both terror and awe, and he was forced to use a Jedi calming technique,
though patience was very difficult.
The Great Leader of the Second Imperium had enormous burdens and
responsibilities. He was frequently late for his scheduled
communications--not that Brakiss would ever dare mention it. The Leader set
his own schedule; Brakiss was merely the dutiful slave who knew his place in
the grand scheme.
Just as the Rebels depended on the overestimated protection of their vaunted
Jedi Knights, so the new Leader would have his own secret weapon: an army of
Dark Jedi who could use the dark side of the Force to carve a broad place in
history for the Second Imperium.
But Dark Jedi were notoriously dangerous and unstable, prone to delusions of
grandeur. Realizing this risk, the Great Leader had taken precautions to
protect himself from the Shadow Academy . The huge ring-shaped station was
riddled with deadly explosives, detonators threaded through the life-support
systems, the hull, and thousands of other places that Brakiss neither knew
nor wanted to consider. The moment his Dark Jedi gave hints that they might
get out of control, the Great Leader would detonate those explosives and end
the experiment without remorse.
Brakiss had to show success after success to keep his powerful master
happy--and the Shadow Academy had recently had several spectacular
accomplishments indeed.
With a humming sound, the holographic generators in his sealed office
activated, and Brakiss snapped to attention. The air shimmered in front of
him as a massive image crystallized into focus, transmitted from some
far-distant hiding place in the Core Systems. Static rippled along the edges
of the gigantic cowled head that loomed over Brakiss, scowling down at him.
Brakiss instinctively averted his eyes, bowing his head in reverence. After
performing the appropriate gestures of obeisance, he looked up into the face
of the Great Leader of the Second Imperium--the hooded, wrinkled form of
Emperor Palpatine himself!
Though the holographic image was fuzzy and fragmented from being transmitted
across so many systems on the Holonet, through asteroid belts and solar
flares and ion storms, the features of the sallow-faced Emperor were
unmistakable. Brakiss looked adoringly at the harsh paternal figure. Here
was the man who would make all star systems quake with terror until they
learned to live again with respect and glory, in the Imperial way.
The Emperor's skin was ravaged with wrinkles brought on by too deep an
immersion in the potent powers of evil. His yellow reptilian eyes blazed
from hollowed sockets, and wattles on his neck hung down like the throat sac
of a scrawny lizard.
Brakiss knew that the rest of the galaxy thought the Emperor had died many
years ago, first in the explosion of the second Death Star, and then six
years later in the destruction of the last of Palpatine's clones. But the
Emperor's death must have been some kind of illusion, because Brakiss could
see the transmission with his own eyes. He could not guess how the Emperor
had survived, what sort of trick the great man had played on everyone--but
with the Force, many things were possible.
Master Skywalker had taught him that.
When he finally spoke, the Emperor's voice was harsh and raspy. "So,
Insignificant One, what is your report for today? More successes, I hope. I
am tired of failures, Brakiss. I grow impatient to bring about my reign and
the Second Imperium."
Brakiss bowed again. "Yes, my master. I have good news to report. We are
sending along the hyperdrive cores and turbolaser batteries stolen from the
Rebel supply ship, as you ordered. I think your glorious military machine
will make efficient use of them."
"Yesss," Palpatine hissed.
Brakiss continued. "Here at the Shadow Academy your new force of Dark Jedi
grows more powerful each day. I am particularly pleased that we have
uncovered new candidates from the underworld of Imperial Center --exactly as
you suspected, my master. No one will notice their disappearance, and we are
free to turn them."
"Yesss!" the Emperor said. "I told you it would be simpler to turn
candidates whose lives held little hope. It is especially ironic to snatch
them from under the very noses of the Rebel usurpers in the government."
Brakiss nodded. "Yes, indeed, my master. We merely offer the new candidates
something they need--and they are desperate to take it from us."
"Ah," the image of the Emperor said. He seemed almost--almost--proud.
Brakiss drew a deep breath before continuing. "Naturally, many of these new
candidates have no Jedi potential, but still they remain eager for
opportunities. Therefore, we have begun training one group as elite
stormtroopers. They know the underworld of Coruscant very well, and could
prove to be effective spies or saboteurs, should we choose to employ them in
such a fashion."
The projection of the Emperor nodded inside his cowl. "Agreed, Brakiss. Very
good." A ripple of static flickered across the transmitted image, and the
Emperor's voice wavered. "You shall survive another day"
'Yes, my master," Brakiss said.
The expression on the Emperor's ravaged face grew stern. "Don't disappoint
me, Brakiss," he said. "I should be most displeased if I was forced to blow
up your Shadow Academy ."
Brakiss bowed low, and his silvery robes pooled around him. "I would be
displeased as well," he said.
The holographic image of the Emperor shimmered, then broke into sparkles of
static as the transmission cut off.
Brakiss felt himself trembling all over, as he did each time he spoke to the
awesome Palpatine. Exhausted, he sat down again at his desk and began to
review his next set of plans, obsessively careful not to allow any mistakes.
* 19 *
YOUNG ANAKIN SOLO stood next to the comm unit in the living area of his
family's quarters, exhausted from his long and fruitless search, and worried
about his brother Jacen. Staring at the darkened screen, he willed a message
to come in from Jacen, but he knew that none would come--he could feel it.
He and Threepio had returned to their quarters an hour earlier after
covering their assigned search locations, but they had heard no word from
Jacen. And Anakin knew he couldn't delay any longer.
He turned and walked over to the wall, where the golden protocol droid sat
enjoying the refreshment of a brief shutdown cycle. Ice-blue eyes looked
into the droid's yellow optical sensors. Anakin gave the droid a tap. "Wake
up, Threepio. We've waited long enough. Time to get help."
The optical sensors winked to life, and See-Threepio gave a start of
surprise. "Dear me, I couldn't possibly have overslept, could I? I thought
we agreed to rest two more cycles before going out to search again. And you
have a lesson plan to--"
"I can sense that something is wrong," Anakin interrupted. "Jacen and Tenel
Ka haven't come back."
"Well, if you ask me--"
'l didn't," Anakin cut in. "Try to signal them agai
n with your mobile
comlink connection."
"I'm sure they're quite all right, but I'll try." Threepio tilted his head
sideways and stared off into space for a few seconds.
"Any response?" Anakin asked.
"No, Master Anakin," Threepio replied with greater concern in his voice.
"None at all."
Just then Leia Organa Solo entered the room, smiling brightly at Anakin-then
frowning. "Anakin, what's wrong?"
Anakin considered how much to tell his mother--after all, they had asked for
her help earlier, but she had not believed Zekk's disappearance was anything
serious. Now, though, maybe Leia would change her mind when she learned that
Jacen and Tenel Ka had vanished as well. The young boy spilled the story
rapidly, with Threepio adding sound effects and embellishing with
unnecessary comments.
"Jacen would have answered our call if he could," Anakin said.
"Most certainly," See-Threepio added with enthusiasm. "Master Jacen may be
somewhat disorganized, but he is always conscientious."
Her alarm growing visibly, Leia said, "He would answer--unless he's in
trouble." She reached some sort of decision and snapped into action,
demonstrating one of the qualities that made her a good Chief of State.
"We've got to go find them. Tenel Ka wouldn't let Jacen do anything
dangerous. But she probably doesn't think anything is dangerous."
Leia ran to a wall panel. "I'll summon a group of guards to go with us.
Threepio, can you trace the location of Jacen's comlink?"
"Well, it is certainly not as precise a tracking system as I'd like, but I
suppose that by sending a continuous signal and monitoring the feedback from
the mobile comlink I could probably--"
"So how close can you get us?" Leia interrupted impatiently.
"I should be able to pinpoint the signal to within a radius of ten meters."
"Close enough," Leia said.
Anakin gave a sigh of relief. "Let's just hope both Jacen and Tenel Ka are
still somewhere near the comlink."
"We'll worry about that when we get there," Leia said, grabbing a medkit and
dashing toward the door. Guards rushed into position, still not clear on
what the emergency was. "Let's go, Anakin. You're part of this rescue, too.
Which way, Threepio?" Leia called.
The protocol droid followed as fast as his mechanical legs could move. "To
your left, Mistress Leia. We'll need to find a turbolift and take it down
forty-two levels."
Anakin tried to picture in his head where they were going, but with little
success. "Maybe you'd better lead, Threepio."
Leia, the guards, and Anakin followed See-Threepio as he picked his way
across another rickety walkway between two gigantic buildings. The protocol
droid seemed to be enjoying his new importance immensely.
The buildings stretched out of sight above and below them. Once, at a spot
where the side rail was missing, Anakin lost his footing and nearly fell off
the bridge, but Leia instinctively grabbed him. She looked at her son with
shock, then hugged him quickly. "Be careful," she urged. "We've all got to
be careful."
Anakin shuddered. This area had not looked so dangerous on the map. As they
homed in on the comlink signal, working through abandoned levels and empty,
ominous halls, he noticed a design that appeared with increasing frequency
on the grimy walls: an equilateral triangle surrounding a cross.
"I wonder what that symbol means," he said, pointing.
"I am fluent in over six million forms of communication," Threepio said.
"Unfortunately, that design is not in any of my databanks. I'm afraid I
cannot offer any enlightenment, Master Anakin."
Leia looked at the guards. "Do any of you recognize the symbol?"
One of them cleared his throat. "I believe it's a gang marking, Madam
President. Several ... unpleasant groups make a habit of living down in the
untended lower levels of the city. They are very difficult to catch."
"I heard Zekk talking with Jacen and Jaina about a gang called the Lost
Ones," Anakin supplied. "I think the gang wanted Zekk to become a member."
Leia's mouth formed a grim line, and she nodded, filing away the information
for future reference. Right now, she just wanted to find Jacen and Tenel Ka.
See-Threepio paused to study his readings. "Oh, curse my inadequate
sensors--I'm certain my counterpart Artoo-Detoo could have been much more
accurate--but I believe that we are now within two hundred meters of their
location."
As the group walked deeper into the dilapidated level, the hall became
darker and darker. The guards held their weapons ready, glancing at each
other uneasily. Leia held her chin up and bravely pushed ahead with greater
Threepio increased the brightness of his optical sensors, shedding a soft
yellow light directly ahead of them. Anakin kept his glowrod out and ready;
it made him feel safer somehow, as if it were an imitation lightsaber.
Threepio made a sharp right turn into a low, narrow passageway, ducking
under a half-fallen girder. Even Anakin had to stoop to get under it.
"Are you sure this is the right direction, Threepio?"
"Oh yes, absolutely certain," Threepio replied. "Remember, we are following
a direct path, homing in on the signal. Young Master Jacen may have taken a
more roundabout way. We are within thirty meters now."
They finally emerged into a large, eerily lit room with flickering
glowpanels mounted haphazardly on the walls. Anakin looked around at the set
of rickety stairs leading nowhere, the food wrappers, cushions, and
broken-down furniture, and the odd assortment of sealed doors on the other
side of the room. "This must be the meeting place of the Lost Ones."
"Oh dear," Threepio said. "Didn't Master Zekk say those gang members were
rather unpleasant sorts?"
The room was deathly silent, and the flickering lights made Anakin uneasy.
The guards hesitated at the low doorway, pushing their weapon barrels
inside. Even though the room was empty, Anakin sensed a lingering feeling of
darkness as he entered and began to look around. He nearly jumped out of his
skin when See-Threepio cited out, looking down at the floor in horror.
"Ifs all my fault!" Threepio wailed again. "Oh, curse the slowness of my
processor. We should have come looking for them much sooner."
'In a heartbeat Anakin had scrambled over the makeshift furnishings to where
Threepio stood berating himself. Leia and the guards rushed over to join
him.
Jacen and Tenel Ka lay crumpled on the floor, side by side, unconscious . .
. or perhaps dead.
Quickly unstrapping the medkit, Leia pulled out a mini-diagnosticator and
examined the two young Jedi Knights. "It's all right," she said. "They're
alive-just knocked out." She ran her cool palm over Jacen's forehead,
brushing aside his tousled hair.
Anakin and Leia slowly nursed the two back to consciousness. Jacen came
around first, and Anakin could tell from the look in his brother's eyes that
the news was grim.
"Are you all right?" Anakin asked. He shifted gears as he began to put the
pieces of
a puzzle together in his mind.
Jacen swallowed hard. "Tenel Ka?'' he asked, his voice shaky.
". . . is just fine,'' Leia said reassuringly. "Looks like you two got
stunned. What happened?"
Jacen shivered, as though the room had suddenly become colder. "Tamith Kai
was here--the Nightsister from the Shadow Academy --along with two of her
friends." His brandy-brown eyes squeezed shut, as if he had just remembered
something too painful to bear. He groaned. "And they've got Zekk! I think .
. . I think he's gone over to the dark side."
Anakin's breath could not have come out in a greater rush if a bantha had
just kicked him in the stomach.
"They're going to train him to be a Jedi," Jacen continued. "A Dark Jedi."
Tenel Ka grunted and sat up. "This is a fact."
"There were other kids here, too," Jacen said. "The Lost Ones. I think the
Nightsisters took them all--to the Shadow Academy ."
Leia shook her head, her dark eyes flashing. "I think it's about time we did
something decisive about that Second Imperium!'' she said. "That's twice now
they've hurt my children."
"Yes, indeed, Mistress Leia! That's all well and good, but we simply must
get back home where it's safe," Threepio said in alarm. "Mistress Tenel Ka,
are you capable of walking?"