His pleasant expression darkened with apprehension when he saw the Jedi, but he quickly turned it into a welcoming smile. "Didi! Old friend!
Such a surprise to see you on Euceron! Though everyone who is anyone is here, so there you go, not such a surprise after all."
"Do you remember Obi-Wan Kenobi, the great Jedi Knight?"
"Ah, but he was just a Learner when I knew him," Fligh said. "Obi-Wan, what a fortunate meeting! It is my luck to be able to renew our great friendship."
"We were never friends," Obi-Wan pointed out.
"We weren't, it's true, and that is a pity," Fligh agreed sadly. "But now we have a second chance. I see that now you have a Padawan Learner yourself."
"I am Anakin Skywalker," Anakin said.
Fligh turned to examine him curiously with his good eye. "I have heard about you."
Anakin looked defensive. "What have you heard?"
"Whoa-hoa, relax, young friend," Fligh said. "It was all good things, I assure you. Yes, promising Jedi, amazing talents, there you go."
"Didi tells us you have some information about some of the events at the Games," Obi-Wan said.
Fligh narrowed his eye at Didi. "Do I? I hear things, but nothing important enough to involve the Jedi."
"That is not what Didi said." Obi-Wan stood casually, as though he had all the time in the world, but he was prepared to pressure Fligh. He was impatient to get to the bottom of this. He didn't want to waste more of the day.
"All right, all right," Didi said when Fligh shot him another look. "I told him. But he's a Jedi, Fligh. You can't lie to a Jedi."
"I don't see why not," Fligh shot back, too angry to watch his words.
"They're no different from anybody else."
"Oh, yes," Anakin said stridently. "We are."
Fligh's head whipped around, his ears taking a moment to catch up.
They bobbed gently and came to rest on his shoulders. His gaze flicked to the lightsabers tucked into Obi-Wan's and Anakin's belts. "Errrrr, you do have a point. There you go. I concede it. In that case — and considering our deep friendship which I cherish despite your refusal to acknowledge it — I will tell you what I know. I heard a rumor that one of the events was fixed. I told Didi about it. After all, why shouldn't my friend benefit?"
He gave Didi a hard stare. "If I'd known that friend had such a big mouth, I might have reconsidered."
"Are you involved in this?" Obi-Wan asked him. "Do you know who fixed the obstacle race, and how?"
"I know nothing except this — the participant from Alderaan will win."
Obi-Wan frowned. How could a swoop obstacle race — a series of timed individual races against the clock — be fixed? "How do you know?"
"I don't have to tell you that," Fligh said defiantly. "That's true,"
Obi-Wan said. "But you will have to tell the security force for the Ruling Power."
Fligh broke into a smile. "No need for that! I'd much rather share with friends! I was told by Quentor. A being very much like me, who does similar work."
"Another thief?"
"Another businessman like myself, who buys and sells information and the occasional valuable item that might find its way into our hands.
Quentor would not tell me how he knew, but he swore the information was true, and I believed him. A clever one, that Quentor. He would not steer you wrong. He swore that there is an insider at the Games who has arranged to fix an event. A good way to make a quick fortune, isn't it? I thought it was a rumor worth a few gambling credits for myself and my friend."
Obi-Wan considered this. Fligh was calling it a rumor, but he had told Didi to bet and no doubt had placed a bet himself. But that didn't necessarily mean the rumor was true. Didi had placed plenty of bad bets, some of them on Fligh's advice.
Fligh saw Obi-Wan's hesitation. "You might want to place a bet yourself, my friend. Even the Jedi can use wealth. You could stop hitching rides and have your own transports, maybe invest in some new robes — "
Obi-Wan turned and searched the event board. "The event is starting soon."
"Yes, unfortunately too late for you to do anything about it," Fligh said. "So sorry. There you go."
"Stadium Five. It's not far," Obi-Wan said. "Come on, Anakin. You too, Didi."
"Not me, surely," Didi said. "I need to visit with my old friend — 000000hhh!" Obi-Wan had grabbed his collar and yanked him into step next to the Jedi.
"We can make it," Obi-Wan said. "We have four minutes."
They hurried from the plaza. The streets had emptied as various events had begun. Obi-Wan and Anakin quickened their pace, so Didi had a hard time keeping up. Obi-Wan was reluctant to let him go. There was no way to keep track of Fligh, but they could at least keep hold of Didi, their tie to Fligh.
"There's an air taxi!" Didi called, breathing hard. "I beg you, Obi- Wan, take it!"
Obi-Wan signaled and the air taxi zoomed to a stop. It was empty except for the pilot.
"The swoop obstacle course event, Stadium Five," Obi-Wan said.
The pilot nodded without turning and glided back into the air lane.
Obi-Wan settled back into a seat next to Anakin.
"What will we do when we get there?" Anakin asked him in a low tone.
"I'm not sure yet," Obi-Wan said. "We can't say for sure the event is fixed. We can't make that accusation without more proof."
The ship's velocity pushed him back against the seat. Buildings were a blur of bright color as they flashed by.
"Isn't he going a trifle fast?" Didi asked, pressing his hands together.
"Master, I feel a disturbance in the Force," Anakin murmured.
Obi-Wan had been startled by the same feeling. He rose and started toward the pilot, but the cruiser jerked violently to the left, almost throwing him to the floor. He grabbed a pole and righted himself, then started toward the pilot again. The ship veered to the right, grazing a sign. Metal shrieked and the cruiser lurched again. Didi fell off his seat with a yelp.
Obi-Wan fought his way to the front of the taxi as the ship careened down the road, clipping branches, signs, and narrowly missing buildings.
Then the pilot reversed the engines and zoomed down another spacelane.. the wrong way.
Cruisers were heading straight for them. The pilot pushed the speed to maximum and jumped to his feet. He balanced for a moment on the lip of the air taxi, then calmly leaped into the air. He was wearing an anti-gray propulsion belt, so he dropped quickly but safely to the ground, leaving them in a runaway cruiser screaming the wrong way down an air lane.
"We're going to die!" Didi screamed.
Chapter Ten
Anakin vaulted over the rows of seats and landed in the pilot's chair, his hands already outstretched for the controls. In midair, he had seen precisely what he needed to do.