Star Wars_ Labyrinth of Evil Part 12

"You could arrange that?" Anakin said.

"I can try."

The turbolift car came to a rest and the door slid open.

"Welcome to the detention level," Travale said, back in character, and shoving Obi-Wan out into the anteroom beyond.

Behind a semicircle of consoles stood five surly nonhumans - - tusked and bald-domed Quara Aqualish - - wearing Commerce Guild uniforms and sporting heavy sidearms.

"Show our two guests to cell four-eight-one-six," Travale told the sergeant among them.

"Already occupied by the Bith - - K'sar."

"Misery loves company," Travale said.

Executing a crisp about-face, he returned to the turbolift. Emerged from the enclosure of display screens, a four-eyed Aqualish led Obi-Wan and Anakin into a narrow corridor lined with detention cells. Thirty meters along he stopped to enter a code into a wall-mounted touch pad, and the bloodstained door to 4816 slid open. Square and squalid, it contained neither cots nor refresher. The smell of waste was almost overpowering.

"Word of warning," the Aqualish said in Basic, "the quality of the cuisine is surpa.s.sed only by the cleanliness of the accommodations."

"Then we'll hope to be released before lunch," Obi-Wan said.

Thal K'sar was slumped in a corner, his long-fingered hands cuffed in front of him. Slender even for a Bith, he was well dressed and seemingly unharmed. Obi-Wan recalled that he had been arrested only the previous day. K'sar glanced up, but didn't return Obi-Wan's nod of greeting.

"Some fix," Anakin said loudly when the cell sealed.

"Good job back there." Obi-Wan played along.

"You didn't help matters any by flooring that security guard."

"Ah, she had it coming." Anakin ambled over to where K'sar was huddled.

"What landed you in here?" he asked.

Though surprised to hear his own language spoken by a human, K'sar kept silent. When Anakin made a second attempt, the Bith said in Basic, "It's none of your concern. Please leave me alone."

Anakin shrugged and joined Obi-Wan on the far side of the room.

"Patience," Obi-Wan said quietly.

Backs pressed to the filthy wall, the two of them sank down onto their haunches. Less than a standard hour had pa.s.sed when they heard voices in the corridor. The door grated open, revealing Travale and two Aqualish security officers. Without a word, the aliens standing to either side of Travale grabbed him by the arms and hurled him headlong into the cell.

Obi-Wan caught him before he hit the floor.

"Another unexpected development?" Travale was cuffed, and rattled.

"My cover's blown," he said quietly. "Don't know how, or by whom."

Anakin glanced at Obi-Wan.

"No coincidence."

"Someone is onto us."

Obi-Wan left it at that.

"Now what?"

"Where you able to arrange anything?" Obi-Wan asked Travale.

He nodded.

"Power failure. Brief, but more than enough time for you to get out of here."

"Us," Anakin amended. "You're coming along."

"I appreciate that." He frowned in uncertainty. "Hope I wasn't wrong in figuring that you two will be able to open the door... manually, I mean."

"We can open the door," Obi-Wan a.s.sured him.

"How long before the power fails?" Anakin asked.

"An hour from now." Travale glanced at K'sar. "What about him?"

Anakin stood up and crossed the room.

"I know you're not interested in small talk, but we think we may have a way out of here. Does that interest you?"

The Bith's lidless black eyes grew considerably larger.

"Yes. Yes! Thank you."

"Just be ready."

"Take the tunnel to the left of the guard station," Travale was telling Obi-Wan when Anakin returned. "Keep taking lefts until you reach a stairway, then follow that to the docking level."

"You're going a different way?" Anakin said.

"Someone has to deactivate the tractor beam, or your ship's not leaving.

Two levels below this one there's a power coupling station. I know just enough to disable it temporarily."

"You're not going alone," Obi-Wan said.

Anakin grinned at him. "I believe it's your turn..."

Obi-Wan didn't argue.

"That means K'sar goes with you. Don't allow him out of your sight, Anakin."

Travale nodded toward the cell block corridor.

"We'll still have the guards to deal with."

"Don't worry about them," Anakin said.

Spreading his hands, he snapped the cuffs from his wrists. Obi-Wan did the same, then snapped Travale's open. Travale smiled broadly.

"I love a good plan."

Anakin and Obi-Wan were standing by the door when the cell's grime-encrusted illuminator faltered and died. Obi-Wan shoved his hands sideways through the air, and the door retracted.

Travale shook his head in wonderment. "It never ceases to amaze me."

Anakin swung to K'sar. "Now! Hurry!"

The four of them moved into the unlit hall.

"Emergency power should come on shortly," Travale said.

Ahead of them they could hear the five guards toggling switches on the console and speaking in excited voices. Anakin wasn't halfway to the anteroom when one of the guards appeared at the end of the narrow corridor. The Aqualish's huge eyes allowed him to see in the dark, but not as well as the Bith, nor as well as the Jedi. Before the guard could realize what was happening, his raised blaster was soaring down the corridor into Anakin's hand. A Force push from Obi-Wan sent the Aqualish flailing back into the anteroom and slamming into the turbolift wall.

The rest of the guards hurried out from behind the darkened console to counterattack. By then Obi-Wan and Anakin were on them, dropping them with punches, side kicks, Force pushes. Bodies sailed across the anteroom, tumbled over one another, smashed into display screens. One Aqualish managed to get off a shot, but the blaster bolt missed anyone during its mad carom around the room.

The fracas was over almost before it began. In the red glow of emergency lights, K'sar cast a dumbfounded look around.

"You're Jedi!"

"Two out of three," Travale said.

"But... what are you doing here - - on Escarte?"

Anakin pressed his forefinger to his lips with elaborate seriousness.

"Republic business."

Then into K'sar's hands he pressed the blaster he had summoned from the guard. K'sar stared at the weapon.

"But - - "

"I won't need it."

"Here's where we part company," Travale said to Anakin. "Remember: stay left until you reach the stairway."

"Where are you sending him?" K'sar asked.

"Docking Bay Thirty-Six."

The Bith nodded. "I know the way."

Travale chuckled. "This just keeps getting better and better."

He swung back to Anakin.

"K'sar will also know the way to Docking Bay Forty. That's where we'll be waiting for you. Escarte Control won't be able to bring the tractor beam back online immediately, and judging by the way you fly, you shouldn't have much trouble dodging the patrol craft. But good luck, anyway."

"Thanks, but there's no such thing."

As Travale and Obi-Wan were running off, Anakin noticed that one of the turbolift cars was descending.

"Security detail coming to check on the guards," K'sar said.

Anakin nodded toward the dark corridor they were supposed to take.

"Go!"

K'sar's long legs propelled him at a fast clip. But instead of going left as Travale had advised, he turned right at the first intersection. Anakin grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around.

"This isn't the way we were told to go."

"The captain's a newcomer to Escarte," the Bith said, short of breath.

"I've been here for fifteen years. I know every route through this rock."

Anakin regarded him in silence.

"Trust me, Jedi, I have nothing to gain by lying to you and remaining here."

Anakin tapped him into motion. Several minutes of running brought them to a rickety stairway, which K'sar didn't hesitate to climb.

"I'd still like to know what you did to end up in detention," Anakin asked from behind K'sar.

"And I wish I could tell you," he said. "My superior - - a Gossam - - said I had made an accounting error that would cost the Commerce Guild a small fortune."

"You were always an exec?"

"I started out as a technician - - design, installation, the whole gamut.

Gradually, I worked my way up."

"Up, maybe. But you're on the wrong side in this war. Your entire species."

K'sar stopped to catch his breath.

"Clak'dor Seven had little choice," he said. "The Separatists were offering unrestricted access to hypers.p.a.ce routes, better deals on trade goods, no interference... As for me, I was already working for the guild.

One day it was business as usual, the next - - on the heels of what happened on Geonosis, at any rate - - the guild was suddenly at war with the Republic."