Under cover of his tunic, Obi-Wan nudged Siri to silence. He would not be responsible for depriving the students of food. When they didn't respond, O-Bin turned away, a smug smile of satisfaction on her face.
'Great,' Siri whispered. 'Not only are we trapped, we're trapped with dirty dishes.'
O-Bin didn't turn. 'Four punishment marks, 0-Siri,' she said sweetly.
Qui-Gon and Adi stood in the middle of the Gathering Circle. Around them rose an open-air coliseum with stone slabs serving as benches.
'All Keganites participate in the governing of Kegan,' V-Haad said proudly. 'V-Tan and 0-Vieve bring problems to the people. They do not supply solutions, merely proposals. Every citizen gets a vote.'
A low, circular building was built next to the coliseum. In one of the few examples of finery on Kegan, its dome was painted gold.
'Here is the Central Dwelling, where our Benevolent Guides reside,'
O-Rina said. 'We will request an audience for you.'
O-Rina and V-Haad brought them to a small room with whitewashed walls that contained benches for seating. 'They will be with you shortly,' O-Rina said. 'We'll await you at the front entrance.'
In moments the door opened and two elder Keganites in soft white robes appeared. The woman's silver hair was braided and hung down her back. The man's was silver as well. Their beaming smiles seemed more sincere than those of the Hospitality Guides.
'Welcome, Qui-Gon Jinn and Adi Gallia,' the woman said. 'I am O-Vieve, and this is V-Tan. It is our honor to greet you.'
The two Jedi bowed.
'We hope that you will be able to assist us,' Qui-Gon said. 'We arrived with our Padawans, Siri and Obi- Wan. They wandered off and we have been unable to find them.'
V-Tan folded his hands. 'The Hospitality Guides have informed us of this. We are concerned.'
'We have decided to launch a search,' O-Vieve said. 'We will inform our citizens that the children are missing. We should have results very soon.'
'We should like to join in the search,' Qui-Gon said.
O-Vieve nodded at him sympathetically. 'I feel your concern, yet you do not know our world. We can search quicker and more efficiently. V-Tan and I would be grateful if you would accept our hospitality during this short time. We have guest quarters prepared here in the Central Dwelling. I am certain you need food and rest. We will bring your Padawans to you.'
Qui-Gon was about to protest, but Adi nodded. 'Thank you,' she said.
V-Tan and O-Vieve murmured that it was no trouble at all, and they were happy to be able to meet the gracious and kind Jedi. The Hospitality Guides would be waiting in the front reception hallway to show them the way to their rooms.
Qui-Gon and Adi strode into the hallway. As soon as they were out of earshot, Qui-Gon murmured, 'We can't rely on them to search.'
'Of course not,' Adi agreed. 'But if we had continued to protest, it wouldn't have done any good. They wouldn't have given in. They are not afraid of us the way O-Rina and V-Haad are.'
'Afraid of us?' Qui-Gon asked, startled. 'Nervous, perhaps. But why would they be afraid of us?'
'That is something I do not know,' Adi said. 'Yet.'
Qui-Gon paused. The reception area was just ahead, and he did not want the Hospitality Guides to see them. 'We need to go back to the beginning. We need to talk to V-Nen and 0-Melie. Perhaps Obi-Wan and Siri's failure to come back is linked to O-Lana's disappearance.'
Adi nodded. 'How can we avoid 0-Rina and V-Haad?'
'This way,' Qui-Gon said, turning and heading back down the hallway. He turned to the left, then the right.
'How do you know where to go?' Adi asked.
Qui-Gon smiled. 'While I was at the Temple, I took sensory lessons from Jedi Master Tahl. When she was blinded, she learned to improve her other senses. I'm following my sense of smell.'
Adi concentrated. 'Food. Something is cooking.'
'And where there is food, there is waste. Where there is waste, there is usually an exit,' Qui-Gon explained.
'And I always look for a window,' Adi said, hurrying beside him.
The kitchen was empty except for a cook who was grinding a vegetable into a paste, his back to the door. Qui-Gon and Adi Gallia moved swiftly and silently past him and slipped out the door into a small area with waste bins. They skirted them and headed back in the direction they had come.
The distance wasn't far, and soon they stood at V-Nen and O-Melie's door. Qui-Gon knocked softly.
V-Nen opened it. The hopeful expression on his face faded when he saw the Jedi.
'I thought there was word of Lana,' he said.
'You must trust us,' Adi told him. 'We can help you protect your daughter.'
O-Melie joined her husband at the door.
'We have nothing more to say,' V-Nen said. 'I must head for work at the Communications Circle now.'
