Survivor's Quest

Jinzler's throat tightened. "Because I'm a nobody," he said, a touch of bitterness edging into his voice. "And because the only way to get to Outbound Flight is aboard an official Chiss ship, at the invitation of the official Chiss government. You really think they'd let me aboard if they knew the truth?"

"I don't know," Luke said. "Why don't we try it?"

Jinzler shook his head. "I can't risk it," he said. "I have to see that ship, Master Skywalker. I have to..." He shook his head again.

"How did you expect to get away with it?" Luke asked. "Did you think we wouldn't notice you weren't a properly credentialed ambassador?"

"I thought you might not get the message in time and would miss Formbi's deadline," Jinzler said. "If you did make it—" He shrugged uncomfortably. "I hoped you'd understand."

"Understand what?" Mara retorted. "You won't even tell us what it is we're supposed to understand."

"I know." He smiled wanly. "Pretty foolish of me, I guess. But it was all I had."

Mara looked past him at Luke, a sour taste in her mouth. An accomplished actor, she knew, could pull off a performance this good. So could most of the good con men she'd known throughout her life.

But acting ability and deep sighs weren't nearly enough to fool a Jedi. Try as she might, she couldn't ignore the fact that her senses were picking up the same earnest emotional struggle in his mind as was coming out in his face and words.

The man was rash, not much of a long-range thinker, possibly even an out-and-out fool. But he was also completely sincere.

But then, she'd been sincere, too, the whole time she'd served Palpatine as the Emperor's Hand. She'd done everything he'd ordered her to, including assassinations of corrupt officials and Rebels alike, with all the sincerity anyone could ever have asked for.

No, sincerity alone didn't count for much. In fact, when you came right down to it, it didn't count for anything at all.

"Mara?" Luke invited.

"No," she said firmly. "Unless he's willing to tell us—right now—exactly why he wants aboard, I say he gets tossed off."

She lifted her eyebrows at Jinzler. "Well?"

The lines around Jinzler's eyes deepened, and his shoulders seemed to sag a little. "I can't," he said softly. "It's just—"

He broke off, his gaze flicking over Mara's shoulder. "Aristocra Formbi," he said, the indecision and pain abruptly gone from his voice, though not from his sense. "What's the situation with our guests?"

Mara turned to see Formbi climbing back up the steps toward them, an odd tightness in his face and tread. "They're coming with us," he said.

"What, all of them?" Luke asked.

"Apparently, that is exactly what you are seeing," Formbi said soberly. "The Geroon Remnant, all that remain of their people, packed into that single vessel."

"What happened?" Jinzler asked.

Formbi shrugged. "Apparently, their release from slavery by those aboard Outbound Flight came too late," he said. "The Vagaari had already caused too much damage to their world for it to continue to support life."

"Like the Caamasi," Luke murmured. "Or the Noghri."

"I'm not familiar with those peoples," Formbi said. "At any rate, in the end, after plagues and starvation, they had no choice but to leave. Even now they search for a new world where they may live again in peace."

"That's terrible," Jinzler murmured. "Can you help them?"

"Perhaps," Formbi said. "A delegation will come aboard presently to examine some of our star charts. Perhaps we can find an uninhabited world outside Chiss territory where they can settle."

"I take it General Drask isn't too pleased with that?" Jinzler asked.

"He's not pleased at all," Formbi agreed with a wry smile. "Though to be honest, he's not pleased to have all you humans aboard, either. But in the end, my counsel prevailed."

"What about their request to visit Outbound Flight?" Luke asked.

"We'll allow their vessel to accompany us to the edge of the cluster where the remains are located," Formbi said. "At that point, I may need to have another discussion with General Drask. Still, I'm sure at least a small delegation of their people will be continuing on with us."

"What exactly do they want there?" Jinzler asked.

Formbi sighed. "To pay their respects to those who saved them," he said. "To say their final farewells."

It was all Mara could do to keep from jerking backward. The sudden flood of emotion that erupted from Jinzler's mind was like a stun burst from a blaster rifle.

She looked at him sharply. But aside from a twitching muscle in his cheek, his face showed nothing of the sudden anguish and heartache that had been triggered by Formbi's comment.

To pay their respects. To say their final farewells...

"At any rate, with all now assembled, we may finally proceed," Formbi continued. "Feesa will show you to your personal quarters, Master Skywalker."

"Thank you," Luke said. He looked at Mara, a question in his eyes.

Again, there was a sour taste in Mara's mouth. But there'd been something in Jinzler's silent burst of emotion that had touched a part of her she hadn't even known was there.

Or perhaps she had. Perhaps it was her own past as the Emperor's Hand, and her own reluctance to talk about it, that his presence had brought to mind.

She took a deep breath, caught the expectation in Luke and the quiet dread in Jinzler as she did so. Both of them knew exactly what she was about to say.

Both of them were wrong. "I thank you, as well, Aristocra Formbi," she said. "We'll look forward to spending more time with you."

She had the minor satisfaction of catching the surprise from both men at her comment. "You're quite welcome," Formbi said, oblivious to what was going on beneath the surface. "We shall meet again in a few hours. There will be a reception di

"Thank you, Aristocra," Luke said. "We'll look forward to both the di

"Yes," Mara agreed, looking pointedly at Jinzler. "And I'm sure we'll have a chance there to talk more fully, Ambassador."

Because she would find out about this man, she promised herself as Feesa led them back down the curving corridor. She would find out about him, and she would find out the reason he was here.

And she would do so before they reached Outbound Flight. Guaranteed.

The quarters Feesa took them to were small but well laid out, with a compact conversation area as well as the usual sleeping room and refresher station. "Not bad," Luke commented as he looked around. "A lot roomier than some shipboard berths I've been put up in."

"Yes," Mara said, watching the door slide shut behind her, her thoughts still on Jinzler and his disturbing emotional reaction.

"You're not even looking at it," Luke said, stepping through an archway into the bedroom and flopping backward onto the bed. "Let me guess. Jinzler?"

"Since when does a Jedi Master have to guess?" Mara asked dryly, trying to shake away the questions long enough for at least a perfunctory glance around the room. Overall, the decor was simple, as one would expect of shipboard accommodations. But at the same time it had the small touches of elegance that showed someone had put thought and care into it. The Chiss, apparently, took their host responsibilities seriously.

"Even Jedi Masters sometimes have trouble sorting through a plate of prunchti noodles," Luke countered, just as dryly. "That's about what you're looking like right now."

"What an appetizing image," Mara said. "And with di