Jedi Voyage #6 - The Dark Ruse

Chapter Two

  The Republic cruiser flew low over Mawan's capital city of Naatan. Obi-Wan leaned closer to look out the cockpit window. The power grid was being fought over by crimelords, and had been repeatedly damaged in successive raids and takeovers. Tonight the grid was down and the city was black. It rose out of the night like a dark shadow.
  He had flown into Naatan at night before. Years ago, before the war. The city had glowed from kilometers above in space. The Mawans were fond of soft colors, which they used to filter the harsh light of their world. They used delicate rose lights to illuminate their streets and plazas at night, and from the air the city had glowed like a rare pink jewel.
  He had always enjoyed his visits to Naatan. The city had been a thriving cosmopolitan center. It had been an important stop on the primary Core trade route, and the wealth of the city had spread to its parks, libraries, and schools.
  As they flew lower, dipping down into an unused space lane, he could see that those parks were now black holes in the landscape, as painful as wounds. The schools were now in ruins, the libraries leveled. Obi-Wan saw broken windows, twisted gates, half-demolished cafés. Abandoned speeders left on the street. Everywhere he looked, Obi-Wan saw desolation. It wasn't just the property, it was what the property represented - the ruin of so many lives, busy lives that had been lived in pleasant surroundings. Now those lives had been driven underground, and evil had moved into the vacuum.
  "Gone underground," Euraana Fall said. "The only ones who remain are part of the criminal gangs." A native of Naatan, Euraana had the delicate, pale skin and blue veins that were prized by the Mawan. Mawans had two hearts and their blue veins lay close to their skin, a mark of beauty on the planet. Euraana's grief showed in her shimmering gray eyes, but her voice was steady. "Most of the citizens live in the infrastructure tunnels. Before the Great Purge - what Mawans call the civil war - all of our goods were transported below the city, in tunnels, and airlifted to the surface. Our computer centers and control links are there, too. It's what made the city so pleasant. For a busy city, we had little traffic."
  "Yes, it was a wonderful city to stroll in," Obi-Wan said as the craft neared landing. "Your cafés and restaurants were always full of talk and music."
  "And our parks held the laughter of our children," Euraana agreed, her gaze quietly sweeping over the city. "All gone." She pointed in the distance. "There is the quarter where the crimelord Striker rules. He is known by that name because of the projectile pistols his gang used for their first raid. Strikers are not sophisticated weapons, but they won the battle. Now they are better armed, of course. He is reputed to have the most extensive weapons cache of all the crimelords."
  Obi-Wan leaned over to look at the quarter of the city that Euraana had indicated. Garish blue and green glowlights were hung from poles to cast their eerie light on the streets. Half-destroyed buildings were rebuilt with inexpensive, brightly colored plastoid materials. The replacements were slapped onto old buildings built of polished stone, making a tawdry contrast. This quarter did have a few beings in its streets, with state-of-the-art speeders sporting shiny paint and flashing lights moving through the streets and cafés full of beings. It was obvious that there was trading going on. The progress of their transport was watched with calculating eyes.
  "What are they buying and selling?" Anakin asked.
  Euraana shrugged. "Weapons. Spice. Illegal medicines they will sell to the unfortunates in the galaxy. Fortunes are being made down there. And those fortunes are built on the ashes of our civilization."
  "No longer," Yaddle said softly. She had talked little on the journey and had spent much of it meditating. Now the sharp gaze from her green-brown eyes seemed to give strength to Euraana, who nodded. Although Yaddle was small in size, her presence loomed large.
  Without air traffic guidelines, the Senate pilot didn't need clearance or coordinates. The landing platforms for the city had all been destroyed. He set the cruiser down in a large courtyard of a formerly impressive living complex, carefully avoiding the rubble.
  Obi-Wan watched Anakin as his Padawan grabbed his survival pack and waited with the others for the ramp to lower. Usually at the start of a new mission Anakin's eyes were alive with curiosity. Obi-Wan had always appreciated how his Padawan threw himself into a new situation, using all of his senses to gather information. But Anakin's expression looked shuttered.
  He walked beside him as they exited the craft. "Any impressions?" He was always interested to hear what Anakin had picked up. The Force spoke to Anakin in a different way than anyone Obi-Wan had ever known.
  Anakin shook his head. "Nothing to speak of. I feel the dark side of the Force, of course. That's clear."
  "And to be expected," Obi-Wan said. "What about your vision? Any connections?"
  Anakin shook his head. "Nothing."
There were shadows between them now. He could see them in the way Anakin held his shoulders, the way his eyes spoke. It wasn't as though Anakin didn't meet his gaze directly. But his gaze was like glass. Obi-Wan found himself sliding off it into uncertainty.
  He knew he was partly responsible. Ever since Andara he had held himself back from his Padawan. His anger had gone, but it had been replaced with caution. He had wanted to give Anakin room, time to reflect without the pressure of his own opinions and interpretations. He knew he could be heavy-handed at times. He remembered Qui-Gon, how his own Master had sometimes withdrawn his focus on him and gone to a place Obi-Wan could not reach. It had sometimes left Obi-Wan feeling stranded, but it had forced him to come to terms with his own feelings. He wanted to do the same for Anakin. His Padawan was sixteen now. It was time for him to achieve a deeper connection to his core.
  Anakin had been wrong on Andara. The fact that he had concealed the disappearance of a Jedi still astonished Obi-Wan. His actions did not take away from the fact that Anakin was special. When he made mistakes, they were big ones. His need to be perfect, to be powerful, was a flaw. Try as he might, Obi-Wan could not show Anakin that if he held himself back, everything would come to him. Anakin just kept pushing.
  He resolved to work out some of their differences of this mission. They were on a journey together, and for each phase they would develop different rhythms, different paces. Anakin needed to understand that. A little distance between them didn't mean that the core was threatened.
  "Our contacts are meeting us nearby," Euraana Fall said. "This way."
  The Jedi picked their way through the rubble of the courtyard and followed Euraana down the dark street, leaving the pilot and cruiser behind. "Better not use a glow rod," she said. "No need to attract attention. This part of the city isn't used much. It will be a good place for us to set up operations."
  She led them to a building that seemed miraculously untouched by the signs of war, until they entered and saw that part of the rear portion had been blown out. The domed ceiling was half destroyed. Stars littered the sky above, thrown like mineral dust on shimmersilk.
  "This was once a meeting hall." Euraana's voice echoed in the space. "I attended lectures here, and concerts. There are still offices and even a café here. We can make it work."
  Two forms separated from the shadows. Obi-Wan tensed, but he saw almost immediately that they were friendly. They were most likely the Mawan contacts. They were both short, muscular men with pale complexions and long hair that was tied back with metal clasps. One of the men had gleaming dark hair, the other snowy white.
  The shorter one with the white hair and youthful face gave a short nod to Euraana and held out his hand, palm out, in the Mawan gesture of friendship and welcome. "Glad to see you made it." His voice rumbled like a balky sublight engine.
  "Greetings to you, Swanny," Euraana said to the white-haired man. Then she faced the dark-haired Mawan and said, "Hello, Rorq." Euraana turned and introduced the two to the Jedi party. The two men nodded greetings.
  "Swanny and Rorq were tunnel workers before the war," Euraana explained. "They live below. The tunnel workers have agreed to help us, and they are their representatives."
  "I'm afraid I haven't been thoroughly briefed," Obi-Wan said politely. "Tunnel workers?"
  Swanny bristled. "What's wrong with that?"
  Euraana said quickly, "Let me explain. Before the war, the tunnel workers were... well, near the bottom of the social structure –"
  "Meaning the high-and-mighties looked down on us," Rorq said, crossing his thick arms. "Called us subrats."
  "Even though we kept everything running for them," Swanny added with a cynical twist to his mouth.
  "So the order of things," Euraana said, holding her hand up and flipping it over, "is now reversed."
  "Subrats on top," Swanny said. "It's a sweet thing."
  "The citizens below depend on the tunnel workers to bring provisions and keep their generators going," Euraana continued. "They have practically fashioned a city down below."
  "We saved their hides," Rorq growled.
  "We've gotten a taste of power, and we like it," Swanny said. "Not only that, we're good at it. So we'd like to be involved in the rebuilding of Naatan. Not from the bottom, though. Things have changed."
  "Everything has changed," Euraana said quietly.
  "Before the purge, Euraana here wouldn't have given me the time of day," Swanny said. "Now she has to deal with me."
  "Oh?" Euraana said, cocking an eyebrow. "Do you know me so well, Swanny Mull? Enough to call me a snob and an opportunist in one breath?"
  Swanny grinned and held up his hands. "Maybe I spoke too soon."
  "Maybe you should stick to things you know about," Euraana snapped in a tart tone. "The crimelords, for example." She turned to the others. "The tunnel workers serve as go-betweens. The citizens are forced to buy their food and goods from the crimelords in temporary markets set up below in the tunnels. The tunnel workers set it up." She gave Swanny an icy glance. "They are paid by the crimelords for their services, as well as by the citizens."
  "Why shouldn't we be paid?" Swanny asked mildly. "We take risks."
  "Tell us about the crimelords," Obi-Wan said. If he didn't step in, he had a feeling Euraana and Swanny would trade taunts for hours. "Who is the most dangerous? Who is the most powerful? Sometimes they aren't one and the same."
  Swanny frowned. "Most of the criminals in Naatan are low-level types working for bosses. I'd say your three biggest problems are Striker, Feeana Tala, and Decca."
  "Let's start with Decca," Obi-Wan said.
  "She's a Hutt," Rorq said with a shudder. "The daughter of Gardulla. Decca took over Gardulla's organization when she died. Her center of operations used to be on C-Foroon, near Tatooine, but she got chased off. She came here and brought her goons with her. She's mainly in the spice trade."
  "But she has a personal grudge against Striker," Swanny said. "He hit her operation within days of arriving on Mawan. Grabbed control of the power grid and a warehouse full of weapons. But Decca's got the edge in transport. She controls most of the main tunnels. She stole most of Naatan's transports when she arrived and she's managed to hold on to them."
  "The only trouble is, she doesn't have fuel for them," Rorq said. "Striker keeps raiding her fuel supplies, just to make her angry. He doesn't need that much fuel. He doesn't have as many transports."
  "Nobody knows who Striker is?" Anakin asked.
  Swanny shook his head. "Not many have even seen him. His operators were in control for years, and he only dropped in from time to time. But he's been spending all of his time here lately." He nodded at Obi-Wan. "I'd say he was the most powerful. And dangerous."
  "And Feeana Tala?" Yaddle asked. "A native of Mawan, she is."
  Rorq nodded. "She controls most of the goods and services that are sold to the citizens below. Small potatoes for the other crimelords."
  "Still, they raid her when they feel like it," Swanny said. "They want to control as much of what happens on Mawan as they can. Decca wants Striker off-planet, and he wants the same for her. Feeana's edge is that she knows the tunnels below almost as well as we do."
  Euraana looked at Yaddle. "So what is our first step?"
  "Return and take back the city, the citizens must," Yaddle said. "So control of the power grid we must have."
  "You'll have to guarantee their safety," Euraana said.
  Yaddle turned to her and blinked in a gesture that was very much like Yoda's. "Guarantee, you say? Guarantees, there never are." She spread her hands. "Help them we will. Courage must they find themselves."
  Euraana nodded. "If we can get the power grid back, we might be able to persuade them to leave the tunnels. And if there was at least some progress with the crimelords –"
  "That is our job," Obi-Wan said, indicating himself and Anakin. "They must be told that if they don't voluntarily leave the planet, Senate security forces will make them go."
  "If the Senate will send them," Euraana said worriedly. "They still have not agreed."
  "Agree they will, if take back the city we can," Yaddle said.
  "What if the crimelords don't listen to talk?" Swanny asked. "In my experience, they seldom do."
  "We have to find a reason to make them listen," Obi-Wan said. "Everyone is vulnerable somewhere. For now we just need to learn more about their operations."
  "Swanny and Rorq can help you there," Euraana said. "Aboveground has been so destroyed that even the crimelords have bunkers belowground."
  "Safer down there in case something bad happens," Swanny said. He grinned at Obi-Wan and Anakin. "We know just about everything that goes on down there."
  "Take us below," Obi-Wan said. "We'll be in touch while you take care of the power grid," he said to Yaddle. Yaddle nodded good-bye.
  "If you'll follow me." Swanny gave a bow to the Jedi that held a hint of mockery.
  Obi-Wan and Anakin strode after the two. Obi-Wan's instincts were on alert. He had his doubts about the value of Swanny and Rorq's assistance. They were scruffy, rude, and probably untrustworthy.
  Qui-Gon would have befriended them instantly.