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"Great," Jacen sighed, unbuckling his crash webbing. He was already thinking about what kinds of unusual creatures they might encounter, hoping he would find some of the interesting specimens he had seen from the air.

"Now the next stage of our search begins," Tenel Ka said. "The real work." She followed Jacen down the shuttle's exit ramp, breathing deeply of the dry air. Jaina and Lowie tumbled after them, eager to move about after their long journey.

Jacen ran to the edge of the deep crater and looked down at the patchwork of ancient buildings, chains, and walls dappled by shadows.

"It could take a long time to search all that," he said. "It's a whole city."

Lowie gave a negative growl. "Lowie's right. I think it would be more logical to start up here," Jaina said. "The best place to set down a ship would be somewhere along this'rim," she made a sweeping gesture with one arm to indicate the wide ledge that encircled the crater, "rather than down there."

After a brief consultation, the young Jedi Knights spread out from the rocky edge and spaced themselves to cover the greatest area. They walked slowly around the rim, scanning the ground ahead and to each side for any sign of a recent disturbance in the ancient settled dust.

After several false alarms--which turned out to be nothing more than a gouge out of the rock, a shiny feather, or some animal droppings--Jacen, who was closest to the outer rim, saw something flutter up ahead.

Shading his eyes with one hand against the direct glare of the early morning sun, he ran forward, certain in his heart that he had discovered something important. To his great disappointment, though, he found nothing more than a flat gray slab of rock, as large as one of the serving trays back at the Jedi academy.

His sister, Lowie, and Tenel Ka dashed up beside him.

"What is it?" Jaina asked.

"Nothing, I guess," Jacen said. "I thought I saw something colorful moving over here--fluttering, kind of. Maybe it was just a bird or a plume of dust, I don't know."

Tenel Ka bent low and circled the rock.

"Ah. Aha," she said. She reached beneath the edge and pulled.

"Lowbacca, my friend--?" she began, but before she could finish her request, Lowie had already lifted the slab of rock high overhead and tossed it aside down the steep edge inside the crater.

Tenel Ka straightened. In her hand she held a long piece of cloth, a sash, sewn from alternating strips of yellow, purple, red, and orange fabric."The colors of the House of Thul," she said matter-of-factly.

"Raynar's mother also wore such a sash."

"Why, bless me," Em Teedee exclaimed.

He was viewing the scene from a perspective that none of the others had.

"Does the House of Thul also place inscriptions on its clothing?"

"Not that I've ever noticed," Jacen said, wondering what the little droid was getting at.

"May I see that?" Jaina asked. Tenel Ka handed her the sash.

Jaina grasped the material with one hand near each end and stretched it out straight. She scanned the sash, then flipped it over.

"Look!"

Jacen moved closer. Sure enough, there on the yellow band of material scratched in faint gray letters was a message.

"Danger," it said. "If I am caught, all humans in mortal danger. Thul."

"Gracious me!" Em Teedee exclaimed.

"If this warning is genuine, then I do hope Master Thul is safe.

If not, we're doomed!"

UNDER THE HAZY midmorning sunshine of Kuar, Jacen stood with the other young Jedi Knights outside the Rock Dragon. They talked earnestly, waiting until all ideas had been discussed to make their decision. It reminded Jacen of those political meetings his mother always complained about... but now he saw the necessity for careful planning. Considering the ominous message on the sash, he and Jaina, Tenel Ka, and Lowie needed to be certain their next step in the quest to find Raynar's father was a prudent one.

"Well, we know he came here," Jacen said, "and had some kind of important meeting, then left that warning written on his sash."

Tenel Ka nodded, her warrior braids swinging like red-gold