ship,” Vehn said. “I can’t believe what you did to my ship.”
“Your buddies did it,” Anakin said. “The same buddies who just murdered a Jedi Master and took my best friend captive. Don’t expect me to cry any tears for you.”
“First of all,” Vehn said, “they aren’t my buddies. I was strictly in this business for the money, and I thought we were taking on adult Jedi, not little kids. Second of all, I don’t expect you to get all weepy, but without my ship, how do you plan to get off this snarly jungle?”
Anakin didn’t answer Vehn, but examined Valin instead. “Are you okay?” he asked. “Can you walk?”
“I’m fine,” Valin answered.
“Good. I want you to go outside and find cover in the trees. Be careful—the jungle isn’t exactly safe, though the crash probably scared most everything off.”
He then examined Sannah. She was bruised, but he didn’t sense anything seriously wrong with her.
“Take Sannah out,” he repeated to Vehn. “I’m right behind you.”
On his way out, he picked up the stun cuffs.
“This isn’t right,” Remis Vehn complained. “You just finished talking about how dangerous the jungle is and you not only won’t give me a weapon, you’ve restrained me. What if something comes along wanting lunch?”
“It would have to be a carrion eater to stomach the likes of you,” Anakin replied.
“Very funny. I helped you.”
“You really think you’re going to get thanks from me?” Anakin snorted. “You were saving your own skin, nothing more. Now, quiet.”
“Is she going to be all right?” Valin asked, staring down at Sannah.
“I think so.” Anakin touched the Melodie girl’s forehead and very lightly brushed her with the Force, strengthening her where she was weak, gently tugging her toward consciousness.
With a faint sigh she opened her eyes, blinked at Anakin, then started violently.
“Tahiri!” she gasped.
“Shh,” Anakin said. “We crashed. You’re banged up, some. How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been poisoned by a purella and hung up in its web. Is Valin okay?”
“I’m right here,” Valin answered.
“We’re all okay,” Anakin assured her.
Tears started in the girl’s yellow eyes. “No, we’re not. Master Ikrit, and Tahiri …”
“Master Ikrit sacrificed himself for us,” Anakin said, around the gall in his throat. “He wouldn’t want us to grieve. He’s one with the Force now. Tahiri—”
“She’s dead, too, isn’t she?” Valin asked.
“No.” Anakin shook his head. “I can hear her in the Force.”
Calling me
, he added. He could feel her fear, mixed liberally with anger. He didn’t get the sense that she was in immediate danger.
Anakin turned toward Vehn, who sat a few meters away, his arms cuffed around a young Massassi tree. “What will they do with her, Vehn? Where were you supposed to take the children you kidnapped?”
“I told you, I didn’t know our targets were children,” Vehn said sullenly. “And I don’t know where we were supposed to take them.”
“But you
were
supposed to turn them over to the Yuuzhan Vong.”
Vehn studied the leaves above his head. “Yes,” he said at last.
“Where? Where is the rendezvous?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
“Look—”
“I
can
make you tell me,” Anakin warned. “You won’t like it.” It occurred to him that his brother, Jacen, wouldn’t approve of that sort of threat, nor would Uncle Luke. At the moment, Anakin didn’t care.
Vehn fidgeted, but said nothing. Anakin suddenly surged to his feet and stalked toward the Peace Brigader.
“Hold it! Just wait a second, Jedi. Don’t slag my brain! I don’t know much, but I can tell you something I overheard. Something I wasn’t supposed to hear at all.”
Anakin took another step, then squatted until his ice-blue eyes were millimeters from Vehn’s dark gray. “Well?” he prompted.
“I’m not supposed to know this, but—the Yuuzhan Vong were
“Your buddies did it,” Anakin said. “The same buddies who just murdered a Jedi Master and took my best friend captive. Don’t expect me to cry any tears for you.”
“First of all,” Vehn said, “they aren’t my buddies. I was strictly in this business for the money, and I thought we were taking on adult Jedi, not little kids. Second of all, I don’t expect you to get all weepy, but without my ship, how do you plan to get off this snarly jungle?”
Anakin didn’t answer Vehn, but examined Valin instead. “Are you okay?” he asked. “Can you walk?”
“I’m fine,” Valin answered.
“Good. I want you to go outside and find cover in the trees. Be careful—the jungle isn’t exactly safe, though the crash probably scared most everything off.”
He then examined Sannah. She was bruised, but he didn’t sense anything seriously wrong with her.
“Take Sannah out,” he repeated to Vehn. “I’m right behind you.”
On his way out, he picked up the stun cuffs.
“This isn’t right,” Remis Vehn complained. “You just finished talking about how dangerous the jungle is and you not only won’t give me a weapon, you’ve restrained me. What if something comes along wanting lunch?”
“It would have to be a carrion eater to stomach the likes of you,” Anakin replied.
“Very funny. I helped you.”
“You really think you’re going to get thanks from me?” Anakin snorted. “You were saving your own skin, nothing more. Now, quiet.”
“Is she going to be all right?” Valin asked, staring down at Sannah.
“I think so.” Anakin touched the Melodie girl’s forehead and very lightly brushed her with the Force, strengthening her where she was weak, gently tugging her toward consciousness.
With a faint sigh she opened her eyes, blinked at Anakin, then started violently.
“Tahiri!” she gasped.
“Shh,” Anakin said. “We crashed. You’re banged up, some. How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been poisoned by a purella and hung up in its web. Is Valin okay?”
“I’m right here,” Valin answered.
“We’re all okay,” Anakin assured her.
Tears started in the girl’s yellow eyes. “No, we’re not. Master Ikrit, and Tahiri …”
“Master Ikrit sacrificed himself for us,” Anakin said, around the gall in his throat. “He wouldn’t want us to grieve. He’s one with the Force now. Tahiri—”
“She’s dead, too, isn’t she?” Valin asked.
“No.” Anakin shook his head. “I can hear her in the Force.”
Calling me
, he added. He could feel her fear, mixed liberally with anger. He didn’t get the sense that she was in immediate danger.
Anakin turned toward Vehn, who sat a few meters away, his arms cuffed around a young Massassi tree. “What will they do with her, Vehn? Where were you supposed to take the children you kidnapped?”
“I told you, I didn’t know our targets were children,” Vehn said sullenly. “And I don’t know where we were supposed to take them.”
“But you
were
supposed to turn them over to the Yuuzhan Vong.”
Vehn studied the leaves above his head. “Yes,” he said at last.
“Where? Where is the rendezvous?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
“Look—”
“I
can
make you tell me,” Anakin warned. “You won’t like it.” It occurred to him that his brother, Jacen, wouldn’t approve of that sort of threat, nor would Uncle Luke. At the moment, Anakin didn’t care.
Vehn fidgeted, but said nothing. Anakin suddenly surged to his feet and stalked toward the Peace Brigader.
“Hold it! Just wait a second, Jedi. Don’t slag my brain! I don’t know much, but I can tell you something I overheard. Something I wasn’t supposed to hear at all.”
Anakin took another step, then squatted until his ice-blue eyes were millimeters from Vehn’s dark gray. “Well?” he prompted.
“I’m not supposed to know this, but—the Yuuzhan Vong were
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