He heard Qui-Gon's voice clearly in his head If something is not possible, then it did not happen.
Obi-Wan stood up so suddenly that the report slid off his lap.
Security wasn't breached. Gillam never left the academy campus!
He was still there. But was he alive… or dead? And who took him?
Ferus had reported that Reymet had hinted that he knew how to visit places he wasn't supposed to go within the school campus. What if Reymet wasn't just trying to impress Ferus? What if Reymet had seen something that night?
Obi-Wan shook his head. It didn't seem logical that. Reymet would keep silent when the life of a fellow student was at stake. Reymet might be a sneak, but he had no reason to suppose he would support a kidnapper.
Obi-Wan had never attended a regular school, but the Temple was like one in many ways. He thought back to his own training. Why would Reymet keep silent?
The answer roared into his brain.
Because adults didn't take Gillam. Students did. A boy Reymet's age wouldn't turn in fellow students. What had Anakin told him students called someone who snitched?
If Reymet told, he'd be a womp fink.
His comlink signaled. Hoping it was Anakin, he snatched it and activated it.
He felt the thud of disappointment when he heard Jocasta Nu's voice.
Unless Anakin contacted him on the emergency channel, he would have to wait until their next scheduled communication the following day.
"I have traced the payment for you, even though you were perfectly capable of doing so yourself, if you had paid attention to my instructions, " Jocasta Nu's crisp voice said. "There was a credit payment from Rana Halion to an account on Andara. The account is anonymous, but through a series of traces I've discovered that it is used by that secret renegade squad the Council is so concerned about. A boy named Rolai Frac set it up.
An impressive use of cloaking maneuvers hid his identity. I've rarely seen better."
"Thank you, Madame Nu," Obi-Wan said fervently.
"Next time, you will do your own research, Master Kenobi. I do not have time to indulge your many requests, and I — "
"Yes, Madame Nu," Obi-Wan said. "May the Force be with you. You may have just given me the key to find the boy."
"That's good, then. May the Force be with you," she answered, the disapproval fading from her voice.
It was the confirmation he needed. Anakin's hunch that the secret squad was involved was right after all. Gillam had been kidnapped by his fellow students on the secret squad. But they hadn't done it on their own — Rana Halion had arranged it. Whether Sano Sauro was involved, he might never know.
Obi-Wan hurried out of his quarters toward the vehicle requisition area. He felt as though he should kick himself down the hall. He had chastised Anakin about inner balance while he was losing his own! His need to investigate Sano Sauro had led him to make assumptions and go off on a dangerous tack. He had wanted Sauro to be responsible, so he had tried to build a case around it.
He had been so wrong. He had lost sight of his goaclass="underline" to find the missing boy. The answer wasn't at the Senate. It was on Andara.
Chapter Eleven
Anakin left his room well before the call for the morning meal. There was no hologram on Marit's door. He hesitated, fighting his urge to knock.
It was unusual for the squad not to meet again. There had been several things to resolve. And he'd had the feeling that Marit was avoiding him.
He left without knocking, however, and continued down the hall. Maybe Ferus had some new information. Anakin was beginning to get impatient. Days were passing, and they were no closer to finding Gillam.
He was almost at Ferus's door when he saw the door to the athletic storeroom slide open. Rolai stepped out.
Anakin quickly retreated back around the corner. He peered around the wall and saw Tulah, Hurana, and Ze hurrying out behind Rolai. They all disappeared around the corner.
Anakin strode forward and pushed open the door. Marit was just tucking her datapad under her arm. She looked at him, startled.
"What's going on?" he demanded. "I thought I was in the squad. Why am I being left out?"
"We don't know if we can completely trust you yet, Anakin," Marit said reluctantly.
"You've accepted a new mission, haven't you?" Anakin guessed.
Marit nodded, biting her lip.
Exasperated, Anakin turned on his heel. "Fine. I'm out."
"Anakin, wait!" Marit put her hand on his arm.
"It's Rolai, isn't it? He doesn't want me in the squad."
"No, Rolai is the one who wants you on the mission," Marit said. "It's just that I think it's dangerous, and it might not be the right way to start."
"Just tell me, and let me decide," Anakin said.
"It's a mission very close by," she said. "Right here in the Andaran system. You might not know this, but there's a countermovement here."
"I've heard something about it," Anakin said.
She gave him a keen look. "How do you stand on the issue?"
Anakin shrugged. "I don't know enough about it."
"Andara is the largest and richest planet in the system," Marit said.
"As a result, it has grabbed the best trade routes and built up its manufacturing and exporting to the detriment of the other planets in the system. They aren't fairly represented by their Senator. They can't get what they need from the Senate because they don't have a voice."
"That doesn't seem fair," Anakin said.
"It's not. A representative of the countermovement came to us and asked for our help."
"Who?"
"You don't need to know that yet."
Anakin started for the door again.
"All right!" Marit's voice was amused, and she was smiling when he turned. "You're very tough."
He grinned. "Yeah. But isn't that why you recruited me?"
"It's Rana Halion, the leader of leria. She approached us through Rolai. The countermovement is willing to negotiate with Berm Tarturi, but the Senator hasn't taken them seriously enough. They want to show him how powerful they are."