Vision of the future

decisions as right and continue on, or to acknowledge them as wrong and also continue on.'

'Why must she do this?' Sakhisakh asked.

The Caamasi smiled sadly. 'Because she is a High Councilor, and a diplomat, and a Jedi. Only when she is at peace with herself will she have the insight and wisdom we will all need to rely on in the days ahead.'

For a long moment none of them spoke. Leia stared out at the mottled sky of hyperspace rushing past, the acrid bite of shame adding to the rest of the emotions swirling within her. Once again, Elegos was right. 'You should have been a Jedi, Elegos,' she said with a sigh as she unstrapped from her seat and stood up.

'I do not have a Jedi's ability to touch the Force,' Elegos said, an odd note of regret in his voice.

'And yet, you speak more truly than perhaps you know. It is a legend among my people that, at the very dawn of their age, the first of the Jedi Knights came to Caamas to learn from us the moral use of their power.'

'I don't doubt the legend is true,' Leia said, gesturing to the seat she'd just vacated. 'Sakhisakh, if you'd take control here, I'll be in the cargo hold. I have some serious thinking and meditating to do.'

CHAPTER

20

'Good day, citizen-scholars of the M'challa Order of the Empire,' the ancient SE2 service droid behind the reception desk wheezed its usual greeting. 'How may I and the Imperial Library serve you this morning?'

'Just assign us a computer station,' Han said, putting a firm restraining bolt on his already grouchy mood. Already it was shaping up to be a hot, muggy day, and he felt both uncomfortable and stupid parading around the city streets in the traditional M'challa scholar's robe he and the others had been wearing ever since landing here on Bastion. The last thing he wanted to do was waste time trading banter with an SE2 droid. 'We can handle our own data search, thanks.'

'Certainly.' The droid peered at him, then at Lando, then at Lobot. His gaze lingered on the latter, as if wondering why he was wearing his hood so close about his head on such a warm day. 'You citizens have been in here before,' he said. 'Each of the past three days, if my memory has not degraded.'

'We're doing a long-term study,' Lando stepped in smoothly. 'It takes a great deal of time.'

'Would you like assistance?' the droid asked helpfully. 'We have several research droids and interface counterparts available for hire at a purely nominal fee.'

'We're doing fine,' Han told him, striving mightily to keep from shouting in the droid's metal face.

'Just assign us a station, all right?'

'Certainly, citizen-scholar,' the droid said affably. 'Station 47A. Go through the double doors to your left—'

'We know where it is,' Han said, turning on his heel and stalking toward the indicated doors.

'And thank you,' Lando added.

He and Lobot caught up with Han just inside the double doors. 'You think you can draw a little more attention to us?' Lando growled as Han headed off through the maze of individual and group booths that filled the huge room, only a handful of which were currently occupied. 'Maybe you should try kicking the droid back and forth across the desk a few times—that ought to do it.'

'A lot of Imperials don't like droids,' Han growled back. 'Even scholars. Let's just get on with it, okay?'

Lando didn't answer, and Han felt a twinge of guilt for snapping at his friend that way. After all, Lando was doing him a big favor by even being here in the first place.

But his mood was already too sour for the guilt to make much headway against it. Three days of softfooting around the Imperial capital city having to put up with smarmy Imperials, overcharging tapcafe owners, and idiot SE2 droids was starting to get to him.

Especially considering how much progress they'd made so far in getting into the Special Files section. Namely, none.

They reached Station 47A and Han snagged a third chair from an unused booth to supplement the two already there. 'All right,' Lando said, activating the booth's privacy field as he sat Lobot down in front of the keyboard and then took the chair beside him. 'You have a good contact with Moegid?' Lobot's answer was to place his fingers on the keyboard. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, he began tapping the keys.

Hitching his chair up behind Lando, stifling a sarcastic remark that wouldn't have done anyone any good and was