The Death of Hope

2

As they walked the short distance to the museum, Qui-Gon had to discipline himself severely to recall his Jedi training. He knew that his Padawan was troubled by his behavior. It was true that for the first time since he was a young Temple student, he was having trouble with his focus.

In the midst of every battle, every trouble, Qui-Gon had always been able to find his calm center. When he reached for it now, it was gone.

Replacing it was a core of turbulent, angry chaos, fueled by his guilt and his fear.

This was the time he must operate at the peak of his efficiency. This was the time that called for his most intense focus.

The cold fear that lay deep within him was not just for Tahl. He was also afraid of his own doubt.

He had never been so at a loss because he had never felt like this before. Only hours ago, he and Tahl had pledged their lives to each other.

The emotion and the need had surprised them both. Once they had accepted it, it had felt like the most natural thing in the world. Qui-Gon was astonished to discover that he had found one person who mattered to him more than anything else in the galaxy.

And now he had lost her.

“Qui-Gon?”

Obi-Wan jolted him out of his jumbled thoughts. He saw that he had paused in front of the museum’s wide double doors.

“The museum is closed,” Obi-Wan said. “It’s too early.”

“It opens in fifteen minutes. No doubt the guides are here.”

The museum had been built shortly after the government of Apsolon reorganized and became New Apsolon. As a show of good faith, the government opened the doors of the hated headquarters of the Absolutes. People were free to come and acknowledge the horrors that had been done there. It was, the leaders felt, a way to prevent the horrors from happening again. Former victims of Absolute repression had come forward and obtained jobs as guides to the complex. This was how the Jedi had met Irini.

Qui-Gon pressed the off-hours signal button. He heard it ring inside.

No one came.

Qui-Gon pounded on the door. He could not wait fifteen minutes. He could not wait one second more than he had to.

The door slid open. Irini stood in her guide uniform. She glowered at the Jedi.

“The museum is not open yet.”

“We saw that,” Qui-Gon said, striding past her.

“This is outrageous,” Irini said. “I came to you with information about Roan’s murder. I trusted you. The next thing I knew, you ran off and security threw me out of the Governor’s house.”

“Balog has kidnapped Tahl,” Qui-Gon told her, his voice struggling to remain even.

Irini gasped. Then, after a visible struggle, her face resumed its smooth mask. Her voice hardened. “I see,” she said after a moment. “So Balog is the traitor to our cause. He is the one behind the kidnapping of the twins and Roan’s murder.”

Despite Irini’s control, Qui-Gon sensed that this news had deeply upset her.

“He will be a formidable enemy,” she murmured.

“The only thing we know for sure is that Balog kidnapped Tahl,” Obi-Wan said. “We don’t know why.”

“We need a probe droid,” Qui-Gon said. “It’s the fastest way to track Balog. Alani told us Lenz could get one.”

“Lenz does not keep me informed as to his movements,” Irini said brusquely. “I am not his keeper.”

Qui-Gon felt his impatience tighten another notch. Every minute that ticked by took Tahl farther from him, made her trail colder. Irini stood in the way.

He studied her for a moment. Irini’s navy tunic was buttoned up to her neck, and her black hair was slicked back severely. There was not a flicker of warmth in her eyes. She was dedicated to the Workers’ cause, and thought the Jedi were too friendly to the Civilized faction. Qui-Gon knew from experience how tough Irini could be. But he would not go away until he got what he wanted.

She saw something in his gaze and quickly turned away. “I have to work,” she said.

“No.” Qui-Gon’s voice was soft, but it stopped her in her tracks. He told himself to go slowly. Irini would not respond to threats or intimidation. She would dig in her heels.

“Just hours ago you came to us with information,” he said. “You trusted us. We trusted your information.”

“Your Jedi has been kidnapped,” Irini said, her head still turned away and her voice muffled. “I am sorry for that, but I am not responsible. It is Jedi business. One thing I do know—the Absolutes do not take kindly to betrayal.”

“How did you know that Tahl infiltrated the Absolutes?” Qui-Gon asked urgently. He took three steps toward her in order to see her face. “And why do you think they had something to do with her kidnapping?”

She lifted her chin defiantly. “What does it matter? We are not on the same side, Jedi.”

“But we are,” Obi-Wan said. “You are against the Absolutes. If they kidnapped Tahl, she may know things that you want to know.”

There was logic in what Obi-Wan said but Qui-Gon didn’t think Irini would care. Yet something in Obi-Wan’s words caused her to stop and give them a hard stare.

“I might be able to find Lenz,” she said reluctantly.

“Then let’s go,” Qui-Gon said firmly. He had to keep pushing forward.

He had to drown out his worst fears with action.

They had only caught a glimpse of Lenz the first time they’d seen him, but Qui-Gon remembered him well. His was not a face to forget. It had been marked by suffering and illness, but there was nobility and strength in it. His body was weak, yet his spirit had great power. In a crowd he might be ignored, but Qui-Gon knew from the first glance that he was a leader.

Lenz stood as Irini led the Jedi into a small room in the Worker section of the city. She had alerted him by comlink that they were coming, and why.

Lenz gave Irini a questioning look. “Now you trust the Jedi? What happened?”

“They have a good point,” Irini said. “They have the best chance of finding Tahl. If Balog betrayed us for the Absolutes, we need to know.”

Lenz kept his gaze on Irini. Slowly, he nodded. “Maybe.”

His nerves on alert, Qui-Gon sensed something had passed between Irini and Lenz. It had been a wordless exchange of information. They knew each other very well, he realized. Well enough to speak without words, as he and his Padawan could.

“Irini tells me you want a probe droid,” Lenz said.

Obi-Wan nodded. “Alani asked that you help us.”

Lenz smiled slightly. “When both Irini and Alani ask me to do something, I have no choice but to obey.” He gestured at them to sit at a battered metal table. “I must warn you, we run some danger of being arrested. Since Roan’s murder the government has been cracking down on those who run the black market. Power is slipping out of their hands, and they think a show of it will save them. The United Legislature is locked in a battle to appoint Roan’s successor.”

“Many Workers think the time to strike is now,” Irini said. “There are those who want us to conduct another campaign of industrial sabotage to get what we want. Of course we want a Worker to be appointed as Supreme Governor, but Lenz and I are urging caution. We will lose our support among the Civilized with another sabotage campaign. It worked once, but we do not feel it will work again. We don’t want civil unrest.”

“Yet we are very close to it,” Lenz said.

“Do you think Balog is an Absolute?” ON-Wan asked.

Lenz and Irini exchanged glances. “He was born a Worker,” Irini said hesitantly. “And he was close to Ewane, the great Worker leader…”

“But yes, we think his allegiance has now changed,” Lenz said grimly.

“Once you told us that he had kidnapped Tahl, it all clicked into place. He has most likely been working for the Absolutes for some time. That’s why he kidnapped Alani and Eritha. He had always planned to let them go—his real target was Roan.”

“So he lured Roan to him through the ransom,” Obi-Wan said. “Then he murdered him.”

Qui-Gon remembered Balog’s show of grief when they had found Roan’s body. Balog was a good actor. But he’d have to be, if he’d been working with the secret organization of Absolutes all along.

“One thing puzzles me,” Qui-Gon said. “Balog may be head of security, but he’s no match for Tahl. Even without her lightsaber. How could he have overpowered her?”

“The Absolutes often used a paralyzing drug,” Irini said. “You remain conscious but immobilized. It is easy to administer. If she turned her back on him for a moment…”

“Is the drug dangerous?” Qui-Gon asked the question, though he dreaded the answer.

“Not with one dose,” Lenz said. “Or even two. The trouble is that it wears off, and if it is reused many times—especially over a short period of time—it can result in permanent damage. Muscle deterioration is one side effect.” Lenz pointed down at himself. “As you can see.”

“Lenz was one of the lucky ones,” Irini added quietly. “There can be permanent damage to internal organs. They completely waste away in a short period of time. There were many who…” Her voice trailed off, and she flushed.

She is telling me that Tahl could die. Underneath the table, Qui-Gon gripped his hands together. Thinking of Tahl helpless, her mind active but her body deteriorating, made him want to rip the room apart.

The vision that had beckoned him to New Apsolon came back to him now.

Tahl weak, her leg muscles unable to support her. She leaned against him, her hand curling around his neck. It is too late for me, dear friend….

“You are hiding something from us,” Qui-Gon said, gazing directly at Irini, then at Lenz. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Irini answered. “We have agreed to help you find a probe droid—”

“Yet there is something about the kidnapping that you know and we do not,” Qui-Gon said, the anger escalating in his voice. “You admit that we stand the best chance of finding Tahl. Give us all the information we need, and the chances are greater still.” He leaned forward. The time had come for a little intimidation. He did not like to use it, but his impatience had run its course. He needed to act, and these people could not stand in his way. “I remind you that it is never a good idea to cross the Jedi.”

Obi-Wan picked up on his urgency. “We have lost one of our own,” he said. “This is a serious matter to us.”

The double threat from the two Jedi seemed to rock Lenz. He swallowed. “It is not something we know. It is something we suspect.”

“Lenz—”

“No, Irini. They are right. They should know.” Lenz silenced her with a look, then turned his attention back to the Jedi. “We know that the Absolutes used secret informers when they were in power. There is a list of those who informed. This list is encrypted so that it cannot be copied. Only a few in the government knew of this list, even fewer have seen it, and we think most of them—maybe all of them—are dead. One of them was Roan. Roan had it, but it was stolen before he died. We know that much.”

“At first we thought Balog had been able to get it from Roan,” Irini said. “Now we don’t think so. Someone else did.”

“We think Balog is looking for it,” Lenz said. “After all, his name is on it. If that was discovered, he would lose all credibility among the Workers. Our word against Balog will not be enough to turn people against him. We need proof. He needs to destroy that proof. We think his ambitions lie higher than the office of Chief Security Controller. Whoever has the list has great power. It will be his or her choice to expose the informers or keep them secret, to bribe them for silence or look like a hero for exposing them. Careers and reputations will be destroyed. The list is said to contain some prominent names.”

“What does Tahl have to do with this?” Obi-Wan asked.

“The list was in Absolute hands for a short time, then disappeared,” Irini said. “We know this for sure. What if Balog thinks that Tahl has the list? It’s the only explanation as to why Balog would capture her and yet keep her alive.”

Qui-Gon shook his head. “If Tahl had the list, we would have known it.”

“So you don’t think she has it?” Lenz asked.

“Perhaps she doesn’t know she has it,” Irini guessed. “Perhaps she knows where it can be found. She just doesn’t know the significance of it.”

This news was disturbing. It meant that Balog could be keeping her alive only until he knew the truth. Tahl did not have that list. When he discovered that, he would kill her.

Qui-Gon saw by Obi-Wan’s pale face that his Padawan had come to the same conclusion. He stood. “If your theory is right, Balog won’t have much patience. Neither do I. Let’s get that probe droid.”