too hard.'
'Sure,' Siri said. 'One of the shrewdest scientific minds in the galaxy is going for a joyride with us. As Garen would say, piece of sweetcake.'
'We'll think of something to tempt her to join us,' Obi-Wan said. 'The point is to land on Romin and contact her. We can only do that as criminals.'
'Can I return to 'technically'?' Tyro asked. 'Technically, you'd still be in violation of several laws I can easily think of. If you get caught.'
'We're not going to be caught. That's where you come in,' Obi-Wan said, turning to him.
Suddenly, Tyro looked uneasy. 'Oh.'
'We'll need ID docs and descriptions and background information,' Obi- Wan said. 'And you said they operated on different planets in the Core.
That means they probably have a spaceworthy ship. Do you think you can pull some strings for us and commandeer it?'
'I don't know,' Tyro said doubtfully. 'That would take some favor trading.'
'Your specialty,' Obi-Wan pointed out.
'It would all have to be top secret, so I'd have to go to the Senate security committee first,' Tyro said slowly. 'They'd have to give me a waiver to approach the Overseer of Prison Worlds, who would have to issue an edict to the prison world's Confiscation Authority….'
'I don't need the details, Tyro,' Obi-Wan said. 'I just need results.
We'll also need time. You'll have to get the authorities to agree to keep the capture of the Slam gang a secret until we've completed the mission.
They have to still be listed as escaped, in case anyone checks.'
Tyro frowned. 'That might be difficult. When they catch criminals, they like to boast about it. I'd need an indefinite Stop Comm order from the Central Posting Service — ' Tyro caught Obi-Wan's eyes. He shut his datapad briskly and rose. 'I'd better get started.'
Tyro hurried out of the room.
'We'll have to clear this with Master Windu,' Siri said. 'And I'd bet it will take some persuasion.'
'He'll agree,' Obi-Wan said confidently. 'He knows how important the capture of Zan Arbor is to the safety of the galaxy.'
Anakin felt a surge of excitement as Obi-Wan and Siri began to discuss possible courses of action and how soon they could leave. The frustration of locating Zan Arbor but not being able to take her into custody was over.
Now they had a focus. They had a way to apprehend her.
He pushed away the thought of seeing her again. Anakin had focused his attention on catching her. He had not thought about what he would do when they found her. He had met Jenna Zan Arbor in the prisoner of-war camp on Vanqor. She had been pleasant, polite. Yet the memory of what happened there chilled him. She was the inventor of a drug that induced what she called the Zone of Self-Containment. Anakin had felt pleasure and contentment while under its influence. Nothing had bothered him. For the first time in his life, he had felt at peace. It was the feeling he had hoped to achieve as a Jedi. What had scared him was the thought that he would never feel that again. He had achieved true serenity in the Zone, but it had been a cheap victory, for after it was over, it had left him with guilt and fear. The very emotions he had tried to escape from.
Focus on the first step. The others will follow.
Much good had come out of his experience on Vanqor. The Zone had broken him down in a way that had been helpful. He had felt vulnerable and afraid, and he had leaned on his Master. He had come to see that Obi- Wan cared for him a great deal. His Master would be there for him always. That had been a great gift to carry away from an uncertain time.
Anakin tore his mind away from his own preoccupations and noticed that Ferus looked as though he were debating whether to speak. Anakin hoped he wouldn't. He rarely liked what Ferus Olin had to say.
Siri noted her Padawan's hesitation. 'Is there something on your mind, Ferus?' she asked.
'I am just wondering if this plan is appropriate for the Jedi,' Ferus said. 'It is not for me to question Jedi Masters…'
'Questioning is part of the role of an apprentice,' Obi-Wan said kindly. 'Go ahead.'
'This isn't the kind of thing that a Jedi should do,' Ferus said stiffly, obviously uncomfortable at second- guessing his Master.
'Impersonating criminals? We are not tricksters. We are ambassadors of peace and justice.'
Anakin wanted to roll his eyes. Ferus was such a show-off. He always had to bring up Jedi rules, as if he was the only one who remembered them.
Did it ever occur to him that the important thing was to get the job done?
Anakin looked over at Siri. She was nodding thoughtfully, as though she was truly considering Ferus's point. He wondered if she was just trying to be a good Master when she really wanted to call him a pompous bore.
'Of course that is true,' Siri said. 'But the galaxy is complex. The Jedi must operate differently and take different kinds of risks. There are planets that do not welcome our presence, yet circumstances demand that we help for the good of the galaxy.' She sighed. 'I have gone undercover before, Ferus. The Council decided that it was the only way to infiltrate a vast space pirating operation. I had to pretend to leave the Order. It was difficult. Every Jedi thought I had turned to the dark side, even Obi-Wan.'
'It was a great act of bravery on Siri's part,' Obi-Wan said.
