Star Wars: The Colors of the Force

Chapter 4

Naluma folded her sunglasses and slid them into her handbag while Luke steered her through the grand entrance of the Natural History Museum of Naboo. The multi-domed building stunned guests with its massive marble walls and flower gardens on the exterior, but the opening view to the interior stole Naluma's breath.

The gargantuan skeleton snaked around the room and almost touched the domed ceiling twenty meters above.

Luke exclaimed, "That's a krayt dragon. How did they get one here? They're not native to Naboo."

Naluma wrapped her arm around Luke's waist and pointed to the information screen nearby. She pushed the start button, which activated a sound bite of the creature's distinct howl.

Luke shuddered and stabbed the off button. "Please, Naluma, not that." He turned his head to the gigantic dragon pearl near the base of the display while Naluma pulled up the text screen instead.

"Says here that a Maar Gaskas, renowned Nabooan adventurer and philanthropist, conquered this specimen over thirty years ago on Tatooine while studying the Tusken Raiders. In gratitude for saving their village, the Tuskens gave him the pearl, but they took the hide and the flesh." Feeling the fear rise, seeing his brilliant sapphire blue of the Force-aura turn to a midnight blue, Naluma kept her tone steady and rubbed his back. "Apparently, these creatures spat acidic venom to aid its digestion. You ever see one?"

Nodding his head, he took a few steps back, ostensibly examining the skeleton of a blurrg nestled under the snaking Krayt dragon. "Wow! I didn't know blurrgs could get so big. We saw a few in primary school on the video feeds, but they were much smaller."

Naluma slipped her hand into his and sent her peace to him. He was shaking now. It had been a long time since she had seen anything unsettle him, let alone strike terror into his heart—and something long dead, no doubt.

"Looks like this guy roamed the galaxy. He caught this one on Ryloth." Luke flipped through the screens. "Tried to preserve it before bringing it back, but they ran into problems getting it on his yacht." His racing heart calmed as he talked about the blurrg.

Ignoring the fossils in cases along one wall, he ushered Naluma into the west wing. A long hall extended before them, lights dimmed, showcasing taxidermic mammals and avians in dioramas that stretched tens of meters across. In some of the displays, holographic creatures floated through the skies and trampled the landscape.

The polished concrete floor and paneled walls channeled sound to echo across the room, instilling a hush with the visitors. Jedi training never forgotten, Naluma scanned the room, looking for threats and emergency exits.

A Nabooan family stood at one end looking at the Shaak diorama in a meadow with a holoprojection of a waterfall behind it. The medium-build father carried his young daughter on his shoulders while the mother held the hand of their younger son and pointed at the animal in the display. A pang shot through Naluma's heart, sending the desire for a family of her own with Luke through her heart once more.

She jammed her lips together, biting back a threatening tear and turned to the exhibit of a lush swamp with reptavian beasts. "What are these?" she asked Luke who had been reading the display.

"Kaadu. Strong swimmers and runners. Can stay underwater for up to two hours. Native to Naboo. Primary mount of the Gungans." He flashed a tense smile, the kind stamped "pre-paid and non-refundable." "Maybe we'll see one tomorrow when we tour Otoh Gunga."

Naluma glared at him and whispered through clenched teeth, "Can we talk about that tomorrow?"

Luke's back stiffened and he withdrew his hand from hers. "Fine."