Star Wars_ Young Jedi Knights 07_ Shards of Alderaan - Kevin J. Anderson [41]
'According to one log entry, he has apparently already destroyed one such rival, a man named Moorlu."
Jacen gave a low whistle. "Somebody must really want Raynar's father."
"Ah. Aha," Tenel Ka said, pointing to a name on the screen.
'There-Nolaa Tarkona. It would appear that she set the bounty.
Interesting." Jacen knew Tenel Ka expected this to mean something to him, but he had no idea what she was getting at. He gave her a blank look.
Tenel Ka raised her eyebrows. "Recall what your father told Raynar.
Boman Thul was on his way to a trade conference when he disappeared. At the conference, he was scheduled to meet with Nolaa Tarkona, a Twi'lek woman-one of the few females of that species ever to rise to political prominence. My experience with assassins and conspiracies indicates this connection is not entirely coincidental."
'Seems awfully complicated", Jacen said.
"Dad's in trouble. Raynar's father is in trouble. We're in trouble.
"At least now we know something about the trouble we're in," Jaina said.
"Thanks to this information. Excellent work, Em Teedee."
"Why, that's very kind of you, Mistress Jaina," the translating droid said. 'But the credit actually belongs to you and Master Lowbacca for enhancing my emergency response subroutines. I simply-" 'Speaking of emergency response,' Jaina broke in, 'we'd better all get back to digging ourselves out of this mess before Dad falls into the trap Boba Fett is setting for him."
Jacen nodded. He didn't mind his sister's taking charge in a crisis. He knew Jaina didn't do it to show off-she took the lead because someone had to, and it usually just worked out that way. Jaina thought faster and felt more comfortable issuing orders than he did.
'Em Teedee, try to send a message to warn Dad away from Boba Fett's ambush.
I know the signal's weak, but do whatever you can to boost it until I can get another transmitter dish rigged."
"I'll use every resource at my disposal, Mistress Jaina," Em Teedee said.
"You may rely on me to do everything within my power to see that-"
"Good," Jaina cut in. "Get ri on t.
Lowie and I will work on the antenna dish and get the ship ready to fly again-if we can. Jacen, you and Tenel Ka go outside and see if you can get enough of that blockage cleared so we can fly the Rock Dragon out of here. Moving a little mountain of rock shouldn't be too hard if you two work together."
Jacen groaned, but Tenel Ka gripped his shoulder. 'Ve will do whatever is necessary to get the job done. If Boba Fett believes us to be permanently trapped, I will be pleased to prove him wrong."
"He probably doesn't know we can use the Force," Jacen pointed out. "It woiyt be much harder for us than helping Uncle Luke clear rubble at the Great Temple. Of course, we won't have all the other Jedi students to help.........
'Ve will clear the way," Tenel Ka said confidently. "Our muscles can do much o the work. The Force will do the rest."
Jacen and Tenel Ka hastily put on their breathing masks and tough, fleidble gloves.
Full of determination, they stepped out into the thin, cold atmosphere of the darkened cave. But when they turned on their glowrods and approached the mounded blockage, Jacen's spirits fell. The central core of the debris where Boba Fett had fired his blaster to reseal the cave was fused into a solid rocky mass.
"Uh-oh," he said.
Tenel Ka gestured with her glowrod to the side of the cave-in, where the rock had fallen in easily manageable chunks and pebbles. Jacen moved over to the pile and experimentally hefted a chunk of rock twice the size of his head. In the low gravity, it seemed to weigh no more than a gort-feather pillow. Tenel Ka picked up a similar-sized rock with her one hand and tossed it aside with no problem.
Next they experimented with using the Force to nudge aside larger pieces of rock while shoving away mounds of loose pebbles with their gloved hands. Though