[Last Of The Jedi] - 07(24)

“I’m coming. But first let’s do what we can here. Contact me when you come up with a way to get in. I’ll assemble a team.”

They stood. They couldn’t risk staying any longer. Ferus again felt the loneliness wrap around his heart. There were so many things he wanted to talk to Roan about, and couldn’t. Not just about logistics, but feelings. One thing about war — there was never enough time.

A quick grasp of each other’s upper arms in their old greeting, a look into each other’s eyes, and Ferus turned on his heel and was gone.





Chapter Fourteen


Keets collapsed on a bench, breathing hard. “I didn’t… sign on … to the resistance … to be”—He leaned his head back and let out an explosive puff of air — “a nanny!”

“He’s a handful,” Curran said, with a fond look at Lune.

They sat in a small park on the uppermost level of Coruscant, near the Senate District. Lune had begged to be allowed to play, and the Orange District was hardly suitable. Astri had given reluctant permission. She’d wanted Lune to get some sun, despite her worries. He’d been on an asteroid for weeks without light.

Keets and Curran had decided on a neighborhood popular with families so they could lose themselves in the crowds. “Can’t we get a droid for this job?” Keets wondered. “Some Class Three Nanny with a nice disposition?”

“Dex asked us to do it,” Curran said. “Besides, a droid won’t keep an eye out for stormtroopers.”

“That kid could probably program it, too,” Keets said. “That kid could probably do anything he set his mind to.”

They watched as Lune joined in a game some boys and girls had improvised on one of the playground installations, a large plastoid power slide that sent off puffs of air to speed descent. The group had lined up on the various chutes and were racing to see who could get down fastest. The laughter traveled over to Keets and Curran.

“C’mon,” Curran said. “This has got to make even you smile.”

“I don’t go gooey over kids,” Keets said. “I may no longer be a galactically famous journalist, I may have to scrounge and shrink from every glowlamp, and I may be living with a former pusher of bantha stew, but I haven’t sunk that low.”

“You’re a very cynical human,” Curran said serenely.

Keets put an arm over the bench and looked over at a towering statue of Emperor Palpatine. “Galactic City used to be a fairly nice place.”

“You mean Imperial City,” Curran corrected.

“I’ll never call it that,” Keets replied. “Emperor Palpa-creep can rename it, but I don’t have to listen to him. Hey, what’s that kid up to now?” Keets asked, looking over at Lune.

The boy had opened the control panel of the power slide and was making an adjustment.

“Should we …” Keets said.

Curran shook his head, grinning. “I say we just watch.”

Lune scrambled back up the ramp to the very top of the slide. He positioned himself in front of the jets. The sensor picked up his presence, and a blast of air sent him straight up into the air. Instead of landing, Lune hung there.

Keets’s jaw dropped. Curran half rose.

Lune did a somersault in the air. He looked down at the other kids with their upturned faces and stuck out his tongue.

“Curran …” Keets said warningly.

“He’s okay,” Curran said. He had relaxed back into his seat.

“That’s not what I mean.” Keets nudged him and pointed.

A squad of stormtroopers on patrol was crossing the street.

“What should we do?” Curran asked. His furry face, normally the color of a roasted nut, paled.

“If we run toward him, we’ll just attract their attention,” Keets said. “They won’t notice. Nobody notices kids.”

Lune landed on the bottom of the slide, then leaped up again.

The other kids screamed at him with glee, clapping their hands.

The head stormtrooper looked up.

“Uh-oh,” Keets breathed.

Lune jumped down on the slide, caught another blast of air, and used it and the Force to leap even higher. He landed on top of a neighboring terrace, then used the momentum to leap back again and land in front of the cheering children.

Keets could see only the helmets of the stormtroopers move as they tracked Lune.

“Let’s get him,” Keets said.

They walked over to Lune. Keets spoke softly. “Time to go, kiddo.”

“No!” the other kids all shouted. “Show us how you did that!”

“Sorry!” Curran tried to extricate himself from the crowd of kids.

The squad of stormtroopers started to head over.