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  and the Rock Dragon. We're fine."

  The answer appeared to satisfy Raynar, who finally let Jacen lead him into

  the back. Jacen took a deep breath, held it for a few heartbeats, and slowly

  released it.

  Then, to break the tension, he said, "I guess you're pretty scared."

  Raynar sat down, shoulders hunched over, and stared at the deckplates. "How

  would you feel if somebody in your family was missing and maybe even dead?"

  From the astromech station, Artoo-Detoo whistled a mournful note.

  Jacen gave a humorless laugh. "Believe it or not, that situation isn't

  completely uncommon in my family. I know how you feel."

  Raynat looked up at Jacen. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth!

  "Yeah, I guess you do at that."

  An hour later when Luke called them back to the cockpit, both boys were

  more relaxed. Raynat even attempted a joke or two. Jacen already knew the punch

  lines, but he laughed anyway because it was so funny to hear the normally

  pompous boy working so hard to use humor. The kid wasn't too bad, Jacen decided,

  but he needed a little. work on his timing and delivery.

  As soon as they buckled themselves into their seats, Raynar began to show

  signs of nervousness again. "Why don't you tell Uncle Luke your joke, Raynat?"

  Jacen said.

  "The one about the Neff herder and the purple rancor?"

  "Maybe later," Luke said. "We're just about there. Okay... now," he said,

  nodding to Jacen.

  Jacen leaned forward and disengaged the hyperdrive. The starlines shortened

  abruptly and resolved themselves into a million twinkling lights in the

  blackness of space.

  Empty space, without any merchant ships anywhere in sight.

  Jacen blinked in surprise. "Where are they?" He asked.. "What happened to

  the fleet?"

  Luke Skywalker looked at the control panel, perplexed. "These are the

  coordinates they gave me."

  "They're gone," Raynat said in a gloomy voice. "The fleet has left without

  me."

  Jacen adjusted the volume controls as the cockpit speaker crackled to life.

  "Shadow Chaser, this is Rock Dragon," Jaina's voice said.

  "Kinda lonely out here. Weren't we expecting company?"

  "Still waiting to make contact," Jacen answered. "Uncle Luke says " From

  the comm speaker a new female voice cut through his transmission. "Shadow Chaser

  and Rock Dragon, please broadcast confirmation of your identities."

  At Luke's nod, Jacen complied. They waited. "Identities confirmed," the

  voice said at last. "This is the Tryst. I am prepared to take you--" "Where is

  my mother? Where is the fleet?" Raynar cut in. "They were supposed to meet us

  here. What have you done with them?"

  "Ah, would that be Master Raynar Thul?" the voice answered. "This is your

  second cousin, Captain Dro Prack, of the security shuttle Tryst assigned to the

  Tradew'yn. Now if you'll all be so kind as to slave your navigational computers

  to mine, we can be on our way to rendezvous with the fleet."

  "Um, shuttle Tryst?" Jaina's voice came over the speaker. "We were under

  the impression that this was the rendezvous point."

  "That was the impression we intended you to have," Captain Prack said.

  "This was just an intermediate stop to make sure no one followed you."

  "What if it's a trap? I've barely met most of my second cousins," Raynar

  said in a low voice. "We, uh, have a large extended family. Half of them left

  Alderaan decades ago when the Emperor came into power."

  In spite of the relaxation exercises he'd been doing, Raynar looked

  agitated again.

  "Can you confirm that she really works for your family?" Luke asked.

  "Is there a question you can ask her?" Jacen added. "Maybe some kind of

  secret code your family uses in emergencies?"

  Raynar thought for a moment, then said in a loud voice, "Captain Prack,

  which of our great family 'treasures was saved by a fortunate coincidence when

  the Death Star blew up Alderaan?"

  "Simple enough," Prack answered, her voice casual and confident.

  "The Dro ceremonial fountain had been sent to Calamari to be repaired by

  the renowned artist Myrrack. Therefore the Dro family's great treasure was

  safely off-planet and spared from destruction."

  Raynar's ruddy face beamed. "That's it.

  No one but a member of my family would know the answer to that question."

  "You're sure?" Luke asked.

  Raynar nodded. "Trust me."

  "Raynar says you passed the test," Jacen said into the comm speaker. "We're

  slaving the Shadow Chaser's navigational computers to yours."

  "Rock Dragon slaving over to Tryst," Jaina's voice said.

  "All right, everybody," Captain Prack answered, "hold on to your seats."

  Starlines swooped and stuttered around the Shadow Chaser as the Tryst took

  them on three consecutive jumps through hyperspace, none more than a minute

  long.

  Then, suddenly, they were there.

  A ragtag assortment of merchant vessels, security shuttles, cargo ships,

  star skimmers, and scout cruisers drifted before them in space.

  The fleet held ships of all sizes and manufactures, designed for versatile

  operations in different shipping environments. Over the years, Bornan and Aryn

  Thul had expanded their merchant operation into a massive undertaking. But now,

  out of concern for their safety, the Thul family could not allow their fleet a

  permanent base.

  "This is it," Raynat said. "My real home."

  RAYNAR FILLED HIS lungs with the cool, recycled air on the Tradewyn,

  flagship of his family's merchant fleet. His father had always insisted that the

  Tradewyn have the finest filters and recyclers available. For business reasons,:

  the fleet's headquarters remained on Coruscant, but this vessel more than any

  other place in the galaxy--had become the family's home.

  His mother claimed that the air on Al-deraan had been sweeter, though by

  the time of Raynar's birth that planet had already been space rubble for years.

  He had been born here, on the Tradewyn itself.

  For him, no place could feel safer or more welcoming in a time of danger.

  Raynar closed his eyes, taking a second deep breath, and a third.

  For so long he had smelled the humidity and the lush, thick jungle scents

  of Yavin 4. This seemed so much purer.

  Behind him, he heard Luke and the young Jedi Knights climb out of the

  Shadow Chaser and the Rock Dragon, then thump to the deckplates, but he did not

  allow that to distract him from his enjoyment. He had so many memories of this

  place.

  To Raynar's embarrassment, he was dangerously close to tears when he heard

  the docking-bay airlock whoosh open. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder,

  and Master Skywalker said in a low voice, "It's always good to feel that you've

  come home.

  Are you all right, Raynar?"

  Dismayed that Master Skywalker had sensed this weakness in him, Raynat's

  first impulse was to draw himself up and make some sort of haughty reply to

  indicate that he was fully in control of himself. But instead, he took another

  deep breath, this time a calming one, as part of a Jedi relaxation technique--

  opened his eyes, and nodded. A true Jedi had little need
to lie, or even

  pretend. In this case, he knew the only one he could fool would be himself.

  "Thank you. I'll be fine now," Raynat said. Glancing at the airlock, he saw

  his mother, Aryn Dro Thul, hurrying toward him, accompanied by his uncle Tyko.

  Tyko Thul wore the voluminous yellow, purple, orange, and scarlet robes of

  the family house. His moon-round face beamed as brightly as an emergency glow

  beacon.

  "My dear boy, how comforting it is to see you safely arrived!

  Here with us, you have nothing to fear."

  Raynat's surprise at seeing his uncle again was compounded by his mother's

  next action. She stepped forward and awkwardly-for their family had never been

  physically demonstrative--gave Raynar a hug.

  Recovering quickly from his shock, he hugged her back, then stepped away

  and cleared his throat. "M-m-mother, Uncle Tyko, I have some friends I'd like

  you to meet. This is Master Skywalker of the Jedi academy."

  His mother stretched out both of her hands to clasp Luke's in a traditional

  greeting.

  "Luke Skywalker, hero of the Rebellion," she said with a warm smile, "it's

  good to see you again. And how kind of you to bring my son to me."

  "I promised my sister Leia that I would see you personally, Aryn Dro Thul,

  and make. sure that you're all safe here," he replied.

  "Please thank Chief of State Leia Organa Solo for us," Aryn said, obviously

  much pleased.

  Next, Tyko reached his hands out to grip Luke's. "Master Skywalker, it is

  an honor.

  Alas, it would have been an even greater honor to meet you on Mechis III,

  so that I could extend my personal hospitality at the droid works there. I think

  you would be most impressed."

  Master Skywalker's smile looked as if he were trying to repress some secret

  amusement.

  "Thank you. I've heard a great deal about your successes on Mechis III.

  Your droid works are the most... productive in the New Republic."

  Uncle Tyko beamed even more brightly than before. "It's nothing really," he

  said, with a vain attempt at a modest shrug.

  "Success seems to come naturally to my family. To me, to my brother--I

  daresay you've noticed it even in Raynar. I'm certain he quite surpasses most of

  your other students in sheer Jedi ability."

  Raynar felt his cheeks warm with discomfiture.

  How could Master Skywalker respond to such a display of pompous self-

  importance?

  To his credit, however, the Jedi Master answered smoothly and without

  hesitation.

  "Raynar is a unique and earnest student who has more Jedi potential than

  even he is aware of."

  Before his uncle could push Master Sky-walker further, Raynar broke in.

  "And I'd like you to meet some of my fellow students: Jaina and Jacen Solo,

  Lowbacca from Kashyyyk, and Tenel Ka, a princess of Hapes and Dathomir."

  Uncle Tyko pursed his lips in surprise.

  "Very distinguished guests," he observed.

  "They certainly are," Raynar's mother said. "You are all welcome to stay as

  long as you like. I think this calls for a celebration."

  Her midnight-blue gown, shot with silver thread and belted with a sash in

  the colors of the House of Thul, glittered like the star-studded wedges of space

  visible through the viewports.

  "I'm afraid I must return to the Jedi academy as soon as possible," Master

  Sky-walker said with a regretful shake of his head.

  "Artoo and I need to get back. We have many other students and much work to

  do."

  "But we'd like to stay," Jacen hurried to assure Aryn Dro Thul.

  "Just for a few days, of course, to make sure that Raynar's okay and

  settling in here."

  Lowie urffed his support of the plan.

  "Why, what a splendid ideal" Em Teedee said. "Civilization, at last."

  The details and arrangements were soon settled. Jacen, Jaina, Lowie and

  Tenel Ka would stay for five days, then return to the Jedi academy in the Rock

  Dragon.

  In less than half an hour, Luke Sky-walker and Artoo-Detoo departed in the

  Shadow Chaser. Raynar's mother sighed as she watched their sleek ship vanish.

  "Well, I suppose we'll have to make another hyperspace jump now, just to keep

  moving."

  Uncle Tyko nodded. "To be sure no one can follow us by picking up on the

  Shadow Chaser's log of recent stops."

  Raynar's mother clasped her hands and smiled. "When that's done, I have a

  special treat for you children. To celebrate my son's return, you're all invited

  to an Alderaanian Ceremony of Waters The Ceremony of Waters was long and

  elaborate, and apparently filled with great meaning for the Thul family... but

  Jacen found his mind wandering during the endless rituals. He squirmed and tried

  to sit up straighter on the hard narrow bench that ringed the small, elegant

  fountain that served as a centerpiece for the ceremony.

  He absently reached to where his light-saber usually hung at his side,

  planning to run his fingers along its ridges, as he often did when he was bored.

  .. but then he remembered the weapon wasn't there. Everyone had been asked to

  change into their best clothes for this special occasion. And since it was a

  ritual of peace, all the young Jedi had left their weapons in their cabins.

  Aryn Thul, her long chestnut hair braided in an intricate pattern, looked

  beautiful and serene in her midnight-blue gown. The hairstyle reminded Jacen of

  his mother.

  Sometimes he wondered how Leia managed to put up with all the boring

  ceremonies, rituals, and meetings her duties as Chief of State required her to

  endure. In times past, Jacen, Jaina, and their younger brother Anakin had often

  attended events their mother thought they might especially enjoy. Even at those,

  however, Jacen had frequently found himself wishing he were out with his friend

  Zekk exploring the fascinating, and sometimes dangerous, lower levels of

  Coruscant.

  Jacen remembered a disastrous time when he and Jaina had persuaded Zekk to

  be their guest at a simple state dinner. Had that experience been this

  bewildering--this excruciating--for the dark-haired young man? He missed Zekk.

  Letting his eyes drift around the room, Jacen wondered if anyone else was as

  bored as he was.

  On the other side of the fountain, Raynar and Tyko sat flanking Aryn Thul

  while she performed the ceremony. All three were apparently engrossed in every

  detail of the rituals. Beside him, Jaina watched attentively as Aryn filled an

  array of brightly colored transparent flasks, cups, and beakers. At Jacen's

  left, Tenel Ka sat laser-straight, her cool gray eyes dutifully following each

  step.

  Completing the circle, his eyes half closed, Jacen noticed Lowie taking

  this opportunity to practice his Jedi relaxation techniques... or perhaps just

  napping. Em Teedee's glowing optical sen, sors were alert, though the little

  droid made no sound.

  Setting aside the last of the filled vessels, Aryn Thul began to hum a

  slow, lilting tune.

  As she did so, she held her hands under one of the clear streams of liquid

  that gurgled from the fountain. Water flowed across the backs of her hands, and

  then she turned
them over, Jetting the water run into her palms. Still humming,

  she nodded.

  Raynar and Tyko placed their hands under the trickling water as well.

  Tenel Ka--always fast to catch on--stretched her arm out and held her hand

  under the stream of water. Jacen noticed the glow of pleasure that lit Aryn's

  and Raynat's eyes at this. Lowie opened his eyes at the same time that Jaina

  nudged Jacen. Six more hands entered the flow from the fountain. Jacen was

  amazed to find the water warm and silky to the touch.

  The remainder of the ceremony consisted of drying.their hands, then passing

  around the various cups and beakers. Aryn hummed while Tyko or Raynar recited

  words about purity or peace or the life-giving qualities of water. Then they

  would sip from the beaker or empty it and refill it from the fountain or

  sprinkle drops in the air to fall like rain. Occasionally, Em Tedee even hummed

  along with Aryn; Raynar's mother did not seem to mind.

  Jacen was glad, at least, to see Raynat distracted from his misery. The

  blond-haired boy looked happier than Jacen had ever seen him on Yavin 4.