Star Wars_ Darth Bane 02_ Rule of Two - Drew Karpyshyn [30]
“Where are your parents?” the woman called Irtanna asked.
“They’re dead,” Zannah answered after a moment’s hesitation, setting down what remained of the ration kit. The food was delicious; the simple physical pleasure of eating was a glorious sensation. But she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted by it right now. She had to be very careful with what she told these people.
The man crouched beside her, bringing himself down to her eye level. When he spoke, his voice was soft and sympathetic. “Any other family? Brothers or sisters? Anyone?”
She answered with another shake of her head.
“A war orphan,” Irtanna muttered sadly.
“My name’s Bordon,” the man told her. “This is Irtanna, and these are my sons Tallo and Wend. What’s your name?”
Unwilling to reveal her true name, she hesitated for a second. “I’m … Rain,” she finally offered, giving them her childhood nickname.
“Rain? That’s a funny name. Never heard one like that before,” the older boy, Tallo, said. He looked to be about sixteen.
“There are lots of names you’ve never heard,” Bordon chided his son sharply. Then, in a softer voice, he asked Zannah, “Are you hurt, Rain? Or sick? We have medicine if you need it.”
“I’m okay. I was just hungry is all.”
“Should we take her with us?” Irtanna asked.
Bordon kept his eyes on Zannah as he replied, “Why don’t we ask her. Rain, do you want to come with us?”
“I have to go to Onderon,” Zannah replied without thinking. As soon as the words were out of her mouth she regretted them.
“Onderon? Nothing on that rock but monsters and beast-riders,” Tallo chimed in. “You must be pretty stupid if you want to go there.”
“Hush, boy,” Bordon snapped. “You’ve never been off Ruusan, so how would you know?”
“I heard people talking,” Tallo replied. “Around the camps and stuff.”
“You can’t believe every tale you hear around a campfire,” his father reminded him. “Now take your brother and go wait up in the front of the ship.”
“Come on,” Tallo grumbled, grabbing his younger sibling by the arm.
“That’s not fair!” Wend protested as he was led away. “I didn’t do nothing!”
“Why do you want to go to Onderon?” Irtanna asked once the boys were gone. “It’s a very dangerous world. Not the kind of place for a little girl on her own.”
“I won’t be on my own. I … I have family there,” Zannah lied. “I just need to find them.”
Bordon rubbed his hand over his chin, tugging slightly at his beard. “It might be pretty hard finding them on a place like Onderon,” he said. “Is there someone else we could contact for you? A family friend on Ruusan, maybe?”
“I have to go to Onderon,” Zannah insisted.
“I see,” the man said, then he stood up and turned to Irtanna. “Our young guest seems mighty determined to get off this world.”
“We can’t take you to Onderon,” Irtanna said, “but we can take you with us when we leave Ruusan.”
“Take me where?” Zannah asked, suspicious.
“We’ve got a whole fleet of ships orbiting the planet, Rain. You’ll be safe up there. We’ll find someone to get you cleaned up and look after you.”
“I can look after myself,” she answered defiantly.
“Yes, I can see that,” Bordon interjected. “But I bet it’s lonely being all by yourself.” When Zannah didn’t answer he continued, “Tell you what—it’s getting dark outside. Why don’t we take you with us up to the fleet for now? Then tomorrow we can figure out what to do next.
“If you still want to go to Onderon, we’ll see if we can help. But if you change your mind, maybe you could stay here on Ruusan with me and my boys for a while. At least until we find your family.”
Zannah’s mouth dropped open at his offer.
Bordon reached down and patted her gently on the shoulder. “It’s okay,” he said. “You don’t have to answer right now. Just something to think about.”
Managing a slight nod, Zannah