'We call him Uni now. Yes, we defeated Offworld, but other equally powerful concerns took over. I watched my beautiful planet deteriorate for the second time. I could do nothing. My rage and frustration turned to deep sorrow. It was as though I was in a dark place with no way out. Then I met Uni.' Andra shook her head as if to dislodge dark memories. 'Uni gave me a reason to live.' She looked over at Anakin and smiled. 'And who is this?'
'This is my Padawan, Anakin Skywalker.'
Andra gave him a warm nod of greeting. Anakin liked her immediately. He felt a kind of warmth and acceptance from her that reminded him of Shmi.
'So you have your own Padawan now,' she said, the smile still on her face as she glanced at Obi-Wan. 'Qui-Gon must miss you.'
Obi-Wan's bright gaze dimmed. 'Andra, Qui-Gon is dead. Three years now.'
Her smile vanished, and sorrow filled her eyes. 'I did not know. I am so sorry. The galaxy is diminished without him.'
'Yes,' Obi-Wan said. 'That is exactly how I feel. But what about Den? Still getting on your nerves?'
'I'm afraid so,' Andra said ruefully. 'I married him.'
Obi-Wan laughed. Den and Andrawere an odd match, but Qui-Gon had seen how much deep love there was between them. 'Is he aboard the BioCruiser as well?'
'Of course. He was resistant at first. But he came to see the truth of Uni's teachings.' Andra paused. 'You must be the Jedi come to inspect us. I am to give you the tour.'
'I can ask for no better guide,' Obi-Wan said.
Anakin hurried forward as Andra turned to walk down the corridor with them. 'How do you two know each other?' he asked her. Better to ask Andra than Obi-Wan. He'd get a more complete story.
'Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon helped our world when it was dying,' Andra explained. 'A mining corporation called Offworld had secretly bought up our national park spaces and had begun to mine them. I was part of the underground then-'
'A one-woman underground,' Obi-Wan said admiringly.
'True, I didn't have many followers at the time,' Andra said ruefully. 'Just a thief and gambler short on ethics and long on charm. He became my husband, Den. Despite the fact that we were outlaws, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon trusted us. They exposed Offworld, and the people got control of our sacred spaces again. Or so we thought. In the end, we lost the battle.'
Andra stopped in the middle of the circular bridge. 'But I'll never forget what they did for us.'
'And what you did for us,' Obi-Wan pointed out. 'You saved us from execution.'
'Execution?' Anakin asked, staring at Obi-Wan, wide-eyed.
'Xanatos was a terrible enemy,' Andra said softly.
'Xanatos?' Anakin asked.
'A story for another time,' Obi-Wan said firmly.
Andra nodded, understanding that Obi-Wan wished to change the subject. She gestured at the busy workers surrounding them and the banks of controls. 'As you can see, our bridge is more complicated than most starships'. The BioCruiser is made of different components, some of them originally designed to run differently from others'. Here is where everything is coordinated. Already our scientists have discovered a number of technological breakthroughs. The size and complexity of the ship is unprecedented.'
'Do you have a defense system?' Obi-Wan asked.
Andra nodded.'State of the art. We have a valuable treasury aboard. Each of us brought all our assets aboard when we joined. We use that money for research and development. Eventually, we want to be a fully self- sustaining ship, as though we were a floating planet.'
'Most planets are not fully self-sustaining,' Obi-Wan pointed out. 'They depend on trade and the free exchange of information.'
'When you open your doors to the galaxy, you invite corruption to overtake you,' Andra said, shaking her head. 'I have seen it happen on Telos. I have talkedto many aboard who have seen it happen on their own worlds. Criminal gangs grow more powerful every day in the galaxy. More and more, giant corporations gobble up natural resources. They just move on to the next planet ripe for exploitation. I believe that Uni is right. This,' Andra concluded, spreading her arms to take in the ship, 'is our greatest hope. Now, let us proceed. We have much to see.'
Anakin had never seen such a fascinating ship. It was crowded with beings from all over the galaxy, and there seemed to be plenty to do. Most of the beings worked at least part of the day, either in the tech centers, scientific labs, or service industries. There were all kinds of restaurants and cafes, with food from many worlds. There were game rooms and libraries and music rooms. One whole area of the BioCruiser was devoted to theCollectionCenter, where plants, flowers, and animals from many worlds were kept. Anakin could not imagine ever being bored. He wasn't sure how he felt about Uni's philosophy, but he thought living aboard a ship would be outstanding.
The tour took several hours. Andra left them at their quarters.
'I hope you can tell the Senate that we wish no harm. All aboard are here of their free will,' she said to Obi-Wan.
'I hope so as well,' Obi-Wan answered politely.
Andra cocked her head. 'Ah. I had forgotten how noncommittal the Jedi can be.'
'We reserve our judgment until we can speak plainly,' Obi-Wan said. 'We enjoyed the tour, Andra. Thank you.'
