Obi-Wan didn't blame him. In a world ruled by an unpredictable tyrant, citizens had to rely on an instinct for flight to stay healthy.
Teda turned. Obi-Wan was surprised again. There was no sign of anger on his face, just a slight tautness around his mouth. It was as if the rage had never existed.
He held out his arms to the Jedi. "Welcome, Slams! Now the party can begin! Have you eaten? Have you met new friends?" He came forward and put his arms through Obi-Wan's and Siri's. It took an effort for Obi-Wan to allow it. He knew Siri felt the same.
Other servers had rushed to help their fallen comrade. They half carried, half dragged him toward the kitchens.
"The theme of the party is paradise," Teda continued. "I've gathered all the best of the galaxy for the citizens of Romin. Even though the best of the best is already here, ha-ha!"
Not all the citizens. Only the ones that you favor, Obi-Wan thought as he said, smiling politely, "Thank you for inviting us."
Teda withdrew his arms from theirs. "Now, don't get stuck talking to an old man like me. Go enjoy yourselves!" He smiled at Siri meaningfully.
"I will check on you later."
Teda hurried over to greet some new arrivals.
"I can't believe what I just saw," Ferus said. "He hit that server with an electrojabber with no more emotion than if he were swatting a squeeterfly."
"And you doubt that we are doing the right thing in helping the revolt?" Anakin asked.
Siri changed the subject. "Ferus and I will check out the security on the target," she said.
"I'll check out the perimeter of the palace," Anakin said. "We should map out an escape route just in case. Let's remember: We don't have much time."
That left Obi-Wan without much to do. Joylin had told him that he could not attempt a theft of the codes until after midnight. He had time to kill.
He moved through the crowd, hoping for a glimpse of Jenna Zan Arbor.
He didn't know if he would approach her, but he wanted to keep tabs on her, just the same. He wondered what her relations with Teda were. It seemed from the files he'd read that Teda had invited her to come to Romin after she was forced to flee Vanqor. Was there a connection to Omega? Had Omega pressured Teda to invite Zan Arbor?
Obi-Wan drifted toward a table with assorted drinks. He chose a glass of juice made from the native quint-berry fruit of Romin. He took a sip and made a face. It was very sweet.
Joylin had given him explicit instructions on where to find the codes and where the security triggers would be. Joylin was counting on Slam's conning expertise to get past the guards. Obi-Wan would simply use the Force. If he was lucky, he could be back in the villa very soon after the theft. But if the revolt really did take place that night, he would go another night without sleep.
Suddenly, his senses went on alert. A young man with a tired, handsome face was heading toward the drinks table.
Obi-Wan knew that face from text docs he had studied. He did not need the Force to warn him.
He looked around. There was nowhere to go.
"Hey, a fellow thirsty traveler," the man said to Obi-Wan, pouring a glass of juice. "Some party, huh? I'm Slam."
Chapter Ten
Obi-Wan thought quickly. By the open, unguarded look on Slam's face, he doubted that Slam knew someone was impersonating him.
"I've only just arrived," Slam said in an amiable way, leaning back against the bar and sipping his juice. He made a face. "Whoa, sweet. Just like my landing spot."
"So you like Romin already?" Obi-Wan asked.
Slam gave a half smile. "Let's say it likes me. The rest of the galaxy isn't too… welcoming. Hey, nice tunic."
If Slam had noticed that Obi-Wan hadn't given his name, it clearly didn't concern him. Obi-Wan imagined that in Slam's universe, many beings did not use names or discuss their occupations.
"I just got here yesterday myself," Obi-Wan said. Slam waved a glass of juice at the throng. "Interesting party."
"Paradise, I hear," Obi-Wan said. "At least, that's the theme."
Slam laughed. "Well, it looks like paradise to me. It was a rough trip for me and my friends."
So his gang is here, too. They must have escaped again. Tyro told us that escapes are common now. / have to warn the others.
"I'm supposed to meet Teda tonight. And pay the usual bribes, I'm sure things seemed a bit disorganized at the landing platform. They were having trouble with comm transmissions."
Joylin, Obi-Wan realized. They had started to disrupt communications.
"We never got a chance to get our official entry docs," Slam continued. "So, what's the Great Leader like?"
Obi-Wan spoke lightly. "Oh, he's just your average everyday dictator."
"So I hear. But for beings like me, your average everyday dictator comes in handy."
"A word to the wise, though," Obi-Wan said casually. "I wouldn't try to meet him tonight. He's in a bad mood. I just saw him use an electrojabber on a waiter."
Slam winced. "Ouch. Thanks for the tip. Well, I think I'll try the food tables instead, then."
The real Slam moved off.
Obi-Wan glanced at his chrono. He had barely ten minutes before he had to lift the codes. He had to find the others. The party was over for the Jedi.
Ferus spoke quietly, incredulously, to Anakin. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
Anakin gulped. "I think so."
"She's… flirting."
"It looks like it."
"She's… flattering people."
"Yes."
"And she's… smiling."
"It's not just that she's smiling," Anakin added, in the interest of accuracy. "She's gushing."
Siri stood in the middle of a group of admirers. Someone had tucked a bright red flower behind one of her ears, and, as Ferus had hissed to Anakin in a fierce undertone, Siri left it there! Anakin watched as she placed a hand on a security officer's coat sleeve and leaned over to whisper in his ear. He leaned back and roared with laughter.
Whoever would have believed, Anakin thought in amazement, that Siri Tachi could be charming?
It was a night of wonders. His own Master was wearing a cloak with jeweled embroidery and pretending to love parties.
He had to laugh at the look on Ferus's face. After a moment, Ferus broke down and grinned, too. "I think Siri is just pretending to hate this, " he said. "I think she's enjoying herself."
"I think you're right," Anakin said. He glanced at his chrono. "We have about seven minutes. We should get into position."
Just as he said it, Siri said one last remark that caused the group of males around her to laugh uproariously. Then she turned away graciously.
She joined Anakin and Ferus a moment later.
"I've discovered something," she said. "Charm is exhausting. And something else. Flattery works. I've learned some things. Half the surveillance droids are fakes. Every day more officers are deserting the army. They haven't been paid in months. Teda's running out of wealth. He can't afford to prop up his government much longer, so he's looking for income wherever he can find it. In the meantime, he's cutting back."