"I did," Guerra and Paxxi said together.

"Very brave plan, so?" Paxxi asked her.

"Maybe brave," Kaadi said. "Or maybe crazy."

"Brave or crazy, we shall see," Guerra said, unconcerned. "With Jedi along, what can go wrong?"

Qui-Gon gave the Derida brother's a look of rueful exasperation. "We'll find out tonight, I'm sure," he said.

Chapter 8

The Syndicat headquarters were housed in a once grand but now crumbling mansion with extensive security. There were heavy gates to get inside the compound, and a laser security beam over each door and window.

"All you have to do id get us by the two guards," Guerra whispered to Qui-Gon. "we'll do the rest."

Qui-Gon hated having to rely on Guerra's honesty, but he had come too far now to turn back. He nodded.

Paxxi and Guerra led the Jedi around the compound to a back entrance. There, a guard in the usual long silver coat and dark visor stood, hand on a blaster slung in a holster crossed over his chest.

There was nothing to do but walk straight up to him. "Good evening," Qui-Gon said. "We have an appointment."

The guard's head tilted to take in the two Jedi and the two Phindians. They couldn't see his eyes. "Move along, worm."

Qui-Gon brought the Force to bear. He surrounded the Syndicat guard's mind with his own will. "of course, we may enter," he said.

The guard lowered his blaster. "Of course, you may enter," he repeated.

"You see, my brother Paxxi!" Guerra exulted. "The Jedi are powerful. I do not lie!"

"I see, brother Guerra," Paxxi said. "It is so!"

They walked quickly through a small yard packed with landspeeders, speeder bikes, and a few gravsleds. Another guard stood before a wide stone staircase leading to the back door of the mansion.

He stepped forward, raising his blaster. "Who are you and what is your mission here?" he challenged.

Again, Qui-Gon summoned the Force. With guards like these, it was easy to overpower their small minds. They were used to taking orders and rarely thought independently.

"We are welcome to look around," Qui-Gon said.

"You're welcome to look around," the guard said blankly, lowering his blaster.

They walked past him and up the stairs. Beams of laser security crisscrossed the doorway.

"Your turn," Qui-Gon said to Guerra.

"Ah, I do nothing," Guerra said. "You'll see."

A second later, the beams shut off. The door opened. An older Phindian woman with dark hair threaded with silver stood facing them. She wore the long silver coat of the Syndicat guards. Qui-Gon tensed, but she waved them inside.

"Quickly," she said.

They stepped into a grand room with gilded walls of brilliant green stone. Soft rich carpeting was under their feet, covering the floor. The windows were hung with shimmering tapestries.

"All looted from our citizens," Guerra murmured.

The woman led them down a hallway. It must have been built for droids or servants, for it was narrow and the floor was a dull gray stone. A long bin with various pegs and shelves held a number of weapons? blasters, force pikes, and vibo-shivs.

"For the guards to take as the go out into the streets," Paxxi explained. "They are always well armed."

"Yes so, just more weapons to shoot us with!" Guerra said cheerfully.

The older woman led them to a narrow door. "Here. No security downstairs now, but you must hurry. Now I must go," she said. Before any of them could thank her, she left, hurrying down the hall.

"She enjoys her work," Guerra said, watching her disappear. "She can't wait to return. No so, I lie," he said softly. "The silver coat she wears has a tracking device in the fabric. She is monitored all the time. If Duenna spends too much time in the wrong place, assassin droids will track her down and ask her politely to return to her post. Not so, I lie! They kill her on the spot."

Paxxi opened the door. A stone staircase led downward. Paxxi started along the way, and they followed.

The staircase took them to a large empty room.

"First storage space," Paxxi said. "Empty, my brother. Strange, or not so?"

"It is so," Guerra said. He walked through a doorway into another space. It was also empty. Hurrying now, Guerra and Paxxi passed from empty room to empty room in the vast storage level.

"All gone," Paxxi said.

"Yes so," Guerra agreed sadly.

"You risked all out lives for this?" Obi-Wan asked incredulous.

Qui-Gon was just as irritated as Obi-Wan, but he tried to keep calm. "Didn't you check your information? Or did your spy betray you?"

"Not so, Jedi-Gon!" Guerra cried, flustered. "Duenna is on our side!"

"How can you be so sure?" Qui-Gon asked. "Never mind. We have to get out of here."

Suddenly they heard a slight whirring noise. Qui-Gon cocked his head. He knew that noise. But something about it was strange. He did not expect to hear it indoors.

"Speeders," Obi-Wan said.

A small floater suddenly zoomed around a corner, driven by a Syndicat guard. Behind him appeared three more floaters. Guards drove the speeders, and each had an assassin droid behind him. The first guard maneuvered his speeder to get a clear shot at Paxxi.

"Move!" Qui-Gon shouted. He reached out with the Force and propelled Paxxi backward. The blaster fire missed him by inches as he slammed against the wall.

Obi-Wan's lightsaber was in his hand in a movement so fast it was just a blur of pulsating light. He slashed at the guard, but was only able to knock the hand behind him on the speeder. Qui-Gon leaped forward but the speeder zoomed ahead, almost knocking him down. Qui-Gon was only able to deliver a glancing blow to the guard.

Suddenly, a slender beam of light shot out from the wall, straight at Guerra. Guerra saw it a began to move. Qui-Gon saw the light, too, and summoned the Force to help. Guerra leaped over the beam just in time.

"Disruptor beams!" Qui-Gon shouted to Obi-Wan. The weapons had been outlawed on most worlds. It sent a visible blast of energy capable of cutting someone in two.

Obi-Wan charged at a floater heading for him and struck the driver across the neck with his lightsaber. The driver cried out and lost control of the floater, which crashed into the wall, knocking him unconscious. A disruptor beam suddenly shot out from the wall and hit the assassin droid, whose right-hand controls suddenly smoked and sputtered. The droid fell, but began to push off with his left-side controls. Meanwhile, the beam came straight at Obi-Wan, who leaped over it, twisting in midair to land safely next to Qui-Gon.