AN: As always, thanks for all your support for this story. I hope you all enjoy this week's chapter.
Chapter 34 - Andarran Kidnapping
Obi-Wan did the best to fight off his frustration as they made their way to the turbolift to the High Council tower. As they accessed the turbolift to the High Council tower, Ferus Olin walked up and nodded a greeting. As usual, the Jedi Padawan looked impeccable, his tunic spotless, his dark, gold-streaked hair drawn back severely in his Padawan braid. Even his utility belt gleamed from a recent polishing.
Obi-Wan turned to him, surprised. "You have been called as well?"
"Yes. My Master will join us in the High Council chamber."
They stepped onto the turbolift. Obi-Wan noted the cool nod Anakin gave in response to Ferus's greeting. So the two were still rivals. Perhaps being thrown together again would be good for both of them.
The three stepped out and entered the Council chamber. A majority of the Council was there, surrounding the trio in a semicircle. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows dark clouds collided, threatening rain. A sudden bolt of lightning flashed a jagged streak of blue against the dark gray sky.
Mace Windu turned from where he'd been contemplating the coming storm. He sat in his chair and faced Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ferus.
"Thank you for coming so quickly," he said. "This is a matter that demands our urgent response."
Obi-Wan waited, surprised that Mace had begun without Siri's presence.
"There has been some infighting in the Senate," Mace began.
Obi-Wan felt a silent groan well up within him. So much for his desire to escape Senatorial politics. He had just been fighting off that irritation and it seemed it was going to come right back.
"Senator Berm Tarturi of Andara is fighting the political battle of his life," Mace continued. "The Andaran system is a thriving, influential one, but several planets in the system are claiming an imbalance in trade route distribution. The planet Ieria is demanding a new treaty, as well as representation in the Senate. Ieria and Andara have become bitter enemies.
"Senator Tarturi is concerned about a reduction in his own power, but the problem is bigger than that. Since the Andaran system is a powerful voting bloc, the Senate is worried about potential instability - as well as a full-scale civil war that could bring in other systems and spread throughout the Core Worlds. And something else has happened to complicate the situation even more. The Senator's son has disappeared." Mace paused, knitting his long fingers together. "Gillam Tarturi is sixteen. He is a student at the elite Future Leaders Academy on Andara - a private academy that trains many of the children of the powerful throughout the galaxy for careers in government and diplomacy. The school's security system is sophisticated. The fact that Gillam disappeared without tripping any alarms is a mystery."
"Does Senator Tarturi believe that his son's disappearance is tied to his political problems in his home system?" Obi-Wan asked.
"He does," Mace said. "He fears his opponents have kidnapped Gillam in order to distract him."
Obi-Wan sensed a hesitation in Mace's manner, and he quickly glanced at the rest of the Council members. It was always difficult to read them, but he felt the uncertainty in the air.
"Difficult the situation is," Yoda said. "Interested we are in another connection. A squad of young mercenaries there is."
"The word is that the Andarran school serves as a training ground for this squad," Windu continued. "The young mercenaries have already been involved in several intra-planetary disputes and possibly even assassinations. They are alleged to hire themselves out for various causes around the galaxy. The disappearance of Gillam Tarturi could be related to this secret squad. Their activities are beginning to worry the Council."
"So they must be investigated as well," Obi-Wan said.
Mace nodded. "The Council has arranged for both Anakin and Ferus to enter the school as new students. They are to find out who is behind the renegade squad and investigate them. Their identities will be concealed - no one must connect the Jedi to this operation if we are to succeed. Not even the school officials will know that Ferus and Anakin are Jedi - they have been given documentation as transfer students, Anakin on a scholarship and Ferus as the son of a high official from a Mid-Rim planet."
"And meanwhile I will investigate Andaran system politics," Obi-Wan said. He tried to keep the thud of disappointment from his voice.
Mace nodded again. "This will mean a separation between Master and Padawan. Not only for you, but for Siri as well. The Council is sending her to do some follow-up work on a planet in the Core. The Council feels that Ferus and Anakin together can handle this."
He turned to the two Padawans.
"You will be undercover at all times, and that will prove difficult in ways you have yet to foresee. You can set up a regular time to communicate with Obi-Wan. Students are not allowed to use comm devices during the school day, but they have a free hour in the evenings. You must check in with each other as often as you can."
"Yes, Master Windu," Ferus said.
The doors hissed open and Siri walked in with her usual purposeful stride. She bowed to the Council. "I have received my last instructions and I'm ready to leave," she said.
"You will be responsible for another Jedi's Padawan," Mace told Obi-Wan. "You know what this means."
"It is as if he is my own," Obi-Wan said, looking at Siri. Her clear, deep blue gaze told him that she trusted him.
"May the Force be with you all," Mace Windu concluded.
Obi-Wan and Siri both exited with their Padawans, and the two Padawans immediately went off to gather the things they'd need to leave.
"I'll watch over him, Siri," Obi-Wan promised.
"I know you will," Siri said with a smile. "Now what's got you so frustrated today? I've been able to feel it through our bond for the past four hours."
Obi-Wan sighed, thinking over what had happened over the morning. He was still looking for any and all information about Granta Omega, and like Kastor had said, they knew of one of Omega's allies: Sana Sauro.
Sauro was no friend of the Jedi either. Quite the opposite in fact, but he cloaked himself behind Senatorial procedures. Obi-Wan knew he'd have to force him to cooperate, so he had approached a brilliant young Senate aide, the Svivreni Tyro Caladian, to help him get Sauro's files.
Caladian had come up with the correct course of action: an order to reveal. Of course, that was a complicated process that included petitions, signatures, approvals, and seals.
Finally though, the order had been served on Sano Sauro. Tyro had worked hard for Obi-Wan, and they'd even enlisted the help of Chancellor Palpatine, as hesitant as Obi-Wan was of the man, and Obi-Wan had been sure things would work.
"All that work Tyro and I did together was a waste," Obi-Wan said to Siri, who certainly knew everything they'd done. She'd been on the tail end of his complaints for several weeks.
"What happened?"
"Our order to reveal was denied by some trivial thing that hasn't been used in three hundred years called a Sitting Senator's Right of Refusal," Obi-Wan said, his frustration rising up again. "Chancellor Palpatine said there was nothing more he could do. Tyro said he'll keep trying, but I doubt he'll be able to do anything either."
"So that's why you feel like you want to pound the floor and raze the Senate to the ground," Siri said with a slight chuckle, and he huffed at her, feeling his irritation fade away almost immediately.
"Yes, that is why," Obi-Wan said mildly. "I kept it all in because of Anakin."
"Ah, ever the perfect Master," Siri teased, and Obi-Wan couldn't help the chuckle that escaped.
"I will see you soon, Siri," Obi-Wan said, turning away, "and in the meantime, I'll look after Ferus."
"Oh, I'm sure you can take care of the kids while they're at school," Siri said with humor in her voice. "I just wish I was getting to enjoy a proper trip. You get to enjoy lazing about here in the Temple while I'm off to Vardos."
Obi-Wan sighed and she laughed.
An hour later, the sky remained black and the clouds still refused to release the rain as Obi-Wan stood on the landing platform with Anakin. Ferus was already in the cruiser, doing a last-minute check. Obi-Wan would remain on Coruscant to investigate Tarturi's rivals in the Senate.
"I'm sorry to leave you, Master, but I know how much you're looking forward to returning to the Senate," Anakin said.
Obi-Wan could see Anakin doing everything he could not to smile.
"Very amusing," Obi-Wan said dryly. "I admit I would rather not have this particular assignment, but I recognize that it is necessary that it be done."
Anakin sighed. "Always an opportunity to teach."
"Yes," Obi-Wan said, smiling now. "That is the role of a Master, my young apprentice." He put his hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Remember, you are not on a solo mission. You are with a fellow Jedi. Do your best with Ferus. Try to get to know him. That might ease your irritation with him."
"I would rather not have this particular assignment, but I recognize that it must be done," Anakin said with a straight face.
Obi-Wan laughed. He would miss Anakin's humor. Sometimes, he knew he could be too serious. He remembered how Qui-Gon would sometimes surprise him on a tough mission with a sly joke.
'I must remember to do those things for Anakin,' he thought. 'His gifts are so great that I work too hard to teach. He must learn to enjoy, as well.'
"You never know, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "Ferus might one day be your best friend. That's how Siri and I are now, and I can tell you, she was my Ferus when I was your age."
"Yeah, well, Ferus isn't a pretty blonde with a sense of humor," Anakin remarked, and Obi-Wan laughed again.
"He might not be blonde, but I think some of your classmates might disagree with you on the pretty part, and I will disagree with Siri having a sense of humor," Obi-Wan said with a chuckle and Anakin grinned at that before Obi-Wan got serious again. "Keep in close contact, Anakin," he said. "I will be on Andara as soon as I can. May the Force be with you."
"May the Force be with you, Master." Anakin turned and strode toward the Republic cruiser.
Obi-Wan felt a tug at his heart that he recognized as a reluctance he did not like to admit. The Council believed that Anakin was ready for more independence, but no doubt they had chosen Ferus as a counterbalance. His stability would keep Anakin's impulsiveness in check.
Or so they believed.
**The Will of the Force**
"Is this how all of your adventures turn out?" Asuna's sarcastic tone came through the comms.
"Pretty much," Rhys said, from the garage where he was ready to deploy the Shadow Hawk, if given the go ahead, and Kastor rolled his eyes as he took the Ebon Hawk into a steep dive to avoid the turbolaser bolts coming from the capital class cruiser that was only part of the fleet trying to destroy them.
"How was I to know that Omega's 'secret' fleet was engaging and destroying every ship that flew into this system?" Kastor retorted. "I figured it was posing as a merchant fleet or the planet's defense force!"
"Well, if this is how things turn out with you, then I'll be sticking with you for a long time!" Koba said, and they could almost hear the grin in his voice. "I haven't had this much fun in years!"
"You mean you haven't been able to blast this many things in years," Des responded dryly.
"Same difference!"
Kastor chuckled at that. Mandalorians were a breed all their own, but at times like this, it was nice to know he had two in the turrets engaging their enemies, and one in his copilot's seat, aiding as needed.
Kastor had honestly been more worried that Omega would have moved his fleet, but obviously the Sith Cultist had been confident that he'd wiped the files before anyone could copy them. That was good for them.
Unfortunately, the fleet seemed to be far more than he thought it would be. Sure, Anakin had said it was a fleet, but he hadn't expected as large a fleet as Omega had apparently amassed. It was certainly more than they could take with what they had.
Omega had one hell of a fleet. He had three capital class battlecruisers: one Lucrehulk he must have bought from the Trade Federation, a Sabaoth Destroyer, and a Bulwark Battlecruiser. He had six heavy cruisers: two Techno Union Munificent Frigates, a Commerce Guild Diamond Frigate, two Trade Federation Missile Frigates, and a Bakuran class destroyer. There were three light cruisers: two Carracks and a Bayonet Cruiser. He also had six escort corvettes: two Geonosian corvettes, two CR70's, and two Commerce Guild corvettes. Of course, with the fleet came several squadrons of star fighters, which seemed to mostly be Trade Federation Droid Starfighters and Scarab Starfighters, with some Sabaoth fighters mixed in, and he suspected several squadrons of bombers, which based on what he'd seen would be Trade Federation and Sabaoth bombers. Needless to say, even with the Force and Rhys getting in his fighter and flying escort, there was little they could do, other than thin the herd of starfighters, and even that wasn't going to be easy once the number of enemy fighters grew too large.
There was just no reason for the fleet to break formation which would give them the window to take out some of the escort craft and even the light cruisers with ease. Even with Kastor at the helm, there was no way to approach the full fleet and engage completely without risking destruction, and even if they did, the Ebon Hawk didn't have the firepower to take down the capital ships, at least not while dealing with everything else, and the same was true for the heavy frigates.
"Glad you're having fun," Kastor said, as the two more droid starfighters were destroyed, making a total of six destroyed, "but any ideas on how to deal with this fleet? Other than letting them disperse, hoping they break apart, and trying to pick them off in smaller groups?"
"No, we'll need a fleet to combat this, and a strong one at that," Asuna remarked. "Some of the new Mandalorian fleets might be able to engage, but even they would struggle."
"Kas, I think we do a Vandor Run. It's the only play," Rhys said grimly, coming back into the cockpit, and Kastor nodded absently in agreement.
"What's a Vandor Run?" Des asked.
"We have trackers and proton torpedoes," Rhys explained. "Kas is going to fly straight towards the fleet. We'll blow up one of the escort craft or light cruisers with the torpedoes and place a few trackers on some of the other ships while we're maneuvering and then jump to safety."
"Bold," Des remarked, looking rather impressed.
"Shavit, that's insane!" Asuna cursed. "Let's do it!"
Koba laughed heartily.
"How did we find three crew members more insane than we are?" Rhys muttered in amazement, and Kastor laughed again as he guided the Ebon Hawk into what the enemy would certainly assume was a suicide run.
Kastor maneuvered the ship through the blaster fire. Thankfully, the dozen or so starfighters still on their tail were providing some cover from the frigates and destroyers opening up completely, since it seemed they didn't want to destroy their own ships.
That thought was too quick as the starfighters broke off pursuit and the fleet unloaded a full savo in the Hawk's direction. Rhys swore as Kastor relied heavily on the Force to move the ship through the bolts of light, aiming for the gap between the center and right capital ships.
"Karabast!" Asuna's voice cut through the comms, and Kastor grinned, as he zoomed between the two capital ships, and Rhys dropped one of the tracker onto the Sabaoth Destroyer's hull.
Kastor took the Ebon Hawk into a steep climb, zooming over the center capital ship, the lucrehulk, whose cannons were struggling to keep up with the Ebon Hawk's speed, but were getting closer and closer. He peaked the ship and rolled into a dive, aiming for the other side of the enemy ship. As they got near, Rhys dropped another tracker, and Kastor targeted the Bayonet-Class Cruiser, and unleashed two quick volleys of proton torpedoes which impacted the center of the cruiser and started a chain reaction that ripped the ship apart. Kastor rolled closer to the third capital cruiser, the Bulwark, and Rhys dropped the last tracker as Kastor turned the Ebon Hawk back away from the enemy fleet.
Scrappy gave a whistle, telling him the coordinates for hyperspace were ready, and Kastor hit the switch and they jumped away to safety.
Rhys breathed out a sigh of relief, and Kastor grinned.
"Hopefully that fleet splits up, especially with us getting away and we can track its movements to some of Omega's other hideouts," Kastor said.
"Hopefully it splits apart so that we can pick that fleet apart," Rhys said pointedly. "Asuna's right. Even if we ask the Mandalorians to aid our assault, their currently growing fleet might not be a match for that one. Not without Republic aid, and we know we're not going to get that."
"True," Kastor admitted. "Still, I'm sure they were able to pick up the ship's code, and Omega will know soon enough that the Soaring Razor is back in action. Hopefully, that throws him for a loop, especially with us revealing to him we know the location of his fleet. He'll start questioning how much information we got on him, and he'll hopefully make a mistake while trying to shore up his plans. Besides, if that fleet ever does anything like blockade a planet we can get the Republic Navy involved."
"I had heard that Jedi were formidable pilots, but I'll admit that was more impressive than I believed," Asuna said, as she and Koba made their way into the cockpit.
"Glad to know I hold up in your esteem at least in one way," Kastor said dryly with a sardonic bow of his head and Asuna nodded sagely.
"I think staying in your company is going to be far more illuminating than I originally thought," Asuna admitted.
"That's pretty close to what I said when I first joined up with him," Rhys admitted, and Asuna grinned at him.
"I think it's going to be more fun than I thought," Koba said. "I haven't felt so close to death in years!"
Des snorted with a shake of his head.
"You scare me, Koba," Kastor said with a slight shake of his head and Koba boomed out a laugh.
"So, where to next?" Asuna asked.
"It's time to check up on some of our old contacts," Kastor said. "My alias has been underground for quite a while now, and it's time to show them that 'I' survived and am no longer avoiding the bounty on my head. Though, I suspect some of them might try and claim it."
"I'd like to see what Bounty Hunters are willing to try and claim your bounty," Des said, his eyes glinting, and Kastor almost felt sorry for whoever came after them.
"Alright, first stop is Nal Hutta," Kastor said.
"Karabast, I hate the Hutts," Asuna muttered.
**The Will of the Force**
Obi-Wan was ushered immediately into Berm Tarturi's private office.
The Senator from Andara had a grand suite hung with delicate curtains of silver and gold shimmersilk. The different flowers of Andara were stitched with bright crimson thread into the fabric. Instead of a desk or table, Berm Tarturi sat on a platform with plush cushions. The platform had a work surface that swiveled up from underneath so that one could recline and work at the same time.
Tarturi was a large man with a bald head and a flowing black beard. He looked up at Obi-Wan, and the misery on his face was a contrast to the luxurious surroundings.
"I have heard from them at last." He pushed a datascreen toward Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan walked forward to read it.
WE HAVE YOUR SON. WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS.
On the screen was an image of a tall, muscular boy clutching a blanket around his shoulders. His mouth was twisted in a way that told Obi-Wan he was trying to be brave.
Obi-Wan felt his fury rise at the sight, but he kept his voice neutral. "Not much to go on," he said.
Berm dropped his head in his hands. "They are trying to torture me. There is a personal vendetta here. I can feel it."
"Do you suspect who it is?" Obi-Wan asked.
"It is Rana Halion," Berm said. "I'm sure of it. She's the driving force behind those who wish to overthrow the Andaran trade system. She's the ruler of Ieria, the next largest planet to Andara. I've known her for years. She's a ruthless politician. She has assembled a secret army and has persuaded several other worlds to join the effort. She is now at the Senate, lobbying for help for her cause. She claims the Andaran system needs two representatives in the Senate. She's trying to grab power, nothing more. She says she speaks for the majority of those in the Andaran system. It is a lie! I am the Senator of Andara. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants."
"She would kidnap a young boy?" Obi-Wan asked. "That is a serious charge, Senator."
He looked up at Obi-Wan bleakly. "She is a serious person. What are rules and laws to her? I'm positive that she or her supporters have broken into my office and looked through my files."
"Was security breached?" Obi-Wan asked.
"No, but I know she was here! Someone was!" Berm insisted. "I'm telling you, she has my son. What are you going to do about it?" Berm's voice had risen shrilly.
"I am here to find your son," Obi-Wan said calmly. "I will investigate what you have told me. Accusing her without proof would get us nowhere. And you don't want to endanger Gillam."
Berm slumped back against the cushions. "No, of course not. I haven't brought in Coruscant security because they are so heavy-handed. I knew the Jedi could handle this discreetly. It's just that I fear for Gillam. He thinks he is an adult. He is only sixteen." He glanced at the datascreen and his gaze softened.
"I know what that is like," Obi-Wan said, thinking of Anakin.
"We must find him soon," Berm said.
"Do you have enemies in the Senate?" Obi-Wan inquired.
Berm shook his head.
"I find that hard to believe, Senator," Obi-Wan said. "All politicians have enemies."
"Not me," Berm shot back. "Oh, I suppose I have political disagreements with my colleagues. But enemies? I do not cultivate them."
"We do not need to cultivate enemies," Obi-Wan said. "They flourish without us." He sensed that Berm Tarturi did not want to answer the question, so he tried a different tack. "Tell me about security at the school."
"I demanded a report from them that includes the data recorders from that night," Berm said. He reached over for a holofile. "Here is the report." He thrust it at Obi-Wan eagerly. "Perhaps you can find something in it. I couldn't. I had the best security experts go over it. I chose the Andaran school not only because of its reputation, but because of its security. It rivals the best in the galaxy. How could Gillam just disappear? That's what makes me think that Rana is responsible. She has a planetary treasury to draw on. She could hire the most sophisticated tech team in the galaxy to override the system. Didn't she break in here without tripping the alarm?"
Obi-Wan took a quick look at the holofile in his hands. "Everything seems in order, but I'll have the analysts at the Temple go over this. How often do you communicate with your son normally?"
"Almost every night. The school has a contact hour in the evenings. Otherwise he is on comm silence."
Obi-Wan knew this. Students were restricted in use of communication devices except for a one-hour period. It was the time he had set up to speak with Anakin and Ferus.
"We're very close," Berm went on. "His mother died three years ago."
Obi-Wan looked down at the security report. "It says here that you last checked in with Gillam over a month ago."
Berm flushed. "There are many details at the Senate that require my attention. That doesn't mean I'm not close to my son."
"Did Gillam have special friends at the school?"
"Of course. He's very popular."
"What are their names?"
Berm looked at him blankly. "Ah... let me see. Hmm. I don't recall. The stress of this whole affair has been so great, it's hard to remember every detail..."
"How about vacations? Where did Gillam spend his?"
"With me, of course. Unless my duties here prevented him from joining me. Then he would spend vacations at our mountain home on Andara."
"By himself?"
"Of course not. There were servants in attendance." Obi-Wan nodded. He was beginning to get the picture of a lonely boy.
Berm seemed to sense this, for he said quickly, "But he loved coming here to visit me. He was just here a month ago. He wants to be a Senator, like me. We are very close."
"Of course," Obi-Wan said. "Let me take this message with me, and I'll keep you updated."
"Anything I can do for my son, I will do," Berm said.
"I appreciate that, Senator Tarturi," Obi-Wan replied.
He believed that the Senator was sincere. But he did not believe that Tarturi had told him everything. Senators were used to concealing some of the truth in order to place themselves in the best light. It was their nature. He needed a clear view of Senator Tarturi's role in the Senate, and he knew just who to ask.
Obi-Wan tried to access the door to Tyro Caladian's tiny office, but the door stuck after it had slid open only a few centimeters.
"Tyro?" he shouted inside the crack.
"Go away," a muffled voice answered.
"It's Obi-Wan!"
"Obi-Wan! For star's sake, don't move." Obi-Wan heard the sound of crashing and banging. "I'm coming - oof! Don't . . . I'm almost there . . . ah!"
The door slowly opened, pushed by Tyro. "Can't you . . ." he puffed ". . . use your Force . . . to help?"
Obi-Wan leaned against the door frame, watching. "I'm enjoying this far too much."
Tyro got the door all the way open. He wiped his forehead, where his fur had matted with sweat. "So happy to amuse. Thanks."
Obi-Wan strolled inside. Tyro's office was filled with plastoid boxes crammed with durasheet documents. More plastoid file boxes were stacked against a wall. Some of the boxes had been shoved against the door, causing it to jam.
"What's going on?"
"I told you I'd get something on Sano Sauro," Tyro said, climbing over a box to get to a holodocument strewn desk. "I requisitioned all the documents in the Senate registry that involve his homeworld. He couldn't seal everything, just his personal docs."
"All of them?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously. "But he's been a Senator for nine years!"
Tyro ruefully surveyed the crowded office. "Well, it might take a while. But what can I do for you, Obi-Wan? I'm at your service, as always."
"What do you know about Berm Tarturi?" Obi-Wan asked. He raised a hand and used the Force to push aside a tower of documents in order to sit down.
Tyro looked from the ease of Obi-Wan's gesture back to the door he had struggled with. His ears twitched as he sat down. "I sure could use that Force of yours. Think how much I could save on maid service. Anyway - Tarturi. The one whose son has been kidnapped."
Obi-Wan was startled. "How do you know that? There's been no official word."
Tyro smiled, his small, pointed teeth glistening. "Why are you in this office?"
Obi-Wan inclined his head. "Because you hear everything."
"What exactly do you need to know?" Tyro said. "I know many things about Senator Tarturi. For example, at the moment he is engaged in the fight of his political career."
"Who is his biggest enemy in the Senate?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Are you serious?" Tyro said. "You don't know?"
"Why else would I be here?" Obi-Wan asked irritably. "Because I enjoy filing?"
"Sano Sauro is his biggest enemy," Tyro said.
"Sauro?" Obi-Wan felt his pulse quicken. "Tarturi didn't mention him."
Tyro snorted. "He wouldn't. They are locked in a bitter battle over the redistribution of trade routes. Typical Senate bureaucratic tangle, but for them - it might as well be life or death. It means money, payoffs . . . and reelection. The battle has left them mortal enemies."
"But why wouldn't Tarturi tell me this?" Obi-Wan wondered.
"Because Senators never admit they have enemies, Obi-Wan," Tyro said patiently. "Don't you know that by now? It gives their opponents more power if they acknowledge them."
"Even when his son is missing?"
Tyro laughed, but the laugh had no humor in it. "His mother could be missing, his wife, and his pet nek battle dog. He still wouldn't tell you everything."
"So," Obi-Wan said thoughtfully, "if Berm Tarturi was distracted by his son's kidnapping . . ."
"Sauro could profit handsomely," Tyro finished. "The committee is in session right now. If Tarturi misses even one meeting, Sauro could gain the upper hand." Tyro sat up straighter. "Do you think Sauro could be involved?"
"Does Sauro know Rana Halion?" Obi-Wan asked.
"The leader of the Andaran opposition? I don't think so," Tyro answered. "But if he did meet with her, it would have to be in secret. Naturally he would support her efforts in the Andaran system. It would destroy Tarturi's power base." Tyro tapped a triple jointed finger on a pile of datasheets. "Not to mention that Halion could get her new trade routes if she throws her support to Sauro. They both have much to gain from an alliance."
"So if Halion cooked up a plot to kidnap Gillam Tarturi, Sauro might help," Obi-Wan said.
Tyro nodded. "My enemy's enemy is my friend, you mean."
"Or he could have cooked up the plot and enlisted her. It is certainly something he is capable of."
Tyro's ears twitched excitedly. "If we could find proof, it would mean the end of his career. I'd have him in prison. And you'd have your files. The block of the order to reveal would be dissolved."
"And we'd find Gillam Tarturi," Obi-Wan said.