Vision of the future

'It could be just coincidence,' Luke said. But he didn't sound like he believed it. 'Well, there's nothing for it but to get started.' He frowned suddenly. 'Unless you think this might damage the lightsabers.'

Mara shrugged. 'I can't see how it would, but I really don't know. Hopefully, we'll be able to pick up any trouble before it gets too bad.'

'True,' Luke agreed, looking down at his astromech droid. 'Artoo: full sensors, and keep an eye on the lightsabers. Let us know if they seem to be overheating or anything.' The droid beeped acknowledgment and extended his little sensor unit. 'We probably should start this as a triangle,' Mara suggested, crossing the passageway and wedging her glow rod into a crevice where it would illuminate the area beneath the Qom Jha sneak hole. 'Carving down at an angle on opposite sides. That should keep our blades out of each other's way, and angled cuts are usually better at weakening the underlying rock.'

'Sounds good.' Luke looked up at the three Qom Jha, grouped close together on the ceiling.

'Splitter Of Stones, why don't you head back to Eater Of Fire Creepers. Tell him we're almost ready for the extra scouts he promised to send into the High Tower with us.' The Qom Jha said something. 'No, but we will be soon,' Luke said. 'And you'd better take one of the others with you.'

Sitting on a lump of stone beneath the archway, Child Of Winds flapped his wings and said something that sounded eager. 'No, not you,' Luke told the young Qom Qae firmly. 'Keeper Of Promises, you go with him.'

There was a brief comment from the Qom Jha that sounded vaguely condescending, and then Splitter Of Stones and Keeper Of Promises dropped off their perches and flapped off back into the darkness toward the cave entrance. Child Of Winds fired off a sarcastic-sounding shot as they left, then settled huffily back onto his rock. 'I'll bet I'm missing some really witty repartee here,' Mara said sourly, pulling her lightsaber from her belt and taking up position to the left of the cut Luke had started.

'Not really,' Luke said, igniting his lightsaber and moving to the opposite side. 'You ready?' Mara ignited her lightsaber. 'Let's do it.'

* * *

They'd been at it for nearly an hour, and had completed the outline for their opening, when Artoo suddenly squealed.

'Hold it, Mara,' Luke called, closing down his lightsaber and wondering briefly what was wrong. He'd been concentrating closely on the weapon and hadn't felt even a hint of any problem with it. He glanced over at Artoo—

And paused for a closer look. The droid's sensor unit was extended, but it wasn't aimed at the lightsabers. It was, instead, pointed down the passageway ahead.

'Mara?' he called, shifting the weapon to his left hand and pulling out his glow rod. He played it down the tunnel as, behind him, Mara shut down her lightsaber.

And in the sudden silence, he heard a noise. A rustling sound, like thousands of distant, throaty voices whispering wordlessly to each other. A mindless rumbling that was echoed in his mind as he stretched out toward it with the Force.

And it was getting closer.

'I don't like the sound of that,' Mara murmured, stepping to his side.

'Me, neither,' Luke said, keying his glow rod to its brightest setting and sweeping it around again. Nothing was visible, but the way the tunnel twisted and bent in both directions that didn't mean much. He ran through his Jedi sense-enhancement techniques...

Fire creepers! Builder With Vines said excitedly from the ceiling behind him. They are coming!

'What?' Mara demanded.

'He said fire creepers are coming,' Luke relayed.

'Uh-oh,' Mara said. 'Their Bargainer's name—'Eater Of Fire Creepers.' '

'Yes,' Luke said, looking up at the Qom Jha. His wings were fluttering with some kind of anticipation. 'I've been assuming a fire creeper was some sort of plant. Builder With Vines, what are these things?'

They are small but dangerous creatures, the Qom Jha said. They will eat and destroy all things in their path, and can kill anything they find.

'He says small but dangerous,' Luke told Mara, sweeping the glow rod down the tunnel again.