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"V-Tan and O-Vieve have said that if one Keganite leaves the planet it will cause our destruction," Men continued. "They will prevent Lana leaving in whatever way they can."
"We must find her before it's too late," Melie said, her voice trembling.
"Yet every move is watched. Every word we say is heard," Nen added in despair.
"I have an idea," Qui-Gon said. "Auto-hoppers are controlled by CIPs — Central Instruction Processors."
"Yes," Nen agreed. "The CIP is in a guarded building right here in the Comm Circle."
"If Adi and I can disable the CIP, they will need to recall the autohoppers until it is repaired. In the meantime, the people will be able to share information more freely. You will be able to mobilize your group, and we will have time to search for Lana."
"Qui-Gon, I must speak to you," Adi said sternly.
She drew Qui-Gon into the corner.
"I must object to this plan," she said in a low tone that vibrated with worry. "It is totally opposed to the Council's wishes. We will directly interfere with the Kegan government if we disable a CIP."
"But how else can we complete our mission?" Qui-Gon argued. "We didn't know before we arrived that the people here were under constant surveillance. We didn't know that two powerful rulers were controlling them. And our Padawans and an i
Adi pressed her lips together. She cast her eyes on the floor, thinking.
"Adi, we must find them," Qui-Gon said softly. "This is the only way."
Adi raised her head. Her deep brown eyes still were clouded by doubt.
She did not speak.
"I understand if you don't wish to help me," Qui-Gon said firmly. "But I will disable that CIP. The question is, will you come with me?"
Davi, Obi-Wan, and Siri sat in a dark corner of the food hall.
"What are we waiting for?" Siri whispered to Davi.
"Lockdown," Davi said. "The lights will go on and off three times. The Security Guides will change shifts. V-Tarz is on tonight. He'll sit at the surveillance post in the admin center. If anyone steps foot out of the dorm quads, an alarm will sound."
"So how will we escape?" Siri asked.
"V-Tarz waits five minutes after lockdown, then turns off security in Quad 7 and raids the kitchen," Davi said with a grin. "I found this out the night I met Scurry." He placed the ferbil on his palm and fed it a few seeds. "Scurry was in the food prep area. He must have gotten in somehow and couldn't find his way out. I knew if they found him he'd be… gotten rid of. I was trying to figure out how to keep him when the lockdown warning came. I decided to spend the night where I was. It's six punishment marks if you're caught out after lockdown. V-Tarz came in for a snack, so I hid."
"How do you know he does it every night?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Because you can see the security light blink off in the dorm," Davi explained. "I come out here almost every night. Sometimes I'm… I'm afraid to be alone in the dark."
"But you sleep in a room with twenty other boys," Obi-Wan said.
"I'm still alone," Davi said. Embarrassed, he looked down quickly to pet the ferbil.
"Listen, I know what you mean," Siri said bluntly. "This place could give anyone the wild shivers."
Davi looked up with a shy smile. Once again, Siri's forthright ma
"Scurry helps," Davi said. "And my other pets. I find them in the yard during rec period. Most of them are hungry or scared or hurt. I smuggle them in and keep them by my bed. At night I sneak in here to get food for them.
Sometimes I sneak outside just to see the stars."
"How do we get out?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Through the windows in the cleansing room of Quad 7," Davi said. "You can use the shower heads to swing up. It's an easy drop to the ground. Then you'll have to steal a landspeeder. I can give you the coordinates of the city."
The lights turned on and off three times. A soft signal sounded.
"In another five minutes, the floor will be alarmed," Davi whispered.
"But then V-Tarz will turn it off again. I'll show you the way."
"Why don't you come with us, Davi?" Siri asked.
Davi shrank back. "Why would I do that?"
"Don't you want to find out what's really happening in the galaxy?"
Siri asked. "Don't you want a chance to do what you want to do?"
"But the galaxy is a dangerous place," Davi said.
"Some of it is dangerous," Obi-Wan said. "Not all."
"There are places on Coruscant, where we live, that place orphan children with parents," Siri told him. "You could have a family. You could keep pets and work with animals."
"I have a family," Davi said nervously. "The General Good is a family."
"But Davi, The Learning is telling you lies," Siri said. "Don't you trust us?"
"It's not that I don't trust you," Davi said worriedly. "But the power of evil that controls the galaxy might be telling you things that aren't true. Misinformation is spread to confuse the people and keep them in line."
"But that's exactly what's happening here," Siri protested.
"If I leave, the Masked Soldiers will come and attack Kegan," Davi said, shaking his head. "This is the vision of O-Vieve and V-Tan. No one must leave. The General Good will suffer, and invaders will come."
Siri and Obi-Wan exchanged a frustrated glance. Davi had been trained in The Learning for too long. He could not accept what they told him as true.
They heard the heavy tread of V-Tarz. The massive Keganite moved through the food hall, heading for the kitchens. Obi-Wan stayed perfectly still. In only a few minutes, he and Siri would be free.
If everything went according to plan…
A voice suddenly split the silence. "V-Tarz!"
Another Security Guide stood in the doorway. "What are you doing?"
"Security alert in the kitchens," V-Tarz said quickly. "Probably just a malfunction. Maybe the infrared alarm. I was just checking it out."
"I'll go with you. New orders are for two posted guards during the lockdown hours. We'd better get Quad 7 back online quickly." The other Guide moved toward V-Tarz.