Death Star trench crisscrossed space with deadly fire-hnes.
Jacen was good at target shooting; he and Jaina had often used the
Millennium Falcon's quad laser cannons to blast chunks of space debris
out of Coruscant orbit. But Lowie and his sister were more intimately
familiar with complex computer games, and Tenel Ka had the finely honed
reflexes of a warrior from Dathomir.
Jacen's fingers flew across his motion sensor, banking his Y-wing-but a
TIE fighter clung close to his rear engine pods. Jacen spun about. "Hey,
get off my back," he cried.
By sheer luck, the TIE fighter crossed into one of the turbolaser blasts
from the trench guns, conveniently saving Jacen.
Anxious to divert attention from his so-so performance in the game,
Jacen tried to distract the other players in the most obvious way.
Between spins and banks and firing, he told a joke.
"Hey, guys, do you know what sound Whiphids make when they kiss?" "I
have neither seen nor heard N"iphids kiss," Tenel Ka said.
"Master Lowbacca says he's certain he would never wish to," Em Teedee
said.
"Come on," Jacen interrupted. "It's a joke.
What sound do Whiphids make when they kiss?" He paused a second, cocking
an eyebrow. "Ouch!"
Tenel Ka looked perplexed, and Lowie groaned, but Sirra endeared herself
forever to Jacen by chuffing uproariously at the joke.
Thei), after only a moment, Sirra sent her holographic fighter ahead of
his with redoubled effort.
Little green lances of laser fire shot toward him, but he managed to
roll his Y-wing and avoided getting himself blasted. Another Imperial
ship clung to his tail, scoring hits and causing increasing damage as it
came inexorably closer. Suddenly the pesky TIE fighter erupted in a tiny
puff of an explosion with spangles of computer-imaged debris as Tenel Ka
brought her Y-wing fighter to the rescue.
"It appeared that you needed some help, Jacen," she said.
"I did-thanks." He and Tenel Ka flew side by side as they followed close
behind the streaking X-wings piloted by Lowie and Sirra.
Their target approached, a small thermal exhaust port just waiting for
them to drop a proton torpedo inside so they could blow up the
horrendous superweapon Grand Moff Tarkin had built andThe comm system
chimed with a highpriority signal. Sirra reached out to pause the game,
freezing the fightercraft images in position over the grid. Lowie
hurried to receive the message, already blinking his golden eyes at the
sudden emergency announcement that appeared on his screen.
Jacen and Tenel Ka went to look as Lowie bellowed in alarm. "Master
Lowbacca, what is it? Let me see," Em Teedee said. "How can you expect
me to translate if you won't let me read the text?"
Lowie punched a button so that Jacen and Tenel Ka could see the message.
The comm system translated the words on the screen back into Basic.
"Just a fragment," Jacen said, his blood growing cold. "Something
interrupted the transmission."
"It appears serious," Tenel Ka said.
Jacen read, 'Emergency..... injured at computer fabrication
facility..... need your help . . . please come right away. We-" He
frowned, feeling his heart start to pound.
"But who sent it? Who could it be from?"
"It was sent specifically here, to this house," Tenel Ka said. "Someone
must have wished to contact us directly." "But only Jaina and Chewie
know we're here," he said, "and they went off to one of the repair docks
to work on the Shadow Chaser, not to the computer fabrication facility."
"Perhaps they changed their plans," Tenel Ka said.
Sirra yowled, and Lowie added his own roar. 'Oh my," Em Teedee said,
"Master Lowbacca and Mistress Sirra's parents are at the facility."
"We cannot ignore this problem," Tenel Ka said. "We must go now and
confront it. This is a fact."
"You're right about that," Jacen said.
Lowie punched some buttons on the comm system controls a few times, then
pounded the apparatus in frustration. 'Master Lowbacca says he is unable
to reply to the message," the translating droid said. 'Something appears
to be wrong with communications at the facility itself. They've been
completely cut off from outside transmissions."
Lowie roared for his sister to summon the fastest bantha mount in the
area, while he, Jacen, and Tenel Ka fastened lightsabers to their belts,
ready for the worst. The four of them rushed out the door of the tree
dwelling.
A shaggy bantha lumbered to their platform in response to Sirra's
frantic call. The Sullustan crouching on the beast's wide neck appeared
deeply weary, ready to go off shiftbut when the two young Wookiees bared
their teeth and roared that this was an emergency, the mousy alien
perked up instantly. Jacen clambered aboard and reached down, offering
his hand to help Tenel Ka up; she took the aid without complaint. Sirra
and Lowie leaped onto the beast of burden's back, and the bantha plodded
off.
"This thing can go faster," Jacen cried. "I saw them stampeding once on
Tatooine."
Lowie barked an order and the Sullustan urged the creature to greater
speed until its pounding feet vibrated the entire wooden walkway.
High in orbit over Kashyyyk, defensive satellites bristled with weapons,
designed to target on invading enemy forces. But the satellites remained
silent and motionless as a disguised shuttle, drifting in place, opened
its hangar bay doors so that a squadron of TIE fighters could drop out.
Weapons powered up, the Imperial fighters ignited their twin ion engines
with a loud roar and streaked toward the thick forest below, flying in
tight formation. The general battle plan had already been input into
their computers. The Imperials intended to strike swiftly, surgically,
causing the greatest damage possible in as little time as necessary.
They needed to grab their prize, then vanish into space.
Kashyyyk's defensive satellites picked up the enemy on their sensors and
transmitted an urgent report, a call for action, to the control tower in
the computer fabrication facility. The sensors continued to track the
enemy's flight path, but they received no arming instructions or attack
confirmation from the control tower. The planet remained silent. The
satellites did not fire.
Although the saterites'weapons were inactive, the sensors continued to
file data from the impending attack for future reference . . . if anyone
on Kashyyyk survived the Imperial assault.
When the weary bantha finally arrived at the fabrication facility,
Lowie, Sirra, Tenel Ka, and Jacen leaped off its back and rushed to the
entrance.
The tall, spindly Tour Droid stood waiting.
Seeing new visitors, it unplugged itself from a recharge port and
assumed its security posture, since no guests were expected at the
moment. 'Halt!" it said.
"Where's the emergenc3r9 We've got to get inside," Jacen shouted.
"We are responding to the distress call," Tenel Ka said.
Lowie and Sirra both roared an explanation, believing that the Tour
Droid might respond better to Wookiee than to Basic.
"No emergency has been reported," the 'Ibur Droid said, its arms
dangling from its shoulders like metal rods.
"There must be," Jacen said. "We received a high-priority transmission
telling us to come immediately."
"Accessing," the Tour Droid said as it plugged one of its dowel-shaped
fingers into a computer port. It paused a moment as a blur of characters
streamed across the screen. "Are you certain you have the right
coordinates?
Could I offer you some promotional brochures?"
"Ali. Aha." Tenel Ka looked gravely toward Jacen. "Perhaps we have been
tricked."
"Blaster bolts!" Jacen said. Hearing a roaring sound from high above, he
emergency!"
Lowie tilted his head back and exposed his long fangs, bowling in rage.
A wave of Imperial TIE fighters dropped out of the clouds, arrowing
straight for the computer fabrication facility. Their weapons began
blazing even before they arrived. -----------------IT WAS COMFORTING to
work with someone who loved machinery as much as she did, Jaina thought.
Apparently she and Chewbacca were the only ones around today.
Cool breezes crept in through the open bay doors. The fresh air and the
view out over the ocean of leaves made her glad they kept the hangar
open. Constructed in a crown of trees rising above the overall canopy
level in an outlying area beyond the Wookiee residential district and
the computer fabrication facility, this hangar bay was used for major
vehicle repairs.
Aside from Jaina's and Chewie's clanking and thunking noises as they
tinkered, the cavernous, wooden-walled bay remained relatively quiet and
deserted. That was fine with Jaina. She loved nothing more than relaxing
with a fine piece of equipment, making the pieces fit together properly,
fiddling with the components.
And the Shadow Chaser was still state-of the-art.
When Chewbacca bellowed a request up the boarding ramp, Jaina crawled
out from under the cockpit control panel she was working on and hollered
back. "Didn't get what you said, Chewie. Which tool are you looking
for?"
A large hairy head appeared in the entryway and Chewbacca pointed to the
tools he needed.
"Just about done here," Jaina said, hoisting the case up to where the
Wookiee could reach. "I can finish up with my pocket multitool, so go
ahead and take the rest of 'em."
Chewie growled his thanks as Jaina crawled back under the console.
She completed her task, reattached the access panel, and trotted down
the ramp, where she found Chewbacca cleaning lubricant off the lower
armored hull. He rumbled a question.
"Did you ask me if I was hungry?" Jaina asked, struggling with the
Wookiee language. She grinned. "Sure. Working on modevariance inhibitors
always gives me an appetite."
With another growl, Chewie spread his arms and shrugged.
"What are we waiting for?" Jaina interpreted with a chuckle. "Couldn't
have said it better myself" Hearing a faint roar, like the sound of
distant thunder, Jaina chuckled again. "Is that your stomach? You must
really be hungry."
Chewbacca suddenly went still and cocked his head, as if listening. He
squinted his blue eyes. The sound came again, this time punctuated by
sharp thuds like blaster bolts hitting their targets, underscored by a
lowpitched buzzing Jaina couldn't quite identify.
"That's coming from outside," she said. @at could it possibly-'
Chewbacca held up his hand for silence.
The Wookiee woofed and loped toward the hangar bay door, with Jaina hot
on his heels.
Outside, the treetops spread in a green and brown carpet well below the
sheer edge of the hangar bay. Uprising branches held the hangar platform
high above the remainder of the forest.
Peering out into the hazy sky, Jaina had no trouble identifying the
overlapping sounds: explosions, blaster bolts, and a distinctive engine
howl.
"TIE fighters! What would TIE fighters be doing here? And what are
they firing at?" She looked at Chewbacca in alarm.
The Wookiee pointed in the direction the sounds had come from and barked
an explanation: the computer fabrication facility.
Jaina groaned. "It has to be the Second Imperium! We never thought
they'd strike here." Chewbacca roared in anger, and she needed no
translation. "I know. We've got to get over there. Let's call for
help-where's the closest comm unit?"
door, slapped the switch, and bellowed an alarm. Jaina whirled as a
stuttering whine erupted behind them. "Now what?" The sound came from
the Shadow Chaser itself. Chewbacca and Jaina exchanged glances and
sprinted toward the sleek ship they had been repairing. Through the
viewport, inside the cockpit, Jaina could see a petite woman with wavy
bronze hair clad in polished lizard hide-a Nightsister.
"How did she get in there?" Jaina cried.
"Hey, she's trying to steal the ship!"
The Shadow Chaser's engines filled the hangar bay with a sound like
millions of swarming insects. The whine stopped, started, then stopped
again with a cough. The engines wouldn't fire. In the cockpit, the face
of the Nightsister twisted into a scowl. Her creamy brown skin mottled
with rage.
Jaina looked up with equal anger. 'We've got to stop her."
Chewbacca dove under the belly of the ship, barking reassurance.
"You're sure it won't start?" Jaina said. 'How do you know?"
His head inside the still-open engine access hatch, Chewbacca grunted
and nudged a piece of equipment on the floor with his foot.
Jaina recognized the primary initiator module that the Wookiee had
pulled for repairs.
The Shadow Chaser would never startmuch less fly-without it.
The annoying whine came from the engines again, and Chewbacca yelped.
There was a sharp thunk, and the noise stopped as a shower of sparks
sprayed from the engine hatch. The Wookiee ducked back out.
Then Jaina heard the low hum of an extending entry ramp. But before they
could rush aboard to apprehend the would-be thief, the Nightsister
herself sprang out onto the hangar bay floor and faced them. Jaina
thought there was something familiar about the set of the woman's face,
the icy beauty and cold anger.
Chewbacca bellowed a challenge, but the petite warrior rounded on the
Wookiee, eyes blazing. "I came to reclaim my rightful property. You
would be a fool to stand in my way.
The Shadow Chaser is mine."
"Then you're that Nightsister-Garowyn," Jaina said. "Tenel Ka and Uncle
Luke told me about you." Garowyn shifted her glance to Jaina, her anger
turning sour. "Why aren't you at the factory with the rest of your
friends, Jedi brat?"
"Factory?" Jaina said in confusion. Why would her friends go there?
"No matter-it is too late to save them," Garowyn snarled, raising her
arms overhead as if to hurl someth
ing, though her hands were empty. "It
will all end here now-with me." She laughed. "You never had a chance."
Chewbacca bared his fangs and coiled his body, ready to lunge.
Suddenly, the meaning of Garowyn's words sank in, and Jaina cried,
"We've got to help the others, Chewie! Forget about her." She ducked,
hoping to make a run for the hangar bay door and the lift mechanism that
would take them down to the main levels of the tree city.
'You're going nowhere!" Garowyn shouted.
One of several large wooden crates of engine components sailed through
the air and knocked Chewbacca to his knees. He went down with a woof of
pain and surprise.
Garowyn stood by the Shadow Chaser's ramp, her hands on her
scale-armored hips.
With dark fire flickering behind her eyes, she used the Force to snatch
other heavy objects from where they rested.
Jaina cried out as a similar crate flew directly at her head. She
instinctively deflected it with a shove from the Force. Eerily, it
reminded Jaina of the training sessions she had undergone while a
prisoner at the Shadow Academy. Fear gripped her as the Nightsister
tossed barrels, heavy bolts, mallets, metal sheeting, hydrospanners, and