Star Wars_ Young Jedi Knights 13_ Trouble on Cloud City - Kevin J. Anderson [26]
"Okay," Jacen said doubtfully. "I'm sure we won't be long. We'll see you later."
With that, he, Tenel Ka, Lowie, and Em Teedee hurried up the corridor to the trapdoor the Ugnaught had used. In less than a minute they had disappeared into the floor, following him.
Anja breathed a sigh of relief when they were gone. Why was it that being among these young Jedi brought up such conflicting emotions within her?
She walked down another hallway in the direction of her room as fast as her legs would go.
She felt an overwhelming urge to take some andris. She needed it.
She had assured her friends that she wasn't addicted to the spice, but she knew without a doubt that her need for it right now could not be ignored.
????? he stepped into a turbolift and slumped against its rounded wall.
The door slid shut behind her and she noticed that her hands were shaking. Was she addicted? she wondered. As the turbolift shot upward, she shrugged off the idea.
No, it was only natural, given the circumstances, the tension, her near fall from the tree, that she might need a small extra boost. A light sweat broke out on her forehead and her vision blurred for a moment, then cleared. The instant the turbolift door opened, she dashed down the hallway toward her quarters, burst through the door, and scrambled over to the satchel that held her belongings.
Not wanting to waste time searching, she dumped the contents unceremoniously onto the sleeping pad and grabbed for the little black box that held her precious andris. Her trembling fingers fumbled with the catch and she withdrew one of the insulation-wrapped packets. She ripped away the covering that kept the vial chilled and in the process dropped the container into her pile of clothes.
She was panting now and close to tears. She recited half a dozen choice curses that she had never spoken in front of the young Jedi Knights as she rummaged again for the small vial among her belongings.
There. There it was.
Anja had no memory of the intervening few minutes in which she opened the vial and took the spice. The next thing she knew, she felt energy coursing through her body. Her vision was clear and acute, her mind alert, her doubts gone.
Yes, now she could think clearly. She didn't have to have andris.
She could give it up anytime she wanted, of course.
But she didn't want to. It made her feel so much better.
"Wow. I had no idea all these tunnels were even down here," Jacen said, gazing at the maze of passages that stretched in all directions beneath the entertainment complex. He kept his voice low in case the Ugnaught they were following was somehow still within hearing range.
The warrens were dimly lit, and just barely tall enough for Jacen to stand up in. Lowie, however, had to stoop to move around.
"Em Teedee, would you please give us a little extra light?" Jacen murmured. "But not too much-we don't want to be seen."
"Certainly, Master Jacen," Em Teedee said in a loud whisper. "I should be delighted to be of service." He bobbed up to the top of the tunnel and directed the light from his optical sensors down toward the floor of the passage. "But however are you going to locate that Ugnaught now?"
"We must use the Force," Tenel Ka said. "He cannot have gone far."
As if to prove her point, Lowie suddenly woofed and pointed to a side corridor about ten meters away.
"Right. I sense it too," Jacen said, thinking of the seedier areas deep within Cloud City. "He must be heading to lower levels, probably Port Town. Let's go."
Em Teedee stopped. "Just a moment, Master Jacen. Dear me! Although I realize I'm not endowed with the Force, I was attempting to reach out with all my sensors, and I believe I've just intercepted a comm transmission originating from somewhere