by Timothy Zahn
“Thrawn it is, then,” Parck nodded. “And now, perhaps you'll accompany me to the bridge. Your Imperial orientation might as well begin now.”
From the mouth of the cave, Llollulion warbled urgently. “What are you talking about?” Terrik demanded, coming up beside him. “They're not going to give up now.”
The Borlovian warbled again, handing over the macrobinoculars. Muttering under his breath, Terrik jammed them against his eyes and peered upward.
Just in time to see the Star Destroyer flicker with pseudomotion as it made the jump to lightspeed.
“Well, I'll be,” he mumbled, lowering the macrobinoculars in disbelief. A sudden thought struck him, and he lifted them again, searching the sky from horizon to horizon. But there were no other ships in sight that might have come here to take over the search. Unless they were lying in ambush on the other side of the planet.
Terrik grinned. If they were skulking in wait around the horizon hoping to draw him out, they were in for a rude surprise. The Starwayman might be old and battered, but given a halfway decent head start she could outpace most anything out there. “Go fire up the converters,” he ordered Llollulion. “We're getting out of here.”
The Borlovian warbled acknowledgment and headed into the cave. Terrik gave the sky one last check; and then, almost unwillingly, found himself gazing across the forest toward where the encampment had been.
Could something about that place have been the reason the Star Destroyer had left so suddenly? Terrik couldn't imagine how or why that might happen, but the connection seemed inescapable.
Still, it hardly mattered. Terrik had a cargo to deliver, and for whatever reason he now had a clear shot to do so. And whatever might have happened out there-
Looping the macrobinoculars around his neck, he turned and headed back to the cave. Whatever happened out there, it certainly had nothing to do with him.
