dear life. Fortunately, the group was so tightly packed that there was
little room for jostling about.
As soon as the doors whisked open again, a blaster bolt streaked into
the turbolift. Jaina and Lowie ducked. A guard cried out as a
scorching bolt singed the shoulder of his uniform.
Jaina and Lowie dove out and rolled as they hit the floor. Keeping
low, they crept around the equipment in the assembly line. They could
see the polished black legs of the blind beetles that worked there.
The sharp insectoid limbs were suddenly thrown into a frenzy as the
unexpected violence disrupted their daily work.
Czethros blasted one of the beetles. Its shell split open, and it fell
dead beside one of the open vats of raw carbonite, cracking its jaws.
Steaming green ooze poured from the smoking wound. Another wild bolt
shattered vials of andris on the conveyor belt line, and the machinery
groaned to a halt. Sparks and smoke filled the air. The Kessel guards
took up defensive positions, laying siege to the lone fugitive.
"Czethros, you can't get away now. Give yourself up," Jaina said.
Lowie roared, adding his encouragement.
Czethros did not surrender. Instead, more blaster fire rang out from
where he had hidden himself between the bubbling vats of carbonite and
their monitoring systems.
"Dear me! It would appear that he doesn't wish to be taken alive," Em
Teedee said.
"I'd rather not kill him," Jaina said. "I'm hoping the New Republic'll
find him a nice comfortable prison cell off on an asteroid somewhere.
But first we have to capture him." She raised her voice. "We know all
about your plan, Czethros! You can't send your signal. Black Sun has
failed. It's over."
"Maybe," Czethros bellowed back. "But we've still got a thousand
traitors in a thousand important positions throughout the New
Republic.
You'll never figure out who they are. Someone else will pick up the
plan."
Jaina wondered if he wanted to bargain with them, but she didn't have
that kind of authority, nor did anyone here. They would just have to
capture him and let the New Republic deal with his crimes. "That's
possible," she said, "but right now the entire plan is useless without
your coordination. We'll ferret your people out sooner or later."
One of the guards shouted, "Why don't you surrender, Czethros?
It's the only way you'll come out alive."
"Black Sun will kill me no matter what prison you choose. I don't have
a chance anyway."
"But we could try to protect you," the guard argued. Lowbacca roared,
urging Czethros to come out.
,'All right then. I'll surrender." Czethros's answer came too easily;
Jaina sensed a subtle devious intent in his voice. "I'm holding out my
weapon. I'm coming out. Don't shoot."
Czethros slowly eased from his sheltered position between equipment,
moving around boxlike storage alcoves, cabinets, and engine housings.
He held his blaster in front of him, carefully pointing it away from
all the others. They watched uneasily as he crept forward, edging
along the side of the carbonite vat where the dead beetle he had gunned
down still sprawled.
His face looked cloudy, uncertain, just the way a prisoner's should.
The moment the majority of the guards had lowered their weapons by the
merest fraction, Czethros rolled, swung up his blaster rifle, and
stepped sideways, screaming, "You won't take me alive!"
But as he let fly a full-power blast from the rifle, his foot came down
in a pool of slick, oozing green blood from the beetle he had killed.
He slipped and stumbled over the carcass. With a loud cry, his blaster
rifle firing harmlessly toward the ceiling, Czethros lurched
backward-and fell into the open vat. The carbonite enveloped him in
its fog of absolute, penetrating cold.
Tendrils of white vapor whirled up as the carbonite made quick work of
the Black Sun lieutenant. In an instant, Czethros was frozen solid
...
perfectly preserved by the frothing liquid.
Grumbling, Lowie crept forward to stand carefully at the edge of the
vat. Guards stood in shock. Nien Nunb chattered under his breath, not
sure what to do.
Lowie looked down into the swirling, metallic-gray currents and mumbled
something. He felt the unrelenting cold wait up to freeze the fur on
his face.
Jaina agreed. "You're right, Lowie. This is one way to capture him.
The minisub that sailed back into the artificial harbor at Crystal Reef
was as battered as any starship Zekk had ever seen survive a space
battle. Before the companions could even emerge from the Elfa, the
treelike harbormaster was there on the dock beside it, making horrified
exclamations. To Zekk's absolute amazement, however, the Yarin's
expressions of concern were for the passengers, not his damaged ship.
Still fussing and exclaiming, the Yarin ushered them past the queue of
waiting customers and into his office. The look of dismay on the
treelike alien's face was truly comical, and he waved and rustled his
branched arms. Without asking for an explanation, the harbormaster
ordered hot drinks and soft warm robes for each of the returned
passengers.
"I can't tell you how sorry I am that your undersea experience here at
Crystal Reef was not everything that you had hoped." The Yarin eyed
their injuries with some trepidation: Zekk's cut and blistered fingers
from working in the engine compartment with insufficient tools, the
lump on his forehead, the bruise on Tenel Ka's cheek from a chuck of
floating ice ...
"I assure you we'll attend to your medical needs immediately, but if
there's anything else I can do to make it up-" "Please," Ambassador
Cilghal broke in gently, "it is we who should apologize. In our
enthusiasm to explore the polar ice cap, we neglected to take into
account the ... appetites of some of the ocean's larger denizens."
With a look of wonder, the Yarin leaned toward her. "Tell me.
What happened?"
Cilghal, with the help of Zekk, Jacen, Tenel Ka, and Anja, told the
story of their encounter with the mighty sea creature, strategically
leaving out all information about the andris spice. After all, the
Jedi did not know who at Crystal Reef might be working for Black Sun.
The Yarin listened with rapt attention, asking a series of probing
questions and delighting in their answers.
"Then it's true," he said at last. "You actually saw a Great Arctic
Skra'akan and survived to tell of it." His voice held a tone of awe.
"Did you perhaps capture the event with a holocam?"
"Not intentionally," Tenel Ka replied.
"We were all kind of occupied at the time," Jacen added.
"I guess we didn't realize what a big event it was," Anja admitted.
Zekk thought for a moment. "I don't suppose the Elfa's equipped with
one of those microholocams that makes a complete record of a trip in
case some sort of disaster happens?"
The Yarin's face lit with excitement. "Yes, of course! I use it as a
supplementary log. I cannot wait to review the recordings! It is good
luck, you know, to see a Great Arctic Skra'akan."
Anja gave him a wry smile. "Well, we're lucky to be alive. Does that
count?"
Cilghal looked at her battered companions. Jacen wondered if they
would have to edit the images of destroying the spice stockpile, or if
the Ambassador would classify the tapes.
"Your ... Skra'akan, was it? ... got pretty violent there for a
while," Jacen said.
A look of apprehension dawned in the bulky harbormaster's eyes.
"You didn't. . ."
"Kill it?" Zekk said. "No. In fact the last time we saw the
creature, I have no doubt he was still happily imagining us as his next
meal."
The Yarin gave a satisfied sigh. "Then all is well."
Cilghal took a long drink from her mug and said, "There's still the
matter of payment for the damage to your vessel."
The harbormaster waved a branchlike arm. "Think nothing of it. If you
truly brought back images of a Great Arctic Skra'akan, I believe that
the Elfa and those holos may become a permanent tourist exhibit here at
Crystal Reef.
"Besides"-he dropped his voice to a tone of confidentiality"the
administration of Crystal Reef has promised me that if Jedi Master
Skywalker, the Chief of State and her husband, or the rulers of the
Hapes cluster make an official visit to Crystal Reef thanks to your
efforts here, I will be rewarded with two new minisubmersibles of my
choice."
Jacen grinned at him. "Great! We'll just have to see what we can do
to arrange that."
After Crystal Reef's medical droids had treated their injuries, the
companions thanked the harbormaster again for his assistance.
Promising to meet Jacen and Tenel Ka back on Kessel, Zekk and Anja said
their thanks and good-byes to Cilghal and went to retrieve the
Lightning Rod from the docking bay where Anja had left it. Zekk was
glad to be back behind the controls of his own ship again.
Cilghal took Tenel Ka and Jacen in the waveskimmer and headed back to
her floating city, where the Rock Dragon waited for them.
"Jacen, my friend. I have been meaning to ask you something," Tenel Ka
said in a serious tone as the waveskimmer carried them across the
ocean. "Would you consent to be my ... copilot?"
Jacen's lopsided grin was instant and enthusiastic. "I thought you'd
never ask."
The journey back to Kessel passed much too quickly for both of them.
Their conversation was constant and interesting, and Tenel Ka even
encouraged Jacen to tell a few jokes. He teased her throughout the
trip, and when he called her "Captain," a smile of amusement curved the
corners of her mouth.
"Remind me to give you something when we get back to Yavin 4," Jacen
said as he and Tenel Ka brought the Rock Dragon down through Kessel's
thin atmosphere toward the docking bay that ground control had just
approved for them.
She arched an eyebrow at him. "What shall I tell you to give me?"
Jacen felt his face grow warm. "Just something I made for you.
I've kind of been waiting for the right time."
The next few minutes were occupied with landing procedures. Jacen, who
hadn't often seen Tenel Ka pilot a ship, was surprised and pleased at
how well she handled the Rock Dragon. The landing was smooth, clean,
and uneventful.
"Back to boring old Kessel," Jacen said. "I could use a bit of a
rest."
The Lightning Rod was berthed next to the Rock Dragon. Between the two
ships, Jacen was amazed to see Jaina, Lowie, Zekk, and Anja exchanging
warm hugs of greeting. Nien Nunb was there too, and Em Teedee hovered
about, happily providing translations for anyone who needed them.
As Jacen and Tenel Ka disembarked in the industrial-looking docking
bay, Zekk looked up at Jacen and shrugged. "I've already apologized to
Jaina for not coming to her rescue."
"Why?" Jacen said. "Because she was so bored?"
Lowie roared an objection. Jaina punched her brother on the arm.
"Bored? While you all were off on your little pleasure cruise," she
said, a teasing look in her brandy-brown eyes, "we were busy trying to
save half the major businesses in the galaxy from a hostile takeover by
Black Sun."
Lowie gave a roar for emphasis. "Indeed," Em Teedee said. "You have
absolutely no idea how much we have to tell you."
With the crisis finally over, the return trip from Kessel to the Jedi
academy was uneventful. The companions-Zekk, Jaina, and Anja in the
Lightning Rod, and Tenel Ka, Jacen, Lowie, and Em Teedee aboard the
Rock Dragon-spent the time exchanging stories of their adventures.
When they all arrived at the landing field on Yavin 4, with its lush
jungle surrounding the spectacular ancient pyramids, Master Skywalker
himself was there to welcome them back.
Wearing a mock-stern expression on his face, the Jedi Master looked
around at the young Jedi Knights and Anja and Em Teedee. "I just
received an enlightening message from a former student of mine on Mon
Calamari, Ambassador Cilghal. I'm not sure I understand why the
administration at Crystal Reef wants me and Han and Leia to take an
all-expense-paid vacation there."
Luke pursed his lips and gave a slow bemused shake of his head.
"And I got a glowing message a few minutes ago from Nien Nunb on
Kessel. He thanked me repeatedly for allowing you to stay long enough
to help him fix his transmitter ... ?"
He shook his head again, as if he could hardly believe what he had
heard. "I thought I sent all of you out to find a friend who was in
trouble-not to save the entire New Republic from a hostile financial
takeover." The stern set of his lips softened into a proud smile. "I
wonder if I'll ever stop being surprised by the things my students
manage to accomplish when they work together."
The companions looked at each other, somewhat embarrassed.
"Anyway, now I have a surprise for you. The New Republic has decided
to hold a celebration here in a few days-and it's about time, after all
the work you've done. I think you're all going to receive some
long-overdue appreciation, after defeating the Shadow Academy and
thwarting the Diversity Alliance, and now Black Sun. Our first guests
should be here by evening meal. But before they start arriving, I'd
like the chance to speak with each of you alone. We have some
important issues to discuss about your future. All of you."
"Luke-Master Skywalker?" Anja spoke hesitantly. "If you wouldn't
mind, sir, I'd like to be first."
The Jedi Master looked into her large eyes for a long moment and then
nodded. "I see you've come a long way."
By twilight the entire Jedi academy was in a state of controlled
pandemonium. Excitement and anticipation hung in the air like rich
perfumes. Cooks and Jedi trainees and even New Republic security
guards bustled back and forth in the kitchens, helping to serve the
guests who were already beginning to fill the Great Temple.
With a minimum of the usual
fanfare that accompanied the travels of the
Chief of State, the Millennium Falcon showed up in time for evening
meal, carrying Jacen and Jaina's parents, their younger brother Anakin,
Chewbacca, and the golden protocol droid See-T'hreepio. Jacen made a
point of sitting next to his father as the Solo family ate their first
meal together in months. While Jaina was busy explaining how Czethros
had schemed to trigger a revolution of sorts via transmitter, Jacen
spoke quietly with Han.
"I know I've been kind of a jerk, halfway believing you murdered Anja's
father because of how she told the story, and I'm sorry. I guess she
was just so hurt and angry all the time, I figured there had to be a
reason." Han raised his eyebrows. "And I was that reason?"
Jacen shrugged. "Well, Anja believed you were."
"And you believed Anja." Han's face became more stern.
"Not anymore," Jacen said. "I've known you all my life, and you've
never lied to me. Well, maybe exaggerated sometimes-but only for
dramatic effect. Anyhow, I should have known you were telling the
truth."
"A pretty girl with a pair of sad eyes can make it hard to see the
truth sometimes," Han observed.
Under A Black Sun Trilogy Page 47
