Galen looked at them sharply. "Are you sure about this?"
At Ferus's nod, he shook his head. "Still, at least they will have their lives."
"But they will return to nothing," Darra said.
"If we can return." Galen looked away. "I have a feeling our beloved planet is lost to us for good."
"You don't know that," Ferus said. "The toxin could have a half-life."
"We don't have time to investigate that," Galen snapped.
"Don't you think we have enough to do?"
"We are not accusing you," Ferus said politely.
"Maybe not. But you are wasting my time. I am trying to save lives here." Galen waved at the datascreen.
"We need to find out who passed the information along,"
Anakin said in a forceful tone. He was tired of letting Ferus ask all the questions. He was getting nowhere with that polite tone. "Whoever it was wanted to foster instability on the planet. I don't call investigating that a waste of time. Do you?"
"Hey, there's no reason to jump down my throat, kid."
Galen held up two hands, as if to fend Anakin off. "Look, I'd like to help. But there's really no way to tell who passed on the information. Many of the ministers have gone to Coruscant. Some have scattered to other worlds to wait out the catastrophe in comfort." He frowned at them. "You're not thinking of leaving now that you've lost your Masters, are you?"
"We haven't lost them," Anakin snapped.
Ferus interrupted smoothly. "No, we're not leaving. We're to remain until the evacuations take place. Don't worry. And we've destroyed many of the Prototype Droids that the raiders were using."
"You kids did?" Galen looked impressed. "Maybe things are looking up." Suddenly the communicator sputtered to life. It crackled and buzzed, but they could hear a voice calling for Galen to answer.
He quickly adjusted the chair to swing over to the comm unit. "Galen here. Galen here. Do you read? Do you read?"
"Ships. . evacuation. . engine shutdown needs repair. ." The words came out in bursts of static "Delay.
Do you copy?"
"The ships are delayed? How long?" Galen asked desperately. "How long?"
But the comm unit went dead.
Galen turned to the Padawans. His face was pale. "That was the communication line of the Senate ship. Even a short delay will be fatal. The winds will shift in twelve hours.
Without those ships, we're dead."
Chapter Eleven
In the Isolation Sector, the Jedi Masters met outside the med center to check in. Soara and Ry-Gaul were also hesitant about Dol Heep's offer.
"The planet is extremely vulnerable now," Soara said. "One day the survivors will want to return, if they can. They should return to intact homes and businesses."
"This will take further study," Siri said soberly.
Ry-Gaul nodded.
Just then Curi hurried out of the building. "I've received a communication from the evacuation ships. It wasn't very clear, but I do know this — the ships have been delayed. How long, I don't know."
The Jedi exchanged glances. Obi-Wan reached for his comlink and tried to contact Anakin. He was unsuccessful. He jammed it back into his belt with unnecessary force. Siri glanced at him, then turned back to the others.
"Now we must take Dol Heep's offer seriously," said worriedly. "Lives are at stake."
"The prevailing winds will shift in twelve hours," Obi-Wan said. "We have to make a decision very soon."
"By the way, we encountered something interesting," Soara said. "We found someone who has been unaffected by the toxin."
Curi's worried expression changed to intent curiosity.
"What do you mean?"
"A Radnoran named Wilk sneaked back into the Isolation Sector to see his wife two days ago. He didn't have a bio- iso suit. His wife died, but he is completely healthy."
"He has no symptoms at all?" Curi asked. "Are you sure?"
"We brought him here," Soara told her. "We were just about to look for you."
"We must study him," Curi said, her voice rising with excitement. "He could have some sort of built-in immunity.
This could help us." She frowned. "I only have a few researchers here. My scientific skills are rusty, but we need to investigate this."
"There isn't much time," Obi-Wan told her.
For the first time since they'd met her, Curi smiled.
"Then I'd better get started."
She turned and rushed back into the building.
A voice suddenly boomed out from behind them, "Jedi! Glad to find you here."
It was Dol Heep. The Jedi bowed to him politely.
"You haven't been back to speak to us as you promised,"
Dol Heep said. "We don't understand this lack of courtesy."
"We have been busy with the sick," Siri said.
"You should be busy working to get them off-planet," Dol Heep said in a chiding tone. "Our planet has made a great and generous offer, and still you ignore us. Now we hear that the evacuation ships have been delayed. And you still don't come to us?" Dol Heep's skin was mottled with anger.
"We deserve this treatment? If you do not allow our fleet to land, the Senate shall hear about it!"
"We were just coming to see you, Dol Heep," Obi-Wan said in a polite tone, even though he was nettled at the ambassador's rudeness. "We accept your offer of help."
It was a decision he'd made reluctantly. But Siri was right. Lives were at stake. The Jedi would just have to ensure that the Avoni were not planning a takeover of the famed Radnoran research labs. Though how they would do that, he didn't know. The Senate ships be delayed for days. It was more than time enough for the Avoni to raid the labs.
"More like it, we say," Dol Heep said, satisfied. "We will give the order for the ferry ships to land in both sectors.
We will load the citizens onto skiffs in the cities, then bring them to the ferry ships, which will transport them to the orbiting ships. Then we'll bring them to Coruscant. You see? We give all our resources to our friends the Radnorans."
Dol Heep hurried off, his septsilk cloak swishing with his lurching walk.
"I hope we don't come to regret this," Soara said.
"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "But it seems the only decision to make under the circumstances."
Siri withdrew her comlink from her utility belt. She punched out the coordinates for Ferus. To everyone's surprise, they heard Ferus's voice clearly.
"Yes, Master."
"Ferus! We have received word that the evacuation ships have been delayed — "
"We know this. And Master — "
"One minute, Ferus," Siri interrupted. "This is important.
Avoni ships will be here in a matter of hours. They will transport the population to ships orbiting the planet. Then they'll be taken to safety. There is no need for panic. Did you copy that?"