Obi-Wan juggled the bags and put a hand on another boy's shoulder. To an observer, it would appear that the Jedi were simply two other members of the family.
They helped the mother to her door and said good-bye to the children.
There was no turbolift, and they had to climb the stairs to the top floor. Qui-Gon knocked politely on the door, which was opened by a tall man with sad eyes.
"Are you Jaren Dil?" Qui-Gon asked.
He nodded warily.
"We have come about your wife," Qui-Gon said.
Jaren Dil blocked the doorway. Despite the fact that he was almost a meter shorter than Qui-Gon and so thin he was almost gaunt, he did not seem intimidated. "I know nothing about my wife's escape."
"We wish to help," Qui-Gon said.
A twisted smile touched Jaren's lips, then disappeared. "You would be surprised," he said softly, "how often we have heard those words. They always say they wish to help."
"We are Jedi," Qui-Gon said, showing the hilt of his lightsaber. "Not Guardians."
"I know you are not Guardians," Jaren said. "But I don't know who you are, or who your friends are. I am expecting to be arrested at any moment. My crime is being married to Cilia Dil and not betraying her."
"I would like you to get a message to her," Qui-Gon said.
"I have not seen Cilia since she was arrested. She was allowed no visitors. I don't know where — "
Qui-Gon interrupted. "Tell her the Jedi want to help." Qui-Gon reached for Jaren's comlink, hooked onto his belt. He entered his code. "I have given you a way to contact me. We will meet her anywhere she wants."
Jaren said nothing. They walked away, down the stairs. They did not hear the door close until they were out of sight.
"He didn't trust us," Obi-Wan said.
"He would be foolish if he did. He is used to betrayal." "So why do you think she'll contact us?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Because in desperate times, the desperate seek out those who offer help. The fact that we are Jedi is on our side. They will discuss it.
Then she will contact us."
"You seem sure of it," Obi-Wan said. "How do you know?"
"They have no one else to turn to," Qui-Gon said.
It was lucky for them that a full-scale hunt was on for Cilia, so catching the Jedi was not a high priority. That was why the guards around Jaren's house did not notice as they left. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan walked the streets, reluctant to sit in a cafe or even on a bench in a park. They needed to be mobile in case they were spotted. Security officers patrolled, but they were able to avoid being stopped.
Dusk fell like a purple curtain. The shadows lengthened and turned deep blue. With the cover of darkness, they felt a bit more secure.
Qui-Gon was beginning to wonder if he was wrong, and Cilia would not contact them. Then, the comlink signaled.
"What is it that you think you can do for me?" a female voice asked.
"Whatever it is you need," Qui-Gon answered.
There was a short silence. "I'm going to hold you to that."
Qui-Gon marveled that Cilia could sound humorous after escaping from a notorious prison. "Tell me where and when we can meet you."
Cilia named a small pedestrian bridge that crossed the river and the hour of midnight. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had passed the bridge several times that day in their looping journey around the city. They were tired later that night as they walked there and stood at the edge, out of reach of the glowlights. The city was silent. Most of the citizens were home. They heard only the soft lapping of the river against the stones of the bridge.
Yet Qui-Gon felt that Cilia was near, close enough to hear them.
"You may as well trust us," he said out loud.
A reply came from underneath the bridge. "It's a little early in our relationship."
Qui-Gon realized that Cilia must be in a small boat, but he did not bend over to look.
"Well, you've come to meet us," Qui-Gon said. "I'll take that as a sign."
A dark shape suddenly vaulted out from underneath the bridge and landed close to them. Cilia was dressed in a waterproof suit, and her short hair was slicked back behind her ears. She was tiny and slender.
The bones of her wrists looked as delicate as a bird's. The slash of her cheekbones created hollows in her face. Her eyes were the dark blue of a river. Underneath them were dark circles, marks of her suffering.
"Why do you want to help me?" she asked.
"Lorian Nod was once a Jedi in training," Qui-Gon said. "He has created trouble for this world. Let's say the Jedi owe the people of Junction 5 their support."
"He was training to be a Jedi? That could explain things. He seems to know things… things he couldn't know, even by surveillance."
Cilia pushed away a lock of hair that had fallen onto her forehead. "I have a plan. Some Jedi help would be welcome. It's dangerous, though."
"I would expect so," Qui-Gon said.
"I've put together a team to travel to Delaluna," Cilia said. "Our idea is to break into the Ministry of Defense and Offense in order to steal the plans of the Annihilator. We can't rely on our government to take action — obviously they are paralyzed with fear — and they are afraid action will lead to reaction. Yet if we get the plans, perhaps we can discover a way to defend ourselves from the weapon. And if the citizens again feel free, the repressive government will have no reason to exist, and we can refashion a more just society."
"Dangerous is putting it mildly," Qui-Gon said. "I'd add difficult and foolhardy to that."
Cilia put one foot on the railing, ready to vault back down into the river.
"Count us in," Qui-Gon said.
Chapter 16
They spent the night in Cilia's hiding place, a safe house on the outskirts of the city. Cilia disappeared into an inner room, and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were left to share floor space in a small, bare room painted a surprising pink. They laid out their sleeprolls and settled down on the hard floor.
"Master," Obi-Wan murmured, "should we contact the Council?"
"Why?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Well, we're about to break into another planet's government building and steal state secrets," Obi-Wan said. "Master Windu can get touchy about things like that."