The Dangerous Rescue

15

Now that they knew for sure that Noor was on Belasco, they had to discover why Jenna Zan Arbor had traveled there. Adi and Qui-Gon set up two datapads on board the consular ship. They ran the Senate transcript on one datapad, and Uta S’orn’s on the other. Obi-Wan and Siri sat, watching intently.

“Look for the smallest difference,” Qui-Gon advised. “There will be much talk, so listen carefully.”

The holocam had recorded a session in the Senate that dealt with regulations in the Mindemir system. Senators got up and spoke endlessly about complicated rules. They interrupted one another and heaped praise and scorn on one another. They spoke for long minutes and said nothing.

Siri caught Obi-Wan’s eye and faked a huge yawn. Adi saw the gesture.

“Every task requires full attention,” she told Siri sternly. Then she turned back to Qui-Gon and murmured, “But I’m having trouble myself.”

“I don’t understand,” Obi-Wan said. “Uta S’orn isn’t even visible in the transmission.”

“Exactly,” Qui-Gon said.

Obi-Wan was mystified. He returned his attention to both transmissions, but it was hard to know what he was looking for.

At last a list of regulations was passed. The holocam hovered above as Senators rose to the front of their boxes to vote. The regulations were passed by a majority. Then, the screen went black.

“Shall we play it again?” Adi asked.

“Do we have to?” Siri muttered.

“Wait,” Qui-Gon said. He scanned backward as the vote was called. “I think I know what is different. Here.” He pointed to the screen on the left, which was the official Senate transmission.

“Look at the delegate from Hino-111,” he said. He pressed the zoom function on the transmission for a closer view. “He is not pressing the ‘yes’ button. He is voting against the measure. Yet in the audio he is voting for it.” Qui-Gon pressed the zoom function on the second datapad. “And here, he has recorded a ‘no’ vote. This is Uta S’orn’s version.”

Adi leaned closer. “She altered the official Senate record?”

“I’m sure if we study this we will find other votes that have been changed. The Senate recorder uses the official transcript to record votes. These regulations were never passed. Senators vote on thousands of regulations. Mindemir is a small system. It is a risky move, but this transcript is from eight months ago. Obviously, she got away with it.”

“But why would she care about a regulation on Mindemir?” Obi-Wan asked.

“I’m sure she does not care for herself. She was paid to do this,” Qui-Gon said. “Paid in credits or influence. The question is, who paid her?”

“Jenna Zan Arbor?” Siri guessed.

“That is what we need to know.” Qui-Gon was already reaching for his comlink. “This is a job for Tahl.” He walked away a few paces to speak quietly.

“Why would she keep the real transcript?” Siri asked. “It could incriminate her.”

“For blackmail,” Adi said. “She could always threaten to expose the person who engineered this. She could send it anonymously to the Senate. Perhaps she’s covered her tracks so well that they could not tie the deception to her.”

Qui-Gon returned with the news that Tahl would get back to them as quickly as possible. They reviewed the other transcripts. It was easier now that they knew what they were looking for. In each case, the votes had been altered.

By the time they finished, Tahl had signaled Qui-Gon.

“You are right,” she said. “Jenna Zan Arbor conducted a series of experiments on the water supply of Mindemir. She needed a large planetary system to prove her theory, apparently. Endangering a whole system was of course against Senate regulations. But Senator S’orn introduced legislation that would allow this, if the planet’s legislative body agreed to the experiment. The measure passed in the Galactic Senate and a few weeks later the government of Mindemir voted to allow the experiment.”

“Easier to bribe a politician on a small planet to push through legislation,” Adi said shrewdly. “But she needed someone powerful in the Galactic Senate.”

“So we’ve linked Jenna Zan Arbor and Uta S’orn at last,” Qui-Gon said quietly. “Zan Arbor said S’orn had been helpful to her. I did not think she meant S’orn had acted illegally.”

“It is hard to believe,” Adi said. “She has a reputation for great integrity.”

“Eight months ago, Ren S’orn was still alive,” Obi-Wan said. “Jenna Zan Arbor was conducting her experiments on the Force as well. What if Senator S’orn knew this? What if Jenna Zan Arbor was blackmailing her?”

“So S’orn knew that Zan Arbor was holding her son, and she did what Zan Arbor asked?” Qui-Gon frowned thoughtfully. “It’s possible.”

“All the more reason to help Uta S’orn now,” Adi said. “Whether she wants us to or not.”