"How can I do that?" Anakin asked.
"Come with me to meetings while you're here," Palpatine said. "Watch.
Listen. Tell me what you think, and I will share my thoughts with you."
It was an extraordinary offer. Anakin knew he had to take it.
"I will have to request permission from my Master."
Palpatine inclined his head. "Of course. And in the end, who knows?
Perhaps you'll be able to teach Master Kenobi a thing or two."
Chapter Nine
Obi-Wan trailed Teda through the maze of Senate corridors that led through the various wings. He hated how Teda strolled as though he belonged there. He remembered the prison he had seen on Romin, the prisoners ragged and starving. He remembered the slums he had seen on the outskirts of the capital city, the luxury of Teda's life compared to the suffering he pushed outside the city walls. Teda did not deserve his clear conscience. He did not deserve his ease.
Teda stopped at last at one of the little cafcs that were tucked into the alcoves of the Senate hallways, a place for beings to stop and take light refreshment before returning to their duties. Teda hesitated at the entrance and looked around, then headed to a table in a far corner. Obi-Wan headed for the self-service refreshment bar. As he helped himself to some tea, he saw in the mirror overhead that Teda was meeting Senator Sauro.
Obi-Wan made no attempt to conceal himself. He put down his steaming mug and headed to their table.
"I can't say this is a surprise," he said. "I expected that you would be behind any plot to discredit the Jedi Order, Sauro."
"As usual, you begin every exchange with rudeness," Sano Sauro said coolly. His thin face looked as tidy and pale as ever. His lips were almost white. He was dressed in a severe suit of black cloth. "I don't know what I've done to deserve your contempt and I don't care, but it continues to be tedious to put up with it."
"You know very well what you've done in the past, and what you are doing right now," Obi-Wan said. "You are the shadow behind these hearings."
Sauro sipped at a glass of water, the only item in front of him.
"Senator Divinian is the presiding official over the hearings, not me."
"How odd, then, that you are meeting with the main witness against the Jedi," Obi-Wan said.
"I'm merely holding out a friendly hand to an exiled ruler of a democratic government that was overthrown by Jedi aggression," Sauro answered.
"That's right," Roy Teda said, anxious to demonstrate his importance in the discussion.
"Also, how odd that you chose to meet so far away from the hearing chamber, in a deserted part of the Senate," Obi-Wan remarked.
"I like peace and quiet," Sauro said. "Obviously, I am not finding it at the moment."
"That's exactly right," Teda repeated, nodding. He looked desperately eager to please Sano Sauro.
Sauro didn't pay attention to Teda. He kept his cool gaze on Obi-Wan.
"So you see, Kenobi, I have no hand in the utter demoralization of the Jedi. I am merely a witness to it."
Obi-Wan leaned over the table on his fists. He locked eyes with Sauro.
"I'll leave you to your thieves and murderers, Sauro. I realize they've gotten you far, but one day the company you keep will ensure your downfall.
" "Who are you calling a murderer?" Teda sputtered. "Or wait, am I the thief?"
Obi-Wan turned on his heel and left. He walked quickly through the halls and jumped into a turbolift. He didn't want to waste any more time.
He needed to talk to the one being he knew had the most knowledge of Senate intrigue, the best political mind he knew — his friend Tyro Caladian.
He took the lift down to the lowest level, then followed a twisting corridor that narrowed as it descended. After a short ramp, it turned and Obi-Wan found himself in a dim hallway. Bins and durasteel boxes were stacked outside a door. He smiled. Tyro hadn't changed a bit. He could always count on his industry.
The door was slightly ajar, so he pushed it open and peered in. "Tyro, I need you once again."
A voice came from behind a stack of procedural manuals. "My ears are happy! It is the voice of my friend Obi-Wan!"
A Svivreni poked his head over the manuals. His small face twitched and his bright eyes were alight with pleasure. He scurried out from behind the desk that took up almost the entire room. He stopped directly in front of Obi-Wan, opened his hand, and closed it. He placed it against his heart, and then Obi-Wan's.
Obi-Wan followed the same gestures. Svivreni had different codes of greeting and good-bye, and Obi-Wan had advanced to the most affectionate with Tyro. "It's been too long."
"Yes, indeed. Oh, let me find you a chair." Tyro broke away and began to sweep books off a chair. "You Jedi, never sitting, always moving."
Obi-Wan sat. Tyro leaned against the desk to face him. Now, they were eye to eye.
"I do not have to ask why you have come," Tyro said, his dark eyes full of worry. "I was at the hearing." Obi-Wan grimaced. "I did badly."
"You did well, my friend. As did Senator Organa. But the anti-Jedi faction had packed the house with supporters. And Divinian's questioning!"
Tyro threw up his hands. "An outrage. It was obvious he wasn't looking for truth. In another time, too obvious. Steps would be taken to have him removed from a position of authority. But these days…" Tyro shrugged and fiddled with the metal clasp that kept back his waist-length dark hair. It was a gesture he used when nervous, and Tyro was often anxious about the state of the Senate.
"Yes, things continue to decline, no matter how the Chancellor tries,"
Obi-Wan remarked.
"He does his best. But this uproar against the Jedi — I've never seen anything like it. Even for the Senate, it's ridiculous. And frustrating.
It's just a distraction from the real work they should be doing."
Distraction. The word clanged like a bell inside his mind, but Obi-Wan didn't know why. Another word had hit him earlier, just a tiny ping, what was it…