Fett spun about and began to march out of the brig. At the door, he paused, turning his sinister helmet toward Zekk. “It is against my principles to offer information at no charge, but remember this: Never cross Boba Fett.” He checked the blaster pistol at his side. “Follow that advice, and you may survive to become a great bounty hunter.”
Zekk stood and watched Boba Fett until he was out of sight. Just to be sure he had left no stone unturned in performing his assignment, Zekk located the burned-out husk of Fonterrat’s ship and verified that the cargo had indeed been destroyed. Then he slowly returned to the Lightning Rod.
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.”