"That's where we'll find transport," he told Andra.
"But the place is crawling with workers. And surveillance has been stepped up," Andra murmured. "The droids are everywhere."
"They're looking for intruders," Obi-Wan said. "Not workers."
Obi-Wan pointed to a worker exiting a small shed near them. He was fastening up his gray unisuit.
"Wait here," Obi-Wan instructed Andra.
He hugged the side of the hill of malab stone. There were only a few meters between him and the shed. He would have to chance it.
Quickly, he began to walk across the space. He gained the shelter of the door and slipped inside. A weary worker sat on a bench in front of a row of lockers. He looked up, surprised.
Obi-Wan nodded a hello. "I came for my unisuit. I'm new. Late for my shift," he added, trying to forestall any conversation.
The worker looked at him suspiciously. "The shift doesn't start for ten minutes. And you look awfully young."
Obi-Wan summoned up the Force. He directed his glance at the worker.
"But you wouldn't mind getting me a couple of suits," he said.
"Why don't I get you a couple of suits?" the worker said.
Obi-Wan took two suits from the pile the worker offered and held them up. The smaller one would fit Andra.
"See you around," he said.
"See you," the worker repeated.
Obi-Wan quickly donned the suit before exiting. He tucked the other under his arm and walked back to where Andra stood in the shadows. He handed her the unisuit and she slipped into it.
They headed for Tech Dome D. Once they got closer, Obi-Wan saw that it was three times the size of the other domes, extending back for hundreds of meters. He and Andra headed for the big double doors and strolled inside. They walked purposefully down a long aisle stacked with supply bins.
"Here, pick this up," he directed to Andra, pointing at a durasteel bin.
"Now what?" she muttered.
"Look busy." Obi-Wan scanned the area. There were several skyhoppers parked near the spaceport door. The hangar itself was big enough to park a good-sized hauler. Offworld had to be involved here.
Obi-Wan scanned the supply bins. Apparently they stored the explosive devices here. He saw a case of thermal detonators.
"Wait a second." Obi-Wan bent down to read the side of the box. Burned into the durasteel case was a broken circle.
"Offworld," he said. "We've got them!"
Andra watched for trouble while he turned the recording rod toward the cases.
They heard a noise overhead, and the roof began to retract. For a moment, the sun blazed down, then was blocked out as a huge maintenance hauler appeared. The massive ship maneuvered through the open roof and slowly lowered onto the landing bay. A moment later, a ramp slid down and workers hurriedly began unloading mole miners.
"I think we just got all the evidence we need," Obi-Wan murmured to Andra.
"Why?" she asked.
He pointed to the side of the ship. Written in laser-pulse letters along the side was OFFWORLD.
Obi-Wan panned the letters and widened his shot to take in the unloading of the mole miners. The ramps retracted. The maintenance hauler had never cut its engines. Now it fired its repulsors and began to lift off again.
"You there! Can you give us a hand?"
Two workers were busily loading supplies onto a gravsled. One of them waved a hand at Obi-Wan and Andra.
"Time to head for those skyhoppers," Obi-Wan murmured.
Obi-Wan waved back, as if he couldn't hear over the noise of the maintenance hauler's departure. Then he and Andra headed off in the other direction.
"Don't hurry," he told Andra, whose pace kept quickening, showing her anxiety.
They strolled to the skyhoppers. They had just reached them when the alarm sounded.
"Intruders," a voice intoned. "Intruders."
"Okay, now hurry," Obi-Wan said.
He leaped inside and Andra followed. He settled himself behind the controls as the roof began to close overhead. Obi-Wan fired up the engines. The craft rose in the air. The doors above continued to close, the opening narrowing. Obi-Wan pushed the engines to full power.
"We can't make it!" Andra screamed.
Obi-Wan yanked the controls so that the sky-hopper flew sideways. He aimed for the small opening and cleared it by a centimeter on either side.
"Are we through?" Andra asked, her eyes closed. Sweat beaded her forehead, and her hands clutched the seat.
"We're through," Obi-Wan answered. He wiped the sweat off his own forehead with his sleeve. "Next stop, Thani."
Chapter 14
Qui-Gon paced impatiently near the central ring of the dome. He was careful to keep his hood forward to conceal his face. The mid-game break was taking place, and much of the crowd had headed for the food stalls, but he couldn't take a chance of being spotted. His picture was on every information kiosk in Thani.
Obi-Wan and Andra should have been back by now. What if something had happened to Obi-Wan? This was the second time the boy had been in great danger. Again, Qui-Gon had allowed it to happen.
"Settle down, Qui-Gon," Den said. "You're making me nervous." But Qui-Gon noted that Den's face was taut with nerves, and he continually scanned the aisles around them.
"You're worried about Andra, too," Qui-Gon said.
"Who, me?" Den said, turning away. "I don't worry about other people. Only myself. I'm the one who's about to bet his life savings."
Once Den had rigged the results so that he could win the lottery, he had to come up with the resources to make a credible bet. Den had added all the credits he had to one of the many easy loans available on Telos. If he lost, he would be liable for a heavy debt.
"Are you certain you interpreted the game correctly?" Qui-Gon asked. "You're sure you know who will win?"
"I'll get my legs broken if I'm wrong," Den said. "It's Kama Elias. Relax."
"Remember, after you win, I'll be right here," Qui-Gon advised him. "Don't even entertain the possibility of taking off with that prize. That money is going straight back into the treasury of Telos."