There was audible excitement as the Freelies began to chatter among themselves. Antennae all over the room were bouncing up and down. Obi-Wan turned to look for Tray, and saw her sink to the ground. A look of horror was frozen on her face.
'But my grandmother — ' she stammered. 'No.' She looked up at Grath and Obi-Wan. 'The Multycorp annex is going to explode.'
Chapter 20
The Freelies grew completely silent as Tray's words sank in.
'What?' Grath said. 'What did you say?'
Tray's eyes were full of tears. 'The Multycorp annex is going to explode,' she repeated. 'We thought it would be empty. There were no meetings on the roster.'
Obi-Wan reached for his comlink. If he could tell Qui-Gon what was happening, they might be able to stop the explosion. But before he could even attempt to make a transmission Tray was shaking her head.
Obi-Wan tried the comlink, but there was only interference and static.
'It won't work anymore,' she said woodenly. 'We've scrambled communication.' She pointed to her timepiece. 'We're too late.'
Tray leaped to her feet. 'We have to stop the explosion!' she shouted. 'Come on!'
Leading the way, Tray rushed out to the maintenance shuttle and climbed into the cockpit seat. For a moment, Nania looked as though she might try to take the controls from her, but she changed her mind. Tray needed something to do.
Unfortunately, Tray was not much of a pilot. If a ride with Nania was an adventure, a ride with Tray was a hazard. The shuttle lurched and bounced, tossing the other Freelies around in the back.
As he slammed into his seat, Obi-Wan tried to clear his mind. He wanted to send Qui-Gon a warning about the explosion. But there was so much anxiety and commotion in the shuttle it was difficult to concentrate. He closed his eyes and shut out all of the noise and emotion. Gathering the Force around him, he sent a warning to Qui-Gon. Get everyone out of the Multycorp annex, he told him. Now.
Obi-Wan opened his eyes to find Grath staring at him. 'I hope whatever you just did works,' the boy said in a shaky voice. 'If anything happens to my father because of me, because of what I've done….' he trailed off, suddenly at a loss for words.
Obi-Wan tried to reassure Grath. 'We're doing all we can. We mustn't lose hope,' he said.
But Obi-Wan himself had a foreboding feeling. They might be too late.
'It's all my fault,' Grath went on. 'I started to change the pranks.
I wanted to get their attention. To make them see…' Grath's eyes filled with tears as he stared out of the shuttle portal. 'And now my father, the leader of the planet, is in danger.'
'It's not your fault, Grath,' Tray piped up, her voice wavering.
'It's mine.' She made a sharp turn and the shuttle banked to the left.
There was a groan from a few Freelies who were thrown against the shuttle wall.
'I convinced Flip that the pranks should become violent. I told him you would respect him for taking the next step, that you would be proud….
' Tray took a hand off the controls to wipe her eyes, sending the shuttle into a nosedive. It skidded against the ground before Tray righted it again.
'And he believed me,' she said with a sob. 'He believed every word I said.'
Finally the shuttle rounded a corner and the Multycorp annex came into view. Obi-Wan let out a huge sigh of relief. It was still standing.
But before the shuttle got close enough for anyone to shout a warning, a huge explosion rocked the workspace. Chunks of metal, cement, and other debris shot into the air as the front of the Multycorp annex exploded, collapsing in on itself.
'No!' Grath screamed, covering his face with his hands. Nania stared ahead, too shocked to speak. Tray slumped over the shuttle's controls. Obi- Wan scanned the area through the view-screen, waiting for the dust to clear. Did Qui-Gon get his message? Did the Vorzydiaks get out in time?
Obi-Wan sensed that his Master was nearby, but could not tell if he was all right.
Obi-Wan immediately saw a group of people. Some were crouched, others lay on the ground amid the rubble. There was not much movement.
Forcing open the shuttle door, Obi-Wan raced toward them. He desperately hoped that he was not running toward a scene of death.
Chapter 21
The explosion site was in chaos. Vorzydiak laborers and retirees were everywhere, lying on the ground, droning, and nursing injuries. All of them were in shock. Obi-Wan followed Grath and Tray as the Vorzydiaks searched the crowd for their families.
At last Obi-Wan spotted Qui-Gon's brown robe. His Master was kneeling beside a body on the ground. Next to him was Chairman Port.
'Father!' Grath shouted and sprinted ahead.
