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"That makes sense. Nice piece of work, Em Teedee," Jacen said.

Lowie growled the observation that Bor-nan Thul might have been captured by someone else, or he might be in hidingwor even dead. In any case, it seemed as if half the bounty hunters in the galaxy were out looking for Raynat's father. The Diversity Alliance had offered a lot of credits for the merchant's recovery.

"The price must be high enough to risk dying for," Jaina said with a shudder. "The bounty hunter in the High Roller seemed to think so."

Jacen thought for a minute. "All those bounty hunters must be assuming that Bornan Thul disappeared voluntarily and doesn't want to be found,"

he said. "Otherwise, why go to such great lengths to get Raynar and Aryn as hostages?"

"Kusk and his brother must have intended to lure Thul from hiding using his family as bait," Tenel Ka agreed.

"What else do we know?" Jacen mused.

"Well, if Thul is hiding, something must have happened to spook him,"

Jaina observed, "and spook him badly."

In a flash, an idea hit Jacen. "Hey, Em Teedee, access the news reports in the week leading up to the time Bornan Thul disappeared."

"Why certainly, Master Jacen. What sort of news?"

Jacen shrugged. "I'm not sure. Look for anything big or significant that might have happened along the general route Bornan Thul would have taken between Kuar and the trade conference on Shumavar."

"Dear me!" Em Teedee exclaimed. "I suppose that narrows it down a bit, but do you know how many systems there arere?"

"Just do your best," Jacen said.

"I always do, Master Jacen," the droid replied. "One moment... ah, here's something," he said. "A double solar eclipse occurred on the fourth planet in the Deb-ray System." The young Jedi exchanged glances. Finally Jacen said, "I don't think that helps us any. What else do you have?"

Em Teedee made a noise that sounded oddly like gnashing teeth, then continued.

"There was a global election on Kath IIm" he paused briefly--"notable only for the fact that not a single human was elected to office, although fully one third of Kath's population is human. The Diversity Alliance was campaigning heavily there."

Lowie barked a comment. "Yes, very odd," Em Teedee said.

"Probably won't help us in our search, though," Jaina said, raising her eyebrows and waiting.

"Please continue, Em Teedee," Tenel Ka prompted.

"Mmm, odder still," Em Teedee murmured after a short pause to retrieve more data. "It seems that contact was completely lost with an all-human colony on the planet Gammalin. No one has heard from them since the day after Bornan Thul's appointment on Kuar was to have taken. place."

"Ah," Tenel Ka said.

"Anything else?" Jacen asked.

"In all probability, yes, Master Jacen," Em Teedee said. "Please be patient. I have fifteen thousand three hundred forty-two other files to search."

Jacen leaned back in his seat and sighed.

The trip to Kuar was going to be a long one.

WHEN THE LIGHTNING Rod arrived at the small colony of Gammalin, Zekk powered up his corem system to request clearance to land. Despite repeated hails, however, he could raise no one. In fact, his ship's scanners detected no signs of life at all on the human settlement.

Then again, the sensors hadn't been checked since Zekk's run-in with Boba Fett in the rubble fields of Alderaan. He'd have to have them tuned up when he got to a port with a good mechanic bay. Maybe he could even arrange for Jaina to do it. There were times when he longed to see her again....

The colonists had built only one city on Gammalin, a frontier town.

According to its coordinates, the settlement currently lay on the night side of the planet, approaching morning. But from orbit, Zekk could spot no city lights when passing over its position, even with his high-powered electrobinoculars.

He found this curious. The three-armed bartender on Borgo Prime had been quite specific: the missing scavenger Fonterrat had come here.

And Zekk's own brief twinges through the Force told him that Droq'l must be right. But if so,