The Only Witness

3

“Master!” Obi-Wan said, more sharply than he’d intended. “I—” He stopped, realizing that it would not be good to discuss their differing opinions in front of Lena. “I would like to speak with you,” he finished.

Obi-Wan nodded to Lena and walked quickly toward the stairs and down one flight. Qui-Gon’s footsteps followed. When he reached the landing, Obi-Wan whirled.

“Master, you can’t mean to leave this woman here. She is obviously scared and in danger!” he burst out.

“She lied to us about having evidence, Obi-Wan. Who’s to say she is not lying about the danger as well?” Qui-Gon said calmly.

“Her fear is real,” Obi-Wan said. “Surely you can feel that. We cannot abandon her.” His face felt warm. He had not spoken so strongly to his Master since before Tahl’s death, but since then Qui-Gon seemed to feel nothing outside of himself.

Qui-Gon gazed at his Padawan for some time. Obi-Wan did not look away. He would not allow Qui-Gon to walk away from this.

“We can stay for two days, that is all. If she does not have the evidence by that time we will return to Coruscant without her,” Qui-Gon decided. “But I do not think this is a good idea. You are letting your emotions guide you.”

“I will not regret it,” Obi-Wan said tightly.

“That is my hope,” his Master replied.

Anger and frustration welled up inside Obi-Wan. He started back up the stairs without another word. Hadn’t Qui-Gon let his emotions guide him in the past? If only his Master would allow himself to feel some of those emotions now he would understand. They were making the right decision. Lena—and Frego—needed them.

Struggling to let go of his frustration, Obi-Wan paused before reentering the living quarters. Lena heard the Jedi on the stairs and turned. Her face was full of hope.

“We will stay two days,” Obi-Wan told her with a smile.

“We will protect you while we are here, but that is all. We will not gather evidence against the Cobral,” Qui-Gon added.

It was enough. Lena threw her arms around Obi-Wan’s neck. “Thank you,” she said in his ear. “Thank you. It is more than I can ask.”

Obi-Wan felt his face and neck grow warm as he hugged Lena back awkwardly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Qui-Gon and, behind him, Mica. Neither of them were smiling.

“Two days will be plenty, but there is no time to waste,” Lena said.

She dashed from the room and returned a moment later with a robe similar to Mica’s. She quickly coiled her hair and pinned it on her head before covering it with a hood.

“I’m coming with you,” Mica stated.

Lena shook her head. “There’s no reason to put you in danger, too.”

Obi-Wan thought he saw a flicker of annoyance in Mica’s expression, but she was silent as the Jedi and Lena left the apartment.

Lena’s manner was very brusque and her expression one of pure determination as she led the Jedi outside into the alley. Obi-Wan noticed her brows were drawn before she covered them with a pair of dark goggles that hid most of her face.

Lena moved through the streets even faster than her cousin. She led the Jedi from the dark, towering warehouses to a neighborhood filled with tall, sparkling buildings. Bubble like turbolifts silently glided up and down their outside walls.

Lena came to an abrupt halt a dozen meters away from a particularly large and grand-looking building. Three imposing men stood on guard outside the bubble turbolift.

“We’ll have to go in the back way,” Lena said, finally turning toward the Jedi. She sighed sadly. “I haven’t been back to my apartment since—”

“Your apartment?” Qui-Gon interrupted.

Obi-Wan guessed that his Master was not entirely surprised about their destination, but that he didn’t think going inside was a good idea.

Obi-Wan wasn’t sure it was, either. But he wanted to help Lena.

“Are you certain that’s wise?” Qui-Gon finished.

“We have no choice,” Lena explained. “There’s vital information inside. I need it to testify.

Qui-Gon did not reply as Lena turned and made her way down a narrow alley to a back entrance. Luckily this one was not guarded. Lena punched a code into a small panel and the door slid open. But there was no turbolift on this side of the building. They had to walk up thirty-seven flights of stairs.

By the time they reached the top floor, all of them were out of breath. But Lena did not pause to rest. Instead she led them around a corner to what looked like a duracrete wall. It wasn’t until he got up close that Obi-Wan realized it was actually a concealed door. Lena pressed a small button concealed inside a panel, and the door slid open.

Before Obi-Wan could even get a look inside, Lena gasped and put a hand to her mouth. They were standing in what had once been a beautiful parlor. But the apartment had been ransacked, and piles of debris littered the floor. Everything was ruined.

The rich fabrics that had covered the furniture were torn to shreds and strewn across the rooms. Tables and bureaus were smashed. Drawers were overturned and shelves cleared, their ripped and broken contents randomly spread across every surface.

The apartment had been lavishly decorated, but now it looked like the inside of a garbage scow. Whoever was responsible for the ransacking had done a thorough job. Even the carpets had been pulled up and hacked to pieces.

Beside him, Lena leaned heavily on Obi-Wan’s arm. “I should have guessed that they would search,” she said, forlorn. She leaned down and picked up the pieces of a small stone carving. She turned them over in her hand, and her eyes welled with tears.

Obi-Wan wanted to comfort her, but wasn’t sure what to say. He squeezed her arm gently.

“I suppose you should be glad you weren’t at home,” Qui-Gon replied dryly. He obviously hadn’t noticed Lena’s expression, and Obi-Wan felt a flash of annoyance. How could his Master be so insensitive?

Lena drew a deep breath and let go of Obi-Wan before picking her way carefully through the mess toward the back of the apartment. Qui-Gon stayed near the lift doors. Obi-Wan followed close behind Lena, in case she needed his support again. The apartment did not look like it had been searched so much as destroyed.

Her face full of sadness, Lena surveyed the damage. She paused once to pick up a trinket that was not entirely shattered, then placed it on a shelf still barely attached to the wall. Obi-Wan wondered how long it would stay there before sliding off.

“How strange!” Lena exclaimed as she walked into her bedroom, at the end of a long hall. Nothing in this room had been touched. The furnishings stood upright. The bed was made. Even the portrait on the wall was straight.

Obi-Wan stepped closer to the portrait. It was a picture of Lena and Rutin. They stood together in front of a waterfall, their eyes locked on each other. Something about the portrait disturbed Obi-Wan, but before he could place the feeling, the portrait and the wall it was on swung aside to reveal a small office.

“It’s where Rutin worked in the evenings,” Lena explained, walking through the secret door. “All of his family files are stored here. I just can’t believe that whoever searched the house didn’t—” Lena trailed off as she activated the computer screen.

Blue light and horror shone on Lena’s face as a message flashed on the screen: