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
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