The Crystal Star by Vonda McIntyre Page A

it." The tentacle waved its tip toward each corner of the room, each table, each meeting
    pond. "Do you require additional entertainment?" "I don't mind a game now and then." "Bolo-ball? There
    is a league." "I was thinking of something more sedentary... and riskier." The tentacle twisted into a
    knotted shape, rising over Han's shoulder, pointing. Han turned around, and ran nose-fst into the chest of
    a giant.
    Han looked up. An enhanced human grinned merrily down at him.
    "A sporting man?" The enhanced human, her size increased by genetic manipulation and her strength
    increased by surgery, was a head taller than Chewbacca.
    "I've been known to place a bet from time to time." "Will this suit your fancy?" She opened her hand. In
    her wide palm lay a deck of cards.
    A design of complex knots decorated the back. The enhanced human moved her hand, and the deck
    flipped over. Chance and Hazard, illuminated with gold and emerald paint, topped the stack.
    Han grinned. "That will do fine," he said. "Just fine."

Chapter 3
    Anakin wriggled furiously in Jaina's arms, trying to get down.
    "Bad mens, Jayaffwas he said. "Bad mens!" "Stop wiggling, Anakin," Jaina said. She hugged her little
    brother, but that just made him struggle even more. His face was streaked with furious tears.
    He had stopped crying, but he was still so angry and scared that his whole body trembled.
    "Papa!" he shouted. "Papa! I want Papaffwas He started to cry again.
    Jaina was scared, too, and confused. She pretended not to be.
    They were on a perfectly circular patch of Munto Codru feather grass. Jacen and Mr.
    Chamberlain's black-furred wyrwulf slept on the grass beside Jaina. Jaina wanted to wake Jacen up. But
    she had just woken up. Waking up had hurt. It never hurt to wake up before. Never before in her whole
    life.
    The patch of grass was not part of the meadow anymore. It was in a big metal room. It sat in the middle
    of the metal floor, as if someone had cut it out with a big round cookie-cutter. Metal walls rose very high
    above, all around. Jaina could not see any doors. She could not see any windows. Big lights glared down
    at her from the ceiling.
    "Don't cry, Anakin," Jaina said.
    "Don't cry. I'll take care of you. I'm five, so I'll take care of you, because you're only three." "Three and a
    half!" he said.
    "Three and a half," she said.
    He sniffled and rubbed his sticky face.
    "Want Papa," he said.
    Jaina wished Papa was here, too. And Mama. And Winter. And Chewie. But she did not say so. She
    had to be the adult. She was oldest. She was almost already getting her grown-up teeth. Her right front
    tooth was really loose.
    She wiggled it with her tongue while she thought what to do.
    She was two years older than Anakin.
    Okay, one and a half years older. She was only five minutes older than Jacen. They were twins, even
    though they did not look exactly alike. Her hair was light brown and very straight. Jacen's was dark and
    curly. But she was still oldest.
    "Down!" Anakin demanded. "Jaya, down!" "I'll let you down," Jaina said, "if you promise to stay on the
    grass." Anakin stuck out his lower lip. His dark eyes sparkled with tears of frustration and anger. He was
    always stubborn when anyone said no to him. About anything.
    "Promise?" Jaina said.
    "Stay on the grass," he said.
    She let him down. He dashed across the grass. He peered over the edge. Jaina took her gaze off him for
    a second. She crouched down next to Jacen, wishing he would wake up. The wyrwulf twitched and
    moaned.
    Jaina looked around for Anakin. He was sticking his foot over the edge of the grass. Jaina ran after him
    and pulled him back.
    "I said stay on the grass!" "Am on the grass," he insisted. He pointed toward the floor. "Just a floor, Jaya.
    No krakana!" The last place they had been, on Mama's tour, they had not been allowed to swim in the
    ocean.
    Mon Calamari was mostly ocean, and its ocean was full of krakana. Krakana would eat anything, even
    children. Especially