Chapter 6
Obi-wan lay awake that night, pondering the mission he had volunteered for. Xanatos was evil, and should be stopped, but was this the best use of Qui-gon's abilities, and the council's resources? He was sure of one thing however. He belonged at Qui-gon's side. He then thought of Garen. Was he okay? He knew, though, that if anyone could find Garen, it was Tahl. His thoughts turned to earlier. Did Kiv really know the way to Offworld headquarters? Or could he be leading them into a trap? He supposed they would have to trust him. He was their only lead. And what had gone on between Tahl and Qui-gon? He had sensed something, but he couldn't put his finger on it. What had he missed? He was sure Qui-gon could have figured it out. He glanced at the Jedi Master across the room. The gentle rise and fall of his chest told Obi-wan that he was having no trouble sleeping.
"I really should go to sleep too." He thought. He turned over, let his mind empty, and within moments he was sleeping peacefully.
**************************************
The following morning, Qui-gon and Obi-wan stood in the location where they had met Kiv the previous day. They had been waiting for a quarter of an hour, but Kiv had yet to arrive. Just then, Kiv raced down to them on his speeder.
"Sorry it took me so long to get here, I had to skirt some Offworld guards. They've been picking kids up off the street, I think, so I didn't want to be seen." Kiv explained.
"Apology accepted." Qui-gon said. "Now, we should get going."
"Sure." Kiv said. "We can walk, I'll leave my speeder here." Kiv quickly secured his speeder, and they set off at a brisk pace. Obi-wan made note of their course as they went, in case they needed to find return without Kiv's guidance.
"So," Kivutan prompted. "You were going to explain?"
"It's a long story." Obi-wan said. "Basically we're searching for an evil man, and we traced him to Offworld. We were hoping that if we looked around Offworld's headquarters, we'd get enough information on his whereabouts that we could catch up to him." Obi-wan explained. Qui-gon marveled inwardly at how well Obi-wan had summed up their mission without actually revealing anything crucial.
"Okay, we're here!" announced Kiv.
"This place looks more like a doll factory than the headquarters for a major corporation." Obi-wan said for Kiv's benefit. "It's their disguise." Kiv explained. "Come over here, we'll have to use these fake ID cards that I got. This way we'll seem like Offworld employees simply checking in for work."
He produced three cards from an inner pocket of his tattered jacket. He inserted them into a slot, but an electronic voice rang out.
"I'm sorry, but those ID cards are invalid. Please insert them again, or contact your supervisor for new cards."
"Uh oh." Said Kiv. "I guess the code has been changed. We'd better leave before security comes out to check on us." He led them around a corner and out of sight.
"Sorry about that." Kiv said. "The code was valid yesterday. Normally they only change the code once a week. I wonder what's up? I can get us new cards, but it will take me all afternoon."
"Why don't we meet back here tomorrow." Obi-wan suggested with a glance at Qui-gon.
"Okay." Said Kiv.
"And this time make sure the cards are valid." Qui-gon said. And with that, Kivutan and the Jedi parted.
Obi-wan lay awake that night, pondering the mission he had volunteered for. Xanatos was evil, and should be stopped, but was this the best use of Qui-gon's abilities, and the council's resources? He was sure of one thing however. He belonged at Qui-gon's side. He then thought of Garen. Was he okay? He knew, though, that if anyone could find Garen, it was Tahl. His thoughts turned to earlier. Did Kiv really know the way to Offworld headquarters? Or could he be leading them into a trap? He supposed they would have to trust him. He was their only lead. And what had gone on between Tahl and Qui-gon? He had sensed something, but he couldn't put his finger on it. What had he missed? He was sure Qui-gon could have figured it out. He glanced at the Jedi Master across the room. The gentle rise and fall of his chest told Obi-wan that he was having no trouble sleeping.
"I really should go to sleep too." He thought. He turned over, let his mind empty, and within moments he was sleeping peacefully.
**************************************
The following morning, Qui-gon and Obi-wan stood in the location where they had met Kiv the previous day. They had been waiting for a quarter of an hour, but Kiv had yet to arrive. Just then, Kiv raced down to them on his speeder.
"Sorry it took me so long to get here, I had to skirt some Offworld guards. They've been picking kids up off the street, I think, so I didn't want to be seen." Kiv explained.
"Apology accepted." Qui-gon said. "Now, we should get going."
"Sure." Kiv said. "We can walk, I'll leave my speeder here." Kiv quickly secured his speeder, and they set off at a brisk pace. Obi-wan made note of their course as they went, in case they needed to find return without Kiv's guidance.
"So," Kivutan prompted. "You were going to explain?"
"It's a long story." Obi-wan said. "Basically we're searching for an evil man, and we traced him to Offworld. We were hoping that if we looked around Offworld's headquarters, we'd get enough information on his whereabouts that we could catch up to him." Obi-wan explained. Qui-gon marveled inwardly at how well Obi-wan had summed up their mission without actually revealing anything crucial.
"Okay, we're here!" announced Kiv.
"This place looks more like a doll factory than the headquarters for a major corporation." Obi-wan said for Kiv's benefit. "It's their disguise." Kiv explained. "Come over here, we'll have to use these fake ID cards that I got. This way we'll seem like Offworld employees simply checking in for work."
He produced three cards from an inner pocket of his tattered jacket. He inserted them into a slot, but an electronic voice rang out.
"I'm sorry, but those ID cards are invalid. Please insert them again, or contact your supervisor for new cards."
"Uh oh." Said Kiv. "I guess the code has been changed. We'd better leave before security comes out to check on us." He led them around a corner and out of sight.
"Sorry about that." Kiv said. "The code was valid yesterday. Normally they only change the code once a week. I wonder what's up? I can get us new cards, but it will take me all afternoon."
"Why don't we meet back here tomorrow." Obi-wan suggested with a glance at Qui-gon.
"Okay." Said Kiv.
"And this time make sure the cards are valid." Qui-gon said. And with that, Kivutan and the Jedi parted.