He knew where he was at once — the Great Sea of Bandomeer, which covered half the planet. He must be on some sort of deepsea mining platform. The deepsea mines were only whispered about. They were rough, dangerous places that many miners did not survive.
'So you're awake.'
Obi-Wan turned, startled. A tall, mournful creature stood in the doorway. His skin was dark, but appeared to be peeling in white patches. Two white circles surrounded his eyes. He had extraordinarily long, rubbery arms that dangled past his knees.
'How are you feeling? I was worried,' he asked, but before Obi-Wan could respond, he chuckled. 'I lie! Not so!'
'Who are you?' Obi-Wan asked. He felt dizzy, and he commanded his mind to clear. He stepped down carefully from the platform.
'The name is Guerra, not that you need to know it so. I'm a Phindian. We're a mixed lot, here. Which reminds me, Human boy, Move.'
Guerra's arm shot out suddenly. It reached across two sleeping platforms and fastened on Obi-Wan's wrist. 'I don't have all day. The guards will be here with electro-jabbers for both of us if I don't get you outfitted.'
'Outfitted for what?'
'Outfitted for what? A vacation on Syngia moon!' Guerra chortled. 'Not so, I lie! Mining, of course.'
'But I'm not a miner,' Obi-Wan protested as Guerra dragged him toward the doorway.
'Oh, so sorry. In that case, you don't have to work.' Guerra's odd, patchy face leered at him. 'Instead, you can be thrown off the platform. You'll have such a lovely swim — '
'Not so?' Obi-Wan guessed.
Guerra chortled and slapped Obi-Wan on the back, sending him flying. 'Good one, Human boy! Not so! Thrown off to drown. Except the fall will kill you first! Now, come along.'
Guerra pushed him through the doorway. A cold wind hit his face. Around him were piles of mining equipment. Droids were busy hauling beamdrills to a lift tube, where workers were waiting. Guards were everywhere on the platform, patrolling with electro-jabbers and blasters.
As they climbed stairs to the second level, Obi-Wan saw that the platform was much bigger than he'd thought, about the size of a small city. Hydrocrafts sped back and forth from the deepsea platforms that ringed the main structure.
Guerra pushed him into a storage room. He rubbed his eyes to survey the equipment, and the white patches around his eyes widened. Obi-Wan realized that Guerra's skin was actually fair. He was covered with mining dust and grime.
Guerra caught him staring. 'Showers once a month, but why bother? Soon, you'll look like me, Human boy.'
'Guerra, I'm not a miner,' Obi-Wan repeated. 'I've been kidnapped and sent here. I'm — '
Guerra burst out laughing. He slapped his knees with flapping hands. 'Kidnapped? How awful! Let me alert the security forces! Oh, I lie again! How do you think I got here? Do you think I volunteered? We're all slaves, don't you see? At the end of five years, they give you enough to pay transport off-planet and start over. If you survive. Most don't.'
'Five years?' Obi-Wan asked, swallowing hard.
'That's the contract you sign,' Guerra said. 'You'll need a thermosuit. And a tech-helmet. Some tools…'
'But I didn't sign a contract!'
Guerra laughed again as he held a thermosuit against Obi-Wan and rejected it as too small. 'Stop distracting me with jokes, Human boy! Did I sign? They forge it so!'
'My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I am a Jedi pupil.'
'Jedi, Kedi, Ledi, Medi,' Guerra said in a nonsense singsong. 'Doesn't matter who you are. You could be the Prince of Coruscant No one will find you here.' He tossed another thermosuit at Obi-Wan. 'This one will have to do. So, now for a tech-helmet.'
Obi-wan clutched the suit against him. It was stained and damp. He couldn't imagine putting it on. He was already chilled to the bone. His head pounded again, and he touched it carefully. He could feel the bruise on the back of his scalp. Blood matted his hair. His ribs were on fire.
The he remembered the collar. He touched it. 'Is this some sort of healing device, Guerra?'
This time, Guerra fell back into the pile of thermosuits. He laughed so hard he began to choke. 'So! You make me laugh again, Obawan. Healing device!' He hooted with laughter, then cleared his throat. 'Not so! It is an electro-collar. If you try to leave the mining platform, ga-coosh!' Guerra's rubbery arms waved. 'You blow up!'
Obi-Wan touched the collar gingerly. 'The guards can blow us up?'
'Not the guards,' Guerra explained cheerfully. 'Electro-collars are activated on the mainland. Just in case of rebellion, you see. If we overpowered the guards, we might be able to dismantle the devices, got it? So the guards can't blow us up, no.' Guerra smiled amiably at him. 'They can only beat us and blast us and stun us and throw us overboard.'
'What a relief,' Obi-Wan muttered.
Guerra grinned, his teeth flashing yellow. 'I like you, Obawan. So! I'll watch out for you — ha! Not so, I lie again! I trust nobody and nobody trust me. Now hurry before the guards come and give us a stun.' Guerra poked him and made a sizzling sound, then laughed uproariously. 'Don't look so sad, Obawan. Tomorrow, you'll probably be dead!'
Obi-Wan climbed reluctantly into the thermosuit. He grabbed the tech-helmet and strapped on the servo-tool
