The Day of Reckoning

2

“Where are we going?” Obi-Wan asked as they moved fluidly through the pressing throng.

“When a big spaceliner docks, the kitchens have to receive new shipments of food,” Qui-Gon remarked. “When you want to leave someplace unobserved, pick the busiest spot.”

Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon down several levels to the service area. Qui-Gon always explored any large transport soon after boarding. He knew where the tech and service levels were as well as all exits from the spaceliner. “Remember, Obi-Wan,” he had said, “if you are heading to a dangerous mission, the danger can begin before you are ready for it. Be prepared.”

The scent of roasting meat and baking bread filled Obi-Wan’s nostrils as they passed the kitchens. His stomach rumbled. Why was it that even during a hasty escape, he could still feel hungry? He was glad when the smells dissipated as they slipped into the storage areas.

Qui-Gon hurried past shelves and bins full of food until he came to the door that led to the loading bay. He glanced through the window to make sure there were no security personnel before accessing the door. It hissed open, and they stepped out onto the loading bay.

Workers were busily unloading supplies onto small gravsleds. A large hauler stood outside the ship, its port bay door yawning open.

“Grab a container,” Qui-Gon instructed as he bent down to hoist a box marked DRIED FRUIT.

Obi-Wan picked up a bin at his feet marked SOLI GRAINS. He let out an oof as he hoisted it to his shoulder. Why couldn’t he have picked something light, as Qui-Gon had?

Quickly Qui-Gon strode toward the hauler. No one seemed to notice that they were carrying items out of the ship, not in. One of Qui-Gon’s many lessons to Obi-Wan had been that if you looked busy in an unfamiliar environment, you were often ignored.

They made it to the hauler without anyone giving them a glance. Obi-Wan put down his heavy bin with relief near the stacks of cartons and boxes. From here they could see the busy port station. Passengers who had been cleared were milling around, bargaining for local transportation. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan strolled toward them.

“You there! Stop!” The harsh command came from behind them.

“Don’t turn,” Qui-Gon told Obi-Wan in a soft voice. “Act as though you don’t know who they’re talking to.”

“Stop!” The sound of running feet came from behind them.

Obi-Wan saw a split second of indecision on Qui-Gon’s part. They had done nothing wrong. There was no reason to run. Yet they would have to give explanations Qui-Gon was not willing to give.

Qui-Gon made the decision in his usual swift fashion. “Run,” he said crisply.

Obi-Wan had been expecting the command. He shot forward with Qui-Gon. The two Jedi moved as lightly as a breeze, slipping in and out of the crowd without jostling an elbow or bumping a shoulder. Only a whisper of air might disturb a cloak or a tendril of hair as they shot by.

They reached the entrance to the terminal and joined the stream of strollers on the city streets. Immediately Qui-Gon slowed his pace in order to melt into the crowd. Obi-Wan followed suit, carefully controlling his breathing. He admired Qui-Gon’s ability to switch from a full-tilt run to a casual pace without missing a beat. To any observer, Qui-Gon appeared to be a casual walker on the city streets.

The streets were even more crowded than the terminal. “No doubt they’ll give up,” Qui-Gon said to Obi-Wan, nodding and smiling as though he were remarking on the weather. “It’s a tedious job tracking a couple of stray travelers through the city streets.”

With his heartbeat and nerves returning to normal, Obi-Wan was now able to observe his surroundings. The city of Thani was bustling. Landspeeders clogged the wide boulevard. Buildings hundreds of meters high rose on either side. Their different facades flashed silver and bronze in the bright sunlight. Crowded between the tall, impressive buildings were smaller structures. Blinking readout signs advertised loans at low rates, or credits advanced against goods. Disorderly lines snaked out from these buildings, the people jostling to get inside. Obi-Wan passed a large billboard that read: WEALTH BEYOND IMAGINING IS JUST ONE BET AWAY: KATHARSIS

“Katharsis,” he repeated. “I heard that name on the spaceliner.”

“I’ve never heard of it. Thani has changed since I was here last,” Qui-Gon mused. “Of course it was almost ten years ago. It seems bigger, noisier. And something else is different about it now….”

Obi-Wan suddenly caught a flicker of movement behind him. He glanced at the shiny facade of the next building. Two navy-suited security police officers were swiftly making their way forward, attracting little attention on the busy street. There was no doubt in Obi-Wan’s mind that they were heading for them.

“Qui-Gon?” he started, but Qui-Gon had already seen them.

“They are more determined than I thought,” he said, picking up his pace. “Go left.”

Obi-Wan wheeled to his left down a narrow alley. They moved quickly now, running down the alley, using the Force to leap over a pile of abandoned crates, and turning sharply right into another alley.

Blaster fire pinged behind them. They heard the sound of exploding crates peppering the wall.

“They mean business,” Qui-Gon said. “We’d better go up.”

The security police were still out of sight, but they’d round the corner in a few seconds. Qui-Gon reached for the liquid-cable launcher on his belt. He activated the device, and the dual-strand cord shot upward and hooked around the lip of a rooftop overhead. Obi-Wan activated his own liquid-cable. They held on and let the device carry them up to the rooftop, leaping up and landing on their feet. Quickly, they retracted the cords.

Qui-Gon watched as the security police ran down the alley. They ran past the rooftop, turned a corner, and disappeared.

“That’s a relief,” Obi-Wan said.

But Qui-Gon did not move. A few seconds later, the security police returned. One of them took out a pair of electrobinoculars and began sweeping the rooftops.

“They’re not giving up, I’m afraid,” Qui-Gon remarked mildly.

The two Jedi moved backward quickly on their hands and knees until they were out of range. Then they jumped from the opposite side of the roof down to the pavement. They ran down a short stretch of the alley and spilled out into the crowded street again.

“We’ll never lose them this way,” Qui-Gon said.

Obi-Wan craned his neck and looked over the heads of the surging crowd. “Everyone is heading toward that dome,” he said to Qui-Gon. “Maybe we can lose them inside.”

They joined the crowd, weaving through it in order to make it to the entrance quickly. A giant sign flashed in letters a hundred meters high: KATHARSIS.

“I guess we’re about to find out what it is,” Obi-Wan said curiously.

There were several entrances, and Qui-Gon joined the line at the most crowded. The stream of people pushed through an opening that was big enough to fly a starfighter through.

NEED CREDITS? STOP HERE! The signs flashed around a row of booths near the entrance. Farther on Obi-Wan saw food stalls. Tempting aromas floated toward them. His stomach rumbled again. He almost groaned. With Qui-Gon, he never knew when his next meal would come. His former Jedi Master seemed to exist on a diet of fresh air and determination.

“This must be some sort of gambling event,” Qui-Gon said. “Curious.”

“And popular,” Obi-Wan added, jostled by the surging crowd.

As they entered the interior of the dome, they found themselves high above the central area, which was one giant ring with a smaller concentric ring inside. Large screens were hung at various heights and distances around the dome so that they were visible throughout the giant space. Scenes of natural beauty flashed across them while booming music played out of hidden speakers.

Floating boxes surrounded the central wings. Stationary seating ringed the area, the topmost rows lost in the vastness of the dome.

They climbed up, searching for two empty seats near exits. Qui-Gon’s keen gaze swept the crowd below them, looking for the security police who had been following them.

At last he found places a few seats in from the end. They sat, and Obi-Wan turned his attention to the giant screens, which began to flash a stream of names and numbers he could not decipher. There was also a screen with a keypad built into his armrest.

While Qui-Gon kept his eyes on the crowd, Obi-Wan leaned over to a tall Telosian seated next to him.

“This is my first time here,” he said. “Can you explain what’s going on?”

“The screens are flashing the current odds for the games,” his seatmate replied, pointing. “You can bet at your seat on each event. There are twenty contestants competing in a variety of contests.”

“Last week Rolo was maimed,” his companion said dolefully. “I bet twenty thousand credits on him.”

The Telosian’s clothes were threadbare. He hardly looked like a rich citizen. Obi-Wan was shocked. How could he afford to bet so much?

“Today my money is on Tamor,” the second Telosian continued.

“You can place larger bets as the day goes on,” the first Telosian explained. “Then for the last contest we all drop out and the lottery bettors get to play.”

“The lottery bettors?” Obi-Wan asked.

He nodded. “Every citizen is entered in a lottery each week. Three are chosen. They’re the only ones who can bet on the last contest. The pot is enormous.”

“You’re set for life if you win,” his companion said, his eyes glowing. “Last week no one won, so it’s bigger than ever.”

“The lottery is free,” the first Telosian explained. “Every native Telosian is entered automatically by the government. It’s a great thing for Telos.”

Really? Obi-Wan wondered, looking around at the crowd. Now he understood the ferocious energy he felt pulsing through the crowd, uniting it. It was greed.

“It seems as though the entire city is here,” Obi-Wan remarked.

The two Telosians nodded. “The city empties into the dome on Katharsis Day. And others come from all over the planet.”

“There are Katharsis domes in other parts of Telos, of course,” the second Telosian said. “But this is the biggest,” he added proudly.

“It’s beginning! I have to place my bet.” The first Telosian swiveled to face the center of the dome. His avid eyes searched the contestants.

The crowd began to roar as the competitors took their places in the ring below. They lined up and bowed to the crowd.

Obi-Wan felt Qui-Gon stiffen slightly. The Jedi Knight’s eyes were directed several levels down. Obi-Wan followed his gaze. The same security officers were walking up and down the rows, their eyes constantly moving.

“Telosian security must be commended,” Qui-Gon remarked as he stood. “They certainly are thorough.”

Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon as they eased their way past the bettors in the row. When they reached the aisle they picked up their pace, climbing steadily past the next section, and the next. Behind them, the security officers continued to climb, their eyes sweeping the crowd.

“We’ll have to circle around down to an exit level,” Qui-Gon told Obi-Wan over the roar of applause.

Obi-Wan scanned the area ahead for the blue-lighted exit signs. He saw one ahead and pointed it out to Qui-Gon. But when they reached it, they saw that it had been blocked off. If the door opened, an alarm would sound.

Qui-Gon turned back the way they had come, but the security police were now cruising the rows next to them. Any moment they would spot the Jedi.

“I don’t know if they’re pursuing us, or looking for those escaped criminals,” Qui-Gon said, frowning. “I guess we’re going to have to find out. I’ll use the Force to bluff our way through.”

At that moment, one of the security officers looked over the heads of the crowd and spotted them. He nudged his companion and they started toward the Jedi, moving swiftly and quietly so as not to attract attention.

Suddenly, a friendly voice came from behind them. “You two need some seats? I’ve got plenty of room in my box.”

They looked over. A young man sat in one of the luxury floating boxes. It was still anchored to the side. His dark eyes beamed at them in a friendly way and his sandy hair was rumpled as though he passed his hands through it frequently.

“Care to join me?” he asked.

“Thank you. We’d be honored to accept,” Qui-Gon responded, stepping into the box. Without seeming to hurry, he motioned for Obi-Wan to do the same.

Obi-Wan eased into the box with the same swiftness. Their new companion pressed a lever, and the box suddenly detached from the floor and zoomed out into the center of the dome. “Thank you again,” Qui-Gon said politely. “It was hard for us to find a place to sit.”

“Sure.” Their rescuer gave them a shrewd look. “Especially when you’re being chased by security police. If you think you’re safe with me, you’re crazy.”