Vortex: Star Wars (Fate of the Jedi) (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi)

by Troy Denning

  Han’s stomach began to hurt. “And that’s going to happen how?”

  “The same way I learned of things. Daala has a vid of Jaina and Lando at the trial on Klatooine.” Jag turned to Jaina. “It’s bad, Jaina. Even I had trouble believing there was an acceptable explanation.”

  Han winced inside. If Jag was interested in working things out, he certainly wasn’t earning any points that way.

  Jaina’s face remained stoic, her voice even as she asked, “If Daala has the vid, why hasn’t she released it yet?”

  “You Jedi really stirred things up when you sent Saar and Arelis to Blaudu Sextus. Daala wants me to send Imperial fleets to put down the revolts popping up along the rim.” A tight smile crossed Jag’s lips. “She seems to believe I would actually do that in exchange for not using that vid to embarrass the Jedi.”

  A broad smile came to Jaina’s face. “And you’re letting her?”

  Jag dipped his head in acknowledgment. “For three days now.”

  “You’d do that for me?” Jaina asked, eyes wide with surprise … and joy. “After the way I broke things off?”

  Jag’s face remained stoic. “It’s not entirely for you, Jaina,” he said. “I’d like the Empire to develop a good relationship with the Jedi.”

  Jaina’s smile did not vanish. “Close enough,” she said, clearly reading something in his Force-aura that Han could not sense. “And, Jag, I’m sorry for the way I put you on the spot when—”

  “Apology accepted,” Jag interrupted, glancing from Jaina to her parents and clearly growing uncomfortable. “And thank you. It means a great deal to me, but the Pellaeon is preparing to break orbit, and Daala is going to know that I’ve been playing her soon enough.” He shifted his gaze to Leia. “I wanted the Jedi to know before she did.”

  Leia cocked her brow. “Won’t this kill the deal to bring the Empire completely into the Alliance?”

  “It will,” Jag replied. “But the more I come to know Daala, the more I realize that my Moffs are right this time. We wouldn’t be joining an Alliance, we would be stepping into chains.”

  Leia clasped Jag’s forearm. “Thank you for telling us first. That means the world to me—and I know it will mean the world to the Masters, as well.” She rose on her toes to kiss his cheek, then turned to Han. “I think our decision has been made for us, dear. We have to go after Valin and Jysella now, even if our intelligence isn’t quite complete.”

  Han nodded. “Isn’t that what I’ve been telling you?” He clapped Jag on the shoulder. “We owe you one, son.”

  “Not at all, Captain Solo,” Jag said. “I’m only doing what’s right for the Empire.”

  “Yeah—and for everyone else, too,” Han said. He took Leia’s elbow and turned back toward the makeshift planning room, leaving Jaina and Jag to stand there alone. “Come on, Princess. We’ve got work to do, and it looks like these lovebirds could use a couple of minutes alone.”

  Guarding the Operations Hangar door were two young Jedi Knights whom Kenth Hamner remembered only vaguely, a Bothan male and an Arcona female whose names he did not recall at all. Nonetheless, they knew him. The instant they saw him turn the corner and start down the gray kranet-stone corridor, their eyes widened, and the Arcona reached for her comlink.

  “You there!” Kenth called, pointing at the female. He used the Force to casually flick her hand away from the comlink, as though he wanted his question to take precedence, then pointed at the heavy blast door behind them. “What’s going on inside?”

  The pair pivoted around, squaring their shoulders to block his way, but at least they showed the good sense not to reach for their lightsabers. The Bothan cocked his furry head and regarded Kenth with narrowed eyes for a moment, then assumed a wide, assertive stance.

  “Shouldn’t you be in your quarters, Master Hamner?” he demanded. “We were told you’re under confinement.”

  “I can’t imagine who would have told you that. It’s utter nonsense,” Kenth lied, continuing to approach. The truth was that the other Masters on the Council had “requested” him to remain in his quarters. And they had placed two guards—now unconscious—outside his door to enforce that “request.” He stopped a few paces from this pair, then looked over their shoulders toward the hangar door. “What’s going on? Are they preparing for launch?”

  The two guards did not drop their gazes in doubt, or glance at each other, seeking support for what Kenth knew had to be a difficult decision. They simply stood their ground, stared him in the eye, and did not reply.

  “I hope you two understand what’s happening in there,” Kenth said. “Launching the StealthX wing is an act of high treason.”

  Unlike Kenth’s previous statement, this one he believed with his entire heart. It was why, when he had noticed the Force inside the Temple beginning to quiver with urgency and anxiety, he had extended his awareness in the direction of the Operations Hangar and despaired. He had sensed a similar aura of grim resolve too many times in too many places not to recognize what he was feeling: warriors preparing for battle.

  And since these were Jedi preparing to do battle against the Galactic Alliance, he had felt obliged to take action. To have remained in confinement while Saba led an Order he loved into combat against a government to which he had pledged loyalty and life would have been a betrayal—not only of the Jedi and the Alliance, but of himself.

  When the two Jedi Knights continued to glower at him without responding, Kenth realized he would have to press the issue. He turned to the Arcona. She was small for her species, short enough so that the top of her flat, broad head barely reached Kenth’s chin. Her eyes were clear and green, indicating that she had so far avoided the salt addiction that was the great weakness of her species. Most notably, there was something gentle in her leathery features, and that made Kenth think she would be the easier of the two to lull into carelessness.

  “I asked a question, Jedi,” he said. “Do you understand that, even by standing guard here, you are committing high treason against the Galactic Alliance?”

  The Arcona studied him in silence, and it was the Bothan who said, “Razelle, Master. Vaala Razelle.”

  Kenth furrowed his brow. “Vaala Razelle?”

  “My name, Master,” the Arcona—Vaala—explained. “You didn’t seem to know it.”

  “I’m sorry, Jedi Razelle,” Hamner replied. “There are hundreds of Jedi Knights in the Order. It’s very difficult to recognize you all.”

  Vaala nodded, but she did not move. Neither did the Bothan.

  “And your name?” Kenth asked, turning to the Bothan.

  “Bwua’tu,” the young male replied. “Yantahar Bwua’tu.”

  “Bwua’tu?” Kenth began to have a sinking feeling. Nek Bwua’tu hadn’t mentioned having any Jedi family members when he’d contacted Kenth to suggest a deal. Of course, Nek would have been worried about drawing unfavorable attention to any relative of his—but it would certainly explain why he had been so eager to avoid bloodshed between the Order and the GA military. “Any relation to the admiral?”

  Yantahar nodded. “Yes.”

  Kenth waited a moment for an explanation that was not forthcoming, then decided against asking for one. Yantahar was either offended that he had needed to ask or suspicious of Kenth’s motives; either way, Kenth would not improve the situation by lingering on his mistake.

  “Well, I’m very sorry about what happened to the admiral,” he said. “The entire Alliance is hoping he recovers soon.”

  Yantahar’s expression finally softened a little. “Maybe not the entire Alliance, but thank you.”

  Kenth nodded, then put some authority into his voice. “I know how the admiral would feel about treason. How about you, Jedi Bwua’tu?”

  Yantahar shrugged. “There are hundreds of Sith running loose in the galaxy, and Chief Daala is preventing us from going to meet them.” He glanced over at Vaala, his first sign of uncertainty. “We have no choice.”

  “Son, we always have a cho
ice.” Kenth turned his gaze on Vaala, then continued, “And the time has come for you and Jedi Razelle to make yours. Will you stand aside so I can stop this?”

  Vaala was quick to shake her head. “I’m sorry, Master Hamner,” she said. “You should return to your quarters now.”

  Kenth let his chin drop and spoke in a soft, sighing whisper. “That’s Grand Master.”

  Vaala cocked her head, turning a recessed ear toward him. “Sorry, sir, I didn’t … Yant, watch—!”

  The warning came to a startled end as Kenth used the Force to pull their lightsabers from their belt hooks. He sent both weapons spinning high into the air, managing to depress the activation switch and slide the safety glide up on Yantahar’s. As the sapphire blade crackled to life, both Jedi pivoted away, extending their hands to summon their weapons back into their grasp.

  And that was when Kenth stepped between the pair. He struck Yantahar at the base of the jaw with a side hammerfist and simultaneously jabbed a one-knuckle punch into the delicate sensory nub between Vaala’s eyes. Both Jedi collapsed, unconscious before they hit the floor. Kenth was not quite quick enough to catch their lightsabers before they landed, but he did deactivate Yantahar’s before the weapon clattered to the floor beside the Bothan’s leg.

  Kenth quickly collected both weapons, removed their power cells, and returned them to their owners’ belts. It had been all too easy to catch the pair off-guard and incapacitate them—as it had the pair stationed outside his quarters. Once he resumed his post in the Grand Master’s office, he would need to speak to the combat instructors about the shortcomings in their curriculum. He dragged both Jedi into a nearby fabrication shop and hit them with a Force shock to be sure they would remain unconscious for a time. Then he returned to the hangar and slipped in through the access hatch.

  Inside, the hangar deck was crowded with StealthX squadrons, all neatly arranged in their own arrow-shaped combat groups and surrounded by bustling teams of support crew. With the exception of the squadron leaders, the pilots were already in their vac suits and with their starfighters, either seated in the cockpits running system checks or walking around their craft doing visual inspections. Kenth could see that the strike force included the Order’s most experienced pilots, with Lowbacca, Izal Waz, Wonetun, and many other Jedi Knights who had fought in the war against the Yuuzhan Vong assigned to craft in the second-in-command slot.

  Conspicuously missing was Jaina Solo, whose skill in starfighter combat was second only to that of Luke Skywalker himself. To Kenth’s surprise, Raynar Thul was preparing to launch. The position of his StealthX with one of the squadrons near the rear of the hangar suggested that he had not been given any command responsibilities. Even so, that Thul was present at all indicated that either Saba was putting too much confidence in his recovery, or she was desperate for combat-qualified pilots.

  As Kenth contemplated which, Thul’s scarified head suddenly tipped to one side, as though he were listening to something on his shoulder, and he slowly turned toward the doorway. Kenth retreated into the shadows and drew his Force aura in tight, but Thul’s gaze slid in his direction and lingered on the area for a moment. Finally, a tight little smile creased the Jedi Knight’s burn-scarred lips, then he dipped his chin in recognition and turned back to his inspection. Heart pounding, Kenth forced himself to remain still until Thul seemed completely occupied, then slipped along the wall searching for Saba and the other Masters.

  He found them—most of them—on a large observation balcony twenty meters above. They were gathered along the safety rail, watching the preparations below, pointing and gesturing at the StealthXs as they discussed last-minute strategies. To Kenth’s surprise, only four Masters—Kyp Durron, Kyle Katarn, Octa Ramis, and Barratk’l—had donned the distinctive StealthX flight suits. Absent were Corran Horn and both Solusars, the latter no doubt because they were on Ossus with their students.

  Everyone else, including Saba, continued to wear their customary robes … which could only mean that after the launch, they intended to remain on Coruscant to defend the Temple. With Saba in charge, Kenth had no doubt what form the defense would take. It would be aggressive and cunning, designed to keep Daala and her allies off-balance until they could be incapacitated and rendered forever harmless, as the Barabels liked to say.

  In other words, killed.

  Half expecting a hundred Jedi Knights to turn toward him with every breath he took, Kenth remained in the shadows, slipping along the edge of the hangar until he reached a series of vertical conveyance pipes. He tested each pipe until he found one cool enough to grasp, then braced his feet on the wall and began to ascend. The back side was slick with dust and mold, but he did not use the Force to make the climb easier. With so many Jedi nearby, there was a danger of even a small disturbance being noticed, and his nerves had already been set on edge. Though Kenth felt certain he had been spotted by Thul, he had no idea what to make of it. Did Thul’s silence indicate that Kenth had an ally among the Jedi? Or had it been a simple decision to avoid becoming involved in the Masters’ power struggle?

  There was just no way to know. Thul was a strange man, a Jedi Knight who seemed to see farther than most—but who kept his own counsel and usually appeared to be more amused by the affairs of the Jedi than involved with them.

  Kenth reached the support level of the hangar, where a network of supply lines, ventilation ducts, and service cranes hung thirty meters above the maintenance decks. He worked his way out toward the balcony that Saba and the Masters were on, his heart pounding in his ears despite the Jedi breathing techniques he was using to keep himself calm. What he would do when he reached the balcony, he did not know. On the one hand, his best chance of disrupting the launch and preventing the entire Jedi Order from committing a terrible treason lay in taking Saba by surprise and rendering her forever harmless before she or anyone else realized what was happening. But he was not sure how the other Masters would react to such a cold-blooded attack, whether they would make allowances for the necessity of taking a ferocious warrior like Saba by surprise, or whether they would consider it a ruthless assassination and turn on him themselves.

  After a couple of minutes of very careful, very quiet creeping, Kenth found himself about a meter behind Saba and seven meters above her head. He couldn’t make out what she was saying, just that she was hissing commands and questions, and the Masters were answering in subservient tones. If he had had any doubts before, it was clear now who was leading the mutiny … and whom he needed to remove if he wished to resume command and prevent the tragedy he saw unfolding in front of him.

  But Kenth had not been out of the military for so long that he had forgotten the value of intelligence. It would not be enough to eliminate the traitor. He had to know who was with her, and who was reluctant—he had to know whom he needed to fear after Saba was gone.

  Kenth opened himself up to the Force, attuning his ears to its ripples and using it to amplify the voices below. Saba’s dorsal ridge instantly rose, and she cocked her scaly head, turning a recessed ear up toward the catwalk where Kenth was hiding. Aware of just how keen her predator’s senses were, he held his breath and used a meditation technique to calm his pounding heart. Even then, Saba’s head remained cocked, the corner of one eye turned up toward the support level.

  Kenth was beginning to think he had lost the element of surprise when Cilghal’s gurgling voice began to sound in his ears. “… and Mirax are returning to the Temple, and the Solos report the extraction team is ready to proceed.”

  Extraction team. That could only mean Saba had convinced the Council to strike on multiple fronts at once, sending a team to recover the Horn kids during the confusion of the StealthX launch. It was a smart tactical move, of course … and just the kind of thing that would convince Daala the Jedi were going into open rebellion.

  “Good,” Saba said, thumping her tail in approval. “And the tournament?”

  “Booster is expecting Senator Treen to board within the hour,
” Cilghal reported. “Once she does, they’ll be ready to start. The other players are aboard already.”

  “Ask Captain Terrik to keep us informed. Our timing must be perfect.” Saba turned to Barratk’l and asked, “You have made contact with Jedis Saar and Arelis?”

  Barratk’l nodded, then rumbled, “My team will rendezvous with them in Arari.”

  Saba thumped her tail again. “Then may the Force be with you,” she said. “Eight Jedi against worldz—this one wishes it could be more.”

  “Eight must do,” Barratk’l assured her. “The Sith are our first concern. But eight Jedi will be enough to offer hope to the slaves. And, with hope, the slaves will free themselves.”

  “Yes,” Saba said. “The Jedi are counting on that.”

  Kenth could not believe what he was hearing. Not only had Saba convinced the Council to commit high treason and sponsor a prison break, she was also sending a team of Jedi to spark rebellions along the entire galactic rim. And she had recruited Booster Terrik to … do what? Organize a celebrity sabacc tournament?

  Clearly, the Barabel had to be stopped … at any cost.

  Saba turned to the Masters in vac suits. “It seemz all is in order. Perhapz you should return to your squadronz.”

  Cilghal raised a hand-fin to stop them, and for an instant Kenth thought that maybe Saba had not duped the entire Council into following her. But then the Mon Calamari spoke, and he realized that matters had deteriorated even further than he thought—the entire Galactic Alliance was already beginning to dissolve.

  “There is one more development we should consider,” Cilghal said. “Head of State Fel has informed the Solos that the Empire is no longer interested in joining a Galactic Alliance led by Natasi Daala.”

  Kenth saw the jaws of several Masters drop, and his own surprise was such that he let it ripple out into the Force for a full second before he realized he had slipped. He quickly reined in his emotions, but Saba’s dorsal ridge was already raised. She turned her head so that one eye was staring into the shadows where Kenth lay hiding, and he knew that he had just lost all hope of taking her by surprise and ending this thing quickly.