be wrong.'
Cholly, Weez, and Tup looked at one another as if this concept was new to them.
'But we helped you,' Cholly pointed out, disappointed.
'Why should we keep helping you, if we don't get anything?' Weez asked plaintively.
'This scientist has a bounty hunter working for her named Ona Nobis,'
Obi-Wan said. 'There's a reward for her capture.'
'Hey, wait a second,' Astri said. 'That reward is mine!'
Obi-Wan shot her an impatient look. 'You can share it. We need their help. And we need it now.'
Astri's aggrieved look faded. 'You're right.'
Obi-Wan scrawled a few items on a durasheet and handed it to Cholly, Weez, and Tup. 'Once we get to Simpla-12, we need you to find these items as quickly as you can. Then you'll meet us at the address.'
Cholly looked at the list, puzzled. 'Obviously, you are crazy, my friend.' Then he grinned and tucked the durasheet into his tunic. 'But perhaps you will make our fortune. So we're with you.'
Obi-Wan had called ahead to alert Tahl that they were coming. He saw her erect figure on the landing platform as they docked. She had agreed to supply him with air transport back to Simpla-12.
Astri leaped from the air taxi as soon as it docked.
'My father?'
'The same,' Tahl said. 'Obi-Wan, who is with you?'
'Some new friends,' Obi-Wan explained. He drew Tahl aside and told her what he'd discovered. 'I don't know for sure if Zan Arbor's lab is on Simpla-12,' he said. 'But there's a chance it could be. And there's a good chance that the antitoxin Didi needs is still stored there — along with Qui-Gon.'
'A slight chance is better than none,' Tahl said thoughtfully. 'If you feel strongly that you must pursue this, then you should do so. But if you find that you are right, contact me immediately. If Jenna Zan Arbor knows that someone has found her, she could kill Qui-Gon.'
'I know,' Obi-Wan said quietly. 'But if I could get inside and find Qui-Gon without alerting her, we would have the information we need to send in the Jedi.'
'But how could you do this?' Tahl asked. 'And are you sure you could get out again?'
He wasn't sure if he could. But it didn't matter. He had to save Qui- Gon and Didi. That was most important. Obi-Wan glanced at Astri. 'I have a plan.'
'Do not take any impulsive action, Obi-Wan,' Tahl warned. 'Simpla-12 is not far. I can send several teams to you if they are needed. And make sure there is no surveillance on the building from the outside. Nothing must alert her that you are there.'
'I would never endanger Qui-Gon's life,' Obi-Wan told her soberly.
'But I feel that the longer he remains her captive, the more danger he is in.'
'I believe this, too,' Tah I said softly. Her comlink signaled, and she frowned. 'Now I must go.
Several teams are pursuing important leads. May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan.'
Tahl hurried away. Obi-Wan climbed into the transport, where Astri and the others were waiting. He powered up the engines and headed straight for the upper atmosphere. With every second, he felt Qui-Gon's life was dwindling. With all his heart, he begged Qui-Gon silently to hold on.
Quad Two was on the very outskirts of Sim-First. Here, any attempts to keep order or cleanliness were abandoned. Many of the buildings were sealed with durasteel sheeting. An occasional speeder flashed by, but there were no pedestrians on the walkways.
Astri squinted through the drizzle. 'I didn't think Sim-First could get any worse,' she murmured.
Obi-Wan consulted a handheld nav computer. 'Block Unit Three is this way.'
As they walked, the neighborhood deteriorated further. Clouds thickened until the day turned as dark as evening. It was easy to stay concealed. The area was all shadow. Many of the glow lights overhead had not been maintained. Occasionally one would send a weak spot of illumination onto the walkway.
Obi-Wan stopped. A short distance away, across the walkway, was a large, windowless building made of shiny black metal. It took up an entire block unit. He pulled Astri back into the shadow of an overhang.
'That's it.'
Remembering Tahl's instruction, Obi-Wan left Astri to watch the entrance and skirted around the side of the building. He moved from shadow to shadow, checking for surveillance devices. He climbed onto the roof of a nearby building to inspect the roof below. He could see no evidence of guards. He used his macro-binoculars to study the building from all sides.
He returned to Astri. 'Security must be inside. There's a visual monitor by the front door. There's no thumbprint register or retinal scan.
That's good. I have a feeling about this, Astri. This must be the lab.'
She looked behind them. 'Are you sure you can trust Cholly and the others to come through?'
'Don't worry. They'll do anything for credits,' Obi-Wan said.
They didn't have long to wait. Before long, they heard footsteps approaching. Cholly, Tup, and Weez hurried down the street, casting apprehensive glances around.
