The Ruins of Dantooine (11 page)

“What?” she finally managed, more out of surprise than any conscious thought.

“We need to get out of here,” he whispered urgently, still pulling her by the arm.

Dusque shook herself free of his grip and twisted back to the knot of onlookers, her face like that of an avenging spirit. Finn ran back and caught her up in his arms and forced her to turn away.

“If we don’t get out of here now,” he repeated, “we will both die and that will serve nothing. Don’t make it a wasted death!”

Dusque felt as if she were moving through a dream. Tendau’s death echoed in her head and her heart. She deflated and let him hustle them both out of the shuttleport, past those who craned their necks to get a better look at her dead friend and
those who thanked their fortune to still be standing. Once out of the launch area, she vaguely noticed the ticket terminal and the small groups of people chatting and having a few drinks before their departure.

As she was rushed past them, she couldn’t help but think how wrong it was that they didn’t know Tendau was dead; that they didn’t care that he was gone forever. She couldn’t comprehend that he was gone. And she couldn’t understand how Finn had come to be there to save her at just the right moment. She raised a hand to her head, suddenly hot and claustrophobic. Finn kept them moving.

Once outside, Dusque drew in a few deep drafts of air. Almost directly opposite them, past a crafting station, was a lively cantina. Finn started to take them in that direction, and Dusque hadn’t regained her senses enough to question him. She found it easier to let him pull her around than to actually process what she had just seen. At the entrance to the cantina, however, she abruptly froze.

“Not in there,” she whispered. She couldn’t take the thought of being surrounded by noisy people, laughing and talking and carrying on.

“Right,” Finn agreed. “Too many eyes. No way of knowing who might be in there.” He pulled her past the cantina to the back of the building. It was on the periphery of the city proper; the only thing behind it was a bit of a brick road that faded into the swamps and marshes. The building wall curved, and soon enough they were both out of earshot of
anyone. Dusque leaned her back against the cold stone wall and closed her eyes, oblivious to the two tracks of tears that trickled down her hot cheeks. She remained motionless for several long moments.

When she opened her eyes and faced the black-haired agent, there was a hard expression on her face. “Get out of my way,” she said through tight lips, her emotions at war with themselves. She needed to let them vent, and Finn provided a convenient target.

Finn didn’t release his grip on her arm, though he relaxed it a little. “And where do you think you’re going? Are you seriously thinking of marching back over there? And doing what, exactly?”

“There has to be justice,” she demanded. “There has to be. And I want answers.”

“Listen to me closely,” he said, moving so near to Dusque that she could almost count his individual eyelashes. “As far as they are concerned, justice has been meted out. Go back there, and they’ll serve justice on you, as well.”

“What are you talking about?” she cried, his words making no sense to her. “How could Tendau’s death be justice?”

Finn looked around to see if anyone had heard her call out. Satisfied that they were still undiscovered, he continued, “Your colleague traded information with Bothan spies. He betrayed the Empire.”

“What?” She shook her head. “He was a scientist. All he ever did was look for answers to nature’s secrets. He didn’t trade them.” But she thought
back to the other night in the casino and the Ithorian’s conversation with the stranger—a conversation he had never explained. And now would never have the chance, either. Had something illicit transpired between them?

Finn appeared to be unconvinced. “Well, in the eyes of the Empire, he was a traitor. And even his position couldn’t save him from a traitor’s fate.” He looked at her meaningfully and Dusque recalled their only other conversation, when he had warned her that her job was no guarantee of safety or anonymity. It certainly looked as if that had been true for Tendau. Could it be true for her, too?

“And if they haven’t already,” he continued, “they’ll brand you a traitor right along with him.”

“What?” she asked. She felt as though she couldn’t stop asking the question, couldn’t stop walking through a horrible dream.

He let go of her arm and continued more softly, “You worked with him almost exclusively, day and night, out in the field. You tell me how they could not suspect you. Is there someone else in your labs who would stand up for you, speak on your behalf and proclaim your innocence, your loyalty to the Emperor?”

Dusque stopped in her tracks. She knew that back in her sterile world, none of the others would say a word. And she had done nothing to set herself apart as a staunch supporter of anything. “No,” she finally said. “No one would. In fact, some would be glad to see me go.” She thought about
what she sadly realized had been her last night with her only friend. She thought about how he said that nature must be put right, no matter the cost. And she thought about how she had done nothing like that. “And make no mistake,” she warned him, “I’m not innocent.”

Finn looked slightly surprised by her last admission. He stepped back imperceptibly and ran his hands through his unruly hair. “Then you’re already a part of the Alliance?” he asked, confused.

“No,” she answered, “but I’m guilty just the same.”

“Doesn’t matter now,” he told her. “We need to get off this rock. If we don’t, they’ll capture you for sure. Trust me on that.”

A frown crossed her features. She looked down at her torn and dirty shirt and trousers. She realized that she had only her small pack on her and nothing else. Her belongings as well as Tendau’s were back at the Hotel Aerie, just outside the city. “What about my things?” she asked. She knew it was a foolish question, but focusing on the mundane was helping her cope. “Everything is back in our—my rooms,” she corrected herself and felt a lump form in her throat, her voice suddenly husky with emotion.

“There’s no time. You don’t have a choice any longer. We’ve got to go,” he said. “We’ll keep outside the city limits and stay on the perimeter.” He started to move, but Dusque held her ground.

“We don’t have time for this,” he said, walking back to her. “Do you not understand the gravity of
the situation? It’s not like you have a choice any longer.” The exasperation was clear in his voice.

She regarded him steadily. “Oh, yes I do,” she replied. “I do have a choice.”

His black eyes grew stormy. “You’re right, you do. You can stay here and die, or you can join the Rebellion.”

“It’s not that simple,” she whispered, confused again.

“Nothing ever is,” he said gently. “Then come with me for the Hammerhead’s sake,” he added, and Dusque momentarily bristled at his casual use of the slang for Ithorians. “If you don’t believe in me and what we stand for, then come with me because of what they did to him. Come with me for revenge.”

Dusque swallowed her fear. She felt churned up inside, unsure of her emotions. What he said made sense at a basic level. It was the least she could do for her fallen comrade.
Maybe
, she thought,
maybe I can’t right nature for you, but I can avenge you. That I can do.

“All right,” she agreed. “Let’s go.” And she placed her fate in his strong hands.
For now
, she thought to herself.
I’ll trust you for now.

Finn led the way, keeping them close to the stone buildings on the edge of Moenia. From across the swamps, Dusque heard the cry of the peko peko. Subconsciously, she started to estimate how far away it was—probably twenty meters—as though she were actually going out to track the reptavian.

But those days were gone, she corrected herself.

The spaceport, it turned out, was even closer. Finn stopped and turned to Dusque.

“I can see the shuttle from here. We’re going to have to run for it,” he explained, and then a gentleness suddenly came over him. “Can you do it?”

Dusque was confused. His concern for her made her feel moved and angry at the same time.

“Yes,” she said.

“Let’s go,” he said, and they burst out running across the brick courtyard. Up the steps and past the throng of travelers, they ran at full speed. No one paid them any mind, however, and only one passenger even glanced at them. Dusque realized, as they weaved their way through the lounge into the
docking bay area, that Finn had timed it almost perfectly. They didn’t stand out in their haste because the shuttle was nearly ready for departure. In fact, a Trandoshan doctor almost bowled them over in his hurry to board.

Finn slowed down enough to toss their travel tickets at the protocol droid that was busy trying to collect and organize vouchers.

They and the medic were the last to board the shuttle. As Dusque sank wearily into a seat and strapped herself in, she looked about the cabin. It was a ragtag and motley group that shared the transport with them. With the exception of the medic and themselves, she thought most of the others looked like questionable sorts. Some carried weapons whose capabilities she couldn’t even begin to guess at, and others appeared to be hunters. It dawned on her that she had no idea where they were going—but if the passengers were any indication, it was not a nice place. She resolved to ask Finn about it as soon as they took off. She was just going to close her eyes for a moment first …

The next thing Dusque was aware of was someone insistently shaking her shoulder. She was so tired; she tried her best to ignore it. But the shaking only grew steadier the more she turned away from it.

“All right, Tendau,” she murmured and weakly waved one hand, “I’ll break down the camp. Just give me a bit longer.”

“We’re here,” Finn whispered, capturing her fluttering fingers in his grip.

Dusque’s eyes flew open at the unexpected touch and the sound of the strange but increasingly familiar voice. She blinked her eyes to clear them and gazed around the ship. She saw that most of the passengers had disembarked. She and Finn were some of the last to leave.

“That was fast,” she said.

For the first time since they’d met, he flashed her a genuine smile. “How would you know? You slept the whole time.” He rose to his feet and offered her a hand up. “I understand, though,” he added when she looked down at her lap. “With everything that happened …”

Dusque ducked her head and refused to accept his hand. She felt suddenly guilty for having rested at all. She thought that she should have maintained some kind of vigil for her lost friend, but instead she had slept like a child the first moment she’d had a chance to. “I’m fine,” she told him brusquely and moved past him.

“Stubborn,” he muttered, following behind.

Dusque smelled the heat before she felt it. She climbed out of the ship and squinted against the sun. Without waiting for Finn, she moved away from the landing area and found herself a vantage point. From there, she shielded her eyes and quickly scanned the area. Dust filled her nose, and a warm breeze caressed her cheek.

The area where they had landed was mountainous,
although she saw a valley to the south. The sun was just breaking above the range, and the sky was a yellow-pink. Directly in front of the shuttle was a bridge that led to a rather large outpost. The buildings, constructed mostly from sandstone and other local materials, almost faded into the harsh landscape. And there was no mistaking the smell of rotten eggs in the air. The bridge crossed a river not of water, Dusque surmised, but of sulfur. She put her hands on her hips and turned to Finn, who was watching her.

“Well?” she asked him.

He stepped over to her side. “Aren’t you even curious where we are?”

“Lok,” she replied. “Obviously.”

“How did you know? As far as I was aware, you’ve never been here before.”

“I’m a biologist, first and foremost. And I’m good at my job,” she announced without a trace of vanity. “Just because I’ve never been here doesn’t mean I don’t know about the planet.”

Finn raised his eyebrows. “I’m impressed.”

“The sulfur rivers gave it away,” she admitted, pointing to the canal ahead of them.

Finn smiled broadly and Dusque thought he was pleased. “They do reek a bit, don’t they?”

Dusque nodded. “It’s because of the sulfur that the kimogilla developed such a tough hide. I’ve only seen one sample of it. Amazing, adaptive feature on the beast.”

“Not to mention they’re one of the most venomous creatures in the galaxy and can swallow a Wookiee whole if the mood strikes them. If we’re lucky,” he added, “we won’t see a single one of those monsters while we’re here.”

It was Dusque’s turn to be surprised. “You know your creatures.”

“I know Lok,” he corrected her.

“And that’s why we’re here?”

Finn nodded. “I needed to get you off Naboo, and while this place isn’t somewhere you’d describe as safe, it is safer than the Emperor’s homeworld.”

Some thirty meters away, Dusque saw a spined snake slither out of a rock cairn and strike at one of the flightless birds indigenous to Lok. The bird was dead before it hit the ground. While the snake dislocated its jaw to accommodate its meal, Dusque looked at Finn.

“No,” she agreed, “I would definitely not think of this place as safe. Why here?”

“I’ve got some connections,” Finn told her.

“There are members of the Alliance here?” she asked. She knew they had to hide themselves well from the ever-vigilant eyes of the Empire, but Lok was a hellhole. As she kicked at the skull of a small scavenger beneath her feet, she wondered how desperate they must be to hide among the snakes and the dead.

“No,” Finn admitted slowly, “not the Rebels. The ties I have to my connection go back farther than that. I used to … do things for him.”

“Who?” she asked.

After Finn checked to see they were alone, he said, “Nym. All of this here is his stronghold.”

“I know that name,” Dusque remarked thoughtfully. Realization spread across her face after a moment. “Isn’t he the pirate who’s been raiding supply transports along the Corellian Trade Spine?”