Star Wars_ Tales From Jabba's Palace - Kevin J. Anderson [156]
“And from there, how far?”
“Only about another five hundred klicks. If we start at dawn, we’ll be there by noon or so.”
A slow smile illuminated her broad features, until they glowed like Tatooine’s dawn. “Then I can see my children tomorrow?”
“With any luck,” he said, with an answering smile that she couldn’t see.
“Doallyn …” Her eyes were very intent. With a jolt of surprise, he noted that they were a lovely, clear green. “Thank you for coming with me. For piloting the landspeeder. I don’t think I could have managed without you.”
“How were you planning to get across the Dune Sea?” he asked. He’d been wondering about that since yesterday.
“I had planned to walk,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m strong, and my wind is excellent. But”—she glanced around her at the unending dunes and frowned—“this terrain is … very harsh. It would have been hard to bring enough provisions … it would have taken me a long, long time. I might not have made it.”
The Sand People would have killed you, Doallyn thought, if the suns didn’t … But he was impressed by her courage, nevertheless.
After reloading the landspeeder, Doallyn and Yarna climbed in and glided off across the sands. The suns were far down on the western horizon, and it soon grew chilly. Doallyn kept the speeder at a good clip, but he was uncomfortably aware that the steering problem was growing steadily worse. What if the speeder broke down altogether? They’d be stranded in the Dune Sea … no, a glance at the navicomputer reassured the pilot slightly. The Dune Sea now lay behind them; they were skimming over the rugged folds and chasms of the Jundland Wastes.
Doallyn was forced to slow the speeder’s headlong rush, and to give all his attention to piloting. The steering problem grew steadily worse, and soon the muscles and tendons in his left arm and shoulder were protesting. It was with relief that the hunter saw that they were approaching the coordinates he’d selected. He began searching for a good place to stop for the few hours that remained of the night …
Yarna awoke at dawn, to find herself huddled against Doallyn’s back, where she must’ve instinctively migrated in search of warmth. She hastily rolled away and sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking around her at the bleak desolation that was the Jundland Wastes. Rock … rock everywhere. Tortured, wind-sculpted rock, in various hues of brown. Ocher-brown, yellow-brown, tan, reddish-brown, dark brown … with miserable scraps of yellowish-green vegetation scattered here and there.
And sand. White sand, so pure and pristine that it dazzled the eye with its whiteness. It appeared innocent and safe, but she knew that the Jundland Wastes were rife with treacherous sand pits that could swallow the unwary. Yarna had been careful to acquire a long stick and to probe the ground before her wherever she ventured.
Turning to look south, Yarna glimpsed the narrow spire of what must be the Stone Needle, the tallest landmark in the Jundland Wastes. In the pellucid air of dawn she could see it clearly, even at this distance.
Taking out the provisions, she divided a packet meticulously in two, then allowed herself a few scant swallows of water. She ran her hands down her front, realizing that she was now nearly a third less bulky than she had been in Jabba’s court. He’d liked her at maximum fluid capacity, claiming it made her jiggle more effectively, but it had been hard to maintain the greater bulk. She was glad that she could shed some of it now.
When Doallyn awoke, the two escapees quickly loaded the landspeeder, then headed east, toward Mos Eisley. Yarna leaned back in her seat, pleased that she could now move and stretch with far greater freedom. She was increasingly aware that Doallyn was having to struggle with the steering from time to time. “Is this speeder going to make it?” she asked worriedly.
He nodded. “But I’m getting cramps in my arms trying