"Someone has to teach you that you are not as powerful as you think you are."
Anakin saw the Masters looking over. He bent over and pretended to tighten the same tight strap so that Obi-Wan could not read his face. He had to control himself. He had gone farther than he'd meant to, but he didn't care. Now it was out in the open.
They followed their Masters out onto the main thoroughfare of Dreshdae, a narrow unpaved street. A light gray rain was falling, and it had an acid taste. Anakin felt foreboding settle on his shoulders.
Dreshdae was a hodgepodge, a drab spaceport that had grown and shrank without regard for utility or beauty. Until recently it had been a collection of temporary buildings made of plastoid blocks or cheaper metals that rusted with age. The Jedi could see these buildings in various states of disrepair. Sprung up around them was a collection of newer buildings, most of them clustered near the Commerce Guild's Dreshdae Headquarters. The Guild had spared no expense, building a multistoried edifice with durasteel facing in a multicolored iridescence that was supposed to sparkle in sunlight but instead looked cheerless in the drip of rain Although Dreshdae tried to present itself as a typical new, brash city struggling to grow, the strain showed. There was no disguising what the spaceport had been and would slide back into again — a dark, dangerous, lawless place. Undercurrents of its evil past bubbled up through the cracks in the stone facings and the hastily erected walkways. Beings hurried through the streets as if anxious to find shelter. No one lingered in the cafcs. Anakin didn't hear one snatch of conversation, or one burst of laughter.
"Our contact is a businessman named Teluron Thacker," Obi-Wan said.
"He's done favors for the Jedi in the past, and he agreed to help us if he could. The meeting place isn't far."
Anakin felt a touch on his shoulder and turned. No one was behind him.
Perhaps it had been a leaf brushing his shoulder — but he knew, of course, that there were no trees on Korriban.
Another touch — Anakin whipped around. He looked at Ferus, wondering if he was trying to play a trick on him, but Ferus was several meters back, talking to Soara.
He began to pick up a whisper. Then another. He couldn't make out the words, only the intent. Someone was baiting him, cajoling him, laughing at him… or was it his imagination? Was it just the wind whispering through the stones?
They crossed the street and he thought he saw a flash of something — blood coursing down a stone wall. When he blinked, it was gone.
"Master… "
"It is the dark side of the Force, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "I'm picking it up, too. Ignore it."
But Anakin couldn't ignore it. There was something insistent about the voices. Something that urged him to answer. Although the feeling made him anxious, he also wanted to face it. He wanted to get to the root of this dark power… to match himself against it… to prove, once and for all, that he was as strong as it was.
Chapter Six
Obi-Wan stopped outside the small cafc. It fit the coordinates he was given, but still he hesitated. Was it even open? The cafc was small, dingy, and in serious disrepair. Half of the roof was caving in. It was a wonder anyone would go inside at all.
"What is it, Master?" Anakin asked.
"Teluron Thacker is a prosperous businessman," Obi-Wan said. "Why would he frequent this kind of place?"
"You think it's a trap?"
"I'm not getting a warning. But still…" Obi-Wan shook his head. The problem was the energy on this planet. Dark waves buffeted him from every side. It was like swimming in an evil sea. All that darkness made it hard to distinguish what was a true threat.
"It could just be a case of not wanting to be seen with us," Siri pointed out. "One of us should go in first to check it out."
"I'll go." Anakin and Ferus spoke the words together.
"I will." The words came from Ry-Gaul. He strode forward, pushed open the rusty metal door, and disappeared inside. No doubt Ry-Gaul's height and size would serve to deter anyone who wanted to challenge him.
The rest of them waited, every second wearing on their nerves. Finally Ry-Gaul emerged and said, "He's there. All clear."
They followed Ry-Gaul into the cafc. Apparently the sagging roof scared off customers, for only one man sat inside, at a table near the door. He hugged a mug with one hand and kept his eyes darting from the door to the roof, as if expecting it to crash down at any moment.
Teluron Thacker was a tall humanoid with pale skin and the soft look of a being used to spending time indoors, sitting down. He greeted the Jedi with a nervous nod and drew his red cape around his body.
"Thank you for seeing us," Obi-Wan said.
"The Jedi helped my home world of Eeyyon," Thacker said. "I pledged to help whenever I could."
"How do you find yourself on Korriban?" Siri asked.
"Just lucky I guess," Thacker groaned. "I angered my boss. Such a little thing, but she was so touchy. So I didn't check references and the deal went bad. What's a few million credits? The next thing I know, I get handed an assignment to open an office on Korriban." Thacker shuddered. "I haven't slept through the night since."
Obi-Wan signaled to the bartender to bring a round of drinks. In such a place, it was better to place an order, even though he wouldn't touch anything they were pouring. He waited until the bartender slammed down a pot of grog that slopped over the rim, then dropped a pile of not-too clean mugs onto the table.
Thacker leaned over and whispered. "I wouldn't drink that if I were you."
"Thanks for the tip," Siri said. "What can you tell us about the two beings we're pursuing?"
"Only that they are here," Thacker said. "A human man and woman have been seen. They match the descriptions perfectly. I checked the one hotel and several guest houses, and they aren't registered."
"They wouldn't use their real names," Obi-Wan said. "Did you give descriptions?"
"Well, I said a man and a woman, traveling together," Thacker said.
"Did you try anything else? Is there a database for arrivals and departures?"
Thacker shook his head. "Nobody really keeps track."