“The first was on Bimmisaari, the second on Bpfassh.”
Karrde nodded. “We’ve got a contact on Bpfassh; perhaps we can get him to do some backtracking on the Imperials. Until then, I’m afraid you’ll have to remain here as our guest.”
It sounded like a dismissal. “Let me just point out one other thing before I go,” Luke said. “No matter what happens to me—or what happens to Leia, for that matter—the Empire is still doomed. There are more planets in the New Republic now than there are under Imperial rule, and that number increases daily. We’ll win eventually, if only by sheer weight of numbers.”
“I understand that was the Emperor’s own argument when discussing your Rebellion,” Karrde countered dryly. “Still, that is the crux of the dilemma, isn’t it? While the Empire will wreak swift retribution on me if I don’t give you over to them, the New Republic looks more likely to win out in the long run.”
“Only if he and his sister are there to hold Mon Mothma’s hand,” Mara put in contemptuously. “If they aren’t—”
“If they aren’t, the final time frame is somewhat less clear,” Karrde agreed. “At any rate, I thank you for your time, Skywalker. I hope we can come to a decision without too much of a delay.”
“Don’t hurry on my account,” Luke told him. “This seems a pleasant enough world to spend a few days on.”
“Don’t believe it for a moment,” Karrde warned. “My two pet vornskrs have a large number of relatives out in the forest. Relatives who haven’t had the benefits of modern domestication.”
“I understand,” Luke said. On the other hand, if he could get out of Karrde’s encampment and clear of whatever this strange interference was they were using on him …
“And don’t count on your Jedi skills to protect you, either,” Karrde added, almost lazily. “You’ll be just as helpless in the forest. Probably more so.” He looked up at the tree towering above him. “There are, after all, considerably more ysalamiri out there than there are here.”
“Ysalamiri?” Luke followed his gesture … and for the first time noticed the slender, gray-brown creature hanging on to the tree limb directly over Karrde’s head. “What is it?”
“The reason you’re staying where we put you,” Karrde said. “They seem to have the unusual ability to push back the Force—to create bubbles, so to speak, where the Force simply doesn’t exist.”
“I’ve never heard of them,” Luke said, wondering if there was any truth at all to the story. Certainly neither Yoda nor Ben had ever mentioned the possibility of such a thing.
“Not very many have,” Karrde agreed. “And in the past, most of those who did had a vested interest in keeping it that way. The Jedi of the Old Republic avoided the planet, for obvious reasons, which was why a fair number of smuggling groups back then had their bases here. After the Emperor destroyed the Jedi, most of the groups pulled up roots and left, preferring to be closer to their potential markets. Now that the Jedi are rising again”—he nodded gravely to Luke—“perhaps some of them will return. Though I daresay the general populace would probably not appreciate that.”
Luke glanced around the tree. Now that he knew what to look for, he could see several other ysalamiri wrapped around and across various of the limbs and branches. “What makes you think it’s the ysalamiri and not something else that’s responsible for this bubbling in the Force?”
“Partly local legend,” Karrde said. “Mainly, the fact that you’re standing here talking with me. How else could a man with a stun weapon and an extremely nervous mind have walked right up behind a Jedi without being noticed?”
Luke looked at him sharply, the last piece falling into place. “You had ysalamiri aboard the Wild Karrde.”
“Correct,” Karrde said. “Purely by chance, actually. Well—” He looked up at Mara. “Perhaps not entirely by chance.”
Luke glanced again at the ysalamiri above Karrde’s head. “How far does this bubbling extend?”
“Actually, I’m not sure anyone knows,” Karrde conceded. “Legend says that individual ysalamiri have bubbles from one to ten meters in radius, but that groups of them together have considerably larger ones. Some sort of reinforcement, I gather. Perhaps you’ll do us the courtesy of participating in a few experiments regarding them before you leave.”5
“Perhaps,” Luke said. “Though that probably depends on which direction I’m headed at the time.”
“It probably will,” Karrde agreed. “Well. I imagine you’d like to get cleaned up—you’ve been living in that flight suit for several days now. Did you bring any changes of clothing with you?”
“There’s a small case in the cargo compartment of my X-wing,” Luke told him. “Thank you for bringing it along, incidentally.”
“I try never to waste anything that may someday prove useful,” Karrde said. “I’ll have your things sent over as soon as my associates have determined that there are no hidden weapons or other equipment among them.” He smiled slightly. “I doubt that a Jedi would bother with such things, but I believe in being thorough. Good evening, Skywalker.”
Mara had her tiny blaster in hand again. “Let’s go,” she said, gesturing with the weapon.
Luke stood up. “Let me offer you one other option,” he said to Karrde. “If you decide you’d rather pretend none of this ever happened, you could just return Artoo and me to where you found us. I’d be willing to take my chances with the other searchers.”
“Including the Imperials?” Karrde asked.
“Including the Imperials.” Luke nodded.
A small smile touched Karrde’s lips. “You might be surprised. But I’ll keep the option in mind.”
The sun had disappeared behind the trees and the sky was noticeably darker as Mara escorted him back across the compound. “Did I miss dinner?” he asked as they walked down the corridor toward his room.
“Something can be brought to you,” Mara said, her voice little more than a thinly veiled snarl.
“Thank you.” Luke took a careful breath. “I don’t know why you dislike me so much—”
“Shut up,” she cut him off. “Just shut up.”
Grimacing, Luke did so. They reached his room and she nudged him inside. “We don’t have any lock for the window,” she said, “but there’s an alarm on it. You try going out, and it’ll be a toss-up as to whether the vornskrs get to you before I do.” She smiled, mock-sweetly. “But don’t take my word for it. Try it and find out.”
Luke looked at the window, then back at Mara. “I’ll pass, thanks.”
Without another word she left the room, closing the door behind her. There was the click of an electronic lock being engaged, and then silence.
He went to the window, peered out. There were lights showing in some of the other barracks windows, though he hadn’t noticed any other lights in his own building. Which made sense, he supposed. Whether Karrde decided to turn him over to the Empire or release him back to the New Republic, there was no point in more of his associates knowing about it than absolutely necessary.
All the more so if Karrde decided to take Mara’s advice and just kill him.
He turned away from the window and went back to his bed, fighting back the fear trying to rise inside him. Never since facing the Emperor had he felt so helpless.
Or, for that matter, actually been so helpless.
He took a deep breath. For the Jedi, there is no emotion; there is peace. Somehow, he knew, there had to be a way out of this prison.
All he had to do was to stay alive long enough to find it.