wanted to shred hull plates with her fingernails. "So they've escaped! You
let them get away?"
Brakiss looked at her mildly. "I didn't let them do anything, Tamith Kai. I
don't see what more we could have done. Our duty now is to get away and plan
our next step-because you can be sure there will be another opportunity."
Qorl powered up the station engines, and they began moving the Shadow
Academy to a new hiding place.
* 22 *
Jacen and Jaina crowded together, pushing closer to the transmission area in
the Jedi academy's Comm Center as the image of Han and Leia came
into focus. The twins cried out their greetings.
Han Solo laughed in delight. "Looks like I didn't have to come after you
kids in the Falcon after all!"
"And I didn't have to mobilize the whole New Republic to rescue
you." Leia beamed. "We got Luke's report yesterday The scouts I had out
searching for you kids are already looking for the Shadow Academy ."
In the background, Chewbacca roared a message in the Wookiee language to
Lowie, who responded in kind.
In the Comm Center , Luke Skywalker stood next to Artoo-Detoo,
letting the excited young Jedi Knights talk. Jacen's words tumbled out in a
rush. "Lando Calrissian says something like this can never happen again.
He's already working with his assistant Lobot to come up with refinements to
GemDiver Station's security. I think he's even going to use Corusca gems
somehow."
Luke spoke up. "Yes, but I doubt the Shadow Academy will come here
again to look for new trainees. We know what Brakiss is up to now-I suspect
he'll go somewhere else for potential new Dark Jedi."
"But we brought the Shadow Academy 's best ship back with us," Jaina
said. "And you should see the design. State-of-the-art. Not like any of the
models in the manuals, Dad!"
Luke put a hand on her shoulder. "We need to offer it to the New
Republic , Jaina. It isn't ours-"
Han interrupted. "Hey, Luke, you need us to send some mechanics over to
check out the ship, try to figure out its design?"
Luke shrugged. "Go right ahead if you want, but I've got a skilled mechanic
and an electronics specialist right here on Yavin 4, ready to start on the
project right away - Jaina and Lowie."
Leia flashed a bright, warm smile. "All right, Luke. We'll send our
engineers to study it, but you keep the ship there. Use it when you need to.
You earned it rescuing Jacen, Jaina, and Lowie. Besides, you're an important
part of the New Republic . We'll all feel better knowing you've got
a safe, fast ship when you go running off across the galaxy-and don't tell
me you've forgotten how to fly a fast ship!"
Luke gave an embarrassed chuckle. "No, I haven't forgotten - but I could
still use the practice."
Jaina and Lowbacca sat in her quarters, tinkering with the holographic
projector, making a coarse schematic of their new ship, the Shadow Chaser.
The schematic was not as accurate as the one they had made of Lowie's T-23
skyhopper, but they would refine it as they learned more about the Imperial
ship. Lowie roared as the hologram lost its focus.
"Master Lowbacca says that he most fervently hopes a comet will crash into
the vacation home of the designer of this subsystem," said Em Teedee from
the clip on Lowie's belt.
Lowie growled down at the miniature translator droid. Em Teedee had been
completely purged of his corrupted Imperial programming and the irritating
little droid was now back to his normal self.
"Well, how am I supposed to know that you don't wish me to translate Wookiee
epithets?" the little droid said defensively "Although you must admit, I
certainly captured the feeling well. Why, think of all the idioms I have to
parse during a single-"
Lowie switched Em Teedee off with a satisfied grunt.
Tenel Ka entered the Comm Center, feeling well rested. No nightmares had
plagued her since her return to Yavin 4. She wondered what would happen now
that a new order of Nightsisters had appeared on Dathomir, joining forces
with the Empire, but at least they did not haunt her dreams.
Tenel Ka made contact with the Hapan Royal Household; she spoke to her
parents, assured them that she was unharmed, and passed along greetings from
the Singing Mountain Clan. Then, steeling herself for a set of imperious
orders, she asked to speak with her grandmother, the Royal Matriarch. When
her grandmother's face appeared on the screen behind its customary half
veil, her eyes carried a smile and something else Tenel Ka wasn't sure she
could read - surprise?
"Thank you for remembering to call. My sources tell me I should be very
proud of you," the Matriarch said, with what seemed to be genuine pleasure.
"I'm sorry that my ambassador wasn't able to visit you. Now, I'm afraid the
meeting will be delayed indefinitely I was forced to send Yfra on an urgent
errand to the Duros system."
Tenel Ka's mouth opened, but she could not think of a response.
"But you'll forgive a concerned grandmother if she tries to find a way to
unobtrusive guards in a nearby system, perhaps? I think that might be the
best thing for both of us."
The image of her grandmother leaned forward to turn off the communication
link, but just as the connection broke the Matriarch whispered, "Besides, I
have a feeling you weren't terribly disappointed to miss Ambassador Yfra."
"This," Tenel Ka muttered, "is a fact." And she realized it was the first
time in years that she had agreed with her grandmother.
Jacen stood atop the Great Temple on Yavin 4, waiting for Master Skywalker.
In the aftermath of the morning's rainstorm, reflected orange light from the
giant planet pierced the gray clouds overhead and gilded their edges with a
warm glow. The light breeze ruffled his hair and spattered him with an
occasional raindrop.
As much as he dreaded the reprimand Uncle Luke was almost certain to
deliver, Jacen was glad to be back on the jungle moon. In the day since
their return from the Shadow Academy, the Jedi Master had already spoken
privately with Jaina and with Lowie. Though he had no idea what Luke had
said to either of them, both had been quiet and reserved afterward.
And now it was his turn.
Jacen sensed Master Skywalker's presence even without seeing him as Luke
came to stand quietly next to him. For a long time, neither said a word, as
if by mutual agreement. Gradually Jacen relaxed. He was ready for anything
the Jedi Master had to say to him.
Almost anything.
"Take this," Luke said, pressing a metallic cylinder into Jacen's hands.
"Show me what you learned."
Surprised, Jacen looked down at Luke's lightsaber. The weapon was solid and
heavy, its handle warm as his own skin. He hefted it, studied it, ran a
finger along the ridges of its grip up to the ignition stud. His eyes
closed. In his mind, he could hear the hum of the lightsaber, feel its
pulsing rhythm as the weapon sliced through the air. . . .
Jace
n opened his eyes and squared his shoulders. "This is what I learned,"
he said, handing the lightsaber back to the Jedi Master without igniting it.
"You were right: I'm not ready. The weapon of the Jedi is not to be taken up
lightly."
"Even so, you learned to use it. Didn't Brakiss teach you?"
Jacen nodded. "I'm physically capable. I know how to fight an opponent with
it - but I'm not sure I'm ready mentally. Maybe I'm not mature enough
emotionally."
raised his eyebrows.
"Yes. No. Well, yes-I learned some things. . . .I'm just not sure they were
the right things. A lightsaber isn't just some impressive tool to dazzle and
amaze your friends. It's such a big responsibility. One mistake could get an
innocent person killed."
Luke nodded, his blue eyes twinkling with understanding. "It sometimes feels
like too great a responsibility, even to me. But the Force guides us as we
fight. Not simply how to defeat our enemies - but also to know when not to
defeat them."
Their eyes locked. "Even if what our enemies teach or do is evil?" Jacen
said.
Luke Skywalker's gaze did not waver. "No one is completely evil. Or
completely good." He flashed a rueful smile. "At least nobody I've ever
met."
"But Brakiss-" Jacen began.
"Brakiss passes the teachings of the dark side on to his students. You heard
him teach. But a teacher is not always right. And because you thought for
yourself, you knew not to believe him." Master Skywalker nodded approvingly.
Jacen thought this over. "Brakiss let me do what I wanted to do more than
anything else: practice with a lightsaber. But I couldn't trust him. He was
hoping to turn me to the dark side, to use me for the Empire. I do trust
you, though. You were right about the lightsaber, and I'll wait until you
think I'm ready."
Luke looked up toward the clouds, which were breaking up, letting more and
more light through. "With the Shadow Academy out there, and the
young Dark Jedi that Brakiss is training, I'm afraid that time will come all
too soon."
An old friend could become a new enemy . . .
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