Part 14 (2/2)
The foliage in the jungle was mostly fern-trees and giant pillar fungi, which-so far, at least-had not proven to have an appet.i.te for animal flesh. Still, Vestara worked with both lightsaber and parang, cutting away any frond, tendril, or lobe that lay within a meter of their path. The plants, they had discovered, usually preferred to attack by surprise, taking their prey from the rear whenever possible.
As they walked, s.h.i.+p continued to push against Vestara in the Force, urging her to turn back and leave. It was s.h.i.+p's destiny to serve, and he had no choice but to obey the powerful Will that commanded him to serve here. But it was the Tribe's destiny to rule, and they could not do that from here. Vestara paid the entreaties no attention, save to note that s.h.i.+p could probably still see them if he could articulate his concerns to her mind so clearly.
They had traveled about a kilometer up the shoulder of the volcano when Lady Rhea issued a sharp command, catching Vestara in mid-step.
”Stop-now.”
Vestara obeyed instantly, using the Force to catch her weight as it s.h.i.+fted toward her front foot. She stood there using the Force to balance on one leg as Lady Rhea closed the five paces between them. At Vestara's side, the Sith Lord paused, using the Force to peel away a thin mat of cellulose so perfectly camouflaged that it was impossible to tell it from the humus-covered ground.
Beneath the mat lay a bushy green rodent about the size of a human hand. Half rotted, the creature was impaled on a carpet of finger-length barbs protruding up from a mesh of half-buried roots. Vestara carefully lowered the foot that had almost stepped into the trap, then made note of the yellow, fan-shaped leaves of the bush from which the roots seemed to emanate.
”Thank you, Lady Rhea,” Vestara said. ”That would have been most painful.”
”Probably fatal,” Lady Rhea corrected. ”Those barbs are poisoned.”
Vestara let her gaze drop back to the barbs, trying to study them without being too obvious about it. She saw no hint that the the rodent had died of anything other than being impaled, but she knew better than to question her Master's p.r.o.nouncement.
Instead, Vestara said, ”This is a backward sort of world, don't you think, where the plants eat the animals?”
Lady Rhea nodded. ”There's nothing nothing natural about this world, from where it's hidden to the life-forms that inhabit it.” She looked up into the jungle, her eyes narrowing in thought. ”That's why s.h.i.+p led us to it, I think. By virture of its very existence, this unnatural world is a place of great power.” natural about this world, from where it's hidden to the life-forms that inhabit it.” She looked up into the jungle, her eyes narrowing in thought. ”That's why s.h.i.+p led us to it, I think. By virture of its very existence, this unnatural world is a place of great power.”
”I beg your indulgence, Lady Rhea.” Inside, Vestara was cringing at the punishment she would no doubt receive for disagreeing with her Master, but she had to be sure that Lady Rhea was fully apprised of s.h.i.+p's att.i.tude-the mission might depend on it later. ”But I don't think that s.h.i.+p actually wants us here. He keeps trying to push me away.”
To Vestara's surprise, Lady Rhea actually smiled. ”Of course it does. It wants to make certain we're worthy.”
Vestara saw at once what her Master was thinking. ”You believe our presence here has something to do with the Return?”
”Exactly.” Lady Rhea's eyes shone with approval. ”s.h.i.+p has been preparing us all along.”
Vestara had to agree: it seemed very possible. According to Kes.h.i.+ri myth, a species of mysterious Destructors returned to the galaxy every few eons to wipe out civilization and return all beings to their natural, primitive states. Through a combination of historical accident and fate, the Lost Tribe's Sith ancestors had crash-landed on Kesh more than five millennia earlier, and the Kes.h.i.+ri natives had greeted the survivors as the legendary Protectors destined to defend their world when the Destructors returned.
At first, the Sith had viewed the myth as nothing more than a convenient way of holding dominion over a much larger native population. But as the centuries pa.s.sed, their descendants had started to uncover archaeological evidence suggesting that the myth was actually historical fact. Eventually, the Lost Tribe had come to accept that their act of deception was, after all, their destiny.
And now, here they were, led to a place of darkness by a s.h.i.+p as old as the Sith themselves-a place that had obviously been constructed by beings who possessed power and knowledge beyond imagining. Was it a leap of logic to believe that s.h.i.+p had led them here for a purpose?
Vestara inclined her head to her Master. ”Your wisdom outs.h.i.+nes the sun above, Lady Rhea. I see no reason s.h.i.+p would have led us to such a world, if not to bestow on us the might that we need ...”
She let the sentence drop off as she suddenly did did see another reason s.h.i.+p might have brought them to such a place. see another reason s.h.i.+p might have brought them to such a place.
”Vestara?” Lady Rhea used the Force to shake her arm. ”Is something wrong?”
”I ... I don't know,” Vestara confessed. She turned to look Lady Rhea directly in the eye. ”I just had a thought-one that must be wrong.”
Lady Rhea frowned, for this phrasing was the only acceptable way for an apprentice to disagree with one's Master. ”Why must that be?”
”Because I'm sure you have already thought of this possibility and dismissed it,” Vestara said. ”But what if s.h.i.+p brought us here because this this is the home of the Destructors?” is the home of the Destructors?”
Vestara knew by the way that Lady Rhea's eyes hardened that she hadn't hadn't thought of that possibility, but she was disturbed enough by the idea that she didn't even bother to pretend otherwise. thought of that possibility, but she was disturbed enough by the idea that she didn't even bother to pretend otherwise.
”You have an alarming imagination, Vestara.” Lady Rhea remained lost in thought for a moment, then said, ”Very well, why why would s.h.i.+p lead us to the home of the Destructors?” would s.h.i.+p lead us to the home of the Destructors?”
”What if s.h.i.+p has been their servant all along?” Vestara asked. ”If the Destructors were aware of the Tribe's destiny, what better way to preempt it than to send an agent to lead us into their grasp?”
”A sound tactic.” Lady Rhea gestured for them to begin climbing again, then followed close behind as Vestara circled around the bed of barbed roots. ”But we we are not the Tribe. What would the Destructors gain by destroying one frigateful of warriors?” are not the Tribe. What would the Destructors gain by destroying one frigateful of warriors?”
Vestara furrowed her brow. That was was a problem. ”You're correct, of course. A spy is worth nothing to an enemy if he is not in their house.” a problem. ”You're correct, of course. A spy is worth nothing to an enemy if he is not in their house.”
”And why would s.h.i.+p have come to us in the first place?” Lady Rhea pressed. ”The Tribe was trapped on Kesh, but now we roam the galaxy at will. s.h.i.+p has done nothing but make us stronger.”
”True,” Vestara said. ”But now now our focus is on the Jedi, not the Destructors. The goal may be to keep us looking in one direction when we should be looking in the other.” our focus is on the Jedi, not the Destructors. The goal may be to keep us looking in one direction when we should be looking in the other.”
”Then what are we doing here?” here?” Lady Rhea asked. ”If this Lady Rhea asked. ”If this is is the home of the Destructors, s.h.i.+p has done nothing but draw our attention to it.” the home of the Destructors, s.h.i.+p has done nothing but draw our attention to it.”
”And reveal its location,” Vestara added, seeing the weakness of her own argument. ”I apologize, Lady Rhea. I have done nothing but fill your head with foolish notions.”
”Our enemies enemies sometimes have foolish notions, Vestara, and it is good to understand them.” As Lady Rhea spoke, they crested the shoulder of the volcano and saw ahead the dark outcropping that was their destination. ”Do continue thinking on this-and fill my head with any other foolish notions you may have.” sometimes have foolish notions, Vestara, and it is good to understand them.” As Lady Rhea spoke, they crested the shoulder of the volcano and saw ahead the dark outcropping that was their destination. ”Do continue thinking on this-and fill my head with any other foolish notions you may have.”
”As you wish,” Vestara promised. ”Thank you for not thinking poorly of me for suggesting such nonsense.”
”There's no need for grat.i.tude,” Lady Rhea said. ”Just be careful not to voice your foolish suggestions where others others can overhear. We can overhear. We do do have our reputations to consider.” have our reputations to consider.”
Vestara smiled, then realized that she had not felt s.h.i.+p trying to push her away for several minutes now. She used her lightsaber to hack through an umbrella-sized leaf that came dropping down from a tangle of foul-smelling vines, then extended her Force awareness up toward the outcropping-and instead of s.h.i.+p, she felt her friend Ahri.
Even before Vestara could curse under her breath, Lady Rhea asked, ”What is it?”
”Apprentice Raas,” Vestara said. ”I think Master Xal abandoned the search corridor you a.s.signed to him and went straight to the outcropping.”
”And that surprises you because ...?”
Vestara exhaled in exasperation. ”Because I thought you made a deal with him.”
”I offered offered him a deal,” Lady Rhea corrected. ”Which he didn't decline.” him a deal,” Lady Rhea corrected. ”Which he didn't decline.”
”Isn't that the same as accepting?”
”Close enough,” Lady Rhea said, snorting in amus.e.m.e.nt. ”Obviously, he had no intention of honoring our agreement in either case.”
”So why offer it?” Vestara asked.
”You tell me,” Lady Rhea countered. ”What did I accomplish?”
Vestara thought for a moment, then saw what she had done. ”You got him playing your your game,” she said. ”He thought he was already deceiving you, so he didn't try something else.” game,” she said. ”He thought he was already deceiving you, so he didn't try something else.”
”We'll make a Saber out of you yet.” Lady Rhea put a hand on Vestara's shoulder and stopped her, then spoke more softly. ”Now tell me about you and Apprentice Raas. You're close enough that you can recognize his Force aura?”
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