The Jedi's quarters were small and spare, but with a shared small library, a cubicle for showering, and even a small cooler with fresh juices and snacks.
"Meals will be brought to you," Deleta said. "Do not wander the ship alone. If you wish a tour, one will be arranged for you shortly."
"How can I contact Uni?" Obi-Wan asked.
"He will contact you shortly," Deleta answered serenely, and left.
"So what do you think "shortly" means here on the cruiser?" Anakin grumbled. He lay back on his sleep-couch on his elbows, his expression sulky."A year? More?"
"It's been two days," Obi-Wan said. "Each mission takes its own time." He repeated the words automatically. Like Anakin, he, too, felt frustrated. Any additional requests he had made to speak to Uni or even to get a tour of the ship had met with the same "You will be contacted shortly." When he and Anakin had ventured out on their own, they had been politely and firmly escorted back to their quarters and told they would be contacted… "shortly."
At first Obi-Wan had been reluctant to press the issue. They were guests of the BioCruiser, and he never liked to start out a mission by being insistent. But he had his limits, and he had reached them. Obi-Wan pressed the button on the built-in message console. As always, he was addressed by a pleasant, neutral voice.
"May I be of service?"
"I would like to leave a message for Uni," Obi-Wan said.
"He will contact you shortly-"
"Fine. Please inform him that if he does not meet with us in ten minutes I will call back my transport and the full power of the Senate will be unleashed against the BioCruiser."
Obi-Wan did not wait for a reply but cut off the connection.
Anakin was now sitting erect. "Will you really do that?"
"Jedi do not threaten," Obi-Wan said. "We inform." He sat calmly, but his eyes were on the chrono. Anything could happen. They could be locked inside their quarters. Or Uni could decide to boot them off the ship to the nearest planet.
In exactly eight minutes, the door hissed open. Deleta stood with the same neutral expression on her face.
"Uni will see you now."
Obi-Wan and Anakin followed her through a maze of corridors to a single turbolift. It brought them to a higher level of the ship. They emerged into a deserted hallway.
Deleta accessed a door at the far end of the corridor. They walked into a round room lined with low seating and recessed glow lights. The walls, floors, and furniture were pale blue. Deleta left, the doors hissing shut behind her.
"Do you think this is Uni's private quarters?" Anakin asked in a hushed tone.
"Most likely," Obi-Wan answered.
The doors opened behind him. Obi-Wan saw a tall, slender human walk in. His hair was close-cropped and as white as a moon. His eyes were clear and very blue.
"I am Uni," he said.
But Obi-Wan knew immediately that it was Kad Chun.
Chapter 13
Obi-Wan felt as if his throat had been squeezed. His feet were planted on the floor, or else he could have sworn that he staggered.
"Kad Chun." Obi-Wan spoke his name numbly.
Kad looked just as surprised. He gathered himself with a visible effort."Obi-Wan Kenobi. I am Uni now."
Kad approached until he was standing close to Obi-Wan, closer than Obi-Wan liked. His pale eyes flickered as he registered the signs of maturity in Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan remembered the face of the boy, burning with hatred in a Senate hearing room.
"So they sent you."
"Yes."
"I suppose they do not know who I am."
"No."
"Kad Chun is no more."
Obi-Wan's curiosity overcame his caution. "How did you come to be here?"
Kad turned and began to stroll about the room. He did not give Anakin a glance, but the boy watched him steadily.
"After the hearing, my father and I returned to Telos. We led a quiet life, recovering from our double tragedy-the loss of our son and brother, and the inability of the Senate to bring his killer to justice."
Obi-Wan stiffened, but Uni did not look at him, just strolled about, picking up an object here or there, studying it and putting it down.
"Many good things happened on Telos. I understand you were there at the beginning. A new government was formed, and the reclamation of our natural resources began. But as the years passed it became clear that the corruption that had destroyed our institutions and government had taken a deeper hold than the good people of Telos imagined. Special interests again took over. Telos began a steep decline. Corporations owned our natural resources and plundered them."
"I am sorry to hear this," Obi-Wan said.
"I found myself in a position of some leadership," Kad went on. "I gathered followers. I knew it was too late to save Telos. We were wasting our time. We could never fight that kind of power. In order to save the remaining examples of responsibility and honor on Telos, we had to bring the last of the best with us. Which we did. We boarded a ship, taking our plants and minerals with us. We traveled through the galaxy. We did not look for another world. We did not need one. As we traveled I saw that Telos was not unique. So many worlds in the galaxy are corrupt. The noblest beings protest and are drowned out. We welcomed them aboard. Our core ship began to grow. We have the most brilliant scientists, the greatest innovators, teachers, poets, musicians, doctors. We all believe that given the state of the galaxy the only choice for the best of us is to disengage from it completely. After the galaxy destroys itself we will be the seed for a new community."
Kad turned at last. His pale blue eyes burned with fervor. "So you see no one here is held against their will. They can leave at any time at our next docking port. We are working on a renewable fuel that we can produce on the ship, but we haven't been able to perfect it. So we must still stop occasionally. We hope one day to be completely self-sufficient. We will not ever need to have contact with another world. Until then we must deal with the tiresome demands of the Senate. I consider it demeaning to the intelligence of all who live aboard this ship. Nevertheless, I will cooperate."