he said. "But it can only be one night."

"One night is fine," Tenel Ka said. "One night will be very useful."

TWENTY-FOUR.

The observation deck was as stately, luxurious, and hushed as one would expect aboard the Bornaryn Trading Company's mighty flagship, the Tradewyn. A curving wall of transparisteel enclosed the cabin on three sides, offering an expansive view of the vast cargo fleet waiting permission to descend into the thin atmosphere of a dusty orange planet.

In the distance, a star-fighter security screen was scratching a grid of blue ions across a star-flecked backdrop.

The luxurious cabin was the kind of place that always made Tesar drool with nervousness. He drew air through his fangs to dry them, then followed his human escort past a long beverage bar toward a woman and two men waiting at the front of the deck. It was a long trip made longer by the fact that they had all turned to watch his approach-and by his fear of depositing a glob of saliva on the expensive wroshyr-wood floor.

Now that he was actually here, twenty steps from the Thul family, Tesar could not understand what had possessed him to track down the Bornaryn merchant fleet. He had overheard Master Skywalker and several others discussing how much should be told to Raynar's mother about her son's fate. A few hours later, Tesar had felt compelled to find Aryn Thul himself, and a few hours after that he had sneaked off Ossus in a Jedi StealthX. It had not begun to seem like a bad idea until he had arrived outside the Tradewyn's docking bay, taking the ship's watch officer by surprise and causing the consternation that had scrambled the fleet's starfighter screen.

Tesar's escort stopped in front of the three humans and bowed to the woman. "Madame Thul, may I present Jedi Sebatyne - Tesar Sebatyne."

Dressed in a blue shimmersilk gown, Madame Thul was gaunt and short, with long chestnut hair and a regal bearing. She wore a sash striped with scarlet, yellow, and purple.

"Tesar was one of the Jedi Knights who accompanied Raynar on the Mission." The escort stressed the word Mission just enough to make clear that this was how they referred to Raynar's disappearance. "He agreed to leave his weapons in a locker."

"Thank you, Lonn." Madame Thul lifted her chin and examined Tesar head-to-toe, lingering a moment on his brown Jedi robe and the empty lightsaber clasp on his utility belt. "I know the name."

Suspecting he was expected to speak now, Tesar drew more air to dry his fangs-creating a small hiss that caused Madame Thul to flinch. The dark-haired man behind her fingered the hold-out blaster in his pocket and took a single step forward.

"Sorry. This one did not mean to scare you." Tesar felt a drop running down his front fang and sucked air across his teeth again. "It is very warm in here."

Madame Thul raised a carefully thinned brow. "Something to drink?"

"Yes, that would be good."

Madame Thul waited a moment, then prompted, "Endorian port? Bespin sparkle? Talhovian ale?"

"Do you have nerf milk?" Milk always slowed the drool. "Which planet doesn't matter."

The shadow of a smile flicked across Madame Thul's lips, then she turned to her servant. "Milk for Jedi Sebatyne, Lonn. We'll have our usual. "

The servant bowed and departed to collect the drinks.

Madame Thul gestured to the blond man at her side. "This is my late husband's brother, Tyko." She did not bother to introduce the bodyguard.

"Now, what can Bornaryn Trading do for the Jedi?"

"Nothing." Sensing he should probably not just blurt out the news about Raynar to this frail woman, Tesar said, "This one is here with newz."

"News?" Tyko asked.

"About Raynar."

Tyko scowled and slipped half a step forward, moving to shield his sister-in-law. "Raynar died at Myrkr."

"Yes," Tesar said. "After a fashion."

"After a fashion?" Madame Thul gasped. "You mean he's alive?"

"After a fashion, yes," Tesar said, happy he had broken the news gently. "That is what I-"

"My son is alive?"

Madame Thul's knees buckled, and she would have hit the floor had Tesar not reached out and caught her beneath the armpits. He waited while the stunned bodyguard jerked his hand from the blaster pocket, then laid her back into the man's arms.

"S-sorry." Tesar sucked more air to dry his fangs. "This one did not mean to touch her. When he saw her falling, he just-"

"It's... it's okay. Thank you." Madame Thul glanced up at her bodyguard. "Perhaps we should sit down, Gundar."

"Of course."

Gundar returned Madame Thul to her feet and guided her toward a chair. Tesar started to follow, but Tyko put a hand on his chest.

Tesar reacted as most Barabels would to being touched by a stranger. He grabbed Tyko's wrist and pulled it past his face, bringing the elbow into perfect biting position.

"Stop!" Tyko cried. "What are you doing?"

Tesar looked down at the man out of one eye. "You did not challenge this one?"

"N-no!" Tyko was up on his toes, being held so that his feet barely touched the floor. "I just wanted to talk to you!"

"We were talking," Tesar pointed out.

"Alone." Tyko's eyes slid toward the krayt-leather couches where Madame Thul's bodyguard had deposited her. "Quietly."

"My brother-in-law is being protective," Madame Thul explained from her seat. Her blue eyes shifted to Tyko. "That's hardly necessary, Tyko.

I'm sure I can judge for myself whether Jedi Sebatyne has come selling starlight."

"If he is a Jedi," Tyko said. "I doubt anyone here can tell one Barabel in a robe from another."

Tesar saw the doubt flash through Madame Thul's eyes and realized he might be asking the Thuls to take a lot on faith. He released Tyko's arm and turned toward the bar, where the servant had gathered their drinks on a silvertine tray. Tesar reached out with the Force and lifted the tray out of the servant's hands, then floated it over to Madame Thul.

Her surprise quickly turned to approval. "Thank you, Jedi Sebatyne." She removed a small crystal goblet filled with burgundy liquid, then shot her brother-in-law an amused look. "I think that establishes Tesar's bona fides quite sufficiently."

Tesar floated the tray over to Tyko.

"It would be hard to argue." Tyko took a golden-rimmed snifter that contained a clear yellow liquor.

Tesar took his milk, then returned the tray to the astonished servant and followed Tyko over to Madame Thul. He sat down on a padded tail-stool the bodyguard offered.

"Now, Jedi Sebatyne, tell me about my son," Madame Thul ordered.

"What does after a fashion mean?"

"The ship he was aboard crashed in the Unknown Regionz," Tesar began. "There was a fire."

"Oh." Madame Thul reached for her brother-in-law's hand. "Go on."

"He was taken in by a nest of sentient insectz," Tesar said.

"The Killiks?" Tyko glanced at Madame Thul. "Our agents have been hearing reports of an insect colony in the Unknown Regions."

"They call themselvez the Kind," Tesar clarified. "Raynar'z nest is the Unu. It is the Colony'z king nest, and he is the Prime Unu."

"That doesn't surprise me." There was a touch of pride in Madame Thul's voice. "Raynar has always been such a natural leader."

"Always," Tyko agreed. "What exactly is the Prime? The chairman?"

"Voice would be closer," Tesar said. He started to explain how other species sometimes joined the collective mind of the Killiks, then felt a restraining influence and decided to leave it for later, when the Thuls would be better able to understand. "He representz the Colony, and sees that itz Will is done."

Tyko nodded as though he understood exactly what Tesar meant. "The operating officer. Not quite as high as the chairman, but more important in terms of real power."

"That hardly matters, Tyko," Madame Thul said. "We'll groom him to take my place when he returns home."

Madame Thul may have missed the alarmed flash in Tyko's eyes, but Tesar did not.

"This one does not think Raynar will return," he said. Part of Tesar still wanted to bite Tyko's arm off, but another part realized that it was important to avoid making an enemy of the man-to be certain Tyko understood that Raynar did not threaten his position. "Raynar is too important to the Colony."

"Of course he is," Madame Thul said, addressing Tesar. "How long will it take him to groom a replacement?"

"This one is sorry," Tesar said. "He is not making himself clear.

Raynar will not be returning. He has joined the Colony. He has become Unu. He has become the UnuThul."

"Are you really trying to tell me that my son has become an insect?" Madame Thul demanded.

"Not physically," Tesar said. "But, yes."

"By the Core!" Madame Thul studied him for a moment, then grew pale. "You're serious!"

Tesar nodded, and the purpose of his visit finally began to grow clear to him.

"Unu wishez to establish a relationship between the Colony and Bornaryn Trading," he said. "A confidential relationship."

"And you're the authorized agent?" Tyko asked.

Tesar considered a moment, then said, "For now."

Tyko accepted this with a nod, then turned to Madame Thul. "I've heard that there is large demand for the shine-b.a.l.l.s and amber ale the independent smugglers are bringing back from the Unknown Regions."

Madame Thul seemed too shocked to reply. She merely nodded, then drained the contents of her goblet and held it up for the servant.

"Lonn-"

"Of course, madame." Lonn took the empty goblet and replaced it with a full one. "I shall keep them coming."

TWENTY-FIVE.

Even full hazmat gear could not prevent Alema from appearing immodest and just a little bit debauched. The suit she had selected was two sizes too small, stretched so tightly over her svelte curves that it was apparent she had decided to leave her underclothes-if she owned any-aboard the crippled Falcon. Leia shook her head in weary amus.e.m.e.nt, wondering whom Alema was hoping to attract on the deserted planet that had jerked them out of hypers.p.a.ce. Then again, had Leia spent her formative years as a dancing slave in a Kala'uun ryll den-or merely been a Twi'lek female-she, too, might have felt comfortable only when on display.

Alema glanced back, no doubt feeling Leia's scrutiny through the Force. "Is something wrong?"

"Not really." Leia dropped her gaze to the Twi'lek's seat area.

"Just wondering if that suit is going to split."

Alema craned around to look, then gave a roguish smile. "Only if I bend over."

Juun came down the access corridor holding Alema's utility belt and lightsaber. "You forgot this, Jedi Rar."

"I don't think we'll be needing weapons," Leia said. "The scan showed no animal life at all."

"Better to be safe," Juun said.

"Why, thank you, Jae." Alema raised her arms and let him buckle on the belt. When the short-armed Sull.u.s.tan had to press his face against her stomach, she smiled and added, "You're always so considerate."

Silently cursing the Sull.u.s.tan's growing infatuation with Alema, Leia had C-3P0 fetch her own belt and buckled it on herself.

After a thorough inspection of the Falcon had revealed no trace of insect stowaways, the Solos had been forced to turn their suspicions in other directions. Their plan had been to keep Alema separated from her weapons until Leia figured out whether she was the one who had been sabotaging the Falcon-but no one had told that to Juun, of course. He was the only other suspect.

Leia pa.s.sed the Twi'lek four twenty-liter buckets, then lowered the boarding ramp. A cool wind was hissing across the marsh gra.s.s, carrying on its breath the fragrance of a carpet of nearby blossoms. Not far beyond, a ribbon of open water purled past, vanishing into the dark wall of a distant conifer forest.

"It's stunning!" Leia led the way down the ramp, carrying four empty buckets of her own. "It reminds me of Alderaan - unspoiled and beautiful."

"Yes, it's very... natural." Alema was looking above the forest, at a single jagged mountain silhouetted against the veined ruddiness of the nebular sky. "Not a bad place to crash-"

"n.o.body crashed," Han said over their headsets. "And n.o.body's going to be marooned, either-if you two will get under the drive unit with those collection buckets."

"On our way." Under her breath, Leia added, "Hurt."

"I heard that."