slowly. A stash of andris on the ocean world.... Black Sun agents
making illicit drug sales to customers in the floating casinos.
It all made sense now. Czethros was indeed part of Black Sun, perhaps
one of its leaders. He already had his claws into the gambling and
entertainment on Cloud City. He stockpiled drugs on Mon Calamari ...
and had been running weapons to the civil war on Anobis, all the while
pretending to be her friend and protector. Many of Anja's people had
died because of him. She began to wonder how many pots Czethros was
stirring that she didn't know about yet.
"Tell me the coordinates of your stash, Lilmit," she said. "How do I
find it? I'll be taking over this run from you."
Lilmit blanched. "No, please!"
"It's all right. I've been testing you," she said. "For Czethros. He
wanted to be sure you were up to the new assignment." She paused,
thinking fast. "You'll make the delivery to Coruscant. I'll take care
of Mon Calamari, because-because it falls into my new territory. I'm
surprised Czethros didn't warn you."
Lilmit said, "But what you ask is impossible. I couldn't possibly make
it past security to Coruscant with a load of spice."
She sighed and shook her head in a disgusted fashion. "I told him he
wouldn't be able to entrust this mission to you, but he assured me you
wouldn't disappoint him again......
"Wait! No. I can do this. If Czethros is trusting me to pull this
mission off, then I will."
"Good. Now tell me how to find the stash of andris on Mon Calamari.
Czethros has ordered me to move it."
In a stuttering voice, Lilmit told her. He gave her maps and the
transponder frequency of the stash so that she could locate the supply
in the extremely cold waters of the ocean world's polar seas.
" I need to hurry," Lilmit said, his voice quavering. "I don't have
much cargo, but. . ." He looked around furtively, anxiously. The
other people in the domed space dock didn't seem to feel his
nervousness.
"You know something's about to happen here-and it's got to be very soon
now. Czethros has plans for Kessel." He lowered his voice. "Between
you and me, I don't want to be here when his troops come in for the big
takeover."
"When?" Anja said.
"I don't know. If he didn't tell you, he certainly wouldn't have told
me." Lilmit shrugged. "But these people don't suspect at all, and I
don't want to be here during all the blaster fire. I need to get off
this planet."
"You will," Anja said. "But I'm leaving first."
"Wait. Why didn't Czethros tell me about this change of plans?"
Lilmit wanted to know.
"You said yourself there are many things Czethros tells me that he
wouldn't tell you," Anja said.
"All right." Lilmit glanced furtively around. "Just don't let Czeth
ros touch my family."
Remembering that Lilmit had a family-one that he had barely kept out of
slavery-Anja felt a pang of conscience. Although this man had smuggled
who knows how many weapons to Anobis to fuel the war there, Anja found
it harder to judge him now. She herself could no longer justify all of
the work that she had done in Czethros's service.
She couldn't even be certain that she knew the consequences of all of
the tasks she had performed for him.
"If all goes according to plan, I assure you Czethros will never touch
or threaten your family again," she said.
Lilmit's eyes lit with enthusiasm and wonder. "Then this assignment is
important."
Anja cocked her head to one side and gave him a wordless look that
said, Of course. What did I tell you?
"Now, I'm going to need two doses of spice before I head out," Anja
said briskly, folding her arms across her chest and fixing him with a
no-nonsense stare. She cast about in her mind for a good reason. "Uh,
Czethros has asked me to do a bit of ... spying for him while I'm on
Mon Calamari." She gave a meaningful lift to her eyebrows.
"Oh, I see. Certainly," Lilmit said, hurrying into his ship and
returning moments later with two insulated cryovials and a miniature
carbon-freeze unit. "He told me I might need to be flexible on this
assignment. Now I understand." He handed her the vials. "Czethros
warned me I wouldn't be able to contact him until everything was 'in
place." So when you speak to him next time, tell him that I got the
message. I won't let anything get in my way this time, not even Han
Solo himself."
Anja tucked the two insulated vials into a pocket, then graced him with
a thin smile. "I see Czethros was right about you after all, Lilmit.
I'll remember not to underestimate you from now on."
Lilmit squared his bony shoulders. "Yes. You remember that, young
lady. Someday we may even end up working on the same team."
Anja did not try to hide the genuine smile that sprang to her face.
Things were working out even better than she had hoped. She had gotten
her needed dose of spice, had discovered Czethros's true colors, and
had already hatched a plan to make her former employer pay for at least
some of his misdeeds.
With any luck she would also be able to keep the poor bumbling Lilmit
out of harm's way while she carried out her plan. Perhaps Kessel would
be the safest place for him. For now. She gave him a brisk nod.
"No time to lose." She started to go, then turned back. "And Lilmit,
whatever happens, don't let yourself be caught or hurt."
Lilmit nodded, misunderstanding her words. "Yes, I know how important
the mission is. I won't let Czethros down. Just let me pack up and go
now."
"Of course," Anja said. "I've got what I need. Thank you."
The man scuttled back into his craft and closed the door, sealing the
hatch as if afraid she might follow him inside.
Anja looked around to make certain she wasn't being observed, and
quickly took a dose of the precious spice.
More andris awaited her. She would go to Mon Calamari and find the
stash. But now that she realized she'd been betrayed and duped, it had
become vital for her to foil Czethros's plans. She would keep only a
small amount and destroy the rest, denying him that profit. She would
ruin this scheme, just as she had helped destroy Lilmit's Anobis-bound
weapons.
"You called me your little velser, Czethros," Anja puffed in a low
voice. "Now I'll show you just how unwise it is to get a velser
angry!"
She clicked on her antique lightsaber, and the acid-yellow energy blade
throbbed and sizzled. She ducked low, narrowing her huge eyes to see
the workings of Lilmit's engines. She slashed quickly, severing two of
the coolant lines in a sizzle of flashing sparks and smoking
lubricants.
Lilmit might not notice immediately, but as he warmed up his engines in
preparation for takeoff from Kessel, the engines would overheat and
burn out. His craft would be stranded here, out of her way-and out of
harm's way-for the duration of whatever was about to happen.
Before Czethros could set his plans in
motion, Anja would be far away,
putting her sabotage plans into effect on Mon Calamari.
At first, Czethros probably wouldn't even suspect who was doing this to
him. But eventually he would learn.
Yes, eventually he would learn.
laina was surprised at how good it felt to be in the pilot's seat of
the Rock Dragon once again, even if they weren't exactly going on a fun
trip. The pleasure of being surrounded by her best friends added fuel
to the fire of her excitement as they set out on this new adventure.
"How's our navigator doing?" she asked, settling herself more
comfortably in her seat, anxious to be off.
"Perfect," Zekk assured her. "Em Teedee's got the route and the timing
to our first stop calculated down to the second."
"And naturally, I have been very thorough, as I always wn when safety
is concerned," Em Teedee preened. "You've come to expect only the best
of me, and I should hate for your trust to be misplaced."
Jaina chuckled.
"Just give us the count, Em Teedee," Jacen urged. "We've got to go
find Anja."
The little droid made a sound as if clearing its throat. "Prepare for
transition to hyperspace in five, four, three, two . . ."
"Punch it, Lowie," Jaina said. Her ginger-furred copilot grumbled with
satisfaction as he switched on the hyperdrive engines. Glittering
stellar pinpricks exploded into brilliant starlines around them.
Jaina couldn't keep the smile of exhilaration off her face. "Isn't
this exciting?"
"I'd be a lot more excited if I didn't feel responsible for the
situation Anja's in," said Jacen.
Jaina swiveled in the pilot's seat to give her twin brother a strange
look. "Responsible? How? We didn't have anything to do with Anja
getting addicted to spice."
"Well, if Dad hadn't killed her father, maybe she'd've had parents to
teach her right from wrong. She might never have gotten hooked on
andris in the first place."
Jaina bristled. "I don't believe Dad shot Gallandro in the back, no
matter what Anja says. She can't even be sure what happened. It's not
as if she was there."
"Neither were we," Jacen pointed out. He sighed and rubbed the back of
his neck. "Anyhow, it's not just Anja I'm worried about. I mean,
we're heading for Kessel. I've got kind of a bad feeling about
this."
Lowie smoothed the fur at the back of his neck and gave a thoughtful
rumble.
"Have you sensed something through the Force?" Tenel Ka asked.
Jaina glanced back at her brother. He shrugged. "Not exactly, but Dad
and Chewie sure had a hard time of it when they crashed on Kessel years
ago." Jaina turned and looked back out the front viewport. "It was
hard for them to get away, but that was back when the spice mines were
a slave pit. Dad reminds us whenever he gets a chance that Lando and
Uncle Luke had to disguise themselves in order to sneak in and help him
and Chewie escape." She bit her lower lip. "Now that Lando owns the
mines, though, we shouldn't need to worry about anything."
"It's still not a place I'd like to go for a vacation," Zekk
muttered.
"Hey, don't worry about it too much," Jacen said. "I told you, I
didn't really sense anything through the Force. I'd just be extra
careful when we land there."
Jaina nodded, but a frown of concern still wrinkled her brow.
"Such caution would be sensible," Tenel Ka agreed.
Once the Rock Dragon had landed near the spice mine's administrative
offices on Kessel, a thin and dour-looking administrator arrived to
greet them, introducing himself as Second Administrator Kymn.
"Your clearances are all in order," he said. "In fact, Master
Skywalker himself sent a message asking for our cooperation in your
mission-whatever it is. I'm to conduct you directly to the Chief
Administrator's office. Nien Nunb is a very busy man."
The young Jedi Knights followed the sour-faced man. Jacen looked
around at the bleak landscape and felt the barest hint of a tingle
along the back of his neck, so faint he didn't think it could possibly
be a warning through the Force. He scratched the back of his neck and
tried to divert his thoughts.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly say we're on a mission," Jacen told the
man.
"We're just looking for someone. We won't take up much of his time. "
The dour administrator looked suspiciously at him but said nothing as
they entered the main administrative buildings. When they were finally
led into the Chief Administrator's underground office, mousy little
Nien Nunb got up, came around his low desk, and greeted each of them
effusively, although they did not actually know one another. Em Teedee
promptly provided translation services, since Nien Nunb's Basic was
difficult to understand.
"Master Nien Nunb would like to thank you all for taking the time for
this visit. He deems it a great honor that the relatives of his old
friends Han Solo and Chewbacca of Kashyyyk have come to visit, and
extends you any help he can offer."
"Thanks," Jacen said. "Maybe if we could look at-" Nien Nunb held up a
hand for Jacen to pause, then turned to the sour-faced administrator
and said a few short words in his own language. Em Teedee continued
translating. "Master Nien Nunb says thank you, Second Administrator
Kynm. He will not require your services any further." Kynm's lips
pressed into a thin, tight line, but he made no argument as he
withdrew. Nien Nunb strode to the doorway, shut the heavy door, and
pressed his ear against it for a moment. Then, to all of their
surprise, he locked the door.
The Sullustan Chief Administrator spoke rapidly and spread his hands to
indicate a cluster of cushioned repulsor benches in a group on one side
of his rock-walled office. "Master Nien Nunb urges you to be seated,
and he is now anxious to learn the nature of the business that has
brought you all here."
The five young Jedi explained about their search for their friend Anja
and how they had hoped to find her here on Kessel. Nien Nunb put a
hand to his chin and shook his broad head while he replied. In
translation, Em Teedee explained that the Chief Administrator had not
seen the Lightning Rod and, since he had known old Peckhum a good many
years, he believed he would have recognized the ship had it landed
anywhere in the main docking domes. He had been very busy and very
concerned, however, so he couldn't be sure.
"Is it possible that she might have managed to sneak past your security
screens?" Jaina asked.
Jacen frowned at his sister for implying that Anja was trying to do
something illegal on Kessel, but Nien Nunb was already answering.
"In the past, Master Nien Nunb would have assured you that very little
could get past his security screens here on Kessel, and that he knew of
all comings and goings on this planet," Em Teedee said. "But in recent
months there have been some small ... occurrences that have led him to
believe that perhaps all is not as it seems here. Therefore, he has
/>
offered to put the full resources of Kessel's computer records at your
disposal. You may also physically search for Mistress Anja if you
believe that will be of any use. He only urges you to be extremely
cautious."
Tenel Ka, always slightly suspicious, sat up straighter. "May I
inquire what the source of your concern is?"
The Chief Administrator opened his small mouth under drooping folds of
skin, closed it, opened it, and closed it again, as if he could not
decide exactly what to say. Finally the story spilled out, and he
described the "accident" from which he had barely escaped with his
life, the blasts of carbonite and the suspected sabotage that had cost
the life of Torvon, the predecessor to Second Administrator Kymn.
"Master Nien Nunb has ordered immediate inspections and has implemented
new safety systems in order to foster the appearance that he has no
suspicions of anything at all sinister." The young Jedi Knights looked
at each other, trying to decide how dangerous the spice mines might
really be.
Em Teedee went on. "He does not wish anyone to know that he now
suspects treachery, and is no longer certain which of his employees he
can trust. As of yet, however, he has no solid proof. Therefore, in
return for his assistance in helping you with your search for Anja, he
Under A Black Sun Trilogy Page 37