It was the formerly bellicose Tolut who rose to the visitors' defense. 'For those who can make it rain indoors, even such a thing as rational dialogue with the Alwari may be possible.'
Luminara smiled at the burly alien. Confrontational he might be, but at least he was flexible enough to change his position when the facts warranted his doing so. That was more than could be said, so far, for his human and Ansionian colleagues-though they were weakening. One could feel the subtle change in the mental atmosphere in the chamber. It was as if, though fed up with the convoluted workings and the oppressive bureaucracy of the Republic, they wanted to believe in it. It was up to her and Obi-Wan, together with their respective Padawans, to bring the members of the delegation around.
Everything now hinged on gaining the full cooperation of these Alwari nomads. Somehow she felt that was going to entail more than sitting in a comfortable room performing tricks with jugs of water.
'How do we find the Alwari?' Anakin queried, showing impatience.
Luminara's gaze narrowed as she regarded the Padawan. One could sense the strength of the Force within him, as well as other potentialities. Though she knew little about him, she knew that Obi-Wan Kenobi would not take on a Padawan who did not show considerable promise. He was just the Jedi to rein such a headstrong youth in, to take the sharp edges off the rough diamond and polish him into a true Jedi. There was nothing wrong with the Padawan's words, or with him speaking out. It was only that there was a fine line between confident and headstrong, between bold and arrogant. Glancing slightly to her right, she saw that Barriss visibly disapproved of her male counterpart. Well, the young woman would keep her doubts to herself-unless Sky-walker provoked her. Barriss was reserved by nature, but she was not easily intimidated. Especially by another Padawan.
Ranjiyn did not hesitate. 'Go east. Or west, or any other di rection. Go away from civilization. Leave the cities behind.' He ventured the thin Ansionian version of a smile. 'You will find the Alwari. Or they will find you. I wish I could be there to watch you try to talk sense into them. That would be something to see.'
'Something to see,' Tolut grunted in agreement.
Luminara and Obi-Wan rose simultaneously. The conference was at an end. 'You know our reputation,' Obi-Wan said. 'We have put it behind our words thousands of times before. This will be no different. Dealing with your Alwari can't be any more frustrating than trying to negotiate the traffic patterns on Corus-cant.' His expression twisted at the memory of his last visit. He didn't much care for intracity travel.
The mention of urban confusion further solidified the grow ing, if wary, rapport that had developed during the conference between visitors and delegates-which was of course precisely why he had alluded to it. Official business concluded, visitors and delegates alike chatted amiably for another hour, both sides grateful for the chance to learn something more of one another off the record and on a personal level. In particular, the now nearly dried-out Tolut had taken a special shine to Luminara. She tolerated the hulking delegate's proximity without concern. In the course of her career she had been required to make friends with far more obnoxious sentients.
While engaged in her own conversations, she noted with ad miration how Obi-Wan Kenobi put others at ease. For all his vaunted skills and experience, his was a personality others found nonthreatening. His tone was understated, while his words fell on the ears of others as gently as a therapeutic massage. If he had not become a Jedi, she mused, he would have been a great credit to the diplomatic service.
But that would have meant a career in the very bureaucracy that they both decried, the consequences of whose blundering and stumbling they were both here to try to smooth over.
Barriss was doing her best to charm both Ranjiyn and the el der human representative, while Anakin was spouting a streak of self-assurance at the other human. The woman listened intently to everything he said, more engrossed in his words than Lumi-nara would have expected. She would have listened in, but she had Tolut and the still-suspicious Kandah to try to win over. Anyway, if Anakin needed monitoring, that was Obi-Wan's job, not hers.
If only, she reflected, succeeding in their mission here could be reduced to a matter of choosing the right phrases. Unfortunately, she had been involved in too many disputes on too many unruly worlds to believe that the quandary of Ansion would be solved by shrewd words alone.
Delegate Kandah, of the Unity of Community that represented the urban citizens of Ansion, waited uneasily in the dark passageway. Beyond, the lights of Songoquin Street, with its chanting vendors and night-strolling patrons, beckoned. Like all her big-eyed kind, she was comfortable moving about even on moonless nights. But in such a restricted defile, with only one way in and out, even a night-sighted Ansionian might be forgiven for wishing for a little more illumination.
'What have you for me?' Though she recognized the voice immediately, the abruptness of it snapping unannounced out of the darkness startled her. 'What of the meeting between the visitors and the representatives of the Unity?'
'It went all too well.' She did not know the identity of the contact with whom she was speaking, much less his name. She could not even be sure it was a he. None of that mattered. What was important was that he paid handsomely, without delay, and in untraceable credits. 'The delegation was mistrustful and skeptical at first. I did my personal best to sow confusion and dissent. But the Jedi are as clever with words as they are with the Force. I'm certain they have convinced that stupid Armalat to vote on their behalf. The others continue to vacillate.' She proceeded to describe in detail the rest of the meeting.
'So the Jedi intend to try to persuade the Alwari to allow exploration and development on up to half the traditional nomad prairie lands?' Incredulous laughter echoed from the shadows. 'That would be something! They have no chance of doing so, of course.'
'I would have thought so, too,' she whispered into the gloom, 'until I met them for myself and saw how they operate. They are subtle, as well as shrewd.'
The voice hesitated before responding. 'You don't mean to say you believe they might actually secure such an agreement with the Alwari?'
'I mean to say that these are true Jedi, and I am not qualified to predict what they might or might not accomplish. I can say that I would not bet against them-in anything.'
'Jedi are famed as fighters, not talkers,' the voice muttered uneasily.
'Is that so?' Kandah recalled more details of the conference. 'These Knights and their Padawans are suavity made solid. As for what you say, how many Jedi have you seen in action? Of any kind?'
'Never mind what I have seen or not seen.' The voice's owner was clearly irritated, though not with his supplier of infor mation. 'I must convey this information to my patron. He will know what to do.'
