Tendrils of white vapor whirled up as the carbonite made quick work of the Black Sun lieutenant.
In an instant, Czethros was frozen solid … perfectly preserved by the frothing liquid.
Grumbling, Lowie crept forward to stand carefully at the edge of the vat. Guards stood in shock. Nien Nunb chattered under his breath, not sure what to do.
Lowie looked down into the swirling, metallic-gray currents and mumbled something. He felt the unrelenting cold waft up to freeze the fur on his face.
Jaina agreed. “You’re right, Lowie. This is one way to capture him.”
20
The minisub that sailed back into the artificial harbor at Crystal Reef was as battered as any starship Zekk had ever seen survive a space battle. Before the companions could even emerge from the Elfa, the treelike harbormaster was there on the dock beside it, making horrified exclamations. To Zekk’s absolute amazement, however, the Yarin’s expressions of concern were for the passengers, not his damaged ship.
Still fussing and exclaiming, the Yarin ushered them past the queue of waiting customers and into his office. The look of dismay on the treelike alien’s face was truly comical, and he waved and rustled his branched arms. Without asking for an explanation, the harbormaster ordered hot drinks and soft warm robes for each of the returned passengers.
“I can’t tell you how sorry I am that your undersea experience here at Crystal Reef was not everything that you had hoped.” The Yarin eyed their injuries with some trepidation: Zekk’s cut and blistered fingers from working in the engine compartment with insufficient tools, the lump on his forehead, the bruise on Tenel Ka’s cheek from a chuck of floating ice …
“I assure you we’ll attend to your medical needs immediately, but if there’s anything else I can do to make it up—”
“Please,” Ambassador Cilghal broke in gently, “it is we who should apologize. In our enthusiasm to explore the polar ice cap, we neglected to take into account the … appetites of some of the ocean’s larger denizens.”
With a look of wonder, the Yarin leaned toward her. “Tell me. What happened?”
Cilghal, with the help of Zekk, Jacen, Tenel Ka, and Anja, told the story of their encounter with the mighty sea creature, strategically leaving out all information about the andris spice. After all, the Jedi did not know who at Crystal Reef might be working for Black Sun. The Yarin listened with rapt attention, asking a series of probing questions and delighting in their answers.
“Then it’s true,” he said at last. “You actually saw a Great Arctic Skra’akan and survived to tell of it.” His voice held a tone of awe. “Did you perhaps capture the event with a holocam?”
“Not intentionally,” Tenel Ka replied.
“We were all kind of occupied at the time,” Jacen added.
“I guess we didn’t realize what a big event it was,” Anja admitted.
Zekk thought for a moment. “I don’t suppose the Elfa’s equipped with one of those microholocams that makes a complete record of a trip in case some sort of disaster happens?”
The Yarin’s face lit with excitement. “Yes, of course! I use it as a supplementary log. I cannot wait to review the recordings! It is good luck, you know, to see a Great Arctic Skra’akan.”
Anja gave him a wry smile. “Well, we’re lucky to be alive. Does that count?”
Cilghal looked at her battered companions. Jacen wondered if they would have to edit the images of destroying the spice stockpile, or if the Ambassador would classify the tapes.
“Your … Skra’akan, was it? … got pretty violent there for a while,” Jacen said.
A look of apprehension dawned in the bulky harbormaster’s eyes. “You didn’t …”
“Kill it?” Zekk said. “No. In fact the last time we saw the creature, I have no doubt he was still happily imagining us as his next meal.”
The Yarin gave a satisfied sigh. “Then all is well.”
Cilghal took a long drink from her mug and said, “There’s still the matter of payment for the damage to your vessel.”
The harbormaster waved a branchlike arm. “Think nothing of it. If you truly brought back images of a Great Arctic Skra’akan, I believe that the Elfa and those holos may become a permanent tourist exhibit here at Crystal Reef.
“Besides”—he dropped his voice to a tone of confidentiality—“the administration of Crystal Reef has promised me that if Jedi Master Skywalker, the Chief of State and her husband, or the rulers of the Hapes cluster make an official visit to Crystal Reef thanks to your efforts here, I will be rewarded with two new minisubmersibles of my choice.”
Jacen grinned at him. “Great! We’ll just have to see what we can do to arrange that.”
After Crystal Reef’s medical droids had treated their injuries, the companions thanked the harbormaster again for his assistance. Promising to meet Jacen and Tenel Ka back on Kessel, Zekk and Anja said their thanks and good-byes to Cilghal and went to retrieve the Lightning Rod from the docking bay where Anja had left it. Zekk was glad to be back behind the controls of his own ship again.
Cilghal took Tenel Ka and Jacen in the waveskimmer and headed back to her floating city, where the Rock Dragon waited for them.
“Jacen, my friend. I have been meaning to ask you something,” Tenel Ka said in a serious tone as the waveskimmer carried them across the ocean. “Would you consent to be my … copilot?”
Jacen’s lopsided grin was instant and enthusiastic. “I thought you’d never ask.”
The journey back to Kessel passed much too quickly for both of them. Their conversation was constant and interesting, and Tenel Ka even encouraged Jacen to tell a few jokes. He teased her throughout the trip, and when he called her “Captain,” a smile of amusement curved the corners of her mouth.
“Remind me to give you something when we get back to Yavin 4,” Jacen said as he and Tenel Ka brought the Rock Dragon down through Kessel’s thin atmosphere toward the docking bay that ground control had just approved for them.
She arched an eyebrow at him. “What shall I tell you to give me?”
Jacen felt his face grow warm. “Just something I made for you. I’ve kind of been waiting for the right time.”
The next few minutes were occupied with landing procedures. Jacen, who hadn’t often seen Tenel Ka pilot a ship, was surprised and pleased at how well she handled the Rock Dragon. The landing was smooth, clean, and uneventful.
“Back to boring old Kessel,” Jacen said. “I could use a bit of a rest.”
The Lightning Rod was berthed next to the Rock Dragon. Between the two ships, Jacen was amazed to see Jaina, Lowie, Zekk, and Anja exchanging warm hugs of greeting. Nien Nunb was there too, and Em Teedee hovered about, happily providing translations for anyone who needed them.
As Jacen and Tenel Ka disembarked in the industrial-looking docking bay, Zekk looked up at Jacen and shrugged. “I’ve already apologized to Jaina for not coming to her rescue.”
“Why?” Jacen said. “Because she was so bored?”
Lowie roared an objection. Jaina punched her brother on the arm. “Bored? While you all were off on your little pleasure cruise,” she said, a teasing look in her brandy-brown eyes, “we were busy trying to save half the major businesses in the galaxy from a hostile takeover by Black Sun.”