Qui-Gon recalled something that had bothered him at the time. 'Is that what O-Yani meant when she said O-Lana would not disappear!'
0-Melie nodded. 'Some children enroll at the Learning Circle and are never heard from again.'
'The Learning Circle?' Qui-Gon asked quickly. 'Where is that?'
'That Circle is not in the city of Kegan, but in an outlying area,'
V-Nen explained. 'The Learning is a course of teaching developed by O-Vieve and V-Tan. It was introduced about fifteen years ago. Before that there was no central authority and children were schooled at home.'
'We don't know where it is, only that it is in the open country,'
0-Melie answered. 'It is thought better for the children if parents are not allowed there. Children attend the Learning Circle from the age of four.
There are no exceptions. Truants are dealt with harshly.'
'That's why there are no children on the streets,' Adi said.
'Obi-Wan and Siri!' Qui-Gon exclaimed. 'Could they have been taken there by mistake?'
'It's possible,' V-Nen said. 'We hear that the Truant Guides take action first and ask questions later. And they might not believe your Padawans if they say they are not from Kegan. There are very few citizens who know the Jedi are here. O-Vieve and V-Tan thought it best if your arrival was kept secret.'
'You see, we contacted you without V-Tan and 0-Vieve's permission,'
0-Melie said. 'We took the chance that our Benevolent Guides would not dare refuse the Jedi. They did not. They allowed you to come. But they would not let us see you alone.'
'They claim it is for our protection,' V-Nen told them. 'They believe that darkness surrounds the Jedi.'
Qui-Gon was startled. 'I don't understand.'
'O-Vieve has prophetic visions,' O-Melie explained. 'V-Tan has dreams.
Many of their predictions have come true. That is why the people of Kegan trust them. O-Vieve had a vision of the Jedi. She claims that an evil force will engulf those who are close to the Jedi. All Keganites are afraid of the Jedi.'
So Adi was right. That was what she had picked up from V-Haad and 0-Rina. Fear.
'But we doubt O-Vieve's vision,' V-Nen said. 'We want what's best for our daughter. We had to contact you. We know Lana wasn't taken for routine testing. We would have heard something by now.'
A sob broke loose from O-Melie.
V-Nen put his arm protectively around his wife. He laid his hand on her hair, holding her head against him gently. He spoke with his cheek resting against her hair. 'I'm sorry to say these things out loud, Melie, but I know you are thinking them, too. We must be strong for Lana's sake. We must allow the Jedi to help us. We can't do it alone.'
Slowly, O-Melie raised her head. Tears sparkled in her eyes. 'Men is right,' she said shakily. 'We need your help.'
'And we are here to give it,' Qui-Gon said.
V-Nen put his hand on Qui-Gon's forearm. O-Melie put hers on Adi Gallia's.
V-Nen said, 'Now we are Nen and Melie to you. Our fate is twined with yours.'
'We will find your daughter,' Qui-Gon assured them.
'You must be careful,' Nen told them. 'We are part of a faction on Kegan that opposes O-Vieve and V-Tan. We believe that the isolation policy is wrong. Trade and exploration could be good for Kegan. The surveillance is what has made our anti-isolationist movement so difficult. It's not that we are arrested or forbidden to discuss things — on the contrary, V-Tan and O-Vieve insist that Kegan is an open society. Yet somehow those of us who ask why we cannot travel beyond Kegan are punished — moved to job sectors we do not like, forced to share housing unexpectedly, given low priority for requests… things that make life difficult on Kegan. You may imagine that the movement has thus lost many members. The rest have learned to be careful.'
'But now they have gone too far. They have taken our daughter,' Melie said. 'I do not want to be careful any longer.'
'V-Tan and O-Vieve have said that if one Keganite leaves the planet it will cause our destruction,' Men continued. 'They will prevent Lana leaving in whatever way they can.'
'We must find her before it's too late,' Melie said, her voice trembling.
'Yet every move is watched. Every word we say is heard,' Nen added in despair.
'I have an idea,' Qui-Gon said. 'Auto-hoppers are controlled by CIPs — Central Instruction Processors.'
'Yes,' Nen agreed. 'The CIP is in a guarded building right here in the Comm Circle.'
'If Adi and I can disable the CIP, they will need to recall the autohoppers until it is repaired. In the meantime, the people will be able to share information more freely. You will be able to mobilize your group, and we will have time to search for Lana.'
'Qui-Gon, I must speak to you,' Adi said sternly.
She drew Qui-Gon into the corner.
'I must object to this plan,' she said in a low tone that vibrated with worry. 'It is totally opposed to the Council's wishes. We will directly interfere with the Kegan government if we disable a CIP.'
'But how else can we complete our mission?' Qui-Gon argued. 'We didn't know before we arrived that the
