know firsthand the misery and poverty there.'
'You see?' Anakin said. 'Joylin and his group are fighting for justice. As we are. We can help them and bring Zan Arbor back to the prison world. You're making this complicated, Ferus. It isn't.'
I'm making this too complicated, Obi-Wan thought. It isn't.
He thought for a moment, remembering Zan Arbor's primary obsession. He keyed it in as a password: The Force.
The files opened like the motion-sensor doors at the Warm Welcome Inn on Coruscant. One after the other they flashed code accepted. Obi-Wan accessed the first file. The voices of the others faded as he began to scroll through the information.
A chill ran over him, even though the night was warm. The letters pulsed before his eyes. A name he hadn't expected to see. Yet shouldn't he have been prepared for it? Wouldn't Zan Arbor naturally gravitate toward the most powerful criminal in the galaxy, one with the wealth and organization to help her with any scheme she might devise? Or had he contacted her, the one scientist brilliant and amoral enough to join with him? Didn't they share the obsession with the Force and how it worked?
Granta Omega.
A copy of a message, a profuse thank you from Zan Arbor for Omega's hosting of their first meeting.
A quick message saying she had to evacuate the Vanqor system and would be in touch.
A confirmation of their next meeting, in which she alluded to their shared interest in the Force.
Another letter, promising to destroy all written records of their correspondence, a promise that of course she had not kept, possibly as security.
Obi-Wan flipped through the next file. The two of them were careful.
They never said exactly what they were planning. Yet it was clear the operation would take place on a large planet in the Core. It would net them not only wealth, but influence.
Siri's voice broke through his thoughts.
'I've listened to you both very carefully, as has Obi-Wan,' she said, shooting him a chastising look, for it was clear to her that he hadn't been paying attention in the least. 'You both make valid points. We must make a decision, however. I think we should go ahead and help Joylin's group. Obi- Wan?'
'There is another factor we must consider,' Obi-Wan said. 'These files indicate that Zan Arbor is in league with Granta Omega.'
'Omega!' Anakin exclaimed in surprise.
Siri and Ferus suddenly became grave. They all knew that these two powerful criminal minds could do more than double the damage if they became partners.
Obi-Wan met Siri's eyes. She nodded.
'We are going to help the resistance,' Obi-Wan said. 'We will take the risk. We need to get Zan Arbor off this planet. We only have tomorrow before our cover could be blown. The best chance we have is if she thinks her safety here is compromised. We will offer her a way out. She will have to take it. There is only one thing.'
Siri cocked an eyebrow at him. He noted that she looked her old self, in her tunic and leggings. It was as if the sight of her in her drifting shimmersilk had been an apparition.
'We might not want to take her to the prison planet,' he continued.
'If we do it right, she could lead us to Omega himself.'
'We would have to contact Mace,' Siri said.
Obi-Wan nodded. 'I think he would agree. I'll contact him tonight. It will help us if he can start working on Senate approval for us to help the revolt. But it won't come in time.'
Suddenly, their mission had grown in importance. Granta Omega could be within their grasp again. This time, Obi-Wan would not lose him.
'We can decide where to take Zan Arbor another time,' Obi-Wan said.
'But we should all agree that if we can track Omega through her, we will.'
'I agree,' Siri said quietly.
'I do, too,' Anakin said.
Ferus nodded.
'Now let's all get some sleep,' Obi-Wan said. Nevertheless, he knew he would not.
Romin had only one moon, but it was a large, luminous satellite. That night its light seemed enormous to Obi-Wan. It kept him from the sleep he tried vainly to reach.
At last he gave up. He rose from his sleep couch, opened the double doors to the stone patio outside, and walked into the fragrant garden. The air felt heavy. The heat from the day had lingered. Obi-Wan moved among the flowering shrubs. He found the play of moonlight on the glossy leaves more calming than lying on his sleep couch, waiting to feel drowsy. He would let the sights and sounds around him lull him into a kind of relaxation that he hoped would be as restorative as sleep.
He followed a path crowded with bushes that suddenly opened into a small grassy clearing. Ferus sat cross- legged in the middle of the clearing, his eyes closed. Obi-Wan stopped, not wishing to disturb him.
He was turning to go back to the house when Ferus spoke.
'You couldn't sleep either, Master Kenobi?'
