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"Lusa was the one who told Tionne that the others had left in the Rock Dragon. She's an old friend of Jaina's, and recently she and Raynar have become rather close. If anyone knows exactly where they went, it's Lusa."

"Can I speak with her?" Zekk asked. "It's important."

"No one has seen her around the Jedi academy since early this morning,"

Luke said, but I'm pretty sure I know where to find her. There's a special place she likes to go."

THE QUARTERS THE Diversity Alliance assigned to Lowie were decorated in a style that Raaba had termed "austere opulence." No frills or unnecessary adornments cluttered the area, but the cave chamber and its furnishings were of the highest quality. The rooms were heated to a temperature almost comfortable for Wookiees, and the insulfoam that covered the rock walls had been painted to simulate the dark green-and-brown shadows of a thick forest canopy.

The solid Wookiee-sized sleeping pallet bolted halfway up one of the room's walls was as comfortable a bed as Lowie had ever slept in. The unobtrusive lighting could be adjusted to stimulate various conditions, from bright sunlight, to starlight, to pitch black. The sturdy worktable held a state-ofthe-art computer station at the perfect height for a full-grown Wookiee. In the corner opposite the sleeping pallet, a massive simulated tree bole swung aside to reveal a fully equipped refresher unit. Nolaa Tarkona had certainly gone out of her way to provide him with Pleasant accommodations, Lowie mused.

But for him, these things only served to emphasize that it was all aificial. The underground warren dove deep into the rock of the planet Ryloth. The thin veneer of artificial tree bark merely masked the reality of solid rock beneath solid ground.

The more he learned of the Diversity Alliance, the more these headquarters seemed perfectly appropriate for it. Recruits were shown a thin and civilized veneer of what they most wanted to see--but the true foundation of the Alliance could only be revealed by looking underneath.

Unfortunately, Lowie was not as certain of what lay beneath the Diversity Alliance as he was of the stone in the walls of this room.

Lately, - it seemed even Raaba was hiding something from him. He could sense that she was holding back when she spoke to him, but she brushed aside all of his probing questions.

Lowie swung himself up onto his sleeping pallet. Then, restless, he swung down again and paced the confines of the room, which seemed smaller to him with each passing day. He could not simply go outside and climb high up to the peaceful safety of the treetop canopy. In fact, there were no trees at all on Ryloth, only agricultural chambers that raised fungus and mosses that were converted into bland but nutritious food.

The closest approximation to forests on this barren planet were the clusters of tall windmills dotting some of the crags. Twi'leks used the turbines to harvest the strong winds and convert them into energy.

But most of the wind farms were located on the fringes of the hot or cold zones, in climates so extreme Lowie would have had to wear an environment suit to climb them.

Knowing the room was soundproof, Lowie let out a frustrated roar. If he could not ask 1aaba for the answers he needed, who could he ask?

Angered, he stopped pacing, turned toward one wall, and pounded a large, hairy fist against it.

The cushiony insulfoam absorbed the impact with a soft, unsatisfying thump.

Snarling, he snatched the lightsaber from his belt with the vague intention of slicing away the offending insulation. The moment the hilt was in his hand, however, a calm clarity flooded his mind. A flick of his thumb ignited the molten bronze blade.

Lowie gave an urf of surprised laughter that, in his anger and frustration, he had been ready to attack a wall with his lightsaber!

Such was the influence the Diversity Alliance had on him.

He hefted the blade, tossed it experimentally from hand to hand. The saber hummed and sizzled as he sliced the air. Its light shone like a beacon in his mind, illuminating a