Or for springing an ambush.
“Let’s pause here a moment,” he said to Artoo, crossing over toward the outer edge of the Promenade. They were roughly in the middle of the quiet area now, with the waterfall rippling softly behind them. Picking a section of guardwall, Luke stopped walking and leaned his elbows on the top rail, stretching out to the Force as he did so. There was a subtle change in the emotions of their pursuer now: a change that felt to Luke like the other had made a decision. “He’s coming,” Luke muttered to Artoo. “I think he’s alone, but there could still be trouble. Keep back out of the way, all right?”
The droid acknowledged with a nervous twitter, rolling a meter back in response. Resettling his elbows on the guardwall, Luke gazed out into the Canyonade, a gentle shiver running up his back as he listened to the quiet footsteps approaching from the side. As near as he could tell, this was the exact spot where he’d seen himself in that vision
The footsteps stopped. “Pardon me,” a gentle voice asked. “Are you the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker?”
Luke turned, getting his first clear look at the being who’d been following them. He was of an unfamiliar species: tall and broad, with dark shell plates half-hidden beneath a fur-trimmed cloak. His head was large, with alert black eyes and small spikes where the mouth would be on a human. “I’m Skywalker, yes,” Luke confirmed. “And you?”
“I am Moshene Tre,” the alien said. “Un’Yala of the Cas’ta tribe of the Rellarin people of Rellnas Minor.”
He reached a Wookiee-sized hand to the collar of his cloak and turned the edge back. Fastened on the underside was a distinctive gold-filigree pin. “I am also a New Republic Observer. I am honored to meet you, sir.”
“And I you,” Luke said, nodding in greeting as his last vestiges of tension faded away. The Observers were an experimental, quasi-official part of the New Republic, created in this latest round of governmental policy reorganization. Moving freely about their assigned sectors, their job was to report directly to the High Council and Senate whatever they saw or heard, with a particular eye toward improper governmental activities that the local or sector authorities might prefer to keep out of sight.
There had been some early fears that the Observers might evolve into the kind of secret security forces that the Empire had used with such devastating effect during its reign of terror. So far, though, that didn’t seem to be happening. The various governments that had undertaken to sponsor Observers had chosen their candidates carefully, with an eye toward hiring only strongly ethical beings and then strictly defining the limits of their mandate. The fact that the Observers were assigned to sectors far away from their homes and any local or species rivalries undoubtedly helped encourage their sponsors to pick candidates who were as incorruptible and impartial as possible.
A similar system had been used in the Old Republic, Luke knew, with the Jedi Knights acting in the Observers’ role. Perhaps someday his academy graduates would be numerous enough-and trusted enough-to once again take on that duty. “What may I do to help you?” he asked.
“Please forgive my impertinence in walking within your shadow,” Tre continued. “But I felt a burden to speak with you, and needed to be certain of your identity before I approached.”
“I understand,” Luke said. “No harm done. How may I help you?”
The Rellarin stepped up to the guardwall beside Luke and waved a massive hand downward. “I wished you to see what is happening in the Canyonade tonight. To see, and to understand.”
Luke turned back to the guardwall and looked down. All he could see were the normal street and vehicle lights of a modern city. “Where am I supposed to be looking?” he asked.
“There,” Tre said, pointing toward a large diamond-shaped area near the center of the Canyonade directly across from where the two of them stood. Though bordered by normal street illumination, the area itself was almost completely dark, with only a handful of tiny lights showing near the center.
“It looks like a park,” Luke hazarded, mentally calling up the map of the Canyonade he’d looked at on the way into the spaceport. “Tranquillity Common, perhaps?”
“That is correct,” Tre said. “Do you see the lights in the center?”
“Yes,” Luke said. “They’re …”
He paused, frowning. In the past few seconds, as he and Tre had been speaking, the number of lights had seemingly doubled. Still grouped closely together … and then, even as he watched, a new. circle of lights was added to the group.