Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 11_ Dark Journey - Elaine Cunningham [71]
Tenel Ka hesitated, then slipped it onto her finger. “I seldom wear such things. Perhaps I should, so that this one is not so obvious.”
Teneniel Djo’s faded eyebrows rose, and she smiled approvingly. “A good thought.”
Her smile faded, and her energy seemed to dissipate with it. A film settled over her eyes and she suddenly looked smaller, older, and infinitely weary.
Tenel Ka kissed her mother’s cheek and let herself out of the room. One more disturbing interview awaited her.
She made her way to the royal family’s docking bay, a vast structure near the palace. The Yuuzhan Vong frigate had been moved into the city for fear of sabotage, and a number of guards encircled the parameters.
More guards than usual, Tenel Ka noted. Several among them wore the distinctive red uniform of the palace guard. They snapped to attention as she passed, giving her the salute reserved for the royal family.
“Up here,” an imperious voice announced.
Tenel Ka glanced up at the walkway that surrounded the huge room. Her grandmother and father stood together. Not quite together, she amended. The distance between them, and the set of her father’s shoulders, suggested yet another disagreement in process.
Apparently the morning promised not one unpleasant interview, but two. Tenel Ka sprinted up the stairs, resigned to having this done and over with so she could turn her attention to Jaina.
She nodded to her father and kissed the cheek that Ta’a Chume presented. “You have seen Jaina this morning?”
The former queen scowled and nodded to the alien ship.
Before she could speak, the howl of an irritated Wookiee rent the air. The guards below parted to allow Lowbacca to enter. Other than Tenel Ka, he was the only member of the Jedi strike force who had elected to remain on Hapes, and other than Jaina, the only civilian granted access to this secured site.
Tenel Ka watched Lowbacca with deep concern. The Wookiee’s friendship with Jaina, combined with the volatile temper and loyal nature of his species, painted his perceptions in broad and simplistic strokes. He seemed unaware of the changes occurring in his friend, and quite willing to go along with whatever Jaina had in mind.
The Wookiee lumbered toward the frigate with a large crate of rocks in his arms. He dropped it with a heavy thud and began to feed the rocks, one at a time, into an opening that appeared in the ship’s hull. Finally he bent over to pick up the empty crate. The ship spat out a pale gray stone, hitting Lowbacca squarely on the rump. The Wookiee jolted upright and spun toward the ship, shaking his fist and howling in outrage.
Jaina popped her head through the hatch. Her face was smudged, and her medium length brown hair looked as if it had been styled in a wind tunnel.
“Hey, it wasn’t me! Can I help it if this thing is a fussy eater?”
This remark coaxed a wistful sigh from Tenel Ka. It was so like Jaina as she had been two years ago.
“You seem troubled,” Isolder observed.
“Nostalgic, perhaps,” she admitted. “It is good to see Jaina tinkering with a ship, even one such as this.”
“I’m sorry you think so,” the former queen said tartly. “She has better things to do with her time. That young woman is a born leader. She should be pursuing her destiny, not acting the part of a mechanic!”
“Perhaps she is doing exactly that. An understanding of the enemy ships could make an enormous difference,” Isolder said. “She is taking an admirably singleminded approach to solving the puzzle it presents.”
Tenel Ka shook her head. “She’s not solving a puzzle. She’s creating one.”
A speculative gleam lit Ta’a Chume’s eyes. “An interesting notion. Can you expand on that?”
The Jedi shrugged. “At this point, it’s just a feeling. Jaina is extremely difficult to read through the Force.”
The older woman nodded approvingly. “The ability to hide thoughts