signal.”
“Don’t need it,” Han said. He swung the landspeeder onto a deep-cut track—it was not quite a road—that led in the same direction the smugglers had gone. “I’ll follow my nose.”
“Your nose?” Luke looked up, then said, “Oh.”
They followed the track over a knoll, then found themselves looking into a valley of mud and giant tree stumps. The smugglers, four Aqualish and a flat-faced Neimoidian, were about three hundred meters down the slope, parked outside the collapsed stone foundation of what had once been a very large building. The Aqualish had hoisted one of their fuel barrels onto a hamogoni stump that was two meters high and as big around as a Star Destroyer’s thrust nozzle. The Neimoidian—presumably the leader—was standing next to the barrel, talking to half a dozen Killiks. With bristly antennae, barbed, hugely curved mandibles, and dark blue chitin, they were clearly Gorog—the Dark Nest.
The Neimoidian held something up to the light, examining it between his thumb and forefinger, then nodded and slipped the object into a pouch hanging beneath his robes. The closest insect handed him something else, and he began to examine that.
Han ducked behind a giant stump and brought the landspeeder to a halt. “Sometimes I hate it when you’re right,”he said to Luke. “But I’m not crawling down any bug holes with you. I’m through with that.”
Luke grinned a little. “Sure you are.”
“I’m serious,” Han warned. “If you go there, you’re on your own.”
“Whatever you say, Han.”
Luke pulled a pair of electrobinoculars from the landspeeder console, then slipped out of the passenger’s seat and disappeared around the side of the tree stump. Han shut the vehicle down and told C-3PO to keep an eye on things, then joined Luke behind a lateral root so high that he had to stand on his toes to peer over the top.
“Interesting,” Luke said. He passed the electrobinoculars to Han. “Have a look.”
Han adjusted the lenses. The Neimoidian was examining a reddish brown mass about the size of a human thumb, shaped roughly like a tear and so transparent that Han could see a tiny silver light glimmering in its core. After studying the lump a moment, the Neimoidian placed it in his pouch and held out his hand. The closest Gorog placed in it another globule, this one so cloudy that the Neimoidian did not even bother raising it to his eye before he tossed it aside.
“Star amber?” Han asked, lowering the electrobinoculars.
Luke nodded. “At least now we know where it’s …” He spun toward their landspeeder, his hand dropping toward his lightsaber, then finished his sentence in a whisper. “… been coming from.”
“Why are you whispering?” Han whispered. He pulled his blaster from its holster. “I
hate
it when you whisper.”
Luke raised his finger to his lips, then slipped over the root they had been hiding behind and started around the stump, moving
away
from their landspeeder. Han followed,holding the electrobinoculars in one hand and his blaster in the other. The route took them into full view of the smugglers and the insects down the slope. Luke flicked his fingers, and the entire group turned to look in the opposite direction. Han would have accused him of cheating, except that just then C-3PO’s voice came over their comlinks.
“Be careful, Master Luke! They’re trying to come—”
The warning ended in string of metallic thunks. A loud boom echoed across the valley, and black smoke billowed up behind the stump. Han scrambled over another lateral root and raced the rest of the way around the stump behind Luke.
They came up behind the fuming wreckage of their landspeeder, which sat on the ground surrounded by a pool of fuel and cooling fluid that had spread halfway up the tree stump. C-3PO was standing two meters in front of the vehicle, looking scorched and soot-covered and leaning forward at the waist to peer around the tree stump. R2-D2 had
“Don’t need it,” Han said. He swung the landspeeder onto a deep-cut track—it was not quite a road—that led in the same direction the smugglers had gone. “I’ll follow my nose.”
“Your nose?” Luke looked up, then said, “Oh.”
They followed the track over a knoll, then found themselves looking into a valley of mud and giant tree stumps. The smugglers, four Aqualish and a flat-faced Neimoidian, were about three hundred meters down the slope, parked outside the collapsed stone foundation of what had once been a very large building. The Aqualish had hoisted one of their fuel barrels onto a hamogoni stump that was two meters high and as big around as a Star Destroyer’s thrust nozzle. The Neimoidian—presumably the leader—was standing next to the barrel, talking to half a dozen Killiks. With bristly antennae, barbed, hugely curved mandibles, and dark blue chitin, they were clearly Gorog—the Dark Nest.
The Neimoidian held something up to the light, examining it between his thumb and forefinger, then nodded and slipped the object into a pouch hanging beneath his robes. The closest insect handed him something else, and he began to examine that.
Han ducked behind a giant stump and brought the landspeeder to a halt. “Sometimes I hate it when you’re right,”he said to Luke. “But I’m not crawling down any bug holes with you. I’m through with that.”
Luke grinned a little. “Sure you are.”
“I’m serious,” Han warned. “If you go there, you’re on your own.”
“Whatever you say, Han.”
Luke pulled a pair of electrobinoculars from the landspeeder console, then slipped out of the passenger’s seat and disappeared around the side of the tree stump. Han shut the vehicle down and told C-3PO to keep an eye on things, then joined Luke behind a lateral root so high that he had to stand on his toes to peer over the top.
“Interesting,” Luke said. He passed the electrobinoculars to Han. “Have a look.”
Han adjusted the lenses. The Neimoidian was examining a reddish brown mass about the size of a human thumb, shaped roughly like a tear and so transparent that Han could see a tiny silver light glimmering in its core. After studying the lump a moment, the Neimoidian placed it in his pouch and held out his hand. The closest Gorog placed in it another globule, this one so cloudy that the Neimoidian did not even bother raising it to his eye before he tossed it aside.
“Star amber?” Han asked, lowering the electrobinoculars.
Luke nodded. “At least now we know where it’s …” He spun toward their landspeeder, his hand dropping toward his lightsaber, then finished his sentence in a whisper. “… been coming from.”
“Why are you whispering?” Han whispered. He pulled his blaster from its holster. “I
hate
it when you whisper.”
Luke raised his finger to his lips, then slipped over the root they had been hiding behind and started around the stump, moving
away
from their landspeeder. Han followed,holding the electrobinoculars in one hand and his blaster in the other. The route took them into full view of the smugglers and the insects down the slope. Luke flicked his fingers, and the entire group turned to look in the opposite direction. Han would have accused him of cheating, except that just then C-3PO’s voice came over their comlinks.
“Be careful, Master Luke! They’re trying to come—”
The warning ended in string of metallic thunks. A loud boom echoed across the valley, and black smoke billowed up behind the stump. Han scrambled over another lateral root and raced the rest of the way around the stump behind Luke.
They came up behind the fuming wreckage of their landspeeder, which sat on the ground surrounded by a pool of fuel and cooling fluid that had spread halfway up the tree stump. C-3PO was standing two meters in front of the vehicle, looking scorched and soot-covered and leaning forward at the waist to peer around the tree stump. R2-D2 had
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