Free Halt's Peril by John Flanagan Page A

with a nod. "Let me see your lightsaber."

    The warrior woman frowned in puzzlement, but she removed the weapon from her belt and handed it over.

    Jaina turned the unusual lightsaber over in her hand, running her thumb over the strange carvings Tenel Ka had meticulously etched into the yellowed ivory handle. A rancor's tooth," she observed. With a flick of her thumb she unleashed a stream of brilliant, turquoise light - - a strangely iridescent hue, one that, on close inspection, held dancing motes in every color of the visible spectrum,

    "You used rainbow gems for the focusing crystals, right? From Gallinore?"

    "Fact," Tenel Ka confirmed.

    "These 'gems' are actually living creature, yet you were able to use them in a Jedi lightsaber - - just as Anakin attuned the Yuuzhan Vong's lambent crystals to his. I've read that the rainbow gems, like many of the unique life forms on this world, were bio engineered."

    Understanding dawned on the warrior woman's face. "This similarity leads you to hope the scientists of Gallinore can help you understand the Trickster, " she concluded, naming the living ship that Jaina and Zekk had stolen from a Yuuzhan Vong worldship.

    "Thats the plan." Jaina switched off her friend's Jedi weapon and handed it back.

    They fell silent as Kyp made voice contact with the dock officials.
    He passed along the authorization codes and deftly maneuvered the ship down through layers of clouds. The three younger Jedi rose immediately, leaving him to power down the controls.

    The ramp unfolded, and Jaina walked down and gazed around the docks with interest.

    She could see why this place was nearly invisible from above.

    A stiff breeze stirred the thick, landbound clouds that filled the open docks and clung to the trees in the city beyond. Tall, swaying branches moved in and out of sight like timid forest animals. The docking bays were teaming with pilots, mechanics, and dock officials, all clad in flight suits fashioned from mottled shades of green. They, too, seemed to move in and out of the mists in random patterns. Some odd optical quirk made their movements appear nearly identical to that of the swaying foliage.

    Even so, workers immediately converged on any newly landed ship, using stout little hover sleds to maneuver it into a docking bay covered by a tall, camouflaged canopy. It was hard to believe that Gallinore's sun could burn off the sheltering morning clouds before reaching its zenith. Jaina squinted up at the brightest patch of fog, noting the sun's position with dismay. She'd have to work fast.

    "The customs building," Tenel Ka said, nodding toward a low, green structure. 'City offi-cials will be expecting us there." She set her shoulders back, in the manner of a warrior preparing to do battle, and set off at a brisk pace.

    A fleeting grin touched Jainas lips as she imagined the 'diplomatic meeting' that would follow. Tenel Ka was a princess of Hapes, the dominate world in the Hapes Cluster, but she was here as a warrior to exhort others to prepare for the coming conflict. At Jaina's suggestion, all of the visiting Jedi except Lowbacca were dressed in green flight suits identical to those worn by the Gallinorians. She'd suggested this as a means of honoring local custom, of creating an impression of unity.
    Tenel Ka had been pleased with this notion, and she did-nt ask if Jaina had had other reasons for wanting to blend in.

    Kyp came down the ramp and checked the hatch leading into the cargo hold. Tenel Ka glanced over at the older Jedi. Although the expression on her face did not change or her pace alter, disapproval rolled off her in waves.

    Jaina stepped into the Dathomiri warriors path and faced her down. "All right, let's have it."

    Tenel Ka stopped and regarded Jaina with a cool, gray-eyed stare.

    "I understand your desire to learn from Gallinore's scientists. But why is Kyp Durron with us? Surely you're not considering his offer of apprenticeship."

    "Maybe I should. Kyp is an