'There is a bit of pride mixed in with his politics,' Ferus said.
'Ferus showed a greater grasp of this situation than we did,' Siri said lightly. 'He predicted a chaotic takeover. He said that Joylin would surprise us, and he was right.'
'Good, Ferus. We need to anticipate problems,' Mace said.
Obi-Wan noted that Anakin looked unhappy. Mace had singled Ferus out for praise. He moved closer to his Padawan.
'I am proud of you,' he said. 'You fought well, with compassion and precision.'
But Anakin was not listening.
Something was wrong.
Chapter Seventeen
Anakin hung back, watching Joylin carefully. He knew the Force was helping him, he knew that this sudden power was a new side of the Force that he hadn't yet tapped, and he was filled with a sudden sense of exultation. He had even more power than he knew. Suddenly, he saw into the heart of Joylin. He did not see just what Joylin wanted them to see, or didn't care if they saw, but the most secret part of him. Joylin suddenly looked so small. He was such easy prey.
I didn't know this, Anakin thought. The Force isn't just about manipulating objects. I can manipulate beings, too. I can use their fears and secrets.
'You did it,' he said to Joylin. 'You let him go.' The Jedi turned to look at him, surprised.
'Those guards aren't taking Teda to prison. You never wanted him to surrender,' Anakin said. 'You knew he was too much of a coward to do so.
You just gave him the ultimatum so you would have an excuse to execute all his loyal followers. You were afraid if they survived they would build a power base and ultimately destroy you. You knew that Teda was nothing without them, that he wasn't capable of running a government. He's just a figurehead. You don't fear him, so you don't need him dead. You just need him gone. So if someone like Zan Arbor pays you enough, you'll allow him to escape. She made the deal with you at the beginning of the revolt, didn't she?'
The Jedi turned back to Joylin. His angry silence told them everything.
'Where are they?' Mace asked.
'I'd guess Teda and Zan Arbor are heading for the Slams' ship,' Anakin said. 'And I would also guess that the Slams have permission to leave Romin, no matter what Joylin has told us. He has kept the permission order for the Slams to leave in place despite the lock-down.'
'Withdraw that permission,' Mace ordered. 'It is too late,' Joylin replied.
With a withering look of contempt at Joylin, Mace led the Jedi out of the room.
They rushed to the landing platform, zooming up in one of the turbolifts. When they reached the top, the Jedi quickly hid behind a gravsled stacked with equipment. They could see the Slams readying the ship for departure. Through a windscreen, Anakin saw a blond head.
'They are still here,' Mace said. 'Excellent work, Anakin. Let's go.'
'Wait.' Obi-Wan's tone was sharp, and Mace turned, surprised. He was rarely told to wait.
'We should let them go,' Obi-Wan said. 'This is our chance. They are on their way to Granta Omega. It's the only way we can find him. If we can get a tracking device aboard, we'll have him.'
'Obi-Wan, we have Zan Arbor here, now,' Mace said. 'She is capable of doing great harm to many. Are you willing to risk letting her go for the sake of Granta Omega?'
'I feel strongly that we must,' Obi-Wan said. 'Omega is the bigger threat.'
Ferus bit his lip, looking from Obi-Wan to Mace. Anakin waited, his hand on his lightsaber.
Siri's eyes blazed in agreement. 'Obi-Wan is right. Ferus and I are ready to join them on this mission,' she told Mace.
'I do not know that you're correct,' Mace said. 'A position I find myself in all too often these days. If you feel strongly, Obi-Wan, I support your decision. But everything depends on getting that tracking device on the ship without being seen.'
Obi-Wan turned to Anakin with such confidence, such assurance, that Anakin felt he would never forget this moment. Trust lay between them, unbreakable.
'Anakin?'
'I will do it, Master.'
He took a tracking device out of his utility belt and stood. Keeping behind the supplies, the gravsleds, and fueling trucks, he slid in as close as he dared. He would have to choose his moment. A moment when no one aboard would be looking.
The Force. He could use it. He wasn't sure how. But he reached out for it and gathered it, formed it to his pleasure, to what he needed.
The engines fired. He was close enough to feel their heat. Now.
The ship rose, just a meter above the ground, hovering for the few crucial seconds needed to input coordinates and information. With the help of the Force, those seconds spun out into more time, enough time for him.
Anakin used the Force to jump straight toward the exhaust, where no viewscreens could see him. The
