Star Wars_ Darksaber - Kevin J. Anderson [51]
He smiled down at Callista and stroked her hair. She had fallen asleep in his arms.
KHOMM
CHAPTER 17
As Dorsk 81 piloted them to the main spaceport on Khomm, Kyp Durron stared out at the amazingly perfect gridwork of cities.
Dorsk 81 fidgeted at the control panel, looking anxious as he brought their craft in. A few other vessels sat parked in marked-off rectangles, out-system traders coming to the clone planet to offer their wares. The inhabitants of Khomm rarely left their world, preferring to stay at home and do what they had always done.
Dorsk 81’s olive green skin flushed a deeper hue. “It feels good to be back,” he said. “I was untrained when I left, but now I can trace what my senses told me as I grew up. I feel the calming influence of this place, the comfortable familiarity. After all the difficult decisions I’ve faced at the praxeum, I want to sink back into the pool of my own people, absorbing their warmth and welcome. You’ll sense it too, Kyp.”
Kyp nodded, masking his skepticism. “I can already feel a low-level … muffled sensation.”
Dorsk 81 nodded his streamlined head and innocently blinked his bright eyes. “Yes, yes, that’s it.”
When they opened the access hatch, Kyp was amazed to see that a crowd had been shuttled in from the tall buildings. He looked at the hundreds of smooth-skinned clones gathered to welcome them. They applauded when Dorsk 81 stepped into the hazy sunlight and raised his right arm in greeting.
Kyp stood beside his friend and whispered, “Why so many? This is amazing.”
Beaming, Dorsk 81 answered, “I am famous here, now that I’m a Jedi Knight.” He cast a sheepish glance at Kyp. “I’m the only person in Khomm’s recent memory who has done anything … unpredictable.”
Kyp stifled a laugh, knowing that Dorsk 81 was not joking. He watched as one of the cloned aliens came forward on a levitating raft encircled by handrails. The placid-faced alien piloting it wore some sort of uniform with insignia on the shoulders.
Dorsk 81 was impressed. “That must be our city leader, Kaell 115. I’ve never seen him this close before. He’s been our leader for decades. It’s in his genetic line.” But when the standing platform drifted in front of them, Kyp saw that the uniformed alien had a childlike roundness to his face that did not speak of many years wearing the burdens of leadership.
He raised his right hand in greeting, as Dorsk 81 had done. “I am Kaell 116,” he said, “the new leader of this city. Welcome, Dorsk 81! We are proud to have such an impressive personage return to us.” He gestured toward the open platform. “Please allow me to escort you to your domicile.”
The city leader gave Kyp a stiff greeting. They climbed aboard, and the levitating platform drifted just over the heads of the crowd. The olive-skinned aliens waved in unison, giving Dorsk 81 a hero’s welcome.
Kaell 116 cruised away from the spaceport toward the identical blocks of city buildings. Trees lined every street, pruned to look exactly the same. Lawns of purple and blue grass were carefully manicured in front of each building. The air held a dusty, mineral undertone that spoke of life-lessness.
The structures were squarish monstrosities made of polished green-veined rock, bordered with a rough sandstone. The outer walls bore no decorations, no sculptures or window boxes, merely a number engraved in each cornerstone at street level.
“How do you find your way around?” Kyp said. “Everything looks the same.”
Kaell 116 seemed to take this as a criticism, and his face grew pinched. “We have molded our city to be the way we want it, and we’ve maintained it that way. Everything is numbered and cataloged, and Khomm is a stable, understandable place. Our citizens are happy and content here.”
“I see,” Kyp said, forcing a smile. His dark eyes flashed toward Dorsk 81, who looked so pleased to be back home.
As the