"Not so," Obi-Wan finished for him as the guards rushed in.

Guerra pointed, and the guard brought his electro-jabber down on Obi-Wan. Pain sent him crashing to his knees. He felt himself being carried to the lockup and thrown in.

Penalty for stealing is being thrown overboard," he heard a guard say.

"My shift is over," the other one replied with a yawn. "Tomorrow morning is soon enough."

The trip to Telos should have been uneventful. Yoda had found someone willing to transport them, a pilot ferrying a shipment of droids to the Telos system. From the first, tension sparked between the pilot and Xanatos. Stieg Wa was young, brash, and confident. He'd been on his own since he was a child and had prospered in treacherous adventures. /he good-naturedly needled Xanatos about being sheltered in the Jedi Temple and knowing nothing of real life.

Perhaps Yoda had foreseen the clash of personalities. Perhaps this was another test. Qui-Gon warned Xanatos to keep his temper, to not let the pilot's genial barbs affect him. Smiling, Xanatos assured Qui-Gon that he would.

The danger of the journey was crossing the Landor star system, known to be overrun with pirates. Stieg Wa was confident that they could slip through; he'd done it countless times. But when three pirate ships ringed the transport and warned Stieg Wa to surrender, he discovered that a crucial indicator light was faulty. The transport's cloaking system had malfunctioned.

Stieg Was, refusing to surrender, pushed the small transport, evading blaster fire in a stunning display of skill. After they lost the ships, Stieg Wa announced that the cloaking system had been sabotaged. He blamed Xanatos. Qui-Gon, of course, believed Xanatos when he swore he had nothing to do with it. Why would he risk pirates attacking a ship he was on?

Stieg Wa was out on the dorsal platform fixing the device when the pirates returned. He was hit by blaster fire and captured.

Xanatos led Qui-Gon to the escape pod. He had already programmed the coordinates for Telos. When Qui-Gon asked him why he'd taken such a precaution, he smiled.

"I always make sure I have a back door," he said.

Dawn was still an hour away when Qui-Gon strode off the transport toward the Enrichment Dome. The Meerian sent to meet him hurried forward. "I am RonTha. I'm happy to welcome — "

"Where is Si Treemba?" Qui-Gon interrupted crisply, striding toward the main building.

"H-he is in the dome, waiting for you," RonTha said, running to catch up to Qui-Gon's long stride. "But protocol must be followed. You must register with — "

"Show me to him," Qui-Gon demanded.

"But protocol — "

Qui-Gon fixed his gaze on RonTha. He didn't need to use the Force. The Meerian crumpled under the force of his irritation.

"This way," he said, scurrying forward.

A rustled of grain announced Si Treemba's presence. He sprang out of the field when he saw Qui-Gon..

"We've been watching since Obi-Wan was kidnapped," he said. "No one has been in or out."

Qui-Gon looked compassionately at Si Treemba. The young Arconan looked so tired Qui-Gon wouldn't have been surprised if he fell asleep on his feet.

"We shouldn't have fallen asleep that night.," Si Treemba said. "Obi-Wan said he'd take the first watch. We should have stayed awake…."

"Now is not the time to rethink the past," Qui-Gon said gently. "We have only the now. We must find Obi-Wan. What did you see?"

"Not much," Si Treemba admitted. "A group of men in Offworld uniforms carried him away. We followed them, but we lost them in the dome." Si Treemba hung his head.

Qui-Gon tried not to show his frustration. Si Treemba felt bad enough as it was. But how could he find Obi-Wan on such scant information?

Suddenly, Qui-Gon noticed that RonTha looked very nervous. The Meerian was perspiring and looked as if he wanted to escape.

Qui-Gon turned his full attention on him. "Did you see anything, RonTha?"

"Me? But we're forbidden to be in the dome at night," RonTha protested. "Against all protocol."

"You didn't answer my question," Qui-Gon said politely.

"I try to follow the rules," RonTha said.

"And do you always succeed?" Qui-Gon asked kindly. He tamped down his impatience. "Anyone can be tempted to break the rules."

"The fruit is so good," RonTha whispered. "Just a snack before bed…"

"Tell us," Qui-Gon said firmly.

RonTha swallowed. "I was in the orchard when I saw them. A group of men carrying something. Someone led them. Someone in a black cloak…"

Qui-Gon nodded encouragingly.

"At first I just hid. But then I saw that they were carrying Obi-wan. He was under my charge! I was responsible for him. So I followed them to the sea landing."

Qui-Gon frowned. "They left by sea?"

He nodded. "Two of the men, with Obi-Wan."

Where could they be going? Qui-Gon wondered. The sea was vast, and there were no islands or reefs. "Did they say anything?" he asked.

"Nothing of significance," RonTha said. "Something curious, though. One of them said to Obi-Wan that he would see him in five years, if he survived. Obi-wan didn't answer, of course. He was still unconscious."

"Five years?" Qui-Gon repeated.

"The deep sea mines!" Si Treemba exclaimed.

Of course, Qui-Gon thought. Where better to hide Obi-Wan than on a deepsea mining platform?

"Find me an Agri-Corps boat," Qui-Gon ordered RonTha.

"But it is against proto — " RonTha's voice faltered under the impact of Qui-Gon's icy glare. "Yes, immediately," he agreed.

* * *

Qui-Gon pushed the motor of the hydrocraft as high as it would go. He rocketed across the gray sea just inches above the waves. RonTha had been able to give him the precise coordinates of the mining platform, and he'd entered it into the boat's onboard computer. Besides, RonTha assured him, the platform would be too big to miss.

It began as a darker gray smudge on the gray horizon line of the sea. As Qui-Gon drew closer. The smudge formed into towers and buildings, a small city in the middle of the sea.

Qui-Gon focused a pair of electrobinoculars on the platform. He scanned it for any sign of Obi-Wan. Suddenly, he saw movement on the very edge. A group of men were pushing something…