[Galaxy Of Fear] - 08(2)
He decided to keep the accident a secret. The next time they landed, he’d give the engines a closer look and repair whatever little problem he might have caused. As long as the mistake was fixed, he told himself, no one else needed to know.
“Zak, you’re late,” Uncle Hoole said as Zak entered the Shroud’s small lounge area. His uncle cast a glance at Zak, his long, gray Shi’ido face looking stern as usual.
“Sorry, Uncle Hoole,” Zak replied. “I didn’t mean to miss the beginning of the lesson.”
Hoole gave a small nod. “I’m afraid you’ve missed something else important. I just finished telling Tash about our destination.”
“Destination?” Zak asked. “Have you found a safe place for us to hide from the Empire?”
Several months ago, Tash, Zak, and Hoole had become entangled in an Imperial plot. In the end, they had helped the Rebels foil the schemes of an Imperial scientist, but unfortunately they had also attracted the attention of the Emperor’s most powerful servant-Darth Vader. Now they were on the run, traveling through the most remote parts of the galaxy, trying to avoid any Imperial contact while Hoole searched for a safe place to live.
“I’m afraid I haven’t located a good hiding place as yet,” the Shi’ido admitted. “But in the meantime, I’ve received word that the Empire is planning to establish a military outpost on the planet S’krrr”
Zak had never heard of S’krrr, but that didn’t surprise him. There were thousands of civilized planets in the Empire. “So?” he asked. “The Empire has outposts everywhere.”
“Not on S’krrr” Tash said. “At least not yet.”
“Indeed,” Hoole agreed. “And the real tragedy is that if the Imperials take over this planet, they will certainly destroy one of the most beautiful places in the entire galaxy-the Sikadian Garden. This garden is the cultural landmark of the people of S’krrr” Hoole paused. “I am determined to make sure the Empire doesn’t destroy any more cultures.”
Zak nodded. He knew his uncle’s sad story all too well. Years ago, Hoole had been a scientist working for the Empire. The Empire had allowed one of Hoole’s experiments to turn bad, and the resulting accident wiped out an entire race of beings. From that day on, Hoole had sworn he would protect as many civilizations as he could from Imperial cruelty.
A soft alarm sounded on the lounge’s wall panel. “We’re dropping out of hyperspace,” Hoole said. “We must be near the planet now.”
They hurried to the Shroud’s cockpit just in time to see the planet come into view. S’krrr was a beautiful blue-green world, with rolling clouds covering continents and oceans.
Zak felt his heart beat nervously as Hoole guided the ship down to the planet’s surface. What if his little accident had damaged the landing gear? But the ship continued to glide smoothly through the air as Hoole spoke to S’krrr’s planetary landing control.
The speaker on the other end of the link seemed to be expecting Hoole. “The area near the Sikadian Garden is usually restricted,” the voice said, “but you have permission to land just outside the garden walls.”
Tash and Zak were impressed. “Do not be,” Hoole advised. “It is simply that my reputation as an anthropologist gets me into some restricted spaces.”
In minutes, the Shroud was zooming over the surface of the planet. On the horizon, they could see a wide, multicolored patch of ground that extended for several kilometers. Even at a distance, the Sikadian Garden looked beautiful.
The Shroud touched down outside a high wall covered in green vines. Even before they had come to a stop, a sweet, powerful smell filled the cabin.
“What’s that?” Tash asked.
“Flowers from the garden,” Hoole replied. “The scent is quite pleasant.”
“And strong,” she added, “if we can smell it right through the ship!”
“It probably came in through the air vents,” Zak guessed. “I opened them up as we landed.” Zak had opened them to help the engines cool-and to let the fresh air blow away the scent of burning wires. But he had decided not to tell Tash and Uncle Hoole about that.
As the ship finally settled on its landing gear, Zak let out a soft sigh of relief. Whatever he had done had obviously not hurt the ship.
“Zak, please go lower the ramp,” Hoole requested.
“You bet!” Zak replied. He was so relieved he almost skipped down the corridor. At the exit hatch, he punched in the code that lowered the ramp and waited as the door slid open.
He stepped out into a bright, sunny day and smelled the scent of hundreds of growing flowers drifting toward him. He took a deep breath.