students was impressive. And more than that, it was dangerous. Lundi's students seemed likely to believe anything their teacher said without question, and the way he spoke about the dark side made it sound enticing.
Could they be inspired to delve too deeply?
Obi-Wan focused once more on the students. It had to be one of them, or someone like them, who had assembled the Sith lore on Korriban.
A small group in the first row captured Obi-Wan's attention. The four students sat front and center, leaning forward whenever the professor spoke.
The first, a dark-haired humanoid, nodded at the end of each of Lundi's statements. Next to him, a redheaded boy was so riveted that he held his hands just above his desk as if he had been about to fold them in his lap but froze when the professor began to speak. The third boy was transcribing every word on a datapad, in spite of the fact that he had his own small hovercam recording the entire lecture. Last was a girl who clung protectively to a coat and document case that Obi-Wan guessed belonged to Dr. Lundi.
Suddenly a yellow light went on over the desk of the dark-haired boy in the front row. Obi-Wan quickly realized that the light alerted the professor that a student wished to ask a question.
Dr. Lundi stopped in mid-sentence. His head swiveled on its long neck, and Obi-Wan caught an angry gleam in the Quermian's uncovered eye.
But the anger disappeared when the professor saw who had dared to interrupt him. The humanoid boy was obviously a favorite. Dr. Lundi even called him by name.
'Yes, Norval?' he asked.
Norval stood. 'Please forgive the interruption, professor. I only want to know if it is true that the Sith were more powerful than the Jedi.'
Dr. Lundi laughed lightly, as if Norval's question was childish. 'Of course,' he said. 'Power and vengeance are much stronger motives than peace could ever be. The Sith could have easily controlled the entire galaxy had they not made their one mistake — '
Dr. Lundi was interrupted by a tone signaling the end of class.
Students sat silently in their seats, hoping the professor would finish his thought. But Dr. Lundi was already collecting his coat and case from the girl in the front row.
'There will be no class next week,' the professor announced. The class groaned. Lundi smiled at their disappointment. 'I am taking a small sabbatical.'
Yellow lights went on over desks throughout the room.
'When I return I may have exciting information to share with you.'
Dr. Lundi smirked mysteriously. 'Until then, my assistant Dedra will answer any after-class questions.'
The girl who had been holding the professor's things stood at the front of the room. Obi-Wan thought she looked overwhelmed as Dr. Lundi moved smoothly out of the course hall followed by Norval and the redheaded boy, who Norval called Omal. Obi-Wan noticed that the redheaded boy had bright, sharp-looking eyes. He was clearly excited, and talked animatedly with Norval about the lecture.
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon exchanged a glance before they, too, made their way toward the door and slipped out of the hall. It looked as though they would be taking a little sabbatical of their own.
Chapter 3
Qui-Gon would have liked to stay and talk to the students in Dr.
Lundi's class, but the professor's surprise announcement changed everything. Dr. Lundi was up to something, and the most important thing was to find out what it was and where he was going.
The Quermian moved surprisingly quickly for someone his age, but the Jedi kept up easily. Qui-Gon followed Lundi into a terminal and watched him board a midsize craft. Not knowing where the transport was going, the Jedi had no choice but to follow him aboard.
Once inside the transport it became clear that the vessel was a private, no-frills charter. The main hold had been outfitted with close rows of seats filled almost to capacity. Both the seats and the passengers looked like they had seen better days.
'Are you going to Lisal?' a voice growled from a dim corner near the entrance.
'Yes,' Qui-Gon answered quickly. The ship's destination sounded familiar.
'Tickets?' the voice demanded.
'Two please,' Qui-Gon answered.
'It's too late to buy them now.' The surly captain stepped out of the shadows to reveal his bad breath and broken teeth to the Jedi. 'If you don't have any you'll have to pay double.'
'We'll be happy to pay the regular fee,' Qui-Gon replied, calmly looking into the pilot's beady eyes.
'Two at the regular price, then,' the captain said. He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out two grimy stubs. 'You'll have to sit in the back.'
Obi-Wan handed the captain a few credits while Qui-Gon scanned the crowd for Murk Lundi. He was not sitting with the rest of the passengers.
But with so many eyes on them the Jedi did not dare search the rest of the ship for him. At least not yet.
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon squeezed into the back row and sat down. As he settled into his seat, Qui-Gon's knees pressed comically against the row ahead of him. There was not nearly enough room to accommodate the Jedi's large frame.
