"Tooqui tell truth." The Gwurran jabbered away nonstop as he worked. "Tooqui bravest of his people. The strongest, the fiercest, the wisest-"
"The most talkative," Barriss interrupted him when she could finally remove the gag. Freed, she found that she was unable to move. Days of tight bondage had left her muscles cramped, the nerves tingling. Jedi schooling helped her restore her circulation far more rapidly than an untrained prisoner would have been able to manage. The busy Tooqui told her where their gear was stored. With two of them working together, they soon had Obi-Wan, Luminara, and Anakin untied.
Something slammed into the left side of the transport and nearly knocked it over on its side. Rising above wind and rain, a stentorian moaning reached them from outside. It was accompanied by the ragged shouts of thoroughly unnerved Qulun.
"What was that}" Anakin demanded to know as he rubbed circulation back into his legs. Even more than his lightsaber, he wanted to feel a certain Qulun chieftain's thick neck under his fingers. Obi-Wan would not approve of such thoughts, but there were times when Anakin was more than a little tempted to set aside the teachings of his Master. Now was one of them. Just give him the chance to throttle that fat sack of duplicity Baiuntu, and he would happily do proper penance later.
"Lorqual." Tooqui was sawing away at the material binding Kyakhta's ankles. "To fight fight Qulun, Tooqui need big stick." He looked up long enough to smile smugly. "Lorqual herd big stick. Tooqui stampede them this way."
Kyakhta gaped down at the Gwurran. "You stampeded a whole herd of lorqual toward us? We could've all been flattened!" As if attesting to the validity of the guide's observation, something banged hard into the transport a second time.
The Gwurran glanced over at the guide. "Big-mouth Alwari maybe should flatten mouth-lips a little. Also sit still, otherwise possible Tooqui have accident and cut off toes."
"Listen, you little-ou, watch what you're doing down there!"
Within moments every one of them stood tall once again, their equipment and their freedom restored. Lightsaber in hand, Luminara moved guardedly to the front of the transport and peered out. Glowpoles rocked in their stands and frightened Qulun ran to and fro, while the pelting rain continued to obscure much of what might otherwise be seen. Looming above all was the swaying, head-swinging, immense bulk of a single badly disoriented and very angry lorqual.
Force, she thought. If that was one lorqual, what must a stampede of them look like? Glancing back, she caught sight of the agitated but determined form of Tooqui, squeezed in among the others.
"Whatever happens from now on, Tooqui, I want you to know that I and Obi-Wan and our Padawans think you are very brave indeed."
"Not just brave. Brave brave!" The Gwurran started to step forward, then shrank back as the rampaging lorqual head- butted a sizable water cistern in their direction. It exploded against the ground nearby, adding a little more liquid to the wind-driven downpour. "But right now, just a little scared scared."
"With good reason." Obi-Wan had moved up alongside Luminara to scrutinize their immediate surroundings. "If they haven't broken free or been injured by these lorqual, we should try to reach our suubatars."
"The suubatars will be all right, Master Obi-Wan." Bulgan spoke from behind the Jedi. "They are too valuable for the Qulun to lose. They will have sent lookouts to watch over them and keep them safe from the stampede. And if they stand together, suubatars are big enough to turn even lorqual."
The Jedi nodded. "Then we should have a few guards to deal with."
"That's fine, Master." Crouched close behind his teacher, Anakin gripped his lightsaber tightly. "Having been tied up for so long, I could use a little recreation-excuse me, exercise."
Barriss frowned at her counterpart. "You're not preaching payback, are you, Anakin?"
"Of course not," he shot back. "I'm just saying that if some one gets in my way, at this point I'm not in the mood to pause and discuss the situation politely."
Huddled within the transport, they waited until the way was clear. Then the time for debate was at an end. With Tooqui, Obi-Wan, and Luminara taking the lead, the party of former prisoners sidled out of the battered transport and began working their way back toward the rear of the Qulun encampment. Along the way they encountered few of the traders. Those they did come across were mostly terrified females and children doing their best to stay clear of the amok lorqual. They had neither the time nor the inclination to concern themselves with escaping prisoners.
Fury and confusion swirled all around them, the chaos com pounded by the still-potent storm. Despite this, they reached the corral area located at the back of the encampment without incident. Crouching low beside a storage transport sealed tightly against storm and intrusion, they carried out a swift inspection of the enclosure. Their suubatars were up and pacing nervously. The travelers' supply packs, Luminara noted, were still strapped to the restless beasts' backs.
"I make out three sentries-no, four," she whispered tautly to Obi-Wan.
He nodded tersely. "That's all I can see." Raising an arm, he gestured wordlessly.
Beckoning to Barriss, Luminara moved off around the back
of the feed-carrying transport. Obi-Wan and Anakin headed in the other direction. As they parted, Barriss remembered her fellow Padawan's earlier words. His expression belied what he had told her. Trailing close behind Obi-Wan, Anakin looked entirely too eager for what was to come.
The two Alwari waited next to the transport with Tooqui. As they did, gazing out into the turbulent night, Bulgan suddenly remembered something. Turning to face their diminutive companion, he slowly dropped to his knees and placed head and hands on the chill, damp ground, eyes facing the mud, rain-slicked mane arcing skyward. Recognizing what his friend was up to, Kyakhta did likewise-though he grumbled as he performed the traditional genuflection. Tooqui looked on with satisfaction.
"Okay okays. Get up now, silly softhead dip-dips." Both guides rose, wiping away grime and rain. "Tooqui have trader deal for you now." His eyes flashed in the intermittent light. "You no call Tooqui dumb savage anymore, and Tooqui no call you dippy stupid stupid blockhead dimwit numbskull-"
Wiping water from his good eye, Bulgan cut their savior off in midsuggestion. "We understand what you are saying, Tooqui. That's fair enough." Using a sharp elbow, he jabbed his companion in his tightly curved Ansionian ribs. "Isn't it, Kyakhta?"
"Haja, I suppose," the other guide mumbled reluctantly.
Content, their furry companion turned to look back at the darkened corral. "That better. Tooqui would have gone to help get suubatars back, but Jedi want him stay here to look look after you two, keep you safe."
Bulgan reached out just in time to prevent Kyakhta's long fingers from digging themselves into the Gwurran's short, wet fur.