Star Wars_ Shatterpoint - Matthew Woodring Stover [85]
When he's talking to somebody else, he always sounds like he's growling or whistling or making some other kind of animal noises and stuff."
"Yes, I had noticed something like that," Mace said slowly, nodding. "But I'd thought it was just me. Back at the outpost... things were confusing."
"That's why it's kind of like you're talking to yourself, you get it? In my head, he talks like a Pelek Baw curb-monkey. So what did he say to you?"
"He was," Mace said dryly, "trying to impress me with his sense of duty."
"So: what now? You didn't dust off the most dangerous man in the Korunnal Highland just to come and have a chat with the president of Rostu Jungle Nannies Inc. You have a move to make."
Mace nodded. "We have a move to make. Mount up. You're going to lead these prisoners to the steamcrawler track so that the militia can find them and pick them up." iL
Nick's mouth dropped open. "We... me? Why would I want to do something like that?"
"Because I gave them the word of a Jedi Master that if they surrendered I would keep them from harm. I will not be made a liar."
"What's your word got to do with me?"
"Nothing at all," Mace said. "I'm sure you enjoy thinking about Keela being disemboweled by a vine cat. When you think of Pell, do you see her starving to death in a gripvine nest or having her eyes pecked out by jacunas? "
Nick looked sick. "Hey, easy with that tusker poop, huh?"
"You think the boys will be gored by tuskers, or shredded by brassvines?
Maybe they'll get lucky and fall into a death hollow. At least that is relatively swift, as their lungs are eaten by caustic fumes, and their own tears scald their faces like acid..."
The young Korun turned away. "You have any idea what Kar and Depa will do to me?"
"You've been over the ground in this region. If I lead them myself, I'll end up losing us all in the jungle. Mount up. Right now."
Nick snorted. "Shee, still pretty free with the orders, aren't we? What if I just don't wanna? What if I do like thinking about all that stuff?
What if I want those people dead? What then?"
Mace went still. He stared off into the jungle, his eyes filled with its darkness. "Then I will beat you into unconsciousness," he said quietly,
"and ask someone else."
He looked at Nick.
Nick swallowed.
Mace said, "I won't tell you again."
Nick mounted up.
"Kar Vaster," the Jedi Master said, looking again into the jungle, this time up the line of march where the lor pelek had vanished, "is not the most dangerous man on the Korunnal Highland."
Nick shook his head. "You only say that because you don't really know him."
"I say that," Mace Windu replied, "because he doesn't know me."
A JEDI'S WORD
The prisoners limped along in ragged knots, holding each other up and nervously eyeing the pacing akk dogs. Mace forced his way through the tangled undergrowth toward them, Nick close behind on the grasser.
"Am I missing something here?" Nick leaned over to speak softly, one arm bent across the back of the grassers thick neck. "Last night these ruskakks were trying to carve off a hunk of roast Windu."
"This tan pel'trokal." Mace's voice was equally low and far more grim.
"You approve of it?"
"Sure." Nick glanced at the grasser that the children rode, and swiftly looked away. "Well, in principle, anyway..." His vivid eyes went narrow and cynical. "Wasn't too long ago Kar used to just kill them all. Can't afford to feed 'em. What else should we do? Givin' them the justice was Depa's call."
"Oh?"
"Makes sense, don't it? If the Balawai think we'll kill 'em anyway, why should they surrender? Every one of them'd fight to the death. That gets expensive, y'know? So we give 'em to the jungle. At least they got a chance."
"How many survive?" ome.
"Half? A quarter? One in a hundred?"
"How should I know?" Nick shrugged. "Does it make a difference?"
Mace Windu said, "Not to me."
Nick closed