'What if security didn't get here in time?' Obi-Wan demanded shakily. 'What if you were already dead? You took a great risk, Bant. How could you do that to me?'
She looked up at him, astonished. 'I was doing it for you!'
'But what if something had happened? How could you let me go through one more death?' Obi-Wan knew that the best way to convince Bant that her plan was foolish was to make her think that the greatest danger lay in hurting him.
'I didn't think of it that way,' Bant said.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath to steady his voice. 'Thank you for trying to help, Bant. But Qui-Gon is right. You can't. He can't. I must go through this myself. Promise me you won't do this again.'
Slowly, Bant nodded.'All right. I promise,' she said gravely.
'This is when we must be at our strongest,' he said. 'We must trust in the truth and the Force.'
'And the Force will be with us,' Bant said.
Chapter 8
'Qui-Gon was right,' Tahl said to Qui-Gon and Clee Rhara. 'Tarrence Chenati must have the backing of someone powerful in the Senate.'
'In the Senate?' Clee asked, her eyes flashing. 'A Senator is doing this?'
'Why not?' Qui-Gon asked mildly. 'They are rarely no better and sometimes worse than most beings.'
'The Senate uses its own spies,' Tahl said. 'They are called 'no-names.' A whole identity is created, with text docs and clearances. When the no-name dies, the identity is retired.' She swept her hand toward the documents on Tarrence Chenati.'This kind of identity. What if someone had access to those retired identities and stole one for the saboteur?'
'That makes sense,' Qui-Gon said. 'Who would have access?'
Tahl frowned: 'Hard to say. It could be almost any senior level Senator with the right contacts and the right bribes. Tracing it would be close to impossible.'
'If Chenati is just a hired saboteur, he won't have much loyalty,' Qui-Gon guessed. 'If we capture him, he might tell us what we want to know.'
'Chenati's shift starts in fifteen minutes,' Clee Rhara said. 'I don't want him near those ships.'
'Let us handle this,' Qui-Gon advised her. 'Go to the students. Keep everyone away from the hangar. And try to head off Haly Dura, too.'
Clee Rhara nodded. She strode off toward the student quarters. Tahl and Qui-Gon turned to go, but a signal went off on the control panel of the security system.
'It's Chenati. He's early,' Qui-Gon said tersely. Without another word, Tahl and Qui-Gon hurried to the hangar. The huge durasteel doors were already open, the starfighters lined up inside. Qui-Gon saw Chenati working on a control panel on the side of one of the starfighters.
'He's fifteen meters to the left, working on the right side of the starfighter,' he said to Tahl.
'Let's flank him,' she suggested. 'But not until the last second. We don't want to scare him off.'
Qui-Gon and Tahl strolled toward Chenati, who had caught sight of them and waved cheerfully. He reached down into his tool kit. Something alerted Qui-Gon even before Chenati began to rise again. He was too friendly.
'He knows,' Qui-Gon said.
Chenati came back up with a blaster. The fire pinged by them, since Tahl and Qui-Gon had already jumped apart. Qui-Gon's lightsaber was activated in a flash, and he sprang to deflect the blaster fire from Tahl.
'Stop protecting me!' she shouted.
But how could he? Tahl's perceptions were extraordinarily acute, but even she could not deflect rapid blaster fire she could not see. Tahl began to move in an erratic zigzag motion toward Chenati. Chenati backed away, keeping up a steady burst of fire. Qui-Gon moved forward, keeping himself between Tahl and the blaster fire. He knew she was listening for the rustle of clothing, the stir of air to tell her which way Chenati was aiming. But there was too much other noise surrounding her.
Suddenly Chenati raced into the cockpit of the starfighter. The windshield began to close.
Tahl heard the noise and began to run. The starfighter began to move, straight toward her.
'Tahl! Straight ahead!' Qui-Gon yelled. He started toward her, but Tahl had already accessed the Force and gave a great leap to her left, placing her safely out of the starfighter's way. The distraction had cost Qui-Gon. He could not reach Chenati. He could only watch as the starship took off.
Tahl deactivated her lightsaber and tucked it into her belt in an angry motion. 'Perhaps if you weren't so intent on protecting me, you could have captured him.' Her voice was sharp and bitter. 'Perhaps if I didn't need to be protected, things would be different.'
'Tahl-'
'Qui-Gon! Tahl!' Clee came running up. 'I saw Chenati take off.' Clee stared at the sky, empty now.
'It was either kill him or let him go,' Qui-Gon said.
'It's all right,' Clee said. 'At least we know the starfighters are safe now.'
'You'll have to check these out,' Tahl said. 'He was here for a few minutes.'
