Джуд Уотсон - Jedi Apprentice 7 - The Captive Temple

/ will speak to him. When I am sure what it is I want to say.

Suddenly, the lights in the tunnel dimmed to half-power. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon exchanged a concerned glance. A moment later, Qui-Gon's comlink buzzed. Tahl's crisp voice came through the unit. "We have some developments here."

"I noticed. We'll be right there." Qui-Gon turned to Obi-Wan. He spoke gently to the boy to make up for his harsh words. "I don't think Tahl is in league with Xanatos," he said. "But you could be right about the spy. Let's keep it in mind."

Obi-Wan nodded. The boy was silent as they hurriedly made their way to Tahl's quarters.

Tahl sat at her desk, a pile of data sheets on her lap. "I just spoke to Miro," she told them. "He's been trying to fix the air circulation system in the senior students' wing. When he took the necessary steps, all the lights in the Temple went to half-power. Plus, the refrigeration unit in the dining hall failed. He's working on it."

"The lights are powered down on every floor?" Qui-Gon asked.

Tahl nodded. A ghost of a smile flitted across her face. "Now we're almost even, Qui-Gon. We both have to work in the dark."

"Not quite even," Qui-Gon said with a smile that was evident in his voice. "You're still wiser than I am."

Tahl grinned. "Speaking of which, that's not the development I was talking about. I found out something about Offworld. Here, I printed it out for you." She handed the data sheets to Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon stared at the sheets. There were columns of numbers and names of companies. "You're going to have to tell me. You know I'm not good at galactic finance."

"Offworld is not as solvent as they appear," Tahl said, tapping her finger on the desk. "A futile mining operation on an inhospitable planet has drained its resources. Xanatos refused to accept defeat and just kept pouring more and more money into the operation. There's a rumor that he's secretly plundered the treasury on his home planet of Telos."

Qui-Gon stared down at the numbers, which meant nothing to him. The figures weren't important. Tahl's findings were. If Xanatos was close to financial ruin, maybe his motive for storming the Temple had as much to do with money as revenge.

Always a double motive…

"The vertex," he said softly.

"Of course," Tahl breathed.

Obi-Wan looked at them, puzzled.

Qui-Gon thought for a moment. Yoda had told him a secret. But if Obi-Wan was to help them, he had to know. He filled Obi-Wan in on the story of the Jedi agreement to guard the vertex for a short time.

"We've been focusing too much on Xanatos' revenge motive," Qui-Gon said. "Xanatos is more complex than that. Why put himself in such danger if all he got out of it was personal satisfaction? But destroying the Temple and walking away with a fortune would be worth much more to him."

"The treasury room is one half level below the Council room," Tahl said. "Isn't it strange how the wings have been shut down one after the other? Now everyone has been moved to the central building. This can't be accidental."

"Xanatos is planning something," Qui-Gon brooded. "He hopes to contain us so that it will be easier to destroy us. But how?"

The door hissed open and TooJay walked in, carrying a tray. "I brought your lunch, Sir Tahl," she announced.

"I'm not hungry."

"There is a protein cake, fruit, and — "

"Just put it down," Tahl ordered absently, her mind still on Xanatos.

TooJay set down the tray and began to straighten Tahl's desk.

"Whatever he is planning, it will happen soon," Tahl said.

TooJay moved one set of papers from one side of the desk to the other.

Qui-Gon stood. "Tahl, can TooJay fetch Bant? We need to talk to her."

Tahl turned toward Qui-Gon, a surprised expression on her face. "Bant?"

Qui-Gon spoke in a meaningful tone. "I'll explain when she gets here."

"TooJay, please fetch Bant from the temporary quarters," Tahl ordered.

"I can wait for your lunch tray, sir," TooJay added.

"Now," Tahl said firmly.

"I will return," TooJay said, hurrying out the door.

As soon as the door closed behind the droid, Tahl turned to Qui-Gon.

"What was that about?"

"How did you get TooJay?" Qui-Gon asked her.

"I told you, Yoda arranged for it," Tahl answered.

"Did Yoda bring the droid himself?" Qui-Gon persisted.

Tahl nodded. "Why?"

"It was just a few days after you and I arrived from Melida/Daan," Qui-Gon mused. "Was the droid ever out of your sight?"

Tahl groaned. "Are you kidding? TooJay is always underfoot." Then she frowned. "Except on the second day. I needed TooJay to guide me to the north wing. But I couldn't locate her for several hours. She said she had to attend some kind of indoctrination training. What are you driving at, Qui-Gon?"

Tahl looked mystified, but Obi-Wan saw where Qui-Gon was heading. "The droid appeared at the same time that the thefts began," he told her.

"Are you saying that TooJay is the thief?" Tahl asked. "That droid is pretty conspicuous."

"No, TooJay isn't the thief," Qui-Gon said. He glanced at Obi-Wan. "But I think we could have found our spy."

"We'll have to be sure," Obi-Wan said. "If we could shut TooJay down temporarily — "

"We could find the transmitter," Qui-Gon finished. "We can't have Xanatos know we suspect."

Tahl's mind worked quickly, absorbing Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's leaps of thought. "How can we shut TooJay down without arousing suspicion?"

Obi-Wan grinned. "That's easy. Just act naturally."

Tahl turned her head toward him. "What do you mean, Obi-Wan?"

"It's obvious that the droid annoys you," Obi-Wan answered. "Pick a fight and shut her down because you've had enough."

Slowly, Tahl smiled. "I've done it before."

"Very smart, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon approved. "Let's do it when she returns."

Within minutes, TooJay reappeared. "I cannot locate Bant. If I can say this, Sir Tahl, I do not think it advisable for me to be absent. You could need my assistance. For example, there are data sheets on the floor several centimeters from your I eft foot-"

"I know that," Tahl snapped. "Qui-Gon, those are for you. Why don't you sit here?" She stood, sweeping an arm toward a chair. The tray of food TooJay had brought earlier crashed to the floor. Obi-Wan sprang forward to help, but Qui-Gon held him back.

"Your lunch!" TooJay scurried forward. "It was ten centimeters to your right — "

"Enough, you driveling droid!" Tahl snapped. "If you don't shut your voice activator, I'll shut it for you!"

"But you won't be able to navigate!" TooJay protested.

"I'll be able to think!" Tahl shouted. She reached forward and deactivated the droid completely.

Silence fell. Tahl grinned. "Was that natural enough for you, Obi-Wan?"

Qui-Gon strode forward and began to examine TooJay. "Here," he said after a moment. "Right in the joint of the pelvic servomotor. A transmitter."

"Does it record and send simultaneously?" Tahl asked.

"Yes," Qui-Gon said. "I would guess that Xanatos has some sort of trigger on his end that alerts him if the conversation is important. He could have programmed several word triggers, like my name, or Yoda's, his, Bruck's — there could be any number of triggers. That way he doesn't have to listen to everything that happens to you — only what he needs." Qui-Gon examined the transmitter. "This unit transmits audio and visuals."

"So Xanatos has known what we were planning all along," Tahl said, sinking back into her chair. "He's been watching our every move. This is bad news."

"Not at all," Qui-Gon said softly. "Now we do not have to chase him. He will come straight to us."

Qui-Gon turned to Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan, I need you to go to the temporary dormitory. Pick a senior student with your height and build. Then come back here. And be as quick as you can."