"Then let's go," Qui-Gon said firmly. He had to keep pushing forward.

He had to drown out his worst fears with action.

They had only caught a glimpse of Lenz the first time they'd seen him, but Qui-Gon remembered him well. His was not a face to forget. It had been marked by suffering and illness, but there was nobility and strength in it. His body was weak, yet his spirit had great power. In a crowd he might be ignored, but Qui-Gon knew from the first glance that he was a leader.

Lenz stood as Irini led the Jedi into a small room in the Worker section of the city. She had alerted him by comlink that they were coming, and why.

Lenz gave Irini a questioning look. "Now you trust the Jedi? What happened?"

"They have a good point," lrini said. "They have the best chance of finding Tahl. If Balog betrayed us for the Absolutes, we need to know."

Lenz kept his gaze on Irini. Slowly, he nodded. "Maybe."

His nerves on alert, Qui-Gon sensed something had passed between Irini and Lenz. It had been a wordless exchange of information. They knew each other very well, he realized. Well enough to speak without words, as he and his Padawan could.

"Irini tells me you want a probe droid," Lenz said.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Alani asked that you help us."

Lenz smiled slightly. "When both Irini and Alani ask me to do something, I have no choice but to obey." He gestured at them to sit at a battered metal table. "I must warn you, we run some danger of being arrested. Since Roan's murder the government has been cracking down on those who run the black market. Power is slipping out of their hands, and they think a show of it will save them. The United Legislature is locked in a battle to appoint Roan's successor."

"Many Workers think the time to strike is now," lrini said. "There are those who want us to conduct another campaign of industrial sabotage to get what we want. Of course we want a Worker to be appointed as Supreme Governor, but Lenz and I are urging caution. We will lose our support among the Civilized with another sabotage campaign. It worked once, but we do not feel it will work again. We don't want civil unrest."