Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book II: Greater Good) (Star Wars: The Ascendancy Trilogy) by Timothy Zahn

Author:Timothy Zahn [Zahn, Timothy]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Published: 2021-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

—

Shimkif was gone when Haplif returned. She’d left no message beyond a brief statement that she’d be back when she’d fixed their problem.

For three days nothing changed. Yoponek and Yomie headed off each morning for their bird-watching and came back each evening tired but happy. If they noticed Shimkif’s absence, they didn’t ask about it.

On the fourth day, the two Chiss returned barely two hours after leaving.

And this time they weren’t happy at all.

“What’s the matter?” Haplif asked, intercepting them just inside the air lock. “Did you forget something?”

Yomie didn’t answer. She just glared at him and pushed past, stomping down the corridor toward her room. “Yoponek?” Haplif prompted.

The boy’s lips tightened. “It’s over,” he said. “I don’t know how or why, but somehow it’s over.”

“What’s over?” Haplif asked, frowning.

“The Grand Migration.” Yoponek sighed. “The birds are just…I don’t know. Gone. There are still a couple of flocks coming in, but all the rest have picked up and gone elsewhere.”

“That’s bizarre,” Haplif said, peering down the corridor where Yomie had disappeared. “I gather Yomie is disappointed?”

“Disappointed is hardly the word,” Yoponek said sourly. “Amazing, isn’t it? A thousand years running, and the stupid birds pick our wandering year to change their pattern.”

“Maybe they’ll be back,” Haplif said. “We have this landing slot for the full month. Maybe whatever disturbed them will be gone in a couple of days and they’ll be back.”

“The docents we talked to don’t think so,” Yoponek said. “They say that, for whatever reason, this part of the migration is over for the year.”

“I’m so sorry,” Haplif said, brushing his fingers comfortingly across the side of Yoponek’s head. There was mostly frustration there, mixed with concern, confusion, and more than a bit of relief.

The frustration and confusion were obvious. The concern was probably for Yomie and her disappointment. Was the relief because they could now abandon this whole migration nonsense and go to Celwis?

Time for a gentle probe. “You know, there must also be bird migrations on Celwis,” he pointed out. “Not to mention the waterfalls Shimkif talked about. In fact, with all that water around, it’s likely there would be plenty of birds and animals for Yomie to watch.”

“Maybe,” Yoponek said.

“And while Shimkif and Yomie go see the birds and waterfalls,” Haplif continued, “you and I can contact Councilor Lakuviv. A few hours—half a day at the most—and you’ll rejoin your betrothed having solidified your glorious future with the Coduyo family.”

“That would be wonderful,” Yoponek said wistfully. “But I’m starting to think that’s never going to happen.”

“Yoponek?” Yomie’s voice came from down the corridor.

They turned. Yomie was striding toward them, questis in hand, a determined look on her face. “All right, so the Grand Migration is over,” she said, coming to a halt in front of them. “There are two other migrations going on at other sites. We can go see one of them. Maybe both—we’ll have time.”

“Excuse me?” Haplif asked, staring at her. No—she couldn’t be serious.

“You heard me,” she said, swiveling the questis around and holding it up in front of him and Yoponek.

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