Chapter 31: Eeth

After Lok had gone to bed, Eeth worked on his report for a while. He could not shake off the sense of unease he had been feeling the entire evening. "Foreboding" would have been too strong a word; he did not sense any real danger, else he would have warned Kat, and possibly asked Lok to spend the night in his room. But he had an inkling that something was going to happen. Well, he reasoned, maybe that was for the best; they needed to get out of the current stalemate.

He went to the balcony and saw that Takhya's, Kat's and Lok's windows were dark. There was still light in Zyle's room, though. He went back inside and thought for a moment. Then he decided to switch off his light, but he did not go to bed. Instead, he knelt in front of the window and meditated. Less than ten minutes later, he sensed someone entering the garden from the opposite side. The person silently moved across the grounds towards the guest wing until they were standing right below Eeth's window. With a clink, a hook attached to the balcony rail; Eeth suspected a rope gun. A moment later, the person was pulling upwards and landing on the balcony. Then, to Eeth's surprise, they knocked on the window. Eeth immediately felt Lok probing for him through their bond. The boy had obviously still been awake and heard the sound. Eeth sent him a quick burst of reassurance through their bond and focussed on the situation at hand. He silently counted to ten. While he did so, he pressed the alarm button on his comlink, knowing that this would fetch Kat. Then, with one swift motion, he pulled upon the window, clamped his hand across the mouth of the man who was standing there and pulled him inside. The man did not struggle; he raised his hands to show that he was unarmed.

After a moment's hesitation, Eeth removed his hand from the man's mouth but stayed on his guard. "Do not move," he said.

"I won't," said the man. He spoke Basic with an Iridonian accent. Zabrak, thought Eeth; and probably not Kaath or Takar because those had had elite tutors and spoke flawless Basic.

At this moment, the door to Eeth's room was flung open and Kat barged in, saber in hand. In the dim light from the corridor, Eeth could see that his visitor was wearing a hooded cloak, probably to conceal his horns. "As if we were in a bad spy movie," he thought. "And as if meeting a Zabrak was so terribly surprising on this planet. It is as if he is playing someone's script."

"Come in," he said to Kat, "close the door and turn on the lights. This man just came up from the garden and knocked on my window." Turning towards the hooded man, whose dark-skinned face was barely visible under the hood, he asked, "What do you want?"

"I have come with a warning," said the man in a low voice. Eeth and Kat exchanged a frown. "Yes," thought Eeth. "Bad spy movie."

"Warning from whom, and of what?" he asked brusquely.

"You are not safe here," said the man. "Your padawans are not safe here. Someone very powerful does not want you here. If you don't leave, your padawans' lives will be at risk."

"Oh, is that why we were put in separate rooms?" asked Kat. "In that case, I think that powerful person you're speaking of is seriously underestimating both us and our padawans."

Eeth's scrutinising gaze never left the man's face. He had a feeling that whoever had orchestrated this nighttime visit had not thought things through nearly as well as they should have, and it might be possible to capitalise on that fact.

"How is this plot supposed to continue?" he asked coolly. "You pass on your message, make your exit through the window and leave us puzzled and worried? Is this the idea?"

This had the man recoil in surprise. "Yes?" he said doubtfully. "I … I mean no harm. I have not done anything to any of you."

"Oh, I was not implying we would kill you," said Eeth. "But you have to realise that there are any number of ways in which we could make this very awkward for you. One of us could trail you when you leave. We are very good at that. You would almost certainly not be able to shake us off. Or we could simply keep you here and present you to the Iroqan ruling council tomorrow, asking them for an explanation."

Even under the hood, it was easy to see that the man paled. "Please," he said. "This is just a paid job. I don't want to be drawn into politics. I was asked to deliver a message, and the payment will keep my family fed for a month. That's all I know!"

"Unlikely," said Eeth. "You must at least know who sent you to deliver the message. You were not simply asked. Someone did the asking."

The man swallowed. "Yes, but I don't know who it was," he said quickly. "They never said their name."

Eeth grabbed the front of his robes. "I am not buying this," he said. "A stranger asks you to do something like this and promises payment and you have no idea who they are? How would you even trust them to make good on their promise? Kat, tie him up."

The man tried to free himself but Kat had his arms in a secure hold in a second.

"Wait!" he pleaded. "Don't. I … I haven't bargained for this. If I tell you all I know, will you let me go and … and possibly keep this to yourself? I don't think I'll be paid if my … client finds out I blabbed."

"That, we will decide after we have heard what you have to say," said Eeth, without letting go of him. "Tell us."

The man swallowed again. "I was telling the truth when I said I don't know who he was," he whispered. "But I know that he was a Kaath. And the Kaath always keep their promises. That is why I agreed to do this"

"And you just let him go?" asked Lok in disbelief. Eeth and Kat had decided to fetch him, given that he was still awake, and he was now pacing his master's living room.

"He was truthful, and he told us all he knew," said Eeth. "He described his client to us but that was not very helpful. We just know that he had very dark skin, was tall and around forty years old."

"Which fits the description of pretty much every male in the Kaath delegation," said Kat. The ruling clans on Iroqa did not subscribe to the concept of seniority. Their ruling elite consisted of physically fit thirty-to-fifty-year-olds.

"But you could have pursued him," Lok argued.

"That would probably not have yielded any new insights," said Eeth. "Most likely, he would have gone home. He will have to be in contact with his client again at some point, of course, but none of us can afford to be missing tomorrow morning unless we want to raise suspicion."

Lok frowned. "But why should we act as if nothing happened?" he asked. "We could confront our hosts. Anyway, the person who sent him will know that we received the warning and will expect us to react to it."

"I don't think confronting them will accomplish anything either," said Kat. "They'll just deny everything and pretend not to know what we're talking about. But I do wonder whether we should react to the warning. I mean, our padawans were explicitly threatened."

"You don't seriously think I'm leaving?" asked Lok, stopping to glare at her.

"That," said Eeth sternly, "is not up to you to decide. Before we continue this discussion, take a moment to calm down."

Eeth knew that a few months ago, Lok would probably have thrown the tantrum of all tantrums. But he had made remarkable progress in controlling his emotions. The boy closed his eyes, drew a deep breath and focussed on releasing his anxieties into the Force.

"Thank you, padawan," said Eeth gently after a minute. "Now sit down and stop pacing. Nobody suggested sending you home."

"Please don't," said Lok, plopping down into an armchair. "Firstly, I do want to find out about my family. And besides, I want to know what the Sith is going on here."

"I have to agree," said Eeth slowly. "We should neither give up so easily on finding out about your origins, nor do I want to leave without having understood what is happening here. Takhya, however, is a different matter. She is younger and this mission might have turned out to be riskier than we bargained for. Maybe we should find a pretext to send Kat and Takhya back."

Kat was silent for a moment. Then she said, "Alright, maybe this is the point at which I should tell you something. It might be completely far-fetched and silly. Please don't laugh."

Eeth frowned. "Why should we laugh?" he asked.

"Because, like I said, it's far-fetched and silly," said Kat impatiently. "Which is why I've kept it to myself. But it might be relevant to our decision, so I'm just going to go ahead and tell you."

She drew a deep breath. "I think the two issues – Lok's origins and whatever big mystery is going on here – might be related," she said. "And you don't have to tell me this sounds like a soap opera plot. I know it does. But look at him, and look at the Takars. If you take away the tattoos, Lok is their spitting image. And they know it. Or at least Triz Takar does. I sensed something strange about her from the outset, the moment she first set eyes on us. Some kind of nervous tension, more so than in anyone else. You know I have a strong connection to the living Force and I've been trained for scouting. I feel that there's a relation of some kind between her and Lok. I don't know if the other Takars are aware, let alone the Kaaths. But… but could it be that this is what's at the heart of the matter? In which case it might be primarily Lok who's in danger, and not so much Takhya."

Eeth and Lok both stared at her. Eeth's mind worked furiously, trying to process all she had said and matching it with his own observations. "We all agreed from the outset that she seemed nervous, and possibly hiding something," he said slowly. "If she did not want anyone to know, that would also explain why she is shielding us from the general population. It is true that Lok has very light skin and would not stand out in a crowd of Takars."

"But wait a moment," said Lok. "Let's assume for a moment that Kat's theory is true and I'm a Takar. Why would they have abandoned me or given me up for adoption or whatever?"

"Obviously, I have no answer to that," said Kat somewhat defensively.

"And how does that explain Zyle?" Lok pushed. "And wasn't our messenger's client a Kaath, not a Takar?"

"Forget it," said Kat, her cheeks colouring slightly. "Like I said, it's a silly notion."

Eeth frowned. "No, it is not a silly notion at all, and we will certainly not discard it," he said. "What I do not understand, though, is why you were only telling us now."

Kat's cheeks coloured even more, and she avoided his gaze. "It seemed so unlikely to me," she mumbled. "Like a bad movie plot. I thought you would dismiss it outright and consider me an idiot for suggesting it."

Eeth suddenly and painfully realised that Kat, while having done an admirable job at concealing it, had an inferiority complex towards him. He cursed himself for not having understood this earlier. She was thirty years his junior, while he was a famous Jedi and a former member of the High Council to boot. Moreover, the whole reason she had been asked to come on this mission was a mistake she had made when she had been younger. It was only natural that she would feel insecure about undertaking this mission with him. If that prevented her from being upfront about her observations and ideas, they had a problem.

"It might sound like a bad holo plot, but the same is true for the visitor I had tonight," Eeth said. "At this point, no theory is too absurd to be taken seriously, and yours is not all that implausible. I have to ask you to be quicker about telling me such things in the future. If we cannot put our trust in each other, we will not be able to get at the bottom of what is going on here. You may certainly trust me not to ridicule your observations and deductions."

Kat looked chastened, understanding the implied rebuke for what it was. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I will. And sorry for having held this back from you."

Eeth nodded. "Apology accepted," he said. "This is what I propose we do. You and Takhya will stay, for a number of reasons. First, we are not sure how much danger Takhya is actually in, but my feeling is that the risk is very limited. Second, I believe us to be more than capable of protecting her. Third, we want to find out what the Takars and Kaaths are hiding. Lok and I might need your assistance in doing so, for example if it turns out that we need to split up. But we will need to take precautions. Lok will sleep in my room and Takhya in yours, or you in Takhya's. The beds are large enough. That way, we should be able to protect our padawans from whatever scheme is being concocted here. If it is executed with as little skill as the warning they sent to us tonight, it should not be beyond our means to foil it."

"I like that idea. I would feel much better staying with you," Lok said. "How about we try to make our new sleeping arrangement inconspicuous? If Zyle and our hosts do not know about it, they might make their next move against an empty room. A9 notices everything we do, of course, but it's possible that nobody will think to ask him. Do we have, I dunno, motion detectors or something? We could put them in my room and see what happens. If someone really wants to attack or abduct me or whatever else they might think of doing, we'll be alerted."

"That is not a bad idea at all," said Eeth. "I will take care of it. You go to sleep. We can make further plans in the morning."

Kat rose. "I can do it," she said. "I'll pass by Lok's room anyway. And then I'll join Takhya in her room. She's a deep sleeper. I doubt she'll even wake up."

"Thank you," said Eeth.

Ten minutes later, Lok was lying on the right side of Eeth's bed, pulling a blanket around himself and staring into the darkness. Eeth could tell that he was tired but that his mind was racing.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked gently, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"First I kept trying to picture Triz Takar's face and compare it to my own," Lok whispered. "But it's elusive, and anyway, she's too heavily tattooed for me to be able to see any similarities. Then I suddenly remembered Lok Takar, who sat next to me on the shuttle. His eyes are grey, not green, but they still resemble mine, and he has a long nose that looks just like my own. So I was wondering if he's my father. Then Triz would be like an aunt or cousin or something and trying to… What? What is she trying to accomplish? And why would they have abandoned me?"

Eeth lay down on the left side of the bed and rested a hand on Lok's back. "That is enough of that," he said softly. "It is leading you nowhere. Sleep, padawan." He sent a light sleep compulsion through their bond while stroking Lok's back in a steady rhythm. Lok's eyelids drooped. Less than two minutes later, he was asleep.

The next morning, Eeth let Lok sleep in. The previous two days, the Jedi had got up early, had put in a joint meditation and a brief workout in the garden, showered, gotten dressed, and then had breakfast in a dining room downstairs with Zyle. Today, Eeth thought that Lok needed his sleep and they needed to talk, preferably without an annoying Falleen audience. Thus, he got ready for the day and sought out A9 to arrange for their breakfast to be brought to his suite, while Zyle's would be delivered to her room.

"We will need to have a private word with our padawans," he explained to the protocol droid, who responded with a respectful bow.

Eeth sent Kat a message asking her to come to his quarters with Takhya at half past eight for breakfast. Then he meditated for a while. At eight o'clock, Lok was still asleep. Eeth decided, somewhat reluctantly, to wake him.

"Padawan," he said gently, shaking Lok's shoulder. "Time to get up. Breakfast will be in half an hour."

"Huh?" Lok murmured, stirring slightly. "'s the time?"

"Eight," said Eeth.

Lok sat up. "Eight a clock?" he asked incredulously. "Who are you and what have you done with my master?"

"Padawan, you fell asleep too late last night," said Eeth mildly. "We need you to be well-rested. Now get ready for the day. Breakfast will be served in our suite. Kat and Takhya will join us."

Lok yawned and stretched. "Alright, master," he said. "Thank you."

"Will anyone tell me what's going on?" Takhya demanded to know the moment she had stomped into Eeth's quarters. Kat followed her inside, closed the door behind herself and said, a tad wearily, "I said we'd tell you during breakfast."

"Which is on the table," said Eeth. "Mind your manners, Padawan Mok."

Takhya marched towards the table, sat on a chair, folded her arms across her chest and said, "Tell me now."

Eeth glared at her.

"It's kind of refreshing to see that look pointed at someone else for a change," said Lok, coming to sit next to Takhya. "Takhya, better desist, or things are going to get ugly real soon."

"Too true," said Kat, taking a seat opposite Takhya and pointing her own glare at the girl. "We have no use for temper tantrums."

Eeth took the remaining chair and, thinking that Takhya urgently needed to learn some patience, poured himself some tea. Everyone started helping themselves to food. Only Takhya sat there, fuming. "You're still not telling me!" she objected.

"As soon as you lose the attitude," Eeth said severely.

Takhya gave an exaggerated sigh and grabbed a bun.

"C'mon, master," said Lok, taking pity on her. "She missed out on everything. And she's eleven. Of course she wants to know what's going on."

Eeth hesitated for a moment but he had to concede that Lok was probably right.

"Someone climbed up to my window from the garden last night to deliver a warning," he told Takhya. "He said someone important wanted us gone and that by staying, we would put our padawans in danger. I called your master for assistance and we managed to make him tell us everything he knew, which was not much. Apparently, the person who asked him to deliver the message was a Kaath. We then discussed the matter, together with Lok, and–"

"Wait a moment," Takhya snapped, jumping up. "You fetched Lok and left me out of it?"

"Lok was awake, and you weren't," said Kat sternly. "He's three years older than you. And besides, he has stakes in this mission and you don't. Now if you could stop questioning us and let Master Koth finish, that would be much appreciated. Sit down."

Takhya obeyed, but it was clear that she was far from mollified.

"We discussed whether to stay or leave," said Eeth, pointing a look at her that clearly warned her to settle down. "We considered finding a pretext to send Kat and you back but decided against it. However, we will take precautions. Lok will spend the nights in my flight of rooms and you and Kat should share as well. We hid a motion sensor in Lok's room that will warn us if someone enters. We will try to keep this arrangement from Zyle and our hosts as best we can and wait for them to make their next move. Oh, and one more thing that you ought to know is that your master has a theory." He looked at Kat.

"Well, 'theory' might be too strong a word," said Kat hesitantly, "but I think this whole secrecy might be about Lok. I think it's possible that he's related to the Takars. Triz Takar, in particular, seems nervous around him and there's something going on."

"You mean because he looks exactly like them?" asked Takhya, wide-eyed, apparently having momentarily forgotten about her annoyance.

"Partly," said Kat.

"Why has everyone noticed this except for me?" Lok demanded to know.

"I had not noticed it either before Kat pointed it out," said Eeth. "And I am not surprised that you did not see it. People are rarely good judges of their own appearance."

"I still think I ought to have had a say in it," Takhya said, her belligerence back at full force.

"Oh, for the Force's sake, knock it off," said Lok. "I didn't have a say in it either. This is not how things work."

"Indeed," said Eeth coolly. "Finish your plate."

Takhya pushed her plate away. "I'm not hungry," she said, scowling.

Eeth raised his eyebrows. "This is my last warning," he said quietly. "Do as I told you or you will find yourself on a ship back to Coruscant, with a sore bottom to boot."

Takhya stared at him.

"I would heed his warning if I were you," Lok advised her. "He means what he says. Always."

"Yes, and much as I'd hate to leave, he's right," said Kat. "You have no mission clearance and this is turning into more of a real mission than we'd bargained for. We need you on your best behaviour or you'll be a liability. And we can't afford liabilities."

"You might actually want to consider how you could be of help," said Eeth. "Uttering complaints is not helping. But there might very well be things that you can contribute. You are perceptive, after all."

He could tell that this argument had hit home, maybe even more so than the threats. One could practically see the wheels turning in Takhya's head.

"Alright," she finally said. "I'm sorry. I'll try to do better."

"Then finish your plate," said Eeth. "We need to get going.