“I didn’t realize,” Lusa said. “I am sorry. I thought I was the only one who had experienced such things … but we each have darkness in our past. I offer no excuse for the things I did: I put my trust in the wrong people and tried to ignore my conscience. I was a fool.”
Zekk nodded. “And it’s not easy to start a new life once you’ve been the enemy. I was a fool, too.”
Master Skywalker smiled wryly. “Well, now that we’ve got that settled, we all have information we need to share. First, I’ll explain why Tionne left so quickly today. While I was on Coruscant, Leia got a report that a band of musicians sympathetic to Nolaa Tarkona were using their engagements as a cover to smuggle weapons for the Diversity Alliance. Tionne isn’t entirely human and, because she’s an excellent musician, she volunteered to check out the story. It could be a dangerous assignment, so as an added precaution, I asked her to take the Shadow Chaser and Artoo. That’s all we know so far.”
Zekk spoke next. He stumbled over his words at first, not sure how to explain what he had learned. He told about his initial interest in Bornan Thul as a means to gain fame as a bounty hunter, his assignment to find the scavenger Fonterrat, and what he had learned about Gammalin and the plague. Zekk concluded by describing his encounters with Bornan Thul and his certainty that Raynar’s father must be protected from Nolaa Tarkona at all costs.
“Did you hear anything about this plague while you were working for the Diversity Alliance?” Master Skywalker asked Lusa.
The centaur girl shook her head, tossing her glossy cinnamon mane. “I did know Nolaa Tarkona was always searching for power. She made it clear that she would pay well for powerful weapons—or for information on where she could get them. She was even willing to sacrifice a follower or two if it meant getting the resources she needed. At first I thought her noble. Now I know she was merely ruthless.”
Zekk suppressed a shudder. “I’m pretty sure that Bornan Thul has the key to where Fonterrat found the plague. But I can’t understand why he didn’t just turn over the information to the New Republic.”
“He probably guessed the Diversity Alliance had infiltrated the New Republic,” Lusa said. “The Bothan assassin just proved that to us.”
“Shouldn’t we put everyone on alert, then?” Zekk said. “We can’t trust anybody.”
A worried frown creased Master Skywalker’s forehead. “That’s not as simple as it sounds. It could lead to panic and false accusations. We can’t let faithful members of the New Republic come under suspicion just because they’re nonhumans.”
“That may be exactly what Nolaa Tarkona intends,” Lusa said. “If humans in the New Republic start turning on aliens, she can point to it as proof that humans will betray their own allies. It would be the perfect tool to persuade more aliens to join the Diversity Alliance.”
“That’s why Chief of State Organa Solo and I agreed not to spread the word too widely for now—at least until she’s had a chance to question that Bothan guard,” Master Skywalker said.
“It’s a tricky situation,” Zekk agreed. “It could be just as dangerous to distrust the right person as to trust the wrong one. Maybe Bornan Thul wasn’t wrong to keep his information to himself.”
“Or maybe Raynar’s father believed he could destroy the source of the plague himself without telling anyone,” Lusa said.
“Whatever his reason,” Zekk said, “I came here because I thought Raynar could persuade his father to trust us. Thul is going to need help. I know how to find him now: I have a tracer beacon on his ship. Do you understand why it’s so important for Raynar to come back from wherever he went? I need him with me when I go to find his father.”
Lusa’s eyes filled with tears. “I promised not to tell where they went,” she said, “but they were supposed to have been back days ago. They were all willing to risk their lives because they were afraid for Lowie and his sister.”
Zekk sucked in a sharp breath. Master Skywalker sat up straight.
“Where did they go?”
“Ryloth. To rescue Lowbacca from the Diversity Alliance,” Lusa said in a strangled whisper. “They said they’d be back by now.”
Zekk’s anger at the foolish risk his friends had taken warred with gutwrenching fear. “Then we’ll just have to go rescue them,” he said through clenched teeth. He looked challengingly at Master Skywalker, expecting the Jedi to argue with him.
“I don’t have the Shadow Chaser right now,” Luke said matter-of-factly. “We’ll have to take the Lightning Rod.” He looked at Lusa. “You know Diversity Alliance access codes and the geography on Ryloth. Are you willing to help us?”
Lusa shook away the blankets in which she had been wrapped and stamped a hoof on the stone floor. “Yes. I’ll come with you.”
Zekk started to object, but Lusa flashed him a dangerous look. “Don’t even try to talk me out of coming along. I want to help our friends just as much as you do.” He heard the conviction in her voice, and it suddenly dawned on him that she was no safer on Yavin 4 than she would be in the Lightning Rod.
“We’re all going,” Luke said firmly. “We’ll need all of our skills, and we’ll have to trust each other.”
17
The first thing Jacen noticed before they ventured out into the night side of Ryloth was the searing cold. Though the mouth of the cave sheltered them somewhat from the frigid wind, there was no way to avoid it completely. A white cloud of steam formed in front of his face with each breath he released.
The serviceable brown jumpsuit that had kept him barely warm enough while they mined ryll proved a completely ineffective barrier against the deep, gnawing iciness of the eternal winter on Ryloth’s dark side.
He shivered and looked at Tenel Ka. Her lizardhide boots rose to midcalf, but her tough and durable scaled armor covered only a minuscule portion of her upper thigh and left her arms completely bare.
“You must be c-c-cold,” he said.
“This is a fact.” She reached into her belt pouch, pulled out the fingersized flash heater she always carried, and ignited it. Although it was capable of starting a fire—if they’d had anything to burn—the heat it radiated was too small to warm more than the hand that held it.
Jacen wished he had some extra piece of clothing to give her. He toyed briefly with the idea of stripping down and offering Tenel Ka his jumpsuit.
But even in the dim light, one glance at the brave face framed by warrior braids told him that he would risk her wrath even to suggest such an idea.
Chill wind gusted into the cave like knives of ice. Unable to think of any other comfort, Jacen put his arms around Tenel Ka and pulled her closer to him, in hopes of at least sharing some of his body warmth.
“It is also a fact that we cannot stay here,” Tenel Ka said. Though she was careful to keep the flash heater away from his clothing, her arm slid around Jacen’s waist and hugged him tightly. “We must find our way to the temperate zone, over the mountains. I do not believe we have come farther than five or six kilometers from where Lowbacca indicated we should wait for him.”
“You m-mean, go back through the tunnels? We’d get lost.” He shivered convulsively. “It could take us d-days to find our way back, if we ever do….”
“No,” Tenel Ka said. “We would risk being recaptured.” She nodded toward the frigid land scape outside. “No, we must go out there.”