"If you're trying to frighten me, it isn't working," Uta S'orn said dismissively. "I have no time to worry about phantom threats. My world is dying. I see now there was a reason I returned here."

"We are merely trying to protect you — "

"No need. I am safe here. Although we have no king, the royal droid guards still protect the Leader and everyone on the grounds. Thank you for your concern, but Ona Nobis cannot get to me here. Now if you'll excuse me, there are sick children to tend."

Uta S'orn walked away.

"I guess she has a point," Siri said, glancing around at the busy grounds as medics walked by and guard droids, their shells polished to a golden gleam, patrolled. "It would be hard for Ona Nobis to get to her here."

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance. "I'm afraid, Siri, that in our experience," Qui-Gon said, "Ona Nobis can get anywhere."

Chapter 13

"Why didn't you tell Uta S'orn that we suspect Jenna Zan Arbor has engineered the bacteria explosion?" Obi-Wan asked Qui-Gon as they left the royal grounds.

"Because we have no proof, only our suspicions," Qui-Gon said. "She would not believe us. She doesn't even believe that Zan Arbor is here."

"Nevertheless, she will take care, just in case," Adi said. "Despite what she said, she is afraid of Ona Nobis."

"We have to get proof," Qui-Gon said.

"I'm confused," Siri admitted. "I don't understand why Zan Arbor would come to Belasco at all."

"We know that Zan Arbor killed Uta S'orn's son. Uta S'orn knows it, too. But Zan Arbor doesn't know that she knows — as far as she's concerned, Uta S'orn is still an old friend," Adi explained. "Perhaps Zan Arbor came here because S'orn is a powerful ally, and she needs her help."

"That could be," Qui-Gon said, nodding. "And Zan Arbor feels she still needs the protection of Ona Nobis as well. She knows we will be pursuing her. Yes, I think Zan Arbor will contact Uta S'orn. But we must convince S'orn that Zan Arbor is here. Let's go back to the landing platform. If we can prove that Zan Arbor landed on Belasco, Uta S'orn might listen. In the meantime, even if Zan Arbor used an alias, we should be able to track her."

"How can I help?" Astri asked.

"The royal grounds are open to all," Qui-Gon said. "And those guard droids seem to have a mostly ceremonial function. Someone needs to stay there and watch Uta S'orn. Ona Nobis could show up at anytime."

"We can do that," Astri said, with a glance at Cholly, Weez, and Tup.

"Do not approach her," Qui-Gon warned. "And remember — your best revenge is to bring Ona Nobis to justice. We can do this for you. Then you can collect your reward."

"That sounds like an excellent plan!" Tup beamed.

"I don't care about the reward," Astri said. "Only about her capture.

" "Don't be so hasty," Cholly said.

Astri, Cholly, Weez, and Tup turned away from the group to start back toward the royal grounds.

"You're placing quite a bit of faith in them," Adi observed.

"Not really," Qui-Gon said. "I'm counting on Cholly, Weez, and Tup to be obvious. Ona Nobis might steer clear of Uta S'orn for a time if she knows they are watching. That will give us time to gather evidence that Zan Arbor is behind the poisoning of the water supply."

Obi-Wan's senses suddenly went on alert. Even while he was walking, he had been watching every shadow. After his last encounter with Ona Nobis, he was taking no chances. He had sensed a sudden movement nearby and realized that someone was following Astri.

He signaled Qui-Gon with a quick glance and melted away from the others. He ducked back into an alley and scanned the street behind. Whoever was following the group was moving quickly from one shadow to another.

Using his cable launcher, Obi-Wan swung himself up to the flat roof overhead. He ran lightly across the roof. When he reached the corner he stopped and waited for his target below to catch up. Then he leaped down, aiming to land directly in front.

To his surprise, he found himself face-to-face with Fligh. He was the thief back on Coruscant who had stolen Zan Arbor's datapad and given it to Astri, inadvertently plunging Astri and Didi into danger. Fligh was wearing an eye patch and a stunned expression.

Obi-Wan was just as stunned as Fligh. Qui-Gon, Adi, and Siri ran up to them quickly.

"Fligh?" Obi-Wan said. "I thought you were dead. I saw your body on Coruscant."

"No, you didn't, Padawan," Qui-Gon said. "But you did," Obi-Wan said, confused. "No," Qui-Gon said. "I saw a body that resembled Fligh. I had my doubts."

"Ah," Fligh said. His face was naturally mournful, with a downturned mouth and sad eyes. "I've never been clever enough to fool a Jedi. Never will."

"What are you doing here now?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Following Astri, of course," Fligh answered. "I thought I owed Didi.

Even though I keep losing her, I am doing my best, which isn't much. But there you go."

Siri sidled closer to Obi-Wan. "What's going on?" she whispered. "Who is this character?"

"Fligh is a friend of Didi's back on Coruscant," Obi-Wan explained quickly. "He's the one who stole the datapads of Jenna Zan Arbor and Uta S'orn in the Senate building. Then he was murdered. Or so I thought."

"He looks pretty healthy to me," Siri observed.

"Hey, I lost my eye!" Fligh protested.

"I can see that. I'm sorry," Siri said.

"I mean my false eye," Fligh explained. "It was a beauty, wasn't it?"

he asked Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. "But I decided I had to leave it at the scene of my murder. It's those kinds of touches that convince people you're really dead."

"How did you do it?" Obi-Wan asked curiously.

"I have a friend who works at the morgue on Coruscant," Fligh explained. "And I think my job is tough."

"You don't have a job," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"Being a thief is a job," Fligh answered huffily. "I get up every morning and go to work, just like everybody else. But this particular morning, I realized that someone was trying to kill me. When you get a whip wrapped around your neck, it wakes you up to the possibility. Luckily my landlord is handy with an electrojabber. But I thought I should disappear for a while. So I spoke to my friend at the morgue, and he found someone with my general characteristics. Who was dead, I mean."