of ideas for bringing about the ultimate triumph of the Diversity Alliance that
whirled through her mind.
She clacked her finger claws together, feeling their tough hardness, like
the spines on the shell of a sidrek megapede. Nolaa could rip out the throat of
any enemy or unsuspecting friend--with one sweep of her hands. Although she kept
herself physically ready for combat, her primary arsenal consisted of the words
she used to forge the emotions of crowds into weapons, turning her followers
into a fighting force. Nolaa Tarkona had become good at getting her way.
Hovrak, her wolfman Adjutant Advisor, marched into the room, his fetal eyes
bright in the grotto dimness. Nolaa kept the reddish lights turned down, but her
rose-quartz eyes focused well in the shadows.
She could see that he bore a dispatch in his hairy paw.
With his other hand Hovrak brushed down the dark brown fur that bristled on
his face. He bared his teeth in a gesture of respect and said, "Esteemed
Tarkona, I have excellent news--dispatches from two more candidate worlds."
"Good." Nolaa bowed her head, twitching her one remaining head-tail in
satisfaction.
The burned stump of the other jiggled in a reflex of long-remembered pain.
Hovrak kept a long and detailed list on an electronic datapad, recording
all known nonhuman species. It was his intent, and hers--to recruit members from
each one of those species for the Diversity Alliance.
"First off," the wolfman said, speaking in a sharp voice, as-if trying to
bite off each word as it emerged from his mouth, "we have a pledge from a self-
appointed United Council of Bith Musicians. They have sworn to play patriotic
songs that espouse the goals of the Diversity Alliance while they tour the
planets of the galaxy."
"Songs?" Nolaa said, allowing a frown to crease her forehead.
"We need soldiers and fighters willing to die for our cause--not minstrels.
"
"If I might point out, Esteemed Tarkona, the potential payoffs of
dispersing propaganda.
One song to the right audience in the right cantina in the right town could
result in riots.... even the overthrow of a long-established human government.
At - the very least, it will increase awareness of what the Diversity Alliance
stands for."
"Very well," Nolaa said, "just so long as these musicians don't demand
excessive payment. What else?"
We'Ve received a messenger from a sub-hive of the Bartokk species.
They are renowned killers, assassins who travel together sharing a single
mind. This sub-hive has sworn allegiance to the Diversity Alliance--and as you
know, when one of them agrees, they all agree."
Nolaa Tarkona tapped her daws together.
"That's much better news. So, does this mean the entire Bartokk homeworld
is ours? Is this sub-hive the legitimate government there?"
"No, Esteemed Tarkona, but they will carry our message far and wide. In
fact, as I understand their species, if this sub-hive assassinated key members
in other sub-hives, they could absorb all those minds into an even larger swarm.
Given a little time and a little ingenuity, our one sub-hive could subsume all
other Bartokks and incorporate them into one giant fighting force that would be
completely loyal to US."
Now the Twflek woman smiled, showing her pointed teeth. "Very good, indeed.
Governments operate by the will of the populace. We make our own legitimacy."
"Yes," Hovrak snarled, "legitimacy. Payback time. By rights the galaxy
should be ours."
"Now, don't get greedy," Nolaa said. "At least not so soon. A few sectors
at a time should be enough... for the moment."
She twitched her head-tail, feeling.a tingle of sensation. "I just received
word that a ship has docked at our underground facility.
I believe it is Boba Fett, returned to us.
Go and Bring him here. I wish to see what our bounty hunter has retrieved
for me."
Putting her nervous energy to use, Nolaa reached out and selected a sharp
durasteel file from the small obsidian pedestal beside her.
She inserted the tool into her mouth and briskly filed her front teeth to
maintain their pointed tips and razor-sharp edges. She received a delicious,
forbidden thrill in doing so. Twi'lek female slaves traditionally had their
teeth sanded flat to keep them from biting their masters. and only the vicious
males had been allowed to flaunt their fangs.
Until now.
The degraded females found themselves powerless and sold into slavery,
forced to serve or dance--mere objects to be beaten and sacrificed at the whim
of their masters.
Nolaa knew this all too well: her own half-sister had paid the ultimate
price. But she had vowed to change all that. And, as she had proven many times
before, Nolaa Tarkona was always true to her word....
When the helmeted Boba Fett marched alone into the grotto, Nolaa sat up
with a stab of disappointment. Had he dared to come back to her empty-handed?
Beside the bounty hunter, daws extended, Hovrak walked like a security
escort. But Boba Fett exuded such self-confidence, even through his Mandalorian
armor, that any idea of his following anyone was ludicrous.
Nolaa admired him for that self-assurance and enigmatic charisma.
Fett, however, did not concern himself with power or politics.
Why he kept to him-self--hiring out only as a bounty hunter, when he could
have been a great leader--was a mystery to her. Ah, well, she thought, every
creature has different goals.
"Where is Bornan Thul?" she demanded.
"You contracted to bring him back to me, along with the navicomputer I paid
for.
Why have you returned here without your bounty? Surely you don't intend to
report failure?"
"A temporary setback," Fett said, his voice carefully neutral. "I
encountered the children of Han Solo; they were unable to provide the
information I required. I have other leads." He paused for a moment.
"When hunting bounty, I can never be sure what I will find--it is not
always what I set out to look for."
More to the point, Nolaa's spies had reported that Jacen and Jaina Solo and
their friends had actually foiled Fett out in the Alderaan rubble field, and he
had fled in defeat. But she did not mention this.
The bounty hunter knew he had failed thus far, and so did she.
Nothing else mattered.
"Make no mistake, Boba Fett," Nolaa said, "about the importance of this
mission.
I must have the cargo Bornan Thul stole. The future of the galaxy depends
on it. Until today, I have let only a few other bounty hunters know of my
interest--and I suspect some still intend to succeed where you failed. Now,
however, you give me no choice but to announce this opportunity to bounty
hunters far and wide."
"Send out whomever you like, but I shall find Bornan Thul," Fett said. His
brusque tone was not threatening, but simply confident.
"I am the best. I will succeed. The others will fail."
"Then next time bring me the bounty--no
t words," Nolaa said.
When Fett turned without bidding her farewell, she raised her clawed hand
and called after him to stop. "I have a question-something that intrigues me.
I've heard about how Princess Leia Organa once wore a helmet as a disguise,
passing herself off as the bounty hunter Boushh to infiltrate Jabba's palace. No
one knew her identity until she was caught trying to free Han Solo. Tell me,
Boba Fett: under that helmet, and behind your voice synthesizer, are you
perhaps.... a female yourself?"
Fett stared at her through the narrow black slit in his helmet.
"I remove my helmet for no one," he said.
But Nolaa would not be distracted. "For that matter," she said, "are you
even human?
Could you perhaps be one of the downtrodden alien species in this galaxy
passing yourself off as a human?"
"I remove my helmet for no one," he repeated, still giving her no answer.
"A pity," Nolaa said. "You may go."
Boba Fett departed with brisk steps, as if · incensed that she had given
him leave to go when he would never have bothered to ask her permission.
Nolaa sat back in her stone chair, bathed in the bloody red lights It was
long past her rest period, but she decided to linger a while yet...perhaps much
longer. Possibilities for the future continued to develop in her mind.
MORNING MIST SETTLED on the grass-stubble clearing in front of the rebuilt
Great Temple. Droplets of falling moisture clung to Tenel Ka's warrior braids
and sparkled there like a fine spray of gems.
Leaning against the damp hull of the Rock Dragon, she watched with mixed
feelings as Jacen prepared to board the Shadow Chaser with Raynar and Master
Skywalker.
She knew Jacen would have preferred to fly beside her and she was proud of
him for sacrificing his personal preferences to help Raynat, who needed the
support of a friend right now. Tenel Ka understood the inner torment of being
constantly in danger, constantly on guard. She could have requested to be
included on the Shadow Chaser, but because the Rock Dragon was her ship, Tenel
Ka felt duty-bound to remain with her crew--"Captain" Jaina, copilot Lowie, and
backup navigator Em Teedee.
Still, Tenel Ka would miss her friend during the trip to the rendezvous
point with Raynar's family. She had come to rely on Jacen in an odd sort of way.
Somehow, his clowning and joking reassured her that all was well with the
galaxy... even when all was not well.
Tenel Ka shook her head to clear it. Allowing her thoughts to dwell on such
sentimentalism was unlike her.
Jaina and Lowie chose that moment to emerge from the Rock Dragon behind
her.
Jaina, serious in her duties as captain of the ship, gave an immediate
report. "Internal preflight checks are complete--inside's all ready to go. You
done with the externals yet?"
Tenel Ka gave a guilty start. She had allowed herself to become distracted!
They were heading into a potentially dangerous situation, and she could not
afford to let her mind wander. Wiping a sheen of rain from her forehead, she
vowed not to let it happen again. "Ten more minutes."
Jaina nodded, then a look of perplexity stole over her face. She bit her
lower lip.
"Am I forgetting anything?"
Lowie pointed a ginger-furred arm toward the Shadow Chaser and gave a short
bark.
"Coordinates. Right," Jaina said. "We have to get the coordinates for our
hyperspace jump from Uncle Luke and Raynar.
Information came in about an hour ago by tight-beam encrypted transmission.
Unregistered proprietary encryption. Raynar was the only one who knew how to
decode it."
Tenel Ka was surprised. Such precautions were commonly employed in
communications between members of the Hapan royal family, but they were almost
unheard of in the New Republic.
While Lowie and Jaina went to consult with Master Skywalker and Raynar,
Tenel Ka returned to her preflight check. Chiding herself for her temporary lack
of diligence, she examined the rain-slick hull of the Rock Dragon as carefully
as if she were preparing for a space battle--which, for all she knew, might just
be the case.
When Jacen poked his head around the side of the ship to see if she needed
any help, Tenel Ka accepted gladly. She didn't actually require assistance, of
course, but she welcomed his companionship.
After they'd finished, Jacen said, "I, um... I put a little extra sealant
on that blast scar Boba Fett gave us in the Alder-aan system." He ran a hand
through his damp hair. "It looked a bit weak, and I didn't want you to take any
chances." Jacen shrugged, perhaps embarrassed at showing his concern for her.
"Hey, you can never tell when you're going to bump into another bounty hunter,
you know?"
Tenel Ka's cool gray eyes locked onto his.
The Shadow Chaser's quantum armor would keep its passengers safe if they
came under attack. Jacen knew he would be well protected, but he had no similar
guarantee for his friends in the Rock Dragon. She did her best to reassure him.
"Jacen, my friend, I am used to dealing with traitors, kidnappers, and
assassins.
The Hapan court is filled with them." One corner of her mouth quirked
upward. "In fact, some of the most skilled ones are my relatives. I will not
allow the Rock Dragon or anyone in her to come to harm."
He nodded, then shrugged again. "I just like to know everyone's safe. I
even made Tionne promise to take care of my gort egg while we're gone." Then, as
if chagrined at having been caught worrying, Jacen said, "Hey, wanna hear a
joke?"
On the pretext of examining a stabilizer fin Tenel Ka ducked her head to
hide her pleasure. If Jacen ever suspected that she actually enjoyed his jokes,
he would really worry. When she had composed herself again, she looked up and
raised an eyebrow at him. "Only if you do not require me to laugh."
"Buzz buzz," he said, then waited expectantly.
After a moment, she realized the response he wanted. "Ah--who is there?"
"Dismay."
"Dismay who?"
"Dismay not seem funny to you, but I'm hoping you'll at least smile."
Tenel Ka nodded judiciously. "Perhaps I will laugh later, my friend Jacen."
The absurdity of his humor amazed her. Even more amazing was the fact that the
joke had put her at ease again. She closed her eyes, let out a slow breath, and
savored the refreshing mist falling from above.
"Hey, you two," Jaina yelled from around the side of the ship, "Coordinates
are in.
Uncle Luke is locking Artoo down in the astromech station. What are we
waiting for?"
Tenel Ka opened her eyes. Jacen gave her hand a brief squeeze.
"See you at the rendezvous point," he said.
"This is a fact," Tenel Ka agreed, and Jacen dashed across the damp grass
to the Shadow Chaser.
For once, compared with the other passenger, Jacen felt more than competent
to serve as copilot of a starship. Leaning' forward from his seat behind them in
the cockpit, Raynat hovered anxiously between Jacen and Master Skywalker, eyeing
the control pane
ls as if to ensure that Jacen wouldn't make a mistake.
Jacen tried to calm the young man. He even sent subtle, soothing thoughts,
as he might to a frightened animal. But once they left Yavin 4, Raynar's
agitation in, creased minute by minute. By the time the Shadow Chaser made its
jump to hyperspace, Jacen felt edgy himself.
Even the normally patient Master Sky walker turned with a strained smile
and said, "I can take it from here, Jacen. Why don't you two go in the back and
practice a few Jedi relaxation exercises? I'll call you when we're ready to make
our rendezvous with the fleet."
"I'm not sure I can relax," Raynar said.
But when Jacen unbuckled his crash webbing and headed back toward the crew
compartment, the other young man obediently followed.
Before Jacen could leave the cockpit, however, Raynat turned back.
"Master Sky-walker, are you sure you have the coordinates right?"
"I programmed them in myself from your notes when you decoded the
transmission," Luke said, and when Raynar seemed about to ask for more details,
he added, "Jaina and Lowbacca confirmed coordinates for both the Shadow Chaser