STAR WARS
   YOUNG JEDI KNIGHTS - THE RISE OF THE SHADOW ACADEMY  #2: SHADOW
                                                           ACADEMY
                              Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta
                                                                  
          Scan/OCR/Spellcheck - Demilich (demilich_2000@yahoo.com)
                                                                  
   1

   Jacen  grasped  the  lightsaber, feeling its comforting  weight
against  his  sweaty palms. His scalp tingled beneath  its  unruly
tangle  of  brown curls as he sensed the approach  of  his  enemy.
Closer, closer . . . He drew in a slow breath and reached with one
finger  that trembled ever so slightly to press the button on  the
handle.
   With  a  buzzing  hiss, the cold metal handle sprang  to  life,
transforming into a sword of glowing energy. The deadly lightsaber
pulsed and vibrated in his hands like a living thing.
   With  a  mixture  of  fear and excitement, Jacen's  wiry  frame
tensed for the attack. His liquid-brown eyes fluttered shut for  a
moment as he visualized his opponent.
   Without  warning, he heard the hum of a light-saber slice  down
from above.
   Jacen  whirled just in time and caught the blow  with  his  own
lightsaber.  The deep red of his opponent's weapon  throbbed  with
power,  filling  his vision as the two glowing blades  warred  for
dominance.
   Jacen knew he was far outmatched in size and strength, that  he
would need all of his wits to get out of this encounter alive. His
arms  ached  with the strain of holding off the blow, so  he  took
advantage  of  his smaller size, spinning under his opponents  arm
and dancing out of reach.
   The attacker advanced toward him, but Jacen knew better than to
let  him  get that close again. The ruby glow flashed toward  him,
and he was ready. He parried the blow and then swept sideways with
his  own  blade  before  dodging backward and  blocking  the  next
thrust.
   Attack  and  counterattack. Thrust. Parry.  Block.  Lightsabers
sizzled and hissed as they clashed again and again.
   Though  the  room  was  cool and dank,  perspiration  ran  down
Jacen's  face and into his eyes, nearly blinding him. He  saw  the
arc  of  red light barely in time and ducked to avoid it. A  cocky
lopsided  grin sprang to his lips, and he realized he was enjoying
himself.  Stone  chips flew around him as the  deadly  ruby  blade
gouged the low ceiling just over his head.
   Jacen's grin faded as he tried to take a step backward and felt
cold  stone  blocks  press into his shoulder  blades.  He  parried
another  thrust,  sprang sideways, and fetched up against  another
stone wall.
   He  was cornered. An icy fist of fear clenched his stomach, and
Jacen  dropped to one knee, flinging up his blade to ward off  the
next blow. A sound like thunder echoed through the chamber. . . .
   Jacen  opened  his  eyes and looked up to see  his  uncle  Luke
standing  in  the  doorway, clearing his throat.  Startled,  Jacen
fumbled  to  turn off the lightsaber and accidentally dropped  the
extinguished handle to the flagstones with a clatter.
   The  sandy-haired,  black-robed Jedi  Master  strode  into  the
private  room  that served as both his office and  his  meditation
chamber  at  the  Jedi academy. He held his hand  out  toward  the
lightsaber, and the weapon sprang to his palm as if magnetized.
   Jacen  gulped as Master Luke Skywalker fixed him with a  solemn
gaze. "I'm sorry, Uncle Luke," Jacen said, his words coming out in
a  tumbling rush. "I came here to ask you for your help, and  when
you  weren't  here,  I  decided to  wait,  and  then  I  saw  your
lightsaber  just lying on your desk, and I know you said  I'm  not
ready  yet, but I didn't see how it could hurt to just practice  a
little.  So  I  picked it up, and I guess I just got carried  away
and-"
   Luke held up one hand, palm outward, as if to forestall further
explanation.  "The  weapon  of the  Jedi  shouldn't  be  taken  up
lightly," he said.
   Jacen felt his cheeks flush at the gentle rebuke. "But I know I
could  learn  to use a lightsaber," he said, defensive.  "I'm  old
enough,  and I'm tall enough, and I've been practicing in my  room
with a piece of pipe I got from Jaina-I'm sure I could do it."
   Luke  seemed  to consider this for a moment before shaking  his
head  slowly.  "There'll be time enough  for  that  when  you  are
ready."
   "But I'm ready now," Jacen protested.
   "Not  yet," Luke said, smiling sadly. "The time will come  soon
enough."
   Jacen groaned with impatience. It was always Later, always Some
other time, always Maybe when you're older. He sighed. "You're the
teacher. I'm the student, so I have to listen, I guess."
   Luke smiled and shook his head. "Ah. Be careful-don't assume  a
teacher  is always right, without question. You have to think  for
yourself.  Sometimes we teachers make mistakes, too. But  in  this
case, I am right: You're not yet ready for a lightsaber.
   "Believe  me,  I know what it's like to wait," Luke  continued.
"But  patience can be as strong an ally as any weapon."  Then  his
eyes  twinkled.  "Don't  you  have more  important  things  to  be
worrying  about  right now than imaginary lightsaber  battles-like
getting ready for your trip? Don't your pets need to be fed?"
   "I'm  all  packed,  and I'll feed the animals  just  before  we
leave,"  Jacen  said, thinking of the menagerie  of  pets  he  had
collected since coming to the jungle moon. "But the trip is what I
came here to talk to you about."
   Luke raised his eyebrows. "Yes?"
   "I-I was hoping you could talk to Tenel Ka and convince her  to
come with us to see Lando Calrissian's mining station."
   Luke's  brows drew together, and he chose his words  carefully.
"Why is it important to change her mind?"
   "Because  Jaina and Lowbacca and I are all going," Jacen  said,
"and...  and  it just won't be the same without her," he  finished
lamely.
   Luke's  face  relaxed, and his eyes sparkled with humor.  "It's
not  so  easy to change the mind of a Force-wielding warrior  from
Dathomir, you know," he said.
   "But  it  doesn't  make sense that she wants to  stay  behind,"
Jacen  exclaimed. "She made up some dumb excuse that it  would  be
boring-said  she was sure Corusca gems weren't any more  beautiful
than  rainbow gems from Gallinore, and she's seen plenty of those.
But she didn't sound bored; she sounded worried or nervous."
   "We  must think for ourselves," Luke said, "and sometimes  that
means we have to make difficult or unpopular decisions." Luke  put
an  arm around Jacen's shoulders and led him toward the door.  "Go
feed  your  pets now. Have a safe journey to GemDiver  Station-and
rest assured, Tenel Ka has good reasons."
   
   Tenel  Ka  woke  with  a  start, shivering  and  drenched  with
perspiration in the cool, stonewalled chamber. Sunset-copper  hair
hung  across  her  vision in tangles that had  once  been  orderly
braids.  Her bedsheets were twisted about her legs as if  she  had
been running in her sleep.
   Then  she  remembered the dream. She had been running.  Running
from  black-cloaked  shadowy figures with purple-splotched  faces.
Muddled  memories of stories her mother had told her  as  a  child
swirled  through her sleep-fogged brain. She had never seen  those
terrifying forms before, but she knew what they were-witches  from
Dathomir  who had drawn on the dark side of the Force to work  all
manner of evil.
   The Nightsisters.
   But  the  last  of  the  Nightsisters  had  been  destroyed  or
disbanded long before Tenel Ka had even been born. Why should  she
dream  of them now? The only Force-wielders left on Dathomir  used
the powers of the light side.
   Why these nightmares? Why now?
   She  squeezed her eyes shut and flopped back on her bed with  a
grunt  as she realized what day it was. This was the day that  her
grandmother, Matriarch of the Hapan Royal Household,  was  sending
an  ambassador  to  visit Tenel Ka, heir to the  Royal  Throne  of
Hapes. And she didn't want her friends to know she was a princess.
. . .
   Ambassador Yfra. Tenel Ka shuddered as she thought of her iron-
willed  grandmother and her ambassadors, women who  would  lie  or
even  kill  to  preserve their power-although her  grandmother  no
longer ruled Hapes. Tenel Ka shook her head in wry amusement.  The
impending visit must be why she had dreamt of the Nightsisters.
   Although  the inhabitants of her mother's primitive  planet  of
Dathomir  and  her father's plush homeworld of Hapes  were  light-
years  apart, the parallels between the Hapan politicians and  the
Nightsisters of Dathomir were obvious: All were power-hungry women
who would stop at nothing to keep the power they craved.
   Tenel  Ka levered herself into a sitting position. She did  not
relish the idea of meeting with Ambassador Yfra. In fact, the only
positive  thought she could muster about it was that  her  friends
would  not  be  here  to observe it. At least  Jacen,  Jaina,  and
Lowbacca would be far away on Lando Calrissian's GemDiver  Station
before  the  ambassador ever arrived. They would not  be  here  to
wonder  why their friend, who claimed to be a simple warrior  from
Dathomir,  was being visited by a royal ambassador from the  House
of Hapes. And Tenel Ka was not ready yet to explain that to them.
   Well,  she couldn't stay in bed any longer. She would  have  to
get up and face whatever the day had to offer her. The meeting was
unavoidable. "This," she muttered, flinging aside the  covers  and
standing, "is a fact."
   
   Jaina  and  Lowbacca  sat  in  the center  of  Jaina's  student
quarters  surrounded  by a holographic map of  the  Yavin  system.
"That ought to do it," she said. Her straight shoulder-length hair
swung  forward like a curtain, partially veiling her face, as  she
hunched  over  to scrutinize the input pad for her  holoprojector.
She  had built the projector herself, piecing it together from her
private stock of used electronic modules, components, cables,  and
other  odds and ends that she kept neatly organized in a  bank  of
bins and drawers that filled one wall of her quarters.
   "Pretty  impressive,  huh,  Lowie?"  Jaina  asked,  flashing  a
lopsided  grin at the ginger-furred young Wookiee. She pointed  at
the luminescent sphere drifting above their heads that represented
the gas-giant planet of Yavin.
   Lowbacca  pointed  to  the image of a  small  green  moon  that
hovered  just  above his left shoulder, in orbit  around  the  big
orange planet. He gave an interrogative growl.
   "Ahem," the miniature translator droid Em Teedee said from  the
clip  on  Lowie's belt, as if clearing its throat. Em  Teedee  was
roughly oval in shape, rounded in the front and flat on the  back,
with  irregularly spaced optical sensors and a wide speaker  grill
at  the  center. "Master Lowbacca wishes to know,"  the  miniature
droid  went  on, "if the sphere he indicated represents  the  moon
Yavin 4, where we are now."
   "Right,"  said  Jaina. "The gas planet Yavin has  more  than  a
dozen  moons, but I haven't managed to program them  all  in  yet.
What  I  mainly wanted to see," she continued, "was the trajectory
we're  going  to  follow when Lando takes  us  to  his  gem-mining
station in the upper atmosphere of Yavin."
   Lowie growled a comment, and Jaina waited impatiently while the
prissy translator droid interpreted for her.
   "Of  course  it's a bit dangerous," she responded, rolling  her
brown eyes in exasperation, "but not much. And this is too good an
opportunity to pass up. Lando's going to let us help with some  of
the mining operations, not just watch," Jaina said, pointing to  a
spot just above the glowing surface of Yavin.
   Lowbacca reached for the holoprojector's input pad and  pressed
a few buttons. In a moment a tiny metallic-looking object appeared
near the surface: GemDiver Station.
   "Show-off," Jaina said, chuckling at the speed with which Lowie
had  programmed the holo map. "Tell you what, from now on I  build
'em, you program 'em-fair enough?"
   Lowie pretended to preen, rumbling his agreement as he smoothed
his  hand along the black streak that ran through his fur from his
forehead down his back.
   Just  then  Jacen bounded through the door. "They're here,"  he
said breathlessly. "I mean almost here. They're on approach. I was
in the control room and I heard that the Lady Luck was coming in."
Twin  pairs  of eyes-each the color of Corellian brandy-met  in  a
mixture of excitement and anticipation.
   "Well, then," Jaina said, "what are we waiting for?"
   
   Jaina  watched with admiration as Lando Calrissian strode  down
the  ramp  of  the Lady Luck, an emerald-green cape billowing  out
behind  him  and  a  broad smile on his dark, handsome  face.  His
frequent companion, the bald cyborg assistant Lobot, followed  him
down the gangplank and stood stiffly at his side.
   Lando  greeted  Jaina with a gallant kiss on  the  hand  before
turning  with  a formal bow to her twin brother Jacen  and  Lowie.
Next,  he clapped the shoulder of Luke Skywalker, who had come  to
meet  the Lady Luck, his barrel-shaped droid Artoo-Detoo following
close behind him.
   "Take  good  care  of them, Lando," Luke said. "No  unnecessary
risks, okay?" Artoo added a few beeps and whistles of his own.
   Lando  looked at Luke, pretending to take of-fense.  "Hey,  you
know  I wouldn't let these kids do anything I didn't think  was  a
safe bet."
   Luke  grinned  and gave Lando's shoulder an affectionate  slap.
"That's what I'm afraid of."
   "You're  just  worried that once they see my  GemDiver  Station
they'll be so impressed they won't want to come back to your  Jedi
academy," Lando joked.
   Then,  with  a flourish of his cape, Lando Calrissian  motioned
Lowie  and Jacen up the ramp. He turned to Jaina. "And what can  I
do to make this field trip more interesting and rewarding for you,
young lady?" he asked, offering her his arm to escort her into the
ship.
   "The  first thing you can do," she said, accepting his arm with
an  enthusiastic  smile, "is tell me all  about  the  Lady  Luck's
engines. . . ."
   
   2
   
   The  Lady Luck left the jewel-green jungle moon behind as Lando
Calrissian  and  his trusted companion Lobot piloted  them  across
space toward the gaseous ball of Yavin.
   "You kids should enjoy this," Lando said. "I don't think you've
seen anything quite like Cor-usca mining before."
   As  the  Lady  Luck approached the giant planet,  the  orbiting
industrial   station   came  into  view.  Lando's   Corusca-mining
facility,  GemDiver Station, was a symphony of running lights  and
transmitting  grids  surrounded by dozens of  automated  defensive
satellites.  The security satellites homed in on  the  Lady  Luck,
powering  up weapons as the ship approached. But when Lando  keyed
in  an access authorization code, the satellites acknowledged  his
signal,  then  turned back to their robotic perimeter  search  for
intruders and pirates.
   "Can't  have  too  much security," he said,  "not  when  you're
dealing with something as valuable as these Corusca gems."
   Lobot,  the bald, computer-enhanced human, continued  his  cool
surveillance  of the controls. Lights on the mechanical  apparatus
implanted on the back of Lobot's skull flashed and blinked  as  he
studied  the  guidance grid and compass. Piloting smoothly,  Lobot
brought  the  Lady  Luck  into the main docking  bay  on  GemDiver
Station.
   "I'm glad Luke let you come up here," Lando said, glancing back
at  Jacen, Jaina, and Lowie. "You can't learn everything about the
universe just by sitting in the jungle and lifting rocks  off  the
ground  with your mind." He flashed a grin. "You need  to  broaden
your  horizons-learn  about  the way commerce  works  in  the  New
Republic.  That'll give you some useful knowledge,  in  case  your
lightsabers ever fail."
   "We don't have lightsabers yet," Jacen said dejectedly.
   "Then  you  might  as  well  learn  something  useful  in   the
meantime," Lando answered. Seeing Jacen's frustration,  he  added,
"You know, your uncle Luke is concerned about your safety. He  can
be  pretty cautious, but I trust his judgment. Don't worry, you'll
get  that lightsaber eventually. I bet if you just relax and  stop
thinking  about it, you'll be practicing with a lightsaber  before
you  know it." That said, he helped Lobot finish the landing check
as the Lady Luck settled down in the empty bay.
   Stepping  out  of  the ship, Lando beamed and  showed  off  his
station,   making  enthusiastic  gestures.  With  Lobot   trailing
silently  behind,  Lando led the three young  Jedi  Knights  to  a
transparisteel  viewing window that looked out at the  tempestuous
orangish soup of the gas giant.
   Jacen  pressed close to the broad window, peering down  at  the
knotted  storm systems that chained through the clouds. From  this
distance  Yavin  looked deceptively gentle in pastel  yellows  and
whites and oranges. But he knew that even in the upper atmosphere,
the  winds  had crushing strength, and the pressure  farther  down
enough to squash a ship down to a fistful of atoms.
   Beside  him,  Jaina studied the weather patterns  analytically.
Lowie  stood between the twins, his lanky form towering over them.
He growled with amazement.
   "I think it's most impressive," Em Teedee said from the clip on
Lowie's belt. "And Master Lowbacca thinks so too."
   GemDiver  Station orbited just at the fringe of  Yavin's  outer
atmosphere.  The station's inclined orbit took it high  above  the
planet  and then dipped down to graze the gaseous levels  so  that
Lando's  Corusca  gem miners could delve into the  planet's  deep,
swirling currents.
   Lando  tapped his fingertip against the transpar-isteel window.
"Far  down  where  the atmosphei ends, the metallic  core  scrapes
against the lique-i fied air. Pressures are great enough to crush!
elements  together  into extremely rare quantumf  crystals  called
Corusca gems."
   Jacen perked up. "Can we see one?"
   Lando  thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure.  We've  got  a
shipment ready to go out," he said. "Follow me."
   With his emerald cape flowing behind him, Lando strode down the
scrubbed-clean corridors. Jacen stared at the metal bulkheads, the
chambers, the computer-lined offices.
   The  walls  were smooth plasteel plates painted in soft  colors
and  embroidered  with  glowing optical  tubes  in  a  variety  of
designs. In the background Jacen heard the faint whispering noises
of  forests, oceans, rivers. The soothing colors and gentle sounds
made  GemDiver  Station  an  attractive  place,  comfortable   and
pleasant-not at all what he had expected.
   As  they approached a set of large armored doors, Lando  tapped
buttons  in his wristlink and turned to Lobot. "Request access  to
security level."
   Lobot  mumbled something into a microphone at his  collar.  The
sealed  metal doors hissed, then slid aside to reveal  an  airlock
chamber,  the far side of which was an insulated portal  providing
access to open space. Four armored, conical projectiles lay  on  a
rack;  each  module was only about a meter long and bristled  with
self-targeting lasers.
   "These  are  the  automated cargo pods," Lando  said.  "Because
Corusca  gems  are  so  valuable, we have to take  extra  security
precautions."
   Several multiarmed droids worked busily beside the first  cargo
pod,  an  open  module padded with thick insulation.  The  droids'
copper exoskeletons gleamed, as if newly polished.
   "They're  packing  up our next shipment. Let's  take  a  look,"
Lando said.
   The  companions peered into the small opening of the cargo pod,
where a nimble-fingered copper droid had packed four Corusca gems,
each  no  larger  than  Jacen's thumbnail. Lando  reached  in  and
plucked out one of the gems.
   The  droid  flailed its multiple hands in the air. "Excuse  me,
excuse me!" it said. "Please do not touch the gems. Excuse me!"
   "It's all right," Lando said. "It's me, Lando Calrissian."
   The  copper  droid's flailing ceased abruptly. "Oh!  Apologies,
sir," it said.
   Lando  shook  his head. "I've got to get those optical  sensors
replaced."
   He  held  the  Corusca  gem between thumb  and  forefinger;  it
glinted  like  liquid fire in his grasp. It  did  more  than  just
reflect  light from the glowpanels on the ceiling-the Corusca  gem
seemed  to  contain its own miniature furnace, its  trapped  light
bouncing  around inside the crystalline facets for ages  until  by
sheer probability some of the photons found their way out.
   "Corusca gems have been found in no other place in the galaxy,"
Lando  said, "only the core of Yavin. Of course, prospectors  keep
searching  other gas-giant planets, but for now my mining  station
is  where  all Corusca gems come from. A long time ago the  Empire
had  a  sanctioned station here. It went bankrupt  pretty  quickly
without  Imperial  price supports, though.  Corusca  mining  is  a
hazardous  job,  you know, with a high investment right  from  the
start-but it's really paying off for me."
   He  let Jacen, Jaina, and Lowie hold the gem and marvel at  its
beauty.  "Corusca gems are the hardest substance known," he  said.
"They  can slice through transparisteel like a laser goes  through
Sullustan jam."
   The nervous packing droid plucked the gem from Lowbacca's hairy
hand  and  replaced  it  in the cargo pod, packing  extra  sealant
around  the  stones before it closed the access  port.  The  droid
engaged  a sequence of controls on the back of the cargo pod,  and
the bristling spines of self-targeting lasers raised themselves up
to their armed position.
   "Cargo  pod  ready for launch," the copper droid said.  "Please
leave the launching bay."
   Lando  ushered  the three kids out of the room, and  the  heavy
metal  doors sealed behind him as the droids scurried about  their
tasks. "Over here. We can watch through the outer port," he  said.
"This  cargo pod is a hyperspace projectile targeted to my  broker
on  Borgo Prime, who distributes the Corusca gems for a percentage
of the profits."
   They  pressed together at a thick round window that looked away
from  the  planet out into space. As they watched, the  cargo  pod
shot out of the launching bay, then hovered to reorient itself and
adjust its coordinates. The bright light of its thrusters traced a
line across the blackness of space.
   Satellites  around GemDiver Station rotated  as  their  sensors
tracked  the  pod,  aiming their own weapons; but  the  cargo  pod
apparently   sent  the  proper  ID  signals,  and  the   defensive
satellites  left  it  alone. Then, in a blur of  motion,  the  pod
streaked  forward,  flashing  into hyperspace  with  a  wealth  of
Corusca gems in its belly.
   "Hey,  Lando, can we help you do some of the gem mining?" Jacen
asked.
   "Yes, we'd like to see how it's done," Jaina added.
   "I  don't  know . . . ," Lando said. "It's tough  work,  and  a
little risky."
   "So  is  training to be a Jedi Knight," Jaina pointed out,  "as
we've  already seen. Don't you think learning is worth  a  bit  of
risk?"
   Lowbacca growled a comment.
   "What  do you mean you're willing to take the risk?" Em  Teedee
said.   "Dear  me,  I  believe  Master  Calrissian  was   actually
emphasizing  the hazards in the hope that you would  not  want  to
go."
   "Well, we'd like to go anyway," Jacen piped up.
   Lando  held  up a hand, grinning as if he had just  thought  of
something-though  Jacen could sense that he had been  planning  it
all  along. "Well, maybe it is time I got back to doing some  real
work  around here instead of all this management stuff. All right,
I'll take you down myself."
   To  Jacen,  the  Submersible Mining Environment looked  like  a
large diving bell. Its hull was thickly armored, a dull gray  with
oily  smears  of color that reflected weirdly in the  lights.  The
hatch  appeared  thick and durable enough to withstand  turbolaser
fire.
   "This  is called the Fast Hand," Lando said, "a little ship  we
designed exclusively for going to the greatest depths of Yavin  4.
It's  gone almost all the way to the core, where we can reach  the
biggest  Corusca stones." He ran his fingers over  the  oily  hull
plating.
   "The  Fast Hand is covered with a fine skin of quantum  armor,"
Lando  said,  awe  apparent  in his  voice,  "a  little  something
developed  by  the Empire. But we turned the military applications
to  our  own uses-the ultimate in commercial spin-off technology."
Lando  sounded  as  if  he were giving a  speech  to  a  board  of
directors, and then he remembered his audience. "Well, never mind.
The  armor  on  this baby is strong enough to withstand  even  the
pressures  deep in Yavin's core. We'll be lowered down,  connected
to  GemDiver  Station  by  an  energy tether-like  an  unbreakable
magnetic rope."
   "Not even the storms can snap it?" Jaina asked.
   Lando  spread his hands wide, dismissing her concern. "We might
get  jostled around a bit, but . . ." He laughed. "The  seats  are
padded. We'll be okay."
   Lowbacca stooped, but still banged his head on the low  doorway
as  he  climbed  into the diving bell. Jacen and Jaina  jumped  in
after  him. As Lando followed them into the Fast Hand,  he  pulled
the hatch shut.
   He  rapped his knuckles against the inside wall with a metallic
thump.  "Safe and sound," he said, then settled into the cushioned
seat  in  front of the piloting controls. Jacen strapped into  the
copilot's  chair beside him, while Jaina and Lowie took  the  rear
seats.  Thick, square windows covered the walls and floor,  giving
them a view no matter which way they looked.
   "Oh my, isn't this exciting?" Em Teedee said. Lowie grunted  in
agreement.
   
   3
   
   Lando  keyed  in some instructions on the control  panel.  "I'm
telling Lobot we're ready for departure."
   Red  lights flashed on the bay walls, signaling the Fast Hand's
status  as it prepared for release into Yavin's atmosphere.  Three
technicians trot-led out of the room, and the airlock doors sealed
behind them.
   "Hang on," Lando said.
   The  floor  beneath  the Fast Hand slid away.  Jacen's  stomach
lurched  as  the  armored diving hell fell from GemDiver  Station,
down  into  the  swirling fury of gases. Lowie  yelped  in  sudden
astonishment. Jacen's pulse raced. Jaina gripped the arms  of  her
seat.
   The  Fast  Hand hurtled downward, but soon Jacen  sensed  their
descent stabilizing, slowing, becoming more controlled.
   "I can feel the energy tether holding us," Jaina said.
   Jacen  reached  out  with  his  Jedi  senses  and  detected   a
shimmering cool thread that connected them to the orbiting station
high   above.  Eager  and  interested,  he  unclasped  his   crash
restraints  and looked out the nearest windowport as  the  roiling
clouds rushed closer, slamming toward them.
   Jacen  saw  a  fleet  of  tiny ships like  agricultural  drones
skimming  across  the tops of the rising gases.  The  small  ships
hauled  a glowing golden web behind them, like a faint net dragged
through the clouds.
   "What  are  those?" Jaina asked, curious as  always  about  how
things worked.
   "Contractors  of  mine," Lando said. "Corusca  fishermen.  They
take  a  fleet of skiffs along the cloud tops, trailing an  energy
seine  behind  them.  As they fly through the clouds,  the  energy
differential  in  the net reacts to the presence of  tiny  Corusca
stones. They pick up only smaller stones and Corusca dust. It  may
not  seem  like much, but it's still quite valuable and worth  the
effort.
   "I  help support their operation, and they give me a percentage
of  their catch. But the larger Corusca gems are deeper down.  The
great  pressures near the core always made it impossible  to  mine
those big gemstones, but with this new quantum armor, we can  take
the Fast Hand all the way down."
   "Well, what are we waiting for?" Jaina asked.
   "Right. Let's go," Jacen said, rubbing his hands together. Then
he  flashed  a mischievous grin. "Hey, Lando, I heard  two  droids
talking the other day. The first one said, "Well, did you beat the
Wookiee at sabacc?' and the second one said-"
   "-'Yes,  but  it  cost me an arm and a leg,'"  Lando  finished.
"That's an old joke, kid."
   Jacen  frowned at first, then giggled. "Maybe that's why  Tenel
Ka didn't laugh at it."
   Jaina  looked at her brother. "I don't think that's the  reason
she didn't laugh."
   The   diving  bell  continued  its  descent.  Lando  plied  the
controls, unreeling the energy tether. As the dense organic  mists
and  colored aerosols folded around them, the winds became  gentle
fingers  drumming  against  the walls,  growing  louder  and  more
insistent.
   The  storm  systems increased in fury. Bolts of blue  lightning
shot  across  the  murky  sky as far as Jacen  could  see.  Static
electricity  crawled over the outer hull like jagged caterpillars,
sparking  and snapping against the connecting point of the  energy
tether.
   Lowie uttered a long and concerned-sounding sentence in Wookiee
language,  and  his translator droid piped up. "A  good  question,
Master Lowbacca. What does happen if the energy tether is severed?
How would we get back?"
   "Oh,  we've  got  life-support supplies  aboard,"  Lando  said,
waving  his hand again. "We could survive quite a while down  here
until a rescue mission was mounted from GemDiver Station. We  have
communications  and  energy backups- but it  won't  happen,  don't
worry."
   As  if to disagree with him, an unexpected gust of wind slapped
them  sideways  so  that Jacen tumbled from his  seat.  He  pulled
himself back up and sheepishly refastened his crash webbing.
   Suddenly  the Fast Hand seemed to snap free from its connecting
line. They dropped like a cannonball, plunging and plunging for  a
full  ten  seconds. Lowie yowled, and Jacen and Jaina  cried  out.
Lando  pumped  up the energy levels until finally  he  managed  to
reconnect the tether.
   "See?  No  problem," he said with a nonchalant grin, but  Jacen
could  see the beads of sweat on Lando's forehead. "You all  might
want  to  tighten  your crash webbing, though,"  he  said.  "These
storms  make  for  some hefty turbulence in the lower  atmosphere.
That's  what  stirs up the interface level and gives  the  Corusca
gems a nudge. Once we get a little lower, we'll start hunting."
   "I'd like to try my hand at it," Jaina said.
   "Ill  let  you each have a turn at the controls, but  I  should
warn  you  that Corusca gems are very rare, even down here.  Don't
expect to find anything."
   Jacen  asked, "If we're at the controls and we find  a  Corusca
gem, can we keep it?"
   Lando  smiled indulgently. "Well, I suppose . . . but we  can't
spend a lot of time down here looking for gems."
   "Oh,  we won't," Jacen said. "But it's still good to have  some
incentive."
   Lando  laughed. "Just like your father," he said. Jacen smiled,
thinking of all the times Lando Calrissian and Han Solo had worked
with  each  other-or in competition against each other-  over  the
years of their long friendship.
   Lando  looked at his controls again and opened up  more  window
panels  on  the  floor so they could see the murky  gases  beneath
them, supercharged with energy.
   "This  is  probably  good  enough," Lando  said.  "Let's  start
fishing."  He glanced at the chronometer on his wrist. "We  really
need  to  head back up soon." He swallowed, and Jacen sensed  just
how  nervous  Lando really was to be down this far. Daredevil  gem
hunters  willing to risk their lives for the fabulously  expensive
Corusca stones usually did all the deep dives.
   The  Fast  Hand  had gone so far into the planetary  atmosphere
that  by  now the winds were dark around them, so dense that  even
light  from Yavin's sun could not penetrate. Lando clicked on  the
diving  bell's  spotlights, and cones of  creamy  light  struggled
against the battering storms and whirling gases.
   "I'm going to deploy our trolling cables," Lando said. "They're
electromagnetic  ropes that dangle down to  catch  flying  Corusca
gems  whipped  up  by the storms. You can each  have  only  a  few
minutes,  because  we need to get back up to  the  station.  These
storm systems are getting worse."
   The  storms hadn't seemed to be getting worse at all to  Jacen;
they  had  been bad enough to begin with. But the tension apparent
on Lando's face made Jacen want to end their expedition quickly as
well.
   "Lowbacca, why don't you try first?" Lando suggested. "Come  up
front and take the controls."
   The young Wookiee crouched in a seat that was far too small for
him  and  rested  his  hands  on the  multiple  joysticks  of  the
controls.  He directed the dangling, sizzling energy  cables  that
trailed out like magnetic tentacles through the stormy atmosphere.
   Jacen  unbuckled his crash webbing again and crawled along  the
floor  to  peer  through the square portholes. He  could  see  the
yellow  magnetic  whips that extended from the  Fast  Hand  raking
through the gaseous clouds, but catching nothing.
   After  a  few moments, Lowie groaned in frustration. Em  Teedee
said, "Master Lowbacca wishes to offer someone else a turn." Lowie
relinquished  the  controls to Jaina, who sat  down  with  focused
concentration, the tip of her tongue wedged between  her  lips  at
the  corner of her mouth. Her eyes, golden-brown pools that stared
into  nothingness,  fell half-closed as she worked  the  controls.
Jacen  watched the energy lines writhe below, sifting through  the
clouds, searching.
   "Now,  don't  get disappointed," Lando said. "I told  you  it's
still hard work to find even one gem. They're quite rare. If  they
weren't, they wouldn't be so valuable."
   Jaina  continued to search for a few minutes longer, then  gave
up. Jacen climbed to his feet and came forward, struggling to keep
his  balance  in the gale-force winds. He caught the  arm  of  the
chair  and  pulled himself into it, letting his hands wrap  around
the controls.
   As  he tugged on the joysticks he could feel the response  from
the  lashing  energy  cables, groping about  like  nimble  fingers
sifting  through sand to find gold. He reached out with his  mind,
concentrating as Jaina had, using what he knew of Jedi  powers  to
search for the precious gems. He didn't know what a Corusca  stone
would  feel  like, but he expected he would know if he encountered
one.  The  whirling clouds seemed empty, thick with useless  gases
and crushed debris, nothing of interest.
   His  twin  sister sat behind him, and he could feel her  hoping
for  his  success. Just as he was about to give up, Jacen suddenly
felt  a  flash,  a  glint  in his mind. He  nudged  the  joysticks
sideways,  stretching out the long electrical fingers,  searching,
extending them as far as they would reach. With one lightning  tip
he  scratched  through the clouds, stretching,  stretching...  and
finally he snagged the glimmer in his mind.
   The control panels lit up. "I got one!" he cried.
   Lando  looked  as shocked as anyone else. "You did!"  he  said.
"Okay, let's bring it in fast. Time to go."
   Lando took over and reeled the magnetic tentacles back into the
Fast  Hand,  pulling  in  the catch. As he stabilized  the  energy
tether  again, Lando opened a small access port in the  floor  and
pulled  up a durasteel cargo box rimed with frost. He withdrew  an
irregular  but beautiful Corusca gem, larger than the one  he  had
shown them earlier. It flashed with trapped fire.
   Breathlessly,  Jacen took it from Lando,  cradling  it  in  the
palms of his hands. "Look what I got!" he said.
   Jaina  and Lowie offered their congratulations. Lando,  knowing
he  had promised to give the prize to the kids, shook his head  in
grudging admiration. "Keep that safe, Jacen," Lando said.  "That's
enough to buy half a city block on Coruscant, I bet."
   "It's worth that much?" Jacen ran his fingers along the smooth,
incredibly hard surface of the gem. "What if I lose it?" he said.
   "Put  it  in  your boot," Jaina said. "You know you never  lose
things there."
   "I will," Jacen agreed. "I think I'll give it to mother for her
next birthday."
   Lando slapped his forehead. "Even Han never gave Leia something
that  valuable! Almost makes me wish I had a couple of  kids,"  he
muttered. "All right, let's head back up."
   As  if to encourage him, another fist of wind slammed the  side
of  the  Fast Hand and sent them spinning. Jacen fumbled with  his
Corusca gem, nearly dropped it on the floor, then caught it  again
and  clutched it in his fist. He immediately tucked  it  into  his
boot, where he wouldn't have to worry about it falling out.
   His  forehead  still  furrowed with anxiety,  Lando  Calrissian
reeled in the energy tether, hauling the Fast Hand back toward the
safer levels of Yavin's atmosphere.
   The  storms  tossed them around. Once they heard a  loud  spang
against the quantum-armored hull. Lando yelped and looked over  at
the  wall.  "Another  one! Jaina, get over there  and  check  that
seal," he said.
   "What happened?" Jacen asked.
   On  her  knees, Jaina scuttled over to check. "Looks like  it's
okay," she said.
   "What  was it?" Jacen insisted. He saw the tiniest dent on  the
inside, but sensed no leaking atmosphere.
   "We just got hit by a Corusca gem thrown at high speed by these
winds.  It's  like a projectile weapon striking us, and  only  the
quantum  armor saved us. I can't believe this luck."  Lando  shook
his  head. "I spend hours and hours looking for those gems  on  my
own  and  come  up empty-handed. But when I bring you  down  here,
Jacen  snatches one right away, and then we get hit by another  as
we're heading back up top."
   Lowie  bellowed  a  comment, and Em Teedee said,  "I  fervently
agree with Master Lowbacca: Let's hope we don't encounter any more
of them."
   Lightning  bolts flashed around the hull, sparking  blue  light
into  the murky clouds. But as they rose higher toward the  safety
of  GemDiver Station, the storm winds grew calmer, less insistent.
Lando relaxed visibly.
   When  they  finally  rose  back into  the  glittering  GemDiver
Station, and the floor sealed beneath them, Lando heaved a sigh of
relief and slumped down in the pilot's chair.
   The  pressure  bay refilled with atmosphere, and Lando  flicked
the  controls to unseal the armored hatch. "There. We're back safe
and  sound,"  he  said, climbing out on unsteady  legs.  "I  think
that's  enough  adventures for now. How about  we  relax  and  get
something to eat?"
   Lando  had barely finished making the suggestion, though,  when
the sudden wailing of station alarms screeched across the intercom
systems.
   "Now what is it?" Lando asked. "What's going on?"
   The  three young Jedi Knights jumped out of the Fast  Hand  and
followed  Lando as he ran to a comm station on the wall. "This  is
Lando Calris-sian. Give me a status update."
   "An  unidentified fleet just appeared out of hy-perspace," came
the  tense  voice  of a station security chief. "They  refuse  our
hails  and  are  heading toward GemDiver Station at  great  speed,
intent unknown." The voice clicked off.
   Jacen and Jaina ran toward one of the viewports and looked  out
into the darkness of space. Then Jacen saw the ships, like a swarm
of  meteors, streaking in their direction. Somehow he sensed  they
were powering on their weapons-up to no good. He gulped.
   "Looks like an Imperial fleet to me," Jaina said.
   
   4
   
   Lando  rushed  toward the control bridge of GenoDiver  Station.
"Come on, kids. Follow me!" he shouted.
   Jaina  took the lead while Lowie and Jacen followed at  a  run.
Lowie's long Wookiee legs nearly made him plow over Lando  in  his
haste. "Oh, do be careful, Lowbacca!" Em Teedee called.
   Taking a turbolift to the upper observation tower, they bustled
onto the control bridge, a cylindrical turret that protruded above
the  main  armored  body of GemDiver Station.  Narrow  rectangular
windows  encircled the control room, allowing a full view  in  all
directions.  The  glowing diagnostic screens directly  below  each
viewport  flashed alarm warnings. Lando's armed guards ran  about,
strapping  additional weapons to their belts, preparing to  defend
the station.
   "We  are  under  attack,  sir," Lobot murmured  in  his  quiet,
difficult-to-hear voice. The cyborg was a blur  of  motion,  hands
darting  from  keyboard  to keyboard, eyes  scanning  the  screens
around  him  and  silently assessing details. The  lights  on  the
computer implants at the sides of his head flashed like fireworks.
   Lando scanned the narrow observation ports and saw the fleet of
ships  coming in from deep space. "Do you think they're  pirates?"
he  asked.  Then  to  the twins and Lowie, he  said  reassuringly,
"Don't  worry. We're got station security on alert.  These  people
don't have a chance against our defenses."
   Jaina  studied one of the diagnostic screens, pursing her lips.
She shook her head. "Not just pirates," she said, recognizing some
of  the  ships  by the ellipsoid shape of their main body,  engine
turrets  swept back like jagged wings on top and bottom. "Imperial
craft. The four on the outside are Skipray blastboats, each  fully
equipped   with  three  ion  cannons,  proton  torpedo   launcher,
concussion missiles, and two fire-linked laser cannons."
   Lando seemed startled. "Yeah, that's right."
   She  looked calmly up at his surprised expression. "Dad had  me
study  a  lot of ships. Believe me, these're more than  even  your
security systems could hope to fight."
   Lando  clapped a hand to his forehead and groaned. "That's  not
just a pirate fleet, that's an armada! What's the big ship in  the
middle? I don't recognize it."
   In  her mind Jaina ran through mechanical specifications of all
the ship designs she had learned from her father-but right now she
was at a loss.
   "Some  kind  of modified assault shuttle, maybe?"  Jaina  said.
Through the magnification on the screens they stared as the  ships
came relentlessly in. "But I don't understand that contraption  in
the bow."
   The mysterious assault shuttle had a strange device mounted  at
its front end, circular and jagged, like the wide-open mouth of  a
fanged underwater predator.
   "Send  a distress signal," Lando said to Lobot. "Full spectrum.
Make sure everybody knows we're under attack here."
   With  maddening  computer-enhanced calm, Lobot shook  his  bald
head.  "I've already tried. We're jammed, sir-can't punch a signal
through their screens."
   "Well, what do they want?" Lando asked in exasperation.
   "They've  made  no  demands," Lobot replied.  "They  refuse  to
answer our hails. We do not know what they're after."
   Jaina stared out the window at the incoming ships and felt cold
inside.  She  shuddered.  Jacen squeezed her  hand,  his  forehead
wrinkled with anxiety. They had realized the same thing.
   "I've got a bad feeling about this," Jacen said. "It's . . . us
they want, isn't it?"
   "Yeah,  I  can feel it," Jaina said, her voice barely  above  a
whisper. Lowie nodded his shaggy head and groaned in agreement.
   "What do you kids mean?" Lando looked at them with disbelief in
his  large  brown eyes. "They must be after our Corusca  gems-it's
the only thing that makes sense."
   Jaina  shook  her head, but Lando was too busy to  pay  further
attention.  The  four  flanking blast-boats angled  out  from  the
central   assault   shuttle   toward  the   defensive   satellites
surrounding Gem-Diver Station.
   "Have  you  removed the fail-safes from the targeting systems?"
Lando asked.
   Lobot  nodded.  "Systems  ready to fire,"  he  murmured.  High-
powered lasers from the defensive satellites lanced out toward the
blastboats,  but  the small satellites could not  generate  enough
power to penetrate the heavy Imperial armor.
   Each Skipray blastboat targeted one of the small satellites and
unleashed  a  crackling blur from its ion cannons.  The  defensive
satellites powered up, preparing to fire again, but then  all  the
lights went dead.
   "The  ion cannons fried the circuits," Lobot announced  in  his
calm voice. "All satellites are off-line."
   The  Skiprays came in for another strike and fired  with  laser
cannons,  this time blasting the defensive satellites into  molten
metal vapor.
   "We've still got the station's armor," Lando said, but now  his
trembling voice betrayed his Lack of confidence.
   The  modified assault shuttle in the middle of the armada homed
in  on one of the lower space doors. From the bottom decks of  the
station  came a loud thump and clang as something large and  heavy
struck the outer hull-and stayed.
   "What are they doing?" Lando asked.
   "The  modified assault shuttle has attached itself to the outer
wall of GemDiver Station," Lobot reported.
   "Where?"
   The bald cyborg checked readings. "One of the equipment bays. I
think they're trying to force their way in."
   Lando  waved his hand in dismissal. "Well, they can  knock  but
they  can't  come  in." He smiled nervously. "Just  keep  all  the
airlocks sealed. Our station armor should hold."
   "Excuse me," Jaina said, "but I may have figured out what  that
modification  is.  I think they plan to bore through  the  station
walls.  The jagged things we saw looked like teeth-so I'm guessing
they cut through metal."
   "Not  this metal." Lando shook his head. "The station  wall  is
double-armored. Nothing could cut through it."
   Jacen  spoke  up. "I thought you said Corusca  gems  could  cut
through anything."
   Lando  shook his head again. "Sure, but that would take a whole
shipment of industrial-grade Corusca gems." Then he stopped,  eyes
widening.  "Well,  uh, we have shipped some industrial-grade  gems
since we upgraded our operations."
   He  picked  up  a  comlink and spoke into it.  "This  is  Lando
Calrissian.  All  security  details  go  to  lower  equipment  bay
number"-he   leaned  over  Lobot's  shoulder  to   look   at   the
screen-"number thirty-four. Full armor and weapons. We're about to
be boarded by hostile forces."
   Lando  took a blaster pistol from the sealed armory case inside
the  bridge  deck. He turned to Lobot. "Nobody boards  my  station
without my permission." He started down the corridor, calling over
his  shoulder  as  he ran. "You kids find a safe place,  and  stay
there!"
   So of course the young Jedi Knights followed him.
   Station  guards  in  padded, dark blue uniforms  sprinted  from
corridor  intersections. The pastel colors and  nature  sounds  of
GemDiver  Station  seemed oddly out of place, no  longer  soothing
amid  the  chaos  of  defensive preparations and  the  turmoil  of
screeching alarms.
   By  the  time they reached lower equipment bay 34, a  squad  of
station  guards  had already set up their position behind  storage
containers and supply modules, blaster rifles drawn and  aimed  at
the wall.
   Jaina  heard  a  whining, gnawing sound  that  made  her  teeth
vibrate.  A  circular section of the outer wall  glowed,  and  she
could imagine the assault shuttle on the other side, linked to Gem-
Diver Station like a huge battle-ready brine-eel, chewing its  way
through the station armor.
   A  bright white line appeared in the circle as a Corusca  tooth
bit  through  the  thick  plate. Jaina hoped  belatedly  that  the
attacking ship's seal against the station was airtight.
   One  of  Lando's  station guards, keyed  up  with  overwhelming
tension,  let  off  two shots from his blaster  rifle.  The  bolts
spanged against the wall and left a discolored blotch on the inner
hull, but the jaws of the boring machine continued to chew through
the plates.
   In a flash, with a puff of steam and the crump of small, shaped
explosives, a large disk of the outer hull fell forward  into  the
equipment bay.
   Lando's security forces started firing immediately, even before
the  smoke cleared; but the enemy on the other side did not  pause
either.  Dozens  of  white-armored Imperial  stormtroopers  boiled
through  the hole like a hive of frenzied lizard-ants  that  Jacen
had  once kept in his collection of exotic pets. The stormtroopers
fired  as  they charged-using only the curving blue arcs  of  stun
beams, Jaina was relieved to see.
   Four  stormtroopers went down with smoking holes in their white
armor;  but  more and more poured out of the assault shuttle.  The
air  in  the  equipment bay was crisscrossed with  bright  weapons
fire.
   Looming behind the armed stormtroopers, cloaked in shadows  and
rising  smoke, stood a tall and sinister woman dressed in a  black
cape with spines on each shoulder. She had flowing ebony hair like
the wings of a bird of prey. Despite her growing terror, Jaina saw
that  the  woman's eyes were a striking color, like the violet  of
iridescent jungle flowers on Yavin 4. Jaina felt her heart  clench
as if hands of ice had wrapped around it.
   The  ominous dark woman stepped through the smoldering hole  in
the  wall  of GemDiver Station, oblivious to the weapons  fire.  A
faint  electric-blue corona of static lightning clung  around  her
like the powerful discharges that had zapped the Fast Hand in  the
atmospheric storms of Yavin.
   "Remember-don't  harm  the children," the  woman  shouted.  Her
voice was slow and heavy, but razor-sharp menace edged every word.
   At  the mention of the children, Lando whirled to see that  the
twins  and  Lowie had followed him. "What are you doing here?"  he
said.  "Come  on, we've got to get you to safety!"  He  waved  his
blaster  pistol toward the entryway. Then, as if in  afterthought,
he  turned and fired three more times, catching one of the  white-
armored storm-troopers full in the chest.
   Jacen  and  Jaina bolted down the corridor. Lowie,  needing  no
further encouragement, bellowed as he ran along.
   Lando  came charging after. "I guess you were right," he  said,
panting. "For some reason they are after you."
   "I'm  just a simple droid," Em Teedee wailed. "I certainly hope
they don't want me."
   A  series  of  muffled explosions erupted behind  them,  and  a
shockwave  of heat rippled through the station's metal  corridors,
making the kids stumble.
   Lando  caught his balance and steadied Jaina. "Turn right,"  he
gasped. "Up here."
   They  ran.  More  blaster  fire followed  them,  then  a  third
explosion.  Lando clenched his teeth. "This has not  been  a  good
day," he grumbled.
   "I most heartily concur," Em Teedee chimed from Lowie's waist.
   "Here!  In the shipping chamber." Lando gestured for the  three
others  to stop outside the barricaded door of the launching  room
where  they had seen the cargo pods and the droids packing Corusca
gems for automated shipment.
   He  punched  in  an  access  code,  but  Lando's  fingers  were
trembling.  A  red  light blinked. "ACCESS DENIED."  Lando  hissed
something,  then  rekeyed the number. This time the  light  winked
green,  and  the heavy triple doors sighed open. Inside,  the  two
copper-plated droids continued packing the hyperpods. "Excuse me,"
one  droid said, sounding flustered, "would you please discontinue
those  explosions? The vibrations make it much more difficult  for
us to process."
   Lando  ignored  the droids as he pushed the  kids  inside.  "We
can't get you away from here-those blastboats would come after you
before  you  knew it-but this is the safest place on the  station.
I'll  stand  outside and guard the door." He gripped  his  blaster
pistol, feigning confidence.
   Lowie growled, obviously wanting to fight; but before Jacen  or
Jaina  could say anything, Lando slapped the emergency panel.  The
thick doors clanged shut, locking them inside the chamber.
   Jacen  placed his ear against the thick door and listened,  but
he could hear only the muffled noises of battle. Lowie, his ginger-
colored fur standing on end with battle-readiness, kneaded his big
knuckles.  Jaina looked around the room for anything to help  them
fight.
   Jacen  yelled to the droids, "Hey, is there an armory in  here?
Do you have any weapons?"
   The  droids  interrupted  their packing  and  swiv-eled  smooth
copper  heads toward him, optical sensors glowing. "Please do  not
disturb  us, sir," they said, then resumed their tasks.  "We  have
essential work to do."
   Outside  the  door,  the sound of gunfire  suddenly  increased.
Jaina  pulled  Jacen back from the door as she heard Lando  shout.
The door vibrated with the impact of energy bolts, then everything
went  quiet. Jaina waited, backing away and looking into her  twin
brothers brandy-brown eyes. They both swallowed. Lowbacca let  out
a  thin  sound  like  a whimper. The multiarmed  droids  continued
working, undisturbed.
   A  shower  of sparks ran around part of the door as  heavy-duty
lasers cut into it, slicing away a section.
   "D'you suppose you could invent some sort of weapon for  us  in
the next few seconds?" Jacen said.
   Jaina  racked  her brain for inspiration, but her inventiveness
failed her.
   The  door  split open, melted and smoking. The security  breach
set  off  yet  another  alarm, but the  sounds  were  pitiful  and
superfluous  in the already-overwhelming noise of the  battle  for
GemDiver Station.
   Stormtroopers muscled their way in.
   The   two  packing  droids  trundled  indignantly  toward   the
Stormtroopers. "Intruder alert," one of the droids said. "Warning.
No unauthorized entry is permitted. You must return to-"
   In  response,  the Stormtroopers fired with all their  weapons,
blasting both copper droids into shards of smoking components that
clattered and sparked on the floor.
   Jaina  saw Lando sprawled unconscious on the floor outside  the
door,  his  green cape pooled around him, his right  arm  extended
forward, still grasping the blaster pistol.
   The towering dark woman strode in, her violet eyes flashing  at
the three companions. The stormtroopers leveled blaster pistols at
Jacen, Jaina, and Lowbacca.
   "Wait!" Jaina said. "What do you want?"
   "Do not let them manipulate your minds," the dark woman shouted
to the Stormtroopers. "Stun them!"
   Before  Jaina  could say anything else, bright blue  arcs  shot
toward  her and the others, and they were overcome by  a  wave  of
unconsciousness.
   Jaina fell into blackness.
   
   5
   
   On Yavin 4 Tenel Ka paced the ramparts of the Great Temple that
housed  Luke  Skywalker's Jedi academy. As befitted a  warrior  of
Dathomir, she wore scaled armor that shone as if it had just  been
polished...  which it had. Her red-gold hair was caught  up  in  a
multitude  of ceremonial braids, each decorated with  feathers  or
beads. Her cool gray eyes scanned the leaden skies for any sign of
the  ship  that  would  bring  the  dreaded  ambassador  from  her
grandmother.
   Wind whipped the ornamented braids about her face, and Tenel Ka
pushed  them  away  in annoyance. The humid air  felt  oppressive,
charged with menace. Yavin's dry season had ended.
   She  sensed an uncomfortable tingling in the depths of her mind
that  told her something was about to happen, as if lightning were
about  to  strike.  She  sighed. Her grandmothers  messengers  and
diplomats could be as lethal as lightning....
   They  were  not above killing an enemy, or even  a  friend,  to
ensure that the successor to the throne of Hapes was the one  they
most   desired  to  have  in  power.  It  was  rumored  that   her
grandmother's assassins had murdered Tenel Ka's own uncle, brother
to her father, Prince Isolder.
   She  started  in surprise as a raindrop, warm as blood,  landed
with  a splat on her bare arm. Although the air was not cold,  she
shivered.
   Her  feelings  toward her grandmother were  complex:  she  both
admired and despised the older woman. Tenel Ka preferred to  dress
in the lizardskin armor of the warrior women of Dathomir, like her
mother,  rather than in the fine web-silks of the Royal  House  of
the Hapes Cluster.
   So  far,  Tenel  Ka  had managed to tread a fine  line  between
pleasing  and  annoying her grand-mottier. She knew  that  if  she
stepped over that line too far, assassins might someday pay her  a
visit. . . .
   A branch of lightning crackled across the ominous sky, followed
by a boom of thunder. Atop the temple, Tenel Ka paced like a caged
animal, her agitation increasing as she stalked along the edge  of
the  pyramid  and wondered why Ambassador Yfra did  not  come.  So
great  was  her  turmoil  that she didn't even  notice  that  Luke
Skywalker  had joined her on the observation deck until  he  stood
directly in front of her.
   The  Jedi Master placed both of his hands on her shoulders  and
looked into her eyes. Peace and warmth flowed from him, and  Tenel
Ka  felt  herself begin to relax. "There's a message in  the  Comm
Center for you," he said quietly. "Would you like me to be present
while you speak with the ambassador?"
   Tenel  Ka  could  not suppress a shudder of  revulsion  as  she
thought  of her grandmother's thin-lipped emissary. "Your presence
would"-she  paused for a moment, searching for words-  "honor  me,
Master Skywalker."
   Tenel  Ka  stood erect, holding her head high as she faced  her
grandmother's  ambassador in the Comm Center  viewscreen-an  image
that  for  all  its apparent cruelty still held  traces  of  proud
beauty. Ambassador Yfra's hair and eyes were the color of polished
pewter.
   "Our  meetings  on Coruscant took longer than  we  anticipated,
young one," Yfra was saying in a voice that indicated she was  not
used to being questioned. "Therefore, our meeting with you must be
postponed for two days."
   Tenel  Ka  gave  no outward sign of her discomposure,  but  her
heart  sank. Jacen, Jaina, and Lowbacca were due back long  before
then. She sent a pleading glance to Luke.
   The  Jedi  Master stepped forward and spoke in  a  soft  voice.
"Perhaps I could bring the Princess of Hapes to meet with  you  on
Coruscant?" he offered.
   Ambassador Yfra smiled in what Tenel Ka knew was meant to be  a
kindly  fashion, but there was no kindness or conciliation in  her
eyes. "I have specific orders to observe the heir of Hapes in  her
place of study."
   Tenel  Ka  opened  her  mouth  to speak,  but  was  spared  the
necessity  when  an emergency beacon flashed next to  the  screen.
Luke  reacted  instantly. "Ambassador Yfra,  we  have  a  priority
override communication coming in. Please wait," he said, switching
the channel before the ambassador had a chance to reply. ,
   The  dark  face  of  Lando  Calrissian appeared,  his  handsome
features  marred by a worried frown. Confusion haunted his  bleary
eyes.  His  hair  and clothes were disheveled, and warning  sirens
whooped in the background.
   "Luke,  buddy," he rasped, "I'm not sure exactly what happened.
They ... fried our security satellites, boarded the station . .  .
must've stunned us. We're okay, but-" Lando's troubled eyes closed
and  his  jaw  tightened, "Jacen, Jaina, and  Lowbacca  are  gone.
They've been kidnapped."
   Luke  drew  in a deep breath. Tenel Ka guessed he was  using  a
Jedi calming technique, but with less success than usual. His body
appeared  relaxed, but his clear blue eyes carried  a  laser-sharp
look.  One  hand  was clenched into a fist at his side.  "Who  did
this?" he asked, his voice terse.
   Lando  shook his head. "We don't know who has the kids or  why,
but  I've  got  all my best people working on it. It  was  someone
connected with the Empire, though-that's for sure."
   "I'll  be there within the hour," Luke said, reaching  for  the
comlink.
   "Wait,"  Tenel Ka said. "These are my friends. I know how  they
think.  I know what they would do. I cannot cower here while  they
are in danger. Please. I must go with you."
   Luke nodded. "Your presence would . . . honor me," he answered,
echoing  her  earlier words. His eyes went back to Lando's  image.
"We'll  be there within the hour," he amended, then switched  back
to the ambassador's comm frequency.
   Ambassador  Yfra's mouth was open as if she  were  prepared  to
protest  such rude treatment, but Luke spoke first. "I'm sorry  to
keep  you  waiting, Ambassador, but an emergency has come  up.  It
requires both my presence and that of the princess. I'm afraid  we
must  postpone any plans to meet with you until this situation  is
resolved.  Please  convey our respectful greetings  to  the  Royal
House  of  Hapes."  With a slight bow, he  snapped  off  the  comm
channel.
   Even  though  she was worried about her friends, a  feeling  of
satisfaction bubbled up within Tenel Ka at the deftness with which
Master Skywalker had handled Ambassador Yfra.
   Luke looked at Tenel Ka. "I'm sure the ambassador isn't used to
being  postponed  with so little explanation,  but  we  have  more
important things to do right now."
   Tenel Ka nodded emphatically. "This is a fact."
   Tenel  Ka  tried  to  be  impartial and unemotional  as  Master
Skywalker expertly guided the shuttle toward GemDiver Station. She
needed to remain unruffled and alert, to search for any clue  that
might  help  them recover the three young Jedi- the  best  friends
she'd ever had.
   The  multicolored lights of the station winked as the  docking-
bay doors slid open and Luke brought the shuttle in for a landing.
At  any other time Tenel Ka might have noted her surroundings, the
artistry  and  craftsmanship  that had  gone  into  the  station's
construction-but  the  moment the shuttle doors  opened,  she  was
assailed  by  a  sense  of  lingering violence  and  darkness.  Of
wrongness.
   Harried  and  disheveled,  Lando Calrissian  met  them  at  the
shuttle. Motioning for Luke and Tenel Ka to follow, he led them to
the sealed shipping bay where the final struggle had occurred.
   Tenel  Ka  swept the chamber with her eyes, noting the  blaster
burns  on  the  walls  and  ceiling of  the  outer  corridor,  the
congealed rivulets of molten plasteel, the shards of broken metal.
Then  she watched as Luke sank down on one knee, placed both hands
against the floor, and let his eyes flutter closed.
   "Yes,  it  happened  here," he murmured. He  took  a  few  deep
breaths, then fixed Lando with the piercing blueness of his  gaze.
"Don't blame yourself," he said. "You fought well."
   Lando's  face  was filled with regret, and he shook  his  head.
"But  it  wasn't enough, buddy. I couldn't save them." A  note  of
anger  and  selfreproach crept into his voice.  "I  was  too  busy
trying  to  defend my station-thinking they were pirates  come  to
steal  my Corusca gems. I didn't even realize they were after  the
kids until it was too late."
   Luke neither condemned nor pardoned Lando, Tenel Ka noticed. He
simply listened.
   At  last  Lando  spoke  again in a  quiet  voice.  "If  there's
anything you need to help find them-my station, a ship, a  crew...
anything at all-"
   Lando's  offer  of  help was cut short by the  arrival  of  his
assistant  Lobot,  whose computer headset flashed  with  an  ever-
changing array of lights. "We finished patching the hull breach in
lower equipment bay thirty-four," he said without preamble.
   Lando  turned to Luke and Tenel Ka, his forehead creasing  into
an indignant scowl. "They, sliced us open like a disposable can of
emergency rations."
   The  bald cyborg nodded in corroboration. "Their equipment  was
specially designed to remove a section of hull."
   Lando  continued,  "The only thing I know of  sharp  enough  to
slice through durasteel that quickly is-"
   "Corusca gems," Luke finished for him.
   "Industrial grade," Lobot added.
   "Right,"  Lando said morosely. "They used our own gems  against
us."
   "Rare  and  expensive,"  Lobot said.  "Not  just  anyone  could
purchase them."
   Tenel Ka saw Luke's eyes light with sudden hope. "Can you  tell
us where your shipments of such gems were sold?"
   Lando shrugged. "Like my friend said, industrial-grade gems are
fairly  rare.  We've made only two shipments since  our  operation
opened." He sent a questioning glance at his cyborg assistant.
   Lobot pressed a panel on the back of his head and cocked it  to
one  side  as  if listening to a voice no one else could  hear.  A
moment later he nodded. "Both shipments were sold through our  bro
ker on Borgo Prime."
   "Can you find out who he sold them to?" Luke asked.
   "I  doubt  it,"  Lando said. "Gem brokers are pretty  skittish.
They  pay a good percentage, but they're secretive-afraid that  if
we  know  who  their  customers are, we won't need  the  middlemen
anymore."
   "Then  we must go to Borgo Prime and find out ourselves," Tenel
Ka said with fierce determination.
   Luke sent her a warm smile, then turned back to Lando. "What is
Borgo Prime anyway?"
   "An  asteroid spaceport and trade center. It's also  a  hangout
for  merchants, thieves, murderers, smugglers ... the dregs of the
galaxy."  Lando  flashed Luke a grin. "A lot like  Mos  Eisley  on
Tatooine. You'll feel right at home."
   
   Tenel Ka waited in silence as Master Skywalker faced the screen
in GemDiver Station's Communications Center.
   Han  Solo  stood with one arm around his wife,  Leia,  who  was
supported on the other side by Lowie's uncle, Chewbacca.
   Tenel  Ka studied the images on the screen and decided that  at
this  moment Leia Organa Solo looked more like a concerned  mother
than a powerful politician.
   "But  Luke,  they're our children," she was saying.  "We  can't
simply stand by and do nothing if they're in danger."
   "Not on your life!" Han said.
   "Of   course  not,"  Luke  agreed  quietly.  "But  as  the  New
Republic's  chief of state, you can't afford to  put  yourself  in
that  same  danger. Mobilize your forces. Start an  investigation.
Send  out  spies and probe droids. But stay there  and  act  as  a
central clearinghouse for information."
   "All  right,  Luke," Leia said. "We'll work from Coruscant  for
now,  but  once  we've done everything we can from here,  well  go
looking for them ourselves."
   "I'll come get you in the Falcon" Han said.
   "Give  me ten standard days first," Luke said. "I have  a  lead
I'm  going to follow right now before the trail gets cold. We need
to get going. We'll keep you informed of our progress."
   "We?" Han asked. "Is Lando going with you?"
   "No,"  Luke replied. "The heir of Hapes will honor me with  her
company," he said, gesturing to Tenel Ka.
   "We are grateful for your assistance," Leia said formally.
   Tenel  Ka  nodded  toward the screen with a brief,  stiff  bow.
"Jacen, Jaina, and Lowbacca have a greater call on me than honor,"
she said. "They have'my friendship."
   Leia's  face softened. "Then I owe you my gratitude as a mother
as  well." Chewbacca rumbled what Tenel Ka could only interpret as
an agreement.
   "Don't  worry,  we'll find them," Luke said, his  voice  filled
with urgency. "But we need to leave now."
   Han lifted his chin and smiled at Luke. "Okay, get going, kid."
   Just  before  the  communications link was broken,  Leia  spoke
again. "And may the Force be with you."
   
   6
   
   Jaina  came  back  to  consciousness  with  Lowie  shaking  her
shoulders. The lanky Wookiee moaned plaintively until she  groaned
and woke up, blinking her eyes.
   A  rush  of  unpleasant sensations flooded through her:  queasy
stomach,   pounding  head,  aching  joints-aftereffects   of   the
stormtroopers'  stun beams. The human body wasn't designed  to  be
knocked out with a blast of energy. Her ears hummed, too, but  her
instincts  told  her  that  the  sounds  were  real-the   rumbling
vibrations of a big ship in hyperdrive.
   Uncertain  about  whether  she  dared  risk  a  more   vertical
position,  Jaina  cautiously turned her head. She  saw  that  she,
Jacen,  and  Lowbacca were together in a small, nondescript  room.
Jaina  took a deep breath, scratched her straight brown hair,  and
ran  her  hands  down  her grease-smeared jumpsuit  to  make  sure
everything was still intact.
   Suddenly recalling the attack on GemDiver Station, Jaina sat up
so  quickly that a fresh wave of nausea washed over her  and  pain
exploded at her temples. She gasped, then forced herself to  relax
and let some of the pain drain away. "Where are we?" she asked.
   Jacen  was  already sitting up on a narrow pallet, rubbing  his
brandy-brown  eyes  and running long fingers through  his  tousled
hair.  He wore a look of confusion, and Jaina sensed deep  turmoil
coming from her brother. "Not a clue," he said.
   Lowbacca also made a dismayed, questioning sound.
   "Least  we're all together," Jaina said. "And they  didn't  put
binders  on  us."  She  held  up her  hands,  surprised  that  the
Imperials  had  not separated their prisoners and  tied  them  up.
Water and a food tray lay in an alcove by the wall. From the looks
of it, Lowie had already sampled some of the fruit.
   "Hey,  I  wonder what happened to everyone at GemDiver Station.
What do you suppose they did to Lando?" Jacen asked.
   Jaina   shrugged,  still  feeling  queasy.   "Saw   him   lying
unconscious  just before they stunned us. But I don't  think  they
planned  to  kill  him.  They weren't looking  for  Corusca  gems,
either. Seems like they only wanted the three of us."
   "Yeah  . . . kinda makes you feel valuable, huh?" Jacen  agreed
glumly. Lowie growled.
   Jaina  stood  up and stretched, feeling better  as  she  moved.
"Guess I'm okay, though. How about you two?"
   Jacen  smiled  reassuringly, and Lowie nodded his shaggy  head.
The streak of black fur that swept over his eyebrows bristled with
uneasiness. He smoothed the fur back and grunted.
   It was then that Jaina noticed something else wrong. She looked
down  at  the  Wookiee's  waist, but the miniaturized  translating
droid was no longer there.
   "Lowie! What happened to Ern Teedee?"
   Lowie made a strange, sad sound and patted his waist.
   "Imperials  must've taken it from him," Jaina  said.  "What  do
they want?"
   "Oh, just to take over the galaxy, cause a bunch of problems  .
.  .  hurt  a  lot of people-you know, the usual," Jacen  answered
flippantly.  He  went over to the flat metal door. "Hmmmm...  it's
probably locked, but there's no harm in trying," he said,  tapping
the controls with his fingers.
   To Jaina's surprise, the door hummed sideways to reveal a guard
standing at attention just outside. A stormtrooper in a skull-like
white helmet turned to face them.
   "Whoa!" Jacen cried, then he lowered his voice. "Well, at least
the door opens."
   "Maybe they just can't figure out how to lock the door,"  Jaina
said. "Remember how clunky and unreliable Imperial technology is."
She  let sarcasm seep into her voice for the guard's benefit. "And
you  know how lousy stormtrooper armor is. Probably couldn't  even
stop a water blaster."
   "Just  walk  past  him," Jacen suggested in  a  stage  whisper,
seeing  that the stormtrooper hadn't moved. "Maybe he  won't  stop
us."
   The stormtrooper shouldered his blaster rifle. "Wait here." The
filtered  voice  coming through the white  helmet  was  flat,  but
somehow menacing. The guard spoke quietly into his helmet comlink,
then shut the three young Jedi Knights in their cell again.
   They  sat  in  anxious  silence for a moment.  "We  could  tell
jokes," Jacen suggested.
   Before  Jaina  could think of an appropriate answer,  the  cell
door  whisked open again. This time, beside the stormtrooper stood
the towering, sinister woman from the assault on GemDiver Station.
Jaina took a quick breath.
   The  tall woman's black hair flowed like waves of darkness down
her  shoulders, and her ebony cape sparkled with bits of  polished
gems, swirling around her like a starry night sky. Her violet eyes
blazed in a face so pale it seemed carved from polished bone.  Her
lips  were a dark wine color, as if she had just eaten an overripe
fruit. The woman was beautiful-in a cruel sort of way.
   "So,  Jedi  Knights, you are awake at last," she  snapped.  Her
voice  was  deep  and thick, without the hissing  edge  Jaina  had
expected. "I must begin by saying how disappointed I am in you.  I
had  hoped for more resistance from such powerful students already
trained  in  the  Force. Your Jedi defenses were pitiful!  But  we
shall change that. You will be taught new ways. Effective ways."
   The  woman  spun on one heel, and her black cloak swept  around
her  like trailing smoke. "Follow me," she said, and stepped  into
the corridor.
   "No," Jaina responded. "Who do you think you are? Why have  you
brought us here against our will?"
   "I  said followl" the woman repeated. When they made no move to
comply,  she  pointed her polished nails at them and twitched  her
fingers.
   Suddenly,  it  felt  as  if a resilient invisible  cord  1  had
wrapped  around  Jaina's  throat. The woman  crooked  her  finger,
yanking at Jaina as if she were a pet on a leash. Jaina lurched as
the invisible rope hauled her out of the cell.
   Lowbacca and Jacen strained against similar bonds of Force, the
Wookiee  yowling his defiance. Despite their struggles, all  three
children were dragged on Force leashes tripping and stumbling into
the corridor.
   "I  can  do  this all the way to the bridge, if you like,"  the
woman  said,  her deep red lips curved into a mocking smile.  "Or,
you can save your energies for more productive resistance later."
   "All  right," Jaina croaked, sensing that this woman  had  dark
Jedi powers she could not match-at least not yet.
   When the Force bonds dropped away, the companions stood gasping
and  trembling.  They looked at each other in  angry  humiliation,
knowing they were beaten.
   Jaina  was  the  first to recover. Swallowing hard,  she  stood
straight,  put  her  chin in the air, and followed  the  woman  in
black. Her brother and Lowie fell in behind Jaina. "Who are  you?"
Jaina asked after a while.
   The  woman paused in midstep, as if considering, then answered.
"My name is Tamith Kai. I am from a new order of Nightsisters."
   "Nightsisters? You mean like on Dathomir?" Jacen asked.
   Jaina remembered the stories their friend Tenel Ka told when it
was  her  turn  to scare them before they practiced  Jedi  calming
techniques-stories of the horrible evil women who had once twisted
civilization on her world.
   Tamith Kai looked at Jacen, her wine-dark lips set in something
between a scowl and a smile. "You've heard of us? Good. My  planet
is  rich in Force-wielders, and the Empire has helped to bring  us
back. Now perhaps you'll realize you can't resist. Cooperation, on
the other hand, will be rewarded."
   "We won't cooperate with you," Jaina challenged.
   "Yes, yes," Tamith Kai said, as if bored. "All in good time."
   "Hey, where are you taking us?" Jacen asked, walking quickly to
keep pace with his sister. Lowie strode behind them, grumbling and
fumbling at his waist as if he actually missed Em Teedee.
   "You'll see soon enough," the Nightsister said. "We are  almost
ready to leave hyperspace."
   All four of them stepped onto a lift platform that carried them
up a level and opened out onto the bridge of the fleeing ship. The
single  pilot  sat  with his back to them in a padded  high-backed
chair,  hunched  over  the  controls. Ahead,  through  the  bridge
viewports Jaina could see the swirling colors of hyperspace.
   The  pilot reached out with his right hand and grabbed a  lever
as  a  countdown trickled to zero. Then he yanked the  lever,  and
hyperspace  suddenly unfolded, washing away into the  star-studded
darkness of normal space.
   "We're  near the Core Systems," Jaina said immediately, looking
out  at the rich starfields and the streamers of interstellar  gas
clotted together near the center of the galaxy.
   The  crowded  Core Systems were the last bastions  of  Imperial
power;  not  even New Republic forces had been able to flush  them
out  completely. But they had arrived nowhere close to any system.
They  found  themselves merely hanging, out in the middle  of  the
star-strewn blackness.
   "We  have reached our destination, Tamith Kai," the pilot said,
swiveling in his tall chair.
   Jama's  heart  leaped as she recognized the weary,  hard-bitten
face  and  iron-gray  hair of the former TIE pilot  who  had  been
stranded on Yavin 4 for so many years.
   "Qorl!" Jacen exclaimed.
   Lowie roared in anger.
   Qorl  had  attacked  them in the jungles when  the  young  Jedi
Knights had found his crashed TIE fighter and tried to fix it. The
Imperial pilot had shot at Lowie and Tenel Ka, who had managed  to
escape  into the undergrowth, but Qorl had taken Jacen  and  Jaina
prisoner.
   "Greetings, young friends. I never did thank you for fixing  my
ship and allowing me to return to my Empire."
   "You betrayed us!" Jaina cried, feeling a surge of anger toward
the  brainwashed  man.  While being held captive,  the  twins  had
befriended Qorl, exchanging stories with him around the  campfire.
Jaina  had  felt sure the TIE pilot was softening, realizing  that
the  ways  of  the Empire were filled with lies. But in  the  end,
Qorl's military conditioning had been too strong.
   "I returned as any soldier would and gave my report," Qorl said
in  a dull voice. "These people accepted me and... reindoctrinated
me. I told them of your existence-powerful young Jedi Knights just
waiting to be trained to serve the Empire."
   "Never," Jaina and Jacen snapped in unison, and Lowbacca agreed
with a roar.
   Tamith Kai looked down at them mockingly. Standing beside Qorl,
the  dark-haired  woman  seemed  even  taller  than  before,  more
intimidating than ever. "Your anger is good," she said. "Fuel  it.
Let  it  grow. We will use it when your training begins.  But  for
now... we have reached our destination."
   Lowie gave a growl of disbelief.
   Jaina  looked out the front viewports, trying to calm  herself.
Master  Skywalker had said that giving in to anger was a  path  to
the  dark side of the Force. She must not lash out, she knew;  she
must think of some other way to fight back.
   "We're  in  the  middle of empty space," Jaina said.  "What  is
there for us to see?"
   "Space  is not always empty," Tamith Kai said. Her thick  voice
held  a singsong quality, as if her mind was thinking of something
else. "Reality is not always what it seems."
   At his station Qorl verified the coordinates, then punched in a
security code. "Transmitting now," he said.
   Tamith  Kai turned her sharp violet eyes toward the young  Jedi
Knights.  "You are about to begin a new phase of your lives,"  she
said, pointing to the viewscreens. "Behold."
   Space  shimmered like a blanket of invisibility  peeling  away.
Suddenly a space station hung in front of them, torus-shaped, like
a  donut.  Weapons  emplacements ringed the  station's  entire  pe
rimeter, pointing in all directions, making it look like a  spiked
disciplinary  collar  for some ferocious beast.  Tall  observation
towers rose like pinnacles on one side of the station.
   Jaina swallowed hard.
   "Cloaking device off," Qorl announced.
   "Take a good look," Tamith Kai said, but she did not glance  at
the  viewscreens.  Her eyes glittered with violet  fervor  at  the
children.  "Here  you'll  be trained as  Dark  Jedi  ...  for  the
Empire."
   Qorl  spoke  up,  reminding  her.  "We  must  commence  docking
immediately and reactivate the invisibility shielding."
   The  Nightsister nodded but did not seem to hear, never  taking
her  eyes  off  the  young Jedi Knights. "Welcome  to  the  Shadow
Academy," she whispered.
   
   7
   
   Tenel  Ka  slid a hand under the crash webbing of the copilot's
seat and scratched at the rough-woven, unfamiliar material of  her
disguise. She wished for the dozenth time that she could wear  her
comfortable  reptilian  armor, which  was  as  supple  as  it  was
protective and never irritated her skin.
   She  had  been silent, intimidated, through most of the journey
to  Borgo Prime, unable to bring herself to speak. Beside her  sat
Master  Skywalker- the most famous and revered Jedi in the  entire
galaxy-calmly  and  competently piloting the Off  Chance,  an  old
blockade runner Lando had won in a sabacc game and claimed  he  no
longer needed.
   Tenel  Ka's  grandmother had insisted  that  the  girl's  royal
training  include  diplomacy  and correct  methods  of  addressing
individuals  of  any  rank, species, age, or  gender.  Though  not
loquacious, Tenel Ka was also not shy; yet somehow, alone with the
impressive Jedi Master in the confines of their tiny cockpit,  she
could  find  nothing to say. She tried to think, but her  sluggish
mind  would not cooperate. Weariness clung to her like the  sweat-
damp  clothing  she wore. She squirmed in her seat  and  tried  to
suppress a nervous yawn.
   Luke  glanced over at her, a smile at the corners of his mouth.
"Tired?"
   "Not  much sleep," Tenel Ka answered, embarrassed that  he  had
noticed her fatigue. "Bad dreams."
   Luke's  blue eyes narrowed for a moment, as if he was searching
for a memory, but then he shook his head. "I haven't been sleeping
well  either- but, tired or not, we can't afford to make mistakes,
Let's go over our cover story again. Tell me who you are."
   "We are traders from Randon. We will avoid using names. But, if
we  must, you are Iltar and I am your ward-cousin Beknit. We trade
in  archaeological treasures. We are not above breaking the law to
make a profit. We have come from a secret archaeological dig on  .
.  ." She paused for a moment, searching her brain for the name of
the planet.
   "Ossus," Luke supplied.
   "Ah. Aha," Tenel Ka said. "Ossus." She took a deep breath while
she  etched the name into her mind, then she continued. "On Ossus,
we  discovered  a  treasured vault, secured with an  Old  Republic
seal.  The treasure chamber is set deep into rock and plated  with
armor so thick that no blaster or laser can pierce it.
   "We  dare not blast the surrounding rock for fear of destroying
the  treasure. We've come to Borgo Prime in search of  industrial-
grade  Corusca  gems  to  slice through the  armor  and  open  the
treasure vault. We are ready to pay handsomely for the right  type
of gems."
   Tenel  Ka watched with interest as the dull, lumpy asteroid  of
Borgo  Prime loomed in their forward viewports. The rock had  been
hollowed  out, honeycombed in ages past by generations of asteroid
miners  who  sought  one type of mineral, then another  as  market
conditions changed. But more than a century ago, Borgo  Prime  had
been  stripped  clean of even the least-desirable ore-  leaving  a
spongelike network of interlocked caves, fully equipped  with  all
the  life-support systems and transportation airlocks  the  miners
had  needed. It had been a simple matter to convert the played-out
mine into a bustling spaceport.
   Luke transmitted the standard request for clearance to land and
received it without difficulty.
   "We've  been cleared for docking bay ninety-four,"  Luke  said.
"Are you ready, uh, Beknit?"
   Tenel Ka nodded matter-of-factly. "Of course, Iltar."
   Luke  studied  her  for a moment, earnest concern  filling  his
face.  "It  could be rough down there, you know.  You  heard  what
Lando  said:  Borgo  Prime  is filled  with  people  who  have  no
conscience-thieves, murderers, creatures who would  just  as  soon
kill you as greet you."
   "Ah.  Aha," Tenel Ka said, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds  like  a
visit to my grandmother's court on Hapes."
   The  two Randoni traders, "Iltar" and his ward-cousin "Beknit,"
left  their  blockade  runner in the  dockyard  cavern  behind  an
immense  hangar  door  and walked along the causeway  that  joined
Borgo Prime's largest space dock to its business district deep  in
the core of the asteroid.
   In spite of her many rehearsals, Tenel Ka found it difficult to
remember  that she was supposed to be an experienced trader,  used
to frequenting such spaceports. She gawked openly at the tall rows
of  prefabricated dwellings welded up and down the inner walls and
all the garish flashing lights of the alien businesses in separate
atmosphere domes around them.
   This  place was so different from the primitive, untamed  world
of Dathomir. Even Hapes with its serene and stately cities-some of
them  larger than this entire asteroid-bore no resemblance to  the
spaceport's seedy, gaudily lit establishments, that hummed with  a
life  of  their own. Overhead, through the clear arching  plasteel
that  covered a rift in the ceiling, the stars and space were  all
but obscured by Borgo Prime's glaring lights.
   Luke  paused beside Tenel Ka, letting her collect her thoughts.
"You've never been anyplace like this, have you?" he asked.
   She  shook  her  head and started to walk again, searching  for
words to describe the unsettling emotions. "I feel... foolish. Out
of  place." She scuffed her toes along a causeway surface that was
paved with colorful, glowing advertisements. She paused to read an
ad, then another. The first one announced in phosphorescent script
that flared into light as she stepped near it,
   
                           borgo landing
             space docks by the hour or by the month.
   
   The next one said simply
   
                            info to Go
                  discreet inquiries of all sorts
                     completely confidential.
   
   Tenel Ka shook her head. "I do not understand this place,"  she
said. "It both revolts and . . . entices me at the same time."
   "You  don't have to go through with this, you know," Luke said.
"I could handle it myself."
   It  was  completely  true,  Tenel Ka realized-an  uncomfortable
thought. She tossed her head and ran a nervous hand over her hair,
which she wore loose, in Random style, so that it flowed down  her
back  in  a cascade of red-gold ripples like a sun-dappled stream.
She  tried to look confident, but icy fingers of doubt prodded her
mind. "I will do what I must to rescue my friends," she said,  her
voice  as  brisk and businesslike as she could make it. "Where  is
this nest or hive that Lando told us to find?"
   Luke  pointed to another lighted ad at their feet. "I think  we
just found it," he said with a pleased expression.
   
                           shanko's hive
                   fine drinks and entertainment
                      all species, all ages.
   
   The flat image showed an insectoid barkeeper proffering a dozen
drinks  with  its multijointed, chitinous arms. A row of  blinking
beacon lights set into the walkway indicated the direction of  the
"hive."
   A  sudden bout of stage fright assailed Tenel Ka, but she  knew
how   important  it  was  for  them  to  stay  in  character.  She
straightened her clothing, cleared her throat, and looked at Luke.
"You  must  be very thirsty after your long journey,  Iltar,"  she
said.
   "Yes. Thank you, Beknit," he answered smoothly. "I could use  a
drink." Then he leaned toward her and asked in a lower voice, "Are
you sure you want to do this?"
   Tenel Ka nodded firmly. "I'm ready for anything."
   "I  did  not  expect  an establishment quite  so  large  on  an
asteroid  of this size," Tenel Ka said, tilting back her  head  to
look  at the rounded ripples of Shanko's cone-shaped Hive, a gray-
green edifice sealed in its own atmosphere field. The edifice rose
at least a quarter kilometer above the inner floor of Borgo Prime.
   Feathery  wings  of  fear  and  uncertainty  fluttered  in  her
stomach,  and she paused to draw in a deep breath. To  Tenel  Ka's
great  chagrin,  a  subtle  spark of amusement  danced  in  Master
Skywalker's  eyes.  "You know what waits for us  in  there,  don't
you?" he asked.
   "Thieves," she answered.
   "Murderers," he added.
   "Liars, scum, smugglers, traitors . . ." Her voice trailed off.
   "Almost  like  family back on Hapes?" he asked with  a  gentle,
teasing smile.
   As  heir  to  the  Royal Throne of Hapes, Tenel  Ka  had  faced
trained assassins, as had her father, Prince Isolder, before  her.
If  she  could do that, surely she could handle a little spaceport
cantina.
   "Thank  you," she said, taking the arm he offered. "I am  ready
now."
   Luke slid a pass chit into a small slot in the door. "Let's try
to keep a low profile." The door slid open.
   The  first  thing that caught Tenel Ka's eye when  she  stepped
through  the door was the insectoid bartender, Shanko,  who  stood
over three meters high.
   The  room  was  filled with indescribable odors she  could  not
begin  to  identify-not actually pleasant, but not quite offensive
either.  Particulates hung in the air from a multitude of  burning
objects:  pipes, candles, incense, chunks of peat in blazing  bog-
pits,  even clothing or fur from the occasional customer  who  got
too close to one of the fires.
   Without  speaking, Luke gestured with his chin toward the  bar.
Even  if  he had spoken aloud, Tenel Ka could not have  heard  him
above  the noise of at least half a dozen different bands  playing
hit tunes from as many different systems.
   Fortunately, they had decided before entering where they should
start  their  inquiries. Knowing that on Randon the  female  ward-
cousin was highly honored-mainly for her potential inheritance-and
was  always served first, Tenel Ka stepped up to the bar to  place
her order.
   "Welcome  travelersssss," Shanko said, folding three  pairs  of
multijointed  arms  and  bowing until his  antennaed  head  nearly
touched the bar.
   "Your   hospitality   is  as  welcome  as   the   prospect   of
refreshment," Tenel Ka replied.
   "Sssso,  you have been well ssschooled," Shanko said. "Are  you
perhapsss a sssscholar? A diplomat?"
   "She is my ward-cousin," Luke put in smoothly.
   "Then  it  iss  indeed an honor to ssserve you,"  Shanko  said,
raising himself to his full three-meter height.
   "I  would  like a Random Yellow Plague," Tenel Ka said  without
hesitation. "Chilled. Make it a double."
   "And I would like a Remote Terminator," Luke said.
   The  covering  membranes of the bartender's  multifaceted  eyes
nictated  twice  in surprise. "Not often requesssted.  A  ssstrong
drink, iss it not?" He seemed flustered for a moment, then made  a
gurgling  buzz  deep  in  his thorax  that  Tenel  Ka  could  only
interpret   as   a   laugh.  "Will  that   be   preprogrammed   or
randomizzzed?"
   "Randomized, of course," Luke replied.
   "Ah, a rissssk taker," Shanko said, tapping two forelegs on the
bartop in approval.
   Then  his arms became a blur of motion as he pulled levers  and
pushed  buttons,  filling cups and vials, mixing their  drinks  in
less time than it had taken to order them.
   "There  is  no  profit without risk," Luke said, accepting  his
drink from one of Shanko's many hands.
   Tenel  Ka  leaned  forward  and lowered  her  voice.  "We  seek
information,"  she said, drawing out a J small string  of  Corusca
gems that she had kept hidden under the rough material of her robe
until then.
   Shanko   nodded  in  understanding.  "We  have   the   finessst
information brokerss in the Sssector. There iss even a  Hutt."  He
gestured  toward an area to the right of the bar. "If you  do  not
find  what you ssseek here," he said with obvious pride, "it  isss
not to be found on Borgo Prime."
   They  thanked  Shanko  and  headed  in  the  direction  he  had
indicated.  The music of the bands faded slightly as  they  pushed
into  the  milling throng of patrons, each imbibing  its  favorite
form  of  refreshment. The crowd was so thick, Tenel Ka could  not
see where they were going.
   Beside   her,  Luke  paused  and  closed  his  eyes.  "A   Hutt
information  broker, huh?" he mused aloud. "They're the  best  you
can get."
   Tenel Ka felt a slight tingle as she watched him reach out with
the  Force to touch the minds around him, searching. She searched,
too,  but with her gray eyes open. A quick glance revealed nothing
of  interest. She looked up the open center of the hive's cone and
at   the   curving  stairways  that  climbed  its  ridged   sides,
which-judging  from the signs on the walls-led to  gambling  rooms
and lodgings.
   Luke  opened his eyes. "Okay, I have him." He took  Tenel  Ka's
arm  and  pushed his way through the crowd. They passed a bank  of
stim  lights, where a cluster of photosensitive customers wriggled
and bounded to silent strobing "music."
   They  found the Huttese information broker ensconced  behind  a
low table near the wall of the hive. A small Ranat with gray-brown
fur  stood at the Hutt's elbow, whiskers twitching. The  Hutt  was
thin  by  Huttese standards and could not have had much status  on
his  homeworld.  Perhaps that was why he  did  business  on  Borgo
Prime, Tenel Ka thought.
   "We  have come for information, and we are prepared to pay  for
it," Luke said without preamble.
   The  Hutt  picked up a small datapad that lay on the  table  in
front of him and punched a few buttons.
   "What are your names?" he asked.
   "What is your name?" Tenel Ka asked, raising her chin slightly.
   The  Hutt's  eyes  narrowed to slits,  and  Tenel  Ka  had  the
impression that the broker was revising his opinion of  them.  "Of
course," he said. "Such things are unimportant."
   Luke shrugged. "And all information has its price."
   "Of  course," the Hutt repeated. "Please sit down and  tell  me
what you need."
   Luke  sat on a repulsorbench, adjusted the height, and motioned
for  Tenel Ka to sit beside him, next to a planter holding a tall,
leafy shrub. Luke took a long gulp from the drink in his hand, but
when  Tenel Ka raised her cup to her lips, he sent her  a  warning
look. When the Hutt bent to confer with his Ranat assistant for  a
moment,  Luke took the opportunity to whisper, "That  drink  could
knock you from here to the Outer Rim."
   "Ah," Tenel Ka said. "Aha." She set the drink down with a small
thunk.
   When  the Ranat scurried off on whatever business the Hutt  had
assigned it, Luke and Tenel Ka began telling their fictional tale,
carefully  offering only as much information as they  thought  was
needed.
   As  they rambled on, taking turns embellishing the details, the
other  patrons  in the hive supplied the usual chaos  of  a  busy,
seedy  bar.  Several different blaster battles rang out  from  dim
areas, while huge armored bouncer droids trundled in to bash heads
together  and eject any customers who did not pay for  the  messes
they made.
   A  group  of smugglers played a reckless game of rocket  darts,
missing the prominent target on the wall and launching one of  the
small  flaming  missiles into the side of a  flurry,  white-furred
Talz. The creature roared in pain and surprise as his fur ignited,
then  took out his misery on the drunken Ithorian sitting next  to
him.
   Large  customers tried to eat smaller customers, and the  bands
kept  playing, and Shanko kept mixing drinks. The Hutt information
broker was distracted by none of it.
   As  they  spoke, Luke continued to sip his drink and  Tenel  Ka
cast  about for a way to dispose of hers. When the Ranat  returned
and  conferred again with the Hutt, Tenel Ka reached over  to  the
planter beside her chair and dumped half of her drink into it.
   It  was only after the stalk began to shudder violently and the
leaves curled up that Tenel Ka realized that the shrub was  not  a
decoration  but a plant-alien customer! She whispered  an  apology
and  turned  back  just as the Ranat hurried off with  the  Hutt's
datapad and a new assignment.
   The  Ranat came back in a moment, followed by a heavily bearded
man who walked with a limp.
   "This Ranat here said 'no names' and that's fine with me,"  the
bearded man said, sitting down at the table. "Ranat tells  me  yer
in  the  market for an industrial-grade Corusca gem? Ain't no  one
else  can arrange that fer ya. Industrial-grade gems... sooner  er
later they hafta come through me."
   "Are  you  the  purchasing agent, then?" Tenel Ka said  without
thinking.
   The  bearded  man  snorted.  "How  'bout  we  jes  say  I'm   a
middleman."
   Again, Luke explained as briefly as possible about the treasure
vault on Ossus, and before long they had struck a deal to purchase
one industrial-grade Corusca gem.
   That done, Luke probed the middleman for information about  who
else  might have bought industrial-grade gems. The man's eyes grew
wary  and  distrustful.  "No names-that's the  bargain,"  he  said
stoutly.
   Tenel  Ka  pulled off another string of the fine  Corusca  gems
that hung around her neck and placed them on the table beside  the
payment she and Luke had already made for the large gem.
   "Surely  you understand our caution," Luke said. "We must  know
if there is anyone capable of stealing our treasure from us."
   The middleman picked up the string of gems and looked them over
carefully.  "Can't tell ya much," he said in a  low  voice.  "Last
shipment  o' big industrial gems, one person bought 'em  all.  Big
order."
   "Can  you  describe their ships, tell us what planet they  came
from?" Luke pressed.
   The  bearded  middleman  still did  not  look  up.  "Not  much,
actually. Never saw the ship she came on. All I know's she  called
herself  a ... a lady of the evenin'... er a daughter of darkness,
er somethin' like that."
   Tenel  Ka  caught her breath, and she felt Luke stiffen  beside
her.  "You mean a-a Nightsister?" Tenel Ka asked with a quaver  in
her voice.
   "Yeah,  that was it! A Nightsister," the middleman said. "Goofy
name."
   Luke's eyes met Tenel Ka's and held.
   "Thank you, gentlemen," Luke said slowly. "If you're right, I'm
afraid  this  'Nightsister' may have taken some of  our  valuables
already."
   
   8
   
   Jacen  stood  behind Qorl's pilot chair, biting  his  lip.  The
Nightsister Tamith Kai loomed over them, powerful and threatening.
He  flashed a glance at Jaina, but he didn't think they  could  do
anything to resist.
   Not yet anyway.
   Docking  doors on the ring of the Shadow Academy eased open  in
the  silence  of space, exposing a dark cavernous bay rimmed  with
flashing yellow lights to guide Qorl's ship in. The Imperial pilot
worked the controls with grim proficiency, and Jacen noticed  that
his  damaged left arm-which had never properly healed when his TIE
fighter  had crashed on Yavin 4-was now bulkier, encased in  black
leather  from the shoulder down, wrapped with straps  and  battery
packs.
   "Qorl, what happened to your arm?" Jacen asked. "Did they  heal
it for you, like we promised we'd do at the Jedi academy?"
   Qorl diverted his attention from the docking maneuvers, turning
his haunted pale eyes toward the boy. "They did not heal it," Qorl
said.  "They replaced it. I now have a droid arm, which is  better
than  my  old one. Stronger, capable of more tasks." He  bent  his
leather-bound arm.
   Jacen  caught  the faint whirring of servomotors.  His  stomach
clenched  in sick revulsion. "They didn't have to do that,"  Jacen
said.  "We  could have healed you in a bacta tank,  or  a  medical
droid  could have tended you. At worst you would have been  fitted
with  a  biomechanical  prosthetic that looks  just  like  a  real
arm-even my uncle has one of those. There was no need to give  you
a droid arm."
   Qorl's  face  was  stony, and he turned his attention  back  to
piloting  his craft. "Nevertheless, it is done. My arm  is  better
now, stronger."
   The  Imperial ship drifted into the docking bay, and  lines  of
pulsing lights continued to illuminate the reflective metal walls.
A  transparisteel-encased  observation bay  with  angular  windows
protruded from the inner wall above. Jacen could see small figures
running diagnostics, working systems to guide Qorl's ship in.
   The ship settled down with barely a bump. The docking-bay doors
closed  behind  them,  sealing the prisoners inside  the  sinister
Shadow Academy.
   Tamith  Kai  spoke  into  the comrn channel.  "Engage  cloaking
device,"  she said, her deep voice as irresistible and  compelling
as a tractor beam.
   Though Jacen could see or feel nothing different, he knew  that
the  large  space  station  had  suddenly  vanished,  leaving  the
illusion of nothing but empty space, where no one would ever  find
them.
   Flanked  by  a  stormtrooper escort,  Tamith  Kai  ushered  the
children  down the boarding ramp, away from the assault ship  that
had kidnapped them from GemDiver Station. She took them across the
bay,   toward  a  broad  scarlet  door  that  slid  open  as  they
approached.
   On  the other side stood a young-looking man dressed in flowing
silvery  robes.  His smooth skin and silken blond hair  seemed  to
glow. He was one of the most beautiful humans Jacen had ever seen-
perfectly  formed, like a holo simulation of an ideal  man,  or  a
sculptor's masterpiece chiseled out of alabaster. A contingent  of
stormtroopers  stood behind him, blaster rifles resting  on  their
shoulders.
   "Welcome, new recruits," he said in a gentle voice that carried
undertones of music. "I am Brakiss, leader of the Shadow Academy."
   Jacen  heard  his  sister gasp and couldn't  restrain  his  own
exclamation. "Brakiss?" he said. "Blaster bolts! We've heard about
you.  You  were  an  Imperial spy planted  at  Master  Skywalker's
academy, trying to steal our training methods."
   Brakiss smiled as if inwardly amused.
   "That's  right,"  Jaina continued excitedly. "Master  Skywalker
figured  out who you were, but when he tried to turn  you  to  the
light  side-to  save  you-you couldn't face  the  ugliness  inside
yourself."
   Brakiss's smile never faltered. "Ah, so that's how he tells it?
Master  Skywalker and I did not agree on the . . . particulars  of
training in the Force. But he had at least one good idea:  He  was
correct to bring back the Jedi Knights. He realized that the  Jedi
were  the  preservers  and protectors of the  Old  Republic.  They
unified  the decaying old government and kept it alive long  after
it should have dissolved into anarchy.
   "And  now  that  there  is anarchy among the  remnants  of  the
Imperial  forces, we need such a unifying force. We  have  already
found  a powerful new leader, a great one"-Brakiss smiled-"but  we
also  need our own group of Dark Jedi Knights, Imperial Jedi,  who
will  cement our factions together and give us the will to  defeat
the  wicked and unlawful government of the New Republic and  bring
about the Second Imperium."
   "Hey,  our  mother  leads  the New Republic!"  Jacen  objected.
"She's not wicked. And she doesn't torture people, or kidnap them,
either."
   Brakiss said, "It all depends on your perspective."
   "Who's  this  new leader, anyway?" Jaina interrupted.  "Haven't
you  tried  to  find  a  single leader before-and  ended  up  with
everyone  fighting  to  run what's left of the  Empire?  It  won't
work."
   "Silence,"  Tamith Kai said, her voice thick with menace.  "You
will  not ask questions; you will receive indoctrination. You will
be  trained  as powerful warriors to fight in the service  of  the
Empire."
   "I don't think so," Jacen said defiantly.
   His  sisters face flushed with anger. "We won't cooperate  with
you.  You  can't steal us away and just expect us to  be  diligent
little  students  for you. Master Skywalker and our  parents  will
comb the galaxy to find us. They will find us, and then you'll  be
sorry."
   Behind  them,  Lowie snarled and spread his  long  arms  as  if
longing  to tear something limb from limb, as his uncle  Chewbacca
was rumored to do whenever he lost a hologame.
   The   stormtroopers  suddenly  trained  their  rifles  on   the
infuriated Wookiee.
   "Hey,  don't  shoot  him!"  Jacen  said,  moving  between   the
stormtrooper and Lowie.
   Jaina  spoke  up in an authoritative tone that  took  Jacen  by
surprise.  "What have you done with Em Teedee, Lowie's  translator
droid?  He  needs  to communicate-unless of course  all  of  these
stormtroopers can somehow speak the Wookiee language?"
   "He  will be given his little droid back," Tamith Kai said, "as
soon as it has undergone... suitable reprogramming."
   Brakiss clapped his hands at the troopers. "We will go to their
quarters  now,"  he  said. "Their training must  begin  soon.  The
Second Imperium has a great need for Dark Jedi Knights."
   "You'll never turn us," Jaina said. "You're wasting your time."
   Brakiss looked at her, smiled indulgently, and stood in silence
for  a long moment. "You may find that your mind will change,"  he
said. "Why don't we wait and see."
   The  stormtroopers formed an armed escort around them  as  they
marched along the clanking metal deck plates.
   The  Shadow  Academy was not comfortable and soft like  Lando's
GemDiver  Station. The walls were not painted with pastel  colors;
there were no soothing strains of music or nature sounds over  the
loudspeaker  systems,  only harsh status reports  and  chronometer
tones that chimed every quarter hour. Stenciled labels marked  the
doors.   Occasional  computer  terminals  mounted  to  the   walls
displayed  maps  of  the  station and complicated  simulations  in
progress.
   "This  is an austere station," Tamith Kai said as Jacen  stared
at  the  cold,  heartless  walls. "We  don't  bother  with  luxury
accommodations  like your jungle academy. However,  we  have  made
sure  that you each have a private chamber so you can conduct your
meditation  exercises, practice your assignments, and  concentrate
on developing your Force skills."
   "No!" Jaina said.
   "We'd rather stay together," Jacen added.
   Lowbacca roared in agreement.
   Tamith  Kai came to an abrupt stop and looked down at them.  "I
did  not  ask your preference!" she said, her violet eyes blazing.
"You will do as you are told."
   They  reached an intersection of corridors, and here they split
into  three groups. Brakiss led the cluster of stormtroopers  that
surrounded  Jaina, taking them down a corridor  to  the  right.  A
larger  group  of  guards, tense and with weapons  at  the  ready,
helped  Tamith Kai to escort Lowbacca. The remaining guards closed
around Jacen and led him off to the left.
   "Wait!" Jacen cried, and turned to look at his twin sister  for
what felt to him like the last time. Jaina stared back at him, her
brandy-brown  eyes wide with anxiety, but when she bravely  lifted
her  chin, Jacen felt a surge of courage himself. They would  find
some way out of this.
   The  guards hustled him down a long corridor until they stopped
at  one  door  in  a  line  of  identical-seeming  doors.  Student
chambers, he thought.
   The  door whisked open, and the stormtroopers herded Jacen into
a  small cubicle, bare-walled and uncomfortable. He saw no speaker
panel  on  the  wall,  no controls, nothing  that  would  let  him
communicate with anybody.
   "I'm staying in here?" he said in disbelief.
   "Yes," the lead stormtrooper said.
   "But  what if I need something? How am I supposed to call out?"
Jacen said.
   The  trooper  turned  his  skull-like  plasteel  mask  to  look
directly  at  him. "Then you will endure until someone  comes  for
you."  The  stormtroopers stepped back, and the door  shut  behind
Jacen, closing him in, weaponless and alone.
   Then, to make things worse, all the lights went out.
   
   9
   
   Tenel   Ka   woke  to  pitch-darkness,  cramped  and  confined,
surrounded by a dull vibration. Her heart drummed a rapid cadence,
and  perspiration prickled her skin. An urgency,  a  feeling  that
something  was  terribly wrong, nudged the back of her  mind.  She
tried  to  sit up and bumped her head- hard-against the unyielding
bottom  of  the  bunk  above  her.  Stifling  an  exclamation   of
annoyance, she remembered that she was aboard the Off Chance.  She
relaxed slightly-but only slightly.
   When  they  had  finished with the Hutt information  broker  on
Borgo Prime, Luke and Tenel Ka decided their best hope for finding
Jacen, Jaina, and Lowbacca lay in going directly to Dathomir, home
world  of  the  original Nightsisters. Their  only  clue  was  the
mysterious Nightsister, and they had to find out who she  was  and
whether she had the twins and Lowbacca.
   Luke had urged Tenel Ka to get some sleep while they made their
journey.  It was the first opportunity she had had to  rest  since
her friends had been kidnapped, and Tenel Ka gratefully accepted.
   And  so she had slept, sealed away from light and sound, in one
of  the berths aboard the Off Chance, but her rest had again  been
disturbed by shadowy dreams. She touched a switch by her head  and
winced  as  bright cabin light flooded the sleeping  cubicle.  She
rolled onto her stomach, swung her legs over the side of the bunk,
and  dropped a meter and a half to the floor of the cabin. Shaking
back her tumble of loose red-gold hair, Tenel Ka stretched to  her
full  height and noted with pleasure the freedom of movement  that
her tough, supple lizard-hide armor afforded her. She was glad  to
be dressed as a warrior again.
   The uneasy feeling left by her dream persisted as Tenel Ka made
her way to the cockpit and lowered herself into the copilot's seat
next to Luke. She gazed through the front viewport at the swirling
colors  that  indicated  the  Off  Chance  was  traveling  through
hyperspace.
   Luke looked up from the controls. "Did you get some sleep?"
   "This  is  a fact." She fastened the crash webbing around  her,
then  grabbed a thick clump of her hair and began plaiting it into
a  braid, adding a few feathers and beads that she kept in a pouch
attached to her belt.
   "But you didn't sleep well?"
   She  blinked  at this, somehow surprised that he  had  noticed.
"This is also a fact."
   Luke  did  not  reply.  He  simply  waited,  and  with  growing
discomfort she realized he was waiting for her to explain.
   "I ... had a dream," she said. "It is not important."
   His  intense blue eyes searched her face. When he spoke, it was
in a low voice. "I feel fear in you."
   She grimaced and shrugged. "It is a dream I have had before."
   His  eyelids fluttered shut briefly, and he tilted his head  as
he  might  have done had he been studying her with his eyes  open.
"...the Nightsisters?" he said at last.
   "Yes.  It  is  childish," she admitted as color rushed  to  her
cheeks, staining them with embarrassment.
   "Strange ... I dreamt about them, too," Luke said.
   Tenel Ka looked at him in disbelief. "I used to think they were
just  a  story that mothers and grandmothers on Dathomir  told  to
scare children. But the Nightsisters were all destroyed. How could
there be any left?"
   "The  people of Dathomir are often strong in the Force, and  it
would not be difficult for someone else to train them in the  ways
of  evil," he said. He leaned back in the pilot's seat and  stared
out  at  hyperspace as if summoning an old memory. "In fact,  many
years  ago-before  you were born-I traveled to Dathomir  searching
for  Jacen and Jaina's parents, Han and Leia. That was when I  met
your  mother  and father, and we all joined forces to  defeat  the
last of the Nightsisters."
   Tenel  Ka looked at him curiously. This was a part of the story
her  parents spoke little about. "My mother thinks very highly  of
you," she said, hoping he would elaborate.
   Luke slid her a teasing glance. "But did she ever tell you  how
we met? That she captured me?"
   "You don't mean-" Tenel Ka began. "She couldn't have expected .
. ."
   Luke chuckled at her discomfiture. "This is a fact."
   "Oh,  Master Skywalker!" Tenel Ka gasped in chagrin at the very
idea of Luke submitting to the primitive marriage customs she  had
always  viewed  as  quaint and provincial. On  Dathomir,  a  woman
selected  and  captured the man she wanted to marry.  Her  mother,
Teneniel Djo, had done that to Luke Skywalker?
   It  brought  a renewed flush of embarrassment to  her  face  to
realize  that her mother had captured the greatest Jedi Master  in
the  galaxy and had expected him to marry her and father her  chil
dren. Then, all at once, the situation struck her as so ridiculous
that  she  let loose with what was, for her, a rare sound indeed-a
giggle.
   "My  mother has always taught me to have respect for Jedi,  and
most of all for you, Master Skywalker, but . . . please do not  be
offended"-  she  gasped, tears of mirth rising to her  eyes-"I  am
certainly glad she did not succeed."
   Luke,  still  smiling, reached over and gave  her  shoulder  an
understanding squeeze. "So am I. Your parents belonged together."
   "I  love my father, you know," Tenel Ka said, sobering, "and my
mother."
   "And  yet you've never told your friends who your real  parents
are," Luke said. "Why?"
   Tenel  Ka squirmed uncomfortably in her crash restraints, which
suddenly  felt  too confining. She had often mulled  this  problem
over,  and had come to the same decision again and again.  "It  is
difficult to explain," she said. "I am not ashamed of my  parents,
if  that is what you think. I am proud that my mother is strong in
the  Force  and that she, a warrior from Dathomir, now  rules  the
entire  Hapes  Cluster. And I am proud of my father  and  what  he
managed  to become, despite the way he was raised-despite the  one
who raised him."
   Luke nodded sagely. "Your grandmother?"
   "Yes,"  Tenel Ka gritted. "Of that part of my family, I am  not
proud.  My grandmother is power-hungry. She manipulates. I am  not
sure she even knows how to love." She felt a bleak bewilderment as
she turned to look at Luke. "Yet my father is loving and wise.  He
is not like her."
   "No,  he  isn't," Luke said. "Long ago your father Isolder  did
something   difficult   and  very  brave.  Realizing   that   your
grandmother loved power so much she was willing to kill anyone who
threatened  her, he rejected her teaching. She is a strong,  proud
woman, but her lessons were poisonous.
   He  chose instead to value and honor life wherever he found it.
Your father's difficult decision was the right one."
   Tenel  Ka  nodded.  Her thoughts were bitter.  "My  lineage  is
tainted by generations of bloodthirsty, power-hungry tyrants. I am
not proud that I was born to the royal family of Hapes," she spat.
"I  do  not wish my friends to know that I am heir to the  throne,
because I have done nothing to earn it, choose it, or deserve it."
   Luke's  face was thoughtful. "Jacen and Jaina would  understand
that.  Their  mother  is  one of the most powerful  women  in  the
galaxy."
   Tenel Ka shook her head violently. "Before I tell them, I  must
prove to myself that I am not like my ancestors. I choose to  take
pride  only  in what I accomplish, first through my own  strength,
and  then  through  the  Force-never through  inherited  political
power.  My parents are very proud that I have decided to become  a
Jedi."
   "I understand," Luke said. "You've chosen a difficult path." He
smiled at her warmly. "It is a good start for a Jedi."
   
   10
   
   The  next  day,  Jaina's joy at seeing her  brother  again  was
overshadowed by Tamith Kai's presence and the fact that they  were
each  being  shepherded down the corridor by a pair of  well-armed
stormtroopers.
   When  Jacen broke away from his guards just long enough to give
her  a  quick hug, she spoke her words in a whispered burst. "I've
got a plan. I need your help."
   Rough,  armored hands pulled the brother and sister apart.  One
of  the armor-clad guards leveled his blaster pistol at the  twins
and motioned them to move on.
   Jaina  smiled  in wry amusement. Even with Tamith Kai  present,
Brakiss   still   wasn't   certain  of  their   cooperation.   The
stormtroopers were here to ensure that they caused no trouble.
   A  slight nod of Jacen's head told Jaina that he understood her
words.  "Want  to  hear  a  joke?" he  asked  brightly,  purposely
changing the subject.
   "Sure," Jaina answered with feigned innocence.
   Jacen cleared his throat. "How many storm-troopers does it take
to change a glowpanel?"
   Jaina  cringed  inwardly. Her brother  certainly  was  brave-or
perhaps foolhardy. Nonetheless, she took the bait. "I don't  know,
how many storm-troopers does it take to change a glowpanel?"
   One  of  the guards stepped ahead of Jaina and stopped  at  the
door  to  a  lecture room in which she could see dozens of  people
seated.  She  guessed they were probably the other Shadow  Academy
trainees. The guard with the blaster pistol gestured for  them  to
enter.
   "It takes two stormtroopers to change a glow-panel," Jacen said
in  a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "One stormtrooper to
change it, and the other one to shoot him and take credit for  all
the work."
   Jaina  tried  unsuccessfully to suppress a snort  of  laughter.
Tamith Kai glared violet daggers at Jacen.
   Jacen squirmed under her angry regard and muttered, "I can tell
you're  from Dathomir. Your people aren't exactly known for  their
sense of humor."
   As  her two guards took her arms in a bruising grip, Jaina  was
forced  to  admit  that her brother's small  act  of  bravado  had
released  something  inside her, had shown her  that  her  mind-at
least for now-was still free, that she still had choices.
   She  was dragged into the meeting room, where her guards shoved
her  into  a  sitting  position at one end of a  narrow,  backless
bench.  Jacen's  guards seated him on the  opposite  side  of  the
room-no  doubt to punish him for his joke. Jaina was delighted  to
see  that Lowie sat less than a meter away from her, with only one
student between them. He roared a greeting at her and Jacen.
   The  other students were all human, clean-cut, and wearing dark
uniforms.  They seemed eager to learn, glad to be  at  the  Shadow
Academy,  genuine  Imperial youth. She had seen people  like  this
before. She, Jacen, and Lowie might be the only ones resisting the
training, she knew.
   Jaina  frowned  when she saw that Em Teedee was  still  not  at
Lowie's  belt.  That  would  make  communication  difficult.   She
wondered what her uncle Luke would do in such a situation. She sat
up  straight, cleared her mind, and sent a gentle thought  probing
in  Lowie's direction. She did not feel any pain from him. He  was
unharmed-of  that  she  was certain-but  she  did  sense  tension,
confusion,  and  simmering frustration.  She  tried  to  send  him
soothing thoughts. She wasn't sure how much got through, but  when
Lowie  briefly reached a furry hand around to touch her  shoulder,
she knew he understood.
   Jaina wondered if she dared speak openly to her Wookiee friend.
She  would have to find out what the student next to her was  like
first.  He  was about her age, and a little taller. Like  all  the
willing students, he wore a tight, sleek-fitting charcoal jumpsuit
beneath a flowing robe of purest black. He had blond hair and moss-
green   eyes,  and  he  glanced  at  her  without  any  particular
recognition or interest.
   She  sent  her thought probe toward the young man,  but  caught
nothing  beyond  elusive snatches that blared  fleetingly  in  her
mind,  like disconnected notes from an orchestra tuning its instru
ments.
   "Why are we here?" Jaina asked in a voice just above a whisper.
   "Because  we are here," he replied, aloof and a bit  defensive.
"Because  Master Brakiss wishes us to be here." He looked  at  her
with  suspicion, as if she had proved herself mentally  deficient.
"Are  we  not all here to learn the ways of the Force from  Master
Brakiss?"
   Before  Jaina  could  reply, Brakiss himself  strode  into  the
chamber. The silence in the room was instant and complete.  Not  a
cough  or  a syllable challenged his compelling presence.  Brakiss
let  his  piercing  eyes  rove across the faces  of  the  gathered
students. When his eyes met hers, Jaina felt an inexplicable chill
creep down her spine.
   Without preamble, he began to teach.
   "The  Force  is an energy that surrounds all living things.  It
flows through us. It flows from us."
   As  his voice streamed around the students, Jaina felt her mind
begin  to relax. This wasn't so bad after all. All of it was true.
The  power  in  Brakiss s voice urged action, demanded  agreement.
Jaina  saw  the heads of many of the students nodding. She  nodded
too.
   Jaina  could  not  remember  the  words  as  Brakiss  led  them
smoothly,  logically  from  one  concept  to  another.   All   she
remembered  were the thoughts, the feelings, the lightness  of  it
all.
   Then  suddenly, for some reason-perhaps it was the light  touch
of  a  furry  hand on her back- the words came into  focus  again,
began  to  penetrate the complacent fog of unquestioning agreement
that had blanketed her mind.
   "You  each have the tools inside you to master yourselves,  and
to  master the Force," the tranquil, confident voice said. "And to
draw  on the strength of the Force, you must learn to draw on what
is   strongest  in  you:  strong  emotions,  deep  desires,  fear,
aggression, hate, anger."
   A  resounding No! rang through Jaina's mind, and she shook  her
head  to  clear it. "That... can't be true," she whispered.  "It's
not true."
   The  student next to Jaina flicked his eyes at her with a  look
of   disdain.  "Of  course  it's  true,"  he  said,  as  if  using
indisputable logic. "Master Brakiss said it, so it must be true."
   "What makes you so sure?" Jaina hissed. "Can't you see that  he
has  a hold on your mind? You should get away from this place  and
start thinking for yourself."
   "I don't wish to leave," he said, his expression implacable. "I
wish to study with Master Brakiss and become a Jedi."
   Jaina seethed at his stubbornness. "Have you even thought about
this?  You  can't  just blindly accept whatever  he  says  without
bothering to think about it. What if he's wrong?"
   "He  is  the teacher" The student's moss-green eyes blinked  at
her  as  if her question made no sense. He stood abruptly, begging
Brakiss's attention.
   Jaina  took  the opportunity to lean behind him and whisper  to
Lowie.  "I've got a plan! In a couple of days, I'll  need  you  to
knock out all the station's power. Be ready." As she sat back  up,
her  mind  finally  registered the fact that  the  stubborn  blond
student was addressing Brakiss.
   "-is  trying  to convince your other students that they  should
not  believe you, that you do not have the true teachings  of  the
Force. And therefore I suggest that this-this girl is not a worthy
pupil for you, Master Brakiss."
   Brakiss's beautiful, piercing eyes narrowed and came to rest on
Jaina.  She felt the press of his powerful mind against hers.  She
tried to resist.
   "You  are new here," he said. "You do not know our ways. Listen
to my teachings, then make your judgment. Decide for yourself. But
do not encourage others to disbelieve me ever again."
   In  unison,  the  students murmured their agreement-with  three
exceptions.
   "At  this academy we do not learn only one side of the  Force,"
Brakiss went on, resuming his lecture, though his comments  seemed
directed primarily toward Jacen, Jaina, and Lowie. "This is not  a
school  of  darkness. I call this a Shadow Academy, for what  does
life  create by its very nature, if not shadows? And  it  is  only
through  using  the full range of your emotions and  desires-  the
light  and the dark-that you will become truly strong in the Force
and  fulfill  your destiny. The light side by itself  offers  only
limited  power. But when the light is blended with the  dark,  and
you work within the shadows, then you achieve your full potential.
Use the strength of the dark side."
   Jaina  looked across at Jacen, who was slowly shaking his head.
Close  beside  her,  Lowie growled deep in his throat.  Unable  to
contain  herself any longer, Jaina stood. "That's not right,"  she
said.  "The dark side doesn't make you any stronger. It's  faster,
easier,  more  seductive. It's also more tenacious.  Just  as  the
light side brings freedom, the dark side brings only bondage. Once
you  enslave yourself to the dark side of the Force, you may never
escape."
   A  collective gasp went up, but no one said a word as Jaina and
Brakiss  faced  each other over the students' heads.  Brakiss  was
silent  for  a  long moment, his mind pressing down on  hers  with
suffocating weight.
   With a mental heave Jaina flung aside the influence of his mind
on  hers  and  challenged  him, her eyes filled  with  pride,  her
thoughts free.
   At  last, Brakiss shook his head sadly. "I did not wish to make
an  example of you. But you leave me no choice. You have chosen to
pit  your  puny light-side powers against my own. I gave  you  one
warning. You will not receive another."
   With  that, Brakiss lifted one hand slightly, almost as  if  to
wave  a  fond  farewell. Blue fire danced from his fingertips  and
surrounded Jaina in a haze of bright agony.
   Brakiss's calm cruelty against Jaina launched Lowbacca into  an
unbridled  rage.  Unable to control himself, he  leaped  from  his
cramped  seat, knocking over the blond student. He howled  at  the
top  of his lungs and bared long Wookiee fangs. Ginger-colored fur
stuck out in all directions as he yanked up the bench he had  been
sitting on and raised it over his head.
   Alerted  by the disturbance, the guards charged into the  room,
their  stun pistols drawn, looking for the source of the chaos-and
the enraged Wookiee was not difficult to find.
   Lowie threw the bench at the incoming storm-troopers. His  blow
knocked  the  first cluster of guards backward  into  each  other,
tumbling  them  down  like  children's blocks.  Five  more  storm-
troopers tripped over their fallen companions but still managed to
wade into the room.
   The  other Shadow Academy trainees added to the uproar,  trying
to  shout  Lowie down. The Wookiee just roared back at them.  From
the  podium,  Brakiss  urged everyone  to  be  calm,  but  no  one
listened.
   Another   door   whisked  open,  and  a   new   contingent   of
stormtroopers rushed in from the far side of the room.
   Jacen  dashed to his unconscious sister's side and cradled  her
head and shoulders in his lap. With relief, he sensed that she was
not  seriously  injured  from the Force  blast.  She  groaned  and
blinked  her  brandy-brown eyes, trying to fight her way  back  to
consciousness.
   "Jaina," he called. "Jaina, snap out of it!"
   "All right ... I am," she said, struggling to sit up. Then  she
seemed suddenly to notice the brawl that Lowie had started on  her
behalf.
   The  second  set  of stormtroopers drew their stun  pistols  as
Lowie  yanked  a  bench  out  from under  another  Shadow  Academy
student,  sending  her  to  the floor.  The  student  squealed  in
outrage.  Lowie ignored her and raised the bench to throw  at  the
incoming stormtroopers.
   They  pointed their stun pistols and fired- but the beam caught
the  front of the bench, doing no damage. Lowie tossed it, and the
troopers scrambled out of the way as the bench crashed against the
side  wall. Lowbacca ducked to pick up something else to throw-and
just  as he did, the first set of stormtroopers on the other  side
of the room, finally climbing back to their feet, fired their stun
pistols.
   Glowing  blue  arcs  shot over Lowie's back,  missing  him  and
striking full against three of the second set of troopers  on  the
other side, stunning them. They sprawled senseless on the floor in
a clattering tumble of white plasteel armor.
   "Cease  this disturbance!" Brakiss shouted. His normally smooth
features had lost their serene composure.
   One  of  the  stormtroopers in the first group took  two  steps
forward and aimed his stun pistol directly at Lowie s back as  the
Wookiee stood up, presenting an easy target.
   Jacen  watched and-in the moment before the stormtrooper  could
fire-used  his  greatest  strength with the  Force  to  grasp  the
trooper's blaster and wrench it halfway around, twisting it in the
white-gloved  hand  so  that when the guard  squeezed  the  firing
button, the barrel was pointed toward his own chest. The stun beam
splashed out, knocking the trooper to the ground, unconscious.
   "Lowie,  I'm all right," Jaina called, picking herself  up  and
climbing to her feet. "Look, I'm all right!"
   More  stormtroopers  rushed in from both  sides  of  the  room,
weapons drawn.
   "Lowie, calm down," Jacen said.
   Lowbacca  looked from side to side, fingers spread, arms  ready
to tear something apart, until he saw he was clearly outnumbered.
   Brakiss stood with his fingers outstretched. A shimmering power
curled between them, ready to be unleashed.
   "We don't want to damage you," Brakiss said, filled with savage
intensity,  "but  you must learn discipline." The  master  of  the
Shadow Academy looked to the stormtroopers. "Return them to  their
quarters, and keep them separated! We have great work to  do  here
and cannot be distracted by unchanneled displays of temper."
   Then  Brakiss  adjusted his handsome features until  he  looked
calm  and  soothing  again. He raised his eyebrows  in  admiration
toward  Lowie.  "I am pleased to see the strength in  your  anger,
young  Wookiee. That is something we must develop. You have  great
potential."
   White-armored  guards  crushed  Lowie's  hairy  arms  in  their
unfeeling  grip.  The stormtroopers marched the three  young  Jedi
Knights out into the corridor and toward their cells.
   
   11
   
   Dathomir  sparkled like a rich topaz jewel, welcoming Tenel  Ka
as   Luke  piloted  the  Off  Chance  down  into  the  atmosphere.
Anticipation tingled through her. Regardless of the unhappy circum
stances  that  brought  them here, Tenel Ka  could  not  help  the
feeling  of pleasure and joy that throbbed through her veins  with
every beat of her heart. Home-home. Home-home.
   Turbulence buffeted the blockade runner as they descended. Luke
studied the displays on the navigation console and adjusted  their
course from time to time.
   "It's  been  a  long time since I made a visit to  the  Singing
Mountain  Clan," Luke said. "I don't remember exactly how  to  get
there.  I think I can get us close, but unless you happen to  know
the coordinates-"
   Tenel  Ka  rattled off the numbers before he could  finish  his
thought.  At  the  same time, she leaned forward and  entered  the
coordinates into the navicomp.
   "I  come  here often," she explained. "It is my second home  in
the galaxy, but it is the first home of my heart."
   "Yes," Luke said, "I can understand that."
   As  the  Off  Chance carried them to the home  of  the  Singing
Mountain Clan, they passed over shining oceans, lush forests, vast
deserts,  rolling hills, and wide fertile plains.  Tenel  Ka  felt
strength and energy flow through her, as if the very atmosphere of
the planet had the power to recharge her.
   "Look,"  Luke  said,  pointing down at a herd  of  blue-skinned
reptiles racing at incredible speed across a plain.
   "Blue Mountain people," Tenel Ka said. "They migrate every dawn
and every dusk."
   Luke nodded. "One of them gave me a ride once."
   "That is- a rare honor, Master Skywalker," she said. "Not  even
I have had that opportunity."
   The  pale pink sun was high above the horizon by the time  they
reached the wide, bowl-shaped valley of the Singing Mountain Clan,
Tenel Ka's second home. A green and brown patchwork of fields  and
orchards  spread  beneath  them in  the  pinkish  sunlight.  Small
clusters  of thatched huts dotted the valley, and morning  cooking
fires glimmered here and there.
   Luke  pointed to the stone fortress built into the side of  the
cliff  wall that rose high above the valley floor. "Does  Augwynne
Djo still rule here?"
   "Yes. My great-grandmother."
   "Good. We'll go directly to her then. I'd prefer to tell only a
few  people  why we are here and keep our presence  as  secret  as
possible,"  he said, then he brought the Off Chance  to  a  smooth
landing on the valley floor beside the fortress.
   "That should not be difficult," Tenel Ka replied. "My people do
not speak unnecessarily."
   Luke chuckled. "I can believe that."
   Tenel  Ka  paused  halfway up the steep path that  led  to  the
fortress. She was not at all fatigued; she was simply savoring the
moment.
   Luke,  who had been following behind her with unwavering steps,
halted  without a word and waited for her to continue. He did  not
seem  the  least  bit winded, his breathing slow and  regular-  no
small feat considering the rapid pace Tenel Ka set.
   The longer she knew Master Skywalker, the more she admired him,
and  the  better she understood why her mother-who did  not  often
speak  highly of any man except her husband, Isolder-  had  always
held Luke Skywalker in high esteem.
   Tenel Ka drew in a deep breath. The air was delicious, but  not
just  from the mouthwatering odors of roasting meat and vegetables
that  wafted  from the cooking fires. It was late  summer  in  the
valley,  and  the  warm breeze was redolent with  the   scents  of
ripening  fruit,  golden grasses, and early harvest.  Despite  the
intermingled odors of the lizard pens and the herd of domesticated
rancors, there was a freshness to the air that lifted her heart.
   Tenel  Ka  set off again as if there was not a moment to  lose.
Finally,  she  stood  before the gate of the fortress,  where  she
announced herself as a member of the clan.
   The gates were thrown open and Tenel Ka's clan sisters welcomed
her  with  warm  embraces and low murmurs of  greeting.  All  were
dressed  in  lizard-skin tunics of various colors,  like  the  one
Tenel  Ka  wore. Some wore elaborate helmets, while others  simply
wore their hair in decorated braids.
   One clan sister with black hair that fell to her waist drew the
two travelers inside. "Augwynne told us you would come," she said.
Her  expression was grave, but Tenel Ka could see the  smile  that
lit her eyes.
   "Our  mission  is  urgent," Tenel Ka stated, not  bothering  to
greet  the  woman. "We must see Augwynne alone at once."  She  had
never  used such a tone of command in Master Skywalker's  presence
before,  but  she knew her clan sister would not be  offended.  At
times like this, pleasantries were an unnecessary Luxury among her
people.
   The  woman  inclined her head slightly. "Augwynne  has  guessed
this much. She waits for you in the war room."
   The  ancient  woman stood as they entered the  room.  "Welcome,
Jedi Skywalker. And welcome great-granddaughter Tenel Ka Chume Ta'
Djo." She embraced each of them in turn.
   Tenel Ka groaned. "Please," she said, "do not use my full name.
And do not send word that we are here."
   Luke interrupted. "We're following a trail that has led us from
Yavin  to  Borgo  Prime to Dathomir. Our need for information  has
brought us to you."
   Tenel  Ka took a deep breath and searched for words. She looked
directly at her great-grandmother. Augwynne's wrinkle-nested  eyes
were  attentive, cautious. "We are searching for the Nightsisters.
Do any remain on Dathomir?"
   Augwynne's heavy sigh told Tenel Ka that they had come  to  the
right  place. The old woman fixed her gaze on Luke. "They are  not
Nightsisters  as  you  and I knew them," she  said.  "Not  wizened
crones with discolored skin, who rotted from the nightspells  they
spoke." She shook her head. "No, they are a newly formed order  of
Nightsisters,  young and fair, and allied with  the  Empire."  She
lifted a finger to stroke Tenel Ka's cheek. "Their evil is subtle.
They  tame  and ride rancors as we do. They dress as warriors,  if
they  choose. They are not even all women . . . but they  are  the
children of darkness. They are dangerous, with new goals.  Do  not
seek them out."
   "We  must,"  Tenel  Ka said simply. "It is our  best  hope  for
rescuing my closest friends."
   Augwynne  gave her great-granddaughter a measuring  look.  "You
pledged friendship with these people you must rescue?"
   Tenel Ka nodded. "With full ceremony."
   "Then  we  have no other choice," Augwynne said with  finality.
"You must present your case before the Council of Sisters."
   
   12
   
   Brakiss  had  a private office on the Shadow Academy,  a  place
where he could go for solitude and contemplation.
   Now,  as  he  pondered,  he  stared  at  the  brilliant  images
surrounding him on the walls: a waterfall of scarlet lava  on  the
molten planet Nkllon; an exploding sun that spewed arcs of stellar
fire  in  the Denarii Nova; the still-blazing core of the Cauldron
Nebula,  where seven giant stars had all gone supernova  at  once;
and  a  vista of the broken shards of Alderaan, destroyed  by  the
Empire's first Death Star more than twenty years before.
   Brakiss  recognized  great  beauty  in  the  violence  of   the
universe,  in  the  unbridled power  provided  by  the  galaxy  or
unleashed by human ingenuity.
   Standing alone and in silence, Brakiss used Force techniques to
meditate  and absorb these cosmic catastrophes, crystallizing  the
strength  within himself. Through the dark side, he  knew  how  to
make  the  Force  bend to his will. The power  stored  within  the
galaxy  was his to use. When he captured it and held it  with  his
heart,  Brakiss could maintain his calm exterior and not be  prone
to violence, as his fellow instructor Tamith Kai so often was.
   Brakiss eased back in his padded chair, letting his breath flow
slowly  out.  The  synthetic leather squeaked as his  body  rubbed
against  it,  and  the  warmers  inside  the  chair  brought   the
temperature to a relaxing level. The cushions conformed themselves
to his body to give him the greatest comfort.
   Tamith  Kai refused such indulgences outright. She was  a  hard
woman, insisting on privation and adversity to hone her skills for
the  Empire that had recognized her potential and taken  her  from
the  bleak planet Dathomir. Brakiss, however, found that he  could
think  better  when  he  was at ease. He  could  plan,  mull  over
possibilities.
   Brakiss switched on the recording pad on his desktop and called
up  the day's records. He would have to make a report and ship  it
in  an  armored hyperdrone to their powerful new Imperial  leader,
hidden deep in the Core Systems.
   It  had  been some time since the encampment he founded in  the
Great Canyon on Dathomir had provided any strong new students, but
the  three talented young trainees kidnapped from Skywalker's Jedi
academy  were  another  story, worth the risk  of  stealing  them.
Brakiss could sense it.
   But their focus was all wrong. Master Skywalker had taught them
too much and in the wrong ways. They didn't know how to turn their
anger  into  a  sharpened spearpoint for  a  larger  weapon.  They
contemplated too much. They were too calm, too passive-except  for
the  Wookiee. Brakiss needed to train those three. He  and  Tamith
Kai would employ their separate specialties to work on them.
   Brakiss  drummed  his fingertips on the slick  surface  of  his
desk. Occasionally, he felt twinges of sadness for having left the
Yavin 4 training center. He had learned much there, though his own
mission for the Empire was always uppermost in his mind.
   Long  ago,  the  Empire  had selected Brakiss  because  of  his
untapped  Jedi  ability. He had undergone  rigorous  training  and
conditioning  so  that he could spy on Skywalker's  academy,  gath
ering  precious information. No one was supposed to know he was  a
scout,  planted there to learn techniques that he could  teach  to
the  Second  Imperium.  The new Imperial leader  had  insisted  on
developing his own Dark Jedi, a symbol that those faithful to  the
Empire could rally around.
   Somehow, though, Master Skywalker had immediately seen  through
the deception. He had realized Brakiss's true identity. But unlike
previous clumsy and unpracticed spies who had come to Yavin 4 with
the   same  mission,  Brakiss  had  not  been  expelled  outright.
Skywalker   had   shown  little  patience  for  those   others-but
apparently he had seen real potential in Brakiss.
   Master Skywalker had begun working on him, openly teaching  him
those  things  he most needed to learn. Brakiss did have  a  great
talent  with the Force, and Master Skywalker had shown him how  to
use  it. But Skywalker had repeatedly tried to contaminate Brakiss
with the light side, with the platitudes and peaceful ways of  the
New Republic. Brakiss shuddered at the thought.
   Finally,  in  a  private and supremely important  test,  Master
Skywalker had taken Brakiss on a mental journey within himself-not
allowing him to look outward through the rivers of the Force,  but
turning the dark student inside to see his own heart, so he  could
observe the truth about what he himself was made of.
   Brakiss had opened a trapdoor and fallen into a pit filled with
his  self-deception and the potential cruelties  that  the  Empire
could  force him to carry out. Master Skywalker stood beside  him,
forcing him to look-and keep looking-even as Brakiss scrambled  to
escape  from  himself, not wanting to face the  lies  of  his  own
existence.
   But  the  Imperial conditioning ran too deep. His mind was  too
far  lost  in  service to the Empire, and Brakiss had nearly  gone
insane  from that ordeal. He had run from Master Skywalker, taking
his ship and fleeing into the depths of space.
   He  had remained alone for a long time before finally returning
to  the embrace of the Second Imperium, where he put his expertise
to work... just as it had been planned from the beginning.
   Brakiss was handsome, perfectly formed, not at all corrupted as
the  Emperor had appeared in his last days, when the dark side had
devoured him from within. Brakiss tried to deny that corruption-to
comfort himself with his outer appearance-but he could not  escape
the ugliness in the darkness of his heart.
   He  knew  his place in the Empire would be reborn, and  he  had
learned to be content with that service. His greatest triumph  was
his Shadow Academy, where he could oversee the new Dark Jedi being
trained: dozens of students, some with little or no talent at all,
but others with the potential for true greatness, like Darth Vader
himself.
   Of  course, the new Imperial leader also recognized the  danger
in  creating such a powerful group of Dark Jedi. Knights  who  had
fallen to the dark side were bound to have ambitions of their own,
tempted  by the power they themselves controlled. It was Brakiss's
job to keep them in line.
   But  the  great  leader  had his own protective  measures.  The
entire  Shadow  Academy was filled with self-destructive  devices:
hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  of chain-reaction  explosives.  If
Brakiss did not succeed in creating his troop of Dark Jedi, or  if
the  new  trainees  somehow  staged a revolt  against  the  Second
Imperium,  the  Imperial leader would trigger the  stations  self-
destruct  sequences.  Brakiss and  all  the  Dark  Jedi  would  be
destroyed in a flash.
   A  hostage to darkness, Brakiss was never allowed to leave  the
Shadow  Academy.  By order of the great leader,  he  would  remain
there,  confined,  until  he  and  all  his  trainees  had  proven
themselves.
   Brakiss found that sitting on a huge bomb made it difficult  to
concentrate. But he had great confidence in his own abilities  and
in  Tamith  Kai's.  Without that confidence he  could  never  have
become a Jedi in the first place-and he would never have dared  to
touch  the  teachings of the dark side. But he had  learned  those
ways, and he had grown strong.
   He would turn these new students. He was sure he could do it.
   Brakiss  smiled  as  he finished the report  encapsulating  his
plans.  The lanky Wookiee's anger was something to take  advantage
of, and Tamith Kai was the best at that. The new Nightsister was a
bom  tormentor,  and  she carried out her duties  extremely  well.
Brakiss would let her train Lowbacca.
   He,  on  the  other  hand,  would  work  with  the  twins,  the
grandchildren  of  Darth  Vader. They  were  too  calm,  too  well
trained,  and  resisted in subtle ways that would prove  far  more
difficult to deal with.
   For  them, he had other methods. First, he had to find out what
Jacen and Jaina really wanted- and he would give it to them.
   From that point on, they would be his.
   
   13
   
   The Shadow Academy's training chamber stood large and empty,  a
yawning,  vacant space walled off on all sides. The  doors  sealed
behind  Jacen, imprisoning him with Brakiss, leaving him  to  face
whatever  the  teacher had in store. The walls were a  flat  gray,
studded with a grid of computer sensors. Jacen saw no controls, no
way out.
   He  looked up at the beautiful man, who stood in silvery  robes
watching Jacen with a calm, patient smile.
   Brakiss reached into his shimmering robes and withdrew a  black
cylinder  about half the length of Jacen's forearm. It  had  three
power   buttons  and  a  series  of  widely  spaced  grooves   for
fingerholds.
   A lightsaber.
   "You  will  need  this  for  today's training,"  Brakiss  said,
broadening his smile. "Take it. It's yours."
   Jacen's  eyes widened. His hand reached forward,  but  he  drew
back, trying to hide his eagerness. "What do I have to do for it?"
he asked warily.
   "Nothing," Brakiss answered. "Just use it, that's all."
   Jacen swallowed and did not meet Brakiss's eyes, afraid to show
how  he  longed to have his own lightsaber. But he didn't want  to
have  it  in this place, under these circumstances. "Hey, I'm  not
supposed  to,"  he said. "I haven't completed my training.  Master
Skywalker and I had this discussion just a few days ago."
   "Nonsense," Brakiss said. "Master Skywalker is holding you back
unnecessarily.  You  already know how to  use  one  of  these.  Go
ahead."
   Brakiss  extended  the lightsaber handle to  Jacen,  moving  it
closer, tantalizing him. "Here at the Shadow Academy we feel  that
lightsaber  skills  are  among the first  talents  a  Jedi  should
develop,  because strong, able warriors are always  needed.  If  a
Jedi  Knight is not ready to fight for a cause, then what good  is
he?"
   Brakiss  pressed the lightsaber into Jacen's hands,  and  Jacen
instinctively curled his fingers around it. The weapon felt at the
same  time  heavy  with responsibility and light with  power.  The
finger grooves were widely spaced for his young hand, but he would
grow accustomed to it.
   Jacen touched the power button, and with a snap-hiss a sapphire
beam  crackled out, indigo at the core but electric  blue  on  the
fringes.  He flicked the blade from side to side, and  the  molten
energy sliced through the air, trailing a faint smell of ozone. He
slashed back again.
   Brakiss folded his hands together. "Good," he said.
   Jacen whirled and held the lightsaber up. "Hey, what's to  stop
me  from  just cutting you down right here, Brakiss? You're  evil.
You've kidnapped us. You're training enemies of the New Republic."
   Brakiss  laughed-not a mocking laugh, but simply an  expression
of  wry amusement. "You won't kill me, young Jedi," he said.  "You
would not cut down an unarmed opponent. Cold-blooded murder is not
part of the training Master Sky-walker gives his young trainees...
unless he has changed his curriculum since I left Yavin 4?"
   Brakiss's alabaster-smooth face seemed exquisitely serene,  but
he  raised his pale eyebrows. "Of course if you do let loose  your
anger,"  he  said, "and slice me in half, you will  have  taken  a
significant first step down the dark path. Even though I won't  be
here  to  see  the  benefits, the Empire will no  doubt  use  your
abilities to great advantage."
   "That's enough," Jacen said, switching off the lightsaber.
   "You're  right,"  Brakiss agreed. "No  more  talk.  This  is  a
training center."
   "What  are you going to do to me?" Jacen said, holding  up  the
lightsaber handle, alert and ready to switch it on again.
   "Just  practice, my dear boy," Brakiss said, easing toward  the
door.  "This room can project holo-remotes, imaginary enemies  for
you  to  fight, to help you hone your skill with your new  weapon.
Your lightsaber."
   "If  they're  just holo-remotes, why should I  fight  at  all?"
Jacen said defiantly. "Why should I cooperate?"
   Brakiss crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm inclined  to  ask
you to indulge me, but I doubt you would do that-at least not yet.
So  let  us  put it another way." His voice took on a sudden  hard
edge, as sharp as razor crystal. "The holo-remotes will be monster
warriors.  But how do you know I won't slip in an actual  creature
to  fight  against you? You would never know the  difference,  the
holo-remotes are so realistic. And if you stand there  and  refuse
to  fight,  a  real enemy might just remove your  head  from  your
shoulders.
   "Of  course,  I  probably won't do that in the  first  session.
Probably not. Or maybe I will, to show you I'm sincere. You'll  be
here a long time training in the dark side. You never know when  I
might lose patience with you."
   Brakiss  stepped  out of the training chamber,  and  the  metal
doors shut behind him with a clang.
   Alone  in the dimly lit chamber with its flat gray walls, Jacen
waited,  tense.  Except for his breathing and his  heartbeat,  the
room  was  completely  silent, as if it swallowed  all  noise.  He
shifted,  felt the hard Corusca gem still hidden in his  boot.  He
took  comfort in the fact that the Imperials had not found it  and
taken  it away from him, but he didn't know how it could help  him
now.
   Jacen  turned  the  lightsaber handle in his hands,  trying  to
decide  what he should do. Intellectually, he was certain  Brakiss
was  bluffing,  that the man would never send in a real  murderous
monster.  But  a  part of Jacen's heart wasn't so  sure,  and  the
slight twinge of doubt made him uneasy.
   Then  the  air  shimmered. Jacen heard  a  grinding  sound  and
whirled  to  look  behind him. A door he had  not  noticed  before
crawled  open  to  reveal a shadowy dungeon from  which  something
large  and  shambling scraped forward, dragging sharp claws  along
the floor.
   Jacen's  hobby  back  at  home had been  studying  strange  and
unusual animals and plants. He had pored over the records of known
alien  races,  memorizing them all-but still it  took  him  a  few
moments  to  recognize the hideous monster that was  now  emerging
from its cell.
   It  was an Abyssin, a one-eyed monster with greenish-tan  skin,
broad shoulders, and long, powerful arms that hung near the ground
and ended in claws that could shred trees.
   The  cyclopean creature plodded out of its cell,  growled,  and
looked around with its one eye. The Abyssin seemed to be in  pain,
and  the only thing it saw-and therefore its only target-was young
Jacen, armed with his lightsaber.
   The  Abyssin roared, but Jacen stood firm. He held up his  free
hand,  palm  outward, trying to use the soothing Force  techniques
that  had proven so successful when he'd tamed new animals as  his
pets.
   "Calm down," he said. "Calm down, I don't want to hurt you. I'm
not with these people."
   But  the Abyssin didn't want to be calmed, and stalked forward,
swinging  its  long arms like clawed pendulums. Of  course,  Jacen
realized, if the monster was really just a hologram, then his Jedi
techniques would be irrelevant.
   The  Abyssin  pulled  out a long, wicked  club  that  had  been
strapped  against its back. The club looked like a gnarled  branch
with  spikes  on  one  end,  with a  far  longer  reach  than  the
lightsaber's. The one-eyed monster could pound Jacen and never  be
touched by the Jedi blade.
   "Blaster bolts!" Jacen muttered under his breath. He flicked on
the  lightsaber, feeling the power of the energy blade that pulsed
in front of him with a blinding blue glow.
   The Abyssin blinked its single large eye, then charged forward,
its  fang-filled  mouth wide open. The creature swung  its  spiked
club like a battering ram.
   Jacen   slashed  in  front  of  himself  with  the  light-saber
defensively, instinctively. The glowing blade sliced off  the  tip
of  the  club as easily as if it were a piece of soft cheese.  The
spiked end clanged on the metal floor.
   The  monster looked at the smoking end of its club for  just  a
second,  then  howled  and charged again.  Jacen  was  ready  this
time-his heart pounding, adrenaline flowing, attuned to the  Force
and focused on his enemy.
   The Abyssin hammered down with the club, too close for Jacen to
strike  with  the  lightsaber. He dodged  to  the  side,  and  the
creature swung again, this time with a raking handful of claws.
   Jacen  made  a  dive  for  the floor and  rolled,  holding  the
lightsaber at arm's length to keep from harming himself  with  the
deadly blade.
   The Abyssin pounced on him, thrusting with the thick end of the
club.  But  Jacen  lay  on his back and held  the  lightsaber  up,
twisting his wrists to slash the remainder of the club down  to  a
smoldering  stump in the monster's hands, then rolled sideways  to
dodge the heavy wood as it fell to the floor.
   The  Abyssin  tossed away the useless stump and  yowled  again,
then  lunged  to  grab Jacen from the floor. But  Jacen  held  the
lightsaber in front of himself, pushing it forward like  a  spear.
The glowing tip plunged into the descending monster's broad chest,
scorching through until it disintegrated the Abyssin's heart.
   With a loud and fading shriek of pain, the creature slumped and
fell  forward.  Jacen winced, knowing he would be crushed  by  the
brute-but  in  midair  the cyclops flickered  and  dissolved  into
static, then nothingness, as the hologram projectors shut down.
   Gasping  and  sweating, Jacen turned off  the  lightsaber.  The
hissing  energy  beam  was  swallowed  into  the  handle  with   a
descending thwoop. He stood up and brushed himself off.
   As  the door opened again, Jacen whirled, ready to face another
hideous enemy. But only Brakiss stood there, quietly applauding.
   "Very  good, my young Jedi," Brakiss said. "That wasn't so  bad
now,  was  it?  You  show great potential. All  you  need  is  the
opportunity to practice."
   
   14
   
   Lowie crouched atop the sleeping platform in his own cell, back
pressed  to  the corner, shaggy knees drawn up to  his  chest.  He
wallowed in abject misery and self-recrimination; occasionally  he
let out a groan.
   How  could  he have been so stupid? He had let the  riptide  of
Brakiss's  teaching draw him further and further into his  sea  of
anger until he had been immersed in it, swept away by its current.
   Jacen  had  not given in. And seductive as Brakiss's  teachings
were-Lowie refused to think of him as Master Brakiss-Jaina had not
succumbed  to them either, she had merely stood up and spoken  for
what she believed.
   A  growl of self-reproach rumbled deep in his throat. He alone,
who  had  always  prided  himself  on  his  thoughtfulness-on  his
dedication to studying, to learning, to understanding-had  allowed
himself to be influenced by the poisonous teachings. He would have
to be more careful in the future. Resist, block out the words.
   If  Jacen  and  Jaina could stay strong, then so  could  Lowie.
Jaina had not given up. She said she had a plan, and he would need
to  be  ready  to do his part when the time came to escape.  Lowie
drew  comfort from the thought of his friends' strength. He  could
resist giving in to his anger. He pounded a furry fist against the
wall at his side and bellowed his defiance. He would resist.
   As  if in response to his challenge, the door slid open and two
stormtroopers  stepped in, followed by Tamith Kai. Lowie  wrinkled
his  nose,  noting something else that had entered his  room  unin
vited:  the  unpleasant smell that hung about  them,  an  odor  of
darkness.  The stormtroopers each carried an activated stun  wand,
and Lowie guessed that they expected him to cause further trouble.
   "You will stand," Tamith Kai said.
   Lowie wondered whether he dared resist. A prod from one of  the
stormtroopers' stun wands answered the question for him.
   Tamith  Kai's violet gaze raked up and down Lowie for a moment,
and  then  she  blew out a short breath, as if about  to  start  a
difficult task that she had set herself.
   "You  are not yet skilled in the ways of the Force," she  said,
not  unkindly,  "yet you have the capacity for great  anger."  She
nodded  with  approval. "This is your greatest  strength.  I  will
teach  you  now to draw upon that anger, to bring forth your  full
power  in  the  Force.  You  will be  surprised  at  how  it  will
accelerate your learning."
   She turned to the stormtroopers. "Remove his belt."
   Lowie put a protective hand to the glossy braids that encircled
his waist and crossed over his shoulder. He had risked his life to
acquire these fibers from the syren plant as part of his rites  of
passage  into  Wookiee adulthood; then he had painstakingly  woven
them  into  a  belt  that  symbolized his independence  and  self-
reliance.
   He  opened  his mouth to snarl an angry objection  but  stopped
short,  realizing  that this was exactly the response  Tamith  Kai
hoped for-to goad him into anger. He would not be so easily fooled
this time. He stood, resolute and passive, while the stormtroopers
removed the precious belt.
   She  motioned for him to precede her from the room. One of  the
stormtroopers administered an encouraging prod. Tamith Kai's smile
mocked Lowie. "Yes, young Wookiee," she said, "your anger shall be
your greatest strength."
   They led him to a large, unfurnished chamber. Bright orange and
red  light  glared down from unfiltered glowpanels  set  into  the
ceiling. The chilled air stank of rnetal and sweat. When the  door
slid  shut  with a hiss and a clang, Lowie looked around.  He  was
completely alone.
   Lowbacca  stood  waiting  for what seemed  like  hours,  alert,
prepared  for  whatever Tamith Kai might use to provoke  him.  His
golden eyes roved the blank walls with suspicion.
   Nothing happened.
   As  he  waited, the lights in the room seemed to glow brighter,
the air to turn colder. Finally, he sat down with his back pressed
to one wall, still wary, still watching.
   Nothing.
   After a long time, Lowie straightened up with a jerk, realizing
that  he  had  been  about to doze off. He eyed the  walls  again,
looking  for any changes, and found himself wishing for  even  the
annoying Em Teedee to keep him awake-and to keep him company.
   Sound  exploded in Lowie's head, high-pitched and excruciating,
awakening him from a fitful sleep. Garish lights flashed overhead,
blinding in their intensity. Lowie sprang to his feet.
   Trying  to  focus his eyes, he looked around for the source  of
the  siren and pressed his hands over his ears, groaning in  pain.
But he could not block out the sound that sliced into his brain as
a laser would slice into soft wood.
   Without warning, all sound ceased, leaving a vacuum of silence.
The  glowpanels  stabilized, returning to their  former  level  of
brightness.
   Tamith Kai's face appeared behind a broad transparisteel  panel
in  the wall that Lowie had not noticed before. Still groggy  from
his  interrupted sleep, Lowie threw himself against the  panel  in
frustration.  Tamith Kai's pleased chuckle sobered him  instantly.
"A fine start," she said.
   Lowie backed into the center of the room and sat down, wrapping
his  long  hairy arms around his legs, afraid to make any  further
response lest he lose his temper again.
   Her  taunting voice echoed through the empty chamber.  "Oh,  we
are far from finished with our lesson, Wookiee. You will stand."
   Lowie  pressed his forehead to his knees, refusing to  look  at
her, refusing to move.
   "Ah,"  the  voice continued, "perhaps it is for the  best.  The
fire of your anger will burn brighter the more fuel I add."
   The  high-pitched  sound  drilled into  his  brain  again,  and
flashing  lights  assaulted his eyes. Lowie concentrated,  focused
his mind inside himself. He mutely endured.
   The  lights and sound ceased as a heavy black object fell  from
an  access hatch onto the floor beside him. Deep in concentration,
Lowie didn't flinch, but he looked up to see what it was.
   "This  is  a  sonic generator," Tamith Kai's rich,  deep  voice
announced.  "It  produces the lovely music  you've  been  enjoying
today."  An  undercurrent of cruel amusement rippled  through  her
words.  "It also contains the high-intensity strobe relay for  the
glowpanels. To complete your lesson for the day, all you  need  do
is destroy the sonic generator."
   Lowie  looked at the boxy object: it measured less than a meter
to  a  side, was made of a dull burnished metal with rounded edges
and corners, and had no handholds whatsoever. He reached for it.
   "Rest  assured," Tamith Kai's voice came again, "even  a  full-
grown Wookiee cannot lift it without using the Force."
   Lowie tried to heft the object, found that she was correct.  He
closed his eyes and concentrated, drawing on the Force, and  tried
again.  The  generator  hardly budged. Lowie  shook  his  head  in
confusion.  The  weight itself, or the object's size,  should  not
have  mattered, he told himself. Perhaps, he reasoned, he was just
too  tired. Or perhaps Tamith Kai was using the Force to  hold  it
down.
   "Think,  my young Jedi," Tamith Kai chided. "You cannot  expect
to lift the heaviest object with your weakest muscles."
   Lights  flashed again, and a dagger of sound pierced his  ears.
But only for a moment.
   "Do  not keep your anger pent up," Tamith Kai's voice continued
as if there had been no interruption. "You must use it ... release
it. Only then can you set yourself free."
   Lowie recognized what she was doing, and the knowledge gave him
strength.   He   closed  his  eyes,  drew  a  deep   breath,   and
concentrated, prepared to resist the lights and sound.
   But he was not prepared for what followed.
   From  all  sides,  jets of icy water exploded from  the  walls,
buffeting  him with bruising force. He was drenched and shivering,
but still the high-pressure streams pummeled him, invaded him. The
prying liquid forced itself up under his eyelids, inside his  ears
and mouth, and streamed down his body, chilling him to the bone.
   As  unexpectedly  as  it had begun, the  watery  attack  ended.
Shuddering convulsively from the cold, Lowie looked down  to  find
himself  ankle-deep in water that was barely warmer  than  glacial
runoff. Anger welled up within him, but he suppressed it,  let  it
flow  out of him as the water had streamed down his body. He tried
instead to shift the sonic generator again, but to no avail.
   As  if  Lowie's  effort had triggered it, the  sonic  generator
began  a fresh assault on his senses, strobing the glowpanels  and
flooding the room with high-pitched wailing until Lowie feared  he
would drown in it.
   Instead,  he concentrated on thoughts of his friends Jacen  and
Jaina. He would be strong.
   When the generator paused, more fists of freezing water pounded
him again from all sides.
   How  long these tortures alternated, Lowie could not say. After
a  time,  it  seemed his life had always been a litany of  lights,
sound, water, lights, sound, water ...
   And still he did not give in to his anger.
   By the time Tamith Kai spoke to him again, he was curled into a
tight;  freezing  ball of soggy misery, perched  directly  on  the
sonic  generator in an effort to bring feeling back  to  his  numb
legs and feet.
   "You  have the power within you to end your ordeal," her  voice
said  with  mock  pity,  "Alas,  young  Jedi,  fortitude  is  only
admirable when it gains you something."
   Lowie did not raise his head or acknowledge her words.
   "You  cannot  help yourself in this way. You cannot  help  your
friends. Your friends have already learned the truth of my words,"
she went on.
   Lowie's head snapped up, and he voiced a growl of disbelief.
   "Ah, but it is true," she said, a note of encouragement in  her
voice. "Would you like to see them?"
   Before  he  could  utter  a  bark  of  agreement,  a  pair   of
holographic  images spun in the air before his  eyes.  One  showed
Jacen  wielding a lightsaber, a look of fierce enjoyment  lighting
his  young  features. In the other Jaina used the  Force  to  toss
aside heavy objects, her head thrown back with a challenging grin.
   Lowie  reached  toward the luminescent images with  a  yelp  of
stunned  disbelief-and fell face-first into  the  icy  water  that
covered  the  floor. He hauled himself back to his feet,  and  the
sonic generator resumed its torturous whine.
   From  deep  within him, horror mixed with rage and a  sense  of
betrayal,  fanning  the  embers that had smoldered  for  so  long.
Flames  of  anger  sprang up inside him, warming  him  with  their
undeniable  heat, rising higher and higher until they  burst  from
his throat in a howl of fury.
   And he knew no more.
   Lowie  woke to restful darkness back in his own cell. The  room
was  warm, and he lay on his sleeping platform covered with a soft
blanket.  His muscles ached, but he felt well rested. He  moved  a
hand  to  his  waist and found that he was once again wearing  his
webbed belt.
   The  voice  of  Tamith Kai spoke next to  him.  Lowie  was  not
surprised  to  find  the  tall, dark-haired  Nightsister  standing
beside him. In the dim light of the cell's glowpanels he saw  that
she held an irregularly shaped metal object.
   "You have done well, young Wookiee," she said.
   Lowie gave a sad moan as the memory of what he had done flooded
back to him.
   "With your anger you succeeded beyond my highest expectations,"
Tamith  Kai said, looking at him with obvious pride. "As a reward,
I've brought you back your droid."
   Lowie's  mind faltered with confusion. Should he feel proud  of
what he had done? Should he be ashamed? He received Em Teedee from
Tamith Kai's hands with relief and clipped the little droid to its
accustomed place at his belt.
   "You  will  make  a  fine Jedi," Tamith Kai  said.  She  smiled
conspiratorially. "After you unleashed your anger, we were  unable
even to repair the sonic generator, as we have every time before."
And then she swept out of the room, leaving him to his thoughts.
   Lowie  stood  and groaned as his muscles refused to  cooperate,
and he slumped back onto the sleeping platform.
   "Well, if you ask my opinion," Em Teedee's thin voice piped up,
"you  caused  a great deal of your own pain through your  needless
resistance."
   Lowbacca growled a surprised reply.
   "Who asked me?" Em Teedee said. "Well, I really don't know  why
you  should  be  so upset. After all, you're here  at  the  Shadow
Academy  to  learn. Why, you're very fortunate that they've  taken
such an interest in you.
   "The Imperials are very perceptive, you know. So perceptive, in
fact, that they saw my own potential and have included me in their
plans. I am most honored."
   With an uncomfortable suspicion, Lowie barked a question.
   "Wrong  with  me?"  Em Teedee asked. "Why, nothing.  Quite  the
contrary.  As  an expression of their complete confidence  in  me,
Brakiss  and Tamith Kai have had my programming enhanced.  I  feel
much  better now than I ever have. I am to be an integral part  of
your  instruction here. You must realize that they have only  your
best interests at heart. The Empire is your friend."
   Lowie  made  a  thoughtful sound as if  accepting  Em  Teedee's
words-and reached down to switch the little droid off.
   His  head  had  suddenly become clear. Em  Teedee's  words  had
crystallized something in his mind. He might have given in, but he
had  not given up. And if he knew anything about Jacen and  Jaina,
the  same was true for them-at least that's what he would have  to
hope.
   
   15
   
   It  was  midafternoon by the time Tenel Ka returned. She  found
Master  Skywalker  quietly contemplating  in  the  small  slave  s
quarters  Augwynne  Djo  had offered him to  keep  him  away  from
curious eyes during the meeting.
   "I've  spoken with the Council of Sisters," she said. Waves  of
afternoon  heat  rippled up the cliffside to the fortress  of  the
Singing  Mountain Clan, giving the air a flat, burnt smell.  "They
expect visitors to come at dusk. At that time all of our questions
will be answered."
   "Then we wait," Master Skywalker said, looking at her with  his
intense  blue  eyes.  "It is one of the most difficult  things  to
do-especially  at such an urgent time, when we don't  know  what's
happened  to  Jacen or Jaina or Lowbacca. But if waiting  gets  us
answers where action would not... then waiting"-he smiled-"is  the
action we must choose."
   
   Like a good guest, Tenel Ka busied herself with minor duties to
help the Singing Mountain Clan as the hours crawled slowly by.
   The  sun swung toward the horizon and dusk. Low clouds  in  the
otherwise  clear  air burned pink and orange, scattering  leftover
rays  into  the heated atmosphere. Clicking insects and  scuttling
lizards  began  to move about as their world cooled with  evening,
adding faint rustling noises to the day's silence.
   On  the  lower tier of cliff dwellings, looking down  upon  the
baked  rocky  plain,  Tenel Ka and Master  Skywalker  watched  the
lengthening  shadows  cast by sunset across the  desert.  Compared
with  the bright reptilian hides Tenel Ka wore, Master Skywalker's
brown  robes seemed drab and nondescript-but she knew the strength
and skill he harbored within himself.
   Tenel  Ka  noticed something dark and large moving  across  the
plain.  She  perked  up and squinted her gray eyes,  studying  the
creature as it came closer. Some large beast bearing a rider-  no,
two riders.
   Master  Skywalker  nodded. "Yes, I see it.  A  rancor  carrying
two."  Tenel  Ka  squinted  again, then  realized  that  Luke  was
enhancing his vision with the Force, sensing as well as seeing.
   Others from the Singing Mountain Clan came to their open  adobe
windows  and stood on the cliff balconies, gazing down in  nervous
anticipation.
   The  rancor  plodded  forward, slow but unstoppable.  Tenel  Ka
could  clearly see the hulking monstrosity, whose knobby, tan-gray
body  seemed  nothing  more than a vehicle loaded  with  ferocious
fangs and claws. A tall, muscular woman rode in front; behind  her
sat  a  dark-haired young man with thick eyebrows, wearing a cloak
of silver-shot black, just like the woman's.
   "She's a Nightsister," said Tenel Ka. "I can feel it."
   Master  Skywalker nodded. "Yes, but this new breed  seems  well
trained  and even more dangerous. Something is happening  here.  I
can feel we're on the right track."
   "But-what is that ... man doing with her?" Tenel Ka asked.  "No
ruler on Dathomir would treat a man as her equal."
   "Well," Luke said, "perhaps things really have changed."
   Below,  the Nightsister rider pulled the enormous rancor  to  a
halt.  The  clawed,  lumpy-headed  beast  hissed  and  reared  up,
dragging  its  knobby  knuckles  across  the  baked  hardpan.  The
Nightsister  dismounted, and her black-robed companion  slid  down
beside  her.  They  stood between two towering bronze  rocks  that
thrust up from the sands.
   "Hear  me, worthy people!" the woman called up the cliffs.  Her
shout echoed along the rocks, reflecting her words and making  her
voice  seem  louder and broader. Tenel Ka wondered how  the   dark
woman could speak so forcefully. She felt the Nightsister's tug on
her imagination even as she stood and listened.
   "She's using a Force trick," Master Skywalker said, "pulling on
your emotions, making you interested in what she's about to say."
   Tenel  Ka  nodded.  A cool breeze stirred  up  by  the  rapidly
changing  temperatures of evening whipped her red-gold hair  about
her face.
   "Once again, we come to seek others interested in what we  have
to  offer.  Yes,  we  know that long ago evil  Nightsisters  ruled
Dathomir  with  an  iron  hand and a cruel  will.  They  were  bad
people-but that doesn't mean their training was completely  wrong,
that everything they knew about power is to be despised.
   "I am Vonnda Ra, and this is my companion Vilas. Yes-a male.  I
can  sense you are shocked and surprised, but you should  not  be.
From other allies, we have learned that this power we call .  .  .
the  Force dwells in all things, male and female. Not only can the
Sisters use it for their own benefit, but males-Brothers-can  also
wield such strength."
   Many of the people in the cliff dwellings stirred.
   "I  sense your disbelief," Vonnda Ra said, "but I assure you it
is true."
   Tenel  Ka  whispered to Master Skywalker.  "I  have  seen  many
things in the last few years," she said, "and I believe I knpw how
other societies work-but I fear that some of the more conservative
clans  on Dathomir are not quite ready to accept such measures  of
equality."
   Master  Skywalker nodded, but pursed his lips gravely. "There's
nothing  in  Jedi teachings that favors either male  or  female-or
even  human, for that matter. Your people have only been deceiving
themselves."
   Far  below, Vonnda Ra stood beside her tamed rancor and shouted
up.  "Vilas,  my best male student, will demonstrate for  you  one
small thing he has learned, something that will amaze you."
   Dark-haired Vilas removed his spangled black cloak  and  draped
it  on the patched whuffa-hide saddle across the rancor's back. He
began  to concentrate, standing off to himself in the flat,  baked
dirt  between  the  stone columns, his arms  at  his  side,  hands
clenched into fists.
   Even  from  this  far up the cliff, Tenel Ka could  hear  Vilas
humming.  Beneath their bushy brows, his eyes were squeezed  shut.
His  black hair began to rise, flickering with static electricity.
He rippled with a growing power.
   Up  in  the purple sky, stars had just begun to shine  through,
bright  white lights against the darkening backdrop of the almost-
faded sunset. Clouds started to gather, faint wisps at first, like
corded  shadows  across the sky that knotted  and  drew  together.
Tenel Ka stood back as the breeze picked up and became colder.
   "We  are  always searching for new trainees," Vonnda Ra shouted
up  to  the gathered crowd. The  Singing Mountain people clustered
forward to their windows and balconies.
   "If any of you would like to learn the ways of the Force, to do
what  Vilas and I can do-whether you be male or female, noble-born
or  slave-  come join us. Our settlement is at the bottom  of  the
Great Canyon, only three days' journey from here by foot.
   "We  cannot guarantee that we will choose you, but we will test
your abilities. Any we find with the right kind of talent, we will
adopt as our own. We will teach you to be an important part in the
machine  of  the universe. Your future can be bright, if  you  are
with us."
   As  Vonnda  Ra  finished,  an ear-shattering  peal  of  thunder
drowned out her last words. Violent blue lightning danced in great
forks that skittered across the sky.
   Vilas  had climbed one of the bronze rock pinnacles, scrambling
up, light-footed, as if someone were drawing him up on cables. Now
he  stood  on  the flat weathered rock, arms raised.  Static  elec
tricity  swirled  like  a whirlpool around him  as  the  gathering
thunderstorm coalesced at his bidding.
   More  lightning  flickered  around the  desert-scape,  striking
solitary boulders on the flat plain and sending up showers of dust
and  sparks. The storm thickened, slashing at them with cold wind.
Tenel  Ka blinked back stinging tears as her hair thrashed  around
her.
   Vilas  stood atop his pinnacle of rock, commanding  the  storm.
The clouds thickened, turning the sky black.
   Tenel  Ka  looked down the cliff face and saw that  beside  the
lone rancor, Vonnda Ra also held her hands outstretched, palms up,
fingers spread, calling the storm. Lightning came down across  the
desert. The rancor snorted and reared, but did not run.
   "Come  to  the  Great  Canyon," Vonnda  Ra  shouted  above  the
screaming wind. "If you want to touch power such as this, come  to
the Great Canyon."
   Vilas sprang down from the stone pinnacle and landed with  ease
on  the windswept desert sands next to the rearing rancor. He  and
Vonnda Ra scrambled onto the patched saddle.
   Vonnda Ra grabbed the creature's reins and yanked it about. The
clawed  monster loped off into the distance as the storm continued
to rage around the cliffs.
   Tenel Ka stared after, trying to keep her eyes on the dwindling
silhouette of the monster and its two riders. "So now we  know..."
she said. "What shall we do?"
   Luke  put  his  hand on her shoulder, and she could  sense  his
confidence.  "We  go to this Great Canyon and offer  ourselves  as
candidates," he said. "They are looking for new people  to  train.
And  now  we're sure we're on the right track. Jacen,  Jaina,  and
Lowbacca might be there already."
   Tenel Ka bit her lip and nodded. "This is a fact."
   
   16
   
   Jaina  left  the  lightsaber switched off and  pushed  it  back
toward Brakiss, but he wouldn't take it.
   "I won't play your games," Jaina insisted.
   "We  do not play at the Shadow Academy," Brakiss said. "But  we
do practice. Important training for a Jedi."
   "Fighting  stupid holographic monsters? I won't do it  anymore.
I've  done too much for you already. You may as well just take  us
home, because we'll never serve your Shadow Academy."
   Brakiss spread his hands. "Ah, but you're getting so good  with
the  lightsaber,"  he  said, as if reasoning with  a  recalcitrant
child.  "Try  it  one more time. I'll give you a worthy  opponent,
someone a bit more challenging to fight."
   "Why  should I?" Jaina said. "I don't owe you anything. I  want
to see my brother. I want to see Lowie."
   "You will see them soon enough."
   "I won't fight unless you promise I can see them."
   Brakiss sighed. "Very well. I promise to let you see each other
again,  during  classes. But only"-he held up one  finger-"if  you
agree not to cause more disturbances."
   Jaina pressed her mouth into a grim line. For now, this was the
best she could hope to accomplish. "Agreed."
   Then Brakiss said, his tone disturbingly encouraging, "Think of
it  this  way-the  more training you undergo,  the  better  chance
you'll have if ever you fight against me. Consider it ... training
for your eventual escape, hmmm?"
   She  found  the  calm smile maddening on his  smooth,  handsome
face.
   "There  will be another change in our session this morning.  As
you fight, you will be shrouded in a holographic disguise. It will
not  hinder your movements, but you may find it a bit distracting.
You  must learn to fight wearing this three-dimensional mask:  for
the  good  of the Empire, we may occasionally need to  deploy  our
Dark Jedi in disguise."
   Jaina  held  the lightsaber in front of her. "All  right,  I'll
fight  this one training session-then you have to let  me  see  my
brother and Lowie."
   "That was our agreement," Brakiss answered. "I'll go arrange it
now.  Meanwhile, good luck." He slipped back out the doorway,  and
it sealed shut.
   The  flat  gray  walls flickered, and Jaina  saw  shadows  wrap
themselves  around her-not enough to blind her, just a  blur.  She
realized it must be the holographic costume.
   On  the other side of the room an imaginary wooden door groaned
open,  and  Jaina  rolled  her eyes. Just  a  corny  illusion,  as
everything else had been. Jaina was not amused. Her only challenge
was  trying to figure out how the equipment on the station worked.
Someday  she  would  foil the Shadow Academy,  bring  its  systems
crashing  clown. For now, she would play along with  Brakiss,  and
eventually she would find a way to turn the head teacher's schemes
against him.
   Her  new  opponent stepped out of the barred dungeon  doorway-a
tall,  looming  figure  wrapped completely  in  black.  The  black
plasteel  mask  echoed and hissed as Darth Vader breathed  through
his respirator.
   Startled, she caught her breath, instinctively flicking on  her
lightsaber. Brakiss wasn't playing lair! This went beyond  any  of
the  other  illusions he had sent against her before. Darth  Vader
had been killed before the twins were even born, but the Dark Lord
of the Sith had been her grand-lather; she knew all about him.
   Vader's  lightsaber was a deep pulsing red, like  fresh  blood,
glowing  with light from within. Jaina felt both anger and  dismay
rise within her, and she stepped forward to confront him. Her holo
graphic costume swirled around her, but she didn't let it distract
her.
   Jaina hated the evil acts Darth Vader had performed during  his
alliance  with the Emperor - but she also loved the idea  of  what
her grandfather Anakin Skywalker could have been, the good man  he
had  become in his last moments when he turned against the Emperor
and ended his reign of terror.
   Whether it was her own fear or something deeper, Jaina sensed a
great  uneasiness in the training chamber, a pulsating dread  that
slowed her movements.
   Darth  Vader took advantage of her shocked hesitation. He  came
toward her, scarlet lightsaber sizzling. His breathing echoed  all
around  her.  Vader slashed with the weapon, and  Jaina  countered
with  her  own  beam, producing a shower of sparks as  the  energy
blades crossed and struck.
   They  struck  again and again. Thrusting. Parrying.  Attacking.
Defending.
   Jaina  swung,  trying  to land a blow on  Darth  Vader's  chest
armor,  but the Dark Lord brought his own beam up to crash against
hers.  She  backed  away  as he attacked  with  greater  strength,
slashing,  striking with his lightsaber. The shrieks of electrical
discharge  nearly deafened her. But as Jaina began to falter,  she
pretended  Vader was Brakiss or Tamith Kai-the ones  who  had  kid
napped  her and brought all of them to this school of darkness-and
was  able  to  defend  herself with renewed  strength,  this  time
pushing Vader back.
   She  struck blow after blow. The lightsabers clashed, but Darth
Vader  seemed to draw strength from Jaina's fury. They  fought  on
for  a long time, neither gaining the upper hand. Jaina lost track
of how many minutes or hours passed.
   They  stood  with lightsabers crossed and electric arcs  flying
around them, pressing against each other, straining with all their
might.  But  Vader could not defeat her, and she could not  defeat
him. They were equally matched.
   She  gritted her teeth and strained, her breathing  heavy,  her
lungs  burning cold. She gasped, but would not let up. Vader  also
did not stop.
   "Enough!" Brakiss's voice came over the intercom.
   The  training room's holographic simulation faded, leaving  her
standing in the flat gray room, her lightsaber still crossed  with
her  opponent's.  Only now she could see who her adversary  really
was.
   Jacen.
   
   In  the control room, looking down at the displayed images from
the  simulation chamber, Brakiss tapped his fingers together. With
great pleasure, he watched the twins battle each other.
   Wearing  his  dark  Imperial uniform, Qorl  stood  beside  him,
observing the activity. The monitor showed none of the holographic
disguises, just the twins fighting, battling to the death-and  not
even  knowing  it! Their lightsabers crossed and  locked,  neither
twin overpowering the other.
   Qorl   remained  silent  for  a  long  moment,  fidgeting  with
restrained  anxiety.  Finally  he  said,  "Isn't  this  dangerous,
Brakiss? With one slip, those children could kill each other.  You
would lose two of your best trainees at the Shadow Academy."
   "I  doubt I'll lose them," Brakiss said, dismissing the thought
with  a wave. "But if one kills the other, then we will know which
is  the stronger fighter. That is the one we must concentrate  our
training on."
   "But what a waste," Qorl said. "Why would you do this? What  is
the point?"
   Brakiss  turned to the old TIE pilot, allowing just a trace  of
anger  to  show on his perfect face. "The point is to  obtain  and
develop  the strongest fighters for the Empire. The most  talented
Dark Jedi."
   "No matter what the cost?" Qorl said.
   "Cost  is  of  no consequence," Brakiss replied.  "These  young
twins are simply tools to be used- as you are, as we all are."
   Qorl frowned and watched the continuing battle. "Are you saying
the twins are expendable?"
   "They  are  ingredients . . . components to be installed  in  a
great   machine.  If  they  do  not  meet  our  stringent  testing
requirements, they are no good to us.
   "But  perhaps  you're right," Brakiss said, finally  conceding.
"They have both fought well and demonstrated their skills with the
lightsaber. Now to make a real impact on them."
   He  turned  on  the comm. "Enough!" he said, and  disabled  the
holographic disguise generator.
   The  twins cried out, then sprang apart, astonished to discover
they'd been fighting each other.
   After  a  few  moments Brakiss switched off the  intercom,  not
wanting  to  listen to the children's outraged cries  anymore.  He
shrugged  and smiled at Qorl. "I did promise to let  her  see  her
brother. I don't know why she should be so upset."
   Qorl  turned away and walked toward the exit, so Brakiss  would
not see the depth of his uncertainty. The harsh treatment of Jacen
and Jaina disturbed him, affecting him against his wishes.
   "Their training is coming along quite nicely," Brakiss said  as
Qorl  reached  the door. "I am pleased with their  progress.  They
will become great Dark Jedi in our service."
   Qorl made a noncommittal reply as he slipped out and closed the
door behind him.
   
   17
   
   Tenel Ka and Luke rode astride a young rancor that had not  yet
been marked to show ownership by any particular clan.
   The  night air was warm and still heavy with moisture from  the
unnatural  storm Vonnda Ra and her student Vilas  had  called  up.
Dathomir's two moons floated in and out of wispy clouds,  shedding
a diffuse pearly light on their path.
   Tenel  Ka  sat  in  front  of Luke on the  whuffa-hide  saddle,
guiding  the rancor steadily in the direction of the Great Canyon.
She  was  a good rider, and she knew it. She had to admit that  it
felt  good  to  demonstrate to Master Skywalker that  she  was  an
expert at something.
   A  light  breeze  rustled the leaves of the low  bushes  around
them,  so  that when Luke leaned forward to whisper  in  her  ear,
Tenel Ka hardly heard him at first. "I had to kill a rancor once,"
he said. "It was a shame-they're such fine creatures."
   "Even so," Tenel Ka answered, "they are dangerous to those  who
are not their friends."
   Luke  was  silent for a while. "I've fought many  battles,"  he
said  at last, "and yes, I have had to kill. But I've learned from
the  light side of the Force that it's better to do everything  in
my power first to ... turn a situation-"
   "But  surely,"  Tenel Ka interrupted, "a Nightsister-or  anyone
else seduced by the dark side- would not hesitate to kill you."
   "Exactly!"  Luke's soft exclamation took her by surprise.  "Now
you  begin to understand," he said. "Those who use the light  side
do not believe the same things as those who use the dark side. But
we  can only demonstrate our differences by acting on our beliefs.
Otherwise . . . we're not so different after all."
   "Ah. Aha," Tenel Ka said. "Just as I struggle to show that I am
different  from my grandmother on Hapes. . . ." Her voice  trailed
off. "Yes, I see now."
   In  spite  of the darkness, their surefooted rancor picked  its
way  steadily  down the steep path that led to the  floor  of  the
Great Canyon. During their descent, they spotted a cluster of more
than  a  dozen  campfires,  and  knew  that  they  had  found  the
Nightsisters' encampment.
   By  the time they reached the canyon floor, both Luke and Tenel
Ka  were sore and aching and weary. The air was cool, with a light
mist hovering close to the ground, and they were both glad of  the
warm  cloaks that Augwynne had pressed on them during their rushed
preparations for departure. She had given them each  a  change  of
clothes  appropriate to their cover story, along  with  a  bag  of
provisions. Then she had hugged Tenel Ka fiercely. "Daughter of my
daughters daughter," she said, "go in safety. The thoughts of  the
Singing Mountain Clan are with you." She turned to Luke. "And  may
the Force be with you."
   Augwynne  had released Tenel Ka and spoke again to her.  "I  am
proud  of  what  you do for your friends. You are a  true  warrior
woman  of our clan. Always remember our most sacred rule from  the
Book of Laws: 'Never concede to evil.'"
   Now,  as  they drew closer to that evil, Tenel Ka shivered  and
pulled  her  cloak  more tightly about her. She wondered  if  they
would  find  Lowbacca,  Jacen,  and  Jaina  at  the  camp  of  the
Nightsisters,  or  if that would only be an intermediate  step  in
their search. Could the Nightsisters be training them in the  dark
ways of the Force? Tenel Ka let her eyes drift shut and cast about
with her mind, but she sensed no trace of her three friends.
   As  if understanding the direction of her thoughts, Luke leaned
forward  again. "If we don't find them here, the Force will  guide
us. We are close ... I feel it."
   An  ululating  cry rang out from the canyon rocks  above  them.
Tenel  Ka  started in surprise. "A scout sounding the alarm,"  she
said, irritated with herself for having been caught off guard.
   "Good," Luke replied. "Then they know we're here."
   Tenel  Ka hesitated at first, uncertain of whether it was  safe
to  continue, and then urged the young rancor forward. She  looked
up at the sky, which had lightened from black to predawn grayness,
reminding her again of how much time had passed since her  friends
had been captured.
   Rounding  the  next bend in the trail, the rancor  came  to  an
abrupt stop. Tenel Ka looked at the path ahead of her and saw that
their way was blocked by three full-grown rancors, each bearing  a
rider,  dressed much as Vonnda Ra and Vilas had been earlier  that
evening.
   The pressure of Luke's hand at her waist was a warning, but she
already knew. Even in the dimness she could see that each  of  the
riders held an Imperial blaster aimed directly at them.
   Tenel Ka had been raised to take command, and though she rarely
exercised that power, it did come naturally. She sat up straighter
in  the saddle and held one arm high. "Sisters and brothers of the
Great  Canyon Clan," she said, "we have heard your message as  far
away  as the Misty Falls Clan and have traveled here to join  you.
We  are not without skill in the Force, and we wish to learn  your
ways, to use all of the Force and to become strong."
   Leaving the rancors at the well-provisioned stockade, Tenel  Ka
and  Luke followed the guards toward the center of camp.  She  was
surprised  to  see two Imperial AT-ST scout walkers clanking  like
mechanical  birds  around the perimeter on guard  duty,  near  the
penned rancors.
   Passing  between  boldly colored tents made of  water-repellent
lizard  hides, Tenel Ka noted roughly ten women and  at  least  as
many  men  going  about  their  early-morning  business  in  eerie
silence,  as  if the warm ground mists swirling up to their  knees
muffled  all  sound. She saw no children at all in the encampment,
heard  no baby's cries, no sounds of young ones playing. In  fact,
she  saw very few in the Great Canyon Clan who were even as  young
as she was.
   Though  she had known what to expect, it amazed Tenel  Ka  that
men  came and went here as freely as the women, apparently  slaves
to no one. She wondered if it really was possible on Dathomir that
these men and women now thought of each other as equals.
   At  the  center  of  camp, they came at  last  to  an  enormous
patchwork pavilion that floated on the mist like a barbaric island
made of furs and lizard hides sewn together. It was held up at the
center  and the corners by spears, three meters long and as  thick
around as Tenel Ka's wrists.
   One  of  the Nightsisters raised a tent flap and motioned  them
inside.  They  entered, but the Sister did not  follow.  The  flap
dropped shut behind them, sealing out the wraithlike mists and the
morning  light. Waiting for her eyes to adjust, Tenel Ka tried  to
sense  her friends; she still found no trace, but the light  touch
of Master Skywalker's hand on her arm reassured her.
   At  the  center  of the tent a tiny pinpoint of light  suddenly
flared into a bright flame, and Tenel Ka saw that it came from  an
oil lamp fashioned out of the inverted skull of a mountain lizard.
Beside the lamp, on a wide platform covered with furs and cushions
made from the hides of a variety of wild beasts, an imposing woman
reclined  in a massive chair made from a stuffed rancor head.  The
woman beckoned them forward into the flickering circle of light.
   Without  so much as a greeting, Vonnda Ra asked, "What is  your
business here?"
   Tenel  Ka,  who had recognized the dark-haired woman instantly,
said, "I have come to join the Nightsisters, and I have brought my
slave with me."
   "What   have  you  to  offer  us?"  Vonnda  Ra  looked   mildly
interested, but not impressed. "Many come wishing to join us,  but
they are weak. Women seek us out because their powers are small or
they  have  no  status in their clans. Men come here because  they
have  never  had  power, and our teachings offer them  freedom-but
they usually have even less to offer. What do you have?"
   Vonnda  Ra's  hand reached out and pointed to the lizard  skull
filled  with  burning  oil. "Can you do this?"  The  lamp  floated
straight upward toward the peak of the tent, casting an ever-wider
but dimmer circle of light, and then settled slowly back down onto
the platform beside Vonnda Ra.
   Tenel  Ka nodded. "I have had some training." Deciding  against
using  any theatrical gestures or words, she half-closed her  eyes
in concentration and grasped the lamp with her mind. She had never
enjoyed  showing off her skill with the Force, using it only  when
absolutely  necessary, but this performance was not  for  herself.
She would probably never see Jacen and Jaina and Lowbacca again if
she could not show these Night-sisters her true potential.
   She  drew in a deep breath, let it out again. Without  a  sound
the  lamp glided off the platform and high into the air over their
heads. Tenel Ka thought about the flame, feeding it with her  mind
and  making it brighter, brighter, until its warm radiance reached
even  to  the darkest corners of the pavilion. Then she  sent  the
lamp  sailing  around the outer edges of the  tent;  it  made  the
complete  circle  so quickly that she heard Vonnda  Ra  gasp  with
amazement. Through her half-closed eyes Tenel Ka watched the dark-
haired woman sit up, one hand outstretched, palm up, as if to  ask
a question.
   Tenel  Ka  brought the lamp in closer for another  circle,  and
then  another, smaller and closer to the central tent post,  until
at last it spun around the center pole in a dizzy downward spiral,
still  glowing  brightly-all in a matter of a few  seconds.  Last,
Tenel Ka brought the spinning lamp lightly to rest in Vonnda  Ra's
outstretched hand.
   The  Nightsister gave a gleeful chuckle. "You are welcome here,
Sister," she said. "What is your name?"
   Tenel Ka threw her head back. "My name-our names-no longer have
any meaning for us. We discarded them when we left our clan."
   "Come  here," Vonnda Ra ordered. When Tenel Ka did as  she  was
told, the Nightsister stood and took the young girl's chin in  her
fingers  and  looked deep into her eyes. "Yes," she  said  with  a
satisfied nod. "You have much anger in you. Are you willing to  go
elsewhere to learn? To a place of instruction among the stars?"
   Tenel  Ka's heart leaped. Perhaps this was where Jacen,  Jaina,
and  Lowbacca had been taken. "Wherever your finest teachers  are,
that is where I wish to go," she replied.
   "But you must leave your slave behind. We will have little  use
for him," Vonnda Ra said.
   "No!"
   Vonnda  Ra sighed. "What if I were to tell you that men  rarely
have  any talent, and that we have never trained one this old?  He
would  only distract you from what you must learn. There is little
hope  of  teaching him. If you knew all this, then what would  you
say?"
   "Then  I  would say ... ," Tenel Ka replied, leveling her  best
cool gray stare at Vonnda Ra, "that you are a fool."
   Vonnda Ra's eyes went wide with surprise, but Tenel Ka did  not
stop.  "This  man has watched and learned the ways  of  the  Force
since  before  I  was born. Not many-not many who still  live-have
seen his power. But I have seen it."
   Vonnda  Ra abruptly turned her skeptical gaze toward Luke.  "If
you  can lift this," she said, pointing to her lizard-skull  lamp,
"and  bring  as  much  light to this tent as she  did"-she  nodded
toward Tenel Ka-"then you shall accompany her."
   The  Nightsister looked at Luke and then back down at the lamp.
When it did not move, a small contemptuous smile flickered at  the
corners  of  her  mouth.  Then something large  and  dark  floated
between  them  and blocked her view. The flame from the  oil  lamp
brightened, and the massive rancor-head chair grinned at her,  its
lifeless  eyes glowing with reflected light. Then the head  lifted
and glided around the perimeter of the tent like a shuttlecraft.
   Tenel  Ka could see Master Skywalker standing with arms crossed
over  his  chest, one knee bent in an apparently relaxed  posture,
his  head cocked to one side, smiling at Vonnda Ra as he sent  the
rancor head whizzing about the pavilion.
   "Since  you asked," he said, "I will give you light." Suddenly,
in  a blur of motion, the stuffed rancor head shot upward with the
speed  of blaster fire. It disappeared through the ceiling of  the
tent,  leaving a gaping hole in its wake, through which the bright
morning sunlight streamed.
   Vonnda  Ra  looked more than a little nervous  as  she  stepped
forward and took Luke's chin in her hands. For more than a  minute
she  gazed  transfixed into his eyes. "Yes," she hissed  at  last.
"Yes, you understand the dark side."
   She backed away from him as if in awe, stared up at the rent in
the  ceiling of her pavilion, then looked back at Luke  and  Tenel
Ka.  "We expect an Imperial supply shuttle at dawn tomorrow,"  she
said. "When it leaves this planet, the two of you must be on it."
   
   18
   
   Jacen,  Jaina,  and  Lowbacca  were  at  first  surprised   and
delighted  that  they would be together for the next  exercise-but
the  grim expressions on Brakiss and Tamith Kai soon soured  their
pleasure.  Obviously,  Jacen  thought,  the  two  Shadow   Academy
instructors had something difficult and dangerous in mind.
   "Because you must move forward in your training," Brakiss said,
motioning  outward  to  represent  progress,  "we  have   designed
exercises  to  present  greater and greater  challenges  for  your
abilities."
   Lowie groaned in dismay.
   "For  this next test, the three of you must work together. Each
trainee  must  learn to act in conceit with others to  assist  our
cause.  There  are  times  when we  must  be  unified  to  provide
appropriate service to the Second Imperium."
   Em  Teedee parroted from his place at Lowie's waist, "Oh,  most
certainly-appropriate service to the Empire."
   Lowie growled at the translating droid to be quiet.
   "You  needn't  take that tone with me! I am simply  reinforcing
the  things you need to know," the reprogrammed Em Teedee replied,
miffed.
   The  three companions found themselves in a new room this time,
smaller,  more  claustrophobic, with numerous round hatches  built
into the walls on every side.
   Tamith Kai went to a control panel in one corner and tapped  in
a  series  of commands with her long-nailed fingers. Four  of  the
metal  hatches  slid open, and spherical remotes  floated  out  on
repulsorfields.
   The  remotes  were metal balls studded with tiny  lasers.  They
reminded Jacen of the defensive satellites that had been unable to
stop  the  Imperial blastboats from invading GemDiver Station.  He
felt  uneasy, wondering if the floating drones would start  firing
at them.
   "These remotes are your protection," Tamith Kai said. "That is,
if the Wookiee can operate them correctly."
   Lowie  growled  a question. "Oh, do be patient,  Lowbacca,"  Em
Teedee  said.  "I'm sure she'll explain everything in  good  time.
She's quite good at this, you know."
   Brakiss  gestured to the remaining hatches on the wall.  "These
will  open  at  random," he said, "and they will hurl  objects  at
you."
   Brakiss reached into the folds of his silvery robe and withdrew
a pair of polished wooden sticks, each about the length of Jacen's
arm. He handed them to the twins.
   "These  are your only weapons: these sticks- and the Force.  If
the Force is your ally, you have a powerful weapon."
   "We know that already," Jaina snapped.
   "Good," Brakiss said, his intensely calm smile still in  place.
"Then you won't object to the other restrictions we place on you."
From  his  sleeve he pulled out two long, black strips  of  cloth.
"You'll  be  blindfolded. You must use the  Force  to  detect  the
objects coming at you."
   Jacen felt his heart sink.
   "When  the objects fly at you, you must either nudge them aside
with  the  Force  or  strike  them with  the  wooden  sticks."  He
shrugged. "That is all. A simple enough game."
   Tamith Kai took up the explanation. "The Wook-iee will be in an
observation  chamber, working to protect you as  well.  Hell  have
full  control of the computer to run these four remotes. They have
powerful enough lasers to disintegrate any of the projectiles.  Of
course, if he misses, and the laser strikes you instead, he  could
cause serious injury."
   "So"-Brakiss  rubbed his hands together, a look of anticipation
on  his beautiful face-"you have your own weapons, and the Wookiee
has  the  remotes.  The three of you must work  together  to  keep
yourselves alive."
   Jacen swallowed nervously. Jaina lifted her chin and scowled at
the  two  teachers. Lowie bristled, clenching and unclenching  his
hairy hands.
   "Let  me  point  out,"  Tamith Kai said, her  voice  thick  and
powerful,  "that these are not holograms. These are real  threats,
and if one strikes you, you will feel real pain."
   "Just  what  kind of objects are these, anyway?"  Jacen  asked.
"What're you going to throw at us?"
   "There  will  be three levels to your test," Brakiss  answered.
"During the first stage we will throw hard balls at you. They  may
sting, but will cause no permanent damage. In the second round, as
the  test speeds up, we will throw rocks, which could break  bones
and cause serious injury."
   Tamith  Kai's deep red lips wore a broad smile, as if she  were
savoring  some  pleasant thought. "The third  round  will  involve
knives."
   Jaina sucked in a shaky breath.
   "Glad you have such faith in our abilities," Jacen grumbled.
   "I  will  be  greatly  disappointed if you  are  both  killed,"
Brakiss told them, his expression earnest.
   "Hey, so will we," Jacen said.
   "I  think he'll get over it before we will," Jaina added  in  a
low voice.
   Jacen shifted his weight on his feet and covered a wince as  he
stepped  down on the hard Corusca gem in his boot. He had kept  it
hidden  there, not knowing what else to do with it-but  right  now
the  last thing he wanted was to feel the sharp gemstone under his
heel  and  be  distracted. He wiggled his foot until the  gem  was
tucked comfortably off to the side.
   Brakiss snugged the blindfold over Jacen's eyes, and everything
went black. "The Wookiee will do what he can to protect you."
   Jacen  gripped  the  hard  stick in his  hands  and  considered
dealing  the Dark Jedi teacher a good whack on the kneecaps,  then
claiming he had become disoriented by the blindfold and it was  an
accident.  But  he decided that such an act would  only  buy  them
trouble, and they needed their energy for other purposes.
   "Good luck," Brakiss said, unseen, close to his ear.
   Jacen  didn't respond, and he heard Tamith Kai chuckle as  they
led  Lowie out of the chamber. The Wookiee moaned, but Em Teedee's
tinny voice snapped back, "Now, Lowbacca, complaining will do  you
very  little good. You must learn to be brave and dedicated, as  I
am."
   Jacen, standing in blackness with nothing to hold on to but his
stick, heard the doors hiss shut behind them. "You ready for this,
Jaina?" he asked.
   "What kind of question is that?" she said.
   The  room  remained silent around them. He could  hear  himself
breathe,  his  heart pounding in his ears. He sensed Jaina  beside
him, heard the rustle of her clothes as she moved.
   "Might  be  better  if we stand back-to-back,"  she  suggested,
"cover each other as much as we can."
   They  pressed themselves shoulder-to-shoulder and listened  and
waited.  Soon  they  heard a hum of machinery, a  quiet,  grinding
sound, as one of the metal portholes slid open. Jacen reached  out
with  the Force to see through the blindfold, to detect where  the
projectile would come from.
   Then, with a sudden whump of compressed air, one of the objects
shot  at  them like a cannonball. Using his senses, Jacen whirled,
swinging the stick like a bat. He tried to smack the ball  out  of
the  way, but it struck him on the shoulder. It was hard,  and  it
stung.
   "Ow!"  he  yelped. Then a second ball shot out.  He  heard  the
sizzle of the remotes firing, but then Jaina also cried out behind
him-not so much in pain as in startled embarrassment.
   He  tried to visualize where the next missile would come  from.
The  noises  came  faster  now. He heard  another  metal  porthole
hissing open, another hard ball shooting toward him. He swung  the
wooden  stick, and this time grazed it with the edge.  He  felt  a
surge  of  triumph,  but realized that he had hit  the  ball  more
through blind luck than any skill with the Force.
   Another  hiss of a porthole, another ball, and another,  coming
from  a  different direction. Under Lowie's control,  the  remotes
shot  tiny  blasts at the flying balls. Jacen heard an impact  and
thought perhaps Lowie had struck one of the targets. He hoped  the
lanky Wookiee wouldn't misfire.
   Brakiss  had  instructed them to use anger  to  increase  their
control over the Force; as another ball hit Jacen in the ribs, the
stinging impact did make him want to lash out in retaliation.  But
Jacen  also remembered his uncle Luke's lessons: a Jedi knows  the
Force  best  when  he is calm and passive, when he  lets  it  flow
through him rather than trying to twist it to his own purposes.
   Jacen  heard a loud crack of wood as his sister struck  one  of
the hard balls. "Gotcha!" she cried.
   As  he  let  his mind open up, Jacen saw a small,  bright  blur
through the blindfolded darkness; and he knew the next ball  would
come from that direction. He used the Force to nudge it out of the
way,  and the ball swung wide, smacking the wall instead. Then  he
saw  another  bright  blur, then another,  and  another,  as  more
projectiles came, faster and faster!
   He used the Force. He swung the wooden stick, trying to keep up
with the flying balls. He sensed that Jaina was also doing better,
and  that  the  laser  bolts from Lowie's  remotes  seemed  to  be
striking  their targets more often. But with the sheer  number  of
projectiles, Lowie had to miss occasionally.
   Something hard and rough struck Jacen on the right arm just  at
the  elbow, and the wave of blazing pain took his breath away. His
arm  went  numb,  and Jacen shifted the stick to  his  left  hand,
realizing  that  the test had reached its second  stage-they  were
being bombarded with sharp stones.
   In  the observation chamber, Lowbacca worked frantically at his
computer  controls, guiding the four defensive  drones.  He  fired
their  lasers and vaporized a few targets. But then the projectile
launches   picked  up  speed,  and  Lowie  knew  he  didn't   dare
misfire-because  if he struck one of the twins with  a  laser,  it
would do at least as much damage as one of the stones.
   He  missed  another one, and a rock hit Jaina on the thigh.  He
saw  her  blindfolded  face crumple in a wince  of  sudden  agony.
Jaina's  knees buckled, and she nearly went down; but she  managed
to keep her balance somehow, swinging automatically with the stick
and deflecting another stone that came straight at her head.
   More sharp rocks hurtled toward the twins, launched with deadly
speed.  Lowie  began  shooting all the remotes at  once-targeting,
firing,  targeting,  firing. He had already  slagged  one  of  the
portholes  so  it could no longer launch stones. But  despite  his
best  efforts, he missed again, and this time a rock struck  Jacen
in the side.
   The twins were both hurt now, badly bruised and reeling, though
they  kept  fighting  as best they could. Lowie  groaned  a  quiet
apology and kept working at the computer controls.
   Em Teedee spoke in a sharp, pestering voice. "Need I point out,
Lowbacca, that the Empire will be quite disappointed if you  don't
perform to the best of your abilities in this test?"
   Lowie  didn't waste energy telling the translating droid to  be
quiet.  He  worked the complex controls, calling  up  programming,
reassigning parameters, hammering instructions with his left hand,
controlling  the remotes with his right hand, using everything  he
knew  about computers. Lowie had a desperate plan-but his  attempt
absorbed  part of his concentration. In his moment of  distraction
more  and  more of the hard rocks got through to pummel  the  Jedi
twins.  But Lowie had no choice, if he was to make his  plan  come
off.
   He  sensed  that  in  order  to demonstrate  their  power,  the
teachers at the Shadow Academy were willing to risk hurting  their
students.  As long as they were left with the strongest  trainees,
they  didn't  care  if  someone actually  got  killed  during  the
exercises. Lowie's only hope was to bring it all down.
   He  glanced up, tossing ginger-colored fur out of his eyes,  as
the stones kept flying.
   Jacen  was  on his knees now, dazedly swinging one-handed  with
the  stick.  His right arm hung limp at his side. Lowie  saw  that
both of his friends were battered and bruised, and that still  the
rocks fired at them without mercy.
   After a moments pause, something changed- and long metal knives
began flying out.
   Lowie  worked  close to panic, but forced his concentration  on
the computer. It was his only hope. Jacen and Jaina's only hope.
   The  twins  used their Force abilities to deflect the  incoming
blades  into  the walls, where they left long white scars  on  the
metal. Another knife launched out. And another.
   Frantically  keying in more commands on the  control  terminal,
Lowie  let the floating remotes fall silent. He had one last idea.
One last chance.
   "Master Lowbacca," Em Teedee scolded, "just what do you think-"
   Lowie  punched in a command string that he hoped  would  bypass
all other informational sequences, then executed it.
   Five  portholes opened at once, each ready to launch its deadly
knife blade-
   Suddenly, the entire training room shut down. The lights winked
out. The porthole doors slammed shut. Everything went dark.
   With  a heavy groan of relief, Lowie slumped back in his chair,
running  a  broad  hand over the black streak  of  fur  above  his
eyebrow.  At  last  he had managed to crash the murderous  testing
routine.
   "Oh,  Lowbacca!"  Em  Teedee wailed. "Dear  me,  you've  really
botched everything up! Have you any idea how much trouble it  will
be to fix this mess?"
   Lowie smiled, showing fangs, and purred in contentment.
   Brakiss  and Tamith Kai charged into the observation room.  The
Nightsister,  her  black cloak swirling around her  like  a  storm
cloud,  was  furious. Her violet eyes looked ready to shoot  light
ning bolts. "What have you done?" Tamith Kai demanded.
   Brakiss  raised his eyebrows, an expression of proud  amusement
on his face. "The Wookiee has done exactly what I told him to do,"
Brakiss said. "He defended his two friends. We didn't tell him  he
had  to  follow our rules. It seems he accomplished the  objective
admirably."
   Tamith  Kai's  wine-dark lips formed a  sour  expression.  "You
condone this, Brakiss?" she said.
   "It  shows  initiative," he said. "Learning to find  innovative
solutions  is an important skill. Low-bacca here will  be  a  fine
addition to the defenders of the Empire."
   Lowie roared at the insult.
   "Oh, Lowbacca, I'm so proud of you!" Em Teedee said.
   Stormtroopers brought out Jacen and Jaina, who stumbled as they
walked,  obviously  hurt.  Their clothes  were  ragged  and  torn.
Scrapes  and  bruises covered their faces, arms, and  legs.  Blood
oozed from a dozen minor cuts, and the twins blinked their brandy-
brown eyes in the bright lights of the observation room.
   Brakiss commended both of them for their efforts. "A very  good
test,"  he  said. "You young Jedi Knights continue to impress  me.
Master   Skywalker  must  be  doing  a  good  job  selecting   his
candidates."
   "Better  candidates than you'll ever get," Jaina said,  finding
the strength to defy him despite her injuries.
   "Indeed,"  Brakiss agreed. "That's why we decided to take  some
of  those  that he has already selected. You three were  only  the
first  we obtained from the Jedi academy. You've shown such  poten
tial  that we are now ready to kidnap another group from Yavin  4.
From  there,  we'll have all the Jedi students we  could  possibly
use."
   Lowie  growled.  Jacen and Jaina looked at each  other  aghast,
then  at  their Wookiee friend. Even without using the Force,  the
three companions knew they all shared the same urgent thought.
   They had to do something-and soon.
   
   19
   
   Tenel Ka used a Jedi relaxation technique, hoping to quell  her
nervousness  before Vonnda Ra could pick up on it. Waiting  beside
her  at  the  strip  of packed dirt the Nightsisters  used  for  a
landing field, Luke looked serene, but Tenel Ka caught a trace  of
curiosity  and  excitement in him, as if he were  embarking  on  a
great adventure.
   "There,"  said Vonnda Ra, stretching an arm toward the  horizon
where  a  glimmer  of silver flickered. As Tenel Ka  watched,  the
streamlined metallic shape grew rapidly larger.
   "You  are most fortunate," Vilas said, striding up behind them.
Vonnda  Ra sent him a questioning look, and he shrugged.  "I  felt
her presence, and I could not help but come to greet her." He indi
cated  the approaching craft. "One of our most accomplished  young
sisters,  Garowyn herself, will escort you to your  new  place  of
training."
   Tenel  Ka  guessed that Garowyn must also come  from  Dathomir,
since  the name was common enough here. Another Nightsister  then.
How  could so many Nightsisters have come together so quickly? she
wondered.  It was not yet two decades since Luke and  her  parents
had eradicated the old Night-sisters, yet here again was a growing
enclave  of  both women and men who had been seduced by  the  dark
side of the Force, lured by its promises of power. The Empire  had
been here as well, seeking new allies.
   Tenel  Ka gritted her teeth. Were her people truly so weak?  Or
was  the  temptation of great power, once tasted,  too  strong  to
resist?  She  renewed her resolve: She would  not  use  the  Force
unless  her own physical powers were inadequate for the situation.
She didn't like easy solutions.
   Tenel  Ka stifled her feelings as a compact, shiny ship settled
with  effortless precision not far from where they stood. Although
she  knew it belonged to the Nightsisters-or to whomever  had  kid
napped   Jacen  and  Jaina  and  Lowbacca-she  marveled   at   its
construction.
   The ship was not large, probably built to carry a dozen people,
but  its lines were clean and smooth, almost inviting Tenel Ka  to
run  her hand along its side. No carbon scoring stained the  hull;
its  surface  bore no pits, dents, or evidence of  the  meteorites
commonly  encountered in space and atmosphere. The overall  design
seemed vaguely Imperial, but Tenel Ka could not identify it as any
type of craft she had ever seen before.
   She  heard a low whistle from Luke and a murmured question,  as
if he were talking to himself. "Quantum armor?"
   "Exactly," Vilas said, sounding pleased.
   As  an  entry  ramp extended from the sleek underbelly  of  the
small  craft,  Vonnda Ra stepped forward to greet  the  woman  who
emerged,  clasping both of her hands in welcome.  When  the  woman
stepped  off  the  ramp, Tenel Ka saw that she was  half  a  meter
shorter than Vonnda Ra. Though petite, the newcomer was powerfully
built.  Long, light brown hair streaked with bronze  fell  to  her
waist,  secured with just enough braids and thongs to keep it  out
of her way, as befitted a warrior woman of Dathomir.
   Without further ado, the woman pilot broke away from Vonnda  Ra
and  came  to  stand  before Luke and Tenel  Ka.  Her  hazel  eyes
assessed each of them critically. "You are new recruits?"
   Before Tenel Ka could answer, Vilas broke in, as if desperately
eager to talk to the pilot. "You'll find that they have remarkable
potential, Captain Garowyn."
   Tenel  Ka heard tension and hope-and longing-in his voice.  She
wondered  if  Vilas  could be secretly in love with  Garowyn.  Her
features  were refined, and her creamy-brown skin was set  off  to
perfection by her tight-fitting red lizard-skin armor.  The  black
knee-length cape she wore open at the front seemed to be her  only
outward  concession  to the fact that she was a  Nightsister,  and
Tenel  Ka guessed from the haughty set of her mouth and her shrewd
eyes that Garowyn did not often make concessions.
   "Vilas,  busy  yourself unloading the supplies,"  Garowyn  said
dismissively.  "I will test these two myself." Vilas  cringed  and
shuffled dispiritedly over to unload the ship, but Garowyn did not
notice.  She  threw  Luke  and Tenel Ka  a  challenging  look  and
directed  a question at them. "What do you think of my  ship,  the
Shadow Chaser?"
   "It's  beautiful.  I've  never seen  anything  like  it,"  Luke
replied softly.
   "This is a fact," Tenel Ka said in a reverent voice.
   "Yes, this is a fact," Garowyn said, apparently satisfied. "The
Shadow  Chaser is state-of-the-art. At the moment she's  the  only
one of her kind." Then, seeming to forget that Vonnda Ra and Vilas
even existed, she said, "I do not wish to waste time. Come aboard.
When the hold is empty we will get under way."
   With that, she turned smartly and headed for the ship. Luke and
Tenel Ka followed.
   As  the  Shadow  Chaser  accelerated into  hyperspace  and  the
twinkling   lights  in  the  forward  viewscreen  elongated   into
starlines, Tenel Ka watched Garowyn set her automatic controls and
stand up from the pilot seat.
   "Our journey will take two standard days," Garowyn said, moving
past them and out of the cockpit. "I may as well acquaint you with
my ship. No expense was spared for the Shadow Chaser."
   She  showed  them the food- and waste-processing  systems,  the
hyperdrive engines, the sleeping cubicles . . . but most of it was
a blur to Tenel Ka.
   "And  these"-Garowyn pointed toward several hatches at the back
of  the cabin-"are the escape pods. Each is large enough to  carry
only  one  passenger, and is equipped with a  homing  beacon  that
broadcasts its location on a signature frequency that can only  be
decoded  at  the  Shadow Academy, where you will learn  your  true
potential."
   With  that,  Garowyn resumed the tour, but Tenel Ka flashed  an
alarmed  glance at Master Sky-walker, who met her gaze with  equal
concern.  Her  mind whirled at the idea that another Jedi  academy
existed,  an academy for learning the dark powers of the Force.  A
Shadow Academy.
   Garowyn  decided  to test them thoroughly. She questioned  Luke
and Tenel Ka by turns about their familiarity with the Force. Luke
was vague in his answers, but Garowyn-perhaps because she was from
Dathomir     and    considered    men    to    be    of     little
importance-concentrated  her efforts on  finding  out  more  about
Tenel Ka.
   When  Garowyn asked what experience she had, Tenel Ka  answered
truthfully.  "I  have  used the Force, and I  believe  that  I  am
strong.  However," she added, her voice growing hard, "I will  not
rely on the Force so much that I become weak. If there is anything
I can do under my own power, I will not use the Force to do it."
   Garowyn laughed at that, a harsh, cynical laugh that grated  in
Tenel  Ka's  ears.  "We  will change your mind  without  too  much
difficulty,"  she  said.  "Why else  would  you  come  to  us  for
training?"
   Tenel  Ka  considered this for a moment and phrased  her  reply
carefully. "I have no greater desire than to learn the ways of the
Force," she said at last.
   Garowyn  nodded,  as if that closed the issue,  and  turned  to
Luke.  "I  refuse to conduct lightsaber drills aboard  the  Shadow
Chaser,  but we shall see soon enough how well you sense my  inten
tions  using the Force." She picked up a stun staff in  each  hand
and  tossed  one  of  them to Luke. Luke stretched  out  his  arm,
fumbled  slightly,  but  caught the staff before  it  touched  the
floor.
   And so it went for most of the day.
   Tenel  Ka  did the best she could at each stage of the testing,
but  she  could see that Luke was holding back, not revealing  the
full  extent of his power-she had observed Master Skywalker enough
to know this.
   After  seeing  him  weaken or fail in  several  of  the  tests,
however,  a thread of worry began to weave through her mind.  What
if  Master Skywalker had fallen ill? What if he couldn't  use  his
powers?  Or what if-it hurt to even think it-what if he  had  been
wrong,  after  all? What if the dark side really was stronger?  If
so,  she  and Master Skywalker did not stand a chance of  rescuing
Jacen, Jaina, and Lowbacca.
   Tenel  Ka felt weak and drained by the time she had lifted  her
tenth  object  to  satisfy Garowyn's sense  of  completeness.  The
titanium block wobbled and shook as she lowered it to the floor of
the cabin.
   Garowyn   gave  a  derisive  chuckle.  "Your  pride  in   self-
sufficiency  is  your weakness." With that, she closed  her  hazel
eyes,  flung her head back, and stretched an arm out toward  Tenel
Ka.
   Tenel Ka felt the hair on her scalp and her skin prickle as  if
lightning were about to strike. Her stomach churned, and she  felt
giddy  and disoriented. She bent her legs to sit but found nothing
to  support  her. She was floating a meter above the cabin  floor.
Tenel  Ka stifled a gasp of outrage and attempted to use her  mind
to wrench herself free,
   Garowyn's  creamy-brown face was furrowed with cruel  lines  of
deep  concentration.  "Yes," she said in  a  guttural,  triumphant
voice, "try to resist me. Use your anger."
   Realizing that this was exactly what she had been doing,  Tenel
Ka  went limp. As she did so, Garowyn lost her grip slightly,  and
Tenel Ka wobbled in midair. So, she mused, the Nightsister is  not
as strong as she thinks she is.
   Then,  pretending to struggle again to hide what she was doing,
she  removed the fibercord and grappling hook that she carried  at
her  waist  and looked around for an anchor point. She soon  found
something that would work perfectly: the wheel on an escape  pod's
pressure hatch.
   Garowyn  was  still amusing herself with Tenel Ka's "struggles"
when, with a practiced flick of her wrist, Tenel Ka flung out  her
line;  the grappling hook caught securely on its intended  target.
Before the Nightsister could notice, Tenel Ka went completely limp
again. When Garowyn's grasp wavered again, Tenel Ka jerked on  the
line  and wrenched herself free, falling to the floor and  landing
painfully on her rear.
   She  looked up to see Garowyn's petite form towering over  her.
But instead of an angry rebuke, all she heard from the Nightsister
was a short, sharp bark of amazed laughter.
   Garowyn reached out a hand to help Tenel Ka up. "Your pride has
served you this time, but it may be your downfall yet," she said.
   "That  is  often true of pride," Luke said quietly, seeming  to
agree.  His eyes assessed the Nightsister. "I believe I  could  do
that."
   Garowyn's  lips twisted in a derisive smile. "What?  You  think
you could fall on your-?"
   "No," Luke cut in. "I believe I could lift a person."
   "So?"  Garowyn chortled, as if rising to a challenge. "Do  your
best."
   She  crossed her arms over her chest, and her hazel eyes  dared
Luke  to  move her. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide with astonishment
and  confusion as her feet drifted off the floor and  she  rose  a
full meter and a half into the air.
   "I  can see that it is time to teach you the power of the  dark
side  as  well," she snapped haughtily. She closed  her  eyes  and
wrenched with all her might.
   Tenel  Ka  sensed  that  Luke  loosened  his  grip-  but   only
partially.  Garowyn still floated above the deck, but  he  allowed
the  force of her movement to turn her around and send her into  a
dizzying spin.
   Then, never taking his eyes from the twirling Nightsister, Luke
said,  "Tenel  Ka, if you would be so kind as to open  that  first
escape pod."
   She understood his intention immediately, and moved to do as he
asked.   Within   moments  they  had  the  gyrating,   disoriented
Nightsister deposited and sealed within the pod. Tenel  Ka's  hand
hovered above the automatic jettison switch. Luke nodded.
   With  great  satisfaction, she triggered  the  launch.  With  a
whoosh  and  a thump, the escape pod containing Garowyn  shot  out
into deep space.
   "Master Skywalker," Tenel Ka said, her face serious, "I believe
I  now  understand how it might be possible, as you said,  to  ...
turn a situation."
   Luke  looked  at her, blinked once in amazement,  and  laughed.
"Tenel Ka," he said, "I believe you just made a joke. Jacen  would
be proud of you."
   Later  that day, when they dropped out of hyper-space  and  the
autopilot  alerted them that they were about to  arrive  at  their
destination,  Luke and Tenel Ka sat in the cockpit looking  vainly
for a planet, a space station, anything on which they might land.
   But they saw nothing.
   Tenel Ka turned to Luke in confusion. "Could the autopilot have
malfunctioned?" she asked. "Did we have the wrong coordinates?"
   "No," he said, seeming calm and self-assured. "We must wait."
   Then,  as if a curtain had suddenly been drawn aside, they  saw
it:  a space station. A Shadow Academy, Tenel Ka reminded herself.
A  spiked  torus  spinning  in space, protected  by  exterior  gun
emplacements and crowned with several tall observation towers.
   "It must have been cloaked," Luke said.
   As they approached the Shadow Academy, docking-bay doors opened
automatically,  and Luke placed a reassuring hand  on  Tenel  Ka's
shoulder.
   "The dark side is not stronger," he said.
   Tenel Ka let out a long breath, and some of her tension drained
away with it.
   "This is a fact," she whispered.
   
   20
   
   During  the  Shadow Academy's sleep period, all  students  were
locked in their individual chambers and told to rest and meditate,
to recharge their energies for further strenuous exercises. It was
just  part of the Imperial rules, and most students followed .them
without question.
   Jacen  sat alone in his small cubicle, bruised and aching  from
the  training ordeal. He dampened one of his socks and used it  to
soothe  the many cuts and scrapes he had received from  the  sharp
rocks and knives.
   He  and  Jaina had requested simple pain reliev-ers, but Tamith
Kai  had  flatly refused, insisting that the aches would serve  to
toughen  them up. Each twinge of pain was supposed to remind  them
of  their failure to deflect a ball or stone. He used what he knew
of the Force to dull the worst of the pain, but it still hurt.
   Jacen  sat  cross-legged, trying furiously to figure  out  some
escape  before Brakiss launched another raid on Yavin  4  to  grab
more of Uncle Luke's trainees.
   His  sister Jaina was always best at making complicated  plans.
She  understood how things worked, how pieces fit together. Jacen,
on  the other hand, who liked to live in the moment and enjoy what
he  was  doing,  was a bit more disorganized. He  managed  to  get
things  done-but  not always in the same order he  had  originally
planned.
   Maybe  the  most  important step was to free Jaina  and  Lowie.
After  that,  they could decide what to do next.  Of  course,  the
biggest  question  was how Jacen could free them  all  from  their
cells.
   Then he remembered his Corusca gem.
   Jacen  nearly  laughed out loud-why hadn't  he  thought  of  it
before?  He grabbed for his left boot, shook it, and was  startled
to  hear  nothing. Then he recalled he had put the  stone  in  his
other boot. He picked it up and dumped the precious jewel into his
cupped  hand. Smooth on one side, with sharp edges and  facets  on
the other, the Corusca gem glowed with internal fire-trapped light
from when it had formed deep in Yavin's core ages ago.
   Lando  Calrissian  had said a Corusca gem could  slice  through
transparisteel  as  easily as a laser through Sullustan  jam.  But
then,  Lando  said  a  lot  of things that  couldn't  entirely  be
believed. Jacen hoped this wasn't one of them.
   Jacen  held  the  jewel between his thumb  and  his  first  two
fingers  and  went  to the sealed door. When Tamith  Kai  and  her
Imperial  forces  had stormed GemDiver Station, they  had  used  a
large  machine fitted with industrial-grade Corusca  gems  to  cut
through  the  armored walls. Surely Jacen's little gem  could  cut
through a thin wall plate. . . .
   He  ran his fingers along the smooth metal near where the  door
sealed. Jacen wished he understood machinery and electronics  like
his sister did, but he would do his best.
   He  didn't think that he could cut through the whole door using
only the strength in his fingers, but Jacen knew where the control
panel was. Perhaps he could peel back this side of the plate,  get
to  the  wires,  and somehow trigger the door to open-  though  he
hadn't  the slightest idea how to do it. Still, he took  the  gem,
found where the control box should be, and probed lightly with the
Force.  He sensed a power source here, tangled controls. This  was
it.
   Jacen drew a generous rectangle with the gem, easily scratching
a thin white line in the metal plate. A good start, he thought.
   Pressing  harder  this  time,  Jacen  retraced  the  rectangle,
feeling  the sharp edge of the gem gouging deeper into the  metal.
After his third effort, his fingers hurt, but he could see that he
had made a substantial cut through the plate. His pulse raced, and
excitement gave him new energy. He forgot all about his aches  and
pains.
   One  side  cut  through and bent inward. Jacen  gasped.  Almost
there.  He  sawed away at the long side of the rectangle.  With  a
clink,  the metal parted. The last two sides were easier,  and  he
sliced through them quickly.
   The  metal rectangle slipped from Jacen's sore fingers and fell
to  the  floor  with  a  loud clatter.  "Oh,  blaster  bolts!"  he
muttered. He was sure the other Shadow Academy students would wake
up and that stormtroopers would come running.
   But  outside, the halls remained utterly silent, as if a  cloth
gag  were  bound around the station, muffling all sound.  Everyone
remained locked in their quarters. Only a few guards wandered  the
halls at night.
   Jacen  was safe for the time being. He peered into the hole  he
had  cut,  looking with dismay at the mass of wires  and  circuits
that  controlled the door. Okay, what would Jaina do? he wondered.
He  closed his eyes and let his mind open up, tracing the lines of
the  wires  and circuits. Some ran to communications  systems,  or
computer   terminals  mounted  at  regular  intervals  along   the
corridors,  or  lights, or thermostats. Some ran  to  alarms,  and
others... connected to the door mechanism!
   Jacen  took  a  steadying breath. Now, what to  do  with  those
wires? He probably needed to cross them, but in a particular  way.
There was nothing to do but try it.
   With aching fingers, Jacen disconnected one of the wires in the
cluster  he  had isolated and touched it to another, careful  that
the exposed, electrified ends didn't touch his bare skin. A little
spark  flashed, and the lights in his room flickered- but  nothing
else  happened. He tried with the second wire and got no  response
at all.
   Jacen  hoped he wasn't setting off silent alarms in  the  guard
stations.  He  sighed.  What if none  of  this  worked?  Well,  he
reasoned,  then he might have to slice directly through  the  door
after  all. He shook his stinging fingers, anticipating the  pain.
First, he decided, he would try the last set of wires.
   As  if sensing Jacen's impending despair, the door slid quietly
open when he touched the wires together.
   Jacen laughed aloud and looked out into the empty corridor.  He
glanced  from  side  to side, but saw only  a  string  of  sealed,
featureless doors. Glowpanels lit the metallic corridors  at  half
illumination, conserving power during the academy's sleep period.
   The  door controls looked much easier from the outside, and  he
didn't  think  he  would  have  any  trouble  freeing  Jaina   and
Lowie-once he found them.
   It proved less difficult than Jacen had feared. He had seen the
corridors down which the guards usually led Jaina and Lowie, so he
went  in that direction, calling with his mind. Jaina will be  the
easiest,  he thought. He tiptoed along, afraid that at any  moment
stormtroopers would come marching around the corner.
   But the Shadow Academy remained silent and asleep.
   Jaina, he thought. Jaina!
   Jacen  walked along, listening at each of the doors. He  didn't
want  to  cause too much of a disturbance, because the  Dark  Jedi
students might sound an alarm if they noticed him.
   At  the  seventh  door he found her. Jacen sensed  his  sister,
awake  and  excited,  knowing he was  out  there.  He  worked  the
controls  until her door slid open. Jaina burst out, hugging  him.
"I've been expecting you," she said.
   "Used  my Corusca gem," he explained, pointing toward his boot,
where he had stashed the stone again.
   Jaina  nodded, as if she had known all along what  her  brother
would do.
   "We've got to find Lowie and free him, too," Jacen said.
   "Of  course," Jaina agreed. "We'll escape and warn  Uncle  Luke
before Brakiss makes his raid on the Jedi academy."
   "Right," Jacen said with a lopsided grin. "Uh, since I  got  us
this far, I was hoping you could figure out the rest of the plan."
   Jaina  beamed  at  him  as  if he  had  paid  her  the  highest
compliment she could imagine. "Already have," she said. "What  are
we waiting for?"
   They managed to find Lowie, who was excited to see them, and Em
Teedee,  who was not. "I feel obligated to warn you that I  simply
must  sound an alarm," the translating droid said. "My duty is  to
the Empire now and it's my responsibility-"
   Jaina  gave the little droid a rap with her knuckles.  "If  you
make  so  much  as  a  peep," she said, "we'll rewire  your  vocal
circuits  so that you talk backwards and they'll toss you  in  the
scrap heap."
   "You wouldn't!" Em Teedee said in a huff.
   "Wanna bet?" Jaina asked in a dangerously sweet voice.
   Jacen  stood  next  to  her  and  glared  at  the  miniaturized
translating droid. Lowie added his own threatening growl.
   "Oh,  all  right, all right," Em Teedee said. "But I submit  to
this  only under stringent protest. The Empire is, after all,  our
friend."
   Jaina snorted. "No it isn't. Think we may need to arrange for a
complete brain wipe when we get you back to Yavin 4."
   "Oh, dear me," Em Teedee said.
   Jaina  looked  around, casting her gaze from  one  end  of  the
silent  corridor to the other. She rubbed her hands  together  and
bit  her lower lip, considering options. "All right, this  is  the
plan." She pointed to one of the corridor terminals.
   "Lowie," she said, "can you use that computer to slice into the
main  station  controls? I need you to drop the  Shadow  Academy's
cloaking  device and also seal all the doors so that no  one  gets
out of their quarters. No sense inviting trouble for ourselves."
   Lowie made a sound of optimistic agreement.
   "Lowbacca, you aren't capable of accomplishing all of that," Em
Teedee said, "and I'm certain you know it." Lowie growled at him.
   "If  we  can  all get to the shuttle bay," Jaina continued,  "I
think  I  can pilot one of the ships out of here. I've trained  in
simulators for various craft, and you know I was ready to fly that
TIE lighter before Qorl took it."
   Lowie  tapped  the keyboard of the computer terminal  with  his
long  hairy fingers. He hunched low to stare at the screen,  which
was  not  mounted lor someone of Wookiee stature. Lowie called  up
the  screens he needed, showing the status of the Shadow Academy's
shuttle bay.
   "Perfect," Jaina said. "A new ship just came in, still  powered
up  and  ready to go. We'll take that one, as soon as Lowie  locks
everyone in their rooms."
   Lowbacca  grunted in agreement and kept working,  but  he  soon
encountered an impenetrable wall of security passwords. He groaned
in frustration.
   "Well,  there  now, you see?" Em Teedee said. "I told  you  you
couldn't do it by yourself."
   Lowie  growled,  but Jaina brightened as an  idea  struck  her.
"He's  right,"  she said. "But Em Teedee was reprogrammed  by  the
Empire.  Why not plug him into the main computer and let  him  get
through for us?" She plucked the small translating droid from  the
clip at Lowbacca's waist and began opening Em Teedee's back access
panel.
   "I  most  certainly  will  not,"  Em  Teedee  said.  "I  simply
couldn't.  It  would  be  disloyal to the  Empire  and  completely
inappropriate for me to-"
   Lowie made a threatening sound, and Em Teedee fell silent.
   Working  rapidly,  with  nimble fingers,  Jaina  pulled  wires,
electrical leads, and input jacks from the droid's head  case  and
plugged  them  into appropriate ports on the Shadow Academy's  com
puter terminal.
   "Oh,  my," Em Teedee said. "Ah, this is much better. I can  see
so  many  things! I feel as if my brain is full to overflowing.  A
wealth of information awaits me-"
   "The  passwords,  Em Teedee," Jaina said, reaching  toward  the
recalcitrant droid.
   "Oh,  dear  me, yes. Of course-the passwords!" Em  Teedee  said
hastily. "But I remind you, I really shouldn't."
   "Just do it," Jaina snapped.
   "Ah,  yes, here it is. But don't blame me if the whole  lot  of
stormtroopers comes after you."
   The  screen  winked,  displaying the files  Lowbacca  had  been
trying  to  access. Jacen and Jaina sighed with relief, and  Lowie
made a pleased sound. His ginger-furred fingers were a blur as  he
descended rapidly through menu after menu, finally penetrating all
the way into the station computer's main core.
   With  two  swift commands Lowie shut down the Shadow  Academy's
cloaking  device.  Then,  with  a  resounding  clunk  that  echoed
throughout  the  station, he closed and sealed every  door  except
those  the  three  of  them would need to  escape.  He  yowled  in
triumph.
   Belatedly, the station alarms went off, screeching and  grating
with   a  harsh,  piercing  sound,  unpleasant  as  only  Imperial
engineers could make it.
   Lowie  unplugged Em Teedee. "There, I tried to warn  you,"  the
silvery droid said. "But you wouldn't listen, would you?"
   
   21
   
   Brakiss  sat  contemplating in his dim office, long  after  the
other  workers  had  retired for the  night.  He  reveled  in  the
dramatic images on his walls: galactic disasters in progress,  the
fury  of  the  universe unleashed like a storm  around  him-  with
Brakiss as its calm center, able to touch those immense forces but
not be affected by them.
   Brakiss  had  just written up the plans for a swift  attack  on
Yavin  4  so  that he could steal more of Master Skywalker's  Jedi
students.  He  had  sent the encoded message deep  into  the  Core
Systems to the great Imperial leader, who had immediately approved
his  plans.  The  leader was eager to get more  ready-chosen  Jedi
students to train as dark warriors.
   The  assault would occur in the next few days, while  Skywalker
was  no  doubt  still reeling from the loss of the twins  and  the
Wookiee,  perhaps even away from Yavin 4 looking for them.  Tamith
Kai  would go along for the assault. She needed the outlet to vent
her  anger,  to  drain  some of the rage she kept  bottled  within
herself. That way she could be more effective.
   Brakiss stood and looked at the blindingly bright image of  the
Denarii Nova, two suns pouring fire onto each other. Something was
bothering him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. The day had
gone  routinely.  The  three young Jedi Knights  were  doing  even
better than he'd expected. But still Brakiss had a bad feeling,  a
low-level uneasiness.
   He  walked  slowly  out  of  his chambers,  his  silvery  robes
flickering  around him like candlelight. He let the  door  of  his
office  remain open as he turned to scrutinize the empty corridor.
Everything was quiet, just as it should have been.
   Brakiss  frowned,  decided  he must be  imagining  things,  and
turned back toward his office. But before he could get there,  the
door slammed shut of its own accord. Brakiss found himself trapped
outside his office.
   Up  and  down  the  corridor the few  open  doors  also  sealed
themselves. He heard clicking sounds as locking mechanisms engaged
all around the station.
   Automatic alarms shrieked. Brakiss would not tolerate  such  an
interruption in his routine. Someone would be punished  for  this.
He held the storm inside himself and strode down the halls, intent
on squashing the disturbance.
   
   Jacen, Jaina, and Lowie rushed into the docking bay, tense  and
ready to fight their way out of the Shadow Academy.
   A gleaming Imperial shuttle of unusual design sat in the middle
of  the brightly lit landing pad, still going through its shutdown
procedures. Other TIE fighters and Skipray blastboats stood locked
down  and  in various stages of maintenance. The alarms  continued
their deafening racket.
   Jacen saw movement in the shuttle and frantically gestured  for
the  others  to duck down, just in time to see two figures  emerge
from  the  entry  ramp. One of the figures  crouched  and  drew  a
lightsaber.
   "Uncle Luke!" Jaina cried, springing to her feet.
   The  second  figure, a fierce-looking girl, whirled,  ready  to
attack.  Her  braided red-gold hair swept like a  burst  of  flame
across her gray eyes.
   "And Tenel Ka!" Jacen said. "Hey, am I glad to see you!"
   Lowie bellowed a delighted welcome.
   "Well,  it certainly is a relief to see familiar faces  in  the
midst of all this infernal racket," Em Teedee said.
   "All  right,  kids," Luke Skywalker said, "we  came  to  rescue
you-but  since  you managed to get yourselves this  far,  I  guess
we're ready to go. Right now."
   Jaina  issued  a  brisk report. "We managed to  shut  down  the
cloaking  device,  Uncle Luke. Sealed most of  the  doors  on  the
station.  Won't be many people coming after us, but we should  get
out of here as soon as we can."
   "How  will we get the sealed space doors open again?" Tenel  Ka
said,  looking over her broad shoulders. "It will be difficult  to
open them without help from someone inside. Is this not a fact?"
   Lowie  answered  her  with an extended  series  of  growls  and
snorts. He waved his lanky arms.
   Em  Teedee,  his chrome back plate still rattling loose  behind
him,  scolded,  "No, you cannot do it yourself,  Lowbacca.  You're
getting  delusions of grandeur again. It was I  who  helped  bring
down the Shadow Academy's defenses and... oh-oh dear, what have  I
done?"
   "Maybe  I  can help," Jaina said. "Let's get into  the  shuttle
cockpit. Well try it from there."
   
   Up in the control center for the docking bay, Qorl stood amazed
as the unexpected alarms continued.
   He  watched  the three young Jedi Knights rush into  the  large
room below. The Shadow Chaser had just returned from a supply  run
to  Dathomir,  and a sandy-haired man emerged with a tough-looking
young  lady.  Qorl recognized her as one of the Jedi students  who
had worked on his crashed TIE fighter back in the jungle.
   As soon as the alarms sounded, Qorl knew that Jacen, Jaina, and
Lowbacca were somehow behind the disturbance. The other Dark  Jedi
students  were  pleased to have an opportunity to  increase  their
powers  and appreciated their training; but Qorl had been  certain
these  three  would  cause trouble-especially  since  Brakiss  and
Tamith Kai seemed determined to injure or kill them.
   Qorl  had  been gravely disturbed at the supposed duel  to  the
death between the holographically disguised brother and sister. He
also  knew  the dangerous testing routine with flying  stones  and
knives had already been responsible for the deaths of half a dozen
promising Shadow Academy trainees.
   He  didn't  agree with Brakiss's tactics, but Qorl was  just  a
pilot; no one listened to his point of view, no matter how certain
he  was. Yet Qorl served his Empire, and he had to do what he knew
was right.
   He  opened  the  comm  channel and  gruffly  reported.  "Master
Brakiss,  Tamith  Kai-anyone who can hear me.  The  prisoners  are
attempting to escape. They are currently in the main docking  bay.
I  believe  they  intend to steal the Shadow  Chaser.  All  of  my
defenses  are down because of computer failure. If you  can  offer
assistance, please come to the main docking bay immediately."
   
   Tamith Kai's violet eyes snapped open, and she leaped from  her
hard,  uncomfortable bunk at the first sound of  alarm.  She  came
instantly  awake, her mind burning with demands to know  what  was
going on. Someone was threatening the Shadow Academy.
   The  Nightsister threw on her black cloak, which swirled around
her with glittering silvery lines, like the trails of stars during
a  launch  into hyperspace. She reached the door to her  quarters,
but  it  would  not open. She pounded on it, punched the  override
controls, but the locking mechanisms remained engaged.
   "Let  me out!" she snarled. Tamith Kai worked the controls once
more,  again with no success. Her rage built within her. Something
was happening, something terrible-and she knew the three kidnapped
trainees  were  behind it all! They had caused more  trouble  than
they  were worth. The Shadow Academy could find so many other will
ing  trainees  in all the worlds of the galaxy that regardless  of
the  talent of these three, their potential for disaster  was  too
great.
   She  would  destroy them once and for all, and then the  Shadow
Academy  could settle,back into its smooth, regular routine,  with
Tamith  Kai dominating and Brakiss running the details.  Then  she
could be happy again.
   Her  fingers  coiled,  and  a smoky  black  electricity  curled
between  them.  "Out!" she roared. "I must get  out!"  Tamith  Kai
slashed with both of her hands in an opening gesture as she  cried
her command.
   With  an  explosion of power, the doors bent backward,  folding
down in a burst of smoke and sparks from the sheared-off wiring in
the controls. Then using her bare hands, she tore one of the heavy
metal  plates completely out of its tracks and tossed  it  with  a
loud clonngg! onto the floor.
   Tamith Kai stormed out, her eyes shimmering like violet lava.
   Qorl's message came over the hall comm systems, and Tamith  Kai
did not let her anger slacken for an instant. The docking bay. She
strode forward at high speed.
   
   While  Jacen,  Jaina,  and Lowie scrambled  aboard  the  Shadow
Chaser,  Luke remained outside with Tenel Ka. He glanced back  and
shouted  to  the twins. "I need to know about this place.  There's
something familiar and . . . very wrong here."
   "Yes,"  Jaina said. "Uncle Luke, the person running the  Shadow
Academy is-"
   But  Luke had become distracted-fascinated, really. He suddenly
stood  up  straighter, his eyebrows drawing together.  "Wait,"  he
said.  "I  sense something. A presence I haven't felt  in  a  long
time."
   He  walked slowly across the bay and drew his lightsaber again,
feeling  a  storm  in the Force, a deadly conflict.  As  if  in  a
trance,  Luke strode toward one of the sealed red doors  that  led
deeper into the academy station.
   "Hey, Uncle Luke!" Jacen cried, but Luke held up a hand for the
boy to wait.
   They  needed to escape soon-it was their only chance. They  had
to seize the moment. But Luke also had to see, had to know. Behind
him,  he  heard the weapons systems of the Shadow Chaser  powering
up.  The  ship's external laser cannon turrets raised  and  locked
into firing position.
   When  the red door slid open ahead of him, Luke Skywalker stood
transfixed. He stared at the sculpture-handsome face of his former
student.
   "Brakiss!"  he  whispered in a voice that  carried  across  the
docking bay, even above the chaos of shrieking alarms.
   Brakiss  stood  where he was with a faint  smile.  "Ah,  Master
Skywalker. So good of you to come. I thought I sensed you here  on
my station. Are you impressed at how well I have done for myself?"
   Luke  held  his  lightsaber out in front of  him,  but  Brakiss
remained  outside  in  the corridor and did not  step  across  the
threshold.
   "Oh,  come now," Brakiss said with a dismissive wave,  "if  you
intended  to kill me, you should have done it when I  was  a  weak
trainee. You knew I was an Imperial agent even then."
   "I wanted to give you the chance to save yourself," Luke said.
   "Always the optimist," Brakiss replied in an airy tone.
   Luke  felt  cold  inside.  He didn't  want  to  fight  Brakiss,
especially  not now. They had little time. But didn't he  have  to
confront his former student somehow-resolve their conflict?
   They  had  to go now. He needed to escape with the kids  before
the Shadow Academy managed to get its defenses back on-line again.
   Brakiss  held  out  his soft, empty hands. "Come  and  get  me,
Master  Skywalker-or are you a coward? Would your  precious  light
side allow you to attack an unarmed man?"
   "The  Force  is  my ally, Brakiss," Luke said.  "And  you  have
learned  to  use it to your own ends. You are never  unarmed,  any
more than I am."
   "All  right,  have it your way," Brakiss said. He  brushed  the
fabric of his shimmering robe and made ready to step forward.  His
eyes  blazed  now, as if he held the fury of the  universe  within
him, ready to unleash it from his fingertips.
   Just then, an explosion of hot energy streaked past Luke's head
from behind and melted the door controls. With a second blast from
the  Shadow  Chaser's laser cannon, the controls  were  completely
fried.  The  heavy metal plates slammed back into  place,  sealing
Brakiss and Luke apart from each other.
   "Uncle Luke, come on!" Jaina yelled from the ship. "We have  to
go."
   Luke  shuddered with stunned relief, turned, and sprinted  back
toward  the  shuttle.  He  knew it wasn't  over  between  him  and
Brakiss; but that would have to wait for another time.
   
   Jaina  and Lowie and Em Teedee linked into the Shadow  Chaser's
computers,  trying  to  open the station's huge  space  door  from
within. While they worked, Tenel Ka raced around the docking  bay,
sealing all of the red doorways, making sure that none would open.
The  ominous man in the silvery robes had stalled Luke,  and  they
couldn't afford another skirmish like that. Tenel Ka had  to  seal
the doors, just in case a contingent of stormtroopers made its way
to the docking bay.
   Luke  climbed  into the shuttle. Tenel Ka sealed another  metal
door,  then  ran to the last one. Just as her fingers touched  the
controls, though, the door slid open. A tall, dark woman loomed in
front  of  Tenel  Ka,  crackling with angry energy  and  ready  to
attack.
   Tenel Ka looked up and instantly knew what this person was.  "A
Nightsister!" she hissed.
   The  dark  woman  glared down at her with a  similar  flash  of
recognition.  "And you are from Dathomir, girl! I claim  you.  You
are a fitting replacement for the three I am about to destroy."
   Tenel  Ka stood in front of the Nightsister, her arms and  legs
spread like a barrier. "You will have to get through me first."
   The  dark  woman laughed. "If you insist." She struck with  the
Force, an invisible blow that nearly knocked Tenel Ka sideways-but
the  young  woman  deflected it and stood  strong,  lips  clamping
together in determination.
   The Nightsister drew herself taller in surprise, looking like a
black  bird  of  prey. "Ah, so you are already familiar  with  the
Force. That will make it easier for me to train you, to turn you."
   Tenel  Ka  remained tense and rigid, glaring at  her  opponent.
"This is not a fact. And I will not let you harm my friends."
   The  Nightsister seemed to snap as her anger came free  of  its
delicate cage. "Then I won't hesitate to destroy you as well!" Her
black  robes rippled like a thunderstorm. Locking her violet  gaze
on  Tenel  Ka,  she  raised her clawed hands,  fingers  outspread,
glossy  dark  hair crackling with static as her body charged  with
electrical power.
   Tenel  Ka stood directly in front of her, unflinching,  as  the
dark Force built to a climax within the Nightsister.
   Without warning, Tenel Ka lashed out with her foot, putting all
of  the  strength of her muscular, athletic legs behind the  kick.
The  sharp  toe of her hard, scaled boot struck the Niglitsister's
unar-mored  kneecap. Tenel Ka distinctly heard  the  crunch  of  a
breaking  bone  and tearing muscles as her blow struck  home.  The
Nightsister shrieked and fell to the ground, writhing in. agony.
   Calm  and self-satisfied, Tenel Ka stared down at her with cool
gray  eyes.  "I never use the Force unless I have to,"  she  said.
"Sometimes old-fashioned methods are just as effective."
   Leaving  the Nightsister moaning on the floor, Tenel Ka  jogged
back toward the Shadow Chaser, where Luke was gesturing for hex to
hurry. She climbed aboard, and the ship doors sealed.
   
   Alarms  continued  to sound, their clamor  muffled  inside  the
cockpit of the Shadow Chaser. Luke piloted the vehicle, raising it
off  the floor on its repulsorfields. Jaina and Lowie still worked
desperately to open the heavy space doors.
   With  a  loud crrwnmp, two sets of the red metal doors  blasted
open.   Smoke   from  detonators  curled  out,  and  white-armored
stormtroopers charged in, blasting at the shuttle.
   "You'd better get that space door open," Luke said. "Soon."
   Lowie  yowled.  "We're trying!" Jaina said,  keying  in  a  new
command string, working even more furiously.
   More  stormtroopers came through. Blaster fire  sprayed  across
the  room.  They could hear the splatter and boom of impacts.  But
the Shadow Chaser's armor held.
   "We've  got  company," Luke said, staring  at  the  sealed  bay
doors. "We're out of time."
   "I  can't get the-," Jaina began, and suddenly the heavy  doors
cracked open, spreading wide for the Shadow Chaser. The atmosphere-
containment field shimmered in front of the star-strewn blackness,
but now the shuttle could launch into open space.
   "Well,  what are we waiting for?" Jaina said, trying  to  cover
her confusion.
   "Let's go!" Luke shouted, and punched the accelerators.
   Everyone  grabbed the arms of their seats as the  launch  threw
them  back.  The  Shadow  Chaser roared  away  from  the  Imperial
station,  leaving  the huge, spiked structure uncloaked  in  space
behind them.
   Luke  heaved  a  loud sigh of relief as he punched  the  escape
coordinates into the navicomputer. "Let's get back to Yavin 4," he
said.
   None  of the young Jedi Knights objected, and they surged  into
hyperspace.
   "Good  work,  Jaina and Lowie," Luke finally  said.  "I  didn't
think you'd ever get that docking-bay door open."
   Lowbacca  mumbled something unintelligible, and Jaina fidgeted.
"Uh,  Uncle  Luke,"  she said, "I kind of hate  to  mention  this,
but-we didn't get the door open."
   Luke shrugged, not wanting to quibble. "Well, we owe our thanks
to whoever did it."
   
   Qorl  stood  by the docking-bay controls, watching  the  Shadow
Chaser disappear. The escape left absolute turmoil in its wake  as
the  Shadow Academy scrambled to regroup. Qorl touched  the  space
door  controls,  smiled faintly to himself, and  then  closed  the
doors. He would, of course, never tell Brakiss or Tamith Kai.
   Brakiss came into the control room next to Qorl, exhausted  and
troubled. "Is our cloaking shield up yet? We must get it  working.
The Rebels will no doubt send attack fleets in search of us. We'll
have  to  relocate.  That's why this station was  designed  to  be
mobile."
   Brakiss drummed his fingertips on one of the control panels. "I
don't know what I'm going to say to our great Imperial leader.  He
can trigger this station's self-destruct sequence at any time,  if
he's displeased."
   Qorl  nodded grimly. "Perhaps he won't be quite that displeased
. . . this time."
   Brakiss looked at him. "We can only hope."
   Tamith  Kai limped into the control chamber, utterly  outraged.
Her eyes still glowed with violet fire, and her hands were set  in
clawed  curves,  as if she 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  greet
ings.
   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, Chew-bacca 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, last  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 sky hopper,  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 youll forgive a concerned grandmother if she tries to find
a  way  to  look out for her granddaughter from a distance,  won't
you? One or two 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  disap
pointed 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 re
laxed.  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. . . .
   Jacen 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."
   "You  didn't enjoy the fighting as much as you had thought  you
would?" Luke raised his eyebrows.
   "Yes. No. Well, yes-I learned some things... I'm just not store
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."