“I knew it,” Hoole said. “Gog was too careful to leave records lying about. Whatever he was planning, he has taken it to his grave.”
“Well, let’s make sure we don’t take it to ours,” Luke said. “I want to get off planet before trouble finds us.”
“Relax,” Han said with a yawn. “What trouble would find us in this deserted place?”
A few hours later, Zak and Tash were hiking through the rocks of Kiva once more. They had warned the Rebels about the strange shadow creatures, so the group kept a sharp lookout as they traveled. Behind the two Arrandas marched the squad of ten Rebel soldiers. Luke Skywalker walked with Tash and Zak, while Hoole strode in front, talking in low tones with Princess Leia and Han Solo. Before them all stalked the mighty Chewbacca, his sharp Wookiee senses scanning the landscape for trouble.
Zak, Tash, and Luke Skywalker took turns holding the baby. Eppon tugged at their hair and ran his hands over their faces as he giggled and cooed.
“I do not know how we will care for this child,” Hoole mused. “We have no way to feed him, unless he can eat the supplies we brought from our ship.”
“No need to worry about that right now,” Luke responded. “All he’s starved for is attention. It’s like no one has ever held him or hugged him before.”
“That’s sad,” Tash said. “Maybe he’s an orphan.”
“In that case, I know how he feels,” Zak said.
“Me too,” Luke Skywalker added quietly.
“Well, he’s not an orphan anymore!” Tash perked up. “He’s got us.” She held the baby up in the air. “Eppon, from now on Zak and I are your brother and sister, and you are officially part of the Arranda family.”
“Eppon!” the baby squealed happily.
Eppon squirmed so much that Tash almost dropped him. “Ugh, he’s getting heavy. Zak, ready for another turn?”
Zak wiggled his arms like they were wet noodles. “Not me. My arms are about to fall off. Luke?”
The blond Rebel shrugged. “Sorry, kids. I’ve got to go up front with Chewie. Maybe one of the commandos will take a turn. Hey, Rax!”
One of the Rebel commandos hustled forward. “Yes, sir?”
“You mind doing some baby-sitting duty?”
The commando sighed. They could tell he didn’t like the idea, but Luke was a hero of the Rebellion, so Rax slung his blaster rifle over his shoulder and pulled little Eppon up into his arms. Eppon buried his head in the soldier’s neck. “Eppon!”
“He likes you!” Tash laughed.
“Hurray,” the soldier groaned.
They marched on.
Soon they came to a field of rocks, standing like a small stone forest. There were tall, thin rocks that rose higher than Hoole’s head, and shorter, thicker ones that only reached Tash’s waist. Although stones like this covered the planet, here they grew so thick that one person could barely slip between them.
Han Solo called a halt. “We can’t go through there and still watch each other’s backs,” he explained. “We’ll have to scatter and get through as best we can.”
“Maybe we should go around,” Leia suggested.
“We’d lose a lot of time,” Han replied. “Besides, I doubt there’s anything to worry about.”
“I shall make certain,” Hoole said.
He closed his eyes. At first, he seemed to shiver as if he were cold. Then the skin crawled across his bones, and in the blink of an eye, he had changed shape… into a long, thin serpent. The serpent
was
nearly transparent, and difficult to see in Kiva’s gray light.
Artoo bleeped.
“Quite right, Artoo,” Threepio replied. “As a crystal snake, Master Hoole will have no trouble scouting out those rocks.” Threepio lowered his voice. “I’m just glad he’s going in that direction, and not toward me!”
The crystal snake slithered off through the stone field, slipping quickly through the openings. A few moments later they caught a glint of light on the far side. There was a blur of motion, and the snake changed back into Hoole. The tall Shi’ido waved his arms. The path was safe.
Leia waved back. “Okay, everyone, break formation. Let’s hurry through.”
The Rebel commandos broke ranks, and they all started to pick their way through the rocky forest. Since they were the smallest, Zak and Tash slipped easily through the maze of rocks, and quickly made it to the other side where Hoole waited. They watched as, one by one, the Rebels reached their side of the field. In a few moments they had all arrived, except…
“Where’s Rax?” Han asked.