"What was that?" Narek demanded, her head to clear the blurry spots from her
vision. She stared out the viewport at empty space.
"I don't know!" Trebor said. "Nothing showed up on the sensors. Nothing
showed up on the sensors! It's supposed to be clear space!"
"Well, it's the hardest piece of clear space I've ever encountered,"
Narek-Ag shot back. "Damage report.''
"Not sure. Can you get us stabilized?" her copilot asked. "Okay, looks like
we got a lower hull rupture. Awww, there goes all our cargo! Engines running
beyond the red lines." He swallowed. "We are in deep trouble, lady."
Then, as if to emphasize Trebor's assessment, a shower of sparks erupted
from the main guidance console. Moon Dash careened out of control.
"Emergency, Coruscant One! This is shuttle Moon Dash. We've struck unknown
space debris," Trebor yelled into the comm unit. A burst of static from the
speaker grille was accompanied by a squeal of feedback and another spray of
sparks.
Narek-Ag coughed and tried to wave away the smoke. She flicked a pair of
switches. "Aft-thrusters not responding," she said in a terse voice. "Still
scanning the area--there's nothing. What did we smash into?"
"News ain't any better from where I sit," Trebor said. "Can't get much
worse."
'It can't, huh? Well, it just did," Narek said with a hard gulp. "I guess
I'd better ask you to marry me after all."
Trebor caught sight of the readout that had grabbed his captain's attention.
He groaned aloud. An unstoppable chain reaction had begun to build inside
their engine chambers like an avalanche of deadly energy. Within seconds,
the Moon Dash would explode like a small supernova.
"Always wanted to get married out among the stars," he said. Tears stung his
eyes. Probably from the acrid smoke, he thought. "Never had a better offer."
He placed his hand over hers. "I accept . . . but I have to say that your
timing stinks."
She squeezed his hand, then looked down at the panels. "Uh-oh! Hyperdrive
engines are going crit--" In space, the Moon Dash erupted in a silent shower
of molten metal and flaming gases, fading to black.
Jaina paced the main living area of her family's quarters in the Imperial
Palace like a caged jungle creature she had seen once in the Holographic Zoo
for Extinct Animals. She hated inactivity. She wanted to do something.
Jacen and Tenel Ka had gone out again to look for Zekk, taking along
See-Threepio and Anakin, while Lowie was off working with his uncle
Chewbacca. When Jacen had pointed out that it would be a good idea for
someone to stay behind in case Zekk or Peckhum tried to reach them, Jaina
had reluctantly agreed to be the one.
She had finally broken down and tried to contact old Peckhum up in the
mirror station, though he was due to return home that day. At his station
holo panel, Peckhum had answered right away, but as she started to explain
that Zekk had disappeared, the old man's fuzzy image quickly deteriorated.
His response was all but drowned out by static. '--can't und . understand
your . . . not receivi-- . . . transmission . . . returning tonight.'' The
station's central multitasking unit was getting progressively worse, and
communication wouldn't be possible until she saw Peckhum face-to-face.
By the time her mother came home for midday meal, Jaina was ready to scream
from just sitting around. She was eager to talk, but Leia's face seemed
tired and careworn, and Jaina decided it was best not to intrude on her
mother's thoughts. She brought Leia a warm lunch from the processing station
and sat down to eat beside her in silence.
A few minutes later Han Solo dashed in and rushed over to his wife. "I came
as soon as I got your message. What is it?"
A grateful smile lifted the corners of Leia's mouth as she looked at her
husband. "I need to get your opinion on something," she said. "Do you have
time to sit down and eat with us?"
Han flashed her a roguish grin. " Midday meal with the two most beautiful
women in the galaxy? Of course I've got time. What happened? Another
disaster like the Imperial attack?" He helped himself to a bowl of warm
Corellian stew.
"A disaster all right." Leia took a deep breath. "A shuttle blew up this
morning just as it was leaving orbit."
Jaina looked up in surprise, but her father nodded. "Yeah, I heard about it
an hour ago.'
Leia's brows drew together in a frown of concentration. "No one seems to
know what happened. What could have caused something like that?"
"Poor maintenance?" Jaina suggested. "Engine overload?"
Leia looked troubled again. "Coruscant One picked up a transmission just
before the Moon Dash exploded. The captain seemed to think they'd run into
something."
Han's eyebrows shot up. "Still in outer orbit, you mean? Any other ships
around that weren't cleared for takeoff?"
"Noooo . . ." Leia said slowly.
"A space mine deliberately planted there? Or a piece of debris?"
Jaina's ears perked up. "We ran into a lot of debris on our way home this
time, didn't we, Dad?"
Leia grimaced. "I was afraid of that. The Commissioner of Trade has taken
this personally. He says that all the leftover wreckage in orbit over
Coruscant has always been an accident waiting to happen. He insists that we
give higher priority to plotting safer space lanes. We've mapped out some of
the bigger pieces, but I think quite a few chunks escaped our surveys--and
we haven't had time to check it. Some of that wreckage has been up there in
orbit for decades."
Han pursed his lips. "These accidents are pretty rare, Leia. Let's not
overreact."
"According to the Moon Dash's transmissions, they never saw what hit
them-and it wasn't on any map. The Commissioner considers this an important
safety issue. I have to agree--in the wake of this accident, we need to do
something about it."
"How much work would it be to map the orbits of the larger pieces of
wreckage?" Han asked.
"Quite a bit. And time-consuming, too." Leia pinched the bridge of her nose
as if she had suddenly been assailed by another headache. "I'm not even sure
the New Republic has resources to commit to a project like that--"
"Maybe I could help," Jaina interrupted, fixing her interest on an idea that
would take her mind off Zekk. "After all, Uncle Luke said we were supposed
to choose a study project while we're away from the academy. Lowie and I
could map the debris for you. It sounds like fun."
Jaina looked from the datapad to the computer screen, then at the
holographic simulation. "Okay, this is the next trajectory, Lowie."
She stretched, trying to loosen the knotted muscles in her shoulders, then
rubbed her bleary eyes, but her vision did not clear. They had been at the
task for hours. She couldn't imagine why she had ever thought it would be
fun.
The lanky Wookiee carefully programmed the orbit she had indicated, and
another glowing streak appeared on the holomap. Jaina groaned. "This may be
an important job, but I sure thought it would be more interesting."
Lowie grumbled a reply, and Em Teedee translated. "Master Lowbacca maintains
that although plotting swarms of orbital debris never should have seemed an
interesting project in the first place-schoolwork is rarely interesting.
This job, at least, carries a certain amount of urgency." Lowie growled
another comment. "Furthermore, he points out that the project is only
approximately twelve percent complete, and he will be most gratified when it
is finished."
Jaina sighed wearily and ran her hands through her straight brown hair.
"Well then, she said, "what are we waiting for?"
* 13 *
trudged away from the Lightning Rod's low-rent docking station, where many
smugglers and con artists also parked their ships. It was good to be back in
the city, if only because the equipment was in his apartment, which was more
than he could say about the facilities aboard the mirror station.
Despite his heavy pack, the grizzled old man slid through the broad streets
and narrow alleyways with unconscious ease, muttering to himself as be went.
"'You'll just have to make do, Peckhum.' 'We've got procurement problems,
Peckhum. `New equipment is expensive, multitasking units don't grow on
starflower vines, Peckhum."' Scratching at his chin stubble with one hand,
he continued to rant, as used to talking to himself as he was to talking to
Zekk.
He growled. "You'd think they'd at least wait till I got off my ship to tell
me the news. 'We tried to reach you, Peckhum, but we couldn't get through.'
Serves 'em right, since they haven't fixed my comm system!" He shifted his
duffel again. "'Your replacement was reassigned to an additional security
detail due to the recent Imperial attack, Peckhum. We need you back at the
station tomorrow, Peckhum.'" Hah!
He stomped ahead, hardly noticing the cheery merchants, the wide-eyed
tourists, the self-absorbed civil servants. "I just wish the administrator
in charge of the mirror station would stop sitting in his comfy office down
here and go up for a field trip. Feed him some of the swill the food-prep
units have been putting out and see how much he likes it! See how well he'd
'make do.'' Peckhum turned a corner and made his way down the corridor
toward his home. "If I waited for those bureaucrats to get something done,
why, the whole station would fall apart." Then he smiled at the thought of
Zekk's promise of a new central multitasking unit. "Sometimes you just gotta
do things for yourself . . . with a little help from your friends."
Peckhum looked up with satisfaction to find himself at his door. He keyed in
the unlocking code, and the door slid open with a whoosh of escaping air.
The air smelled stale and musty, as if it had been recycled over and over
again for days. He'd have to remind Zekk to let in some fresh air now and
then.
He tossed his duffel inside the front entryway, as the door sealed itself
behind him. No friendly voice rang out to greet him. "Hey, Zekk!" he called.
The apartment seemed oppressively silent, so he raised his voice a bit.
"After three days of breathing from bad tanks on the mirror station, even
this air smells good, but . . ." He paused. There was no response. "Zekk?"
He looked around the cluttered main living area, then searched the food-prep
chamber, Zekk's bedroom, even the refresher unit. All empty.
A concerned frown crinkled Peckhum's forehead. Zekk rarely went out when he
knew Peckhum was returning from a job--especially not when he had promised
to deliver a piece of scavenged equipment. But Peckhum saw no sign of the
central multitasking unit. He would need it before the next morning's trip
back up to the station.
He scratched his cheeks again and thought for a moment. Then he relaxed. "Of
course," he said to himself, 'the Solo kids."
Zekk's friends Jacen and Jaina would be on Coruscant for only a few weeks.
They were probably all out somewhere, enjoying themselves, telling tall
tales of their adventures on other planets. Glancing back, he noticed the
winking light on the infopanel beside the front door. That meant some
messages hadn't been picked up yet. Probably just Zekk letting him know
where he and his friends were, Peckhum thought.
There were three messages in all. Peckhum reviewed them. The first message
showed the image of Jaina and Jacen Solo, standing with the other two young
Jedi Knights.
"Hey, Zekk," Jacen said in his characteristically good-humored voice. "We
came to go on the scavenger hunt with you for that unit Peckhum needs. It
was this morning, wasn't it? We'll come by again tomorrow morning. Let us
know if there's a change of plans."
expression concerned. "Zekk, it's us. Are you all right? We've been looking
for you everywhere! I'm sorry if you still feel bad about the other night,
it's okay, really. Can you call us when you get home?"
The final message showed Jaina again, her face anxious and drawn. She spoke
slowly, as if each of her words stuck in her throat. "Zekk, are you upset
about anything? We're all really . . . sorry if we said anything to make you
feel uncomfortable at the banquet. If you've already found that central
multitasking unit and you don't want to take us scavenger hunting with you
right now, we'll understand. Please talk to us, if you get this message."
As Peckhum listened, his stomach contracted with dread. Something had to be
wrong. He looked around again, seeing no signs that the boy had planned to
leave. No messages. No notes.
That was unlike Zekk. He was more reliable than that. Others might brush him
off as a young scoundrel or a street urchin, but Zekk knew his
responsibilities well and always met them. He had promised Peckhum a new
central multitasking unit, knowing how important it was to the mirror
station. If Zekk told him he was going to do something, the boy did it.
Always.
Sure, Zekk was an orphan, a joker, a teller of tall tales, an adventurer-but
he had always been a good friend, and he had always been completely
reliable.
Almost before he knew it, his decision was made. Stopping only to leave a
brief videomessage for Zekk on the infopanel, just in case the boy came
back, he headed out the door toward the palace.
"Hey, am I glad to see you!" Jacen said, opening the door to find Peckhum
standing there bedraggled and distraught. "Do you know where Zekk is? Have
you seen him? Have you heard from him?"
Peckhum's face gave Jacen his answer. "I was hoping maybe you'd have some
news for me," the old spacer said.
Suddenly remembering his manners, Jacen gestured Peckhum inside. "Uh, sorry.
Come on in. I'll get Jaina and the others."
His sister and Lowie were at work plotting orbital debris patterns in their
holo simulation, while Tenel Ka polished the weapons at her belt.
"Hey," Jacen said, "Peckhum's here, and he says he doesn't know where Zekk
is either.''
His sister's intent expression turned to one of
concern. Lowie scrambled to
his feet and pulled Jaina to hers. Back in the living area, all five of them
reviewed a map of Imperial City , bending over a projection while Tenel Ka
indicated several highlighted blocks of skyscrapers. "We have searched this
area near your home," she told Peckhum.
Jacen crowded next to the image. "And we went to some of the places Zekk
took us when we were scavenger hunting," he added. "The ones we could find
our way back to, that is."
Peckhum nodded, scratching at his stubble, a distracted look on his face.
"Anakin and Threepio even went to a couple of the places that Zekk had
talked about, didn't find anything," Jaina said. "We'd hoped you could offer
us some other suggestions about where to look."
Lowie rumbled a comment, and Em Teedee said, "Master Lowbacca wishes to
point out that our lack of familiarity with the, shall we say, 'less savory'
aspects of Imperial City is, perhaps, an impediment to our search." The
Wookiee growled at this overblown translation, but made no further comment.
"He's right, you know," Jaina said. "We really only know the good parts of
the city."
Tenel Ka added, "And we were not absolutely certain until now that Zekk was
missing. Your observations make it more definite."
"Hey, now that Peckhum's back, and we know for sure that Zekk's missing,"
Jacen said, "we can report his disappearance to security."