CHAPTER 10.

He sensed other presences in the room. At least three, he thought.

"Why are you on Apsolon?" a male voice asked.

"A stopover," Qui-Gon replied. "We are traveling, and I was here six years ago. I had some curiosity as to how this world fared."

"Who sent for you?" another voice barked. "No one."

"Why were you present at a secret meeting of Workers?" a third shrill voice asked.

"We were not present at the meeting. We were observing it. Surely your own people could tell you that."

"Just answer the questions. Who is your contact in the Workers?"

"No one."

"You were seen with lrini. How did she contact you initially?" She did not contact us. We went for a tour."

On and on the questions came. Qui-Gon answered them briefly. Tahl did not speak again. No doubt she had spoken first to let him know that she was in the room. Somehow she had infiltrated the inner circle of the Absolutes. She had done it in a short amount of time, and she had done it well. Qui- Gon admired her skill, but then, he always had. He felt almost liquid with relief that he had found her. A growing desperation had haunted him, and he had had to push thoughts of his vision aside.

When he released her, her body could not stay upright. She seemed to fold into his arms like drifting silk. Odd, because he had always counted on her strength. Now he felt the softness of her hair, her skin, the lightness of her bones. He felt how she could melt against him and become part of him. Tears sprang to his eyes at the way one of her hands curled weakly around his neck.

He wrenched his mind back to the present. He realized that the three men were arguing.

"Killing them would send a message," one said.

"Two messages. One to the Workers, one to Roan. It will show them we have power. But do we risk tipping our hand?"

"Perhaps if we threaten to kill them and then do so, it would be better."

The three continued to argue. Qui-Gon did not worry. The absence of Tahl's voice told him something important: She had done more than infiltrate the inner circle. She had gained power.

Again, Qui-Gon marveled at her fearlessness. Yet it only increased his own fears for her safety. His belief in his vision strengthened. Now he saw it as a vision that could happen, if she stayed on this dangerous course.

"T, you have said nothing," one of the men said at last.

"We will let them go," Tahl said. Immediately the others erupted in shouts. "

"Why?

"Just let them go?"

"This makes no sense!"

But the three quieted so abruptly Qui-Gon knew that Tahl had made some kind of gesture. That was the kind of power she had.

"Again you all fail to factor in the one thing that we lack in our struggle," Tahl said. "Popular support. We cannot achieve power without it. I know you don't like to hear this. But the people of Apsolon are used to thinking they have a voice in government now. We can give them that illusion. That is not difficult. But we still need their support."

"What does this have to do with the Jedi?" someone asked sullenly.

"The Jedi are still respected on Apsolon. The people think they were responsible for keeping the peace during the transition. They see them as neutral - "

"They supported our dissolution! They were against us!"

"I am talking about appearances," Tahl snapped. "Always remember that appearances are much more important than reality. If we kill the Jedi and take responsibility for it, our hope of popular support will be gone. There will be time enough to kill our enemies."

"Well, why don't we just kill them and get them out of our way? We don't have to take responsibility for it."

There was a short silence. Qui-Gon could feel the tension in the room. He could only imagine the look of scorn that Tahl was directing at the speaker.

When she spoke, her voice was measured and slow, as if she were talking to a child with no notion of the way things worked. "First of all, killing Jedi is not cut and dried. You don't just kill them and expect no consequences. There would be an investigation. Certainly one from their order, and perhaps one from the Senate. This time, when we take power, we want the backing of the Senate. We have discussed this. We will be clever this time. The people will have the illusion that they have some control. Second, if you do make the decision to eliminate a powerful enemy, you do it so that you will gain something from it. If we discredit the Jedi and then kill them, we will gain. We cannot discredit them if we don't let them go."

"But they have heard everything we have been saying! We spoke freely because we thought they would be eliminated."

"It does not matter," Tahl said. "We have control. We are more powerful than the Jedi on our own world. Stop being such cowards! Now leave me. I will send for R to release them."

Qui-Gon heard the three men file out. He heard a rustle of fabric being unwound next to him.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said quietly.

Then Tahl approached him. But instead of unwrapping his blindfold, he felt her crouch in front of him.

"So, Qui-Gon," she said. "At last we are equal."

"Hardly. You were always my better." "Flattery will not give you back your sight." "I don't have to see you. It is enough to know you are safe."

Tahl sighed. He felt her warm breath stir his cheek. A moment later he felt the cool precision of her fingers as she unwrapped his blindfold.

It took a moment for his eyes to take her in. She was in disguise.

Her distinctive green and gold striped eyes were now dark. Her hair was cropped short and the color of a pale moon, contrasting with her dark honey skin.

She kept her face toward him, as if reading him with her senses. He regarded her strange new eyes, and his disquiet at seeing her disguise faded as he saw his familiar Tahl behind their new color. He could not help it; he was happy.

She must have known it, for suddenly she reached out and touched his face with her fingertips. He felt her fingers against his lips.

"You are smiling."

"Yes."

"Don't."

She did not drop her hand, but kept it against his mouth. He saw that she unable to keep the small smile off her face and his own smile broadened beneath her hand.

"I can't seem to get rid of you," she said. "No," Qui-Gon replied.

"You cannot."

Obi-Wan watched the two friends. He felt that they had forgotten he was in the room. They even seemed to have forgotten the mission. He could not begin to know the tangle of feelings in this deep friends.h.i.+p. Tahl had been angry at Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon had kept himself aloof from her for awhile. These things he knew. But he did not know why these things had happened. He only knew it had something to do with Tahl's resentment of Qui-Gon's need to watch out for her since she had been blinded.

On this mission, he had often felt out of step with Qui-Gon. Over the years he had learned how his Master strategized. But now it was as if Qui- Gon was following some sort of internal logic he could not decipher.

He did not know what was in his Master's mind. There had been many times when Qui- Gon's thoughts had been unclear to him, but never had it felt quite like this. There was a veil between them. Yet, looking at Tahl, he saw that she did not feel it. He tried not to feel jealous of that.

Tahl stood. "We can't talk here. Follow me. There is an exit this way."

She walked purposefully toward the door and accessed it. Obviously she knew this place well. She turned right down a short corridor. Obi-Wan could not tell what kind of a building they were in. It was industrial, and completely bare. Perhaps it had been a warehouse of some kind.

Tahl climbed a ramp to the next level. They saw no one. She walked toward a set of tall bay doors suitable for loading merchandise. Next to them was a smaller door for workers. She accessed this and they stepped out into the cool night.

"It's an abandoned warehouse," she told them. "The Absolutes bought it. They have a large treasury. The street is down at the end of the yard. I'll walk a little way with you, but I must return."

They slipped through the yard and exited out on a narrow street.

"Where are we?" Qui-Gon asked.

"At the very edge of the Civilized Sector," Tahl explained. "If you follow this road, you will meet the State Boulevard where the government offices are."

CHAPTER 11.

"Tell us your plan," Qui-Gon said. "Obviously, the situation is more volatile than we'd thought. We are here to help."

"I must admit that help would be welcome," Tahl said. "It wasn't hard for me to see that the twins are in danger. But I don't yet know from whom. I suspect the Absolutes, which is why I infiltrated them. But I've found nothing. Roan could be the secret leader behind them, but I've yet to discover if that is so."

"The twins told us they hadn't seen you," Obi-Wan said.

"They were trying to protect me," Tahl said. "We agreed I should go underground. They got me the false ident.i.ty papers that said I was once a member of the Absolutes. It was a large, bureaucratic organization at one time. Many did not know the top-level operatives."

"So the twins did send for you," Qui-Gon said.

Tahl nodded. "When I arrived, I was surprised to find that they were not in hiding, as they'd said. They admitted embellis.h.i.+ng their plea in order to ensure that I would come. They suspect that Roan was, in fact, responsible for the murder of their father. They are virtual prisoners in his home. I was ready to escort them off-planet into exile, but as we all discussed the situation, I was impressed with their maturity and courage, and also distressed by the state of things on New Apsolon. The twins are symbolic to the people. If they leave, the last traces of honorable government go with them. The twins changed their minds and insisted on staying. I decided that they needed to know exactly how much power the new Absolutes were gathering, and proposed that I go under cover. The twins were against the idea, but eventually agreed and helped me."

"How strong are the Absolutes?"

"Not as strong as they think," Tahl said. "Their numbers are small, and their organization is in a state of chaos. There is no real chain of command. It was easy for me to rise in the structure. The Absolutes are now engaged in low-level activity - gathering information, doing surveillance, and occasional hara.s.sment of the Worker Resistance. But what I don't like is that they have a vast treasury. They are ama.s.sing weapons."

"So they must have important backing from somewhere," Qui-Gon observed.

"Yes. But I don't know where. Yet. That's where you can help."

Obi-Wan glanced at his Master. He saw a struggle on Qui-Gon's face.

He knew why. Qui-Gon did not want to oppose Tahl, but he did not agree with her. The reason was obvious.

"Tahl, the Jedi have not received an official request to help any party in this government,"

Qui-Gon said. "It is unclear as to whether Roan was involved in the late leader's death. It is uncertain whether the Absolutes will ever gain enough power to be a real threat. The planet is struggling with its new society, yes. But is that a reason for the Jedi to interfere?"

"But we did receive a request," Tahl argued. "From the twins. They are the daughters of the late ruler. Surely they have an official voice.

And they are in danger."

"If that is so, then we should return to the original plan and get them off-planet," Qui-Gon said. "There is no reason to get involved in internal politics."

Tahl stopped walking. "What about our loyalty to those girls?"

"This is not a question of loyalty - "

"On the contrary. They asked for my help, and I intend to give it.

They want more than safety. They want to remain on their home planet. A planet that is stable and peaceful."

"The Jedi cannot promise them that," Qui-Gon said.

"You are so logical," Tahl said, shaking her head. "You block out your feelings, just as you did years ago. You look at this so dispa.s.sionately. You do not care enough."

Obi-Wan saw that Tahl's words had wounded Qui-Gon.

"I am a Jedi," he said. "So are you. There are ways to approach a mission, ways that have been shown over thousands of years to work."

"You were always the first one to break the rules."

"When the mission called for me to do so. This mission does not.

And please..." Qui-Gon's voice roughened. "Do not accuse me of not caring. That is unfair."

They walked in silence for a moment. Obi-Wan longed to find the wise words to heal this division between the two friends, but he did not know how. Tahl had hurt Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon had hurt Tahl. He could feel that. He felt helpless to change it. The two friends now seemed to almost hate each other. He could feel their anger and disappointment in the crisp slap of their footsteps on the pavement.

At last Tahl spoke. "Let us reach a compromise," she said. "I need your help. Just give me one week. I will remain with the Absolutes under cover. You and Obi-Wan will investigate the murder of Ewane. I would ask you to begin with Roan's brother, Manex. Manex is extraordinarily wealthy - he used his political contacts to make a fortune before and after the bloodless revolution. There are many who suspect him of corruption. He could have been behind a plot to murder Ewane in order to bring his brother to power. Roan might have been involved in the plot as well. If we can find evidence that either Roan or his brother is guilty, we can begin to bring peace to New Apsolon."

"A week isn't much time," Qui-Gon said.

"Not for most," Tahl said. "For you, it will be enough. If we fail to uncover any new evidence, we continue to offer safe pa.s.sage to the twins. If they refuse, we will go back to Coruscant and only return here if an official request for Guardians of the Peace comes to us."

Qui-Gon thought for a moment. "I don't suppose there is any chance of persuading you to leave Absolute headquarters right now."

"None at all," Tahl said.