Star Wars - Lost Tribe of the Sith 03 - Paragon

ones hangars for vehicles no larger than shuttles and starfighters. A tall mesh durasteel fence surrounded thecomplex, elevated watchtowers dotting its length, and Luke could see the wiring leading to one of the perma-crete domes that marked it as electrified. The spaceport facilities offered little shade, so the Skywalkers stood in the darkness cast by
Jade Shadow
, but even without the heat of direct sunlight, the moist, windless air was still as oppressive as a blanket.
    Luke poured thoughts of helpfulness and reasonability into the Force, but it was no use. The man before him, nearly two skinny meters of red-headed obstructiveness, would not yield a centimeter.
    The man, who had given his name as Tarth Vames, again waved his datapad beneath Luke’s nose. “It’s simple. That vehicle—” His wave indicated
Jade Shadow
. “Neither it, nor anything with an enclosed or enclosable interior, can be inland under your control or your kid’s.” He turned his attention to Ben, who stood, arms folded across his chest, beside his father. Ben glared but did not reply.
    Luke sighed. “Is any other visitor to Dathomir operating under that restriction?”
    “Don’t think so, no.”
    “Then why us?”
    Vames thumbed the datapad keyboard so that the message scrolled downward several screens. “Here, right here. An enclosed vehicle, according to these precedents—there’s about eight screens of legal precedents—can be interpreted as a mobile school, especially if
you’re
in it, especially if its presence constitutes a continuation of a school that’s been here in the past.”
    “This is harassment.” Ben’s words were quiet, but loud enough for Vames to hear.
    The tall man glowered at Ben. “Of course it’s not harassment. The order came specifically from Chief of State Daala’s office. Public officials at that level don’t harass.”
    Ben rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
    “Ben.” Luke added a chiding tone to his voice. “No point in arguing. Vames, are you also prohibited from answering a few questions?”
    “Always happy to help. So long as it’s within latitudes permitted by the regulations.”
    “Within the last couple of days, have you seen any sign of a dilapidated yacht called
She’s a Chancer
?” Luke knew the yacht had to be here; he had run his blood trail to ground on Dathomir, and the girl had not departed this world. But anything this man could add to his meager store of knowledge might help.
    Vames entered the ship name in his datapad, then shook his head. “No vehicle under that name made legal landfall.”
    “Ah.”
    “Dilapidated, you say? A yacht?”
    “That’s right.”
    Vames keyed in some more information. “Last night, shortly after dusk, local time, a vehicle with the operational characteristics of a SoroSuub yacht made a sudden descent from orbit, overflew the spaceport here, and headed north. There was some comm chatter from the pilot about engines on runaway, that she couldn’t cut them or bring her repulsors online for landing.”
    Ben frowned at that. “Last night? And you didn’t send out a rescue party?”
    “Of course we did. As per regulation. Couldn’t find the crash site. No further communication from the vehicle. We still have searchers up there. But no luck.”
    “Actually, that
is
helpful.” Luke turned to his son. “Ben, no enclosed vehicles.”
    “Yeah?”
    “Rent us a couple of speeder bikes, would you?”
    Ben grinned. “Yes, sir.”

Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith #3: Paragon
is a work of fiction.
Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
    2010 Del Rey eBook Edition
    Copyright © 2010 by Lucasfilm Ltd. & ® or ™ where indicated. All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization.
    Excerpt from
Star Wars®: Fate of the Jedi: Backlash
copyright © 2010 by Lucasfilm Ltd. & ® or ™ where indicated. All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization.
    Published in the United States by Del Rey, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
    D EL R EY is a registered trademark and the Del Rey colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
    This book contains an excerpt from the forthcoming book
Star Wars®: Fate of the Jedi: Backlash
by Aaron Allston. This excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the forthcoming edition.
    eISBN: 978-0-345-51940-5
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    v3.0