Star Wars_ Young Jedi Knights 13_ Trouble on Cloud City - Kevin J. Anderson [12]
"That is an interesting hypothesis," Tenel Ka replied, surprising Anja.
Zekk nodded. "Maybe we should at least talk to some of those thranta riders, find out if they saw something......
Jaina sat up as cool dusk wind blew her straight brown hair around her face. "Ought to talk to the people at the SkyCenter construction site, too. Maybe the Ugnaught shift boss who got fired, if we can find him, and anyone else Cojahn had contact with."
Zekk nodded. "We've got a lot of leads to follow, but at least Cloud City isn't as big as a planet. How many places can there be to look?"
Anja stood up in disgust, putting her hands on her hips. Her piranha beetle tattoo stood out on her upper right arm. "We'll never find anything even if we look. The explanation is pretty clear; it's right in front of us. Lando just doesn't want to admit that it could have been a suicide or even a simple accident."
"And maybe it wasn't," Jacen said. "It's up to us to find out." He gave her a wry grin. "And believe me, we've solved greater puzzles than this before."
"Right," Jaina said. "So what are we waiting for?" laina gasped in amazement as she walked into the Cloud Dance restaurant, where they had agreed to meet Lando for a morning mealthough with Bespin's short daily cycle, any meal could have been a morning, midday, or evening meal.
The eating establishment was at one of the upper levels of the floating city, extending in a ring from a tall cylindrical tower.
Transparisteel windowports gave a 360-degree view of the clouds, the sunrise, the passing cloud-car traffic, and a portion of the cluttered SkyCenter building site, which was covered by temporary screens and awnings.
With the exception of an opaque walkway around the perimeter of the circular room, the floor and ceiling were transparent as well. At the center of the room, a bubble of transparisteel rose from the floor.
Inside it, clouds swirled and danced in ever-changing patterns, lit from above by multicolored glowpanels.
Lowie bounded past Jaina into the room with a triumphant woof, as if claiming the restaurant for himself.
Jaina chuckled. "Thought you'd like it. It's your kind of place."
:"This is a fact," said Tenel Ka, entering behind her.
"Hey, I'm starved," Jacen said, rubbing a hand sleepily through his tousled brown curls.
Jaina gave her brother a playful punch in the arm. "You'll get your food soon enough. What do you think of the view?"
Jacen took two steps forward. Jaina watched in amusement as the full impact of the view hit him and he looked around for something to hold on to.
Lowie crouched on the opaque walkway, staring down into the cloudy depths, barking enthusiastic comments. "Master Lowbacca wishes to assure you that-even if the food turns out to be dreadfulthis is the finest establishment he has ever had the pleasure of dining in," Em Teedee translated unnecessarily.
Lando entered, flashing a weary grin. "I can assure you, Lowbacca, that you'll find the food here more than adequate. Glad you could all join me." He glanced around at the assembled young Jedi. "At least most of you, that is."
With a flash of imitation Jaina noted that Anja hadn't bothered to show up on time. Neither had Zekk. Because of the sad-eyed young woman's hard life, Jaina tried to make allowances for Anja's brusque nature, but she found it difficult to understand the fascination she seemed to hold for Jacen and Zekk.
As quickly as the negative thoughts arose, Jaina squelched them, firmly forcing her mind to more pleasant thoughts. She noticed that a slight frown had creased her brother's brow. "I'm sure they'll both be here soon," Jaina said.
Lando selected the table with the best view in the restaurant, and they all settled onto transparent repulsorbenches.
"Here's Zekk now!" Jacen said, waving his friend over. "And Anja's probably just out exploring. She gets up early most mornings, you know.
She has an awful lot of