Jedi Bounty

13

The quarters the Diversity Alliance assigned to Lowie were decorated in a style that Raaba had termed “austere opulence.” No frills or unnecessary adornments cluttered the area, but the cave chamber and its furnishings were of the highest quality. The rooms were heated to a temperature almost comfortable for Wookiees, and the insulfoam that covered the rock walls had been painted to simulate the dark green-and-brown shadows of a thick forest canopy.

The solid Wookiee-sized sleeping pallet bolted halfway up one of the room’s walls was as comfortable a bed as Lowie had ever slept in. The unobtrusive lighting could be adjusted to stimulate various conditions, from bright sunlight, to starlight, to pitch black. The sturdy worktable held a state-of-the-art computer station at the perfect height for a full-grown Wookiee. In the corner opposite the sleeping pallet, a massive simulated tree bole swung aside to reveal a fully equipped refresher unit. Nolaa Tarkona had certainly gone out of her way to provide him with Pleasant accommodations, Lowie mused.

But for him, these things only served to emphasize that it was all artificial. The underground warren dove deep into the rock of the planet Ryloth. The thin veneer of artificial tree bark merely masked the reality of solid rock beneath solid ground.

The more he learned of the Diversity Alliance, the more these headquarters seemed perfectly appropriate for it. Recruits were shown a thin and civilized veneer of what they most wanted to see—but the true foundation of the Alliance could only be revealed by looking underneath.

Unfortunately, Lowie was not as certain of what lay beneath the Diversity Alliance as he was of the stone in the walls of this room.

Lately, it seemed even Raaba was hiding something from him. He could sense that she was holding back when she spoke to him, but she brushed aside all of his probing questions.

Lowie swung himself up onto his sleeping pallet. Then, restless, he swung down again and paced the confines of the room, which seemed smaller to him with each passing day. He could not simply go outside and climb high up to the peaceful safety of the treetop canopy. In fact, there were no trees at all on Ryloth, only agricultural chambers that raised fungus and mosses that were converted into bland but nutritious food.

The closest approximation to forests on this barren planet were the clusters of tall windmills dotting some of the crags. Twi’leks used the turbines to harvest the strong winds and convert them into energy.

But most of the wind farms were located on the fringes of the hot or cold zones, in climates so extreme Lowie would have had to wear an environment suit to climb them.

Knowing the room was soundproof, Lowie let out a frustrated roar. If he could not ask Raaba for the answers he needed, who could he ask?

Angered, he stopped pacing, turned toward one wall, and pounded a large, hairy fist against it.

The cushiony insulfoam absorbed the impact with a soft, unsatisfying thump.

Snarling, he snatched the lightsaber from his belt with the vague intention of slicing away the offending insulation. The moment the hilt was in his hand, however, a calm clarity flooded his mind. A flick of his thumb ignited the molten bronze blade.

Lowie gave an urf of surprised laughter that, in his anger and frustration, he had been ready to attack a wall with his lightsaber!

Such was the influence the Diversity Alliance had on him.

He hefted the blade, tossed it experimentally from hand to hand. The saber hummed and sizzled as he sliced the air. Its light shone like a beacon in his mind, illuminating a truth he had known from the beginning: he did not need a Diversity Alliance to fight his battles for him or to defend his rights.

He drew a bright arc in the air. He did not need friends who couldn’t accept the friendships he already had. He swung the lightsaber again.

He did not need to blame one group for all the misfortunes Wookiees had suffered through the centuries. His species was flexible, strong, capable. They had done well for themselves.

Lowie whirled, sweeping the glowing bronze blade low to the floor. He did not need to hope that others would accept him so that he could find a place where he belonged. He had a place.

He had friends who accepted him.

Whoosh! Humm! He did not need to find a cause to believe in or a direction for his life. He had all those things. He was a Jedi Knight!

Lowie’s lips peeled back in a feral grin. He felt more like himself now than he had since the day he had met Raaba again on Kuar and found out that she was still alive.

A door signal flashed on the wall. Allowing himself one final sweep of the glowing blade, Lowie switched his lightsaber off, clipped it to his belt, and unsealed the door. It was Sirra, her face alight with enthusiasm. Grasping his arm, she dragged him out into the corridor, telling him that she had something to show him, a magnificent ship.

Giving his sister a quizzical look, Lowie good-naturedly allowed himself to be led along to the smallcraft bay. The labyrinth of corridors and tunnels wound steadily upward, and Sirra chattered happily. She had always been a bit jealous that Lowie and his friends had ships they could tinker with together. Now, the Diversity Alliance would make it up to Sirra.

Lowie wondered if Hovrak had finally made good on his offer of procuring a ship for Sirra to fly. If so, perhaps they could soon come and go as they pleased. He was also glad to note that his sister referred to Jaina and the rest of his friends with a sense of fondness, rather than as his “so-called friends” or his “former friends,” as Raaba called them.

Sirra explained that Raaba had hinted she shouldn’t tell her brother, but there was no way she was going to keep this a secret from Lowie.

Besides, Sirra could use his experience if she was going to talk Hovrak into letting her keep the craft. After all, Lowie was familiar with at least one Hapan ship already.

Sirra finally stopped at the entrance to the smallcraft docking bay, then keyed in her access code. The hangar-bay door slid open, and with a jolt of shock, Lowie recognized the Rock Dragon!

Through a haze of surprise, Lowie heard Sirra ask him if the ship was like the one his friend Tenel Ka owned. She hoped so, since that would make it easier for him to teach her the controls.

She was sure Lowie could help her figure it out.

But when the dazed look on her brother’s face registered with Sirra, she stopped talking. Had she been wrong to show him the ship?

No, he was very interested, he told her. But this ship was not just similar to the one his friend owned—it was the ship. The Rock Dragon, here on Ryloth.

He asked Sirra if she was certain that Raaba knew this ship was here.

Sirra shrugged. Of course; she was absolutely sure. In fact, Raaba had taken her to see the Rock Dragon in the first place.

With a feeling of dread, Lowie thanked Sirra for showing him the ship.

Struggling to control his anger and uneasiness, he assured her that they would discuss the ship soon. Meanwhile, it was high time he had a heart-to-heart talk with Raaba.

Alone.

Raaba was by herself in her quarters when Lowie burst in without signaling. The young Wookiee woman leaped to her feet when he entered, a guarded look on her face. She ran her fingers through her chocolate-brown fur.

He was surprised when, instead of objecting to his barging in, she asked him if Sirra was with him. He answered bluntly that his sister was still down admiring the Rock Dragon—the ship that belonged to his human friends.

Raaba flinched and looked at him defensively, but there was no surprise on her face. This confirmed what Sirra had told Lowie: Raaba had known the Rock Dragon was here. She must have recognized the ship when it arrived, and she had not told Lowie about it. Intentionally.

With a menacing growl, he asked if his friends were also on Ryloth.

She flashed him a look of irritation. Of course they were here, she snapped. Unfortunately, they had been under some sort of misguided impression that Lowie needed to leave the Diversity Alliance immediately. They had actually managed to sneak into Nolaa Tarkona’s headquarters, no doubt with some sabotage in mind, or perhaps intending to kidnap Lowie.

Raaba’s voice filled with derision. Nolaa Tarkona herself had pointed out to the foolish young Jedi that she could not allow them to steal Lowie away from his true friends. Humans were so arrogant! By breaking into her stronghold, they had proven themselves a threat to security.

Lowie interrupted Raaba. Then why hadn’t Nolaa Tarkona simply sent his friends away? Why was their ship still here? Where were his friends?

Raaba could not meet Lowie’s eyes. She cringed at each question, as if it were a physical blow.

Couldn’t Lowie see that they were just humans? she demanded. They hadn’t been hurt in any way, if that was what was bothering him. But surely he understood that Nolaa Tarkona couldn’t just let them leave.

Jacen, Jaina, Tenel Ka, and Raynar had broken into the Diversity Alliance headquarters, a deliberately antagonistic act. To let them go unpunished would be sheer folly. And, more important, Nolaa Tarkona couldn’t allow anyone to try to shake the convictions of her loyal followers.

But his friends had come for him, Lowie bellowed. And he had not joined the Diversity Alliance! Nolaa Tarkona had no right to imprison anyone who came to see him.

With genuine fear in her eyes, Raaba glanced around in alarm, as if afraid that someone might have overheard him. She adjusted her tattered red headband and urged Lowie to keep his voice down.

Growling quietly, he demanded in no uncertain terms to know where his friends were.

Raaba hunched her shoulders and looked at the floor. Nothing could help the humans now, she explained. He had to accept that. She had already done everything she could to mitigate the severity of their sentence. At least they were still alive; considering their obvious offenses, mining ryll was the least punishment they might have expected. Nolaa Tarkona had said that it was only fitting—since humans had enslaved so many species over the centuries—that they should now work to support the Diversity Alliance as it struggled to help all oppressed species.

Lowie gave a sharp bark of reproof. By such logic, had not humans now become a downtrodden species under the Diversity Alliance? It was obvious that humans were not the only species known for their cruelty to others.

Again, Raaba refused to meet his eyes, but she bristled with indignation. Humans had been users and enslavers as long as history could remember; it was only fair that they now reap the crop they had so bountifully planted.

Lowie raised his voice again, not caring anymore who might hear him.

Such practices were no more correct now than they had ever been!

Jacen, Jaina, Tenel Ka, and Raynar were his friends. Those humans in the ryll mines had risked their lives to come here for him! He was going to pounds d a way to set them free—and if Raaba had ever been his friend, she had better not try to stop him.

When Raaba made no answer, Lowie stormed out of the room as abruptly as he had entered.