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The Lost Ones

Page 9

by Kevin J. Anderson

"What was that?" Narek demanded, her head to clear the blurry spots from her

  vision. She stared out the viewport at empty space.

  "I don't know!" Trebor said. "Nothing showed up on the sensors. Nothing

  showed up on the sensors! It's supposed to be clear space!"

  "Well, it's the hardest piece of clear space I've ever encountered,"

  Narek-Ag shot back. "Damage report.''

  "Not sure. Can you get us stabilized?" her copilot asked. "Okay, looks like

  we got a lower hull rupture. Awww, there goes all our cargo! Engines running

  beyond the red lines." He swallowed. "We are in deep trouble, lady."

  Then, as if to emphasize Trebor's assessment, a shower of sparks erupted

  from the main guidance console. Moon Dash careened out of control.

  "Emergency, Coruscant One! This is shuttle Moon Dash. We've struck unknown

  space debris," Trebor yelled into the comm unit. A burst of static from the

  speaker grille was accompanied by a squeal of feedback and another spray of

  sparks.

  Narek-Ag coughed and tried to wave away the smoke. She flicked a pair of

  switches. "Aft-thrusters not responding," she said in a terse voice. "Still

  scanning the area--there's nothing. What did we smash into?"

  "News ain't any better from where I sit," Trebor said. "Can't get much

  worse."

  'It can't, huh? Well, it just did," Narek said with a hard gulp. "I guess

  I'd better ask you to marry me after all."

  Trebor caught sight of the readout that had grabbed his captain's attention.

  He groaned aloud. An unstoppable chain reaction had begun to build inside

  their engine chambers like an avalanche of deadly energy. Within seconds,

  the Moon Dash would explode like a small supernova.

  "Always wanted to get married out among the stars," he said. Tears stung his

  eyes. Probably from the acrid smoke, he thought. "Never had a better offer."

  He placed his hand over hers. "I accept . . . but I have to say that your

  timing stinks."

  She squeezed his hand, then looked down at the panels. "Uh-oh! Hyperdrive

  engines are going crit--" In space, the Moon Dash erupted in a silent shower

  of molten metal and flaming gases, fading to black.

  Jaina paced the main living area of her family's quarters in the Imperial

  Palace like a caged jungle creature she had seen once in the Holographic Zoo

  for Extinct Animals. She hated inactivity. She wanted to do something.

  Jacen and Tenel Ka had gone out again to look for Zekk, taking along

  See-Threepio and Anakin, while Lowie was off working with his uncle

  Chewbacca. When Jacen had pointed out that it would be a good idea for

  someone to stay behind in case Zekk or Peckhum tried to reach them, Jaina

  had reluctantly agreed to be the one.

  She had finally broken down and tried to contact old Peckhum up in the

  mirror station, though he was due to return home that day. At his station

  holo panel, Peckhum had answered right away, but as she started to explain

  that Zekk had disappeared, the old man's fuzzy image quickly deteriorated.

  His response was all but drowned out by static. '--can't und . understand

  your . . . not receivi-- . . . transmission . . . returning tonight.'' The

  station's central multitasking unit was getting progressively worse, and

  communication wouldn't be possible until she saw Peckhum face-to-face.

  By the time her mother came home for midday meal, Jaina was ready to scream

  from just sitting around. She was eager to talk, but Leia's face seemed

  tired and careworn, and Jaina decided it was best not to intrude on her

  mother's thoughts. She brought Leia a warm lunch from the processing station

  and sat down to eat beside her in silence.

  A few minutes later Han Solo dashed in and rushed over to his wife. "I came

  as soon as I got your message. What is it?"

  A grateful smile lifted the corners of Leia's mouth as she looked at her

  husband. "I need to get your opinion on something," she said. "Do you have

  time to sit down and eat with us?"

  Han flashed her a roguish grin. " Midday meal with the two most beautiful

  women in the galaxy? Of course I've got time. What happened? Another

  disaster like the Imperial attack?" He helped himself to a bowl of warm

  Corellian stew.

  "A disaster all right." Leia took a deep breath. "A shuttle blew up this

  morning just as it was leaving orbit."

  Jaina looked up in surprise, but her father nodded. "Yeah, I heard about it

  an hour ago.'

  Leia's brows drew together in a frown of concentration. "No one seems to

  know what happened. What could have caused something like that?"

  "Poor maintenance?" Jaina suggested. "Engine overload?"

  Leia looked troubled again. "Coruscant One picked up a transmission just

  before the Moon Dash exploded. The captain seemed to think they'd run into

  something."

  Han's eyebrows shot up. "Still in outer orbit, you mean? Any other ships

  around that weren't cleared for takeoff?"

  "Noooo . . ." Leia said slowly.

  "A space mine deliberately planted there? Or a piece of debris?"

  Jaina's ears perked up. "We ran into a lot of debris on our way home this

  time, didn't we, Dad?"

  Leia grimaced. "I was afraid of that. The Commissioner of Trade has taken

  this personally. He says that all the leftover wreckage in orbit over

  Coruscant has always been an accident waiting to happen. He insists that we

  give higher priority to plotting safer space lanes. We've mapped out some of

  the bigger pieces, but I think quite a few chunks escaped our surveys--and

  we haven't had time to check it. Some of that wreckage has been up there in

  orbit for decades."

  Han pursed his lips. "These accidents are pretty rare, Leia. Let's not

  overreact."

  "According to the Moon Dash's transmissions, they never saw what hit

  them-and it wasn't on any map. The Commissioner considers this an important

  safety issue. I have to agree--in the wake of this accident, we need to do

  something about it."

  "How much work would it be to map the orbits of the larger pieces of

  wreckage?" Han asked.

  "Quite a bit. And time-consuming, too." Leia pinched the bridge of her nose

  as if she had suddenly been assailed by another headache. "I'm not even sure

  the New Republic has resources to commit to a project like that--"

  "Maybe I could help," Jaina interrupted, fixing her interest on an idea that

  would take her mind off Zekk. "After all, Uncle Luke said we were supposed

  to choose a study project while we're away from the academy. Lowie and I

  could map the debris for you. It sounds like fun."

  Jaina looked from the datapad to the computer screen, then at the

  holographic simulation. "Okay, this is the next trajectory, Lowie."

  She stretched, trying to loosen the knotted muscles in her shoulders, then

  rubbed her bleary eyes, but her vision did not clear. They had been at the

  task for hours. She couldn't imagine why she had ever thought it would be

  fun.

  The lanky Wookiee carefully programmed the orbit she had indicated, and

  another glowing streak appeared on the holomap. Jaina groaned. "This may be

  an important job, but I sure thought it would be more interesting."
r />   Lowie grumbled a reply, and Em Teedee translated. "Master Lowbacca maintains

  that although plotting swarms of orbital debris never should have seemed an

  interesting project in the first place-schoolwork is rarely interesting.

  This job, at least, carries a certain amount of urgency." Lowie growled

  another comment. "Furthermore, he points out that the project is only

  approximately twelve percent complete, and he will be most gratified when it

  is finished."

  Jaina sighed wearily and ran her hands through her straight brown hair.

  "Well then, she said, "what are we waiting for?"

  * 13 *

  PECKHUM SHIFTED THE strap of the travel duffel to his other shoulder as he

  trudged away from the Lightning Rod's low-rent docking station, where many

  smugglers and con artists also parked their ships. It was good to be back in

  the city, if only because the equipment was in his apartment, which was more

  than he could say about the facilities aboard the mirror station.

  Despite his heavy pack, the grizzled old man slid through the broad streets

  and narrow alleyways with unconscious ease, muttering to himself as be went.

  "'You'll just have to make do, Peckhum.' 'We've got procurement problems,

  Peckhum. `New equipment is expensive, multitasking units don't grow on

  starflower vines, Peckhum."' Scratching at his chin stubble with one hand,

  he continued to rant, as used to talking to himself as he was to talking to

  Zekk.

  He growled. "You'd think they'd at least wait till I got off my ship to tell

  me the news. 'We tried to reach you, Peckhum, but we couldn't get through.'

  Serves 'em right, since they haven't fixed my comm system!" He shifted his

  duffel again. "'Your replacement was reassigned to an additional security

  detail due to the recent Imperial attack, Peckhum. We need you back at the

  station tomorrow, Peckhum.'" Hah!

  He stomped ahead, hardly noticing the cheery merchants, the wide-eyed

  tourists, the self-absorbed civil servants. "I just wish the administrator

  in charge of the mirror station would stop sitting in his comfy office down

  here and go up for a field trip. Feed him some of the swill the food-prep

  units have been putting out and see how much he likes it! See how well he'd

  'make do.'' Peckhum turned a corner and made his way down the corridor

  toward his home. "If I waited for those bureaucrats to get something done,

  why, the whole station would fall apart." Then he smiled at the thought of

  Zekk's promise of a new central multitasking unit. "Sometimes you just gotta

  do things for yourself . . . with a little help from your friends."

  Peckhum looked up with satisfaction to find himself at his door. He keyed in

  the unlocking code, and the door slid open with a whoosh of escaping air.

  The air smelled stale and musty, as if it had been recycled over and over

  again for days. He'd have to remind Zekk to let in some fresh air now and

  then.

  He tossed his duffel inside the front entryway, as the door sealed itself

  behind him. No friendly voice rang out to greet him. "Hey, Zekk!" he called.

  The apartment seemed oppressively silent, so he raised his voice a bit.

  "After three days of breathing from bad tanks on the mirror station, even

  this air smells good, but . . ." He paused. There was no response. "Zekk?"

  He looked around the cluttered main living area, then searched the food-prep

  chamber, Zekk's bedroom, even the refresher unit. All empty.

  A concerned frown crinkled Peckhum's forehead. Zekk rarely went out when he

  knew Peckhum was returning from a job--especially not when he had promised

  to deliver a piece of scavenged equipment. But Peckhum saw no sign of the

  central multitasking unit. He would need it before the next morning's trip

  back up to the station.

  He scratched his cheeks again and thought for a moment. Then he relaxed. "Of

  course," he said to himself, 'the Solo kids."

  Zekk's friends Jacen and Jaina would be on Coruscant for only a few weeks.

  They were probably all out somewhere, enjoying themselves, telling tall

  tales of their adventures on other planets. Glancing back, he noticed the

  winking light on the infopanel beside the front door. That meant some

  messages hadn't been picked up yet. Probably just Zekk letting him know

  where he and his friends were, Peckhum thought.

  There were three messages in all. Peckhum reviewed them. The first message

  showed the image of Jaina and Jacen Solo, standing with the other two young

  Jedi Knights.

  "Hey, Zekk," Jacen said in his characteristically good-humored voice. "We

  came to go on the scavenger hunt with you for that unit Peckhum needs. It

  was this morning, wasn't it? We'll come by again tomorrow morning. Let us

  know if there's a change of plans."

  As the next message played, Jaina Solo appeared, her hair straight and her

  expression concerned. "Zekk, it's us. Are you all right? We've been looking

  for you everywhere! I'm sorry if you still feel bad about the other night,

  it's okay, really. Can you call us when you get home?"

  The final message showed Jaina again, her face anxious and drawn. She spoke

  slowly, as if each of her words stuck in her throat. "Zekk, are you upset

  about anything? We're all really . . . sorry if we said anything to make you

  feel uncomfortable at the banquet. If you've already found that central

  multitasking unit and you don't want to take us scavenger hunting with you

  right now, we'll understand. Please talk to us, if you get this message."

  As Peckhum listened, his stomach contracted with dread. Something had to be

  wrong. He looked around again, seeing no signs that the boy had planned to

  leave. No messages. No notes.

  That was unlike Zekk. He was more reliable than that. Others might brush him

  off as a young scoundrel or a street urchin, but Zekk knew his

  responsibilities well and always met them. He had promised Peckhum a new

  central multitasking unit, knowing how important it was to the mirror

  station. If Zekk told him he was going to do something, the boy did it.

  Always.

  Sure, Zekk was an orphan, a joker, a teller of tall tales, an adventurer-but

  he had always been a good friend, and he had always been completely

  reliable.

  Almost before he knew it, his decision was made. Stopping only to leave a

  brief videomessage for Zekk on the infopanel, just in case the boy came

  back, he headed out the door toward the palace.

  "Hey, am I glad to see you!" Jacen said, opening the door to find Peckhum

  standing there bedraggled and distraught. "Do you know where Zekk is? Have

  you seen him? Have you heard from him?"

  Peckhum's face gave Jacen his answer. "I was hoping maybe you'd have some

  news for me," the old spacer said.

  Suddenly remembering his manners, Jacen gestured Peckhum inside. "Uh, sorry.

  Come on in. I'll get Jaina and the others."

  His sister and Lowie were at work plotting orbital debris patterns in their

  holo simulation, while Tenel Ka polished the weapons at her belt.

  "Hey," Jacen said, "Peckhum's here, and he says he doesn't know where Zekk

  is either.''

  His sister's intent expression turned to one of
concern. Lowie scrambled to

  his feet and pulled Jaina to hers. Back in the living area, all five of them

  reviewed a map of Imperial City , bending over a projection while Tenel Ka

  indicated several highlighted blocks of skyscrapers. "We have searched this

  area near your home," she told Peckhum.

  Jacen crowded next to the image. "And we went to some of the places Zekk

  took us when we were scavenger hunting," he added. "The ones we could find

  our way back to, that is."

  Peckhum nodded, scratching at his stubble, a distracted look on his face.

  "Anakin and Threepio even went to a couple of the places that Zekk had

  talked about, didn't find anything," Jaina said. "We'd hoped you could offer

  us some other suggestions about where to look."

  Lowie rumbled a comment, and Em Teedee said, "Master Lowbacca wishes to

  point out that our lack of familiarity with the, shall we say, 'less savory'

  aspects of Imperial City is, perhaps, an impediment to our search." The

  Wookiee growled at this overblown translation, but made no further comment.

  "He's right, you know," Jaina said. "We really only know the good parts of

  the city."

  Tenel Ka added, "And we were not absolutely certain until now that Zekk was

  missing. Your observations make it more definite."

  "Hey, now that Peckhum's back, and we know for sure that Zekk's missing,"

  Jacen said, "we can report his disappearance to security."

 

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