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"Maybe this will work out after all."

"I sure hope so," Jaina said.

As he walked along between utility sheds and piles of supply crates, listening to the construction sounds and the movement of materials from the Port Town docks and the other levels on Cloud City, Lando placed his hands on his hips. He had begun to recover from his shock and now replaced it with a grim determination.

"The SkyCenter construction's on track," he said. "Cojahn took care of that much, at least, but I've still got about a thousand administrative details to take care of. That was my end of the bargain."

He heaved a heavy sigh and muttered to himself. "I sure could've used your help right now, old buddy. Whatever made you stumble off the edge of a city in the clouds?" He shook his head.

Jaina bit her lip and said out loud what she knew must have been on everyone else's minds. "Maybe he didn't. What if he was pushed?"

Lando looked at her sharply, his big brown eyes narrowing. "I've considered that."

An. a crossed her arms over her chest and let out a snort. "Yeah, right,"

she said. "Always look for something sinister."

"It makes a whole lot more sense than to think that he jumped o his own free will," Lando said, his nostrils flaring.

"We'll never know unless we investigate," Zekk said.

Lowie gave a Wookiee grumble, and the little droid translated.

"Master Lowbacca says there can be no doubt that something very much out of the ordinary is going on here. Cloud City does not... smell right."

Jacen clapped one hand on his sister's shoulder and one on Tenel Ka's.

"And we'll do our best to help you look into it, Lando. We're Jedi Knights, after all. This is part of our job."

"This is a fact," Tenel Ka agreed.

"Well then, what're we waiting for?" Jaina asked. Lowie took up the challenge with a roar.

Lando looked gratefully at the companions. "You know, kids, one of the things I've learned in my life is never to turn down a sincere offer of help-especially if the offer comes from a Jedi Knight."

With a swirl of his colorful cape, Lando Calrissian went off to file a formal complaint and request an official investigation into Cojahn's death from Cloud City Security. He still had a network of friends and political connections from his days as Baron-Administrator.

Meanwhile, the young Jedi Knights found their way to a high observation platform, an open atmospheric patio on the upper ring of Kerros Tower.

Here at the top of the immense metropolis in the sky, they were buffeted by winds. The temperatures varied: cool and warm breezes swirled as updrafts caught around the structure, carrying snatches of vapors from the cloud depths below.

Off at a distance in the clouds, they could see steaming Tibanna gas refineries and drifting storage cylinders. Anja lounged back on a chair, propped up one knee, and studiously ignored both the sights and the glitz.

The Tourism Board of Cloud City had issued restrictions and setback limitations for the chemical processing and industrial facilities.

Since rich patrons frequently came from halfway across the galaxy to relax and spend their vacations on Bespin, the Board required that all smelly and noisy activities remain far enough away so as not to spoil the view.

The sun stole below the far horizon as the planet's rotation carried them toward nightfall. Far beneath the patio platform the soup of clouds turned pink and orange with the sheen of phosphorescent microorganisms.

Bespin spun so fast on its axis that each day was only twelve standard hours long. Jacen estimated that he would need to sleep only every other night, and a small part of the day. Visitors to Cloud City found that such a schedule kept the place bustling, frantic, and awake at all hours.

Jacen pointed down to the colorful clouds, nudging Tenel Ka beside him.

"Those colors are caused by microspheres of airborne algae," he said.

"They live on the little droplets of water vapor and other trace chemicals that boil up from below. It's like a forest of sky plankton down there."