"Is the drug dangerous?" Qui-Gon asked the question, though he dreaded the answer.
"Not with one dose," Lenz said. "Or even two. The trouble is that it wears off, and if it is reused many times — especially over a short period of time — it can result in permanent damage. Muscle deterioration is one side effect." Lenz pointed down at himself. "As you can see."
"Lenz was one of the lucky ones," Irini added quietly. "There can be permanent damage to internal organs. They completely waste away in a short period of time. There were many who…" Her voice trailed off, and she flushed.
She is telling me that Tahl could die. Underneath the table, Qui-Gon gripped his hands together. Thinking of Tahl helpless, her mind active but her body deteriorating, made him want to rip the room apart.
The vision that had beckoned him to New Apsolon came back to him now.
Tahl weak, her leg muscles unable to support her. She leaned against him, her hand curling around his neck. It is too late for me, dear friend….
"You are hiding something from us," Qui-Gon said, gazing directly at Irini, then at Lenz. "What is it?"
"Nothing," Irini answered. "We have agreed to help you find a probe droid — "
"Yet there is something about the kidnapping that you know and we do not," Qui-Gon said, the anger escalating in his voice. "You admit that we stand the best chance of finding Tahl. Give us all the information we need, and the chances are greater still." He leaned forward. The time had come for a little intimidation. He did not like to use it, but his impatience had run its course. He needed to act, and these people could not stand in his way. "I remind you that it is never a good idea to cross the Jedi."
Obi-Wan picked up on his urgency. "We have lost one of our own," he said. "This is a serious matter to us."
The double threat from the two Jedi seemed to rock Lenz. He swallowed. "It is not something we know. It is something we suspect."
"Lenz — "
"No, lrini. They are right. They should know." Lenz silenced her with a look, then turned his attention back to the Jedi. "We know that the Absolutes used secret informers when they were in power. There is a list of those who informed. This list is encrypted so that it cannot be copied.
Only a few in the government knew of this list, even fewer have seen it, and we think most of them — maybe all of them — are dead. One of them was Roan. Roan had it, but it was stolen before he died. We know that much."
"At first we thought Balog had been able to get it from Roan," Irini said. "Now we don't think so. Someone else did."
"We think Balog is looking for it," Lenz said. "After all, his name is on it. If that was discovered, he would lose all credibility among the Workers. Our word against Balog will not be enough to turn people against him. We need proof. He needs to destroy that proof. We think his ambitions lie higher than the office of Chief Security Controller. Whoever has the list has great power. It will be his or her choice to expose the informers or keep them secret, to bribe them for silence or look like a hero for exposing them. Careers and reputations will be destroyed. The list is said to contain some prominent names."
"What does Tahl have to do with this?" Obi-Wan asked.
"The list was in Absolute hands for a short time, then disappeared,"
Irini said. "We know this for sure. What if Balog thinks that Tahl has the list? It's the only explanation as to why Balog would capture her and yet keep her alive."
Qui-Gon shook his head. "If Tahl had the list, we would have known it."
"So you don't think she has it?" Lenz asked.
"Perhaps she doesn't know she has it," Irini guessed. "Perhaps she knows where it can be found. She just doesn't know the significance of it."
This news was disturbing. It meant that Balog could be keeping her alive only until he knew the truth. Tahl did not have that list. When he discovered that, he would kill her.
Qui-Gon saw by Obi-Wan's pale face that his Padawan had come to the same conclusion. He stood. "If your theory is right, Balog won't have much patience. Neither do I. Let's get that probe droid."
Chapter 3
Lenz and Irini led them deep into the Worker sector, near the outskirts of the city. The area had been abandoned by the Workers when better housing became available after the election of Ewane. Block after block of abandoned housing showed the effects of neglect and disorder.
Half-demolished buildings stood next to intact ones whose windows were shattered or blown out completely. Rubble lay in the street, and stacks of durasteel sheeting were piled up in vacant lots.
"The government is planning to tear these down," Lenz said, gesturing at the devastated buildings. "The lawmakers can't agree on what to build instead, so the project is left half finished. But it has become a good place to hide for those who don't want to be found. Security sweeps are made frequently, so we must all be alert."
"How will we program the droid to find Balog?" Qui-Gon asked. "We don't have complete information on him. We know that vitals on Workers are stored somewhere. Who has access to them?"
"Everything you need you will be able to buy here," Lenz said.
He stopped in front of a partially demolished building and took a laser signal from his tunic. He activated the laser point and blinked it several times in a pattern against the stone front of the building. A concealed sensor in the wall caught the signal and, after a moment, blinked twice.
"We can enter," Lenz said.
Obi-Wan glanced at his Master. He was relieved to see that Qui-Gon seemed himself again. Most likely it was because they had taken action. He could sense the frustration inside Qui-Gon — as well as something else there, some desperation that Obi-Wan didn't understand. At least Qui-Gon was back in control. He had found the calm he needed to proceed. Later, when Tahl was safe, Obi-Wan would ask his Master why he'd had such trouble focusing. Qui-Gon would not mind the question. He knew that Obi-Wan would only ask in order to learn.
Lenz pushed open the door to the building. Obi-Wan noted that although the building appeared to be a ruin, the door was armored. The arming devices must have been released when the sensor blinked back an okay.