Raynar leaned forward in the copilot's seat to study the view, eager and
nervous at the same time.
"I've got coordinates for the administrative headquarters," he said. "My
mother sent them. If Uncle Tyko left any messages, that's where they'll
be."
"All right," Jaina said, thankful to turn back to flying the ship, "key
the coordinates into the navicomputer and we'll be on our way."
The blond young man blinked in surprise that she would have him do the
work. Jaina raised her eyebrows. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
With obvious pleasure, Raynar quickly punched in the data and changed
course down to the industrial planet. After cruising through thick
clouds of obscuring smoke, Jaina brought the Rock Dragon down on the
roof of the administration towers.
Raynar was the first to the hatch. Jaina picked up Em Teedee, tucked
the little droid under one arm, and opened the passenger shuttle. Gusts
of smoky air drifted in, smelling of burnt chemicals and ozone.
The companions stepped out and gazed around at the skyline.
Lightning rods spiked upward from the corners of the tallest buildings,
drawing down static in discharge blasts. Towering factories spewed
exhaust into the air, and black clouds simmered just above the 'tops of
smokestacks.
Tenel Ka drew a deep breath, scowled, then took a more cautious sniff.
"The air is . . . brooding."
She looked up at the blackness in the sky. In the distance lightning
flickered. "Perhaps a storm is approaching."
"I think that's just the pollution, Tenel Ka," Jacen said.
A roof doorway opened, ratcheting on tracks that had not been lubricated
in a long time. A platinum-colored protocol droid emerged, an older
model that still managed to move with well-oiled grace.
"You are not authorized to be here. No visitors allowed." Its voice was
harsher, less silken than
See-Threepio's. "You must depart immediately . . .
or accept the consequences."
Em Teedee made a disbelieving sound that was muffled slightly by Jaina's
arm. "Well, really! I am authorized translating droid Em Teedee, and
my companions are students at the Jedi academy on Yavin 4.
I can assure you we have every right to be here."
"I am Threedee-Fourex, official protocol droid and welcoming
committee--and you are not welcome," the protocol droid snapped.
"Protocol droid, indeed!" Em Teedee scoffed. "I should say your
programming requires significant adjustment, not to mention your
manners."
Threedee-Fourex continued to block their path.
"Go away. If you were the Emperor himself you would not be wanted
here."
"The Emperor is dead," Jaina said, "and we have business on Mechis III."
The protocol droid did not budge.
Finally Raynar stepped forward. "I am Raynar Thul, nephew of Tyko Thul,
the administrator of this facility. In his absence, I have come to see
that his business affairs run smoothly until he returns."
"You are not essential to this operation," Threedee-Fourex said.
"Your presence will complicate matters unnecessarily."
Raynar drew himself up with all the dignity and determination his noble
upbringing had given him.
"And a mere protocol droid is not authorized to make that decision. Now
show me to my uncle's offices. We have work to do."
"I will do no such thing," Threedee-Fourex Said, then swiveled about.
"It would violate my current priority programming--which is to keep
guests away. Depart immediately, or I shall be forced to take extreme
measures."
Tenel Ka withdrew her lightsaber, but did not switch it on. "We are
Jedi Knights, droid." She held the rancor-tooth handle with studied
nonchalance.
"Your 'extreme measures' would be useless against the Force."
companions hurried after him, catching a lift platform that took them
down several levels to the main administrative floors. But
Threedee-Fourex had disappeared.
Raynar frowned. "Oh well, we don't really need him anyway. We can use
one of these wall diagrams to find my uncle's office."
Jaina activated the computerized map and plotted the shortest route to
Tyko Thul's suite of rooms. A few minutes later Raynar stood looking
through the doorway in a heavy bulkhead that led into a spacious room.
"Here's the head office," he said.
A desk, sitting area, and beverage center all sat carefully arranged in
front of a wall of windows that provided a spectacular, if frightening,
view of the
grim industrial landscape. Computer screens lined a desktop piled high
with old manifests, outdated production quotas, repair logs, and
rebuilding plans.
A set of holographic models shimmered on one corner of the desktop,
showing projected upgrades to machinery and factory lines.
"My uncle told me he ran all of Mechis III from his office," Raynar
said. "We can use this as our command center. Luckily, the systems are
pretty well automated, so I should only have to keep an eye on the most
important functions."
"Sounds like a big job, Raynar," Jacen said.
The young man nodded gravely. "Yes, but it's something I need to do . .
. for my family. My mother would consider it great training."
I hope Uncle Tyko would be proud of me." He sniffed.
"One thing I intend to do is program certain droids to be more
courteous!"
Raynar went to the desk console and checked the screens. He found a
glowing icon that said "Current Operational Status," and touched it.
The screen lit up.
Suddenly loud alarms blared throughout the room.
A harsh mechanized voice bellowed from the speakers. "Intruder alert!
Security lockdown initiated."
"Uh, wait!" Raynar said. "I didn't mean--" The heavy bulkhead door to
Tyko's office slammed shut with a thunderous clang, like an ore hauler
crashing into a rock wall. Pneumatic locks hissed as the door sealed
itself in place.
"Oh my!" Em Teedee wailed. "We're trapped!"
Drawing her lightsaber, Tenel Ka sprang to a fighting stance.
"Oh, blaster bolts. Now we're in for it," Jacen groaned, looking
frantically around. 'Tll bet Threedee-Fourex is laughing at us right
now."
Jaina ran over to the computer console and nudged Raynar aside to see if
she could deactivate the alarm. Glancing up, she suddenly noticed
targeting lasers at the four corners of the ceiling. The weapons began
to move, using motion sensors to acquire their marks.
"Laser cannons! Get them before they get us," she cried.
Jacen immediately saw the threat and drew his own lightsaber. Its
emerald-green blade spran out, ready for action. Needing neither
explanation nor guidance, Tenel Ka streaked to the opposite side of the
room, ready to do her part.
A brilliant' laser danced out, leaving a black smoking crater in the
floor at Raynar's feet. He yelped and lunged out of the way.
Jaina ducked, still hunched over the computer but with senses alert for
any other blasts. She scrambled at the controls, working to open the
heavy door.
"Run for cover, Raynar," she called, and the blond-haired young man dove
under the solid desk.
Feeling a warning through the Force, Jaina threw herself to one side as
a laser bolt sizzled very close to where she had been standing.
Then she leapt back to her work, trying to understand the ancient
automated systems. "Come on," she muttered, "how does this work?" She
fervently wished Lowie were there--he could always figure out strange
computer systems.
Tenel Ka held her lightsaber in her hand, its deep turquoise throbbing
with power as she slashed upward. The glowing blade severed the nearest
targeting laser, leaving a stump of smoldering plasteel that sizzled and
sparked.
Jacen chopped another of the weapons to pieces.
"Two down," he said, "two to go." Instinctively working as a team,
he'and the warrior girl streaked toward opposite corners of the room.
The remaining weapons fired a dizzying web of laser bolts, which the
young Jedi easily managed to dodge by letting the Force guide them.
Jaina wondered if the targeting sensors had malfunctioned or if they
were merely inaccurate. It seemed unlikely the powerful weapons would
miss so many times.
Perhaps office security upgrades were not among the high-priority
repairs Tyko Thul had completed.
She was thankful for that at least.
Jacen swiped with his lightsaber blade again, trashing the third of the
weapons. Lasers burned scars into the walls like black bullet holes.
Jaina punched a final sequence into the computer, hoping she had guessed
the proper string of commands--and heard a hissing thunk as the door
unsealed. It didn't raise of its own accord, but at least the bulkhead
was unlocked and they could lift it now. "To the door!"
Smashing the final laser cannon, Tenel Ka stood proudly under the rain
of shrapnel. "We are safe," she announced. But loud alarms continued
to blare.
Jaina still felt uneasy. "We don't know what other security forces
might be coming," she said. "Better get out of these offices until the
clamor dies down."
She ran to the heavy metal bulkhead. "Help me with this. We'll need to
lift it ourselves."
Together, the companions heaved, using their muscles and their Jedi
strength. The heavy door reluctantly rolled up into its socket ....
And there, looming in the doorway, was the towering assassin droid
IG-88, just waiting for them. Blinking red lights flared like the
eruptions of
miniature volcanoes in its conical head.
"Look out!" Jaina cried.
The assassin droid moved smoothly, relentlessly, raising both of its
powerful metallic arms. IG-88
spoke no threat, but it clearly meant to take deadly action. In one arm
its built-in blaster cannon powered up; in the other, a concussion
grenade levered into place, ready for launch. The droid aimed its
weapons and prepared to fire on the young Jedi Knights.
"Wait!" a man's voice shouted. "I command you to stop!"
A moment later, Tyko Thul himself appeared from the shadows! His face
was flushed, and his eyes showed annoyance rather than fear.
Raynar's supposedly kidnapped uncle, dressed in the garishly colored
robes of the house of Thul, glared at the young Jedi Knights, then
scowled directly at Ray nar.
"Well, what are you doing here, boy?" Tyko demanded with a tremendous
sigh. "Now you've ruined everything!"
THE RISING STAR dipped and looped and cavorted with its pilot's
exuberance as Raaba flew across the jungle canopy of Kashyyyk. Lowie
didn't have to use his Jedi senses to see how excited she was about
coming back home.
He couldn't wait to see his sister's face when she saw her best friend
again. Of all Raaba's friends and relations, Sirra alone knew that the
long-lost Wookiee was actually alive. But even Sirra didn't know that
Lowie and Raaba were coming for a visit.
He bared his teeth in a gleeful grin as Raaba accelerated, flipped the
little star skimmer over, and flew briefly upside down just above the
dense canopy. The branches were so thick and interlocked that
thoroughfares as wide as highways had been chopped through the treetops
so that beasts of
burden could walk from place to place. Deep beneath the rooftop of
branches lay the dark underworld where few Wookiees ever ventured.
Raaba flipped the Rising Star over again and waggled the tiny craft's
airfoils back and forth so that the skimmer ruffled the leaves below it,
like a Calamarian seaskiff dancing across the green waves.
Then, finally, they headed toward the vast treetop city where they had
both grown up.
The crowns of the tallest wroshyr trees rose above the level canopy like
islands in an ocean; wooden platforms at various heights served as
gathering areas and landing pads. High-tech facilities, such as
computer fabrication labs and the planetary traffic control tower, had
been erected in some of the larger trees, while more distant tree
clusters served as dwellings for Wookiee families.
Raaba chose an open landing platform high on the outskirts of the city.
Cinching the red band tight around her head, Raaba bounded out of the
star skimmer, as full of cheerful energy as Lowie had ever seen her.
She made Lowie promise not to tell anyone, not even Sirra, of her
presence. Instead, she planned to make her way unobtrusively to the
Great Tree Arena, where she would register a request for an all-city
meeting. She would let the Wookiee registry
spread the word for her, and then make her surprise reappearance tonight
with everyone present.
Raaba had much to do between now and then, and it had to be done just
right. The sleek, dark Wookiee woman hurried off after Lowie agreed to
urge his sister and family to attend the gathering.
It was a long way to Lowie's house yet, but he was in no hurry.
His parents, Kallabow and Mahrac-cor, were probably still at work at the
computer fabrication facility. After hours of cramped flight, he wanted
to stretch his legs by striding along the spicy-smelling branchtop
thoroughfare. The morning sun was warm, and the breeze fragrant. It
felt good to be home.
He went to see his sister first.
A distinguished-looking older Wookiee with yellowing fur pointed Lowie
toward the flight training area where Sirra took classes to become a
star pilot.
He leapt and climbed from branch to branch to reach the leafy field
above which Sirra flew her training vessel.
He looked upward, watching her ship make one long dive and then another
pass. With no slight amusement, he noted that Sirra's piloting style
was very much like Raaba's. The two had been fast friends for years,
after all.
The refurbished Y-wing had a cramped instructor's station built into the
compartment where the gunner formerly sat. From the speed with which
Sirra banked and looped, however, one would never have guessed that her
practice vessel was a discontinued model now used primarily for
training.
Sirra simulated a perfect reverse-throttle hop against an imaginary
opponent, followed by an under split, then disengaged after performing a
flawless Talion roll. Her exhaust nacelles glowed orange-white as she
roared back toward the treetop city.
With her lesson finished, Sirra brought the Y-wing to the landing
platform low and fast, barely a meter above its polished surface. No
doubt showing off, she pulled up into a steep climb, looped around, and
landed with microcaliper precision directly in the center. Her ship's
repulsorjets let out a hiss like a nervous sigh of relief.
Sirra popped the Y-wing's canopy and sprang out of the cockpit.
Because she was pumped with adrenaline from her flying antics, she did
not notice her brother at first, but Lowie had a front row seat for an
amusing exchange.
Sirra raked long fingers through her raffled patchwork fur, while her
instructor, a portly human whom Lowie did not recognize, levered himself
slowly and painfully out of the rear compartment.