Finally, they reached an underground docking area where supply ships, passenger shuttles, and courier drones lay in various stages of preparation. Mixed groups of aliens bustled back and forth, carrying out the business of the Diversity Alliance. They scrutinized maps on electronic wallboards and hauled supplies to storage grottoes. Droids moved about, alert for spies or sabotage from enemies of the political movement and at the same time recording everything for later victorious documentaries.
As the three Wookiees climbed out of the Rising Star, Lowie stretched his lanky, ginger-furred arms and sniffed the air. His sensitive nostrils detected volatile hyperdrive fuels and coolants, as well as the body odors and pheromones from a host of different species. Beside him, Raaba seemed proud to be an integral part of such great work. She tugged on her glossy syren-fiber belt, reveling in her newly acquired badge of honor.
A Shistavanen wolfman in an impressive military uniform marched up to greet them. “Welcome back, Raabakyysh—we are pleased that you have brought new recruits to us.” He brushed his dark fur back and bowed, baring his fangs in a gesture of respect. “I am Adjutant Advisor Hovrak.”
The wolfman made a deep bow toward Lowie and raised his eyebrows, letting an interrogative growl escape his throat. “The fame of Lowbacca and his work as a Jedi Knight reached our ears some time ago. The Diversity Alliance welcomes you.” He gestured with one fiercely clawed hand. “Come. Nolaa Tarkona will see you right away.”
Inside her grand receiving chamber, Nolaa Tarkona stood from her massive seat and smiled to show sharply filed teeth. Her tattooed head-tail squirmed with pleasure. Lowie noted a glint from the optical sensor implanted in the scarred stump of the other head-tail.
Raaba marched forward with Hovrak, while Lowie and Sirra remained respectfully behind, waiting to be introduced. Lowie was impressed that the political workers were making such a grand gesture to welcome them. Surely, not all potential recruits received this kind of treatment?
Still, something about the Diversity Alliance made him uneasy. He couldn’t quite identify what it was … but he reassured himself by thinking that Raaba would not have allowed herself to become involved in anything unsavory.
“I am very pleased to have you among our members, my Wookiee friends,” Tarkona said. Her voice was powerful, flowing with rich currents of charisma. “Raabakyysh has been one of our most loyal supporters, and I am sure that you will also do your species proud.” She strode across the dais, her black robes sweeping around her.
“I am especially honored to have a Jedi among us,” Tarkona continued. “The Diversity Alliance has great work to do, and you possess crucial skills.” She stepped down to floor level. Raaba smiled, her furry face crinkling with pleasure.
“Raabakyysh tells me that you were also searching for Bornan Thul, Lowbacca. I certainly hope he is found soon. He betrayed my trust in him and … stole a precious treasure, a critical key to our work.” Tarkona’s head-tail thrashed with agitation. “Humans have always found our weak spots and exploited them, uncovering whatever means the most to us—and then taking it! It was my own foolishness to put my faith in a human in the first place.”
As she paced the floor, her feet whispered against the polished stone. “Not all humans are so unworthy, of course,” she amended when she saw Lowie bristle at the sweeping censure. Her tone was conciliatory. “Some humans have even accepted our assignment to hunt down this unworthy man who has so greatly wronged me. Of course, their reasons are purely mercenary, rather than honorable—but the end result is all that matters.”
At that moment Corrsk, the Trandoshan, strode into the chamber, carrying an electronic datapad and a sheaf of documents. He clearly meant to deliver them to Nolaa Tarkona, but when the giant reptilian alien saw the three Wookiees standing in the grotto, he stopped short. Instinct drew his muscles taut, and he dropped the datapad to the floor. Documents fluttered down as Corrsk raised his clawed hands to an attack position. A simmering growl bubbled like a geyser out of his throat.
Outraged and betrayed, Lowie roared defensively at seeing the Wookiees’ natural enemy. Bristling, he stepped close to Sirra, so that he and his sister could fight together. Trandoshan bounty hunters were famous for killing Wookiees, and Lowie had no intention of losing his pelt.
Sirra growled, also ready to fight with tooth and claw—but Raaba intervened, holding up her dark brown arms to prevent them from doing anything foolish. She cinched her red headband tighter, and her biceps bulged, holding her metal armlets in place.
“Corrsk, control yourself! Enough posturing,” Tarkona said impatiently. “Raabakyysh, thank you for deflecting this battle.” She turned to Lowie and Sirra. “Perhaps the concept has not yet sunk in, but here in the Diversity Alliance we’ve put aside our differences. Ancient rivalries and blood feuds are erased. We agree to surrender interracial hatreds to focus on the most pernicious enemy, our most important foes: humans everywhere. Wookiees and Trandoshans can only triumph if they fight side by side as comrades. We must!”
Shamefaced, the Trandoshan lowered his clawed hands and retrieved the items he had dropped. Lowie and Sirra watched the reptilian predator cautiously as he slunk forward to place the datapad and documents on the table beside Tarkona’s chair. Without a word, Corrsk vanished down a long dim tunnel.
Only then did Lowie allow himself to relax. Raaba chuffed with laughter, treating the entire incident as a joke.
Lowie didn’t find the experience terribly amusing, but he vowed to do his best to accept other species and to fit in with the ways of the Diversity Alliance.
20
The assault on Mechis III came with such sudden force and devastation that Jacen could hardly believe only one bounty hunter was responsible.
The attacking vessel pummeled its way through the atmosphere, throwing off sonic booms like obscuring veils. The ship thundered overhead, crashing through the roiling clouds, pausing only briefly to loose a volley of concussion torpedoes.
Smokestacks crumbled, dropping like felled trees. Secondary detonations ignited combustible gases that rose from the industrial sections in an inferno that blasted through the underground tunnels. A line of factory buildings toppled in a devastating chain reaction as the spreading shock front ripped out their foundations.
Alarms screeched through the administration building. Lights flashed, sirens wailed.
Tyko Thul ran to the diagnostic screens inside his office. His skin had gone a pasty gray, and his eyes widened in terror. Beside him stood Raynar, his simple Jedi robes contrasting with his uncle’s garish display of noble heritage.
The young Jedi Knights scrambled to defensive positions. Tenel Ka took her place beside Jacen, cool and ready to fight, her hand on the hilt of her lightsaber. Even in the midst of such confusion, it made Jacen glad to see how quickly the warrior girl came over to fight next to him.
“Why bother with all the sirens?” Jaina said, pressing her palms to her temples. “The whole planet’s automated. Do droids care about that stuff?”
Jacen looked out the window across the smoky landscape. Another building erupted into flames. “Good thing there aren’t any people out there.”
“But think of all the droids!” Em Teedee wailed. “They’re doomed!”
Zekk stood near Jaina with his arms crossed over his chest. He squinted into the soot-stained sky as the attacker swung around for another furious pass. A cargo-load of concussion bombs dropped again, blowing up another thermal exhaust port. Zekk’s face turned grim as he recognized the ship. “That’s Dengar,” he said. “How did he know to come here?”
Targeting rooftop-cannons tracked Dengar across the sky and fired long blasts of crackling blue ion bolts or sharp green turbolasers. But the cybernetically enhanced bounty hunter reacted too quickly— flying, dodging, skipping left and right. The clumsy automated defensive systems could not keep up.