She pointed to Obi-Wan and Siri. 'Take them away! They have disrupted my class! They are enemies of the General Good!'
Obi-Wan and Siri were pulled out of class and taken to the admin center. There, a stern Control Guide told them that because of their repeated disruptions, they were being reassigned.
Their destination was the Re-Learning Circle.
Obi-Wan and Siri exchanged a glance of satisfaction. It was exactly as they'd hoped.
They were marched across the yard and into the field, then down the ramp into the facility. Immediately, all air and light were blocked out. The Re-Learning Circle was dank and cold, the walls and floors the same shade of dull gray. > They were separated immediately. Obi-Wan was taken to a cell and locked inside. The light was dim. There was a mat on the floor to sleep on. That was all.
He did not know what he had expected. But he had not expected this.
Within minutes, his door hissed open. A Guide in a navy chromasheath tunic and pants walked in, a bundle in his arms.
'I am the Guide who will start you on the path of Re-Learning,' he said. 'Put this on.' He held out a sensory- deprivation suit.
Obi-Wan knew he had to go along for now, until he could find Davi. He climbed into the suit and the Guide fastened it securely. He could not see or hear. The world around him dropped away. He could only hear his own breathing.
A lecture began in the padded earphones that covered his ears. He could not dislodge it no matter how he twisted. It was similar to the blackout hood he had worn at the Temple for the cooperation exercise. The difference was he could not remove this himself. He was trapped.
Kegan is a perfect society dedicated to the General Good. The Guides are here to help you. Do not trust others. Only trust your Guides.
The Inner Core worlds are full of dangers…
Travel is difficult and unnecessary…
Kegan medicine is the most advanced in the galaxy…
'Wrong!' Obi-Wan screamed despairingly. 'It's all wrong!'
But he could not block out the voice.
Qui-Gon and Adi entered their transport. Adi took the controls. She coolly eyed their star-fighter escorts as she fired up the engines.
'Those are so old they should be junked,' she said. 'We won't have any problem outrunning them.'
'Let's hope those laser cannons are just as old,' Qui-Gon remarked mildly.
They rose smoothly and headed for the upper atmosphere, the starfighters flanking them closely. Adi was one of the best Jedi pilots Qui-Gon knew. Her response time was amazingly fast, and her feel for her craft was instinctive. If anyone could lose four starfighters without risking damage to their craft, it was Adi.
Because they knew one thing: They would not leave Kegan without their Padawans.
Qui-Gon had thought Adi too cautious at times during this mission. Now he saw how determined she could be.
'Ready for a ride?' she asked Qui-Gon.
He checked to make sure he was securely strapped in his seat. 'Ready.'
With one deft movement, Adi flipped the craft over, nearly clipping the wings of the starfighter next to it. She dived down at a screaming speed, then rolled several times. Trying to keep up, one starfighter spiraled out.
The starfighter pilot fought to stabilize his craft.
'That model doesn't have the maneuverability this one does,' she murmured. 'Pity.'
Adi pushed the engines to maximum speed and turned hard right, pushing the ship to the limits of its maneuverability. Warning blaster fire erupted off their port side, but Adi was already turning as she climbed, and it passed harmlessly by the wing. It ripped into the wing of the other starfighter, however. Flames erupted from its fuel line.
'Hoped that would happen,' Adi muttered. The second starfighter took off, back down to the planet for repairs.
Now Adi reversed direction. Instead of trying to elude the two remaining ships, she headed straight for them. Thinking she was about to crash into them, both starfighters went into a dive and fired at the same time.
Adi was able to easily avoid the fire with a few quick turns. The starfighters were below them now, still diving. Adi pushed the engines to the maximum. They zoomed off and soon lost the two craft.
'Good flying,' Qui-Gon complimented her. 'And here I thought Yoda sent you on this mission just to watch over me. Maybe he knew we'd need your flying skills.'
Adi threw him an amused glance from her dark, almond-shaped eyes. 'Yoda didn't send me to watch you. Not in the way you think. Siri and I are a new team. He wanted her to see how a good Master-Padawan team operates.'
'So Yoda isn't keeping an eye on us?'
'On the contrary. You and Obi-Wan have proven your effectiveness. Yoda felt Siri needed to learn cooperation with another Padawan as well.'
