the hall cafйs," Senator S'orn said. "We were having lunch."

Obi-Wan controlled his excitement. Something was about to break. He knew it. Fligh stole the data pad, and Jenna booked Didi's for an important dinner. Was this a connection that would lead them somewhere? As Qui-Gon had said earlier, it didn't make sense, but it had to.

"Was there anyone else in the cafй?"

Senator S'orn sighed. "Do you mean, was the thief there? I assume so. Don't you think I've gone over this? The cafй was crowded. I didn't notice anyone suspicious."

"How about a tall, slender human male with one dark eye and one bright green eye?"

Senator S'orn looked startled. "Yes. But he couldn't be the thief. He's a Senatorial aide. Or at least he said so. We were discussing a dinner that Jenna was going to host for the other scientists attending the conference. He handed out a card for a restaurant nearby that he said was excellent. Jenna took the card. I had never heard of it, but Jenna said she would look into it."

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance.

"Was that the thief? Should I report him?" Senator S'orn asked.

Qui-Gon stood. "It would be to no purpose. He is dead. Thank you for your time, Senator."

Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon from the office. "So we have a connection," he said. "Fligh and Didi to Jenna Zan Arbor and Senator S'orn."

"Not to mention to Ren S'orn," Qui-Gon said. "No doubt Jenna Zan Arbor knew about Senator S'orn's son."

"Exactly," Qui-Gon said. "Either data pad — remember, we now know that Jenna Zan Arbor's data pad was stolen, too."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I have a feeling I know where we're heading next."

"Yes," Qui-Gon said. "To see Jenna Zan Arbor."

Obi-Wan stood uneasily in the lobby of the luxury hotel. He had been in palaces and grand houses before. He had seen luxurious surroundings, thick carpets, fine metals, ornately carved furniture. He had observed without feeling part of it, as a Jedi should. He had never felt awkward, even in the palace of a queen.

But here he felt differently. The walls were of a white polished stone with veins of pinkish gold. The floor under his feet was black hard stone, polished to a high sheen. He was afraid to sit on the plush sofas and chairs. He suddenly noticed the stains of his dessert on his tunic.

The rich swirled around him, coming to and fro from the many restaurants off the lobby, or picking up mail and keys. Their eyes slid past him, as if he was not worth their notice. Their voices were low and hushed, unlike the busy chatter on the crowded streets.

As usual, Qui-Gon looked perfectly at ease. He walked to the desk and asked the clerk to ring Jenna Zan Arbor's room.

The clerk spoke into a private comlink headpiece and listened for a moment. "You may go up," he said. Then he directed them to the turbolift that would take them to the seventy-seventh floor.

Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon into a large lift tube lined with a rosy stone that made him feel as though he were in the center of a flower. The tube doors opened, and he stepped out onto a thick, cushioned carpet.

Jenna Zan Arbor waited in the doorway of her suite. She was dressed in a septsilk robe of deep blue that hung stiffly to her feet. Her blond hair was again twisted in an elaborate style and wound through with multicolored fabric.

Qui-Gon bowed. "Thank you for seeing us. I am Qui-Gon Jinn and this is Obi-Wan Kenobi."

She returned the bow. "Jenna Zan Arbor. I'm honored to greet the Jedi." She gave them another look. "But you were at the cafй."

"We are friends of Astri and Didi Oddo," Qui-Gon said.

Jenna Zan Arbor looked a little less welcoming

She turned and led them into a vast room with the same polished black stone floor as the lobby. Plush white sofas were arranged in two seating areas, one intimate and one grand. Gauzy white draperies hung at the floor-to-ceiling windows and pooled on the floor. Outside, the lights of the passing traffic were like traveling stars through a fine mist.