“Are we finished, then, Em Teedee?” Jaina said.
“Yes, indeed, Mistress Jaina,” the little droid answered brightly. “IG-88 is now wholly dedicated to finding Bornan Thul and keeping him safe.” He paused to consider. “In theory, at least, IG-88’s superior design and capabilities make him more likely to succeed than the numerous other bounty hunters attempting to find Raynar’s father. Why, perhaps with my additional assistance—”
Jaina disconnected the leads from the translating droid and let the silvery oval float free. “He probably doesn’t want your company, Em Teedee. You’d only distract him.”
“I’m certain you’re right, Mistress Jaina,” the droid said wistfully. “It isn’t my primary function, after all. Though at the moment, I’m not certain just what my primary function is.”
“We need you, Em Teedee,” Jaina said.
“Thank you, Mistress Jaina,” the little droid replied. “I do miss Master Lowbacca though. I certainly hope he’s all right.”
“So do we, Em Teedee,” Jaina said, struggling against worry as thoughts of her Wookiee friend came again to the front of her mind.
“This is a fact,” Tenel Ka agreed.
Zekk and the young Jedi Knights accompanied IG-88 to the upper launch platform to see him off on his quest. Raynar looked at the dark-haired young man, remembering how Zekk—the Shadow Academy’s darkest Knight—had used the Force to hurl him into the river mud.
Although it had taken Raynar a long time to recover his pride, he realized now that Zekk had in effect saved his life by doing so, humiliating him in front of the other dark Jedi attackers to dissuade them from killing Raynar outright with their burning red lightsabers.
And now the assassin droid had also been precluded from taking fatal actions. “I’m glad IG-88 can’t kill anymore,” Raynar said.
“Not even aliens,” Tenel Ka affirmed.
Jacen tapped the droid on one arm. “Hey, hear that?” he said. “Try not to think of yourself as an assassin droid anymore.”
“He can still cause plenty of damage, though,” Jaina said. “Especially if it looks as if they’re going to be dangerous to your father.”
Uncle Tyko hurried up, wringing his hands and looking flustered. “Sorry I’m late,” he said. “So much to do. I solve one problem and it leads to two others. But I’ll get this place running smoothly sooner or later.”
He stopped as the looming assassin droid rotated its cylindrical head. The blinking red sensors showed no sign of recognition, no memory of its past. Without a word, the droid swiveled its body core and clomped toward a needlelike ship that was identical in design to the IG-2000, the droid’s original craft. Because the durable assassin droid had no need for life-support systems or acceleration dampers, the vessel had an incredible bank of engines and superior power efficiency.
“Please find my father, IG-88,” Raynar said.
The assassin droid climbed into his ship and fired up the engines. The gathered spectators watched as the sleek vessel stabbed up into the atmosphere like a dagger slicing cloth.
Jacen turned to Raynar and clasped his shoulder. “Things are looking up, you know,” he said. “Zekk gave us the news that your father is alive, and IG-88 is on the chase.”
“And now that we’ve ‘rescued’ your Uncle Tyko,” Jaina said, “we can hope that it’s just a matter of time until your entire family is together again.”
Raynar swallowed hard. “My father must have a good reason for hiding. I just wish I knew what it was.”
Zekk nodded grimly. “He seems to think that something terrible is going to happen to the human race if he’s caught.”
Raynar nervously straightened his Jedi robe and ran a hand over his spiky hair. He seemed embarrassed at his friends’ efforts to encourage him. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to stop searching for him, does it?”
“Not a chance,” Jacen said. Then, in a moment of sadness, he added, “I just wish Lowie was here to help us out.”
22
Jaina stood next to Zekk, desperately searching for the right words, as he stood on the boarding ramp of the Lightning Rod. She had to say something before he left.
“I’ll see you soon, I promise,” Zekk said. “But right now I’d better be on my way. Maybe I’ll even find Bornan Thul before IG-88 does. The least I can do is take him a message from Raynar.”
Jaina swallowed. “Remember, Zekk, we’re always willing to help you—to talk or listen, if you need us.”
“I know, Jaina.” He smiled at her, and before she knew it, she found herself caught up in a fierce hug, right there on the rooftop. She returned the hug for a long moment. Then Zekk backed into his ship, waving in farewell. “Maybe I’ll drop in to rescue you again sometime soon.”
“Unless I rescue you first,” Jaina countered. She stood with stinging eyes on the rooftop as he sealed the hatch of the old freighter. “Don’t fly through any black holes, Zekk,” she said in a hoarse whisper.
The Lightning Rod soared off into the sky, doubling back in a complex loop as Zekk showed off his flying prowess before taking the ship up into the atmosphere, and deep space.
Jacen sat frustrated in the comm center of Mechis III, while Em Teedee hovered and bobbed in the air over his shoulder, practicing with his new microrepulsorjets.
Tenel Ka entered and stood in the doorway, her hand on her hip as she waited for Jacen to finish. With a sigh, he swiveled to look at the warrior girl, and flashed her a smile.
“I’ve left three messages at Lowie’s home on Kashyyyk, but I haven’t gotten any response,” he said. “Lowie should be there, or at least his parents, or his sister Sirra. I sure hope nothing’s wrong.”
Tenel Ka’s face remained expressionless. “Lowbacca is a good fighter and a talented Jedi. I am certain he can take care of himself.”
“I do hope so,” Em Teedee interjected, “but there is still sufficient cause for concern.”
Jacen gave up his seat at the comm controls, since he knew Tenel Ka had been wanting to contact her parents in the Fountain Palace on Hapes. The warrior girl sat down and, even with only one hand, her fingers flew over the controls, setting up the hyperwave link.
“I am taking the added precaution of using the royal family’s encryption codes,” she told Jacen, and waited for an answer.
When Isolder and Teneniel Djo appeared onscreen, she told them about the Diversity Alliance, describing it as an antihuman conspiracy that masqueraded as a benevolent political movement. Her parents took Tenel Ka’s concern seriously and agreed to put their best counterconspiracy operatives into action; they would find out whatever they could about the group.
Privately, Tenel Ka hoped—no, Tenel Ka knew— that her grandmother would intercept this message and feel compelled to investigate the Diversity Alliance. With her own brand of ironic humor, the warrior girl asked her parents to convey her greetings to her father’s mother—realizing that Ta’a Chume would probably hear her words even before the communications link between Hapes and Mechis III was broken. Her grandmother would no doubt put her best spies to work immediately.
So much the better, Tenel Ka thought. The Diversity Alliance would find Ta’a Chume a formidable enemy.
As soon as Tenel Ka had ended the transmission, an override signal winked on the panel. Jacen rushed forward to accept the transmission. “Busy day,” he remarked.
“Oh my,” Em Teedee said, hovering over the panel, “according to the designators, that message is coming from Kashyyyk. I do hope it’s Master Lowbacca.”