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He struggled in Hovrak's grip and looked over at Raaba, pointing at her with his elbow. "Raaba knows. We're friends of Lowie's. We just need to talk to him."

The chocolate-furred Wookiee woman took this as her cue to march toward Nolaa Tarkona with the three lightsabers the soldiers had confiscated, as well as the silver translating droid, which had been powered down for storage.

Nolaa looked at the Jedi weapons and then up at Raaba. "You know these humans? How so?"

Raaba averted her eyes, flashed a venomous look at Jacen for having embarrassed her, then growled an answer. Even with Em Teedee switched off, Jacen could understand many of her words. Raaba explained that these were Jedi trainees from Master Skywalker's academy on Yavin 4.

They were former companions of Low-bacca's, but now that Lowie was with the Diversity Alliance, Raaba was certain he knew who his true friends were.

"This is a fact," Tenel Ka said. "And we're his true friends. For this we do not need to tell him lies, as you do."

Hovrak lashed out to cuff Tenel Ka, backhanding her with a hairy paw.

She reeled at the blow, but did not cry out in pain.

Jacen struggled backward, hoping to kick Hov-rak, but to no avail.

Then he calmed himself. He was a Jedi, he reminded himself. He would use the Jedi way. Letting his eyes fall half shut, he reached out with the Force and detached all fourteen of the glittering medals Hovrak so proudly displayed on his precious uniform.

To the wolfman's surprise, the emblems sprang away from his shirt to scatter jingling on the floor. The Adjutant Advisor roared and bent down to grab the medals, but they leapt from his hands and fell tinkling to the rock floor again.

They must die," he said, glaring at the companions.

"Eat them," the Trandoshan heartily agreed.

"Kill humans."

Standing beside Nolaa Tsrkona, though, Rssba glanced sidelong at the young Jedi Knights. She seemed uneasy, and Jacen wondered if perhaps the Wookiee woman felt guilty about what she had done.

Raaba took a step closer to Nolaa's stone chair.

In a low voice, she argued against the Adjutant Advisor's brutal suggestion, insisting that the young Jedi Knights were too important to be killed. Their deaths could cause significant problems for the Diversity Alliance... but if the need arose, they could fetch a fine ransom or be used as hostages. The Solo twins were the children of the New Republic's Chief of State. The warrior girl was a princess of the powerful Hapes Cluster.

Raaba hesitated, then looked at young Raynar as a growl built in her throat. Her words to Nolaa were so husky and quiet that Jacen had to strain to hear them. And this young man, she told her leader, was the son of Bornan Thul.

The Twi'lek woman's face lit up with delight.

"Bornan Thul is your father?" She ran her tongue along the sharpened points of her teeth.

Raynar flinched and took a step back.

"You'll never 'md him," he said. 7rhatever it is you want from my father, you won't get it."

"Perhaps we won't need to find him, if we've found you," Nolaa said, favoring him with her broadest smile. "And children of the Chief of State, daughter of the House of Hapes--you may serve us well indeed when the Diversity Alliance launches its all-out war against humanity.

Nolaa's dark robes flowed around her, obscuring her padded armor, as she stood up. Her tattooed head-tail twitched, and all of the Diversity Alliance soldiers came to attention, sensing their leader's agitation.

Hovrak still scrambled around on the stone floor, picking up his scattered medals, growling in frustration. He hadn't quite comprehended yet that Jacen was the cause of his embarrassing clumsiness.

Standing calm and motionless, Jacen fixed his attention on the three deactivated lightsabers lying unattended on the dais. He focused his mind on his own weapon, then on Jaina's, then on Tenel Ka's. He knew how they worked, knew how to manipulate them.

Nolaa Tarkona clenched her clawed hands at her sides. Her eyes were like two bright lasers.

Her head-tail twitched.

Her feet