government together. No doubt the election period will be volatile. I've tightened security and closed the Absolute Museum. We are mainly trying to keep the people calm. And there's one more thing. As Acting Supreme Governor, I'm making an official request to the Jedi. I'd like you to oversee the preparations for the upcoming elections. We are holding them in three days.
We can't afford to wait. It's the only way to keep the peace.'
'But not everyone trusts the Jedi,' Obi-Wan said. 'I'm sure the Tahl holotape didn't help.'
'There are enough who do,' Manex said. 'And once you find Balog, as you said, Tahl's name will be cleared. Until then, you'll have all my support. I've instructed World Security to give you cooperation.'
Mace nodded. 'Then we accept.'
Qui-Gon bristled. Mace had not even glanced at him, or sought his opinion. He would have been against the acceptance.
'I'll leave you, then,' Manex said. He rushed out, his gold robe swirling around his soft, polished boots.
Qui-Gon knew he should speak diplomatically, but he didn't have time for tact. 'This is a mistake,' he told Mace. 'Overseeing elections will divert us from the investigation of Tahl's death. We should be concentrating on finding Balog.'
Mace took Qui-Gon's stern tone in stride. 'I disagree,' he said. 'The political situation is part of the pursuit of justice for Tahl's killer. It is all tied together. We will be in the perfect position to gain information. Not to mention that our overall mission was to restore New Apsolon to stability. If the Supreme Governor requests our help in a legitimate cause, the Jedi must agree.'
Qui-Gon pressed his lips together. He knew better than to push the argument further. But he was furious at Mace's decision. He wanted to stalk out of the room, out of the house, and keep going. He wanted to push an airspeeder as fast as he could, even without a direction. Frustration boiled inside him. With every second that ticked away, he could feel Balog slipping out of his reach.
Chapter 4
'I suggest that we find our quarters and take some refreshment,' Mace said, turning to Bant. 'We had a long journey, and we don't know when we'll get a chance to rest. Then we'll head to the United Legislature and get started.'
Obi-Wan had felt Qui-Gon's displeasure with Mace's decision. It was clear how deeply he disagreed with Mace. Obi-Wan knew that Qui-Gon saw this as a waste of time. But his Master had not come up with an alternative plan, either.
Mace lifted an eyebrow at Qui-Gon. 'If you had an idea of Balog's whereabouts, or a way to find him, we would delay and follow your lead. But until then, the only course open to us is to gather information.'
Obi-Wan glanced at Qui-Gon. His Master had not told Mace about the probe droids he'd sent out to find Balog. It was one thing to break the laws of a planet because a Jedi was in immediate danger of death. It was another to employ them in tracking a citizen of the planet where they were illegal. He wasn't sure how Mace would react, which was most likely why Qui-Gon did not tell him. The Jedi were already on uncertain footing on the planet.
Mace and Bant left the room. The tension did not dissolve. Qui-Gon paced, brooding. Clearly, he did not want to talk.
Manex's protocol droid once again hovered in the doorway. 'So sorry to intrude. Another visitor. She says you know her, so I took the liberty.
Her name is Yanci.'
'Yanci? Show her in, please,' Obi-Wan said, surprise in his voice.
Yanci was the Rock Worker medic who had fixed his leg after a rock had crushed it. She had come after them and begged for their help in resisting an Absolute attack on their settlement. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had returned with her, but it was too late. Every man, woman, and child had been killed.
Yanci's terrible grief still burned in Obi-Wan's memory.
Yanci entered the room. Obi-Wan could see at once that she had changed in the course of two days. The massacre of her fellow Workers along with the death of the man she loved had etched sorrow into her features.
Her eyes were different. He could see the loss there.
For the first time since Tahl's death, Qui-Gon's distraction lifted and he truly seemed to focus on another person. It was as though the two recognized each other immediately as fellow sufferers. He moved forward and took her hand. 'It is good to see you,' he murmured.
She stared into his face. 'I heard about Jedi Knight Tahl. You have my deepest sympathy.'
He pressed her hand, then dropped it. Obi-Wan saw that Qui-Gon did not need words with Yanci.
She turned to Obi-Wan. 'And how is that leg?'
'All healed, thanks to you.'
'And you. I have great respect for the Jedi powers of recuperation. I am sorry to come at such a time. I'm living with the Workers in the city now.' Yanci's voice lowered. 'I heard something that I thought might help you. It is about a Worker named Oleg.'
Obi-Wan's senses sharpened. Oleg was the Worker who they believed had the list of Absolute informers. He had been seen with Tahl, which was why Balog suspected that he had passed off the list to her. Instead, he had disappeared.
'I heard that Balog is chasing Oleg,' Yanci went on. 'I don't know why, and I don't need to know. But I recognized that name. Several weeks ago, the Rock Workers were contacted by the Workers in the city. They asked if they could send a Worker to us who needed to go into hiding. It was Oleg. He had infiltrated the Absolutes
