"That's good," the Jedi Master said with a solemn expression. "I would have hated to lose someone else." The reminder of the two stormtroopers killed on Munlali Mafir was sobering. "This one has examined the data you gathered, Master," Saba said. "There iza correlation with the other regionz through which Zonama Sekot iz recorded to have pa.s.sed. The Jostran/Krizlaw symbionts are not technologically advanced, so they do not pose an immediate threat. But they are aggressive by nature. The living planet seems to have exhibited similar avoidance tacticz elsewhere."

"The Krizlaws are certainly aggressive," Luke agreed, "That the Jostrans gave them intelligence only made them worse. I wonder, then, could this be what it's running from? After all, we know Zonama Sekot has a strong presence in the Force. It might be simply trying to hide itself from anything it a.s.sociates with violence."

"It iz possible," Saba said.

There followed a moment of pensive silence. Saba suspected the silence was due more to weariness than anything else. Her sensitive nostrils could smell the exhaustion emanating from the three humans around her-especially Master Skywalker and his nephew.

"You must rest," she said to them. "You will be no good to anyone if you do not."

"You're quite right, Saba," Luke said. "I was just thinking about Dif Scaur.

He's obviously told his side of the story to the Chiss." Saba nodded. Scaur was the head of New Republic Intelligence; he had worked extensively with the Chiss scientists on the virus Alpha Red, which would have completely wiped out the Yuuzhan Vong and all their biotechnology had it been brought into play. That the Jedi had put a stop to the plan irked Scaur. He might not be above taking steps to thwart the Master's own plans in return.

"We'll see what's waiting for us at Csilla," Jacen said, his gaze drifting to where Danni Quee stood on the far side of the badge.

"Forewarned is forearmed."

"But forearmed can lead to a foregone conclusion," Luke pointed out. "We shouldn't jump ahead of ourselves. The last thing we need now is a self-fulfilling prophecy."

"Just the usual sort," Saba said, hissing with amus.e.m.e.nt.

But, as so often happened when she attempted a witticism, n.o.body laughed. They just looked at her strangely.

The first thing Tahiri noticed as she stepped over the threshold into Sentinel was the tension. It was like an overwhelming odor emanating from everything around her: the air, the walls, the floors, the light fittings-even from the people themselves. She winced; it was more a physical reaction to something she was sensing through the Force. What caused it, however, she couldn't tell. She just knew it was there.

The second thing she noticed was the briskness of the salute Princess Leia and Han received as they stepped through the air lock. The guards, dressed in dark green uniforms, fairly jumped to attention like wires snapping taut.

She didn't think the reaction came from any Palpatine-style discipline, though; Bakura was a peaceful world, with no history of dictators since the last Imperial governor, Nereus, had been overthrown during the Ssi-ruuvi crisis. More likely, she thought, the guards were reacting to the same tension in the air that she had detected. Something was making everyone jumpy.

A short, stiff-backed man with thinning red hair and a mustache stepped through the lines of Bakuran security guards.

"Grell Panib," he said by way of introduction, bowing sharply first to Leia, then Han. The rest of the party - herself, Jaina, C-3PO, Leia's Noghri bodyguards, and a small honor guard from Pride of Selonia-were acknowledged with a curt nod. "Welcome to Bakura."

"It's been a while," Han said dryly. "You served under Pter Thanas, didn't you?" Princess Leia didn't miss anything.

A glimpse of sadness pa.s.sed across General Panib's face. "You have a fine memory, Princess. We barely met."

"It was a memorable trip." She smiled as though at some private joke, then introduced the rest of the party. "Thank you all for-" Panib began, but a commotion from behind the security guards interrupted him.

There j was the sound of scuffling as someone pushed forward.

"I told you to wait for me to call you!" Not someone, Tahiri thought, her heart suddenlypounding as, through the tangle of people, she glimpsed a reptilian creature bounding toward them. Something.

She instantly drew her lightsaber as the memory of her dreams lifted to emphasize her fears. Tahiri... Tahiri... Tahiri... The G.o.dlike lizard creature from her dreams beckoned her.

She blinked once, twice, to clear her head as her lightsaber crackled in front of her.

"A trap!" Jaina shouted. She, too, withdrew her lightsaber. At the same time, the stormtroopers raised their blasters and the Noghri guards stepped forward to protect the Princess.

"No!" Panib quickly put himself between the reptilian creature and their weapons. "His intentions are not hostile!" The creature emerged from the line of security guards, its claws skittering piercingly on the corridor floor as it came to a halt behind the general.

The alien was a beaked reptile with a long, muscular tail. Its scales were a dull brown, and beneath prominent ridges its golden eyes danced alarmingly. It wore a leathery harness to which were strapped numerous items that could have been either tools or badges of rank.

"This is I wothin," General Panib said, clearly unsettled by the visitors' reaction. "I a.s.sure you that-" A sudden burst of piercing tones from the creature interrupted him.

When it was over, Han pretended to clean out his ear. "Did anyone catch that?"

"I did, sir," C-3PO answered, oblivious to the fact that it had been a rhetorical question. "He says that he is the advance leader of the P'w'eck Emanc.i.p.ation Movement, and that he welcomes us. He refers to us as 'allies of the free.' " Tahiri felt the uncertainty of those around her as more loud fluting sounded from the creature.

" 'I mean you no harm,' " 3PO translated."Well, that makes me feel a whole lot easier," Han said in a rone that suggested the exact opposite.

"I do apologize for this," Panib said. "The P'w'eck are unaccustomed to advanced protocol-human or otherwise. They've only recently thrown off their shackles and I started speaking for themselves, as it were." Leia called for everyone to put their weapons away as

she eased past the Noghri bodyguards, who parted for her without protest. She stepped up to Lwothin, wearing a thin, perhaps nervous, smile.

"Threepio, tell Lwothin that we are pleased to meet him," she instructed the protocol droid. "If indeed he is a 'him.' "

"He a.s.sures us that he is," Panib said. "And there is no need for your droid to act as mediator in your dialogue with him, either. He can understand what you're saying perfectly well. We don't like using droids much here, so if you prefer we can supply you with earpiece translators that will do the job equally as well." C-3PO bristled at the suggestion that his talents might be unnecessary, or even distasteful. "With all due respect, sir, I was designed for precisely this kind of situation. I am fluent in over six million languages and-"

"What he's saying, General," Leia interrupted, "is that we'll get by."Lwothin's nostril-tongues tasted the air as he followed the exchange.

The P'w'eck was smaller than an average Ssi-ruu, although not by much-but he was still bigger than the average human. Muscles bunched under his leathery skin, and his thick tail swished back and forth in a regular, easy rhythm. It was an alarming presence, made all the more unsettling when Tahiri looked up into the creature's face to find his three-lidded amber eyes staring out at her-almost as if reading her reservations. She knew that Leia had instructed everyone to lower their weapons, but Tahiri found her thumb still hovering over the activation stud of her lightsaber.

"You bring Jedi Knights," Lwothin sang through C-3PO. "I had hoped to meet one. The lightsaber is a delightful weapon: an elegant blend of life energy and material design. Our divergent technologies become one in such devices." Leia's cautious att.i.tude became markedly frostier. "You still use entechment?" Panib stepped forward again. "I don't think this is either the time or the place for such involved discussions. Perhaps we should move to surroundings more comfortable for all species. Yes?"

"We're not going anywhere until Leia gets an answer," Han said, his hand back on his blaster. "I'm not about to have my life energy sucked out of me while my guard is down." Lwothin danced agitatedly on the spot, fluting urgently to C-3PO.

"He a.s.sures us that the process is not the same as you remember it," the golden droid informed them. "It has been refined considerably.

The P'w'eck come in peace, he says, not war." Han looked around suspiciously. "Leia?"

"As uncomfortable as I am about all of this," Leia said, "I don't see the point in turning back now." She faced Panib. "But understand this: the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances will never sanction any form of alliance with a government that exploits the life energy of its subjects-no matter who they are, or were."

"You think the P'w'eck are getting back at their old masters?"

Panib said. "I can a.s.sure you that's not the case."

"No one is enteched against their will anymore," C-3PO continued to interpret. "If you let us, we will explain." Leia nodded solemnly. "I'd like to hear that. And then maybe you can also explain what's happened to Prime Minister Cundertol." Panib bowed and Lwothin jigged on the spot.

"Please follow me," General Panib said.

Han came up alongside Leia and gently put an arm about her, and together they walked in the general's footsteps as he led them deeper into the Sentinel. Jaina and Tahiri followed, C-3PO between them and the Galactic Alliance guards behind.

Jaina was a picture of controlled energy, eyes glancing all around-except at Tahiri. It was as if she was deliberately avoiding her eyes.

That hurt Tahiri. Jaina had exchanged barely a monosyllable with her since Galantos. And Jag Fel was no better. Every now and then, she felt as though they were watching her from afar. They hadn't had to say anything; she could feel their distrust in her, and that hurt her more than any words could ever hope to.

As they walked off together, Tahiri felt the scars on her forehead itching. She fought the urge to scratch. She felt self-conscious about them as it was, without drawing any more attention to the unsightly markings. The self-inflicted ones on her arm had all but healed, and remained hidden beneath the sleeve of her tunic. She had considered getting rid of them, but had decided to keep them, for now, out of an instinct she didn't entirely understand and didn't want to think about too closely. There were far more important things to dwell upon.

Sentinel boasted a large meeting hall on an outer level, with a transparent ceiling that afforded a magnificent viewport to the stars.

During combat, steelcrete shields would slide shut over the top for protection, but during more tranquil times it offered a wonderful view of Bakura. The green-blue world hung like a fat moon above a ring-shaped conference table that floated on a bed of repulsors. There were enough seats for everyone who had entered the hall, but only those who'd be involved in the discussions were invited to sit around the table.

Jaina stood directly behind her parents, her hand on the hilt of her lightsaber. She didn't like being so far away from reinforcements in such an unknown situation, and having her weapon within constant reach went a long way toward easing her apprehensions. Everyone knew that the Ssi-ruuk were adept at mental coercion; who was to say that General Panib wasn't a brainwashed slave intending to deliver the delegates from the Galactic Alliance to his masters at the first opportunity?

The presence of the P'w'eck didn't particularly rea.s.sure her, either. In fact, when two more of the creatures had joined Lwothin, Jaina's misgivings had intensified immediately. She a.s.sumed them to be bodyguards by the way they took up position behind Lwothin, although she had to admit they didn't look any different in appearance from their superior. They wore odd-looking weapons fastened to their harnesses: flat disks with businesslike snouts protruding from one end. Paddle beamers, she a.s.sumed. The energy beams of such weapons couldn't be deflected by lightsabers, but they could certainly be bent a little.

Lwothin himself did not have a physique that allowed him to sit on chairs like the others present, so he was sprawled out on an a.s.sortment of cushions at his appointed place around the table. This didn't detract in any way from his intimidating mien.

"Elaine Harris, the Deputy Prime Minister, is on his way from Salis D'aar," Panib said by way of preamble. "But we shall begin without him."

"I wouldn't say we're a captive audience," Han said, sitting restlessly at Leia's side, "but we're prepared to hear you out."

"You've come at a very awkward time for us. I hardly know where to begin."

"You could start with entechment," Leia said.

"We know that you think it an abomination," Lwothin said through C-3PO. "And I can sympathize with your feelings. My species has been exploited by it for thousands of years. We know its past evil."

"Be that as it may," Han said. "But I've seen plenty of slaves point the same weapons at their masters once they'd won their freedom."

"I'll admit the temptation was strong," Lwothin said, his beak clicking together at the end of the short phrase. " But perhaps I should tell you the story of how we came to be here. Maybe then you will understand us better." Jaina saw her mother nod for him to continue, then settled back into the large, upright chair to listen.

"It has been almost thirty years since the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium waged war in this section of the galaxy," he began. Jaina knew the story.

Initially courted by Emperor Palpatine, the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium had expanded aggressively into Imperial territories, starting with Bakura.

Unfortunately for the Ssi-ruuk, that advance had been immediately repelled by the local Imperial government, with the unlikely help of the Rebel Alliance. Further incursions into the galaxy were discouraged by the New Republic, which forced the Imperium back to its homeworlds.

Nothing had been heard from them since. Jaina gathered that everyone a.s.sumed they either had learned the error of their ways, or were gradually stockpiling for a more determined surge. Just like the Yevetha, she thought.

"In fact," Lwothin said, "our former masters were a.s.sessing more than just their tactics in the wake of their defeat." Ssi-ruuvi society was strictly clan-based, he explained, with each clan designated by the color of their scales. The absolute ruler was the Shreeftut, a.s.sisted by the Elders' Council and the Conclave. The Conclave advised the Shreeftut on spiritual matters-another aspect of life considered very important by the Ssi-ruuk. Their belief system taught that the spirit of any Ssi-ruu who died away from a consecrated world would be lost forever. It was for that reason that the Ssi-ruuk preferred to use combat droids powered by the enteched souls of captives to fight their enemies rather than risk their own lives in battle.

"Entechment had served our masters well for many centuries. They had never seen any reason to change. The abhorrence with which you greeted the technology came as a complete surprise to them. They had a.s.sumed that all cultures would employ the same techniques. That you didn't only underscored the novelty of the'technology you did use: that of fusion and ordinary matter.

"Clearly the Rebel Alliance beat our former masters for more reasons than different technology, but that was one aspect they could focus on. They had seen Imperial and Rebel Alliance vessels in action above and around Bakura. They knew enough material physics to back-engineer the technology and re-create it in their laboratories. Within ten standard years, they possessed prototype hybrid vessels that employed your technology for shields and engines but were directed by enteched minds. With a significantly reduced drain on their life forces, such pilots existed much longer and in less agony than before."

"But they were still enteched," Han interrupted.

"Yes. The mind of every prototype droid fighter consisted of a soul stolen from the body of a P'w'eck. The fact that their suffering had been lessened was balanced by the fact that they suffered longer. The situation was still undeniably wrong.

"Into this time, the Keeramak was born." A new note entered the P'w'eck's voice. It might have been fear, Jaina thought. Or maybe awe.

"What is this Keeramak?" Leia asked.

"It is hard to explain in terms that you might understand. You know that those of the Ssi-ruuk with blue scales ruled the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium, and that the gold-scales were our priests. Yellow-scales studied the sciences of matter and energy. Those with russet scales were our warriors, while those with green scales were workers. Below them, barely above my own species, were those resulting from a mixed or unsuccessful breeding: the brown-scales. Some suspected them of being the progenitors of the P'w'eck in ages past. Regarded as dim-witted and brutish, they were fit only for the most menial of lives. Many, especially those born of a forbidden union, were destroyed at birth.

"That was the world into which the Keeramak was born. It is important you understand this, because the Keeramak should not exist. One of a brood of brownscale Ssi-ruuk, the Keeramak alone possessed color.

But it does not just have one color: the Keeramak has all colors. That is what makes it unique among the Ssi-ruuk." Lwothin performed a complicated gesture involving the muscles of his tail and spine, as though shrugging his entire body. "That the Keeramak was a sport, a deviant birth, was clear. It had no clear gender, and its size was anomalous.

But that was irrelevant. Its birth sent shock waves through the Ssi-ruuk. They place a great value on spiritual matters, as you know, and such a birth had been prophesied for millennia. The Keeramak, the birth of many colors, would be the one to take the oppressed and make them lords; the Keeramak would make the weak strong."

"What you're saying," Han said, "is that the Ssi-ruuk embraced the Keeramak because they thought it would lead them to victory over us, right?"

"That is correct," Lwothin said. "They raised it like a king, with every privilege and opportunity to learn and grow. The Keeramak soon proved to be exceptional in all respects: strong, intelligent, wise. It argued with the Shreef-tut over the limitations of power, it challenged the Conclave on matters of theology, and it rivaled the Elders' Council when it came to minor points of law. But ultimately it was the Keeramak's compa.s.sion that was its greatest point-as well as the Ssi-ruuk's undoing."

"It chose you over them?" Leia asked.

"The Keeramak was the one who led us to victory over our former masters. It conceived our revolt and consolidated the aftermath. Within a year, Lwhekk was ours and the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium a thing of the past. And now, five years on, the Keeramak still guides our destiny."

"Impressive," Leia said. "Throwing off an oppressor is only the beginning of a long and difficult journey." Jaina nodded, knowing that her mother spoke from experience.

"In the wake of our liberation, we have continued research into entechment," Lwothin said, through C-3PO. "We have found ways to nourish the stored minds reclaimed during our revolution. The life energy distilled from concentrated banks of algae and other primitive life-forms can prevent the decay common to previous soul-captures. It also goes a long way toward staving off the discomfort many feel when enteched. Now that we have diverted much of the life-draining work to your forms of technology and reduced the strain on the enteched soul, we have reversed many of the wrongs forced upon captives and slaves in the past.

"The droid fighters you saw today are piloted by those enteched in the last days of the Imperium." Lwothin's triple eyelids blinked in a complicated manner.

"Although we do continue to offer entechment as a form of military service, there are few who willingly sacrifice their physical lives.

There's no way back, of course. Such a decision is not lightly made."

"I'm sure it wouldn't be," Leia said as she faced General Panib.

From the tone of her mother's voice, coupled with the set of her shoulders and the way she sat in the chair before her, Jaina could tell she wasn't entirely convinced by Lwothin's lengthy explanation-even though it did concur with the odd Force readings they'd had from the droid fighters.

"General Panib, have you seen anything to contradict Lwothin's statement that no one has been enteched against his or her will?"

"None of us have been enteched, if that's what you're getting at,"

the general said. "In fact, there have been no aggressive moves made against us whatsoever.

Although..."

"What?" Han prompted, leaning forward slightly in his chair.

"Well, that's something else we will need to talk about: why you've come at such a bad time. The P'w'eck arrived here two weeks ago, offering a treaty. Prime Minister Cundertol and the Senate deliberated for days before arriving at the decision to accept the offer. The Prime Minister's announcement caused a few riots. It's hard to explain to the general population that we haven't sold them out."

"I can understand that," Han muttered.

"We thought the people were coming around," Panib went on. "The defense advantages of joining with the P'w'eck are obvious, given the Yuuzhan Vong's gradual drift this way. And we had a lot be grateful to them for, since they did get rid of the Ssi-ruuvi threat." Panib fidgeted uneasily. "But there are complications-and conditions."

"Such as?" Leia asked.

"Lwothin has mentioned religion; the P'w'eck are like the Ssi-ruuk in that they share some of the same traditions. In order to make them comfortable, there are details we have to attend to. Cundertol wanted this Keeramak of theirs to come to Bakura to sign the treaty in person, but he-it-wouldn't come unless Bakura was consecrated. You see, it believes like the rest of the Ssi-ruuk that if it dies away from one of the sacred worlds, then its soul will be lost forever. And the fact is, a.s.sa.s.sination isn't out of the question-especially given the volatile temperament of some of the public right now." His glance to Lwothin was filled with apology. "We are neighbors; we must learn to trade and fight side by side. If Bakura and the P'w'eck are to work together, then we have to consider all our religious beliefs. We'd like them to feel safe enough to visit here. Toward this end, Cundertol managed to find a compromise: the Keeramak would come to Bakura to perform the consecration in person. The ceremony was planned for two days from now. That's where things stood when-"

"When Prime Minister Cundertol disappeared," interrupted a voice from the entrance to the chamber.

Jaina's grip on her lightsaber tightened instinctively as she turned to see a tall, aging man in a scarlet robe approach the table. His face was long and angular, the bones beneath clearly showing. Two Bakuran guards closely shadowed him, rifles held firmly across their chests.

"Deputy Prime Minister Harris," Panib said, standing. He sounded relieved. "Thank you for joining us." Harris indicated for Panib to return to his seat, then nodded to everyone else around the table by way of greeting. "Princess Leia, Captain Solo: it's a pleasure to meet you again. And of course you, Lwothin." An attendant brought up a chair, and he sat between the P'w'eck and Leia."I apologize for the delay," he said to Panib, "but there was a bomb threat at the main s.p.a.ceport and I had to take a shuttle from Lesser Grace. As you can see," he explained to the rest of the table, "we are suffering from a p.r.o.nounced civil unrest. Not on behalf of the majority, I imagine, but rather a violent and unprincipled minority who think they know what's best for Bakura. This minority has decided that the P'w'eck are no different from the Ssi-ruuk, and the Keeramak's visit here is nothing more than an elaborate ruse that will result in the entech-ment of everyone. 'Once an enemy, always an enemy' is their maxim.