CHAPTER 10

They were aboard the Imperial shuttle Tessera, the craft Thrawn had landed right inside the garden. Thrawn and his lieutenant had insisted that Zak, Tash, and Hoole accompany him as he marched Sh'shak back to his ship. Once they arrived, binders were placed on Sh'shak's wrists.

"Under my Imperial authority," Thrawn explained to his captive. "I could have shot you down where you stood. But I believe in following procedure whenever possible, so I've brought you here to record the evidence against you, and to allow you to make a statement if you so desire. These three," Thrawn said, waving to Zak, Tash, and Hoole, "will serve as witnesses of the evidence against you."

Thrawn nodded to his lieutenant, and Tier switched on a small recording device. Thrawn stated his name and rank, and Sh'shak's name, then asked, "Do you confess to the murder of Lieutenant Wolver yesterday?"

"No, I am innocent," Sh'shak replied calmly.

"Then how do you explain this?" Thrawn demanded. He walked over to a storage cabinet and removed the weapon Zak and Tash had seen Sh'shak use the day before. "For the record, I am holding a vibropike of the kind used on S'krrr," Thrawn stated. "This pike was discovered hidden in some bushes inside the garden. We scanned the pike for fibers and skin samples. This pike definitely belongs to you." Thrawn leaned forward.

"And it could easily have been used to kill my officer."

"Uncle Hoole, what should we do?" Tash whispered.

"Nothing," her uncle replied in a barely audible voice.

Sh'shak spoke up. "I do not deny that this is my weapon. But I did not kill anyone. You say you examined the weapon. Did you find any of the lieutenant's blood on it?"

Thrawn shrugged. "You could easily have cleaned the blade of the weapon to remove such evidence. Besides," the Imperial captain added,

"what would a so-called poet need with the weapon of a killer?"

"On S'krrr," Sh'shak replied, "the most respected of our artists are poet-warriors-individuals who have mastered both the good side and the dark side of their personalities. We strike a balance, just as this garden strikes a balance. I have the honor of being recognized by my people as both a poet and a warrior."

"A convenient story," Thrawn countered, "especially for someone whose false identity has just been revealed."

Hoole found his chance to speak up. "It's true. You only have to look at the culture of the S'krrr. I have spent quite a bit of time over the last few days talking with Sh'shak and studying the S'krrr beliefs.

Their history is full of both beauty and violence. So it is no surprise they have become both artists and warriors. They learn to fight with traditional weapons, and they perform ritual combats. It is part of their culture."

Tash suddenly remembered her conversation with Thrawn. "Captain Thrawn, you said almost the same thing yourself when you were walking through the garden."

Thrawn considered. "Perhaps. But even if this is true, and Sh'shak has a reason for carrying a deadly weapon near Imperial personnel, it still doesn't mean he's innocent." The Imperial captain glanced at a small datapad. "My medical staff determined that Lieutenant Wolver's death

occurred

at approximately six o'clock in the morning. Where were you at that time?"

Sh'shak paused. "I was in the garden."

Thrawn nodded. "And what were you doing?"

Again, Sh'shak paused. Zak wondered what Sh'shak would say next. If he told the truth, it might seal his fate. And somewhere in the back of his mind, Zak wondered what he would do in the same situation.

Finally, Sh'shak said, "I was practicing with my vibropike."

A brief, thin smile crossed Thrawn's face again. "I see. So you were in the location of the murder, with a weapon that could have caused the murder. And yet you say you're innocent."

Sh'shak nodded. "That is correct."

"It's true!" Zak blurted out. He wanted to help Sh'shak. The S'krrr had told the truth, even though it made him seem guilty. It wasn't fair to let him stand alone. "Tash and I saw him. He was practicing on a little tree."

Thrawn blinked his red eyes once. "Ah, yes. You two were also in the garden that morning," he said to Zak and Tash. "What were you doing there?"

Zak decided to speak for himself and his sister. He also decided to follow Sh'shak's example and tell the truth. "We were following someone from your shuttle," he admitted. "It was probably Lieutenant Wolver, but we couldn't see clearly through the mist."

The Imperial captain turned squarely toward Zak and Tash. Then he looked at Hoole. "Simple tourists do not follow Imperial officers. Your involvement in this affair grows deeper-"

"That seems to happen wherever we go," Zak muttered under his breath.

"-and I'm beginning to wonder just who you are," Thrawn concluded.

"As soon as we have finished with this S'krrr, I'll have you three taken to my Star Destroyer for identification."

Zak and Tash swallowed. Once Thrawn looked into their past, he'd find out they were wanted by none other than Darth Vader. But there was nothing they could do as long as Thrawn and his aide had them covered with their blasters.

"In the meantime," Thrawn said, turning back to Sh'shak, "I have no intention of killing an Imperial citizen without a good reason. And the claims of these children are easy enough to verify." The blue-skinned officer pointed toward the shuttle's exit. "Show me where you practiced.

If there's evidence that you were actually there during the murder, your life may be spared."

A few moments later they were walking single file through the garden. Zak and Tash led the way, with Hoole behind them. Sh'shak followed Hoole, and Thrawn and Lieutenant Tier brought up the rear, blasters in hand.

Now and then, Zak glanced back at Uncle Hoole. The Shi'ido's expression was stonier and more unreadable than ever. Zak knew that Hoole was preparing to make a move. There were only two Imperials-even though they were armed-and with his shape-changing powers, Hoole could probably overcome them both.

"Lieutenant Tier," Captain Thrawn said as they marched. "It occurs to me that there is a wild card in this sabacc deck, and I dislike wild cards. The caretaker, Vroon, is not under surveillance."

"That's true, Captain," Lieutenant Tier said. "But you don't suppose that gardener could have-?"

"I suppose nothing," Thrawn interrupted. "I simply want to have all points covered. Go find Vroon and bring him to me."

With a quick salute, Lieutenant Tier marched away and headed back toward the caretaker's workshop.

Now, if there were trouble, the odds were in Hoole's favor.

Zak and Tash saw the small hill up ahead. They reached it quickly.

At the top stood the small sapling, still marked with the cuts of Sh'shak's weapon. The grass around the tree was torn and chopped up by the quick movements of the S'krrr's feet.

"There's your evidence," Tash said. "This is where we found Sh'shak yesterday morning."

Now that he was alone among civilians, Thrawn moved more cautiously. He kept a safe distance from the others, and he spared only a quick glance at the tree and the ground. But that glance told him all he needed to know. "It seems the S'krrr was here," he agreed.

Zak gave an audible sigh.

"However," the Imperial captain continued, "there is nothing to indicate how long you were here, or what time. For all I know you practiced on this tree, then slaughtered Lieutenant Wolver and left him for the beetles to eat."

"But that is not the case," Sh'shak insisted.

Thrawn shrugged. "I am making my decision based on the evidence at hand. That evidence suggests you're the killer."

He pointed his blaster at Sh'shak's chest.

"Aggghghhh!"

A strangled cry flew up the hill to meet them. It was followed a second later by Lieutenant Tier. The Imperial aide stumbled to the crest of the hill, gagging and choking on something. His blaster was gone. His eyes were wild with fear, and he clutched at his throat.

"Tier, explain yourself," Thrawn ordered. "What's wrong?"

Lieutenant Tier opened his mouth to speak, but instead of words, a swarm of drog beetles spilled from his mouth.