Jedi Voyage #3 - The Deadly Tournament

Chapter Thirteen

  Obi-Wan stood across the street from Uso Yso's swoop shop. He had disguised himself as a space traveler, pulling on a dull gray cloak and a wrapped headdress. As he watched, a steady stream of visitors entered and left the shop. None of them left with a swoop. Apparently Yso was doing a thriving business in taking illegal bets.
  Obi-Wan saw a short, plump figure suddenly dart across the street for Yso's dark front door. He sprinted across the street to catch up.
  He yanked Didi back by the collar of his tunic. "What are you doing?"
  "Nothing. At least, nothing now, since you are holding my collar," Didi said.
  "You said you were going to buy back Bog's speeder," Obi-Wan accused.
  "I tried! I did! But the cheating monkey-lizard I sold it to upped the price," Didi told him. "I couldn't afford to buy back my own speeder! I need to raise a little cash, so I thought I would sell Bog's datapad and buy back his speeder instead."
  Obi-Wan saw the datapad tucked underneath Didi's arm. "Let me see that."
  There was a chance that someone on the Games Council knew the events were rigged. This might be an easy way to find out. He quickly accessed the information on Bog's system and flipped through random files. There didn't seem to be anything amiss. One file was labeled WAYS TO ADVANCE. Obi-Wan accessed it and read through a list of instructions Bog had written to himself.
  BE FRIENDLY TO ALL!! THOSE WHO CANNOT HELP YOU TODAY CAN HELP YOU TOMORROW!!
  DO MENTAL TASKS FOR IMPORTANT BEINGS!! IT MAKES YOU INDISPENSABLE!!
  NEVER CONTRADICT A SUPERIOR!!
  FOLLOW THE POWER!!!!!!!
  "You see what I have to put up with?" Didi sighed. "My poor Astri."
  Obi-Wan accessed another file marked GAMES COUNCIL RESPONSIBILITIES. He scanned the notes carefully. It appeared that Bog's only job on the Games Council was arranging VIP seating. He had made lists matching Senators with exclusive gallery skyboxes for various events. So much for his importance.
  Obi-Wan shut down the datapad. He tucked it inside his tunic.
  "I was going to sell that!" Didi protested.
  "It's not yours to sell. Didi, I know you won't take my advice. But things might be more complicated than you realize. I'd advise you to stay away from betting."
  "I assure you I will," Didi said, his brown eyes sincere.
  Obi-Wan's comlink signaled. Jocasta Nu's voice came through crisply. He spoke so that Didi could not hear. "I found out who Quentor is. Were you playing a joke on me, Obi-Wan?" Jocasta Nu asked.
  "No, of course not."
  "There was no record of him anywhere, so I did the usual criminal search. Then a deep background trace. Nothing appeared."
  "So he is an underground figure."
  Jocasta Nu chuckled. "Not exactly. He's a yellow-tailed summerbird."
  "He's a bird?"
  "An unofficial pet of the Senate. He lives in the eaves of the building and the Senators leave him fruit and crumbs to feed on. If he's one of your suspects, I must warn you, he hasn't left Coruscant. He's most likely nibbling on muja fruit right about now."
  Obi-Wan groaned, then thanked Jocasta Nu and cut the communication. Fligh had lied to him. That wasn't surprising. It was a lie worthy of Fligh, one calculated to delay him and amuse him.
  But he wasn't amused.
  He turned to Didi. "Do you know where Fligh is staying?"
  Didi shook his head. "A guest house, I suppose. A hovel, I'm sure. Fligh is very cheap."
  "Find out."
  "Ah. Yes, Obi-Wan. I can see in your eyes that you need this information and I will not fail you." Didi bowed and rushed away.
  Obi-Wan knocked on the door to Yso's shop, duplicating Didi's knock. Someone hurried out, his face turned away. No one wanted to be recognized in this kind of place. Obi-Wan pretended to examine a beat-up swoop with a dented handlebar while he listened to the other occupant of the shop approach Uso Yso.
  "I'd like to buy a swoop."
  "At what price?"
  The bettor named a figure, then said, "I'll take it to the blaster skill event where I hope to see Wesau T'orrin of Rezi-9 win."
  "That is a good plan." Uso Yso slipped the credits into a wide belt he wore around his waist and entered some information into a datapad. He handed the bettor a small durasheet. "Here is your receipt."
  Obi-Wan waited until the bettor had left the shop, then approached. "I'm here for a swoop," he said, looking up at the tall being. He waved a hand. "I would like to see your datapad."
  Uso Yso snorted. "You don't need to see my datapad to buy a swoop. Which do you want?"
  Obi-Wan waved his hand again. Uso Yso was unusually resistant to Jedi mind suggestion. "I'd like to see your datapad first."
  "If you don't want to buy a swoop, you can leave," Uso Yso said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
  Obi-Wan suppressed his slight disappointment. No matter how adept a Jedi was or how strong the connection to the Force, sometimes mind suggestion just didn't work.
  Obi-Wan followed the lead of the bettor, naming a figure, then saying, "I plan to take the swoop to the Podrace and hope that Deland Tyerell will be the winner."
  Uso Yso shook his head. "There's been a last-minute change. A new driver. Do you still want the swoop?"
  "Who is the driver?" Obi-Wan asked curiously.
  Yso consulted his datapad. "Anakin Skywalker."
  Obi-Wan felt the shock shimmer inside him, but he did not register surprise on his face.
  "Well?" Yso demanded impatiently.
  Before Obi-Wan could answer, a small, slight being with four eyes, two of them set on the sides of his head, slipped inside the shop. "Security patrol outside."
  Uso Yso pushed a lever and a wall slid back, revealing more swoops in various stages of repair. "Besum!" He tossed a tool kit to his assistant. "Start working."
  "I don't know how to fix a swoop!"
  "I don't care," Yso snarled. "Just do it." He turned to Obi-Wan. "Security makes patrols every once in a while. Nothing to worry about."
  Now that Yso was in danger of losing Obi-Wan's business, he was suddenly friendly. He had also left his datapad angled toward Obi-Wan, and the notations were easy to read. In the time it took for Yso to check on Besum's activities, Obi-Wan had scanned the file and memorized it.
  To his surprise, the letters and numbers looked familiar. It took him only a moment to realize that they were similar to the notes recording the skybox seating on Bog's datapad.
  Which meant that Bog wasn't recording seats for Senators. He was recording bets.