Quest for the Hidden City (Star Wars: The High Republic)

by George Mann

The illness is caused by mineral particles lodging inside the lungs. They embed in the tissue and begin to reproduce, until the lungs eventually stop working, becoming lumps of mineral themselves.

“Someone’s been living out here,” said Dietrix. “As impossible as that seems. They’ve been cooking meals and building something. It could even be the beacon we’ve been tracking.” “Maybe even more than one person,” said Mittik. “Maybe!” said Dietrix brightly. “Perhaps even a young human boy and an older man. Might even be his father.” Dietrix frowned. “Well, that’s strangely specific, but I suppose anything is possible.” She looked up to see Mittik grinning. “What?” Mittik jabbed a finger over Dietrix’s shoulder. Dietrix turned to see a young human boy and an older man, who looked as if he might be the boy’s father, standing in the mouth of a small cave.

The ruins of the Jedi temple were scattered over a wide area, overgrown with a thick carpet of moss. The ragged edges of the fallen masonry had been blunted by time, scoured by the wind and rain to take on new shapes, like pieces of a puzzle that would never fit together again.

“Of course we’ll help,” said Rooper, powering down her lightsaber and hurrying to his side. “We’re Jedi.”