“I guess—but I can’t believe they just stumbled across Zonama Sekot. We had a hard enough time finding it on purpose.”
“There might be more of them, then, and they might have been poking around in here longer.”
Luke nodded, although his questions were far from answered. “That makes twice they’ve found it now, that we know of,” he said. “It’s almost as though they’re actively looking for it …”
Jade Shadow set down perfectly in a broad, grassy field surrounded on all sides by steep forest walls. Flicking switches, Mara killed the engines and settled back into her seat.
“Welcome to Zonama Sekot,” Jacen said from behind them.
Luke half-turned to study his nephew. Jacen’s eyes were fixed on the view through the cockpit’s massive, transparisteel canopy. On the surface of the planet outside, life swirled though the branches of the trees in a variety of colors and forms.
“Where exactly are we?” Luke asked.
“If you want a name, I can’t help you,” Jacen said. “Whoever I spoke to gave me detailed coordinates for this landing field, then left us alone. But we’re somewhere in the southern hemisphere.”
Mara gestured to a topographic display that indicated their precise location. “If what Vergere told you is true, all of this was destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong the last time they were here, sixty years ago.”
Jacen nodded. Luke could understand the note of incredulity in Mara’s voice. There was no evidence whatsoever of the destruction that had been inflicted upon the planet, apart from the odd, cleared patch visible from orbit. Zonama Sekot had managed to heal itself.
“Did they say anything else? Anything at all?”
Jacen shook his head. “Only for us to land, and to keep the Widowmaker in orbit, where it won’t be harmed.”
“I presume Arien experienced the same thing we did.”
“Actually, no,” Mara said. “They were completely unaffected. Some of the crew suffered headaches and space-sickness, but nothing more serious than that. It’s almost as though the Force punch was aimed solely at us.”
“Us because Jade Shadow arrived first,” Luke asked, “or us because we’re Jedi?”
He could tell that Mara was about to protest that she knew as little as he did when something caught their attention outside. Stepping out from a narrow gap in the trees were two individuals. Both were tall and thin, with icy, pale blue skin and wide gold-black eyes. The male’s hair was a deep black, while the woman’s swept back in a wave of pure white. Their jaws looked strong, their expressions stern. They wore robelike garments consisting of wide sheets of fabric falling from their shoulders in overlapping streams, all in shades of green and gray.
They came to a halt a safe distance from Jade Shadow, staring at the yacht with their hands clasped in front of them as though waiting for Luke, Mara, and Jacen to step out.
“Well,” Luke said, glancing at his wife, “here are the natives.”
“Their expressions don’t look too inviting, do they?” Mara said, standing.
Jacen went to leave the cockpit, but Luke took his arm. “I’d rather you waited here with Artoo to keep an eye on the others.”
Jacen looked for a second as though he might argue. The stubby droid tootled encouragingly, and the look passed. “That makes sense, I guess. Just call if you need help.”
“Don’t worry,” Mara said, squeezing his hand as they passed through to the air lock. Together she and Luke made their way past the others—Tekli, Saba, and Danni sprawled unconscious on the floor of the passenger bay—to the rear of the ship and the exit hatch. Mara keyed the air lock open and waved Luke through. He stepped down the egress ramp, stopping at the bottom in the knee-high grass to take lungfuls of Zonama Sekot’s invigorating air. He closed his eyes for a second, enjoying the feel of the cool breeze on his skin.
We’re actually here, he thought. It would take more than a less-than-friendly welcome to dull that sense of achievement.
He opened his eyes when Mara came up beside him. Her expression reflected an amazement similar to his own. The sky was a vibrant blue, and a fitful wind stirred the flat, wide-bladed grass about their feet. Small clouds scudded overhead, partially obscuring the broad, reddish face of Mobus, the giant world around which Zonama Sekot orbited. The system’s primary was halfway up the sky and twenty degrees away from the gas giant.
Another deep breath swept the last lingering feeling of doubt away. This place was real, and it smelled like life itself. There was a powerful potential in the Force trembling behind everything, as though a psychic thunderstorm were about to burst. Was that the mind of Zonama Sekot? Luke wondered. Was that what Vergere had felt when the living planet had become conscious, all those years ago? Even on Ithor, he had never felt fauna and flora blend so effortlessly into such a magnificent whole.
He put his ruminations aside when the two strangers approached.
“Who are you?” the woman demanded.
“My name is Luke Skywalker,” he said. “And this is my wife, Mara. We’d like to thank you for welcoming us—”
“You’re not welcome,” the male said sharply.
Mara frowned. “But weren’t you the ones that gave us the coordinates to—?”
“We were ordered to do so,” the woman cut in.
“Yours is the first vessel to land on Zonama in more than fifty years,” the man added. “Sekot has willed it, and so we obey.”
With poor grace, Luke noted.
“You speak the names Zonama and Sekot as though they were separate things,” he said. “Why is that?”
“Sekot is the mind,” the man said.
“Zonama is the planet,” the woman concluded.
“Then you are the Zonamans?” Luke asked.
“We are Ferroans,” said a voice from behind Luke. He turned to find himself facing a blue-skinned woman dressed similarly to the others, except her garments were entirely black.
Mara had spun around, surprised, and dropped into a defensive stance.
The corners of the woman’s mouth turned up into a slight smile. “Forgive me for startling you.” Her hands came up in the universal gesture of peace. “I mean you no harm. I am the Magister. I stand between Zonama and Sekot.”
Mara relaxed slightly. Luke studied the new arrival with wary fascination. He couldn’t tell exactly how old she was. Her pale blue skin was wrinkled, but her hair was thick and black, tied in a tight ponytail that hung to her hips. She radiated an incredible vitality that he would have expected from a much younger person. Her Force-signature was odd, too—as if he were viewing it through a rain-coated viewport.
There was no denying that she was in charge, though. The other Ferroans backed reverentially away and bowed their heads.
“Then I take it that you are the one we need to speak with,” Luke said.
“If you have anything to say, then yes, your words should be directed to me.”
Luke nodded as he took a step toward the Magister. “We need to discuss the aliens you were recently fighting.” He indicated the sky with a glance. “We know them as the Yuuzhan Vong, but in the past I believe you have referred to them as the Far Outsiders.”
The Magister’s face tilted, an expression of fascination spreading across it. “How do you know that?”
“A Jedi Knight who once visited here told her story to my nephew.”
“You speak of Vergere, then,” the woman said, nodding. “We remember her well. And fondly.”
Some of Mara’s uncertainty ebbed at the open mention of the other Jedi’s name. “You do?”
“Her story is well known to us. She drew the Far Outsiders away, for a time—long enough for us to prepare for a second assault. We are capable of defending ourselves now, as you have seen.”
Luke nodded. “The demonstration we witnessed was impressive, to say the least.”
“A demonstration implies it was put on for your benefit,” the male Ferroan said. His tone made it quite clear that it had not been
at all.
“Now, Rowel,” the Magister cautioned gently. “These are our guests.”
“No, Magister,” the other woman said. “These are intruders. They don’t belong here. We should send them away immediately and forget about them.”
“Denial solves nothing, Darak.” There was no acrimony in the Magister’s words, nor any hint of reproach. “We have tried to forget about the universe at large, but have clearly failed in this. In the space of a single day we have encountered two species who sought to find us. Our denial of them did little to deter them.”
“But Magister,” said the woman, Darak, “they bring with them violent changes! We have lived in peace for decades, and suddenly the skies are filled with the fire of war!”
“That is so,” Luke said. “And I fear there may be more to come.”
“You bring ill tidings then,” Rowel said, glaring balefully at him.
“It is always so with these Jedi Knights,” Darak added.
“Wait,” Luke said, forestalling Mara’s defensive rebuttal. “Did you say Knights? Have you had other Jedi Knights here, apart from Vergere?”
“We have entertained more than one over the years, yes.” The Magister glanced reprovingly at the other Ferroans. “In the past, the Jedi Knights proved to be our friends, our allies. Why should that not be so now?”
“We should be cautious,” Darak advised. “We are but one world against millions.”
“No one is immune,” Luke said. “You cannot hide from what is coming. Today’s events prove that. It’s a hard truth, but it is truth we bring, not lies.”
The regal woman studied the two humans before her with a piercing gaze.
“I would very much like the chance to speak with your nephew, to exchange with him our memories of Vergere.”
“Send them away!” Darak hissed. “Don’t listen to them!”
The Magister laughed loudly at this. “Really, my friends. You go too far.” To Luke and Mara, she continued: “I beg you to forgive their disrespect. Their apprehensions are not unjustified. We have seen unstable times in the past—especially during the Crossings, when we searched for a new home. Those times were hard on everyone. There were terrible upheavals: deaths, famine, plagues.” A fleeting sadness crossed the Magister’s lined face. “There have been no visitors to Zonama for many years. We live in peace, and now conflict has returned to us. We are understandably concerned.”
Luke nodded. “As are we. The presence of the Far Outsiders here was unexpected, and is of grave concern. This is one of the many things we must talk about, and soon.”
“It shall be so,” the Magister said, a stern glance at Darak and Rowel indicating that she would brook no disagreement. “The others may attend, too,” she added. “They wake even as we speak.”
“You will need to come with us, then,” the male Ferroan said.
“Where to?” Mara asked, eyes narrowing. “To our village,” Darak said. “That’s where the meeting place is.”
“Okay,” Mara said. “Tell us where it is and I’ll fly us there myself.”
“That’s not possible,” Rowel said. “Your vessel cannot come.”
“And how do you intend to stop me from—?”
“I don’t.” Rowel pointed to Jade Shadow. “Sekot has already taken care of it.”
Mara’s protest died on her lips as she glanced at her ship. The grass her yacht was resting on, along with vines that had crept unnoticed from the surrounding undergrowth, had invaded the ship, entwining around its landing struts. Green fronds peeked out of apertures and vents all along the underside, indicating that the intrusion was extensive throughout the ship.
Mara reacted defensively, purely on instinct. She took two steps toward the ship, activating her lightsaber. The bright energy blade cut a glowing line through the crystal clarity of the day, promising a swift and indiscriminate pruning.
Luke caught her by the arm before she could take a swing. “Easy, Mara,” he said gently. He leaned in close to her as he guided the blade down to her side, whispering into the red hair covering her ear, “If Sekot can do this to the ship, it can certainly do it to us, as well. You can’t hope to fight a planet, my love.”
He was already reaching out for Jacen inside the ship and, seeing that his nephew was unharmed, he sent Mara his reassurance. She relaxed in his grip, removing her thumb from the activation stud of her weapon and killing the blade. Nevertheless, she was clearly not happy with the situation. Nor could he blame her. Sekot had attacked her ship and made her a prisoner on the planet. It didn’t sit well with him, either; however, he was prepared to ride it out.
“Magister—” he started, but stopped upon realizing she was gone. He hadn’t noticed her leaving, but she was nowhere to be seen. Her unusual Force presence lingered on the wind, as though part of her were still around. That faded into nothing even as he clutched at it, trying to follow it. It was almost as though she had literally dissolved into thin air.
“If you are going to come with us,” Rowel said, “then we leave now.”
“Thank you,” he said, recovering in order to reply as courteously as he could. If the Ferroans were trying to provoke them in any way, they would be disappointed. “But if we’re not permitted to take Jade Shadow, then how are we to get anywhere?”
The Ferroan pointed at a path visible at the edge of the landing field. “We walk, of course,” Darak said with a faint smirk.
Jaina reached Pride of Selonia’s dock seconds before the mob. The journey through the streets of Onadax had been arduous, and fraught with danger. Several times she’d had to double back to avoid either fires or a fight with the locals. Whoever had stirred up the city had done a frighteningly thorough job.
At the entrance to the dock, two guards barred her way.
“We have orders to detain anyone attempting to enter this vessel,” said one, a swarthy Selonian.
“Orders from whom?” she responded, acutely conscious of the mob baying at her heels. “For what reason?”
“That’s not your concern. If you could just step this way—”
This way, his mind revealed, led to a pair of stun cuffs and a blow to the head.
“You don’t need to hold me,” she said, taking his will and bending it. “I’m exempt from the orders you’ve been given.”
“We don’t need to hold her,” the Selonian told the other guard. “She’s exempt.”
Jaina smiled winningly. “Perhaps I should move through now; I’m sure you have better things to do than stand around chatting.”
“Move on through, please. We can’t stand around chatting all day.”
The guards parted, allowing her access to the Selonia. She hurried up the ramp to the ship’s wide air lock and keyed in the appropriate security code. Before she had finished, however, the panel hissed open.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” said Selwin Markota, Captain Mayn’s second in command. He waved her inside. “We’re ready to lift off.”
The clamor of the mob behind her rose a notch as it reached the docks. “That would be good idea.”
Exhaustion rushed through her as Markota hurried through the corridors of the frigate. A solid man with receding hair, he was an excellent administrator, ever dependable in a crisis. That he was walking so briskly confirmed their circumstances were urgent. Gravity shifted minutely beneath her feet as the frigate left Onadax behind.
“What about my parents? Did they get away okay?”
“They’re in orbit, waiting for you to call.”
“Any sign of pursuit?”
“Not so far. My gut feeling is that this was a warning. Someone wanted us out of the way, but didn’t necessarily want us dead.”
She nodded, absorbing the information. “The riots were real enough to me.”
“I’m sure they are. Onadax, like most illegal communities, is a tinderbox ready to go up at the slightest spark.” Markota cast a baleful glance over his shoulder. “We picked up some local news traffic not long ago
. Someone posted a bulletin concerning the agent we supposedly sent. Eyewitness accounts describe a person leaving the supposed scene of the incident, an hour or two ago. That person matches Han’s description.”
Jaina thought of her father’s telling of the incident at the Thorny Toe. It certainly hadn’t sounded severe enough to start a riot. But Han Solo’s capacity for understatement was as legendary as his luck.
Markota stopped outside the medical suite that Tahiri had been assigned. “They’re waiting for you in here.”
The first thing she saw when she entered the suite was Jag, rising from his seat with an expression of relief on his face. He was across the room in an instant, his big hands first touching her hair, then falling to her shoulder, which he gripped firmly but warmly.
“When we lifted off and I hadn’t heard—” He fell into an awkward silence, as though embarrassed. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he finished.
Smiling, she touched his cheek lightly with the back of her hand.
“I’m glad, too,” she said.
He moved aside, then, to allow her into the suite properly. With a single glance she took in Tahiri on the bed, pale and comatose, in exactly the same position she’d been in since Bakura. Numerous tubes and monitors snaked under the sheet covering her, monitoring and meeting all her body’s needs. Her eyelids were red, and her lips were cracked and dry.
“Sorry to interrupt the moment,” came her father’s voice from the room’s comm unit.
“Dad?” she said, surprised. “I hadn’t realized there was a line open to you! Is Mom there with you?”
“I’m here, Jaina,” her mother said.
“It’s great to hear your voices,” she said.
“The feeling’s mutual, sweetheart,” Han said.
Jaina sat on the edge of Tahiri’s bed, taking the girl’s hand loosely into her own. “Sorry things didn’t go as planned.”
“That depends,” Leia said.
“On what?” she asked. “Did you find anything about the Ryn?”
Jaina’s father seemed oddly hesitant to answer that question. “Not exactly.”
Reunion: Force Heretic III Page 5
