Diversity Alliance

by Kevin J. Anderson

  "And we thought he was on Mechis III," Jaina finished for him.

  Two minutes later Raynat's uncle climbed out of his ship. His moon-round

  face beamed at the assembled party. "How wonderful to see you all again. So glad

  I found you. I brought some food. Would you all like to join me for"--he glanced

  appraisingly at the sky--"morning meal?

  I'm simply famished. Hyperspace travel really drains me."

  "Uh, wait a minute," Jacen said. "Is there some kind of emergency? Didn't

  you say you had business back on Mechis III?"

  "I did, my dear boy--I mean, I do Tyko began to unpack a mouthwatering

  array of foods from an enormous food-prep unit. "I was on my way there when I

  thought to myself, Tyko, you have only one brother--and although no one else may

  realize it, it's clear he's gotten himself into some sort of financial

  predicament. If there's anyone who can coax him out of hiding so he can get some

  help, why, it's you, Tyko. And so, here I am to assist you in your search. It's

  the least I can do. Family obligations and all that. Besides, those droids back

  on Mechis III know how to run the show. And if they don't do it properly I can

  always dismantle them."

  "Indeed!" Em Teedee said in a huff. "The very ideal" "Actually, we were

  about to leave," Jaina said. "We've pretty much found what we were looking for

  here."

  Tyko's cheeks grew pink and he sputtered.

  "Why, you can't--I-I've only just arrived. You must allow me to set my mind

  at rest. Help me look for my brother-please, just for today," he urged. "Have

  you found any dues whatsoever?"

  "Yes. Actually, though," Jacen spoke up, gesturing toward the chocolate-

  furred Wookiee, "this is Raabakyysh of Kashyyyk.

  She's a good friend of Lowie's, and she has a bit more searching to do

  here. Lowie volunteered to help her, didn't you, Lowie?"

  Lowie gave a tentative growl of agreement.

  Tyko darted a dismissive glance at the two Wookiees. "Splendid, splendid,"

  he said. "It's settled then. We'll spend the day investigating. Shall we eat

  first? What may I offer you?"

  After a sumptuous meal the party split up for one last exploration of the

  crater and the rim surrounding it. Lowie accompanied Raaba.

  The two Wookies left together, and Tyko bustled around after Jacen, Jaina,

  and Tenel Ka, looking busy and interested, though he frequently glanced at his

  wrist-chronometer. They showed him the tattered sash they had found, along with

  its dire warning, and told him about the meeting, perhaps with a scavenger named

  Fonterrat.

  Otherwise, the day was spent in what proved ultimately to be a fruitless

  search.

  As they gathered for evening meal, however, Tyko Thul seemed satisfied with

  their efforts. "My only regret is that I still have no idea what kind of shady

  scheme my brother's gotten himself involved in," he said. "Oh well, it was worth

  the attempt to look around here. Now I can rest easy."

  Jacen felt unaccountably protective of Raynar in the young man's absence.

  "Ray-nar believed that his father was completely honorable," he objected. "How

  can you'be so sure he's gotten himself involved in a shady scheme? We don't

  really have any evidence of that."

  Tyko favored him with a condescending smile. "My dear boy, of course

  Bornan's involved in something shady. Why else would he make an appointment with

  that rabble-rousing firebrand Nolaa Tarkona and then simply disappear? I can't

  believe he'd even associate with such a despicable troublemaker as that Twi'lek

  woman. Then again, he's always had bad judgment in selecting business

  associates, and Tarkona is one of the worst."

  Raaba sat up.straight at Tyko's comment about Nolaa Tarkona. Her fur

  bristled, and a growl rumbled deep in her throat.

  "No, no, I know my brother," Tyko went on, ignoring the Wookiee.

  "You mark my words. He's gotten himself into trouble because of the people,

  or the things, with whom he associates."

  Angrily, Raaba stood and stalked away into the darkness. Lowie quickly

  followed her, and Jacen could hear them in the distance, conversing in strained

  tones. Oblivious to the angry reactions his insults had inspired, Tyko continued

  talking as if nothing had happened,' though Jacen didn't hear a word he said.

  Only moments later, with a whine of repulsorjets, Raaba's interstellar

  skimmer streaked off into the night, vanishing among the stars above.

  When Lowie returned to the group, silent and dispirited, Tyko simply

  shrugged.

  "A bit hotheaded, isn't she?" he remarked, then dug back into the food

  packets. "Now, what may I offer you to eat?"

  LATER ON, AS the night hung dark around them, Jacen looked up into a sky

  bristling with sharp pinpoints of stars. The broad band of the galaxy's

  midsection stretched overhead like a pearly river.

  He felt the weight of thousands of years of unchronicled history seeping

  out of Kuar's ruins, ancient mysteries trying to tell their stories. At their

  isolated encampment, the tiny crackling fire did little more than emphasize the

  deep blackness of space lurking overhead.

  Jacen could barely even see the blocky outlines of the crumbling buildings

  in the rains below. Just last night, camping out had seemed fun, despite the

  adventures that had shown the young Jedi Knights all too dearly what dangers

  lurked inside the abandoned structures.

  Tonight, however, an ominous feeling hung in the air.

  Lowbacca sat alone, quietly moaning to himself as he touched the graft

  bandage that covered the wound on his ribs. But Jacen knew the Wookiee's greater

  pain came from the deep sadness of losing Raaba again. She had disappeared,

  taken off in her ship--just as she had done before... At least this time Lowie

  didn't believe that the young Wookiee woman had been devoured by a carnivorous

  syren plant.

  Raaba was alive but she was still gone.

  Before going to bed, Lowie had told Jacen that Raaba had promised to find

  him again... someday. Jacen hoped it would be soon. He felt the deep pain and

  grief emanating from his Wookiee friend.

  Despite the companions' invitation, Tyko Thul had insisted on sleeping

  inside his own ship. As he left the others, he was clearly in high spirits. He

  was delighted to have found some inkling of Bornan Thul though why Raynar's

  father had come to this isolated place to meet with some scavenger, he could not

  understand...

  Tenel Ka had quickly fallen asleep, using her warrior skills to snatch a

  moment of rest, storing her energy for whenever she might need it. Jacen could

  tell by the placement of her supple body, the ever-present tenseness in her

  limbs, and the rippling muscles beneath her smooth skin that the warrior girl

  was staying on the edge of full alertness. With only a moment's warning, Tenel

  Ka would be wide awake again and ready for battle.

  Jaina sat next to her twin brother. They both remained silent, comfortable

  with each other. The glow of the fading campfire splashed around them. Jaina

  tucked a strand of straight brown hair behind her ear and blew out a long sigh.

  Jacen looked into the sky, watching a brief but intense shower
of shooting

  stars.

  "Look at that he said,' pointing. "It's a meteor storm."

  Jaina nodded. "That happens when a planet's orbit crosses the path of an

  old comet. The leftover debris burns up in the atmosphere, making all those

  shooting stars." But then she stiffened, squinting as she stared upward. "Wait!

  Those aren't shooting stars."

  The blazing meteors fell in a perfectly choreographed sequence of parabolic

  arcs, growing brighter, streaking down across the sky as if under some sort of

  propulsion system. They left glowing trails in their high-speed descent; sharp

  deceleration through the atmosphere caused their hulls to glow bright red.

  "Those are ships coming in for a landing!"

  As soon as Jaina raised her voice to say the words, Tenel Ka snapped out of

  her slumber. She sprang up from the ground, instinctively landing in her

  fighting stance.

  The brilliant, uninvited ships screamed overhead with shock waves of sonic

  booms so loud they nearly deafened Jacen.

  Jaina covered her ears. Lowie roared in frustration. Jacen wondered if

  perhaps the ships might be Raabakyysh returning with her friends. These vessels

  were sleek war-craft, though, heavily armed.

  The pilots appeared to be in attack formation and did not seem interested

  in making any compromises.

  Uncle Tyko scuttled out of his brass-colored ship, shaking his head and

  blinking his bleary eyes. "What is it? Who is it?" he spluttered, looking up

  into the sky as the dazzling ships whirled about in long thundering arcs and

  came around for a second pass. The warcraft streaked back toward the tiny

  encampment in an assault pattern.

  "We are under attack," Tenel Ka said.

  As if on cue, heavy blaster fire lanced out to explode in bright puffs when

  the ships howled past. Blaster bolts gouged molten craters in the ground and set

  some of the ancient buildings in the crater on fire.

  The last two ships in the squadron came in with more specific targets. One

  blast showered sparks from the starboard engine of the Rock Dragon, turning the

  hull plating to slag and ruining one of the passenger cruiser's stardrives. "No!

  " Jaina cried, helpless to stop

  The second attack was far worse, though.

  'With precise targeting from full-powered blasters, the assault ship

  pummeled Uncle Tyko's transport, bombarding the tarnished-brass ship with

  irresistible energy until the craft exploded. A long plume of debris and flames

  spewed from the ruptured fuel pods.

  "My ship? Uncle Tyko wailed. "How am I going to get home now?"

  Jaina grabbed his fleshy arm and pulled him along as Jacen sprinted beside

  her.

  "Let's worry about surviving this night first, okay?" Jacen said.

  "Besides, my sister can fix just about anything."

  "Don't get your hopes up," Jaina said, looking back over her shoulder at

  the flaming mound of debris.

  Lowie charged up to join them as they ran for cover, avoiding the

  smoldering Rock Dragon just in case it became another primary target.

  They all ran toward the ramps that descended into the abandoned stadium,

  hoping to find shelter there.

  The warships decelerated, hovering over the encampment. In midair they

  disgorged silvery armored figures, not quite humanoid, that leaped out of the

  craft to drop from a height much greater than any human could have survived.

  "Are those armored soldiers?" Jacen asked, "Space-troopers in full droid

  armor?"

  "No," Jaina said, "not men in combat armor... I think they're droids--

  assassin droids!"

  "That means real trouble," Uncle Tyko said. "Run into these tunnels! The

  droids will have heat-seeking optical sensors to help them locate us, but we

  need to stay ahead of them any way we can. Move!"

  Five of the powerful assassin droids landed on the ground with clanking

  thuds, their armored legs spread apart, their mechanical arms drawn up in

  perfect balance.

  Like automaton soldiers, they engaged their myriad weapons systems and

  marched forward, led by one droid that towered above all the others... It was

  also much more menacing.

  "In here!" Uncle Tyko said, ducking low as he ran through an archway into a

  crumbling mazelike structure.

  Jacen hoped that no vicious nocturnal predators lay inside the shadowy

  catacombs.

  Their group could only handle one invincible enemy at a time.

  They had no choice but to run blindly into the dark.

  The squad of assassin droids stopped outside the maze entrance, lined up in

  ranks, then raised their weapon arms without even bothering to come inside the

  ruins. The droids fired from where they stood, blasting the exterior walls of

  the ancient structure. Explosions knocked down columns and support braces.

  Crumbling stones fell apart in clouds of choking dust.

  "Oh, my!" Em Teedee cried. "What are we to do?"

  "Run," Jaina said. "We're going to run."

  The squad of assassin droids lowered their weapons and assessed the

  destruction blazing around them. Then they marched forward in lockstep over the

  rubble they had just created.

  The tallest machine took the lead. His head was long and cylindrical,

  studded with flashing red optical sensors. The powerful droid moved with

  mechanical grace, each step an implacable advance toward its target.

  "Oh, no--I recognize that one," Uncle Tyko said. "It's IG-88--the worst of

  all the assassin droid bounty hunters! He has some sentience programming and

  obeys no human orders. We're done for!"

  "Indeed?" Em Teedee said. "Quite fascinating.

  According to my files, IG-88 disappeared long ago, about the time of the

  Emperor's death. He hasn't been seen since."

  "Gee, how'd we get so lucky then?" Jacen said. "Too bad he couldn't just

  have stayed hidden for a little while longer."

  "If IG-88 is leading this group of assassin droids, then they won't give up

  easily," Jaina said.

  "This is a fact," Tenel Ka answered.

  "Even worse assassin droids rarely miss when they fire their weapons."

  The companions dashed deeper into the shadows away from the fallen pillars

  and walls, searching for a place to hide. The assassin droids marched after

  them, weapons loaded and drawn, continuing their relentless pursuit.

  RUNNING INSIDE THE shadowy tunnels, ducking to avoid low-hanging support

  beams, Jacen found a passageway that led farther downward. He saw fallen debris

  cluttering the ramp, but the passage seemed to open into a larger chamber

  underneath, which might offer them a place to hide or at least to fight.

  "This way!" he said, and ran headlong down the sloping passageway.

  Hearing Jacen's voice, the assassin droids opened fire again and blasted

  holes in the ancient walls. Tyko Thul needed no further encouragement and

  scrambled after Jacen.

  Jaina, Tenel Ka, and Lowie followed, trying to keep up without running into

  each other.

  They reached the bottom of the ramp, and the midnight darkness of the

  catacombs became thicker and oilier. The blackness lacked even the faint respite

  of stars twinkling far overhead. The sluggish air smelled thick and damp,
r />   clogged with mildew, as if nothing had ventured down here willingly for hundreds

  of years. Clouds of dust stirred under their feet as they rushed ahead.

  "This is as bad as the spice mines of Kessel," Jacen muttered.

  Lowie scraped his ginger-furred head on an overhanging marble archway;

  Jaina stumbled on the uneven floor. Grumbling in vexation, she pulled out her

  lightsaber.

  "I can't see where I'm going!"

  Jacen was about to warn his sister not to create so much light, but Jaina

  ignited the weapon, instantly flooding the surrounding chambers with dazzling

  electric violet brilliance. She glanced over at her brother and raised her

  eyebrows. "Those assassin droids can see in the dark anyway--we're the only ones

  who were blinded. No sense making it worse for ourselves."

  The companions rushed onward. By the crackling light of his sisters energy

  sword, Jacen could see that they had entered a broad chamber buried below one of

  the ancient structures in the crater wall.

  Portions of the ceiling had fallen all around, but this underground chamber

  seemed to have many exits, low tunnels that could be hidden lairs for strange,