Джуд Уотсон - Jedi Apprentice 8 - The Day of Reckoning

Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon down several levels to the service area. Qui-Gon always explored any large transport soon after boarding. He knew where the tech and service levels were as well as all exits from the spaceliner. "Remember, Obi-Wan," he had said, "if you are heading to a dangerous mission, the danger can begin before you are ready for it. Be prepared."

The scent of roasting meat and baking bread filled Obi-Wan's nostrils as they passed the kitchens. His stomach rumbled. Why was it that even during a hasty escape, he could still feel hungry? He was glad when the smells dissipated as they slipped into the storage areas.

Qui-Gon hurried past shelves and bins full of food until he came to the door that led to the loading bay. He glanced through the window to make sure there were no security personnel before accessing the door. It hissed open, and they stepped out onto the loading bay.

Workers were busily unloading supplies onto small gravsleds. A large hauler stood outside the ship, its port bay door yawning open.

"Grab a container," Qui-Gon instructed as he bent down to hoist a box marked DRIED FRUIT.

Obi-Wan picked up a bin at his feet marked SOLI GRAINS. He let out an oof as he hoisted it to his shoulder. Why couldn't he have picked something light, as Qui-Gon had?

Quickly Qui-Gon strode toward the hauler. No one seemed to notice that they were carrying items out of the ship, not in. One of Qui-Gon's many lessons to Obi-Wan had been that if you looked busy in an unfamiliar environment, you were often ignored.

They made it to the hauler without anyone giving them a glance. Obi-Wan put down his heavy bin with relief near the stacks of cartons and boxes. From here they could see the busy port station. Passengers who had been cleared were milling around, bargaining for local transportation. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan strolled toward them.

"You there! Stop!" The harsh command came from behind them.

"Don't turn," Qui-Gon told Obi-Wan in a soft voice. "Act as though you don't know who they're talking to."

"Stop!" The sound of running feet came from behind them.

Obi-Wan saw a split second of indecision on Qui-Gon's part. They had done nothing wrong. There was no reason to run. Yet they would have to give explanations Qui-Gon was not willing to give.

Qui-Gon made the decision in his usual swift fashion. "Run," he said crisply.

Obi-Wan had been expecting the command. He shot forward with Qui-Gon. The two Jedi moved as lightly as a breeze, slipping in and out of the crowd without jostling an elbow or bumping a shoulder. Only a whisper of air might disturb a cloak or a tendril of hair as they shot by.

They reached the entrance to the terminal and joined the stream of strollers on the city streets. Immediately Qui-Gon slowed his pace in order to melt into the crowd. Obi-Wan followed suit, carefully controlling his breathing. He admired Qui-Gon's ability to switch from a full-tilt run to a casual pace without missing a beat. To any observer, Qui-Gon appeared to be a casual walker on the city streets.

The streets were even more crowded than the terminal. "No doubt they'll give up," Qui-Gon said to Obi-Wan, nodding and smiling as though he were remarking on the weather. "It's a tedious job tracking a couple of stray travelers through the city streets."

With his heartbeat and nerves returning to normal, Obi-Wan was now able to observe his surroundings. The city of Thani was bustling. Landspeeders clogged the wide boulevard. Buildings hundreds of meters high rose on either side. Their different facades flashed silver and bronze in the bright sunlight. Crowded between the tall, impressive buildings were smaller structures. Blinking readout signs advertised loans at low rates, or credits advanced against goods. Disorderly lines snaked out from these buildings, the people jostling to get inside. Obi-Wan passed a large billboard that read: WEALTH BEYOND IMAGINING IS JUST ONE BET AWAY: KATHARSIS

"Katharsis," he repeated. "I heard that name on the spaceliner."

"I've never heard of it. Thani has changed since I was here last," Qui-Gon mused. "Of course it was almost ten years ago. It seems bigger, noisier. And something else is different about it now…."

Obi-Wan suddenly caught a flicker of movement behind him. He glanced at the shiny facade of the next building. Two navy-suited security police officers were swiftly making their way forward, attracting little attention on the busy street. There was no doubt in Obi-Wan's mind that they were heading for them.

"Qui-Gon?" he started, but Qui-Gon had already seen them.

"They are more determined than I thought," he said, picking up his pace. "Go left."

Obi-Wan wheeled to his left down a narrow alley. They moved quickly now, running down the alley, using the Force to leap over a pile of abandoned crates, and turning sharply right into another alley.

Blaster fire pinged behind them. They heard the sound of exploding crates peppering the wall.

"They mean business," Qui-Gon said. "We'd better go up."

The security police were still out of sight, but they'd round the corner in a few seconds. Qui-Gon reached for the liquid-cable launcher on his belt. He activated the device, and the dual-strand cord shot upward and hooked around the lip of a rooftop overhead. Obi-Wan activated his own liquid-cable. They held on and let the device carry them up to the rooftop, leaping up and landing on their feet. Quickly, they retracted the cords.

Qui-Gon watched as the security police ran down the alley. They ran past the rooftop, turned a corner, and disappeared.

"That's a relief," Obi-Wan said.

But Qui-Gon did not move. A few seconds later, the security police returned. One of them took out a pair of electrobinoculars and began sweeping the rooftops.

"They're not giving up, I'm afraid," Qui-Gon remarked mildly.

The two Jedi moved backward quickly on their hands and knees until they were out of range. Then they jumped from the opposite side of the roof down to the pavement. They ran down a short stretch of the alley and spilled out into the crowded street again.

"We'll never lose them this way," Qui-Gon said.

Obi-Wan craned his neck and looked over the heads of the surging crowd. "Everyone is heading toward that dome," he said to Qui-Gon. "Maybe we can lose them inside."

They joined the crowd, weaving through it in order to make it to the entrance quickly. A giant sign flashed in letters a hundred meters high: KATHARSIS.

"I guess we're about to find out what it is," Obi-Wan said curiously.

There were several entrances, and Qui-Gon joined the line at the most crowded. The stream of people pushed through an opening that was big enough to fly a starfighter through.

NEED CREDITS? STOP HERE! The signs flashed around a row of booths near the entrance. Farther on Obi-Wan saw food stalls. Tempting aromas floated toward them. His stomach rumbled again. He almost groaned. With Qui-Gon, he never knew when his next meal would come. His former Jedi Master seemed to exist on a diet of fresh air and determination.

"This must be some sort of gambling event," Qui-Gon said. "Curious."

"And popular," Obi-Wan added, jostled by the surging crowd.

As they entered the interior of the dome, they found themselves high above the central area, which was one giant ring with a smaller concentric ring inside. Large screens were hung at various heights and distances around the dome so that they were visible throughout the giant space. Scenes of natural beauty flashed across them while booming music played out of hidden speakers.

Floating boxes surrounded the central wings. Stationary seating ringed the area, the topmost rows lost in the vastness of the dome.

They climbed up, searching for two empty seats near exits. Qui-Gon's keen gaze swept the crowd below them, looking for the security police who had been following them.