Andra looked down at her mug. She smoothed the wood of the table with her hand.

"Andra?" Qui-Gon prodded.

She looked up. "I can't do that," she said. "I haven't been completely honest with you all. I have no supporters. I am the POWER party."

"There's no party?" Obi-Wan asked in disbelief.

She shrugged and gave a small smile. "Just me. I had a few supporters, but they all fell away when the investigative team was killed. No one will listen to me anymore. They all think I'm crazy because I see a bleak future no one wants to face, let alone prevent."

Suddenly, Den burst out laughing. "So Captain Integrity has been lying all along!" he chortled. "This is the best news I've heard in a millennium!"

"Knock it off, Den," Andra growled. "I had to pretend to have support. I needed you to help me."

"Right," Den said, nodding. "Of course. You're allowed to trick someone because you're saving the planet. I get it. As long as you have pure motive, you can do whatever you want."

"That's not what I'm saying," Andra shot back angrily. "If you cared about anything other than yourself, you'd understand."

"I understand that you'd do anything to get what you want," Den said. "We're more alike than you want to admit, Andra."

Andra glared at him. "I'd rather be compared to a dinko."

"Sure, I can do that," Den said promptly. "A dinko is a creature with fangs and a nasty disposition. The problem is, how are you different? Let me see your teeth."

"Just keep it up. Den," Andra warned.

"Okay, enough," Qui-Gon snapped. "We have a problem. Who's going to invade the Sacred Pools?"

"I will," Andra said, with a furious glance at Den.

"I'll go with you," Obi-Wan said.

Qui-Gon shook his head. "No."

"But it makes sense," Obi-Wan argued. "A boy traveling with a woman won't attract as much attention. We'd look like a brother and sister on an excursion. If we get caught, Andra and I can claim we got lost."

"And you should stay here and watch Den," Andra said to Qui-Gon. "If he rigs the lottery, he could take the fortune and leave the planet."

"Thanks for your support," Den said sarcastically.

"Have you given me any reason to trust you lately?" Andra asked coolly.

"Dinko," Den shot at her.

"Thief," she shot back.

Qui-Gon ignored their bickering for the moment. He felt exasperated and worried. He didn't want Obi-Wan to travel without him. Xanatos was on the loose, on his home planet, and he was enraged at their escape. But the boy's logic was sound. They had to take a risk in order to bring Xanatos down. But was this risk more than he was willing to take?

He saw Obi-Wan watching him. The boy was wondering why he didn't want him to go. For Obi-Wan, it would be a question of trust. Qui-Gon had to allow it.

"All right," he said. "Obi-Wan and Andra will gather the evidence. Den and I will remain here. Now let's make our preparations."

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon stood by the swoops that would carry Obi-Wan and Andra to the Sacred Pools. Andra stood nearby with Den, checking her survival pack.

Obi-Wan had only slept for a few hours, but he felt alert and clear. A scattering of stars twinkled in the dark sky. Dawn was still an hour away. Andra felt their best chance was to invade the park in the early morning, gather pictures and evidence, and leave. They would have to be back in Thani by midday, before the end of the last round of Katharsis.

"If there is a sign of trouble, just go," Qui-Gon instructed him quietly. "If you think you cannot evade security, don't even attempt to enter the area. Survey it first."

"I've studied the maps," Obi-Wan said. "Andra knows of a way to enter without being noticed. She used it when she was a girl. She thinks it will still be there."

"Studying the map is not the same as knowing the area," Qui-Gon said. "Do not trust it completely. Make sure your entrance can be your exit."

"I know all these things," Obi-Wan said. He felt frustrated and disappointed. Qui-Gon was treating him like a fourth-year student at the Temple. He knew if Qui-Gon took him back that they would have to start over as a Master-Padawan team, but did Obi-Wan have to turn back into a child?

Qui-Gon nodded. "I know you do. It is my own unease that makes me repeat these things. I trust you, Obi-Wan."

The words trickled through Obi-Wan and filled him with warmth.

"I will not fail," he said.

"Just be safe," Qui-Gon responded.

Andra lifted her hood over her dark braids as she strode forward. "Ready, Obi-Wan?"

He swung his leg over the swoop. Qui-Gon had given him a quick lesson earlier. He wasn't used to such maneuverable transport. A slight touch could cause it to lean and dive. Obi-Wan was a fast learner, but it had taken him time before Qui-Gon was satisfied with his skill.

Andra gunned her motor and took off. Obi-Wan followed.

"Don't take any chances!" Den called after them.

"He sounds worried," Obi-Wan called over to Andra.

She gritted her teeth. "He's just trying to pretend to be a good person. It's a strain."

The black sky turned to gray as they traveled through the quiet outskirts of the city. Buildings grew farther apart. Land began to be cultivated. Then after the sun rose there were barely any dwellings at all, just occasional villages tucked into deep valleys.

Obi-Wan marveled at the beauty of the countryside. Fields of lavender and blue flowers swayed in a gentle breeze. Every few kilometers they came upon another deep blue lake glittering in the folds of the golden hills.

"This is beautiful country," he called over to Andra as they flew.

"I was born here," she said. "There's a proposal to turn much of this into another global park. But now I wonder why. Will they develop this, too?"

That reminded Obi-Wan why he was here. He hunched over the swoop handlebars, determined to foil whatever terrible scheme Xanatos had for Telos.

The land began to climb, the hills growing higher and steeper. Rock formations towered above them as they followed a road cut into the stone mountains. Snow began to appear on the crags. Although Obi-Wan had felt too warm earlier, now he was glad he had followed Andra's advice and worn his thermal gear.