Survivor's Quest

"Very aptly named," Mara agreed. "An unfriendly ship that stops here for a nav check is going to be in for a world of hurt."

She looked at Luke, her expression grim in the reflected starlight. "Anyone who might be thinking about taking on the Chiss would have a definite interest in locating as many of those defenses as possible."

Luke felt his stomach tighten. "Fel?"

"Or the Geroons might have an interested client with an unused planet to swap them," Mara said. "Jinzler could be fronting for someone, too."

"Car'das?"

She shrugged. "Could be. We do know that Car'das likes collecting information. This would certainly come under that heading."

"Point," Luke said, taking one last look around at the stars. The last refuge of the Chiss people, Formbi had called it. Who out there would be interested in learning its secrets? "I think we've pushed this set of puzzle pieces around as much as we can. Let's go see if we can pick up another piece or two."

Mara pushed away from the viewport. "Formbi?"

Luke nodded. "Formbi."

They found the Aristocra in a service corridor midway between the control center and the main engines, watching in silence as a pair of Chiss crewers dug into an open conduit access panel with long, tonglike probes. A third crewer stood expectantly by with a sealed metal container. "Ah, our noble Jedi," Formbi said as they maneuvered past the workers in the cramped space and came to his side. "I understand you've been busy this evening."

"I see you have, too, Aristocra," Luke pointed out. "Have you found the problem?"

Formbi nodded. "Line creepers, as we suspected."

"Line creepers?"

"Long, slender creatures that chew their way into power and control systems and live on the electrical power generated within," Formbi explained. "They're a vermin we've worked very hard to destroy or contain."

"Sounds like conduit worms," Mara commented. "That's a type of vermin we've tried hard to destroy."

"With no more success than we've had, I suspect," Formbi said.

"True," Luke said. "What was this particular batch working on? The engine control lines?"

"Yes," Formbi said. "That's what caused the flutter you apparently felt earlier. We're clearing them out now."

"What about the lights in the forward part of the ship?" Mara asked. "Did they get in there, too?"

"No," Formbi said. "It appears someone merely shut them down."

"Accidentally?" Mara asked.

Formbi's glowing eyes seemed to blaze a bit brighter as he looked at her. "What do you think?" he countered.

"We think the Chaf Envoy has some serious problems," Luke said. "We're not sure everyone aboard wants this mission to succeed."

He stretched out to the Force, hoping for a telling reaction. But Formbi merely shook his head. "You're wrong, Master Skywalker," he said quietly. "Everyone aboard very much wishes the mission to succeed."

"Maybe so," Mara said. "But it may not be the same mission as the one you have scheduled."

"I presume you've heard of the incident in the bow a few minutes ago?" Luke asked.

"I have," Formbi said. "Captain Talshib is already searching for damage or theft in that part of the vessel."

"Good," Mara said. "What did you and Jorj Car'das talk about?"

Luke had been trying, without success, to spark a reaction from the elderly Chiss. Mara's attempt was just as futile. "Jorj Car'das?" Formbi asked, lifting his eyebrows politely, his composure not even flickering.

"The human who brought Ambassador Jinzler to Crustai," Mara said. "The ambassador said you two spoke at length."

Formbi smiled faintly. "And you suspect something sinister about it?" He shook his head. "Not at all. He introduced the ambassador to me and listed his credentials and honors. I greeted him in turn, and welcomed him on behalf of the Chiss Ascendancy."

"And you did all this in that trade language, Mi

"At the time I doubt he was aware I could speak your New Republic Basic," Formbi said.

"And you'd never met Car'das before?" Mara persisted.

"How could I possibly know anyone from the New Republic?" Formbi asked patiently. "I've never been farther than a few light-years outside Chiss space. Ah."

He pointed over Luke's shoulder. Luke turned to see one of the workers pull a long, segmented worm from the conduit with his tongs. The third Chiss had his container open, and the first eased the worm carefully into the opening. "A line creeper," Formbi identified it as the third crewer sealed the container again. "A young one, too, from its size. If left undisturbed long enough, they can grow to be as long as an adult Chiss and thick enough to nearly fill a conduit that size."

"I can see why you don't want them around," Luke said. "Any idea how it got in there?"

"Not yet," the Aristocra said. "We'll begin a thorough search of the vessel in the morning." His eyes bored into Luke's. "Of our vessel, and all others associated with it."

"Of course," Luke said, sensing Mara's sudden wariness. "May I ask exactly what this search will entail?"

"For you, it will most likely be noninvasive," Formbi assured them. "Line creepers exhale a distinctive mixture of gases that is quite easy to detect. If none of those gases is detected in your vessel's compartments, that will be the end of the procedure."

"And if you do detect any?" Mara asked.

"Then we will of course need to examine those areas more thoroughly," Formbi said. "But you should have nothing to be concerned about. If you haven't opened your vessel elsewhere in this region of space, it's highly unlikely you could have picked up any vermin. But we must check nevertheless."

"We understand," Luke said. "Actually, if one of these things is aboard the Sabre, we'd be just as glad for you to get rid of it. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Thank you, but no," Formbi said. "We'll alert you before entering your vessel, of course."

"We thank you in turn," Luke said, sensing the dismissal in his tone. "We'll see you in the morning, then."

"One other thing," Formbi said as they turned to go. "I'm informed that both you and Jedi Skywalker activated your lightsabers during your search this evening."

"Yes, we did," Mara said. "We were hunting a possible saboteur, if you recall. Not to mention defending ourselves against a Chiss warrior with a twitchy trigger finger."

"Yes—that," Formbi said, sounding embarrassed. "An unfortunate occurrence. The warriors have been spoken to, and it will not happen again."

Something seemed to flicker through the Aristocra's eyes too fast for Luke to catch. "But in return, I must ask you not to activate your weapons again as long as you are aboard a vessel of the Chiss Ascendancy."

Luke frowned. "Not at all?"

"Not at all," Formbi said flatly.

"What if we're in danger?" Mara demanded. "Or if you or one of your people is in danger?"

"Then of course you may do whatever you deem necessary," Formbi said. "But General Drask has insisted that the casual waving of alien weapons aboard the Chaf Envoy will no longer be tolerated."

"Casual?" Mara echoed disbelievingly. "Aristocra—"

"We understand," Luke hurriedly cut her off. "We'll do our best to comply with the general's order."

"Thank you," Formbi said, dipping his head slightly. "Until the morning, then."

The corridors were deserted as they made their way back. Just the same, Luke waited until they were in the privacy of their quarters before breaking the silence. It made for better security, and also gave his quietly seething wife time to cool down. "What do you think?" he asked when the door was solidly sealed behind them.

"My low opinion of General Drask just dropped a few points," she said darkly. "Of all the stupid, childish—"