Den leaped off the dais and did a frenzied dance in the middle of the arena. The crowd loved it, screaming his name. The screens flashed DEN DEN DEN!!!!
Then the platform slowly rose from the center ring, and Xanatos stood, a commanding figure in black. He raised his arms to the crowd and the chant changed to his name. Thousands of feet pounded against the floor until the entire dome shuddered. XAN-A-TOS! XAN-A-TOS! XAN-A-TOS!
He raised a hand for quiet. Slowly, the cheers subsided. Then, his hypnotic voice boomed over the dome.
"Katharsis saves us!"
"YES!" the crowd responded.
"Katharsis enriches us!"
"YES!"
"Katharsis protects our sacred spaces!"
"YES!"
Qui-Gon looked up at the screens. Do it now, he urged the technician.
The scenes of the frenzied crowd disappeared. An image of the Sacred Pools took its place. But instead of the glittering crystal water, a foamy black pool appeared. Steam rose from the surface.
At first, the crowd didn't notice. Then another image flashed, and another. The hill of malab slabs. Mole miners. The scan grid lying near shattered stone. Giant machines sucking golden sand. Gravsleds parked on a once-pristine landscape.
Murmurs began. Xanatos did not notice them. His eyes were on the crowd, not the giant screens.
"Thanks to Katharsis, our beloved Telos is now ensured protection for generations," he said. "The people have spoken. They have safeguarded their legacy."
An image of the Offworld logo filled the screen. It was burned into a case of thermal detonators.
The murmurs of the restless crowd turned to a buzz of conversation that filled the dome like a room full of tech equipment gone haywire.
The next image was of mole miners being unloaded from the maintenance hauler. An image filled the screen: OFFWORLD.
The buzz turned into a roar of disbelief and anger.
Xanatos looked up at the screens at last. Qui-Gon watched him. Anyone else would have shown his surprise and anger. Xanatos just went still.
Shouting erupted around the dome. Many rose to their feet. The shouts rose in intensity. People began to stand on their chairs and raise their fists. A rhythmic pounding began, a demand more potent than a shouted question.
Xanatos raised his hands, motioning for silence. It took several moments for the crowd to quiet down.
"Why do you believe what you see?" he asked in a quiet, commanding tone. "Believe what I tell you. Someone is trying to inflame you. Someone is trying to trick you."
A lone voice arose from the crowd. "Is it you?"
The crowd took up the question. "IS IT YOU? IS IT YOU?"
"We demand an answer!" someone else shouted.
"I am answering your doubts!" Xanatos thundered. "I am telling you that there is trickery afoot here! And I invite anyone in the crowd to come with me to the Sacred Pools and examine what is there. I trust my government. I trust the UniFy corporation. Governor, will you allow the Sacred Pools to be opened to the public to see for themselves?"
A silver-haired man rose from the front row of the dome. "I will."
Xanatos spread his hands. "You see? There is no deviousness here. There is only openness. We will prevail if we do not fall for tricks."
The crowd began to quiet. Trust was winning out over anger.
"Now let me bring those who have lied to our beloved world to justice!" Xanatos shouted, and the crowd roared its approval.
Xanatos stepped away from the platform for a moment. Qui-Gon saw him speak rapidly to one of the security police ringing the arena. He saw one of them speak into a comlink.
Dread filled Qui-Gon. "Put your hood up, Obi-Wan," he said quickly.
Moments later, the faces of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan flashed onscreen.
"Have you seen these men?" Xanatos boomed. He pointed to the screens. "They are enemies of Telos! Condemned to death, they escaped and now continue to work their evil! They are here, in this arena. They are the ones who switched the image tapes. Look at your neighbors. Do you see them? They are the ones who tricked you!"
"Uh-oh," Andra breathed. She leaned forward, shielding Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon by pretending to search the crowd around her.
But it was no use. A Telosian in front of them turned and peered beneath their hoods. Surprise and recognition made his mouth drop. Then, he stood and screamed out, "Here! Here they are!"
There was no chance to move, and nowhere to go. Security police poured down the aisles and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were caught.
Chapter 15
The security police dragged Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon into the aisle. They surrounded them with blasters drawn. Two of them held Qui-Gon by the arms, two more held Obi-Wan.
"Hey!" Den shouted from the stage. "Enough of this. I won! Where's my prize?"
The crowd took up the cry. This is what they waited for? to see the winner accept a fortune in credits and crystalline vertex. Even the security police wanted to see it. Although their blasters stayed leveled at the Jedi, their eyes darted to the stage.
Xanatos hurriedly strode forward, a transparent box in his hands. Crystals glittered inside and credits spilled from the top. Xanatos seemed visibly anxious to get the ceremony over with, Obi-Wan noted.
Xanatos handed the box to Den. Everyone turned toward him. It was customary for the winner to say a few words.
Den stood, looking at the box. He did not speak.
Obi-Wan glanced at Qui-Gon. This was the test. Things had changed. They were in custody. Den could see that. Andra could not stop him alone. If Den didn't follow through on their plan, he could keep a fortune. The amount in the box would tempt almost any being, let alone a thief.
Instead of addressing the crowd, Den turned and spoke to the tall, silver-haired man in the first tier of seats. "Governor?"
The Governor of Telos stood.
"Will you read the durasheet I handed you before the final contest took place?"
The Governor reached into the pocket of his tunic. He leaned over and read into the amplification device. "The winner will be Kama Elias by twenty points. Deleta will experience a steering problem. Kama will push past to win."
The crowd looked on, mystified. Kama had won by twenty points. But how did the winner know that Deleta would have a steering problem?