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Jaina grimaced. “And how many years will that take?”

Sinsor looked mildly offended. “You might be surprised how obvious these little splices can be to the trained eye. Our computers are advanced, and much faster than anything the Republic’s so-called scientists have in their arsenal.”

“You think you can alter one of these creatures?”

“I’m confident of it. Come back in the morning, and we should be ready to play around with the next generation.”

Jaina nodded and wove through the crowded workroom to the door. The palm reader on this side did not immediately open the door, but relayed her request to the central control. A metallic voice assured her that her escort would arrive shortly, and she settled down to wait.

It was obvious that Sinsor Khal was under confinement. After having watched him in action, Jaina guessed that his disregard for his subjects’ well-being had gotten him in trouble more than once. On the other hand, this semi-imprisonment also provided a perfect forum for unsanctioned experimentation.

She wondered what the next morning would bring. No doubt there would be some way to impress her will upon the altered creature—and upon any future recipients.

That raised an interesting question: the Yuuzhan Vong’s creatures were not affected by the Force, yet some of them—the lambent crystal in Anakin’s lightsaber, for example—communicated by some sort of mind-to-mind ability, sometimes with individuals who were Forcesensitive. That defied logic, and negated everything Jaina knew about the nature of the Force.

Jaina sensed that she was near to a new understanding—she could feel it, like a shadow perceived only at the corner of her peripheral vision.

She closed her eyes and allowed impressions to come to her. The teeming life of Gallinore swept over her like a silent surf. The bright green music of the forest filled her senses, and answers she could not quite decipher mingled with the rasp of insects and the music of birdsong.

A smile slowly crept over her face. If the answers to her questions were out in the wilds of Gallinore, Jaina knew just the person who was likely to find them.

The path was a narrow, rocky ledge that clung tightly to the steep slope. Tenel Ka moved confidently up the trail, her muscled limbs coiling and stretching with a grace and joy that reminded Jaina of a bird in flight. Tenel Ka had put aside her Jedi robes for the short, lizard-skin costume she preferred, and her red-gold hair had been tightly plaited into a single thick braid. Her arms swung lightly as she strode along, and from the back her missing forearm was not at all apparent.

The way broadened into a small, flat landing that overlooked a deeply forested valley and the mountains beyond. The Dathomiri woman halted and waited for the other Jedi to catch up. Jaina hauled herself up the last few steps and flopped down onto a large rock.

“Great view,” she told Tenel Ka. “I really needed this.”

Her friend nodded. “As did we all. We spend far too much time in sedentary pursuits. It is difficult to maintain the conditioning level we reached as students.”

Lowbacca struggled up in time to hear this comment, and he yowled a testy disclaimer.

“You can get back to the computer in the morning,” Jaina told him.

Tenel Ka’s searching gaze settled on a nearby mountain, and her eyes lit up. She pointed across the divide toward a rocky slope. “If you look carefully, you can see the opening of a cave. See the colored lights flashing?”

Jaina shielded her eyes with one hand and squinted. “What is that?”

“We call them firedrakes. They are very large flying insects that can emit colored light, as well as heat and sparks of energy. At night, the patterns can be quite impressive and beautiful. It’s nearly sunset. They’ll emerge from their hiding places soon.”

Lowbacca glanced at the setting sun and grumbled.

“I don’t see why we can’t stay,” Jaina argued. “Sure, the path is steep, but it’s the same going down as it was on the way up.”

“I