She looked surprised, supportive, and--Raynar hoped he sensed it correctly--slightly disappointed.

"Will you be going alone?" she asked. "Do you have your own ship?"

The question brought Raynar up short. He had not thought of how he would actually get to the droid world. "Well, if I have to find my way there alone, I will," he said firmly. He was surprised as he spoke the next words and realized they were true: "But I have some friends--I think they'll volunteer to go with me."

And he was right.

AFTER HIS DISCUSSION with Boba Fett, Zekk plunged into the search for Bornan Thul's brother.

According to Jaina's recent hololetter, Tyko had been kidnapped by the assassin droid IG-88 during a battle in the lost city on Kuar.

Jaina sent Zekk news-filled messages to reassure him of her friendship.

Someday he intended to respond, when he felt confident enough in his new life that he could rise above the dark things he had done to her and her friends when he was part of the Shadow Academy.

Zekk missed Jaina more than he could admit--even to himself--but he couldn't face her until he redefined who he was. First, he had to make his name as a bounty hunter. At the moment, an important part of his quest was to find Tyko Thul.

By tapping into galactic information databases, Zekk compiled a dossier of background information on Raynar's uncle. After the destruction of Alder-aan, Boman and Aryn Dro Thul had transformed their remaining family wealth into a profitable merchant fleet. Tyko, on the other hand, had invested his fortune in rebuilding the droid manufacturing facilities on Mechis III.

Next Zekk reviewed Jaina's hololetters and quickly summed up the details.

When his brother became a fugitive, Tyko had retreated briefly to the safety of the Bornaryn fleet, and then joined Jaina, Jacen, and their friends to search for clues on Kuar.

In the ruins, the group ran afoul of IG-88 and his squad of assassin droids, and the other Thul had been abducted during the battle.

Zekk found it astonishing that IG-88 had so far made no ransom demands.

The assassin droid seemed to be waiting for Bornan Thul to reappear from hiding and ask for his brother's release. But Zekk alone knew that the wanted man had other plans. Zekk would have to find Tyko himself.

He searched through the Lightning Rod's navigational files until he found a minor notation on the ancient world of Kuar--enough to help him plan his route. Kuar was a faint clue at best, but at the moment he had no better leads. The ship launched into hyperspace.

All civilization on the planet had turned to dust, leaving only skeletal cities poking out of craters and cliffsides. Archaeological evidence from long-ago expeditions suggested that this place had once served as a gladiatorial training ground for the fearsome Mandalorian warriors. Now, only mined cities remained, like scars gradually fading with time.

It didn't take his sensors long to locate residual traces of the young Jedi Knights' encampment and the site of their fateful battle.

At least now he had a place to start.

He set the Lightning Rod down on the crater rim where Jacen and Jaina, Tenel Ka, and Lowie had begun exploring the rains. Standing beside his ship, which ticked and hissed and clanked as it settled on its landing pads, he stared into the immense bowl-shaped crater. These ruins were older than even the Mandalorian conquests. Towering skyscrapers had fallen apart, leaving only girder superstructures that protruded from the floor of the crater and rose nearly to its rim.

The crater's sheer walls were riddled with tunnels and catacombs, like worm-infested wood. He let his imagination wander. On the balcony seats below, spectators had once watched life-and-death straggles inside the arena.

Zekk surveyed the crater, pondering his next step.

In order to search for any clues, he would need to find the exact site of the battle with the combat arachnids and the assassin droids.

He armed himself with two blasters, knowing that the catacombs might still be swarming with the ferocious spider-monsters. Zekk wanted to make his inspection and get out before he attracted the attention of the arachnids.

Keeping his weapons handy and his Jedi senses alert, Zekk followed ramps, crumbling stairs, and interlocked balconies down the crater wall. When he discovered scuffed footprints in the dust where his friends had walked, he did his best to retrace their steps. Perhaps in the aftermath of battle, some clue had been left unnoticed by one of IG-88's droid henchmen.

It was a slim chance, though, and he didn't hold out much hope.

Zekk followed the trail until he came upon recent blaster scars.

Zekk reconstructed the details of the battle from what he saw. and his cohorts had pulverized part of the crater wall to get into the catacombs.

Under attack, Jacen and Jaina had fled downward, hauling Tenel Ka, Lowie, and Tyko Thul after them. They had rushed into the dark passageways, hoping to escape. But the assassin droids had found them anyway--and so had the combat arachnids.

Zekk sniffed the metallic tang in the air, the mustiness, the sharp odor of dust and long-dried blood. Yes, this was the place.

He listened intently for the tapping of jagged feet on stone, large bodies stirring, mandibles clacking... but the tunnels were filled with only the sifting of dust, the whispers of shadows.

He switched on a glowrod, keeping the light down low, Then he advanced deeper inside.

Within the chamber he saw numerous dark tunnels in the cliffside, probably the dank lairs of surviving combat arachnids. Zekk tried to keep his light from dancing inside the protective darkness of those passages.

He was not afraid to fight, but he didn't want to.

He thought he heard a sound. Pausing in midstep, he waited to hear it repeated. A trickle of sweat crept down his back. Silence, punctuated by his own pounding heartbeat and the roar of his own breathing. He continued his inspection, trying to maintain his concentration. He didn't want to miss a thing.

On the ceiling and walls of the grotto Zekk saw pitted impact points where energy bolts had struck.

The floor itself was' stained, discolored, tacky with dried ichor from the slaughtered creatures.

Like discarded garbage, the torn and blasted remains of slain assassin droids were scattered everywhere. Durasteel arms, torsos, central processors, built-in weapons systems, and metallic skull-heads lay where they had fallen. Either the combat arachnids had no interest in the spare parts, or they had intentionally left the fallen enemies to show their scorn, "Must have been a titanic battle," Zekk muttered.

He picked up the twisted remnant of a tubular durasteel torso from one of the powerful assassin droids. Such merciless killing machines were illegal and kept under tight security even during Imperial days.

He found it incredible to discover so many here, in one place.

Zekk reached in, fiddled with the wreckage, and finally pulled out the central processing unit from the metal body core. He studied the serial number on the CPU, frowning deeply.

This was not at all what he had expected.

Zekk had assumed that IG-88, an old-model semi-sentient assassin droid, had gathered a cadre of discontinued machines that were still deadly, still functional. In theory, at least, assassin droids had not been constructed for decades--not since the fall of the Empire.

But this chip was new. The date-coded serial number and designators suggested t.hat its programming was less than two months old. This assassin droid had been manufactured recently!

Zekk held up the chip, shining his glowrod onto its surface again to double-check its markings.

Something was terribly wrong here. This was a mystery he had not anticipated.

He heard a stirring noise, clear and definite this time: the cautiously approaching footsteps of a creature that had far too many legs.

Zekk stood up straight, gripping a blaster in one hand and his glowrod in the other. He dimmed the light even further when he heard clacking noises and skittering footsteps from other catacombs, coming closer, getting louder. The combat arachnids were alerted to his presence. They were nearby... and he had no doubt they intended to deal with another intruder swiftly and permanently.

Grabbing the CPU chip that held the information he needed--as well as another, deeper puzzle--he sprinted back out to the balconies and into the hazy sunlight of Kuar. He didn't look behind him. His legs were strong and fit and carried him at full speed back to his ship.

The combat arachnids could give chase if they wanted, but he sensed that they would be cautious, for a short time, at least--and he would get to safety first. He had left the Lightning Rod prepped for a fast getaway.

Sliding into the pilot's seat, Zekk activated the repulsorlifts and raised his ship off the dusty rim of the crater, taking time to fasten his crash restraints only after he had reached the air. Then he cruised away at a leisurely pace to give himself time to Zekk held the chip in his hand, contemplating the inexplicably recent serial number.

He ran a data check on the number using the Lightning Rod's computers.

The results verified his suspicions but raised many more questions than were answered.

The assassin droids that had accompanied IG-88 to kidnap Tyko Thul had been manufactured only a few weeks ago--on Mechis III.

In Tyko Thul's own droid factory.

As he reached the blackness of space, Zekk stared out at the cascade of stars... and decided that he had no choice but to follow the mystery where it led him. He was a bounty hunter, and he had an assignment to complete. He would go to Mechis III.

But first, he had one stop to make.

MECHIS III WAS a black world, its surface blanketed with slag and industrial debris, its continents covered with factories, processing centers, and automated assembly lines. It had originally been a lifeless planet with a breathable atmosphere, but ugly and barren--a place where huge factories could be set up without local inhabitants complaining about environmental damage. Better here, everyone agreed, than on some world worth saving.

Mechis III served its purpose, as evidenced by the proliferation of droids throughout the galaxy.

Other planets, such as Telti, produced high-quality droids as well, but for generations this had been the center of the industry.

During the last days of the Empire, though, Mechis III had undergone a turbulent upheaval, which was largely undocumented. The supervisors of the automated assembly lines had been killed, but the mechanized, self-sufficient systems had continued regular production, unsupervised, for some time. In fact, several years had passed before anyone even noticed that the human attendants were no longer alive!

In the meantime, the systems had fallen into disarray.

Programming glitches and minor breakdowns went unrepaired and gradually compounded themselves into worse disasters.

Thus, by the time Raynat's uncle took on the immense project of restoring Mechis III's former glory, entire sections of the factory had been blackened, burnt out, or shut down from lack of power.

Much of the machinery lay in disrepair or total ruin.

But Tyko Thul had promised to bring the place to peak production levels and had succeeded admirably--at least until he was kidnapped by an assassin droid.

Now Raynar vowed he would not let all of his uncle's work go to waste....

As the Rock Dragon approached Mechis III, Jaina looked out the front windowports at the landscape far below. The lights of a thousand factories glittered like bright embroidery across the slag-covered surface. Beside her, Raynat sat in Lowbacca's accustomed copilot's seat, though the young man did not venture to help with the actual flying.

Jaina did it all with only Em Teedee's assistance--which made her miss Lowie even more.

Jacen and Tenel Ka sat beside each other in the back, talking quietly.

"Say," Jacen said, "what does an Imperial Star Destroyer wear to a formal occasion?"

"Why would Imperial Star Destroyers wear anything?"

Tenel Ka asked. The warrior girl from Dathomir seemed to enjoy frustrating him, and Jacen never failed to rise to the challenge.

"Still don't quite have the hang of these jokes, do you?" he said in exasperation. "Come on, you know that's not the fight response."

"Very well," Tenel Ka said with the barest smile, "what does an Imperial Star Destroyer wear to a formal occasion?"

"A bow TIE!"

Jaina groaned. "That one's bad even for you, Jacen. I think we may have to strand you here on Mechis III."

Raynar leaned forward in the copilot's seat to study the view, eager and nervous at the same time.

"I've got coordinates for the administrative headquarters," he said. "My mother sent them. If Uncle Tyko left any messages, that's where they'll be."

"All right," Jaina said, thankful to turn back to flying the ship, "key the coordinates into the navicomputer and we'll be on our way."

The blond young man blinked in surprise that she would have him do the work. Jaina raised her eyebrows. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

With obvious pleasure, Raynar quickly punched in the data and changed course down to the industrial planet. After cruising through thick clouds of obscuring smoke, Jaina brought the Rock Dragon down on the roof of the administration towers.

Raynar was the first to the hatch. Jaina picked up Em Teedee, tucked the little droid under one arm, and opened the passenger shuttle. Gusts of smoky air drifted in, smelling of burnt chemicals and ozone.

The companions stepped out and gazed around at the skyline.

Lightning rods spiked upward from the corners of the tallest buildings, drawing down static in discharge blasts. Towering factories spewed exhaust into the air, and black clouds simmered just above the 'tops of smokestacks.

Tenel Ka drew a deep breath, scowled, then took a more cautious sniff.

"The air is... brooding."

She looked up at the blackness in the sky. In the distance lightning flickered. "Perhaps a storm is approaching."

"I think that's just the pollution, Tenel Ka," Jacen said.

A roof doorway opened, ratcheting on tracks that had not been lubricated in a long time. A platinum-colored protocol droid emerged, an older model that still managed to move with well-oiled grace.

"You are not authorized to be here. No visitors allowed." Its voice was harsher, less silken than

See-Threepio's. "You must depart immediately... or accept the consequences. "

Em Teedee made a disbelieving sound that was muffled slightly by Jaina's arm. "Well, really! I am authorized translating droid Em Teedee, and my companions are students at the Jedi academy on Yavin 4. I can assure you we have every right to be here."

"I am Threedee-Fourex, official protocol droid and welcoming committee--

and you are not welcome," the protocol droid snapped.

"Protocol droid, indeed!" Em Teedee scoffed. "I should say your programming requires significant adjustment, not to mention your manners."

Threedee-Fourex continued to block their path.

"Go away. If you were the Emperor himself you would not be wanted here."

"The Emperor is dead," Jaina said, "and we have business on Mechis III."

The protocol droid did not budge.

Finally Raynar stepped forward. "I am Raynar Thul, nephew of Tyko Thul, the administrator of this facility. In his absence, I have come to see that his business affairs run smoothly until he returns."

"You are not essential to this operation," Threedee-Fourex said.

"Your presence will complicate matters unnecessarily."

Raynar drew himself up with all the dignity and determination his noble upbringing had given him.

"And a mere protocol droid is not authorized to make that decision. Now show me to my uncle's offices. We have work to do."

"I will do no such thing," Threedee-Fourex Said, then swiveled about. "It would violate my current priority programming--which is to keep guests away. Depart immediately, or I shall be forced to take extreme measures."

Tenel Ka withdrew her lightsaber, but did not switch it on. "We are Jedi Knights, droid." She held the rancor-tooth handle with studied nonchalance.

"Your 'extreme measures' would be useless against the Force."

After reconsidering the situation, the protocol droid scuttled away. The companions hurried after him, catching a lift platform that took them down several levels to the main administrative floors. But Threedee-Fourex had disappeared.

Raynar frowned. "Oh well, we don't really need him anyway. We can use one of these wall diagrams to find my uncle's office."

Jaina activated the computerized map and plotted the shortest route to Tyko Thul's suite of rooms. A few minutes later Raynar stood looking through the doorway in a heavy bulkhead that led into a spacious room.

"Here's the head office," he said.

A desk, sitting area, and beverage center all sat carefully arranged in front of a wall of windows that provided a spectacular, if frightening, view of the grim industrial landscape. Computer screens lined a desktop piled high with old manifests, outdated production quotas, repair logs, and rebuilding plans.

A set of holographic models shimmered on one corner of the desktop, showing projected upgrades to machinery and factory lines.

"My uncle told me he ran all of Mechis III from his office," Raynar said.

"We can use this as our command center. Luckily, the systems are pretty well automated, so I should only have to keep an eye on the most important functions. "

"Sounds like a big job, Raynar," Jacen said.

The young man nodded gravely. "Yes, but it's something I need to do...

for my family. My mother would consider it great training."

"I hope Uncle Tyko would be proud of me." He sniffed.

"One thing I intend to do is program certain droids to be more courteous!"

Raynar went to the desk console and checked the screens. He found a glowing icon that said "Current Operational Status," and touched it.

The screen lit up.

Suddenly loud alarms blared throughout the room.

A harsh mechanized voice bellowed from the speakers. "Intruder alert!

Security lockdown initiated."

"Uh, wait!" Raynar said. "I didn't mean--" The heavy bulkhead door to Tyko's office slammed shut with a thunderous clang, like an ore hauler crashing into a rock wall. Pneumatic locks hissed as the door sealed itself in place.

"Oh my!" Em Teedee wailed. "We're trapped!"

Drawing her lightsaber, Tenel Ka sprang to a fighting stance.

"Oh, blaster bolts. Now we're in for it," Jacen groaned, looking frantically around. 'Tll bet Threedee-Fourex is laughing at us right now."

Jaina ran over to the computer console and nudged Raynar aside to see if she could deactivate the alarm. Glancing up, she suddenly noticed targeting lasers at the four corners of the ceiling. The weapons began to move, using motion sensors to acquire their marks.

"Laser cannons! Get them before they get us," she cried.

Jacen immediately saw the threat and drew his own lightsaber. Its emerald-green blade spran out, ready for action. Needing neither explanation nor guidance, Tenel Ka streaked to the opposite side of the room, ready to do her part.

A brilliant' laser danced out, leaving a black smoking crater in the floor at Raynar's feet. He yelped and lunged out of the way.

Jaina ducked, still hunched over the computer but with senses alert for any other blasts. She scrambled at the controls, working to open the heavy door.

"Run for cover, Raynar," she called, and the blond-haired young man dove under the solid desk.

Feeling a warning through the Force, Jaina threw herself to one side as a laser bolt sizzled very close to where she had been standing.

Then she leapt back to her work, trying to understand the ancient automated systems. "Come on," she muttered, "how does this work?" She fervently wished Lowie were there--he could always figure out strange computer systems.

Tenel Ka held her lightsaber in her hand, its deep turquoise throbbing with power as she slashed upward. The glowing blade severed the nearest targeting laser, leaving a stump of smoldering plasteel that sizzled and sparked.

Jacen chopped another of the weapons to pieces.

"Two down," he said, "two to go." Instinctively working as a team, he'and the warrior girl streaked toward opposite corners of the room.

The remaining weapons fired a dizzying web of laser bolts, which the young Jedi easily managed to dodge by letting the Force guide them.

Jaina wondered if the targeting sensors had malfunctioned or if they were merely inaccurate. It seemed unlikely the powerful weapons would miss so many times.

Perhaps office security upgrades were not among the high-priority repairs Tyko Thul had completed.

She was thankful for that at least.

Jacen swiped with his lightsaber blade again, trashing the third of the weapons. Lasers burned scars into the walls like black bullet holes.

Jaina punched a final sequence into the computer, hoping she had guessed the proper string of commands--and heard a hissing thunk as the door unsealed. It didn't raise of its own accord, but at least the bulkhead was unlocked and they could lift it now. "To the door!"

Smashing the final laser cannon, Tenel Ka stood proudly under the rain of shrapnel. "We are safe," she announced. But loud alarms continued to blare.

Jaina still felt uneasy. "We don't know what other security forces might be coming," she said. "Better get out of these offices until the clamor dies down."

She ran to the heavy metal bulkhead. "Help me with this. We'll need to lift it ourselves."

Together, the companions heaved, using their muscles and their Jedi strength. The heavy door reluctantly rolled up into its socket....

And there, looming in the doorway, was the towering assassin droid IG-88, just waiting for them. Blinking red lights flared like the eruptions of miniature volcanoes in its conical head.

"Look out!" Jaina cried.

The assassin droid moved smoothly, relentlessly, raising both of its powerful metallic arms. IG-88 spoke no threat, but it clearly meant to take deadly action. In one arm its built-in blaster cannon powered up; in the other, a concussion grenade levered into place, ready for launch. The droid aimed its weapons and prepared to fire on the young Jedi Knights.

"Wait!" a man's voice shouted. "I command you to stop!"

A moment later, Tyko Thul himself appeared from the shadows! His face was flushed, and his eyes showed annoyance rather than fear.

Raynar's supposedly kidnapped uncle, dressed in the garishly colored robes of the house of Thul, glared at the young Jedi Knights, then scowled directly at Ray nar.

"Well, what are you doing here, boy?" Tyko demanded with a tremendous sigh. "Now you've ruined everything!"

THE RISING STAR dipped and looped and cavorted with its pilot's exuberance as Raaba flew across the jungle canopy of Kashyyyk. Lowie didn't have to use his Jedi senses to see how excited she was about coming back home.

He couldn't wait to see his sister's face when she saw her best friend again. Of all Raaba's friends and relations, Sirra alone knew that the long-lost Wookiee was actually alive. But even Sirra didn't know that Lowie and Raaba were coming for a visit.

He bared his teeth in a gleeful grin as Raaba accelerated, flipped the little star skimmer over, and flew briefly upside down just above the dense canopy. The branches were so thick and interlocked that thoroughfares as wide as highways had been chopped through the treetops so that beasts of burden could walk from place to place. Deep beneath the rooftop of branches lay the dark underworld where few Wookiees ever ventured.

Raaba flipped the Rising Star over again and waggled the tiny craft's airfoils back and forth so that the skimmer ruffled the leaves below it, like a Calamarian seaskiff dancing across the green waves.

Then, finally, they headed toward the vast treetop city where they had both grown up.

The crowns of the tallest wroshyr trees rose above the level canopy like islands in an ocean; wooden platforms at various heights served as gathering areas and landing pads. High-tech facilities, such as computer fabrication labs and the planetary traffic control tower, had been erected in some of the larger trees, while more distant tree clusters served as dwellings for Wookiee families.

Raaba chose an open landing platform high on the outskirts of the city.

Cinching the red band tight around her head, Raaba bounded out of the star skimmer, as full of cheerful energy as Lowie had ever seen her.

She made Lowie promise not to tell anyone, not even Sirra, of her presence. Instead, she planned to make her way unobtrusively to the Great Tree Arena, where she would register a request for an all-city meeting.

She would let the Wookiee registry spread the word for her, and then make her surprise reappearance tonight with everyone present.

Raaba had much to do between now and then, and it had to be done just right. The sleek, dark Wookiee woman hurried off after Lowie agreed to urge his sister and family to attend the gathering.

It was a long way to Lowie's house yet, but he was in no hurry.

His parents, Kallabow and Mahrac-cor, were probably still at work at the computer fabrication facility. After hours of cramped flight, he wanted to stretch his legs by striding along the spicy-smelling branchtop thoroughfare. The morning sun was warm, and the breeze fragrant. It felt good to be home.

He went to see his sister first.

A distinguished-looking older Wookiee with yellowing fur pointed Lowie toward the flight training area where Sirra took classes to become a star pilot.

He leapt and climbed from branch to branch to reach the leafy field above which Sirra flew her training vessel.

He looked upward, watching her ship make one long dive and then another pass. With no slight amusement, he noted that Sirra's piloting style was very much like Raaba's. The two had been fast friends for years, after all.

The refurbished Y-wing had a cramped instructor's station built into the compartment where the gunner formerly sat. From the speed with which Sirra banked and looped, however, one would never have guessed that her practice vessel was a discontinued model now used primarily for training.

Sirra simulated a perfect reverse-throttle hop against an imaginary opponent, followed by an under split, then disengaged after performing a flawless Talion roll. Her exhaust nacelles glowed orange-white as she roared back toward the treetop city.

With her lesson finished, Sirra brought the Y-wing to the landing platform low and fast, barely a meter above its polished surface. No doubt showing off, she pulled up into a steep climb, looped around, and landed with microcaliper precision directly in the center. Her ship's repulsorjets let out a hiss like a nervous sigh of relief.

Sirra popped the Y-wing's canopy and sprang out of the cockpit.

Because she was pumped with adrenaline from her flying antics, she did not notice her brother at first, but Lowie had a front row seat for an amusing exchange.

Sirra raked long fingers through her raffled patchwork fur, while her instructor, a portly human whom Lowie did not recognize, levered himself slowly and painfully out of the rear compartment.

The man's face was flushed and indignant, and his voice shook when he spoke. "Why, in my day, young lady--" he began.

Wookiee, Sirra corrected him, growling in her own language.

"Yes, well, Wookiee then," the man said: "In my day, trainees understood how to follow instructions.

And they did it politely with a 'Yes, Captain Thorn' or a salute.

No grandstanding."

Sirra reminded Captain Thorn that she was not in the military, nor did she ever intend to be. Then, with sly deliberation, she pointed out that she had actually followed every one of his instructions. She had simply added a bit of..

. embellishment.

"Precisely," Thorn said, "embellishment. I did not tell you to embellish."

But he hadn't told her not to embellish, Sirra insisted in a mild voice, wrinkling her black nose.

Lowie, nearly shaking with laughter, chose this moment to heave himself up onto the landing platform where his sister could see him.

Sirra uttered a yelp of happy surprise and crossed the platform in two long leaps. She threw herself into her brother's arms, and the two Wookiees set up a joyous interchange of growls, barks, and chuffing laughter.

Captain Thorn flushed a deep red all the way up to the scalp that showed through his thinning hair and stalked off the platform, mumbling something about needing a pay raise.

Sirra wanted to know why Lowie had come unannounced, when he had arrived, why his little translating droid had not accompanied him, how he had gotten to Kashyyyk... and whether or not he had heard anything from Raaba.

Lowie tried to explain without giving away Raaba's secret. Sirra gave a pleased growl, not noticing how he had evaded her questions.

His timing was perfect, she assured him--though she cast an annoyed look in the direction of her departed instructor. She hoped that Lowie could stay a while and watch how well she had learned to fly since she, too, had completed her rite of passage down in the dangerous underworld.

She had so much to tell him, it might take days.

At early evening, Lowie and Sirca made their way to the amphitheater just outside the treetop city. · Their parents were already there, along with half the city's inhabitants.

Sirra complained that they would have more fun staying home and playing combat-simulation games on their entertainment unit. Why in the sector would he. want to attend an open city forum in the Great Tree Arena? Such meetings were always dull and never had any relevance to the younger members of society.

With a mysteriously cocked brow, Lowie hastened to assure his sister that she would find this particular meeting very interesting.

Sirca threw him a doubtful glance, but did not argue further.

They chose seating branches high in the amphitheater, where they could get the best view. The sun sank below the horizon of the sprawling forest, and the sky grew rich and dark overhead. Lowie had a hard time distinguishing between the soft rustling of Wooldees finding their seats and the whisper of leaves in the evening wind.

Sirra grew restless for the meeting to start. Lowie began to worry that something had gone wrong or that Raaba had changed her mind.

Maybe she had reconsidered her confession, and was ashamed after all to tell how she had staged her own death.

Then, just as the first few stars brightened in the sky, a shaft of blazing light stabbed upward from the center of the stage. In the center of the light stood a chocolate-furred female Wooldee--wearing her own dazzling belt made of syren fiber. Fresh syren fiber!

Sirca nearly fell backward off her branch in surprise, and Lowie fared no better. He had known Raaba set up this meeting, but the implications of her belt were enough to stun him as much as everyone else in the assembly. Surprised murmurs of recognition spread through the crowd, and Lowie heard Raaba's name repeated over and over. Sirra glared at her brother accusingly. He had kept this a secret from her!

Before Lowie could explain why he had kept silent about her friend's return, Raaba raised her arms to quiet the crowd. In a loud, clear voice she introduced herself, so that there could be no mistaking who she was.

Next, the beam of light in which Raaba stood split into a hundred smaller rays that opened and spread themselves flat on the stage, like the petals of some gigantic fiery flower with her at its center.

She told everyone how she had been all but dead after attempting her rite of passage... and how the Diversity Alliance had given her back her life.

In much the same way, she said, the Empire's enslavement of Wookiees had taken the life of Kashyyyk. To a great extent, Wookiees still slaved for humankind, in one way or another. Lowie sat listening uneasily. He had not known Raaba was going to make this a political speech. Sirra, though, seemed thoroughly enthralled.

Raaba continued. Aliens of all species had suffered similar treatment since before the rise of Emperor Palpatine--all at the hands of humans.

And the most shameful part, she said, spreading her arms to the crowd, was that none of it would have been possible if the nonhuman peoples hadn't allowed it to happen.

The Diversity Alliance and its visionary leader, Nolaa Tarkona, were ready to show the way. If Wookiees and Talz and Biths and Twi'leks and all other species would band together, unified under one leader, they would never need to fear the domination of humans again.

She urged anyone who was willing to help to send a message to the Diversity Alliance, to go to Nolaa Tarkona herself on Ryloth, or to talk their friends into joining the cause as well. · Wookiee murmurs ran through the crowd again, this time sounds of approval. Raaba's voice grew no louder, but her words became more persuasive.

Each of the glowing rays around her shattered into a million tiny shards of light, surrounding her like a swarm of phosfieas.

Individually, Raaba explained, each of them was no more than one of these tiny specks. Alone, they could do nothing. But together--she raised her arms high over her head and the phosflea-specks of light coalesced into a hundred dazzling rays--they could change the galaxy!

The rays snapped together again into a single brilliant beacon that speared upward toward the stars.

Then the stage went completely dark.

Wookiees on every side shook the branches to show their approval.

Swept along by the emotion, Lowie and Sirra joined in.

Suddenly and without warning, Raaba stood there with them, out in the amphitheater seats. With a roar of joy, Sirra hurled herself upon her friend, pounding Raaba on the back and growling happily.

Raaba chuffed her own delight to see Sirra again as she showed off her glossy new belt.

Unable to restrain his curiosity any longer, Lowie asked Raaba when and how she had gotten her trophy. The chocolate-furred Wookiee flashed her fangs in a wide grin, pleased by his surprise.

She had gone down to the world below only that afternoon, just before returning home to visit her stunned parents. Raaba had been hiding for almost a year, running away--and she wanted to have her trophy before she showed herself again. Completing the fateful mission that had been interrupted so long ago had made her return even more dramatic.

But then her expression grew serious again.

Raaba looked shrewdly at her two friends. She needed to return to Ryloth that very night, she said; she had to report in to Nolaa Tarkona and the Diversity Alliance. There was no time to waste. Her eyes burned with an intensity Lowie could not entirely understand.

Then Raaba eagerly clasped both of their shoulders.

If Lowie and Sirra would accompany her to

Ryloth, just for a few days, she would tell them all about her adventures in the lower levels and her battle with the syren plant.

Before Lowie could consider the question, Sirra enthusiastically agreed for both of them.

SPARKS FROM THE mined targeting lasers continued to sputter into Tyko Thul's administrative office. The young Jedi Knights stood frozen in shock after hearing Raynar's uncle issue orders to the deadly assassin droid.

Perturbed, Tyko tried with little success to step around the metallic hulk of IG-88. "Out of the way, you big clod," he said as he pushed against the assassin droid's body core. The droid clanked dutifully sideways to give Raynar's uncle room to pass.

Tyko strode to the nearest of the wrecked automatic weapons in his office, grimaced, then turned to face Raynar and his friends. "You didn't need to destroy them all, did you? I specifically calibrated the targeters not to hit anybody," he said with a huff. "Now the entire defense grid in this room is mined, and I'll have to have it replaced."

He heaved a long-suffering sigh. "As if I didn't have enough to do already."

"But," Raynar spluttered, "Uncle Tyko, what's going on?"

Tyko rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious, my dear boy? I was trying to lure your irresponsible father out of hiding by making it look as if I were in incredible personal peril. I did it for all of us--so we can get everything back to normal working order again. But I see Bornan doesn't care a whit about me after all."

IG-88 stomped to the doorway and took up a position guarding the room's entrance. He held out his powerful upper limbs, high-energy armaments fully extended. Tyko flashed the droid a sidelong glance.

"Oh, deactivate your weapons, you half-witted hunk of antiquated machinery! Can't you see you're not intimidating anyone anymore?"

Tyko shook his head in disbelief. "Droids! No matter how sophisticated you make them, they still have no sense of propriety."

"I beg your pardon?" Em Teedee said.

Jaina shushed the little.translating droid and turned to Tyko.

"We could use some explanations, sir. This whole situation is pretty complicated, and we only came here to help. This isn't what we expected to find at all."

Tenel Ka's muscles tensed as she faced Tyko Thul, her voice gruff.

"We believed you were in true danger. We risked much for you on Kuar--yet you say your entire abduction was a mere hoax?"

"I had to make the whole thing look believable, of course," Raynar's uncle said with a shrug. "But my droids were very careful."

Standing by the desktop computer pad, he punched in commands that shut off power to the security systems and stopped the flow of sparks from the broken targeting lasers. "Well, we'll have to fix that some other time.

Come with me. I'm scheduled to check one of the assembly lines. We can discuss this as I go about my business." With that, Tyko turned and bustled out of the room, his bright robes swirling around him.

The young Jedi Knights followed, still perplexed.

The assassin droid stood motionless and threatening, guarding the empty room.

"Well?" Tyko called over his shoulder. "Don't just stand there, IG-88.

Come with us."

The droid strode after them, metallic feet pounding on the floor.

"I know my brother very well. Unfortunately--and I'm sorry you have to hear this, Raynar--" Tyko said, looking sympathetically at the young m.an, "your father has always tried to outsmart everyone in negotiations, relying on his wits... and that frequently gets him into trouble. I'm convinced he's on the run because some scam backfired on him--something too embarrassing to admit. And now he's simply hiding, without bothering to consider the incredible inconvenience he's causing the rest of us."

They stopped at a broad lift platform big enough for all of them to climb aboard. Tyko pushed a button, and the floor suddenly dropped out beneath them as the lift plunged down to the lower manufacturing levels.

"Bornan's dear wife Aryn is in constant torment," Tyko went on.

"The trading fleet has stopped most of its work, subcontracted their primary merchandising accounts until further notice, and gone on the run from imaginary enemies. Poor Raynar here is worried sick about his father." He huffed.

"I decided I'd simply had enough of this charade, so I staged my own kidnapping, hoping that I could flush Bornan out. It was perfectly reasonable to suppose that if he thought his own brother was in danger, he would finally come out and set things to rights." Tyko sighed.

"But instead of him coming to find me, you children arrived. Now he'll never show up."

The lift stopped, and they entered a tube shuttle that rocketed them to another factory complex. A symphony of industrial noises thundered. all around them. Silvery pistons gleamed under harsh lights, whooshing up and down. Jets of superhot steam hissed, while pumps circulated supercold gases through cylinders of bubbling liquids.

Conveyor belts hummed as they hauled sparkling new parts to various assembly stations where meticulous multiarmed droids pieced the components together. Bulky worker droids thumped from one end of the cavernous room to another, using portable repulsorsleds to move completed machinery to the shipping areas.

"My, this is fascinating, isn't it?" Em Teedee said. "Look at all the activity."

Raynat's uncle stopped, distracted by one section of the line where droids were installing dozens of optical sensors like black blisters on a dome-shaped head assembly; farther down the same line, other droid workers attached the head assembly to a mobile torso equipped with small rocket engines.

The entire unit was then installed in a self-contained hyperdrive pod.

"This is the production line once used to create the thousands of probe droids Darth Vader commissioned, back when he was hunting down Rebel bases like the one on Hoth," Tyko said. "Now we've retooled the probot apparatus and programming to produce these mapping and surveyor droids.

They proved quite useful during the Black Fleet Crisis.

"The New Republic needs an accurate map of the galaxy, so that they won't be ignorant of lost colonies or uninhabited worlds rich in resources.

The best surveys are centuries out of date, and many aren't up to the standards our modern technology will allow."

Proudly, Tyko rapped his knuckles on the hemispherical assembly, and spoke to the droids on the construction line. "Good work. Keep it up."

Then he strode away. The droids took no notice of the compliment. IG-88

marched behind them like a bodyguard.

"But what about IG-887" Jaina said, still more interested in Tyko Thul's explanations than in his tour. "The whole attack on Kuar? The assassin droids?"

Tyko clasped his hands behind his back and pressed his lips together.

"The other assassin droids on IG-88's commando team were of... recent manufacture. I happened upon some old plans in the assembly facilities here on Mechis III, so I produced an extra dozen or so."

Raynar sounded indignant. "But it's illegal to manufacture assassin droids, Uncle Tyko! That was clearly stated in the New Republic charter when they turned this planet over to you. I just read all of those documents, because I was coming to help run this place while you were gone."

"Well, I suppose it's illegal... from a certain point of view," Tyko said, "if you're strictly literal about it. But they were just for show.

All of my new assassin droids had explicit programming to prevent them from harming anyone. Rather disqualifies them as 'assassin' droids, wouldn't you say? Not terribly practical either, except that their other capabilities make them unusually versatile and powerful."

Tenel Ka's brows knitted together, and her storm-gray eyes flashed. "So.

We were never in actual danger on Kuar?"

"Oh, you were in plenty of danger--but not from my droids," Tyko said.

"The combat arachnids could have sliced you to pieces. I never anticipated those beasts." Tyko patted the gleaming durasteel arm of IG-88. "In fact, it's a good thing my droids were there, because I'm not sure you kids could have handled all those ferocious monsters."

Tenel Ka seemed somewhat mollified to know that at least some of the danger had been genuine.

Jaina looked the assassin droid up and down.

"So, IG-88's just a replica, too? A copy of the original?"

"No, he's real enough," Tyko said. "I found him here when I took over Mechis III. This whole planet was such a mess!" He shook his head, and then moved on to inspect another station where motivators were being installed into the torsos of a new series of astromech droids.

"When I got here, all the systems were in a shambles. Them was some sort of revolution here, and it took me a long time to uncover all the details.

I was astonished to discover that the droids themselves had fostered this rebellion, killing their human masters as part of some grand plan to take over the galaxy. According to the records I was able to reconstruct, IG-88--the real assassin droid--was behind it somehow.

"Apparently, IG-88 had made several copies of himself, which went out to do the bounty-hunting work that made him so famous. Those copies were all destroyed in various escapades. This one, though, the primary one, had developed a scheme to upload his entire electronic consciousness, is it were, into the second Death Star computer core so that he could become the galaxy's most powerful weapon!"

"Not the best choice," Jacen said. "We all know what happened to the second Death Star."

Tyko smiled indulgently at him. "So IG-88 left behind the empty shell of his original body, which I found. I was careful to completely purge its systems, every memory bank. I replaced its central processing core, gave it new programming. This droid is now absolutely loyal to me, but still as capable as the old IG-88."

After completing the circuit of the manufacturing floor, Tyko took them back to the tube shuttle, which returned them to the main headquarters building.

"Well, well," Raynar said, his forehead creased with concern as he sorted out the details of Tyko's plan. "At least you've got IG-88 to protect you, if there's ever a real assault from the people who are after my father."

Tyko looked skeptically at his nephew. "My dear boy, I'm certain Bornan's gotten himself into some sort of trouble, but I doubt that there are really people chasing him who intend to harm him," he said as he led them to the broad lift platform again.

"Mark my words--there's no danger here."

The lift platform lurched as it shot them skyward again, back up to the administration levels.

BEFORE HEADING OFF to Mechis III on his search for Tyko Thul, Zekk diverted the Lightning Rod to the asteroid station of Borgo Prime.

He had no intention of missing the scheduled rendezvous with his mysterious employer.

Bornan Thul.

Zekk sat inside Shanko's Hive all alone at a table, wearing a scuffed flight suit, his long dark hair neatly tied back. While he waited, Zekk studied a datapad to which he had downloaded the shipping records and permits issued for legal droid commerce throughout the New Republic. All restrictions against constructing automated assassins remained in effect.

According to public transaction records on file with the Department of Galactic Commerce, no droid construction facility--including Tyko's own operation on Mechis III--had a permit either to build or sell assassin droids.

IG-88 and his newly constructed companions remained a mystery to Zekk.

Something just didn't fit....

He had ordered a hot meal from the insectlike Shanko, but chewed without tasting, wrapped up in his own thoughts. Apprehending Bornan Thul for the famous bounty was not an option at the moment, since the contract with his employer was not yet complete. He still had to find Tyko.

Repeatedly glancing at his chronometer, he rehearsed what he intended to say to the man. Though Boba Fett had given him advice, questions remained at the back of Zekk's mind. This was a dangerous time for him. Less than an hour now until his meeting....

Zekk slurped another mouthful of the spicy stew. His stomach roiled, but Shanko had assured him that this meal was human-compatible.

His queasiness was due more to anxiety over the impending meeting than any lack of quality in the cooking.

Shanko's Hive was abustle with hundreds of patrons of all different species. The insectoid owner kept his crowded establishment clean and in excellent repair, much in contrast to the dingy Mos Eisley cantina. Zekk kept his eye on everyone, studying, searching.

Bornan Thul arrived in a new disguise this time, but Zekk spotted him fight away. His employer wore a maroon caftan, a brown turban around his head, and a metal breath mask that covered his nose and mouth, the type worn by inhabitants of heavily polluted worlds.

Thul didn't notice Zekk at first. The man's partially obscured gaze darted around the bar furtively, as if he were anxious about being among so many people. If Zekk had any lingering doubts about his employer's identity, they were dispelled the moment he sensed Thul's tension.

At his table Zekk sat back and wondered whether he should raise a hand to wave his employer over.

He decided the attention might startle Bornan Thul, so he simply waited until the disguised man noticed him.

"I have only a few moments," Thul said without preamble when he finally located Zekk and slid into the seat next to him. The metallic breath mask filtered his voice. "Quickly--give me your report!"

Under the turban, Thul's gaze continued to dart warily around at the other patrons in Shanko's Hive.

Zekk found this alermess ironic, since right now he himself was the bounty hunter Bornan Thul should have feared the most.

Zekk laced his fingers behind his head and feigned relaxation.

"I've completed the first part of your task," he said. "I sent the message for the Bomaryn fleet through all the communication nodes you suggested. I have, of course, received no word as to whether Aryn Dro Thul actually got the transmission... but it's likely."

Bornan Thul seemed to melt with relief, and instantly the lines around his shadowed eyes softened.

Waves of long-repressed emotion flowed from him like a physical presence.

Zekk decided to tell the rest of his story. "Immediately after I transmitted your message, a bounty hunter attacked me. He'd been waiting for just such a signal. He pounced, but I managed to outwit him and escape."

The disguised man nodded gravely. "You see--I was right to be cautious."

"Yes. That bounty hunter thought he had found you... Bornan Thul." Zekk's voice was barely above a whisper.

The man stiffened and looked ready to leap away in panic. Zekk held up a hand. "If I had planned to capture you, I could have stunned you the moment you sat down. Relax." Ze.kk tossed his long dark hair, trying to unwind the tension in his neck. "How long did you think you could hide it? You were pretty obvious. I guessed your identity the first time we met, even in your disguise."

Bornan Thul swallowed so hard that Zekk could hear it through the metallic breath mask. Thul kept his voice low. "I was raised as a noble of Alderaan.

I have been a successful merchant, a prominent trade negotiator--I have had little practice at hiding myself."

"That much is obvious," Zekk said with a thin smile. "I'm impressed that you've managed to elude capture so far. You know, I'd earn incredible fame and notoriety if I were to take you in now--but that wouldn't be honorable. The Bounty Hunter's Creed forbids me to work against my employer. I accepted your assignment, and I won't betray you. So you're safe--at least until I've fulfilled all my obligations to you.

"I still haven't found your brother, though I've got a lead on Tyko's kidnapping. I have quite a few questions that are still unanswered, so I'm on my way to Mechis III. I have a feeling I can learn more there about what's happened to him, maybe even find him."

"We cannot meet again," Bornan Thul said, his voice trembling.

"Now that you know who I am."

Zekk's emerald eyes narrowed. "Then how can I be sure I'll get paid when I accomplish the task?"

"I'm an honorable man, too," Thul said. "When my brother is found, the credits will appear in your account. From that point on, I will consider you another enemy to be avoided at all cost."

He stood up, considered, then turned back to the table. "Young man, you can't begin to understand the consequences if you delivered me to Nolaa Tarkona. Do you have any idea why she wants me so badly?"

Zekk shook his head. "A bounty hunter doesn't ask questions! My job is to complete the task.

Politics, emotions, and legal nuances are better left to more complex entities."

Thul heaved a ponderous sigh. "Perhaps you would think differently if you knew all that I know," he said. "If Nolaa Tarkona were to get the information I am protecting, she would not hesitate to use it.

It might result in the extinction of all humans.

Consider how far you're willing to go to earn fame as a bounty hunter--

and how many lives you would risk in the process."

Zekk shifted uncomfortably, trying not to consider the implications.

Unexpectedly, a loud and unruly fight broke out at the automated musical-selection apparatus on the other side of the bar. A burly, white-furred Talz shoved aside a tusk-faced Whiphid. The Whiphid roared, lowered his cliff-sized head, and butted the Talz in the chest.

The white slothlike creature squealed in high-pitched alarm and began pounding the Whiphid in turn.

Tables crashed oven The music machine toppled with a jangle of synthesized squawks. The murmuring conversation in Shanko's Hive changed to resounding gasps and cheers as friends of the combatants and other enthusiastic patrons hurled themselves into the fray.

Shanko gestured with one pair of multijointed arms, and his three-armed bartender lumbered into the brawl with a loud bellow.

Droq'l grasped the Talz and the Whiphid with his outer two hands, forcefully separating them. At the same time, his central hand balled into a battering-ram fist and punched each creature in an extremely sensitive area particular to their species.

Both fighters dropped like stones, and Droq'l glared down at them as their supporters backed away to slink into the shadows. The bartender righted the music machine, kicked it once to start it working again, then glowered at the two groggy aliens.

"Your bar tab will reflect a surcharge for the necessary repairs," he growled, then stalked back to the bar. There the insectoid Shanko, who had watched the entire altercation without comment, rewarded his bartender with a full tankard of Osskorn Stout.

Zekk shook his head and turned back to Bornan Thul--but the man was gone.

He looked around in alarm, but saw no sign of the fugitive.

Thul had vanished completely, just as he had last time....

Zekk decided there was no point in pursuing his employer. It would do no good. Instead, he would finish his stew, and then head for Mechis HI straightaway.

WHEN THE YOUNG Jedi Knights returned to the administrative offices, Tyko hurried off to arrange for a meal to be brought in. Now that he had let them in on his plan, he seemed determined to be the attentive host.

But something still bothered Jaina. "I'm not sure quite what it is," she said, "but something about your uncle's story doesn't add up, Raynar."

Raynar frowned, as troubled as she was, "You don't think he was lying, do you?"

"We would have sensed that, I think," Jacen said.

"He was telling the truth."

Tenel Ka arched an eyebrow. "I found several logical flaws in his scheme."

"Well, for one thing," Raynar said, "he's assuming my father is pulling a scam. He doesn't seem to believe my family is in any real danger."

"Yeah, that doesn't make any sense," Jacen piped up. "Your uncle may have faked his own kidnapping, but Boba Fett was sure serious enough in the shards of Alderaan."

Jaina added, "Yes, and the bounty hunter Kusk and his brother who tried to get you and your mother away from the Tradewyn were no hoax. I'd say they were pretty real--not to mention dangerous."

"We need to tell my mother that Uncle Tyko is safe," Raynar said.

"That'll be one less thing for her to worry about." Looking around the spacious administrative office, his eyes glinted with determination.

"We should get these targeted defensive lasers working again before we leave--just in case Uncle Tyko gets any unwanted visitors."

"I'm certain that the gesture would be greatly appreciated," Em Teedee said. "If Mistress Jaina would be so kind as to link me to the defense control systems, I believe I might be of some assistance."

Jaina grinned and pulled her multitool from the pocket of her jumpsuit.

"I'm always prepared."

She rapidly removed the access plates on the mined weapons systems. By the time Tyko returned, followed by IG-88 and a serving droid that carried the midday meal, the young Jedi Knights had managed to repair two of the four targeting lasers.

"I don't believe it!" Tyko beamed. He patted Raynar on the back. "But then, of course, we Thuls have always been resourceful."

"I didn't do this alone," Raynar objected. "Everyone helped--even Em Teedee."

"Yes, of course, my boy," Tyko answered. He glanced over at the console to which the translating unit had been wired. "Ah, Em Teedee, how kind of you to lend, um... to lend a wire. You are the one droid in the galaxy I truly trust-- with the exception of my own IG-88, of course."

"Why, thank you, Master Tyko. I do try," Em Teedee said, almost preening.

The compliment seemed to make no impression on IG-88, however.

Working and tinkering always helped Jaina to concentrate, to let her subconscious work out things that were bothering her. Something clicked now in her mind, and she turned from her work to stare directly at the red-eyed assassin droid.

"Now; children, what may I offer you to eat?"

Tyko asked. "We have kebroot stew, dried ossber-ries, a fine--"

"Wait," Jaina said, her eyes still on IG-88. "I have a few questions first."

"Very well, my dear, but don't dawdle. Our meal is waiting."

Jaina worded her question carefully. "Didn't you say that those new assassin droids were programmed not to kill?"

"Why, of course, my child. I programmed them myself," Tyko answered.

"Nothing at all to worry about. Now, can I offer you some sparkling ale or would you prefer--"

"But," Jaina interrupted again, "on Kuar your assassin droids blasted several combat arachnids into dripping chunks."

Tenel Ka nodded suspiciously. "This is a fact. It certainly qualifies as killing."

"Hey, that's right," Jacen said. "Combat arachnids are very rare creatures. "

"No! Combat arachnids don't really qualify, of course," the round-faced man spluttered. "The droids were protecting you.

Besides--it's not as if those things were human."

Jaina's stomach clenched as the implications of his words sank in.

Raynat had also gone as pale as stormtrooper armor. "Are you saying," the young man asked in a strangled voice, "that your droids have no compunctions against killing anything--or anyone--that isn't human?"

"An assassin droid wouldn't be much of a bodyguard if it couldn't protect me from an attack by those combat arachnids, would it?" Tyko said.

"Our Wookiee friend Lowbacca was with us on Kuar as well," Tenel Ka said in a dangerous voice.

"And he's not human," Jacen said. "Neither is Raaba."

"Neither am I, I might add," Em Teedee chimed in. "And I am completely without defenses of my own."

Jaina swallowed to loosen the tightness in her throat. "Does that mean, then, that Lowie could have been killed in your little staged attack?"

Tyko looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Well, I suppose it might have happened. In theory, at least."

He held up his hands in a placating gesture. "But it's hardly an issue anymore. It didn't happen, and that's what's important."

Raynar's hands squeezed into tight fists, and his jaw clenched.

Jaina had never before seen such an angry expression on his face. "In that case, Uncle, I'd say it was a very good thing that all of your assassin droids were destroyed on Kuar."

"Yes," Jaina said, turning her attention back to IG-88. "All but one."

"Well, well, well," Raynar said. His eyes narrowed, and a shrewd expression stole over his face.

"That gives me an idea."

Though Jaina missed Lowie's expertise in programming, she set to work on IG-88 as soon as they had finished their meal. Annoyed over what she intended to do, but unable to argue against it, Tyko Thul left in a huff to check on more assembly lines.

With Em Teedee's assistance, Jaina decided to use the broad administrative desk as an "operating" table. The sinister configuration of IG-88 still caused her to shiver as she pondered all the beings this machine must have killed over the decades. But Tyko Thul had flushed its murderous program and replaced its processors.

Now, the menacing droid awaited its revised instructions--and Jaina obliged.

"This was an excellent idea, Raynat," Tenel Ka said, clapping an approving hand on the blond boy's shoulder.

While Jaina completed her special "modifications," the rest of the young Jedi Knights finished the repairs to the targeting-laser defensive systems.

Jacen peered into the open durasteel casing of IG-88's torso where Jaina was working. "I think it just may work."

"There, that ought to do it," Jaina said. She triggered a test switch.

The assassin droid raised his gun arm, but did not fire. She smiled and flicked the switch off again. "All systems function perfectly, but there's no way this droid could ever intentionally kill someone--human or alien. He's programmed to serve and protect." She closed IG-88's casing and disconnected Em Teedee's diagnostic leads.

Raynar smiled. "I doubt my uncle could have programmed him any better than you did. Now he's the perfect bodyguard."

At this Em Teedee piped up. "In light of your uncle's expertise, I wonder if I might make a special request?..."

STEAM HISSED ON the primary droid assembly line. The pungent smells of molten plasteel, lubricants, and hot machinery filled the air.

"Best droid enhancements anywhere in the galaxy," Tyko Thul said with obvious pride, gesturing toward the rows of conveyor belts.

"Manufactured right here and subjected to the most rigorous quality control you'll find anywhere. I'm sure you can find anything you need."

Flustered, Jaina continued to tinker with Em Teedee, wondering what parts she might "need."

She turned the little droid around in her hands so he could better view the dozens of assembly lines that stretched for kilometers down the length of the utilitarian facility.

"Why, it's breathtaking, isn't it?" Em Teedee said in a reverent voice.

"I am dreadfully sorry to be so much trouble. I never meant to impose.

I'm certain you all have more urgent matters to attend to."

Jaina raised the silvery oval to her eye level and looked earnestly into his yellow optical sensors.

"It's all right. You're important to us too, you know."

"Come now, my dear little droid," Tyko said.

"You must allow me to give you a gift as thanks for all you've done to help protect the Thul family. Be Eides, I'm delighted at the opportunity to demonstrate our workmanship in such a practical way.

Go ahead, feel free to select any enhancements that interest you."

"That's a terribly gracious offer," Em Teedee said in a warbling voice.

"I can't help but think that if I'd had a few more enhancements--if I were a bit more useful--Master Lowbacca might not have left me behind."

"Take your pick, Em Teedee," Jacen said. "Plenty to choose from."

"Do you not wish to be enhanced?" Tenel Ka asked. "Consider the question well." After the warrior girl's arm had been severed in a lightsaber training accident, Tenel Ka had struggled with whether or not to use a synthetic arm. In the end, she had decided against it.

"Perhaps I should start by showing you what's available?" Tyko suggested with a broad gesture.

For the next two hours Em Teedee was as happy as a child in a plaything emporium. Jaina could understand the feeling, since she was almost as fascinated by the endless possibilities as the little droid was. They considered enhanced optical sensors, motion detectors, new remote analysis routines.

"Dear me! I've always been a simple translating droid," Em Teedee said.

"Whatever would I do with so many capabilities?"

"Ah, then you might be interested in our linguistic upgrades."

Tyko held up a new traced-circuit crystal. "Here on Mechis III we produce a variety of modules containing anywhere from ten languages to ten million, depending on what a particular droid is required to know."

"I'm afraid Em Teedee's processor wasn't designed to handle a million languages," Jaina said.

"He just doesn't have that kind of capacity."

"No," Tyko agreed. "But a few--say, ten--additional languages shouldn't strain his capacity."

Unaccustomed to being the center of attention, Em Teedee listened to each opinion before making his choice. In the end, he selected a secondary protocol module that added ten of the most frequently used languages in the galaxy to those he already had.

When the installation process was finished, Jaina closed the silvery casing. "Well, Em Teedee, how does it feel?"

"Why, it feels absolutely... ops'nyzh! That is an expression that means

'approaching euphoric' in the Bothan language. Oh--I didn't know that word before. Now I am fluent in over sixteen forms of communication!"

Em Teedee decided against adding an obscure idiom analysis chip, but at the next assembly line, he discovered an unexpected enhancement opportunity that was too enticing to turn down: his own repulsor unit.

"Just think of it," the droid said, "complete mobility for the first time since I was activated!"

"Hey, yeah. We wouldn't have to carry you around all the time when Lowie's not here," Jacen said.

That clinched it. The companions needed to offer no further encouragement for Em Teedee to accept the enhancement.

Jaina brought out her multitool and commandeered a set of specialized instruments from one of the assembly lines. She fitted a narrow circular collar with a hundred mircorepulsorjets to the base of Em Teedee's oblong head.

"There," she said, tightening the last tiny bolt into place. Em Teedee's optical sensors gleamed with curiosity. "The controls are wired directly into your processor. By selecting the number, strength, and location of the repulsors operating at a given time, you should be able to maneuver in any direction."

"Oh, thank you, Mistress Jaina. This is even more exciting than the waterproofing gaskets you outfitted me with."

"Well, try it out," Raynar said. "Let's see you move."

The repulsorjets whispered, and the ovular miniaturized droid lifted from the table like a levitating ball. "This seems simple enough," Em Teedee said.

"I think I'll try going a little higher."

The little droid rocketed toward the far distant ceiling like a projectile fired from a cannon. His speaker grille sounded in alarm, and the next thing Jaina heard was a metallic clang as Em Teedee struck one of the overhead support girders.

"Em Teedee, be careful up there!" she called.

Next the silvery oval came down, only to streak past them, moving sideways down the long corridor, out of control. "Help! Please help! Dear me!"

"The lateral thrusters seem to be working well," Tyko said calmly.

"Dampen the output!" Jaina cried. "Use your collision-avoidance routines."

Em Teedee managed to reverse himself and shot back toward them.

Flying upside down, the translating droid circled the table where Jaina had performed her modifications. "How very odd! Everything seems to have changed. What have I done?

Were my optical sensors damaged when I hit the ceiling? I'm doomed! Now I shall be dismantled for scrap metal--" Jaina reached out and twisted the little droid in the air, righting him. "There. Now take a look around."

Em Teedee hovered, wobbling as he adjusted repulsors to maintain his balance. "Oh my, this is quite disorienting. I never realized how challenging mobility could be."

"Just think of it as your baby steps." Jacen grinned as they gathered around the upgraded droid.

"You just need a little more practice."

Em Teedee's golden optical sensors flickered.

"Ah, that's better. My gyroscopes and coordinate sensors needed to be recalibrated. I'm certain I'll be much more stable now--so long as I proceed with caution. Just let me get my bearings and--oh! Look out behind you!" he wailed.

Suddenly a compelling voice rang out through the echoing lower levels.

"Stop right there! I've got blasters aimed at you. No one moves--no one gets hurt."

Raynar knew the voice, though he couldn't place it in the flash of adrenaline that surged through his bloodstream. Surprisingly, his Jedi senses told him that this voice brought no threat, no danger, despite the words.

"No fast moves now. Everyone, raise your hands and turn toward me."

Raynar turned to face a pair of blasters pointing at their little group, but the intruder lurked in shadow behind the assembly line machinery.

Then a young man stepped forward, emerald-green eyes wide with amazement.

His long dark hair had come loose from the thong at the base of his neck.

"Why, Master Zekk, what a great pleasure it is to see you again!"

Em Teedee caroled from somewhere over Raynar's head.

"Zekk!" Jaina cried out, her face suddenly turning a flattering shade of pink.

The young bounty hunter looked tired. Smudges of filthy lubricants stained his cheeks and forehead, and one sleeve of his tight-fitting uniform was scorched through. "Jaina! Jacen!" He gaped at the others around him. "What are you all doing here?"

"Hey, Zekk," Jacen replied with a welcoming grin. "Kind of a rough way to say hello, isn't it?"

"Greetings," Tenel Ka said.

As Zekk lowered his weapons, Jaina launched herself into his arms and twirled him in a happy hug. "It's so good to see you again! Did you get my holomessages? Hey, how did you make it past the targeted lasers?"

Zekk indicated the singed place on his arm. "It wasn't easy."

Tyko chose this moment to break up the reunion.

"More to the point, my young hoodlum, what are you doing here? What business do you have threatening us? You're lucky IG-88 didn't blast you to cinders."

Zekk took a moment to holster his weapons and give Jaina a real hug before looking directly into Tyko's eyes. "I take it you're Tyko Thul? I was hired to rescue you. But it looks like I'm a bit late for that."

Tyko stared skeptically at Zekk. "Do you really expect me to believe you were hired to help me? A scruffy-looking bounty hunter like you? Aryn Dro Thul would hardly have contracted with some disreputable juvenile to come to my rescue. She could afford the most famous names in the business."

Raynar considered this with surprise. Would his mother have hired Zekk?

Remembering how the dark-haired young man had dumped him into the river mud during the Second Imperium's attack, he still felt some resentment toward Zekk.

"First of all," Zekk answered in a stern tone, "the 'most famous names in the business' are already out hunting for your brother.

Second, it was Bornan Thul himself, not Aryn Dro, who hired me. He wore a disguise, but still risked his life to enlist my help.

Just to find you. He attempted to remain anonymous, but I discovered his identity anyway."

This news changed everything. Raynar's face lit up. "You saw my father?

Is he all right? Where is he? Can I go to him?"

Compassion showed in Zekk's emerald eyes when he looked at the blond-haired boy. "He's alive and healthy, at least--but he had to go back into hiding. Everyone is after him."

"Why didn't you simply bring him in, you fool?"

Tyko snapped. "Aren't you a bounty hunter? Our family would have rewarded you with more than enough credits to make it worth your while."

"It was tempting," Zekk admitted. "But that wouldn't have been honorable.

I can't betray my employer."

"Honor," Tyko sneered. "Who ever heard of a bounty hunter concerned with his honor? Besides, Boman left his entire family to think him kidnapped or dead, for who knows what reason. How honorable is that?"

Raynar rounded on his uncle. "All right, let's discuss honor.

Aren't you the one who arranged to have yourself kidnapped, Uncle Tyko?

You let us believe you were in gmat danger. How honorable is that?"

"I had only the best of intentions, my dear boy," Tyko blustered.

"I just wanted to help my brother to--"

"Help? You tried to trick my father into revealing himself, without even knowing what he was hiding from. And you succeeded! If someone other than Zekk had found him, my father could be dead right now."

"He's right," Zekk said. "I believe Bornan Thul is in hiding for a good reason. I can tell you for certain that his life is in danger.

There were only two things he hired me for: to locate you"--this with an accusing glance at Tyko--"and to send a message to his family."

Zekk reached into a pocket of his vest and pulled out a message packet.

He tossed it to Raynar, who, though surprised, easily caught it. "Now I've fulfilled both parts of my job for him. If he's smart, Bornan Thul won't come out of hiding again without expert protection."

"At least we know my father's not hurt," Raynar said. "Yet."

"It is also fortunate no one was hurt by coming to Mechis III," Tenel Ka said pointedly.

"Not hurt much, at least," Jaina said, examining the burn on Zekk's arm.

She grinned at him and gave him another hug. "I'm glad you're here. At least this time you didn't show up in the middle of a bounty hunter attack, like you did at Alderaan!"

AS RAABA GUIDED her star skimmer toward Ryloth, she proudly shared details about her adventures in procuring the syren fiber for her belt.

Then she added some history of the homeworld Nolaa Tarkona had reformed.

In the cramped Rising Star, Lowbacca and his sister Sirra listened with interest.

Tarkona had chosen Ryloth as the headquarters of her ever-expanding Diversity Alliance. With its slightly irregular shape, the planet was tide-locked in orbit: one side always faced the sun, while the opposite hemisphere remained perpetually in shadow.

This made the climate inhospitable, except for a narrow band of twilight between the baking day and the freezing night.

In this thin habitable zone and on the cold side, the Twi'leks had dug mountain warrens, honey-combing the rock with chambers and passages as they mined the addictive mineral ryll, which was sometimes sold as spice.

When Old Republic representatives had stumbled upon their world, many Twi'leks chose to leave and see the vast galaxy. Some had been trained as Jedi Knights, including the legendary Tott Doneeta, who had fought during the great Sith War four thousand years ago. In recent times, the lawyer and X-wing pilot Nawara Ven had been a talented member of Rogue Squadron.

But not all Twi'leks were so revered, Raaba went on. The reviled scientist administrator Tol Sivron had served the Empire by running a hidden super-weapons lab. The traitorous Bib Fortuna had prof-ired from the misery of his own species, selling Twi'lek women as slaves--including Nolaa's beautiful half-sister Oola. The talented dancers were in great demand among wealthy thugs such as Jabba the Hutt. But Nolaa had done her best to quash that trade.

Raaba had no doubt that Nolaa Tarkona marked a new high point in the history of her people. She had founded a political movement that would achieve widespread social acceptance and equality for all alien Species.

The New Republic, with all of its sweet-sounding promises, would finally be forced to live up to its commitments.

As he listened to Raaba's speech, Lowie rumbled uneasily. He had spent a great deal of time with the

New Republic. Although he had observed some continuing difficulties, most could be explained by ill-mannered individuals, not by any overarching human policy of discrimination and repression.

Still, Raaba seemed so passionate about her new calling that Lowbacca decided not to argue. He would hear with an open mind what her friends had to say. His sister Sirra viewed this trip away from home as a great adventure, and he did not want to ruin her enjoyment by making hasty judgments about Raaba's beliefs.

As soon as the Rising Star entered orbit around Ryloth, a string of defensive satellites sounded their alerts, demanding that Raaba identify herself. A harsh voice forbade her to proceed until she had been cleared or her skimmer would be destroyed instantly.

Unflustered, Raaba transmitted her identification code, furry fingers dancing over the keypad. With Wookiee growls she announced herself as a loyal member of the Diversity Alliance, bringing two new members to meet Nolaa Tarkona. She was immediately authorized to enter the atmosphere and approach the mountain stronghold. Raaba's dark lips peeled back in a grin, exposing her fangs.

As the skimmer cruised toward the blackened crags, Lowie saw that all entrances to the warrens had been covered and textured to be almost indistinguishable from the rippling rock. Towering blast doors in the naked cliffside ground open for the Rising Star.

Without hesitation, the chocolate-furred Wookiee barreled into the passage, swooping down into the lower warrens. Sirra gave a squeal of delight, and Lowie recalled his sister's own practice flying back at the treetop city.

Raaba clearly knew where she was going. She easily followed a path of lights that lit the curving rock walls like colonies of phosphorescent creatures in a dark cave. Paying scant attention, she skimmed around corners, apparently selecting appropriate passages by instinct alone.

Finally, they reached an underground docking area where supply ships, passenger shuttles, and courier drones lay in various stages of preparation.

Mixed groups of aliens bustled back and forth, carrying out the business of the Diversity Alliance.

They scrutinized maps on electronic wallboards and hauled supplies to storage grottoes. Droids moved about, alert for spies or sabotage from enemies of the political movement and at the same time recording everything for later victorious documentaries.

As the three Wookiees climbed out of the Rising Star, Lowie stretched his lanky, ginger-furred arms and sniffed the air. His sensitive nostrils detected volatile hyperdrive fuels and coolants, as well as the body odors and pheromones from a host of different species.

Beside him, Raaba seemed proud to be an integral part of such great work.

She tugged on her glossy syren-fiber belt, reveling in her newly acquired badge of honor.

A Shistavanen wolfman in an impressive military uniform marched up to greet them. "Welcome back, Raabakyysh--we are pleased that you have brought new recruits to us." He brushed his dark fur back and bowed, baring his fangs in a gesture of respect. "i am Adjutant Advisor Hovrak."

The wolfman made a deep bow toward Lowie and raised his eyebrows, letting an interrogative growl escape his throat. "The fame of Lowbacca and his work as a Jedi Knight reached our ears some time ago.

The Diversity Alliance welcomes you."

He gestured with one fiercely clawed hand. "Come.

Nolaa Tarkona will see you right away."

Inside her grand receiving chamber, Nolaa Tarkona stood from her massive seat and smiled to show sharply filed teeth. Her tattooed head-tail squirmed with pleasure. Lowie noted a glint from the optical sensor implanted in the scarred stump of the other head-tail.

Raaba marched forward with Hovrak, while Lowie and Sirra remained respectfully behind, waiting to be introduced. Lowie was impressed that the political workers were making such a grand gesture to welcome them.

Surely, not all potential recruits received this kind of treatment?

Still, something about the Diversity Alliance made him uneasy. He couldn't quite identify what it was... but he reassured himself by thinking that Raaba would not have allowed herself to become involved in anything unsavory.

"I am very pleased to have you among our members, my Wookiee friends,"

Tarkona said. Her voice was powerful, flowing with rich currents of charisma. "Raabakyysh has been one of our most loyal supporters, and I am sure that you will also do your species proud."

She strode across the dais, her black robes sweeping around her.

"I am especially honored to have a Jedi among us," Tarkona continued.

"The Diversity Alliance has great work to do, and you possess crucial skills." She stepped down to floor level. Raaba smiled, her furry face crinkling with pleasure.

"Raabakyysh tells me that you were also searching for Bornan Thul, Lowbacca. I certainly hope he is found soon. He betrayed my trust in him and... stole a precious treasure, a critical key to our work."

Tarkona's head-tail thrashed with agitation.

"Humans have always found our weak spots and exploited them, uncovering whatever means the most to us--and then taking it! It was my own foolishness to put my faith in a human in the first place."

As she paced the floor, her feet whispered against the polished stone.

"Not all humans are so unworthy, of course," she amended when she saw Lowie bristle at the sweeping censure. Her tone was conciliatory.

"Some humans have even accepted our assignment to hunt down this unworthy man who has so greatly wronged me. Of course, their reasons are purely mercenary, rather than honorable--but the end result is all that matters."

At that moment Corrsk, the Trandoshan, strode into the chamber, carrying an electronic datapad and a sheaf of documents. He clearly meant to deliver them to Nolaa Tarkona, but when the giant reptilian alien saw the three Wookiees standing in the grotto, he stopped short.

Instinct drew his muscles taut, and he dropped the datapad to the floor.

Documents fluttered down as Corrsk raised his clawed hands to an attack position. A simmering growl bubbled like a geyser out of his throat.

Outraged and betrayed, Lowie roared defensively at seeing the Wookiees'

natural enemy. Bristling, he stepped close to Sirra, so that he and his sister could fight together. Trandoshan bounty hunters were famous for killing Wookiees, and Lowie had no intention of losing his pelt.

Sirra growled, also ready to fight with tooth and claw--but Raaba intervened, holding up her dark brown arms to prevent them from doing anything foolish. She cinched her red headband tighter, and her biceps bulged, holding her metal armlets in place.

"Corrsk, control yourself! Enough posturing," Tarkona said impatiently.

"Raabakyysh, thank you for deflecting this battle." She turned to Lowie and Sirra. "Perhaps the concept has not yet sunk in, but here in the Diversity Alliance we've put aside our differences.

Ancient rivalries and blood feuds are erased. We agree to surrender interracial hatreds to focus on the most pernicious enemy, our most important foes: humans everywhere. Wookiees and Trandoshans can only triumph if they fight side by side as comrades. We must!"

Shamefaced, the Trandoshan lowered his clawed hands and retrieved 'the items he had dropped.

Lowie and Sirra watched the reptilian predator cautiously as he slunk forward to place the datapad and documents on the table beside Tarkona's chair.

Without a word, Corrsk vanished down a long dim tunnel.

Only then did Lowie allow himself to relax.

Raaba chuffed with laughter, treating the entire incident as a joke.

Lowie didn't find the experience terribly amusing, but he vowed to do his best to accept other species and to fit in with the ways of the Diversity Alliance.

THE ASSAULT ON Mechis III came with such sudden force and devastation that Jacen could hardly believe only one bounty hunter was responsible.

The attacking vessel pummeled its way through the atmosphere, throwing off sonic booms like obscuring veils. The ship thundered overhead, crashing through the roiling clouds, pausing only briefly to loose a volley of concussion torpedoes.

Smokestacks crumbled, dropping like felled trees.

Secondary detonations ignited combustible gases that rose from the industrial sections in an inferno that blasted through the underground tunnels. A line of factory buildings toppled in a devastating chain reaction as the spreading shock front ripped out their foundations.

Alarms screeched through the administration building.

Lights flashed, sirens wailed.

Tyko Thul ran to the diagnostic screens inside his office. His skin had gone a pasty gray, and his eyes widened in terror. Beside him stood Raynar, his simple Jedi robes contrasting with his uncle's garish display of noble heritage.

The young Jedi Knights scrambled to defensive positions. Tenel Ka took her place beside Jacen, cool and ready to fight, her hand on the hilt of her lightsaber. Even in the midst of such confusion, it made Jacen glad to see how quickly the warrior girl came over to fight next to him.

"Why bother with all the sirens?" Jaina said, pressing her palms to her temples. "The whole planet's automated. Do droids care about that stuff"

Jacen looked out the window across the smoky landscape.

Another building erupted into flames.

"Good thing there aren't any people out there."

"But think of all the droids!" Em Teedee wailed.

"They're doomed!"

Zekk stood near Jaina with his arms crossed over his chest. He squinted into the soot-stained sky as the attacker swung around for another furious pass.

A cargo-load of concussion bombs dropped again, blowing up another thermal exhaust port. Zekk's face turned grim as he recognized the ship.

"That's Dengar, " he said. "How did he know to come here?"

Targeting rooftop-cannons tracked Dengar across the sky and fired long blasts of crackling blue ion bolts or sharp green turbolasers. But the cybemetically enhanced bounty hunter reacted too quickly--flying, dodging, skipping left and right. The clumsy automated defensive systems could not keep up.

A gruff voice came over the citywide intercom system, echoing from a thousand amplification speakers. "This is Dengar. I know the bounty hunter Zekk is down there--I have followed him here to the hiding place of Bornan Thul."

"Why does everybody make that assumption?"

Zekk said.

"I intend to cause much more damage unless you surrender my bounty."

After a pause, Dengar's deep voice continued, "Further negotiation is...

not acceptable."

An army of scurrying machines spread out through the factory city.

Fire-response droids and disaster-mitigation crews pumped flame-suppressant chemicals onto the burning wreckage. Salvage crews set to work cleaning up portions of the assembly lines and strove to keep them running at all costs.

Dengar's ship cruised overhead, banked, then came back toward the administration building. With calculated malice, he dropped another bomb directly onto a droid fire-response fleet, obliterating them.

Tyko gazed around in confusion and horror.

"What are we going to do?"

Tenel Ka turned toward him skeptically. "First we must know if you staged this attack. The timing would appear somewhat... convenient. Is this a new hoax--like your assassin droids on Kuar?"

"Certainly not!" Tyko looked at her, the picture of appalled innocence.

"My dear girl, that terrorist is destroying my factories!"

Raynar studied his uncle for a second. "I believe him. He'd never damage his own facilities like this."

"No, Dengar doesn't work for Tyko," Zekk agreed. "He's after Tarkona's bounty. He intends to bring in Boman Thul, dead or alive--it doesn't matter which." He frowned, his green eyes hard as emeralds.

"I outwitted him once, but I wouldn't count on it again. Dengar's one of the best."

The broad windows rattled with the thunder of Dengar's passage as he swooped past the administrative headquarters. As if to taunt them, the bounty hunter loosed another explosive... but detonated it in midair, so that the walls of the office buildings merely shuddered.

Jacen looked at Raynar with concern, "Hey, we promised to keep Raynar safe on this trip--and it's not very safe just to sit here in an office while we get bombed. I think we should head for the Rock Dragon and get out of here. If we all leave Mechis III, Dengar won't have any reason to stay and cause more damage."

Zekk looked over at Jaina. "The Lightning Rod is closer. We could get to my ship and harass him, create a diversion so the others can escape." He raised an eyebrow hopefully.

"I could use a good copilot, Jaina... if you wouldn't mind coming with me."

She hurried to Zekk's side. "What are we waiting for? Em Teedee, you go with Jacen--he's a fair pilot himself, but he and Tenel Ka may need your assistance getting the Rock Dragon out of here."

The little droid floated upward in his excitement, barely managing to keep his new microrepulsors under control. "Oh my! This is a sobering responsibility--I will do my utmost not to let you down, Mistress Jaina."

Jaina grabbed Zekk's hand and they raced out of the offices together, toward where he had docked the Lightning Rod. Jacen, Tenel Ka, and Raynar headed for the door as well.

Tyko Thul stood all alone, looking sickened.

"But... but I can't leave here. This is my factory planet! I got Mechis III up and running when all the systems had fallen into disrepair. I won't abandon it just because some... some vandal comes in shooting."

Raynar spluttered, "But you can't stay here, Uncle Tyko--you'11 be killed. You've got to come with us."

"No! I'm going down into the reinforced lower levels. I'll be perfectly safe there. You children go on now." Leaving his office, Tyko turned and jogged out of sight down the corridor.

Jacen looked after him, but Tenel Ka gestured for them to hurry.

"Jacen, we must get to the roof or our plans will be wasted."

The three ran toward the nearest turbolift. Em Teedee floated after them, still working to control his new repulsorjets. "Wait! Wait for me!"

Breathing hard, Jaina secured her crash webbing as Zekk lurched the Lightning Rod into the air, roaring out of the overhang-covered shipping area where he had landed. She glanced at the dark-haired young man as he worked, his gaze intent on the controls.

"Sure is good to fly with you, Zekk," she said.

"You seem to be making this a habit--getting into situations where I have to come rescue you," he said, smiling slightly.

"Hah! I'm not half-bad at rescues either, you know. Watch it, or I might just turn the tables on you one of these days."

"I don't suppose I'd mind that so much." Zekk punched the engines for a new surge of acceleration.

They streaked up between tall manufacturing centers and into the open air. Jaina leaned forward to the cockpit windows, trying to see through the thick cuds of smoke.

Dengar dropped a thermal shock-wave generator onto the roof of the building adjacent to Tyko's administrative headquarters. The weapon burned its way downward like a luminous diving bell, incinerating floor after floor after floor until it impacted the building's foundations.

"Stll concentrate on flying," Zekk said. "You take the weapons controls."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go," Jaina said.

As if out of nowhere, they soared in. Jaina fired the laser cannons without mercy, targeting the hull of the bounty hunter's ship.

They skimmed past so close that Jaina could have kicked Dengar's craft if the Lightning Rod's access hatch had been open.

Zekk sped onward, and Dengar launched after them in hot pursuit.

Wrestling with the piloting controls, Zekk rolled the battered old ship.

He took them into a downward loop and flew beneath his enemy, jerking sideways and up. Jaina could see that subconscious instincts made Zekk use his Force skills to dodge, but she said nothing to interrupt his concentration.

Dengar followed, blasting away furiously with his ship's weapons.

"Think he'd hold a grudge against me for what I did to him on Ziost?"

Zekk said.

With a touch of irony, Jaina said, "At least he's stopped damaging the buildings. Our goal was to distract him so the others could get away to safety."

"Of course, I'd like to get away, as well," Zekk said. "Hang on." He headed in the direction of the smoldering buildings Dengat had already blasted.

"That looks like a good prospect."

Sagging and ready to collapse, twin skyscrapers blazed side by side in parallel infernos. With the bounty hunter still clinging to their afterburners, Zekk artowed the ship directly toward the blazing columns.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Jaina muttered.

The Lightning Rod shot into the gap between the burning towers as a network of connecting girders broke loose. Damaged beyond repair, the skyscrapers began to topple....

Up on the rooftop, the smell of fire saturated the air. Jacen and Tenel Ka ran side by side, with Raynar close behind them. "There they are!" the Alderaanian boy said, pointing. The polluted wind rippled the sleeve of his Jedi robe.

With Dengar's ship perilously close behind them, firing its blasters, the Lightning Rod plunged recklessly between two collapsing buildings. Fire and smoke raged upward as the towers crashed together, and Zekk's ship vanished into the inferno.

Dengar broke off his pursuit at the last instant, hauling his ship around and up, away from certain death. He left the wreckage behind and came about.

Tenel Ka drew a breath of dismay as the Lightning Rod vanished into the billows of smoke and debris. But Jacen shook his head. "I'm sure they made it, somehow. Zekk's too good a pilot--and I'd sense it if Jaina got hurt."

"This is a fact," the warrior girl said.

Jacen looked over his shoulder toward the stair-well, trying to locate Em Teedee. The little floating droid had not managed to keep up with them.

When Dengar spotted them and soared toward the rooftop, Jacen forgot about Em Teedee and thought instead about their own survival. "To the Rock Dragon-quick!"

The Hapan passenger cruiser sat where they had landed it on the opposite side of the roof. Tenel Ka sprinted along to the sheer edge, running as if she were simply doing her morning workout. Tossing her red-gold braids behind her shoulders, she glanced down, observing the extreme height with interest. "Lowbacca would have enjoyed being up here."

"Yeah, I'd rather he was here to pilot the ship, too. Em Teedee!" Jacen called. "Where can he be?"

Dengar's inelegant ship circled low. Before they could reach the safety of the Rock Dragon, the bounty hunter landed defiantly at the edge of the roof, blocking the way.

Jacen, Tenel Ka, and Raynar staggered to a stop, looking grimly at each other.

The bounty hunter opened the hatch and leapt out. His shoulders were broad, and he carded two massive blaster cannons--each of which usually required two arms to lift, though Dengar easily held one in each hand.

The mouth on the bounty hunter's bandage-wrapped face sagged like his loose-fitting clothes, which were dirty and stained from a thousand fights and a thousand quick repair jobs on his ship.

Dengar's sunken eyes flicked from side to side as he scanned the three young Jedi Knights like a targeting computer assessing damage potential.

He aimed both blaster cannons at.the companions.

"Hostages. Expendable." He scowled. "Where is Boman Thul? Tell me."

Raynar crossed his brown-robed arms and put on a brave face. "I am Raynar, son of Bornan Thul. My father isn't on Mechis III. He never was."

Dengar's expression did not change. "Then you will tell me how to find him, or I Will begin eliminating hostages." His sallow face showed no sign of regret or anticipation. "I hope one of you cooperates before all three of you are dead. "

Around the metropolis, emergency-response droids cruised through the damaged areas. Smoke poured into the sky, blacker and more noxious than the pollution belched out by the manufacturing centers.

Jacen and Tenel Ka exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

Dengar waited precisely five seconds. Then he raised his blaster cannons, both pointing at a single target--Jacen.

The young man's heart thudded, and his hand groped for his lightsaber. He wondered if he could possibly use its blade to deflect such high-powered explosive bolts. He was sure his uncle, Luke Sky-walker, could have done it.

"You will not kill my friend," Tenel Ka said, stepping in front of Jacen to shield him with her body. She drew her own rancor-tooth lightsaber and flashed its turquoise blade. Jacen saw her lips part in a feral grin, filled with challenge and menace toward anyone who would threaten him.

Jacen glanced over at Raynar, who stood concentrating, his gaze fixed on Dengar's ship. Jacen felt a ripple in the Force and instantly knew what the blond boy was trying to do.

"Doesn't matter to me who I start with," Dengar answered coldly.

He readjusted his aim toward Tenel Ka. She didn't flinch.

Jacen added his own Jedi abilities to Raynar's, concentrating on the bounty hunter's ship. The craft had landed close to the edge of the rooftop, and its rear support pad rested...

"Let this first one be a lesson to you," Dengar said. The bounty hunter's finger tightened on the firing stud. Defiant and fearless, Tenel Ka held up her lightsaber, ready to block the shot.

Jacen squeezed his eyes shut and focused. He had to help her!

With every ounce of his concentration, Jacen drew on the Force to nudge, push, shove.

Dengar fired both blaster cannons.

Using the Force, Jacen jostled the weapons. Both shots went wide, missing Tenel Ka. Behind him, Raynar was still focused on one goal.

"And let this be a lesson to you, Dengar," Tenel Ka said. Sensing that she was joining her efforts to Raynar's, Jacen lent his assistance as well.

Dengar's ship slid backward, scraping across the rooftop. Its rear support pad dropped over the side of the building. The craft tipped and lurched, its hull grating against the rough edge of the roof.

The bounty hunter whirled in alarm. "What--?"

Suddenly the rooftop door burst open. The towering bulk of IG-88 strode out, arms extended, weapons powered up.

Em Teedee, hovering above the assassin droid's body frame, amplified his normally tinny voice to a commanding boom. "I suggest you leave our friends alone, you arrogant bully!"

Tyko Thul in his colorful robes confidently followed the two droids out onto the rooftop.

"IG-88, I order you to protect us!" The assassin droid aimed his built-in weapons.

Dengar reacted with lightning speed, whirling away from Tenel Ka and letting loose a volley of blaster bolts. Most ricocheted harmlessly off the assassin droid's durasteel torso, leaving cherry-red spots of absorbed energy.

However, one bolt glanced off IG-88's skeletal frame and hit Em Teedee's outer casing. The little translating droid shrieked as sparks flew from his side; his optical sensors flickered wildly. Spinning in the air like an asteroid after a collision, he let out an electronic wail.

IG-88 opened fire again and again, but with such precision that instead of blasting the bandage-wrapped human off the rooftop, his weapon discharges tamed one of Dengar's heavy blaster cannons to slag in his fist.

Jacen remembered that the assassin droid's new programming prevented him from shooting down the bounty hunter outright, even to protect his masters. But IG-88 was resourceful enough to find alternatives.

Behind him, Dengar's ship teetered precariously on the edge of the roof.

Still expressionless, Dengar tossed the smoldering firearm away and grabbed his remaining cannon with both hands. But IG-88 targeted carefully with a volley of shots that blew away the muzzle of the second blaster, leaving Dengar unarmed.

Then the droid bombarded the roof plates at the bounty hunter's feet.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Dengar dove for his ship.

Off balance, it groaned and tilted toward an inevitable crash between the buildings.

IG-88 fired once more just as the bandage-wrapped bounty hunter scrambled through the hatch. Blaster bolts sizzled off the frame as Dengar sealed himself in.

With a final shriek of protest, the ship fell from the rooftop.

Jacen gasped, and Raynat raced to the edge of the building to look down.

The ship plunged and spun, like a paving stone dropped off a cliff.

At the last instant, Dengar managed to power up his engines and wrench the ship out of gravity's clutches. Spinning the craft sideways, the bounty hunter thundered through the narrow gaps between buildings. From the rooftop IG-88 launched grenades toward the stern of Dengar's ship in an attempt to disable the engines as he departed. The explosives fell short as the bounty hunter whirled and dipped, zigzagging skillfully along a random course.

"No more grenades," Tyko yelled at the assassin droid. "If you can't bring yourself to actually destroy his ship, at least wait until he comes back into range, or you'll damage my buildings."

Before Dengar could circle around and come back again, though, the Lightning Rod shot up out of an alleyway, gaining speed as Jaina blasted volley after volley of laser fire into Dengar's already damaged craft.

"All right, Jaina!" Jacen cried. "Go!"

Facing Zekk's unexpected and relentless pursuit, Dengar made a logical choice. He set course for escape, and with an angry roar, his ship careened into the sky.

Standing beside Tenel Ka, Jacen watched the bounty hunter's craft jet upward at high speed until it was swallowed by the swirling black smoke.

Dengar disappeared into orbit, leaving behind the smoldering wreckage of his devastating attack.

Planting one fist on each of his hips, Raynar observed the bounty hunter's departure with defiant satisfaction. "That'll teach him not to tangle with young Jedi Knights!"

IN THE AFTERMATH of Dengar's attack, Zekk brooded, trying to find answers to the question that now haunted him: how had the bounty hunter found him? Despite this worry, Zekk was delighted when Jaina offered to spend two days helping him recalibrate the Lightning Rod's systems.

As they worked, he told Jaina about his encounter with Dengar on Ziost, and mentioned his subsequent stops on Mos Eisley, Kuar, and Borgo Prime before coming to Mechis Ill. Zekk didn't give her many details, but hoped she could help him figure out how the other bounty hunter had found him.

"Odd. Why would Dengar think you were here?"

Jaina mused aloud.

"I guess it's possible that he discovered the droid debris on Kuar and made the same assumptions I did about the CPU chips. The trail would've led him to Mechis III.... "Zekk shook his head. "But I just can't swallow that much of a coincidence.

Dengar knew I was here."

"You think maybe he managed to mark the Lightning Rod, assuming you'd eventually lead him to Boman Thul?" Jaina asked. "He might've thought you worked for Raynar's father. After all, you were sending messages to the Bomaryn fleet."

Zekk smiled at the irony. "If Dengar was tracking me, then he followed me to the wrong Thul. If he'd gone to Borgo Prime instead, he might have caught Bornan."

Jaina frowned at the thought. "He probably figured you were just stopping for messages or supplies and he didn't want you to suspect that he was on your trail," she guessed.

"If there's some sort of tracer on my ship, I want to know about it,"

Zekk said through gritted teeth. It gave him the creeps to think that someone could have been tracking his every movement.

Jaina grinned. "Well, then, what are we waiting for?"

Together, Zekk and Jaina carefully inspected the outer hull of the battered transport ship. Zekk couldn't imagine how many times his old friend Peckhum had been in tight situations with this craft.

After the Second' Imperium's attack on the Jedi academy, when the brutal TIE pilot Norys had nearly destroyed the Lightning Rod, Peckhum had made certain the ship got a complete overhaul.

Noting the carbon scoring, Zekk thought back on some of the skirmishes he himself had been through.

Dengar had fired on him at the ice world of Ziost, and before that Boba Fett had fought him in the rubble field of Alderaan. It was a good thing that Jaina could help him check the ship over. They found countless patches, spot-welded armor plates, and external systems that had been jury-rigged so many times Zekk couldn't fathom how they managed to remain functional.

As soon as Zekk spotted it, he knew what was wrong. Surrounded by a starburst of slag, a small object had attached itself to the Lightning Rod's hull. He showed it to Jaina.

"Limpet mine," she said. "Perfect for planting a tracer."

"So... that 'concussion grenade' Dengar fired at me wasn't a dud, after all," Zekk said, tapping it with a fingertip. "A tracer, huh?"

He pried off the limpet mine and held it in his hand, considering what to do with it. Finally, a sly grin crossed his face....

At one of Mechis III's shipping platforms, Zekk and Jaina found a tiny courier pod. The high-speed drone was only large enough to carry small emergency-repair parts or hardcopy messages that were too sensitive to be transmitted with normal encoding over hyperwaves.

Jaina gleefully assured Zekk the limpet's transmitting beacon still functioned properly before they sealed it inside the courier pod.

Next, he programmed a course that would take the drone high above the galactic plane--far away from any inhabited star systems. The tracer's journey would take it on a one-way trip to nowhere, still winking its insidious message.

.. luring Dengar to follow.

They launched the courier pod out of the receiving bay and watched it dwindle to a pinprick and vanish into the vast gulf of distance.

Zekk stared after it with a fiery satisfaction burning in his emerald-green eyes. "Happy hunting, Dengar," he murmured.

Tyko Thul kept himself busy by programming armies of construction droids and cleanup crews to work on the damaged towers. He had reluctantly accepted Raynar's offer of temporary assistance, and together the two discussed the damage.

"You know, those structures have needed upgrading for some time now, anyway," Tyko said. "Never got around to it." Somewhat disheartened, he called up the intricate designs for the facilities.

Raynar studied the diagrams. Then, letting his eyes fall half closed, he said, "I think I might have a few modifications to suggest."

With calm assurance, he began altering the schematics. He worked for nearly an hour before stopping.

Perplexed, Tyko stared at the screen. "I don't understand. Why should I want to make these changes?"

Raynar shrugged. "By combining those two operations, you can run the systems in parallel. If one assembly line breaks down, you have the capacity to speed up production on the first line, make your repairs to the second one, and still meet delivery schedules."

"Yes!" Tyko crowed. "I see it now. It's nothing short of brilliant!"

Raynar blinked in bemusement and blushed at the praise. "I wonder if there's such a thing as a merchant Jedi," he mumbled.

Jaina, taking a break from her repairs to the Lightning Rod, turned back to her work on the assassin droid IG-88, while Em Teedee hovered overhead like a practice remote. "This is most interesting," he said. After repairing a few scrambled circuits, the modified translating droid now functioned like a new machine. Dangling diagnostic leads hung down, connecting the translating droid to IG-88's main memory core.

Tenel Ka, Jacen, and Raynar crowded around Jaina, watching the additional alterations with interest.

Jaina glanced over at Raynar. "You're sure your uncle's going to let us do this?"

"He will," Raynar answered. "In return for his cooperation, I promised not to reveal his 'little hoax' to my mother. My message to her will just say that we rescued Uncle Tyko and he's unharmed."

The young man smiled.

Scrutinizing the inner mechanisms of the once-lethal droid, Jaina nodded.

"All right. When I'm finished here, we'll be able to turn IG-88 loose to continue the search for your father."

"It is a good idea," Tenel Ka said. "This droid was built to track down people who do not wish to be found. We could not ask for a better ally."

"Yeah," Jacen said, "and we've got the perfect job for him."

Em Teedee piped up. "I've tapped directly into IG-88's memory area reserved for storing information about current bounty assignments."

"And you input all of the data about my father?"

Raynar prodded.

"Just as you requested, Master Raynar," Em Teedee said.

"Everything from the file. IG-88 knows all about Boman Thul's business affiliations, old friends, favorite haunts, familial connections--"

"Thanks, Em Teedee," Raynar broke in. "There's not another bounty hunter in the galaxy who knows as much about my father as IG-88 does now."

"He will be a fine seeker--relentless," Tenel Ka said, clapping a hand on Raynar's back. Her rustic warrior appearance made an interesting contrast with the gleaming mechanized facility populated by droids. But Tenel Ka seemed perfectly at ease. She was who she was, regardless of her location, and she never let circumstances diminish her self-confidence.

"Are we finished, then, Em Teedee?" Jaina said.

"Yes, indeed, Mistress Jaina," the little droid answered brightly.

"IG-88 is now wholly dedicated to finding Bornan Thul and keeping him safe. " He paused to consider. "In theory, at least, IG-88's superior design and capabilities make him more likely to succeed than the numerous other bounty hunters attempting to find Raynar's father. Why, perhaps with my additional assistance--" Jaina disconnected the leads from the translating droid and let the silvery oval float free. "He probably doesn't want your company, Em Teedee. You'd only distract him."

"I'm certain you're right, Mistress Jaina," the droid said wistfully. "It isn't my primary function, after all. Though at the moment, I'm not certain just what my primary function is."

"We need you, Em Teedee," Jaina said.

"Thank you, Mistress Jaina," the little droid replied. "I do miss Master Lowbacca though. I certainly hope he's all right."

"So do we, Em Teedee," Jaina said, struggling against worry as thoughts of her Wookiee friend came again to the front of her mind.

"This is a fact," Tenel Ka agreed.

Zekk and the young Jedi Knights accompanied IG-88 to the upper launch platform to see him off on his quest. Raynar looked at the dark-haired young man, remembering how Zekk--the Shadow Academy's darkest Knight--had used the Force to huff him into the river mud.

Although it had taken Raynar a long time to recover his pride, he realized now that Zekk had in effect saved his life by doing so, humiliating him in front of the other dark Jedi attackers to dissuade them from killing Raynar outright with their burning red lightsabers.

And now the assassin droid had also been precluded from taking fatal actions. "I'm glad IG-88 can't kill anymore," Raynar said.

"Not even aliens," Tenel Ka affirmed.

Jacen tapped the droid on one arm. "Hey, hear that?" he said.

"Try not to think of yourself as an assassin droid anymore."

"He can still cause plenty of damage, though," Jaina said.

"Especially if it looks as if they're going to be dangerous to your father. "

Uncle Tyko hurried up, wringing his hands and looking flustered.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. "So much to do. I solve one problem and it leads to two others. But I'll get this place running smoothly sooner or later."

He stopped as the looming assassin droid rotated its cylindrical head.

The blinking red sensors showed no sign of recognition, no memory of its past. Without a word, the droid swiveled its body core and clomped toward a needlelike ship that was identical in design to the IG-2000, the droid's original craft. Because the durable assassin droid had no need for life-support systems or acceleration dampers, the vessel had an incredible bank of engines and superior power efficiency.

"Please find my father, IG-88," Raynar said.

The assassin droid climbed into his ship and fired up the engines.

The gathered spectators watched as the sleek vessel stabbed up into the atmosphere like a dagger slicing Cloth.

Jacen turned to Raynar and clasped his shoulder.

"Things are looking up, you know," he said. "Zekk gave us the news that your father is alive, and IG-88 is on the chase."

"And now that we've 'rescued' your Uncle Tyko," Jaina said, "we can hope that it's just a matter of time until your entire family is together again."

Raynar swallowed hard. "My father must have a good reason for hiding. I just wish I knew what it was."

Zekk nodded grimly. "He seems to think that something terrible is going to happen to the human race if he's caught."

Raynar nervously straightened his Jedi robe and ran a hand over his spiky hair. He seemed embarrassed at his friends' efforts to encourage him.

"That doesn't mean we're going to stop searching for him, does it?"

"Not a chance," Jacen said. Then, in a moment of sadness, he added, "I just wish Lowie was here to help us out."

JAINA STOOD NEXT to Zekk, desperately searching for the right words, as he stood on the boarding ramp of the Lightning Rod. She had to say something before he left.

"I'11 see you soon, I promise," Zekk said. "But right now I'd better be on my way. Maybe I'll even find Bornan Thul before IG-88 does. The least I can do is take him a message from Raynar."

Jaina swallowed. "Remember, Zekk, we're always willing to help you--to talk or listen, if you need us."

"I know, Jaina." He smiled at her, and before she knew it, she found herself caught up in a fierce hug, right there on the rooftop.

She returned the hug for a long moment. Then Zekk backed into his ship, waving in farewell. "Maybe I'll drop in to rescue you again sometime soon."

"Unless I rescue you first," Jaina countered. She stood with stinging eyes on the rooftop as he sealed the hatch of the old freighter. "Don't fly through any black holes, Zekk," she said in a hoarse whisper.

The Lightning Rod soared off into the sky, doubling back in a complex loop as Zekk showed off his flying prowess before taking the ship up into the atmosphere, and deep space.

Jacen sat frustrated in the comm center of Mechis III, while Em Teedee hovered and bobbed in the air over his shoulder, practicing with his new micro-repulsorjets.

Tenel Ka entered and stood in the doorway, her hand on her hip as she waited for Jacen to finish.

With a sigh he swiveled to look at the warrior girl, and flashed her a smile.

"I've left three messages at Lowie's home on Kashyyyk, but I haven't gotten any response," he said. "Lowie should be them, or at least his parents, or his sister Sirra. I sure hope nothing's wrong."

Tenel Ka's face remained expressionless.

"Lowbacca is a good fighter and a talented Jedi. I am certain he can take care of himself."

"I do hope so," Em Teedee interjected, "but there is still sufficient cause for concern."

Jacen gave up his seat at the comm controls, since he knew Tenel Ka had been wanting to contact her parents in the Fountain Palace on Hapes. The warrior gift sat down and, even with only one hand, her fingers flew over the controls, setting up the hyperwave link.

"I am taking the added precaution of using the royal family's encryption codes," she told Jacen, and waited for an answer.

When Isolder and Teneniel Djo appeared on-screen, she told them about the Diversity Alliance, describing it as an antihuman conspiracy that masqueraded as a benevolent political movement. Her parents took Tenel Ka's concern seriously and agreed to put their best counterconspiracy opera-fives into action; they would find out whatever they could about the group.

Privately, Tenel Ka hoped--no, Tenel Ka knew-that her grandmother would intercept this message and feel compelled to investigate the Diversity Alliance.

With her own brand of ironic humor, the warrior gift asked her parents to convey her greetings to her father's mother--realizing that Ta'a Chume would probably hear her words even before the communications link between Hapes and Mechis III was broken.

Her grandmother would no doubt put her best spies to work immediately.

So much the better, Tenel Ka thought. The Diversity Alliance would find Ta'a Chume a formidable enemy.

As soon as Tenel Ka had ended the transmission, an override signal winked on the panel. Jacen rushed forward to accept the transmission.

"Busy day," he remarked.

"Oh my," Em Teedee said, hovering over the panel, "according to the designators, that message is coming from Kashyyyk. I do hope it's Master Lowbacca."

Jacen was rewarded by the on-screen images of Lowie's parents Mahraccor and Kallabow. "You'd better help translate, Em Teedee," he said.

"At last, my primary function!" the little droid said. "I am fluent in over sixteen forms of communication, you know."

After a brief greeting and message, Jacen learned from the slow Wookiee growls that Lowie was no longer on Kashyyyk, that he had left the planet days ago.

"What?" Jacen said. He and Tenel Ka exchanged a concerned glance. "Where did they go. *" He and Sirra had gone with Raaba to meet Nolaa Tarkona in person and learn more about the Diversity Alliance.

Many other Wookiees had expressed a similar interest, after the fine speech Raaba had given.

"They have gone to the headquarters--on Ry-loth?"

Tenel Ka asked, and both older Wookiees nodded.

Jacen felt the blood drain from his face, but he forced a cheerful expression and thanked Kallabow and Mahraccor--no need to trouble them unnecessarily until he knew more.

"Dear me," said Em Teedee from where he hovered just above Jacen's right shoulder. "After what we've learned of the Diversity Alliance, I fear Master Lowbacca has fallen in with an unsavory lot. I do hope he's safe."

Jaina gave the little droid a sympathetic pat.

"Don't we all, Em Teedee," she said. "Don't we all."

A trio of young Wookiees stood at a tunnel entrance that faced the cold night side of Ryloth.

Together, they gazed up into the star-studded sky.

Sparkling white glaciers and ice fields covered the rugged landscape beyond the twilight boundary.

The chill wind was harsh enough that it penetrated even their thick pelts.

Chocolate-furred Raaba stood between Lowie and Sirra, an arm across each of their shoulders.

Lowie was glad he had found his old friend again and that Raaba and Sirra were reunited, but he often thought about his companions Jacen and Jaina and Tenel Ka. And he couldn't break himself of the habit of touching the empty spot on his fiber belt where Em Teedee should have been clipped....

As if sensing the flow of his thoughts, Raaba spoke in firm and cheerful tones to reassure him.

He was among true friends now, she said. Lowie was where he belonged.

They watched the stars for a while, then went back into the winding tunnels.