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.
At last he found places a few seats in from the end. They sat, and Obi-Wan turned his attention to the giant screens, which began to flash a stream of names and numbers he could not decipher. There was also a screen with a keypad built into his armrest.
While Qui-Gon kept his eyes on the crowd, Obi-Wan leaned over to a tall Telosian seated next to him.
'This is my first time here,' he said. 'Can you explain what's going on?'
'The screens are flashing the current odds for the games,' his seatmate replied, pointing. 'You can bet at your seat on each event. There are twenty contestants competing in a variety of contests.'
'Last week Rolo was maimed,' his companion said dolefully. 'I bet twenty thousand credits on him.'
The Telosian's clothes were threadbare. He hardly looked like a rich citizen. Obi-Wan was shocked. How could he afford to bet so much?
'Today my money is on Tamor,' the second Telosian continued.
'You can place larger bets as the day goes on,' the first Telosian explained. 'Then for the last contest we all drop out and the lottery bettors get to play.'
