"Zonama Sekot itself is not empty," Charza said. "There are beings there, not native to the planet. They arrived many years ago, not known how long. But they invite guests only recently, mostly rich buyers from worlds that do not owe strong allegiance to the Republic or trade with the Trade Federation. I will show you a picture now that Vergere sent to my ship before I left the system."

Charza chuffed orders to a cluster of food-kin perched on one console. They danced on buttons and tugged levers, and a viewer swung into place.

"Best for humans," Charza murmured, and the food-kin ad justed the colorful but blurry image. It floated in the middle of the bridge, suddenly sharpened and took on motion. Obi-Wan and Anakin leaned forward and stared. An intensely green landscape, viewed at sunset, spread before them. The scale of treelike growths that filled most of the image was not immediately apparent until Anakin spotted a structure in the lower left, a kind of balcony with what looked like humans standing on it. Then it became apparent that the trees were easily five or six hundred meters tall, and that the great green domes of foliage in the upper right were easily hundreds of meters across. Green was the dominant color, but the foliage was also rich with gold, blue, purple, and red.

"They do not look like trees," Obi-Wan commented.

"Not trees," Charza said. "Not trees at all. Vergere called them boras."

The planet's yellow sun, setting in a golden haze between the ranks of huge growths, was not the only light in the sky. The vast pinwheel of red and purple gas covered all they could see of the northern sky beyond the boras.

"That is all I know," Charza continued. "I dropped off Vergere, then waited until I was dismissed, and returned to orbit. There was no message to retrieve her, so I departed, as she had ordered. At that time, I detected six ships of known types in the region. All were private craft, I think belonging to customers of the shipbuilders on Zonama Sekot."

"You did well, Charza," Obi-Wan said, getting to his feet. "Perhaps nothing is amiss."

"She may be alive," Charza said, "but I do not think all is well."

"Your instinct?"

Charza burred and lifted his head to the ceiling, then twisted around to regard them with all of his eyes. "Simple observation. Where one Jedi travels alone, perhaps no cause for alarm. Where a Jedi falls silent, and other Jedi follow. . mishap and adventure!"

Tarkin marched ahead of Raith Sienar down the tunnel toward the waiting shuttle. "There is no time to lose," Tarkin shouted over his shoulder. "They've emerged from hyperspace, and we've received the tracker signal. We have less than an hour before you must join your squadron and leave Coruscant."

Sienar clutched his travel bag and passed last-minute instructions to his protocol droid, which followed at a quick if lurching pace a few steps behind.

"Come on, man!" Tarkin shouted.

Sienar handed the droid the last thing he had packed earlier that morning: a small disk containing special instructions should he not return.

The droid halted at the embarkation slip and gestured a formal good-bye as Sienar joined Tarkin inside the well- appointed shuttle lounge. The hatch slid shut with an ear- popping hiss, and the shuttle immediately pulled from its tower berth and punched through a clear space in the traffic lanes.

It rose rapidly into orbit.

"I hope you understand what could be at stake here," Tarkin said, his thin face grim. His blue eyes grew large and deadly serious as he looked at Sienar. With such wide eyes, his face once more took on the aspect of an animated skull. "At the moment we are merely useful lackeys. We are below the level of awareness of those who will command the galaxy. If this planet and its ships are as useful as they appear to be, we will be richly rewarded. We will be noticed. Some already share my belief that this could be very big. All will share in our success, so our mission has been given level-two priority, Raith. Level two!

"Not level one?" Sienar asked innocently.

Tarkin frowned. "Your cynicism may not serve you well, my friend."

"I keep an independent mind," Sienar said.

"In the long run, that could be extremely unwise," Tarkin told him, and his eyes narrowed to slits.

Charza Kwinn brought the Star Sea Flower into a high orbit above Zonama Sekot. As Obi-Wan and Anakin prepared their belongings in the dry cabin, Obi-Wan brought out a pouch he had concealed in his robes, drew open a cord, and laid it out on top of his — travel kit.

Anakin looked at it hopefully. "Another lightsaber?" he asked.

Obi-Wan smiled and shook his head. "Not yet, Padawan. Something more appropriate for a planet run by merchants. Old-style aurodium credits. Three billion's worth, in several large ingots."

"I've never seen that much money!" Anakin said, stepping closer. Obi-Wan shook his finger in warning, then opened the packet and showed its contents to Anakin.

The ten pure aurodium ingots sparkled like tiny flames. Each held a depth of mysterious light that refused to fix on one color.

"What they say about the Temple is true, then," Anakin mused.

"That it holds secret treasure? Hardly," Obi-Wan said. "These were drawn from a joint account in the Galactic Capital Bank. Many in the galaxy lend their resources to support the Jedi."

"I didn't know that," Anakin said, a little downcast.

"This represents a few percent of that account. Not that we are going to spend it foolishly. Vergere carried a similar amount with her. It is rumored that this is sufficient to purchase a Sekotan vessel. Let's hope the rumors are correct."

"But Vergere-maybe she's already bought a ship," Anakin said.

"It may be necessary for us to be completely ignorant of Vergere," Obi-Wan said.

"Oh. . right."

Obi-Wan rolled up the ingots and tied the cord, then handed it to Anakin. "Keep it with you at all times."

"Wizard!" Anakin enthused. "No one'd suspect a boy would carry this much cash. I could buy a YZ-1000 with this-a hundred YZ- 1000s!"

"What would you do with a hundred old star scows?" Obi- Wan asked with innocent curiosity.

"I'd rebuild them. I know how to make them go twice as fast as they do now-and they're plenty fast!"

"And then?"

"I'd race them!"