[Black Fleet Crisis] - 02(42)

When Luke got closer to the structure, he could see that the band at the top of the carousel said “Visitor Information Center” in Basic and several other common languages.

There were short lines of people waiting at every kiosk for a chance to select their areas of interest and have that information transferred to the cards, where they could browse it at their leisure. While they waited, most looked up at the carousel display, which was offering colorful one-minute documentaries on the geology of the Rift, the building of the Skyrail, and the shopping opportunities in Prye Folas.

“Pickpocket’s paradise,” Luke muttered, and turned away.

Just then, Luke felt the momentary tickle in his senses that meant he was being watched. He scanned the park carefully as he returned to the bench where Akanah sat, but the feeling did not return, and nothing he saw raised his alarm.

“I need to know what region we’ll—” He stopped as he saw that she was struggling against tears, her eyes faraway and forlorn. “What’s wrong?”

“Everything’s wrong,” she said. “I just know they’re not here.”

Luke sat down sideways beside her. “Why? You thought you’d be able to feel them, and you can’t?”

She was not too upset to be indignant. “No–we’re not that careless, to broadcast our presence even on the Current.”

“Then what’s the matter?”

“I told you–everything’s wrong.” She shook her head sadly. “This isn’t our kind of world. It’s everything we’re trying not to be. It’s too crowded, too loud, too organized and artificial. If they were ever here, they won’t have stayed very long.” Bowing her head, she began to sob quietly. “It’s too late. It took me too long to get here—” Edging closer, Luke drew her into a comforting embrace, brushing away the worst of her despair with caressing thoughts. “You don’t know that,” he said. “It’s too soon to be giving up. Come on, where do we start?”

Akanah rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry—I’m not doing a very good job of being invisible.”

“No one cares,” Luke said. “No one’s watching. All these people have tunnel vision—all they can see right now are their own plans and worries and hopes. They’re all eager for confirmation that this really will be the vacation of a lifetime.”

Raising her head, Akanah sought confirmation of his words. “On Carratos, everyone notices public tears,” she said, wiping her cheeks.

“My ears expected to hear ridicule.”

“Looks like you’ll have to do without, this time,” he said. “So where do we start? Who are we looking for?”

“The city of Griann,” she said. “It’s in what they call the Greenbelt Region. That’s where they were taken—Jib Djalla, Novus, Tipagna, and Norika. The first three are boys,” she added. “Novus is Twi’lek, the others are human. “

“Okay. Let’s go see what the machines can tell us about Griann,” Luke said, reaching down and shouldering both bags.

As they stood in line for an information kiosk, Akanah’s mood seemed to brighten, as though she were absorbing some of the joyful energy around her. But Luke again felt someone’s curiosity as a sudden shiver, as if someone had lightly touched his face, trying to recognize him.

Looking back across Welcome Park on a pretense of casual crowd-watching, Luke focused in on the tall, slender form of an Elomin male, already turning his horned face away. Luke watched his quarry move aloofly through the gathering until it disappeared behind the curve of the information center, but the Elomin never glanced his way again.

You’re getting twitchy, Luke told himself. There’s no way that an Elomin would be working for Imperial intelligence.

But the fact that an Elomin—perhaps this same one—had parked an airspeeder directly across from Mud Sloth would not leave his awareness. And the noise and the bustle of the crowd in the park suddenly seemed less a joyful party and more a potentially deadly distraction.

Maybe they were holding us up for a reason, Akanah, Luke thought worriedly, patting the bulge of his lightsaber along his thigh to reassure himself that it was there.

But though he stayed protectively close, Luke said nothing to Akanah beyond the kind of inconsequential chatter a couple as accustomed to each other as they were to traveling might Share while waiting in line.

There’s something here that I still don’t understand–some question I’ve failed to ask. He shook his head in annoyance, with such vigor that Akanah noticed.