her father, who just shrugged. “He does this. It takes some getting used to.”
She looked back at the Ryn. “Are you able to tell us anything that might help us find the Ryn we were supposed to meet here?”
Droma shrugged. “I can’t tell you much more than I already have. I came here to apply on behalf of my family. We wanted to become part of the network ourselves; we want to give something back to the people who helped us on Duro, without compromising what it means to be a Ryn. I don’t care what people think of us; I don’t want to be a hero. I just wanted to try to keep the clan safe, you know? I figure the more friends we have, the safer we are. If the ceiling’s about to come down on us all, I’d like to have some company.”
“So what happened?” Jaina asked.
Droma made a disappointed noise, deep in his throat.“They heard me out, but said they had no vacancies in the organization at this time—at least not where we were stationed. I said we’d be prepared to move to somewhere we
were
needed, but they weren’t interested.”
“Would you be able—” Leia started.
“To identify the boss Ryn?” Droma finished, shaking his mane of wiry hair doubtfully. “He’s about as shy as they come. And for good reason, too. It certainly sounds like he and his network have been helpful to you and other people in recent times, and the Yuuzhan Vong aren’t going to like that very much.”
Jaina frowned. “So you can’t tell us any more about them?”
“I would if I could, believe me. You helped me out, getting me off Onadax like that. It was about to get real ugly down there.”
“You don’t know anything about that, I suppose,” Leia said. Her expression was one of acceptance, as though she finally believed the Ryn’s story, but there were still numerous holes to fill. “It looked to us like someone was pulling up stumps and getting rid of the evidence.”
“Evidence of what?”
“The network, I presume.”
Droma shrugged again. “Sorry, but it’s no business of mine. I’m just here for the ride. If you could drop me off somewhere in the Juvex sector, though, I’d be extremely grateful. I can work my way back to the others from there.”
“If we’re going that way, sure,” said Han. “What do you mean, ‘if’?”
“Truth is, we don’t really know where we’re heading next,” Han said.
Droma was looking at them as though they were speaking Gamorrean. “What about Esfandia?” he asked. “You’re going there, right? And Juvex is on the way.”
“Esfandia?” Han repeated, frowning.
“Esfandia is one of two small communications centers on the other side of the galaxy,” Leia said. “It services the Outer Rim. There used to be only one, Generis, but another was brought on-line at the beginning of the war.”
“Why would we go there?” Jaina asked.
“You don’t know what’s happened?” Droma appeared genuinely shocked.
“No,” Jaina said. “What
has
happened?”
“It’s only something I overheard while I was being interviewed,” he said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “A message came through while I was there. They mentioned something about the head Ryn not wanting to do anything about it, though, because he figured you guys would have already heard about it through official channels.”
All eyes remained on Droma, waiting for him to explain.
“You seriously don’t know what I’m talking about?”
Jaina took a step toward him. “No, we don’t—and if you’re so good at reading what people are going to say, then you’ll know that I’m about to—”
“Jaina,” her mother cautioned.
Droma chuckled at this, glancing at Han. “I see she’s inherited the Solo temper.”
“You can’t even begin to imagine,” Han said.
The Ryn turned from Han back to Jaina. “Generis has been destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong, and Esfandia is under attack.”
“When?” Jaina asked,
“Yesterday, I think.”
“What has this got to do with us?”
She looked back at the Ryn. “Are you able to tell us anything that might help us find the Ryn we were supposed to meet here?”
Droma shrugged. “I can’t tell you much more than I already have. I came here to apply on behalf of my family. We wanted to become part of the network ourselves; we want to give something back to the people who helped us on Duro, without compromising what it means to be a Ryn. I don’t care what people think of us; I don’t want to be a hero. I just wanted to try to keep the clan safe, you know? I figure the more friends we have, the safer we are. If the ceiling’s about to come down on us all, I’d like to have some company.”
“So what happened?” Jaina asked.
Droma made a disappointed noise, deep in his throat.“They heard me out, but said they had no vacancies in the organization at this time—at least not where we were stationed. I said we’d be prepared to move to somewhere we
were
needed, but they weren’t interested.”
“Would you be able—” Leia started.
“To identify the boss Ryn?” Droma finished, shaking his mane of wiry hair doubtfully. “He’s about as shy as they come. And for good reason, too. It certainly sounds like he and his network have been helpful to you and other people in recent times, and the Yuuzhan Vong aren’t going to like that very much.”
Jaina frowned. “So you can’t tell us any more about them?”
“I would if I could, believe me. You helped me out, getting me off Onadax like that. It was about to get real ugly down there.”
“You don’t know anything about that, I suppose,” Leia said. Her expression was one of acceptance, as though she finally believed the Ryn’s story, but there were still numerous holes to fill. “It looked to us like someone was pulling up stumps and getting rid of the evidence.”
“Evidence of what?”
“The network, I presume.”
Droma shrugged again. “Sorry, but it’s no business of mine. I’m just here for the ride. If you could drop me off somewhere in the Juvex sector, though, I’d be extremely grateful. I can work my way back to the others from there.”
“If we’re going that way, sure,” said Han. “What do you mean, ‘if’?”
“Truth is, we don’t really know where we’re heading next,” Han said.
Droma was looking at them as though they were speaking Gamorrean. “What about Esfandia?” he asked. “You’re going there, right? And Juvex is on the way.”
“Esfandia?” Han repeated, frowning.
“Esfandia is one of two small communications centers on the other side of the galaxy,” Leia said. “It services the Outer Rim. There used to be only one, Generis, but another was brought on-line at the beginning of the war.”
“Why would we go there?” Jaina asked.
“You don’t know what’s happened?” Droma appeared genuinely shocked.
“No,” Jaina said. “What
has
happened?”
“It’s only something I overheard while I was being interviewed,” he said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “A message came through while I was there. They mentioned something about the head Ryn not wanting to do anything about it, though, because he figured you guys would have already heard about it through official channels.”
All eyes remained on Droma, waiting for him to explain.
“You seriously don’t know what I’m talking about?”
Jaina took a step toward him. “No, we don’t—and if you’re so good at reading what people are going to say, then you’ll know that I’m about to—”
“Jaina,” her mother cautioned.
Droma chuckled at this, glancing at Han. “I see she’s inherited the Solo temper.”
“You can’t even begin to imagine,” Han said.
The Ryn turned from Han back to Jaina. “Generis has been destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong, and Esfandia is under attack.”
“When?” Jaina asked,
“Yesterday, I think.”
“What has this got to do with us?”
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