Trouble on Cloud City

2

For the third time that morning, Tenel Ka replaced a cyberfuze on the Rock Dragon that did not need replacing. Beside her, Jaina hunched over the navigational console of the Hapan passenger cruiser, biting her lower lip. She used Em Teedee to run an unnecessary calibration check, while Lowbacca conditioned the already-clean outer hull with lubricants.

The three of them had felt inexplicably downcast, Tenel Ka thought, since the previous afternoon when Jacen and Zekk had chosen not to accompany them to the jungle. Today, the warrior girl had risen at first light from an unsatisfactory sleep and performed the most rigorous calisthenic routine she had ever devised for herself. She had hoped to purge any lingering resentment from her mind … but it hadn’t worked.

After that, she had scaled the outside of the huge Massassi pyramid, single-armed, wearing her briefest lizard-hide and using only her grappling hook and fibercord to assist her. This exertion had proved stimulating enough—and distracting enough—that she decided to go for a ten-kilometer run as well.

Jaina, having just finished a long Jedi meditation, had trotted up to join her. Although Jaina was fresh, she was not as strong a runner as Tenel Ka, and the warrior girl enjoyed the feeling that she could outdistance her friend at any time—although she chose not to.

As the two friends swung back toward the Great Temple on the last kilometer of their run, a third young woman joined them. Anja, looking rested and relaxed, had clearly not been out doing calisthenics this morning. But that did not make the situation any less irritating when the tanned older girl broke into a sprint and raced ahead of Tenel Ka and Jaina back to the Great Temple.

It didn’t help matters, either, when Tenel Ka noticed Jacen watching Anja with amused approval from his vantage point at the base of the Great Temple. She knew she shouldn’t have allowed the situation to disturb her, but she had retreated immediately, making some excuse about the Rock Dragon’s needing repairs. Jaina and Lowie had followed her. Jacen, Zekk, and Anja had not.

Jaina had moved the Rock Dragon out onto the open landing field, and for the next few hours the companions had worked in a heavy silence. Unfortunately, the activities they normally found so soothing had brought no comfort today. Tenel Ka grimaced and replaced another cyberfuze that was in perfect condition.

To make matters worse, her own normally well-controlled emotions were playing strange tricks on her. For the past several days she’d had a profound feeling of missing Jacen … and Zekk, of course. It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t as if the two young men were gone, as Lowie had been when he’d accompanied his friend Raaba to visit the Diversity Alliance.

No, Tenel Ka saw Jacen—and Zekk—every day. Yet somehow, each time she saw the smuggler girl Anja laughing with the two young men, most likely at some joke Jacen had told, Tenel Ka felt an ache that was almost physical.

Perhaps a change of scenery was the answer. If Tenel Ka could get away from Yavin 4 for a while, it might clear her mind—and she might be able to escape the constant reminders that Jacen no longer spent most of his free time with her. She found the pain as haunting and indefinable as the phantom pangs she sometimes felt from her severed arm.

Scowling, Tenel Ka touched a probe to a circuit, overloaded it to 10, 20, 30 percent more than its capacity. The cyberfuze finally failed in a tiny puff of white smoke. Tenel Ka nodded with satisfaction. As she began to replace the component, a loud Wookiee bellow drifted in from outside.

“Visitors?” Em Teedee said. “Why, whatever could he mean? We weren’t expecting anyone, were we?”

“I do not believe so,” Tenel Ka said to the little droid. The whine of sublight engines filled the air around the Rock Dragon. “Perhaps we should investigate.”

Jaina yanked the little silver droid’s leads free from the navigational console. “Well, then, what are we waiting for?”

“It’s Lando!” Jaina cried. Her spirits lifted even as the Lady Luck touched down on the stubbly grass of the landing field not far from the Rock Dragon. The sight of Lando Calrissian’s space yacht kindled a sense of excitement in her that had been missing for weeks. His visits always meant something interesting.

As usual, her father’s old smuggling buddy made a dashing entrance. With a burgundy cape fluttering behind him, he seemed to glide down the Lady Luck’s ramp, his dark handsome features lit by a dazzling smile. By the time he reached the bottom of the ramp and greeted Jaina and Tenel Ka with a kiss each on the hand, and Lowbacca with a friendly slap between his furry shoulders, Zekk and Jacen were running across the landing field toward them. Master Luke Skywalker followed at a more leisurely pace.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Jacen asked.

“Are we going to GemDiver Station?” Zekk added. “I’ve never seen the place, but Jaina and Jacen told me all about it.”

Lando laughed. “No, not quite. I’m glad you kids are all here, though, because I have an invitation for you. A business proposal, really.”

Jaina exchanged an intrigued glance with Tenel Ka. “We are prepared to assist you,” Tenel Ka said. Lowie rumbled his agreement.

Lando grinned. “As it turns out, I already talked to all of your parents and got permission.”

“Hey, that’s great,” Jacen said.

“What is it you need from us?” Zekk asked.

“Some professional assistance. From professional young people like yourselves. But it’s not on GemDiver Station. I’ve got the corusca-gem mining operation running pretty well by itself. Right now, I’m on my way to Cloud City.”

“Bespin?” Jaina said. “You still own property there?”

Lando smiled. “At the moment, quite a lot. You know how I am—always looking for some new way to make credits. I decided I needed to diversify my holdings a bit more, so I talked to one of my old smuggler buddies who lives on Cloud City and we came up with the perfect investment.”

Tenel Ka’s eyebrows rose as Lando spoke.

“Old smuggler buddy?” Jaina asked.

“Oh, don’t worry, he’s completely legit now,” Lando said. “He has a wife, two little girls, and all his investments are strictly on the up-and-up.”

“What do you need us for?” Zekk asked again.

Lando went on. “Cojahn and I are starting a line of high-tech family entertainment and amusement centers. We’re putting the first one right in Cloud City. We’re calling it SkyCenter Galleria. Cloud City won’t be just for gambling anymore. This place is gonna have rides, restaurants, shopping, the neatest and slickest holomazes, experience chambers … every kind of thrill you can think of.

“I’ve been interested in this sort of thing for a long time. See, before you kids were even born, I looked into getting a place called Hologram Funworld as an investment. It didn’t work out, but that place was nothing compared to what we’re building now. SkyCenter Galleria will have something for people of all ages, something for every human or alien in the galaxy.”

Luke Skywalker, who had quietly joined them during Lando’s description, smiled. “That sounds like one of your best ideas yet, Lando. Do you have some thrill rides that only Jedi can test?” There was a twinkle of amusement in the Jedi Master’s eyes.

Lando chuckled. “Not exactly, but close. I was hoping to borrow this fine crew of young people to visit the place with me before I open it to the public. Give me their ideas and opinions, maybe even double-check things to make sure there aren’t any potential hazards our engineers have overlooked.

“See, my buddy Cojahn has two daughters, a twelve-year-old and a five-year-old, but I need someone a little older to let me know what works for them and what doesn’t. Your young Jedi Knights here could think of it as a vacation, and it’ll help me out as well.” He winked at Luke. “I promise not to let anyone get kidnapped this time.”

The Jedi Master narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and then nodded. “Yes. I think these students could benefit from an opportunity like that.”

Lowie gave an exultant bellow.

“Good. We’d love to!” Jaina said.

“We would be honored to assist.” Tenel Ka nodded; her red-gold warrior braids swung around her serious face. “It will be … fun.”

“Oh, indeed, Master Lando! I should be most gratified if you’d accept my services as well.”

Lando gave a small bow. “You bet, Em Teedee. You can never have enough competent droids around on a project like this. I wouldn’t think of leaving you behind.”

“Hey, speaking of being left behind,” Jacen said, “we’ve got a new friend staying here with us at the Jedi academy. Would you mind if she came along? She’s only been here for a few weeks—she’s a former smuggler—but she’s having kind of a rough time and I think she could use a change of scenery.”

“A former smuggler? Sure, bring her along,” Lando said with a bright smile. “She sounds like my kind of young lady.”