"What are we going to do in today's meeting?" Lok asked Eeth as they got up from the breakfast table to head downstairs. "Act like nothing happened?"
"If you mean whether we should mention our nightly visitor," said Eeth, "then, no, we should not. What I am planning to do is the opposite of what he asked us to do, though. We will not run. Instead, we will go on the offensive and ask for unsupervised interaction with the wider population of this colony. And then we will see what happens. At the very least, it might force the person who wants us gone to make the next step."
"Good idea," said Kat. "I think it is high time for us to venture out of this building. But when we do, you, padawan, will stay by my side at all times."
Takhya pulled a face in response. "You don't have to baby m–OWW!" She had been stopped short by Eeth, who grabbed her by the arm and dealt out a solid swat to the seat of her pants. "Lose the attitude and show your master the respect she deserves," he said sharply. "Given the circumstances, her warning was more than appropriate. Heed it."
Takhya winced and furtively sneaked back a hand to rub at her bottom. "Alright," she said sullenly. Then she saw the expression on Eeth's face and made the wise decision to correct herself. "I mean, yes, Master Koth," she said quickly, in a far politer tone of voice.
"Good call," Lok whispered at her as they walked down the corridor. "He might not always carry his paddle during missions, but he has a hand like a board."
"What business does he have punishing me at all?" Takhya whispered back, somewhat belligerently.
Lok shrugged. "He's a superior Jedi and the head of this mission team. And I didn't see your master objecting."
"Yeah," said Takhya, shooting Kat a dirty look. Luckily for her, Kat had turned away from her, responding to something Zyle had said. Zyle seemed impossible to shake off. She was there immediately once any of the Jedi set foot outside their room. Lok wondered how things were going to pan out if they were allowed to venture into the city. "We could just split up," he thought. "Let's see how Zyle deals with that." On second thought, he doubted that this would make things better for him personally. He had an inkling that it was him and Eeth whom Zyle would attach to, rather than Kat and Takhya.
They entered the assembly hall that Lok knew inside out by this point, just as he knew all of the Kaath and Takar delegates who were already waiting for them. He glanced towards Triz Takar who was sitting at the head of the table, next to Kol Kaath, but she did not even appear to notice him. Nor did Kol. Lok Takar gave him a friendly smile, though, and Lok returned it without thought. Only after the fact did he wonder, once again, if they were related, and how, and whether Lok Takar knew it.
They all sat down, but before any of their hosts had a chance to say something, Eeth rose again and said, "Our delegation would like to bring forward a motion. We feel that we have benefitted very much from the precise and thoroughly prepared presentations you have given us about the economic, political, and social situation on the planet. However, we also feel that we need time and opportunities to make our own observations and talk to representatives of all ethnic and social groups on the planet. In order to allow for this, we require a change in the meeting schedule. We appreciate the amount of time all of you have been devoting to these meetings but we feel that we are at a point where they will be more effective if we limit their duration and make room for independent investigation. After all, you have asked for Republican assistance in establishing a form of representative government, and we have no hope of achieving that unless we gain a clear idea of whom, exactly, the government is going to represent, beyond the eminent clans of Takar and Kaath."
Lok was not exactly surprised to see that this speech got a reaction. It was what Eeth had hoped for, after all. Interestingly, a good part of the delegates seemed to completely agree with Eeth that they were all spending way too much time in this assembly hall, and at least half a dozen of them, from both clans, immediately spoke up to that effect, whereupon others butted in to oppose them. Triz Takar tried to make herself heard, talking of dangers for the Jedi, and the risk of giving their political enemies a chance to capitalise on the situation, but her voice was drowned out by those of others. The discussion was chaotic from the start and became increasingly tumultuous as it went on.
"At the very least we are gaining an insight into how their informal decision-making process works, or otherwise," Eeth told Lok drily, sitting back down.
Some of the delegates seemed to come to the same conclusion. They interrupted their argument to throw furtive looks at the Jedi, and then one of them hurried over to Kol Kaath to whisper something into his ear. Kol nodded and pulled on Triz's sleeve, who stopped speaking to listen to what Kol was murmuring into her ear. A brief discussion ensued, whereupon Kol banged onto the table.
"We need time to discuss this amongst ourselves," he said. "This meeting is adjourned."
Eeth bowed. "Thank you," he said. "We will make use of this break to take a look at the city."
Lok was impressed with the frequency at which his master was dropping bombshells here. He was even more impressed with the speed of Triz's response.
"I realise we should have given you opportunities to enjoy the sights of Iroqa," she said. "We had, of course, been planning to do so, but in our eagerness to benefit from your political and military expertise, we have neglected this aspect of our hospitality so far. I apologise for this oversight. While we discuss the meeting schedule, someone should take our guests to the rainbow canyon. It is the biggest natural wonder on this continent. Maybe one person from each family? How about… Zur Kaath and Lok Takar?"
Zur Kaath gave a curt nod. "Sure thing," Lok Takar said amiably. "Shall we meet at the entrance in half an hour? I will procure a speeder in the meantime. Maybe, while I do, Zur can find something for us to eat."
Eeth bowed again. "Thank you for this generous offer," he said. "We will be happy to accept."
Less than a minute later, the Jedi were on their way back to their rooms. For once, Zyle was not with them; she had made to follow them but Triz had called her back.
"Did you notice that they're once again keeping us from the rest of the population?" Kat asked quietly.
"Of course I did," said Eeth. "I went along with it because I felt I had antagonised them enough for one day."
"Besides," said Lok, "looking at this canyon is bound to be better than spending another day in the meeting room."
"True," said Kat. "More importantly, we should try to get something out of Zur and Lok. I mean the other Lok. Especially since Zyle is not with us. It's the first time Triz Takar made it clear that she's the one who gives Zyle her orders, which is interesting in and of itself."
"I bet they'll never let us go out into the city, though," Takhya complained. "We should have climbed out the window the first night."
"No, we should not have," said Kat sternly. "Do not even think about it."
"I have a feeling that things might be starting to work out in our favour," said Eeth. "Many of the delegates seemed none too happy about spending their entire time in these meetings either. By tonight, we will know more."
Lok nodded in agreement. He had no idea how correct Eeth's statement would turn out to be.
Eeth insisted they all cover themselves in sunscreen. And indeed, as soon as they left the air-conditioned speeder that Lok Takar had flown, emerging onto a vast plateau, the dry heat hit them like a sledgehammer. Lok looked around and saw nothing but flat, red rock in every direction. Even the sky on Iroqa had a reddish tinge to it but that did not, he had been told, diminish the force of its sun's radiation.
"So this is the great big natural wonder?" Takhya asked in disbelief.
"You will see," said Zur Kaath, his face and voice expressionless.
Lok Takar smiled and pointed them towards the east where a thin gap in the rocky surface was just discernible from their vantage point. They all started walking towards it.
"Do you think this is a trap?" Lok whispered at Eeth as they trailed behind Lok Takar and Zur.
"No," said Eeth. "I sense no deception or evil intent in them."
"The rainbow canyon is real," said Kat, who had overheard. "I remember that even from the short time I spent here – back then. Even though I never got around to visiting it."
Zur held out a hand to stop them just before they reached the edge of the gap. Lok looked downwards and gasped. Before them was a cleft in the plateau that was at this point barely five metres wide, and it opened into a canyon so deep that it was impossible to see the ground. The walls of the canyon consisted of layers upon layers of rock in all shades of red, orange, purple, yellow and even blue. A bit further to their left, the canyon opened up to a width of a hundred metres or so, the walls sloping downwards in elegant curves. To their right, it continued in a narrow line as far as Lok could see.
"What's down there?" asked Takhya.
"When there has been rain, a river," said Lok Takar. "Else, a dry riverbed."
"Let's go explore it in our speeder," said Takhya excitedly.
"I'm afraid that's strictly forbidden," said Zur. "The canyon is too narrow and there have been too many accidents. We can go down to the opening of the canyon where the river enters it but we're not actually allowed inside."
"That's stupid," said Takhya. "We're Jedi. My master or Master Koth wouldn't–"
"Takhya," said Kat firmly. "Be quiet."
"Indeed," said Eeth, giving her a stern look.
Lok paid them no mind. He lay on his belly on the hot, rocky ground and looked over the edge of the canyon, marvelling at the view. He had never seen anything like this. It was absolutely stunning.
"It always makes me think of how short and unimportant our lives are," said a soft voice beside him. "It will still be here when we are long gone."
Lok turned his head and saw Zur lying next to him, meeting his eyes for the first time since Lok had arrived on the planet. "Is that supposed to be comforting?" he asked.
"It is to me," said Zur. "Can we talk in private?"
Lok frowned. "Is there any reason you want to talk to me and not my master?" he asked.
"Yes," said Zur. "Listen to what I have to say and you'll understand."
"You want to tell me now?" asked Lok.
"No. It's going to take a while, and we should get out of the sun before too long," said Zur. "Lok – the other Lok – and I brought a picnic. We're going to take you down to the valley at the entrance of the canyon to have lunch. Hopefully, after lunch we might find an opportunity to talk."
He jumped up with surprising agility and went to join Lok Takar to discuss practical arrangements with him. Lok looked downwards again, trying to process this conversation. It was all a bit sudden.
"What did he want?" asked Eeth quietly, kneeling beside Lok.
Lok snorted. "You know," he said, "I just wanted to gaze at the canyon in peace, but that doesn't seem to be happening."
He sat up and looked at Eeth. "He wants to talk to me in private," he said. "I asked him why he wanted me, rather than you, and he said I'll understand once he has told me what he has to say. Should I?"
"Do you want to?" Eeth asked back, which surprised Lok quite a bit. He thought for a moment. "Yes," he finally said. "I want to find out what's going on and if there's even a remote chance that he knows something, I want to hear it."
Eeth nodded. "Alright," he said. "I do not get the feeling that he means you any harm. Listen to what he has to say. But whatever he tells you, do nothing rash."
"I won't," said Lok. "Promise."
Lok Takar and Zur led everyone back to the speeder and took them on a trip along the edge of the canyon and back up again. When they reached the point where the canyon widened, they dove down into the valley. It had recently rained, and therefore there was some water in the riverbed, but it was not much. There were some trees that offered shade, though, and it was considerably cooler down here than it had been on the plateau. Zur and Lok Takar found them a pleasant spot to sit and eat. During lunch, Zur was as taciturn as usual, while Lok Takar regaled them all with stories of the first colonists and how they had tamed Iroqa's harsh nature.
"This is why we value our environment so much," he said, gesturing at the scenery.
"Why are there no other people around if it's such an important site?" asked Kat.
"It's a weekday, and too early in the day for people to leave work," said Lok Takar. "Shortly before sunset, some visitors will be sure to arrive. The area is huge, though, and Iroqans value their privacy. Everyone will find their own spot, out of the sight of others."
Lok barely listened to his words. He tried to focus on the contours of his face under the tattoos instead, searching for the resemblance that Kat had pointed out. Now that he knew what to look for, he easily found it: the long nose, the slight dimple in the chin, the rounded horns, the shape of the hairless brows. He wondered whether this was what Zur wanted to tell him: that Lok Takar was his father. But why would Zur be the one to tell him, and not Lok Takar himself, who did not show any sign of being uncomfortable around his namesake? And, more importantly, when, in the Force's name, would Zur find a way of spilling the beans?
Lok ended up finding a way himself soon thereafter, when Zur gathered the leftovers, put them in their containers and said, "I will take these to the speeder."
"Let me help you," offered Lok. He glanced at Eeth, who nodded at him to go ahead.
"Thank you," said Zur, handing the boy a basket. Lok was half expecting Takhya to butt in and come, but the girl was just pulling off her boots to wade in the creek. Lok and Zur walked to the speeder in silence. They put the baskets in a climatised compartment in the booth. Then Zur sat on the driver's seat and motioned for Lok to take the passenger seat. Lok walked around the speeder and sat down. When no immediate explanation was forthcoming, he finally looked at the man and asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"
Zur turned sideways to face him.
"Your master received a warning last night, did he not?" he asked.
Lok felt the weight of disappointment settle in his stomach. He had been expecting the revelation of revelations, and now this was just about the stupid warning? Well, he supposed he might as well find out as much about that as he could.
"Yes," he said. "How do you know?"
"Because I was the person who sent the messenger," said Zur.
"Oh," said Lok. "Why did you do that?"
"The more immediate question is," said Zur, "do you have any intention to heed the warning?"
"No," said Lok. "We have a mission mandate to fulfil, after all. But this is really something you should take up with my master. You still haven't told me why you're talking to me, not him."
Zur averted his gaze for a moment, looking as if he was trying to gather his courage.
"Because," he finally said, "I'm your father, Lok Dar. And the warning was for real. You're in danger and I want to protect you from it."
Lok was stunned with disbelief for a moment. But he could sense no deception in Zur. The man clearly believed in what he had said.
"You… YOU are my father?" Lok stammered. "Why you? I mean. Why – why do I look like – not you? Everyone says I look like Lok Takar."
Zur swallowed. "Because he's your uncle," he said. "Your mother's younger brother. You take after your mother completely."
Lok needed a moment but then it dawned on him. "Triz?" he asked, flabbergasted. "Triz Takar is my mother? Does she know? Does Lok Takar know?"
"He doesn't but Triz does," said Zur. "And that's why you're in danger. Has no one explained to you that the Kaaths and the Takars have never mated in the entire history of the colony?"
"They have," said Lok. "Oh. I… I see." It seemed that this whole mission was turning out to be even more of a soap opera than Eeth had thought.
"Do you?" asked Zur. "Then I won't need to tell you the whole story. I'll just come to the point, which is that Triz and I were the exception and Triz is terrified that someone might find out. This is why she wants you gone, and if you don't leave soon, I don't know what she'll do."
Lok frowned. "I do want the whole story, though," he said. "These are my origins we're talking about, after all."
Zur was silent for a long time. Lok did not pressure him; he waited patiently.
Finally, Zur started to speak. "We met by accident," he said. "Not far from here, in fact. Both of us had retreated to the desert. This is something that young adults from our clans are encouraged to do at least twice a year or so, to connect to our Iridonian roots and test our endurance. I was out hunting at dusk and that was when I came across her. We… we fought each other, as custom demands on such occasions, but neither of us could best the other. And then it happened."
Lok stared at him. "You … fought, and then you made love to each other?" he asked incredulously. An unbidden image of two snarling, kicking and biting Zabrak who ended up so entangled with each other that they couldn't help having sex appeared before his inner eye.
"Yes," said Zur. "Shall we say I spare you the details?"
Lok looked at the man, studied his dark face, covered in red tattoos, and tried to find any connection to him, any emotion that would give the word "father" some meaning, but he failed. Zur was just a stranger telling him a story. But Lok knew it was his own story, even if he could not emotionally grasp it, and therefore he wanted to encourage Zur to continue.
"Yes, spare me the details," he said. "Let's just assume you had unprotected sex." He cringed the moment he had spoken, realising that this was the worst possible way to get Zur to continue, but for some reason it worked.
"I'm not saying that it was smart or prudent," said Zur. "Of course, it was stupid. We were young, passionate and impatient. We spent a week with each other and it was the most intense time in my entire life. Neither of us wanted it to end but ultimately, we had to return to the city. We vowed not to let our clans drive us apart. I, for one, was sincere about that vow. I was seriously in love and was making plans for us to elope. But Triz soon had second thoughts. She was far more ambitious than me and already rising in the ranks of her clan at the time. Making it to the top was more important to her than anything else. She kept her distance and rebuked all my efforts to see her again. This … let's just say it was not easy for me but I had to live with it. We did not see each other in months. Then, about half a year after our brief affair, I received an anonymous message asking me to come to the sand lion's den at midnight."
"Wait a moment," said Lok. "Are there even sand lions on Iroqa?"
"No," said Zur. "Don't interrupt me. I'll tell you all you need to know. The 'sand lion's den' was the name Triz and I had given to a burrow we had frequently retreated to during our brief affair. We were barely more than teenagers, after all, and that name seemed romantic to us. Which means that I knew exactly who the message was from and where to go. Triz was waiting for me there. She was hiding it well but it turned out that she was carrying our child. She had refused to acknowledge the pregnancy for so long that it was too late to easily get rid of the baby, and that put her in a bind. Even if she had managed to induce a miscarriage at that point, she would have needed medical attention and it would have been noticed. There was no way she wanted to see a doctor. She was terrified that someone might find out our secret. So she was desperate enough to ask me for help, and we came up with a plan. She told her family she wanted to retreat to the desert for an extended period of spiritual seclusion, as young Zabrak from traditional families sometimes do. In the meanwhile, I read everything on childbirth I could find, and when the time came, I helped her deliver the child. Well, that child was you, as you know."
There was a moment's silence.
"Umm… and then she gave me up for adoption?" Lok finally asked, somewhat hesitantly, but he had a nagging feeling that things might not have been as straightforward.
Zur sighed. "Unfortunately, it was more complicated than that," he said. "I would have liked to spare you the next bit but you need to learn about it or you won't understand why the arrival of a team of Jedi that included a teenage Zabrak boy upset her so. And you also need to understand to what lengths Triz will go to protect her political career. Both from me and from you. So, this is what happened after Triz had given birth. When I received you into this world and looked at you for the very first time, I was relieved. It seemed to me that the luckiest outcome we could have hoped for had materialised: You looked completely like a Takar. Chances of that happening in a union such as ours are marginal but it had actually happened. For a moment, I even wondered whether I was even the father or whether she had been involved with someone else. But her whole demeanour and her reactions convinced me otherwise. She was absolutely paranoid about the possibility of anyone ever finding out the truth about us. I suggested to her that she could take the baby home and pass it off as an affair baby she had had with an unnamed Zabrak. Nobody would really have objected to that. A lot of Kaaths and Takars have children from extramarital relationships and as long as they take care to find partners with the right complexion, nobody minds. But Triz refused. She said that nobody could know what you might grow up to look like, and it would be enough for anyone – even you yourself, as a grown-up – to do a DNA test to learn the truth. Besides, she said, she never wanted to be a mother. She absolutely refused to even look at you. She had actually brought along a knife."
Lok's eyes widened. "She wanted to kill me?" he asked, unconsciously raising his voice.
"Shhhhh," said Zur, turning around to make sure nobody was listening. "Yes. But she was in pain and quite weak, and I told her this would be far too bloody and she wouldn't want anyone to find a beheaded baby this close to the city. I told her I'd get rid of the baby for her, far away from the city, where, even if he was found, nobody would ever make a connection to her. She wasn't in much of a position to fight me over this. So I wrapped you in my cloak and put you on the passenger seat of my speeder and flew to the most remote settlement at the coast I could find, and there I sneaked into town after nightfall and deposited you in front of the local hospital."
Lok looked at his lap, trying to swallow the lump that had developed in his throat.
"My name," he whispered. "It's a Zabrak name. Did you give it to me?"
"I would love to be able to say I did, but that would be a lie," said Zur. "I assume it must have been given to you by the hospital staff. For all I know, your name was already on your birth certificate when your parents adopted you a few weeks later."
"How do you even know about that?" Lok asked, trying in vain to keep his voice steady.
The look Zur gave him was not devoid of compassion."It took a while for that to happen," he said. "Triz and I did not have much contact after she had given birth to you because she was busy outmanoeuvring Kartha Takar in her bid for leadership, and she avoided me anyway. I hoped that her paranoia would subside over time but apparently it only grew. I found out about that when, two years after your birth, someone ran me over with a speeder. By sheer luck, I narrowly escaped with my life. Two of my cousins managed to pursue and apprehend the driver. They… interrogated him and he ended up confessing that he had been paid by someone from the Takar clan to do this. I told my cousins I'd go to take care of the matter myself and went to confront Triz. She didn't even try to deny it. She told me the risk of someone finding out about her secret was just too high, and as long as I was alive, I would always be able to use my knowledge against her and her clan. I was outraged, obviously, and we got into a huge row. It got more and more heated and in the end I got carried away. I told her I should have known that she was a monster ever since the time when she was ready to kill a newborn if I had let her. At that moment, she understood that I hadn't killed you, as I had claimed, and she went absolutely berserk. The only way I could calm her down was by promising to help her track down our son so she could make sure he was not a threat to her any longer. We investigated, and that is how we learned of your name and your adoption and also the fact that you had been taken to the Jedi Temple for training at the age of sixteen months."
Lok felt unbidden tears stinging his eyelids and impatiently swiped at his eyes with his sleeve. He wished that Eeth were here. Then again, he might have broken down crying if that were the case, and that would not have been helpful. With that thought in mind, he tried to pull himself together and focus on the matter at hand.
"Why are you even telling me all this?" he asked. "You've completely ignored me for days. Why this sudden change of mind?"
"Lok, you must know that you are in danger," said Zur emphatically. "I was serious about the warning I sent your master. But not only did he decide not to heed it, he escalated the situation. Let me tell you that he won't be successful. Triz has more than half the council in her pocket. They might spend the day squabbling but in the end, she'll get her way. She always does. And then she'll try to get rid of you. She has been panicking ever since she learned that a Jedi delegation was being sent to Iroqa. That's why she arranged to have Zyle Xatrax on your ship. Triz has been colluding with the Falleen for years, buying her clan exclusive trading rights and using those to win the upper hand over the Kaaths. I assume that Zyle sent her a report from the ship, so Triz must have known even before you arrived that a fourteen-year-old Zabrak boy was on your team. That's the only explanation for why she tried so hard to keep your entire delegation away from the public. There were people on the Council who took issue with that even then. They were arguing for an entire day about this. But Triz won. And she will win again. I'm afraid of what she will do to achieve this."
"So you thought that telling me the whole story would scare me enough to make us leave?" asked Lok. He was feeling far from scared right now. He was too angry to have much room for fear.
"Partly," said Zur. "The other part of it is simple. You came here to find out about your roots. Even before you told me, it was obvious to me that that's what you would be doing on Iroqa. I figured that you wouldn't be ready to leave until your curiosity was satisfied. So satisfy it I did. There's nothing more to find out for you here. And I assume that Triz might even share that reasoning, or she wouldn't have picked me to accompany the lot of you. Will you heed my warning now?"
"That's hardly up to me to decide," said Lok. "We do have a mission mandate, after all. And besides, while Triz might not care about me, my adoptive parents clearly did. I want to find them."
"Oh," said Zur. "I… I was afraid that might be the case."
"Why?" asked Lok bluntly. "Did Triz try to murder them, too?"
"What?" exclaimed Zur, visibly shocked. "No! I meant– well, Triz arranged, she… I'm not sure what, exactly, she did, but– the fact of the matter is, they left Iroqa. I don't know the details. Something about a new colony that paid hefty subsidies to algae farmers. Borada? Bodara? Something like that? In any case, they left Iroqa twelve years ago, shortly after Triz had learned that you were still alive. She wanted to make sure nobody would be able to track them down and learn the truth. "
For the first time since they had started talking, Lok had an inkling that Zur was not being entirely truthful. However, he failed to come up with a good way to challenge his version of events. The only thing he could think of doing was to find out where to look for his adoptive parents.
"So if we were to take a trip to… what's its name… the village where I was found by the Jedi twelve years ago, the name's in my file, it's on the tip of my tongue…" he ventured.
"Don't," said Zur simply. "There's nothing for you to find there, I can assure you."
That had not worked out the way Lok had hoped. Before he could try again, he glanced into the side mirror and saw that Lok Takar and the others were approaching the speeder. Zur saw it, too.
"We have to cut this short," he said. "Lok, I'm serious about my warning. Consider it. Please."
"I will," said Lok because there was no harm in considering things and he was under no illusion that the decision was up to him anyway.
"One last question," he added quickly. "Do I have brothers and sisters?"
"No, said Zur. "Triz has never wanted children. As for me … Triz's paranoia pretty much has stopped me from ever considering a relationship. Triz would be afraid of me confiding in my partner and who knows to what lengths she would go to prevent it."
Without giving Lok a chance to respond, he opened the door, got out of the speeder and smiled at the others.
"Sorry for hijacking young Lok here," he said. "I got caught up talking to him about the region's geology. It's a bit of a hobby of mine."
"I have learned a lot indeed," said Lok tonelessly, not looking at anyone.