10
It was full dark by the time Khabarakh brought the ship to ground in his village, a tight-grouped cluster of huts with brightly lit windows. 'Do ships land here often?' Leia asked as Khabarakh pointed the ship toward a shadowy structure standing apart near the center of the village. In the glare of the landing lights the shadow became a large cylindrical building with a flat cone-shaped roof, the circular wall composed of massive vertical wooden pillars alternating with a lighter, shimmery wood. Just beneath the eaves she caught a glint of a metal band encircling the entire building.
'It is not common,' Khabarakh said, cutting the repulsorlifts and running the ship's systems down to standby. 'Neither is it unheard of.' In other words, it was probably going to attract a fair amount of attention. Chewbacca, who had recovered enough for Leia to help into one of the cockpit passenger seats, was obviously thinking along the same lines. 'The villagers are all close family of the clan Kihm'bar,' Khabarakh said in answer to the Wookiee's slightly slurred question. 'They will accept my promise of protection as their own. Come.'
Leia unstrapped and stood up, suppressing a grimace as she did so. But they were here now, and she could only hope that Khabarakh's confidence was more than just the unfounded idealism of youth.
She helped Chewbacca unstrap and together they followed the Noghri back toward the main hatchway, collecting Threepio from her cabin on the way.
'I must go first,' Khabarakh said as they reached the exit. 'By custom, I must approach alone to the dukha of the clan Kihm'bar upon arrival. By law, I am required to announce out-clan visitors to the head of my family.'
'I understand,' Leia said, fighting back a fresh surge of uneasiness. She didn't like this business of Khabarakh having conversations with his fellow Noghri that she wasn't in on. Once again, there wasn't a lot she could do about it. 'We'll wait here until you come and get us.'
'I will be quick,' Khabarakh promised. He palmed the door release twice, slipping outside as the panel slid open and then shut again. Chewbacca growled something unintelligible under his breath. 'He'll be back soon,' Leia soothed him, making a guess as to what was bothering the Wookiee.
'I'm certain he is telling the truth,' Threepio added helpfully.
'Customs and rituals of this sort are very common among the more socially primitive prespaceflight cultures.'
'Except that this culture isn't prespaceflight,' Leia pointed out, her hand playing restlessly with the grip of her lightsaber as she stared at the closed hatchway in front of her. Khabarath could at least have left the door open so that they would be able to see when he was coming back. Unless, of course, he didn't want them to see when he was coming back.
'That is evident, Your Highness,' Threepio agreed, his voice taking on a professorial tone. 'I feel certain, however, that their status in that regard has been changed only recent-Well!' he broke off as Chewbacca abruptly pushed past him and lumbered back toward the center of the ship.
'Where are you going?' Leia called after the Wookiee. His only reply was some comment about the Imperials that she wasn't quite able to catch.
'Chewie, get back here,' she snapped. 'Khabarakh will be back any minute.' This time the Wookiee didn't bother to answer. 'Great,' Leia muttered, trying to decide what to do. If Khabarakh came back and found Chewbacca gone-but if he came and found both of them gone-'As I was saying,' Threepio went on, apparently deciding that the actions of rude Wookiees were better left ignored, 'all the evidence I have gathered so far about this culture indicates that they were until recently a nonspacefaring people. Khabarakh's reference to the dukha-obviously a clan center of some sort-the familial and clan structures themselves, plus this w,hole preoccupation with your perceived royal status-'
'The high court of Alderaan had a royal hierarchy, too,' Leia reminded him tartly, still looking back along the empty corridor. No, she decided, she and Threepio had better stay here and wait for Khabarakh. 'Most other people in the galaxy didn't consider us to be socially primitive.'
'No, of course not,' Threepio said, sounding a little embarrassed. 'I didn't mean to imply any such thing.'
'I know,' Leia assured him, a little embarrassed herself at jumping on Threepio like that. She'd known what he meant. 'Where is he, anyway?' The question had been rhetorical; but even as she voiced it the hatchway abruptly slid open again. 'Come,' Khabarakh said. His dark eyes flicked over Leia and Threepio-'Where is the Wookiee?'
'He went back into the ship,' Leia told him. 'I don't know why. Do you want me to go and find him?'
Khabarakh made a sound halfway between a hiss and a purr. 'There is no time,' he said. 'The maitrakh is waiting. Come.' Turning, he started back down the ramp. 'Any idea how long it will take you to pick up the language?' Leia asked Threepio as they followed.
'I really cannot say, Your Highness,' the droid answered as Khabarakh led them across a dirt courtyard past the large wooden building they'd seen on landing-the clan dukha, Leia decided. One of the smaller structures beyond it seemed to be their goal. 'Learning an entirely new language would be difficult indeed,' Threepio continued. 'However, if it is similar to any of the six million forms of communication with which I am familiar-'
