leader!' He thumped the table. 'Meant to be my heir. He is the only one who can succeed me! Everything I have, everyone around me is worthless if I cannot have my firstborn son follow me.'
Qui-Gon glanced at Taroon. The younger son was pretending not to listen, but King Frane's bellow was certainly audible to him. Why did his father treat him as though he were invisible? He was only a year younger than Leed, a thin, awkward young man with long arms and legs. Was he worthless to his father?
'I will read the truth in Leed's eyes,' King Frane continued, heaping another helping of meat onto Qui-Gon's still full plate. 'Bring him to me, and I will know. If they will not let him go, I will invade their planet and bring them to their knees. You tell Meenon that.'
'Jedi will not deliver a threat,' Qui-Gon said firmly. 'We will try to persuade your son to come back. We will not force him, or force the government of Senali. But if we bring him back, you cannot force him to stay. I must have your word on that.'
'Yes, yes, you have my word. But Leed will want to stay, I guarantee you. The boy knows his duty. I will send my younger son Taroon with you to deliver the threat to Meenon. He will also take Leed's place on Senali when my boy returns home.'
'I will not allow Taroon to deliver a threat, either,' Qui-Gon said. 'If that is your objective, Taroon must stay behind. His presence could compromise a diplomatic mission. Meenon could feel pressured by the presence of someone from the royal family. Besides, Jedi always negotiate alone.'
King Frane tore off a piece of meat with his sharp yellow teeth. Craftiness gleamed in his eyes. 'I have just signed an order to imprison Meenon's daughter, Yaana, here on Rutan. I hear she is just as beloved to Meenon as Leed is to me. Let him know the pain of a grieving father! What do you think of that, Jedi?'
'It is a mistake,' Qui-Gon said quietly. 'Meenon will take it as a provocation. It will bring you close to war. I don't think you want that, no matter what you say. Your people do not want war.'
'My people want what I tell them to want!' King Frane bellowed furiously. 'Am I not king?'
Qui-Gon didn't blink. 'We will allow Taroon to accompany us if you rescind your order to imprison Yaana.'
King Frane stopped chewing and gave QuiGon a hard stare that lasted several moments. Then he slammed his hand down on the table again. 'Done! The Jedi is clever!' He turned to the rest of the table, beaming. 'The Jedi will bring Leed home again!'
The rest of the royal party erupted in cheers.
King Frane turned back to Qui-Gon. 'In three days,' he said. 'That is all I give you. If you don't return with Leed, Yaana gets thrown into the foulest prison on Rutan.' In another abrupt change of mood, he slapped Qui-Gon on the back. 'Now enjoy!'
The rest of the royal party now felt free to relish their food. Conversation rose and buzzed amongst them.
Obi-Wan leaned over and spoke to Qui-Gon. 'Taroon does not seem happy to be accompanying us,' he said in a low tone.
'I noticed that,' Qui-Gon answered. 'Yet the negotiation went well. I wanted Taroon with us all along. I suspected that King Frane would imprison Yaana. We have bought her a few more days of freedom.'
'But how did you know these things?' Obi-Wan asked, puzzled.
'Find the emotion, predict the deed,' Qui-Gon replied. 'It was a natural step — it is the only thing King Franc has to threaten Meenon with. King Frane is the type of ruler to lash out in the only way he can. Yet he is afraid of war, so he will allow himself to be persuaded to wait. Now all we have to do is bring back Leed. If we believe he is sincere and wants to remain on Senali, we must help him reconcile his father to his decision. If nothing goes wrong and every party acts with honesty and forgiveness, the situation will resolve itself.'
Qui-Gon glanced over at Taroon. The young Rutanian had not joined in the feasting or conversation, but had kept his arms folded. His eyes were watchful and sullen.
'So you don't see danger ahead?' Obi-Wan asked.
Qui-Gon gave a brief smile. 'I see tangled loyalties and the potential for misunderstandings. And even the smallest misunderstandings can bring danger when a situation is as volatile as this one. Words do not always echo what is in the heart. And things are rarely as simple as they appear.'
Chapter 4
From above, the planet Senali looked like a shining blue jewel. So much of its surface was water that it reflected light and seemed to shimmer. As their transport skimmed over the surface toward Meenon's landing platform, Obi-Wan thought he had never seen such a beautiful world.
The seas seemed to hold a thousand shades of blue and green. Chains of islands dotted the water like necklaces. Lush green foliage and blooming flowers dotted the islands and were planted on the docks of the floating cities. Many of the structures were fashioned out of the branches and fronds of a native tree with bright red bark.
They landed on the royal landing platform and were greeted by several members of the chief's guard. Senali were the same species as Rutanians, but they had a silvery cast to their skin due to the tiny scales that covered their bodies. They were excellent swimmers with unusually strong breath control. Unlike Rutanians, their hair was worn short, and many of them wore headpieces and necklaces fashioned from coral and shells.
The Jedi and Taroon followed the guards into Meenon's dwelling. It was a long, low building that floated on the waters of a deep, green lagoon. The guards led them to an interior courtyard that had been transformed into a blooming garden, with drooping fronds that shaded them from the hot sun.
Meenon was tending to the garden, but straightened up and gave a formal bow to the Jedi when they arrived. He was dressed in a linen tunic and was barefoot. A simple headdress of white shells circled his shaved head.
'I am honored to have the Jedi on my beautiful planet,' he said.
