The Evil Experiment

12

In a galaxy full of notorious planets, Simpla-12 was one of the most notorious of all. Once, it had been rich in minerals, but held little life and no native beings. The planet had been mined and abandoned. Then gradually it became a landing spot for trawlers and a haven for space pirates. A small colony sprang up, and an economy of sorts developed, based on gambling and the sale of black market goods. Violence was common.

There was only one colony on Simpla-12, called, in a burst of optimism, Sim-First. No other colonies had followed. Instead Sim-First had spread like mold over the planet’s surface. The outpost was a sprawling, snaking growth of buildings with a maze of narrow walkways made of metal ties sunk into the dirt. Mud oozed from the cracks between the ties. Many of the buildings had fallen into disrepair and had been patched with scrap metal and odd bits of plastoid materials.

Simpla-12’s sun was weak. The planet was known for its heavy cloud cover, which made for a constant drizzling rain that dripped from a sky of lead.

“You take me to the nicest places,” Astri murmured as they slogged through the mud.

“It’s perfect for someone who wants to hide,” Obi-Wan said. Was that why his instinct told him to come here? Was Jenna Zan Arbor’s secret lab on Simpla-12? When he had contacted Tahl to tell her his destination, he could tell by her tone that she thought he was on the wrong trail. She did not try to stop him, however. She had sounded distracted, as though she was concerned with more important leads. No doubt she was relieved that Obi-Wan and Astri were pursuing what she felt would be a fruitless mission. It would keep them safe and out of trouble.

Obi-Wan had to agree that he was following the slenderest of threads.

He tried to call Qui-Gon, reaching out to the Force. He felt nothing. He touched the stone inside his tunic and felt its reassuring warmth. He could not shake the feeling that every step he took brought him closer to his Master.

It did not take them long to discover the names of Ren’s associates on Simpla-12. On a world such as this, information could be bought for a few credits. Ren’s associates—Cholly, Weez, and Tup—could be found at the 12 Tavern.

They were directed down an even narrower, dirtier lane. The metal ties that formed the walkway were completely covered in mud and garbage.

Ahead a sign with the number 12 roughly painted in red swung in the drizzling rain.

They were almost to the building when suddenly a body came flying out of the tavern’s front door. With a thump, the body landed face first in the street, sending mud flying. A second body followed, landing with a squeal and a curse.

The first body stirred. “Weez! That’s my foot!” Astri started forward. Obi-Wan put a hand on her arm. “I think we’d better wait.”

A third body flew through the air, landing a short distance from the other two.

“Don’t be so touchy!” the third being yelled back at the tavern.

A huge Devaronian stepped out onto the front porch of the tavern.

Quickly, the three beings scampered backward on their hands and knees. Obi-Wan could not tell their species, but they were all humanoid.

“And don’t come back again!” the Devaronian boomed. He turned and thumped back into the tavern. The door slammed shut behind him.

“That was your fault, Tup,” the first being said. He was the tallest of the three, with hair that straggled down his back.

“Was not,” Tup said, wiping mud off his round face. “Gibbertz and ham, who knew he had no sense of humor?”

The one called Weez wiped mud out of his eyes. “Most beings don’t like having their mothers called Kowakian monkey lizards.”

“I thought his mother was a Kowakian monkey lizard,” Tup said.

The first being, who Obi-Wan assumed was Cholly, stood and tried to wipe the mud off his face with the end of his tunic. He only succeeded in grinding more mud on. “What are we going to do now? We’ve been thrown out of every tavern in Sim-First.”

Obi-Wan walked forward. “Maybe a few credits would get you back inside one of them.”

Tup puffed out childish plump cheeks and blew out a short, explosive breath. “Woosh. Great idea, stranger. Thanks for the tip. Only, guess what? We don’t have any credits.”

“Maybe there’s a way you can earn some,” Astri said.

“You have work?” Weez asked. He stood next to Cholly. He was a few inches shorter. “Sorry. We have a back injury.”

“I can see why, if you keep getting thrown out of places,” Astri said.

“The galaxy,” Cholly said sadly, “conspires against us.”

Tup struggled to his feet. “We are merely victims of its violent tendencies.”

“Innocents must suffer,” Weez sighed. “Such is fate.”

The three stood next to one another. Covered in mud, they were like three descending steps. This ridiculous trio was his best lead to Qui-Gon?

Patience, young Padawan. Suspend your judgment, and every being has something to teach you.

Obi-Wan sighed. “We’re not offering you a job. We want information and we’re willing to pay for it.”

Cholly attempted to look shrewd. “What kind of information? We don’t squeal on friends.”

“Unless they get on our nerves,” Weez said quickly.

“This friend is dead,” Obi-Wan said.

“In that case, let’s see the credits,” Cholly said, as Weez and Tup looked more cheerful. Astri held out a few credits.

“That’s all?” Tup asked in dismay.

“We haven’t heard anything worth paying for yet,” Obi-Wan pointed out.

“What do you want to know?” Cholly asked. He reached out for the credits, but Astri closed her fist before Cholly could grab the currency.

“It’s about Ren S’orn,” Obi-Wan said. “Can you tell us about his last days?”

At the name, the three friends traded sad glances.

“Ren.” Tup took a deep breath, then let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Poor Ren. He told us about this offer he got. He was going to get paid a lot of credits. We’re always talking about the big score. Something to get us out of here. Ren said he found it.”

“Did he say what it was?” Astri asked.

“He was going to be part of this big experiment,” Weez said. “Some scientist thought his brain was really special or something. Wanted to study him. Ren said he’d do it for awhile, but she was going to end up paying bigger than she thought.”

“Obviously, Ren ended up paying bigger than he’d thought,” Cholly said. The three friends bowed their heads.

“Did he tell you where the lab was?” Obi-Wan asked.

The three of them shook their heads. “When he got back, he wouldn’t say.”

“What was he like when he came back?” Astri asked.

“Different,” Tup said.

“Weak,” Weez said. “He shook all the time.”

“He was scared,” Cholly said flatly.

“And then he was killed,” Tup said. “Woosh. It was sad.”

Again, the three bowed their heads.

“Why was he scared?” Astri demanded. “Don’t know. He wouldn’t say.”

“Maybe Tino would know,” Weez said.

“Who’s Tino?” Obi-Wan asked. Asking this trio questions was like pulling the fur off a Wookiee one hair at a time.

“Ren’s roommate. He took him in when he got back from that experiment,” Cholly said.

“Ren said he needed to hide out for awhile,” Weez added. “Tino used to hang around with us, but he got a job. Works over in that big warehouse near the landing platform.”

“Can we have the credits now?” Cholly asked. He held out a hand.

Astri counted out a few credits.

“Hey, that’s not very much,” Weez complained.

“You didn’t give us very much,” Obi-Wan said. He had a feeling the three knew more. He was anxious to talk to Tino.

Obi-Wan and Astri left the three squabbling about how to divide up the credits and hurried back the way they’d come. Obi-Wan had noticed the big warehouse by the landing platform.

“Maybe Tino will have more answers than that bunch,” he told Astri.

“Let’s hope so,” she agreed.

By the time they reached the warehouse they were almost as muddy as Cholly, Weez, and Tup. Huge loading doors stood open and inside they could see a multilayered structure of catwalks, ladders, ramps, and chutes.

Small, compact tech droids rolled through the aisles, pushing gravsleds filled with durasteel crates and boxes. Obi-Wan scanned the area until he glimpsed the person in charge, a woman of middle years in a gray unisuit with a headset, who was barking orders at the droids.

Obi-Wan approached her.

“We’re looking for Tino,” Obi-Wan said.

She didn’t take her eyes off the droids. “He’s unloading in Sector Two. Through that door there. Tell him to get a move on and get back here,” she said. “I need those droids!”

Obi-Wan and Astri followed the woman’s directions and hurried through the door into the Sector One portion of the huge warehouse.

There was no one on the ground floor, but one level up they saw a sandy-haired young man in a unisuit. Droids on the next level were pushing crates onto a chute. The crates slid down and the young man hefted them and loaded them one at a time onto a gravsled.

Obi-Wan glanced around for the ladder that would take them up one level. He paused as he felt a sudden disturbance in the Force.

Quickly, he scanned the warehouse. The droids moved in orderly rows, the crates rolled down. There was no movement on the catwalks above…

Then he saw her one level above Tino. At first she was just a shadow.

Then she moved, and the shape became Ona Nobis. Dressed all in black, she looked down at Tino. Unaware, the young man below continued to work, sweeping a bin off the chute and loading it onto the gravsled.

She unfurled her whip.

“Watch out!” Obi-Wan shouted.