Diversity Alliance

17

Jacen woke refreshed and full of energy, thanks to the comfortable sleeping gear from the Rock Dragon. A noticeable tightness in his arms and legs reminded him of yesterday’s strenuous activities: the search along the crater rim, the climb down into the ruins—not to mention being chased by giant combat arachnids!

All in a day’s work for a young Jedi Knight, he thought with a smile.

Jacen stretched his muscles and enjoyed the freedom of lying outdoors under the stars on an insulfoam mat that was large enough to sleep a full-grown Wookiee.

Wookiee. With a tingle of alarm he remembered that Lowie and Raaba had still not returned to the Rock Dragon by the time the rest of them had decided to turn in the night before.

The two Wookiees had been inseparable during the evening meal and afterward, talking in low unintelligible voices with Em Teedee switched off for privacy. Long after dark, Lowie and Raaba had left for a walk along the crater rim, deep in discussion, catching up on old times.

Jacen had worried whether, in their preoccupation with each other, the two might fall prey to some nocturnal hunter. He thought it unlikely, though, since Lowie had his lightsaber and his Jedi senses, and Raaba had a good blaster at her side. He sure wouldn’t have wanted to tangle with them.

Tenel Ka had dissuaded Jacen from waiting up for Lowie, pointing out that the two friends might choose to stay up all night to relive old memories or to confide in each other. Lowie and Raaba had a lot of things to work out between them, Tenel Ka pointed out, adding that Lowie had the entry code for the security shield whenever he decided to return to the Rock Dragon’s campsite.

Jacen sat up, ran both hands through his tousled hair, and looked over at his snoozing sister. “Hey, Captain Jaina wake up!” he said. “You’re missing half the morning.”

Pulling down the lightweight blanket under which she had slept, Jaina rolled over on her mat, propped her chin on both fists, and glowered at her twin as she stifled a yawn. “Well…?” she demanded. “I was just considering our options. Deep in thought.”

“Uh-huh,” Jacen said, not believing her for an instant. “What time do you want me to help you with the preflight check? If there’s nothing else we can do here on Kuar, shouldn’t we get back to the Jedi academy before Uncle Luke gets too concerned?”

Jaina quirked a skeptical eyebrow at him, then rubbed her eyes.

“You’re right. Let’s do it after the morning meal, in about an hour.” Her face disappeared under her blanket again. “Or longer.”

Jacen got up and headed for the Rock Dragon’s refresher unit. To one side of the ship, wearing a supple lizard-hide exercise outfit, her hair freshly braided, Tenel Ka had already nearly finished her morning calisthenics, taking advantage of the cool shadows. Tiny pearls of perspiration glinted on her bare skin.

He saw no sign of any extra sleeping mats spread out on the ground, and guessed from the evidence that Lowie must not have come back after all. Where, then, had the two Wookiees gone? When he emerged from the refresher unit a moment later, though, Jacen found his sister waiting to use the facilities and Lowbacca perched on the edge of one of the Rock Dragon’s crew berths, blinking sleep from his golden eyes.

Glancing around, Jacen asked, “Where’s Raaba? Did she leave early?”

Lowie smoothed a hand over the dark streak on his forehead. He explained that Raaba had felt uncomfortable about staying in a Hapan ship and declined. Instead, she had chosen to spend the night in one of the Rising Stars tiny sleeping compartments.

“You couldn’t have been more persuasive?” Jacen asked.

This time Em Teedee spoke up. “Oh no, Master Jacen. I can certainly attest to the fact that he did his utmost to persuade her, but Mistress Raaba was simply adamant. I’m afraid she has a certain … distaste for human company.”

The droid made a sniffing sound. “I tried to add my own compelling arguments, but Master Lowbacca switched off my speaker. Again.”

Jacen couldn’t help feeling that something was not quite right.

It seemed that Raaba didn’t want to be around the companions, and that it might be more than simple embarrassment or uneasiness. What could Em Teedee have meant about her having an aversion to humans? An odd tingling persisted at the back of his mind, but Jacen could not put his finger on what the problem was. For Lowie’s sake, he hoped it was nothing too serious.

“Hey, do you mind if I go over to Raaba’s ship with you and chat with her for a little while?” Jacen asked. “We didn’t get much of a chance to talk last night, and I’d like to get to know your friend a little better.”

From Lowbacca’s enthusiastic reaction, Jacen would have guessed that the young Wookiee considered his suggestion the most brilliant one he had heard in months.

Obviously, Jacen thought as he followed Lowie past Tenel Ka toward Raaba’s small skimmer, there was a great deal he still did not understand about Wookiees—or women, for that matter. This made Wookiee women a doubly difficult challenge! At any rate, Jacen intended to do his best to make sure Raaba felt welcome in their company, despite her apparent reservations.

The previous evening, before their meal, Lowie had drawn Jacen, Jaina, and Tenel Ka aside and told them briefly about Raaba’s rite of passage and her decision to disappear and let everyone believe she had been killed. Now Jacen wanted to tell her that they understood her need for privacy and that she could trust them.

In the morning light Raaba climbed out of the Rising Star and luxuriously raked her fingers through her glossy chocolate fur. She glanced sidelong at Jacen as Lowie presented the young man, putting considerably more detail into the introduction than he had the day before. Lowie praised Jacen’s sense of humor, described his love for animals, and commended his skill with a lightsaber. Only the third virtue seemed to make much of an impression on Raabakyysh, and when Lowie paused, Jacen hurried to change the subject.

“So, uh, what actually brings you to Kuar?” he asked. “It’s quite a coincidence that you found us here.”

Raaba cocked her head slightly to one side, as if this had been an unexpected question. Then she held up both hands, her fingers pressed together, describing an approximate oval. She growled a name.

“Shells?” Jacen asked.

Raaba explained that she had been sent after a shipment of ronik shells. They were a rare commodity which her employer prized highly, but the trader Fonterrat, who had been sent to procure them for Nolaa Tarkona, had disappeared. The trader last confirmed meeting before his disappearance had been here on Kuar. Jacen’s mouth fell open as he looked at Lowie.

“Do you realize what this means?” he asked. “That must be the same person that Bornan Thul came here to meet—maybe even to negotiate a trade with. But what would Bornan Thul want with ronik shells? Especially since he was supposed to meet with Nolaa Tarkona, too. I guess he could have planned to use the shells as a kind of bargaining chip.” His eyes lit up. “Hey, maybe if we locate that shipment of shells, we’ll find another clue about where Raynar’s dad went.”

Raaba seemed about to reply when Tenel Ka dashed up to get Jacen’s attention.

“Company,” she said, pointing skyward.

At first Jacen could seen nothing but swirling dust around the crater rim, but then he saw a flash of metal the color of tarnished brass high above.

“I heard your shout. What’s wrong?” Jaina asked, trotting up to join them. Jacen indicated the approaching ship with a lift of his chin. His sister’s eyebrows shot up. “For an out-of-the-way planet, Kuar sure gets a lot of traffic,” she observed.

A low growl came from deep in Raaba’s throat. Her dark fur seemed to bristle, and she reached for the blaster at her side.

Lowie held up a hand, though, asking her to wait and grumbling a comment to himself.

“Why, whatever do you mean, Master Lowbacca?” Em Teedee said with some asperity. “How could you possibly recognize that ship?”

“Didn’t think anyone else in the galaxy even knew we were on this dust ball,” Jaina commented, squinting to get a better look.

“Except Tyko Thul,” Tenel Ka said.

“That’s his ship all right,” Jaina confirmed.

Jacen now recognized its boxy design and unusual color. Soon the ornate craft was close enough for Jacen to see the slightly rotund figure in the cockpit. He felt the tingle again at the back of his neck, only stronger this time. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Jacen said. “First Raaba shows up—and we thought she was dead. Now Tyko Thul is here…”

“And we thought he was on Mechis III,” Jaina finished for him.

Two minutes later Raynar’s uncle climbed out of his ship. His moon-round face beamed at the assembled party. “How wonderful to see you all again. So glad I found you. I brought some food. Would you all like to join me for”—he glanced appraisingly at the sky—“morning meal? I’m simply famished. Hyperspace travel really drains me.”

“Uh, wait a minute,” Jacen said. “Is there some kind of emergency? Didn’t you say you had business back on Mechis III?”

“I did, my dear boy—I mean, I do Tyko began to unpack a mouthwatering array of foods from an enormous food-prep unit. “I was on my way there when I thought to myself, Tyko, you have only one brother—and although no one else may realize it, it’s clear he’s gotten himself into some sort of financial predicament. If there’s anyone who can coax him out of hiding so he can get some help, why, it’s you, Tyko. And so, here I am to assist you in your search. It’s the least I can do. Family obligations and all that. Besides, those droids back on Mechis III know how to run the show. And if they don’t do it properly I can always dismantle them.”

“Indeed!” Em Teedee said in a huff. “The very idea!”

“Actually, we were about to leave,” Jaina said. “We’ve pretty much found what we were looking for here.”

Tyko’s cheeks grew pink and he sputtered.

“Why, you can’t—I—I’ve only just arrived. You must allow me to set my mind at rest. Help me look for my brother—please, just for today,” he urged. “Have you found any clues whatsoever?”

“Yes. Actually, though,” Jacen spoke up, gesturing toward the chocolate-furred Wookiee, “this is Raabakyysh of Kashyyyk. She’s a good friend of Lowie’s, and she has a bit more searching to do here. Lowie volunteered to help her, didn’t you, Lowie?”

Lowie gave a tentative growl of agreement.

Tyko darted a dismissive glance at the two Wookiees. “Splendid, splendid,” he said. “It’s settled then. We’ll spend the day investigating. Shall we eat first? What may I offer you?”

After a sumptuous meal the party split up for one last exploration of the crater and the rim surrounding it. Lowie accompanied Raaba.

The two Wookiees left together, and Tyko bustled around after Jacen, Jaina, and Tenel Ka, looking busy and interested, though he frequently glanced at his wrist-chronometer. They showed him the tattered sash they had found, along with its dire warning, and told him about the meeting, perhaps with a scavenger named Fonterrat.

Otherwise, the day was spent in what proved ultimately to be a fruitless search.

As they gathered for evening meal, however, Tyko Thul seemed satisfied with their efforts. “My only regret is that I still have no idea what kind of shady scheme my brother’s gotten himself involved in,” he said. “Oh well, it was worth the attempt to look around here. Now I can rest easy.”

Jacen felt unaccountably protective of Raynar in the young man’s absence. “Raynar believed that his father was completely honorable,” he objected. “How can you be so sure he’s gotten himself involved in a shady scheme? We don’t really have any evidence of that.”

Tyko favored him with a condescending smile. “My dear boy, of course Bornan’s involved in something shady. Why else would he make an appointment with that rabble-rousing firebrand Nolaa Tarkona and then simply disappear? I can’t believe he’d even associate with such a despicable troublemaker as that Twi’lek woman. Then again, he’s always had bad judgment in selecting business associates, and Tarkona is one of the worst.”

Raaba sat up straight at Tyko’s comment about Nolaa Tarkona. Her fur bristled, and a growl rumbled deep in her throat.

“No, no, I know my brother,” Tyko went on, ignoring the Wookiee. “You mark my words. He’s gotten himself into trouble because of the people, or the things, with whom he associates.”

Angrily, Raaba stood and stalked away into the darkness. Lowie quickly followed her, and Jacen could hear them in the distance, conversing in strained tones. Oblivious to the angry reactions his insults had inspired, Tyko continued talking as if nothing had happened, though Jacen didn’t hear a word he said.

Only moments later, with a whine of repulsorjets, Raaba’s interstellar skimmer streaked off into the night, vanishing among the stars above.

When Lowie returned to the group, silent and dispirited, Tyko simply shrugged.

“A bit hotheaded, isn’t she?” he remarked, then dug back into the food packets. “Now, what may I offer you to eat?”