[Galaxy Of Fear] - 08(18)

Sh’shak nodded. “That is correct.”

“It’s true!” Zak blurted out. He wanted to help Sh’shak. The S’krrr had told the truth, even though it made him seem guilty. It wasn’t fair to let him stand alone. “Tash and I saw him. He was practicing on a little tree.”

Thrawn blinked his red eyes once. “Ah, yes. You two were also in the garden that morning,” he said to Zak and Tash. “What were you doing there?”

Zak decided to speak for himself and his sister. He also decided to follow Sh’shak’s example and tell the truth. “We were following someone from your shuttle,” he admitted. “It was probably Lieutenant Wolver, but we couldn’t see clearly through the mist.”

The Imperial captain turned squarely toward Zak and Tash. Then he looked at Hoole. “Simple tourists do not follow Imperial officers. Your involvement in this affair grows deeper-“

“That seems to happen wherever we go,” Zak muttered under his breath.

“-and I’m beginning to wonder just who you are,” Thrawn concluded. “As soon as we have finished with this S’krrr, I’ll have you three taken to my Star Destroyer for identification.”

Zak and Tash swallowed. Once Thrawn looked into their past, he’d find out they were wanted by none other than Darth Vader. But there was nothing they could do as long as Thrawn and his aide had them covered with their blasters.

“In the meantime,” Thrawn said, turning back to Sh’shak, “I have no intention of killing an Imperial citizen without a good reason. And the claims of these children are easy enough to verify.” The blue-skinned officer pointed toward the shuttle’s exit. “Show me where you practiced. If there’s evidence that you were actually there during the murder, your life may be spared.”

A few moments later they were walking single file through the garden. Zak and Tash led the way, with Hoole behind them. Sh’shak followed Hoole, and Thrawn and Lieutenant Tier brought up the rear, blasters in hand.

Now and then, Zak glanced back at Uncle Hoole. The Shi’ido’s expression was stonier and more unreadable than ever. Zak knew that Hoole was preparing to make a move. There were only two Imperials-even though they were armed-and with his shapechanging powers, Hoole could probably overcome them both.

“Lieutenant Tier,” Captain Thrawn said as they marched. “It occurs to me that there is a wild card in this sabacc deck, and I dislike wild cards. The caretaker, Vroon, is not under surveillance.”

“That’s true, Captain,” Lieutenant Tier said. “But you don’t suppose that gardener could have-?”

“I suppose nothing,” Thrawn interrupted. “I simply want to have all points covered. Go find Vroon and bring him to me.”

With a quick salute, Lieutenant Tier marched away and headed back toward the caretaker’s workshop.

Now, if there were trouble, the odds were in Hoole’s favor.

Zak and Tash saw the small hill up ahead. They reached it quickly. At the top stood the small sapling, still marked with the cuts of Sh’shak’s weapon. The grass around the tree was torn and chopped up by the quick movements of the S’krrr’s feet.

“There’s your evidence,” Tash said. “This is where we found Sh’shak yesterday morning.”

Now that he was alone among civilians, Thrawn moved more cautiously. He kept a safe distance from the others, and he spared only a quick glance at the tree and the ground. But that glance told him all he needed to know. “It seems the S’krrr was here,” he agreed.

Zak gave an audible sigh.

“However,” the Imperial captain continued, “there is nothing to indicate how long you were here, or what time. For all I know you practiced on this tree, then slaughtered Lieutenant Wolver and left him for the beetles to eat.”

“But that is not the case,” Sh’shak insisted.

Thrawn shrugged. “I am making my decision based on the evidence at hand. That evidence suggests you’re the killer.”

He pointed his blaster at Sh’shak’s chest.

“Aggghghhh!”

A strangled cry flew up the hill to meet them. It was followed a second later by Lieutenant Tier. The Imperial aide stumbled to the crest of the hill, gagging and choking on something. His blaster was gone. His eyes were wild with fear, and he clutched at his throat.

“Tier, explain yourself,” Thrawn ordered. “What’s wrong?”

Lieutenant Tier opened his mouth to speak, but instead of words, a swarm of drog beetles spilled from his mouth.





CHAPTER 11


Lieutenant Tier collapsed. His body twisted and turned as more drog beetles poured out of his mouth. They were also inside his clothes and crawling in his hair.