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"You know your father will not attack Senali for sure? You are willing to gamble lives on it?" Qui-Gon questioned, his tone growing in intensity. Obi-Wan did not think he could have withstood such a piercing gaze.
Taroon's glance slid away. "You can't talk to me this way."
Qui-Gon strolled farther into the room. "Let me tell you what I think happened," he said. "You enlisted a small group of Rutanians. Perhaps they are friends of yours at school, a mix of those who are close to you and those who hope to benefit should you become king instead of Leed. While you remained on Rutan, this group secretly traveled to Senali and established a ghostly identity, just enough to alert Meenon of their presence. They smeared themselves with clay so that no one would be able to see that their skin wasn't scaled. They stole things or violated sacred places so that different clans would grow angry with one another. They fostered unrest to gain attention and dislike among Senali. All of this you pla
Sweat beaded up on Taroon's forehead. "You can't prove anything."
"You arranged to kidnap Leed because during his disappearance you would arrange an attack on Rutan. You wanted him as the leader of the Ghost Ones to be blamed. Even though Leed escaped, you decided to continue with the plan. Evidence will point to Leed as the one who orchestrated the attack. This will serve to banish Leed from Rutan forever — and won't make him terribly popular on Senali, either, as the Ghost Ones will suddenly disappear. The Senalis will blame Leed, too. He will be left with no world at all. No supporters. And you will become king. Isn't that right, Taroon? You betrayed your brother for your own ambition."
"Not ambition! Love for my planet!" Taroon burst out. "Leed is right. He is not the true ruler of Rutan. Doesn't he deserve what will happen? He turned his back on us long ago! He is my brother. He should have thought of his family. He should have thought about me. I grew up without him. I had to withstand the rages of our father. He grew up with care and love. I grew up with neglect!"
"Your father is many things, but you ca
"He does not see me at all," Taroon muttered.
"It must be hard to be called a fool by your father," Qui-Gon said. "Your anger is understandable. But you are feeding your anger instead of seeking to conquer it. If you faced your father and spoke your truth to him, the situation could change. Instead, you strike out like a child. The difference is that you are a prince, and the result of your anger will be war."
"There won't be a war. Just an attack. No lives will be lost," Taroon said sullenly. "I picked a symbolic target."
"How will it occur?" Qui-Gon asked urgently._ "Is it the seeker droids?"
Taroon nodded reluctantly. "The squad on Senali is returning to Rutan. They will release the droids. I have already made sure the droids my father will use on the hunt will malfunction. The new droids will take their place and no one will notice."
"And what will the seeker droids do?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Instead of searching out kudana, they have been programmed to hone in on the nek dog ke
Taroon shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny. "What is so terrible? The neks are horrible creatures. They attack anything, even their own kind."
"Yes," Qui-Gon said softly. "Attacking one's own kind is truly despicable."
Taroon's blue skin turned an angry red. He understood Qui-Gon's point: that he himself had turned against his brother.
"This attack will be enough to enrage your father," Qui-Gon said. "And he will suspect Leed. If he does not, you will plant the idea in his head. That's why you remain here and do not leave for Senali. But what about Dre
Taroon looked at him sharply. "What about her? She is back on Senali."
Qui-Gon shook his head. "She remained on Rutan. Your father has installed her in the hunting lodge."
Taroon jumped up. "But the lodge is next to the ke
Qui-Gon nodded. "And her job is to take care of the animals. She could be in the ke
"No!" Taroon cried. "It is too late to bring back the seeker droids! We have to stop them!"
"Yes," Qui-Gon said. "Perhaps we can prevent what you have set in motion."
"We can use my transport," Taroon said. "Follow me."
Chapter 16
Taroon sat at the console, leaning forward as if he could force the transport to go faster. Qui-Gon sat still and calm. As always, Obi-Wan admired his Master's ability to locate his own serenity in the middle of a tense situation.
"I'm confused again," Obi-Wan said, leaning closer to Qui-Gon and speaking in a low voice. "I thought Taroon hated Dre
Qui-Gon gave a short smile. "Remember what I told you at the start of the mission, Padawan. Words do not always echo feelings. You saw two enemies. I saw two young beings fighting an attraction they knew was inappropriate."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "I did not see that at all."
"Do not fret," Qui-Gon said serenely. "Perhaps if you were older, you would have. In any event, there are things you see that I do not. Such is the nature of the effective Master — Padawan team."
"I hope we reach Dre
"Here we are," Taroon called in a relieved voice. "I don't see anything. Maybe the hunt was called off."
"Just land the ship," Qui-Gon said, his keen eyes searching the area.
Obi-Wan joined him, sca
"There," he murmured to Qui-Gon.
"Yes," Qui-Gon said in a low tone. "Set this down quickly, Taroon," he called in a calm tone. Obi-Wan knew he did not want to panic the young man.
"There's Dre
Dre