Cova clapped his hands together and smiled. "Yousa lucky, all right. Boss Nass liken bongo racen, un tinks yous duey is good sports. Dat's why he talkie tooda Council, un tell dem dat youse only ganna get a short suspension."
"How longo is a short suspension?" asked Neb Neb.
Cova grinned. "Mesa tinks youse be back in da races just as soonest yousa do Boss Nass a favor."
Spleed gulped. "A favor? For da Boss?"
"Dat's right," said Cova."It involves hisen old heyblibber."
* * *
Major Fassa met Captain Tarpals in front of a crowded restaurant bubble that adjoined the City Bigspace. Fassa wore a civilian outfit and could not help but frown when she saw that the kaadu patrol chief was still in uniform. "Yousa worken overtime," she said.
Tarpals nodded. "Sumptin come up."
"Seems liken sumptin always comen up. Any word about Squidfella Quiglee?"
"Noyet," Tarpals replied. "Patrols still lookee for him."
Fassa noticed that Tarpals was carrying a small rolled scroll, and asked, "What's dat."
"A message from Boss Nass. My have to take it to Lob Dizz."
"My take da message to Dizz for yousa," Fassa offered.
"Tanks," Tarpals said as he handed the scroll to Fassa. "Boot firstest, let's take-a walk."
Leaving the restaurant bubble, they entered the City Bigspace and stepped onto the Grand Walkway. In every direction wandered hundreds of tourists. Many of them were first-time visitors to Otoh Gunga, and several were clearly neither Gungans nor Naboo. In the aftermath of the Battle of Naboo, the ambassadors of other Republic planets had taken a keen interest in Naboo culture, Otoh Gunga in particular. At the sight of two humanoids exchanging a long kiss before a Gungan ceremonial fountain, Tarpals winced.
"Da tings some people do in public," Tarpals commented.
"My tinks daza honeymoonen," said Fassa.
"Honeymoonen?" said Tarpals. "What's dat?"
"Mesa nut surr," Fassa said, "boot mesa hear talken. Word is dat outlaunders tink dat Otoh Gunga is `good place for honeymoonen."
Tarpals stole a quick glance back at the kissing couple, who remained locked in a tight embrace. "My wonder if dat meanen honeymoonen is no good in otter places. Mabee some places it even illegal."
Fassa stopped walking and said, "What gooie-on,Tarpals. Yousa tryen to tell mesa sumptin?"
Tarpals gazed into Fassa's eyes, then looked away. "Tings is changen too fast in dis city," he said at last. "At firstest, mesa tinken dat some change is good. Bein friends wit da Naboo seemed liken good ting, un still seems liken a good ting. Boot all dese otter beings ... Fassa, daza drivin mesa nutsen."
"What?" Fassa said, surprised by Tarpals' admission.
"Moto of dem is okeyday," Tarpals continued. "Boot some ... dey bringen dair own food un talkie-ways. Dey traden garments wit uss-ens, boot dair garments isa no good for wearin underwater. Dey comen hair to get a lookee round, boot dey no learn da local laws or customs. Dey walk where dey no supposed to walk, un mesa tinks dat some of dem been swipen locap plants." Tarpals shook his head.
"In otter words," Fassa interjected, "Yousa confound-ed becausen some outlaunders got no respict for uss-ens culture?"
Tarpals nodded. Fassa beamed. "Den yousa no avoiden mesa becausen mesa uncle is Boss Nass?"
"What?" Tarpals gasped, lifting the lids of his eyestalks. "Doan be ridiculous. Mesa beyond all dat." Then Tarpals looked past Fassa's shoulder and said "Uh-oh."
"What yet?"
"Duty callen," Tarpals snarled as he moved away from Fassa. "Dat honeymoonen couple just climb-ed into da ceremonial fountain."
Fassa watched Tarpals walk toward the soaking couple, then looked down at the rolled scroll in her hand. Deciding that she didn't want to wait around for Tarpals, she turned to exit the City Bigspace and headed for Lob Dizz's laboratory bubble.
Lob Dizz was one of the most respected engineers in Otoh Gunga, especially for her expertise with bongo propulsion systems. She was passionate about her work, and most of her assignments were official jobs for the Otoh Gunga Transit Authority or Grand Gungan Army. Her current project was more personal in nature; Boss Nass had asked her to see whether she could do something with the engine to his old heyblibber, the luxury sub that had been totaled by Jar Jar Binks.
Specifically, Boss Nass wanted the heyblibber's engine restored and installed into a tribubble racing bongo. He also had some specific ideas about the bongo's design, insisting on the input of a pair of racers. Lob Dizz had agreed, but when she had learned that the two racers were Spleed Nukkels and Neb Neb Goodrow, she immediately wondered whether Boss Nass were trying to punish her.
Lob Dizz heard rumors that Spleed and Neb Neb might know something about the disappearance of Squidfella Quiglee, but she didn't believe them. In all fairness, she liked Spleed and Neb Neb. She had dealt with them in the past and had employed them as test pilots, but that was before their recent string of crashes. Although Spleed and Neb Neb had never damaged any of Lob Dizz's prototypes, their reputation as crash survivors did not inspire much confidence.
As the engineer watched Spleed and Neb Neb at work in the sub pen that neighbored her laboratory, she figured that Boss Nass might not be trying to punish her after all. Perhaps the Boss intended to use the pair's cleverness and teamwork in more productive ways. The two racers had thrown themselves into their assignment with great enthusiasm and had offered several good ideas for increasing speed and navigational control. The main problem was working with the heyblibber engine itself, as the power unit had been originally engineered for a sub that had been quite a bit larger and longer than a typical bongo. Instead of being frustrated by the challenge, Spleed and Neb Nebb were thrilled by it.
