Hoole probably could float across the floor if he wanted to, Tash thought.
“Are we going planetside?” Zak asked.
“We have already landed,” Hoole responded. “I believe you were too busy harassing your sister to notice our descent.”
Tash and Zak nearly bolted for the hatch that led outside. They lived aboard the Shroud, and any chance to get off the ship was welcome. But Tash’s common sense caught up with her at the door, and she turned back to her uncle. “Is it safe?”
“You mean, is there a chance the Imperials might be here to arrest us?” Hoole replied. “It is unlikely. The Ithorians obey Imperial rules like everyone else, but they are not loyal to the Emperor. We should be safe here as long as we do not attract too much attention.”
“Gotcha,” Zak said as the hatch opened. “We’ll just blend right in.”
“You think so, huh?” Tash grinned.
“Sure!” Zak stepped out of the ship and his jaw dropped. “Um… or not.”
An Ithorian waited to greet them. Tash was almost as startled as Zak. She’d seen pictures of Ithorians, but this one’s unusual appearance still surprised her.
The Ithorian was just under two meters tall and had two arms and two legs, but that was about as far as the resemblance to humans went. Its bare feet were splayed out and its legs looked like thin tree trunks. And on each hand the Ithorian had three long, delicate fingers and one thumb.
But it was the Ithorian’s head that was the most different. Jutting from its thick shoulders was a long, curved neck. Its head was a wide, flat bar and did, indeed, look just like a hammer.
The Ithorian had one eye on each side of its head. Those eyes blinked slowly at Tash and Zak. “Wwellccoomme.”
Now Tash’s jaw dropped. The Ithorian had two mouths, one on each side of its head. Both mouths spoke at once, giving the creature an unbelievably deep, powerful voice. The sound was unusual, but after a moment, Tash’s ears adjusted to it.
“Welcome to the Tafanda Bay,” the Ithorian said.
“Many thanks,” Hoole replied, stepping forward. “I am Hoole. This is Tash and Zak Arranda.”
The Ithorian nodded solemnly. “I am Fandomar.” The Ithorian said the name so delicately that Tash guessed it was female despite the low-pitched voice. “What brings you to Ithor?”
Hoole gave few details about himself or the Arrandas. He was a private person by nature, but since they had been wanted by the Empire he’d become hypercautious. To Fandomar he said only that he was an anthropologist traveling with two young students.
“We need supplies,” Hoole added. “May we find them here?”
Fandomar nodded. “The herd ship should have everything you need.”
Herd ship? Tash wondered. A ship for a herd of what?
But as she stepped away from the Shroud, Tash realized what Fandomar meant. She thought they’d landed on a planet. Instead, they had landed inside a gigantic floating city.
Their ship was in a small docking bay covered by a transparent dome. The dome reminded her of the Hologram Fun World, but the Fun World’s dome was much smaller. The space dock had been built on a higher level, and Tash could look down and see the rest of the floating city spread out below. Dozens of other domes sprouted around them, connected by bridges and walkways. All the domes rested on a giant floating platform that was dozens of kilometers long.
Rushing to the edge of the dome, Tash looked down. Half a kilometer below the city was a forest-covered planet. She could see waterfalls, lakes, and tree-covered mountains.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Why does everyone live up here? If I were Ithorian, I’d live right in the middle of those forests.”
Fandomar replied, “No Ithorian would ever set foot on the surface.”
“Really?” Tash asked skeptically, for just then she thought she saw three or four figures scurry out of sight on the ground below the hovering city. “Then who was that?”
Fandomar peered down. A deep, musical noise sounded from her twin mouths. Then she said, “All Ithorians love the forests. That is why we live in these floating cities, which we call herd ships. Living up here, we can make sure that no harm is done to the planet. But for some Ithorians, the connection to the planet is too strong. The Mother Forest calls to them and they go back. They live very simple lives, the way our ancestors did. They have no technology, no machines, and no contact with the herd ships. Officially, what they do is against the law, but we all understand how hard it is to resist the call of the Mother Forest, so they are not punished.”
Fandomar showed Hoole and the Arrandas to their quarters on the herd ship. The Ithorians were generous beings who gave free lodging to any visitors who needed to stay overnight.