“Where are you headed?” Mara asked of the fuzzy holograms.
“Bakura,” Leia said.
“Bakura?” Luke’s apprehension shifted and intensified immediately.
“Hey, relax,” Han said. “It’s not like we’re going in alone. We’ve got Pride of Selonia to watch our backs. We’re going to be just fine, kid.”
Luke smiled again, and this time it came easier—even though the thought of trouble at Bakura made his skin crawl. The right people were going there to fix it, if there was trouble to be found.
“I hope you have better luck than you did with the Yevetha,” he said. “How’s Tahiri?”
“She says she’s feeling fine,” Leia said. “There was an episode on Galantos, but she seems to have bounced back. She might need a little bit more rest, I think, before she puts the pieces together.”
Leia turned away, then, as if her attention was attracted by something off to one side. She turned back again a couple of seconds later.
“We’ve just had word that Selonia is ready to leave,” she said, “so we’re going to have to say our good-byes.”
“That’s okay,” Mara said. “We’re just about to leave, also.”
“You take care, Luke,” Han said, with his cocky half smile.
“You, too, my friend,” Luke said. “Good-bye, Leia.”
“Good-bye, Luke,” his sister said. “And may the Force be with you all.”
Mara waved. The image crackled and died, and silence once again filled the cabin. Luke sat back in his seat with a weary sigh.
“Luke?” Mara said. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “These good-byes just feel … different, somehow.”
His wife’s hand came over to rest on top of his. “We’ll see them again soon enough,” she said. “You’ll be fine once we get going.”
Her hand left his and joined the other flickering over the controls, completing her preflight checks. Luke smiled at her reassuring words, but they didn’t convince him. Something was still troubling him and he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. Was it just the mention of Bakura? Or had it been the look on Leia’s face when he’d asked about Tahiri?
She might need a little bit more rest, Leia had said, before she puts the pieces together.
Together, not back together. Yet he hadn’t spoken to Leia about Tahiri before they’d left. His gut feeling was that there was nothing to worry about, in the long run, but Leia had looked concerned.
He wasn’t sure what to make of that.
Most probably, he decided, his unease came from seeing Ben by hologram earlier—the harsh reminder that his son was growing up fast thousands of light-years away while he was off on some crazy mission to find something that might not even exist. He could only hold tight to the faith that Vergere had known what she was talking about. Because if she did, the fate of more than just Ben could be at stake.
Word came over the comm unit that the last of the TIE fighters had just docked in Widowmaker’s flight deck.
“We’re ready when you are,” Mara said, then turned to him. “Artoo has laid in a course for a planet called Yashuvhu.” Luke’s much-traveled R2 unit whistled confirmation from the droid station behind them. “Imperial first-contact specialists list it as nonhostile, and our specialist in comparative religions has listed it as one of the places that’s heard of Zonama Sekot.”
“Our specialist?” Luke echoed.
Mara looked up at him. “Dr. Soron Hegerty,” she said. “You did know she was coming along, didn’t you?”
Luke shrugged. “Never heard of her, actually.”
“She was flown in from Valc Seven especially to advise us on local folklore that might help us trace Zonama Sekot,” Mara said. “Captain Yage assured me that you knew about this.”
They exchanged a long glance before Luke finally laughed. “Sounds to me as though someone might be trying to play both ends against the middle,” he said. “Still, it should stop the trip from becoming boring, don’t you think?”
Mara didn’t smile, but he could see amusement in his wife’s deep green eyes.
“Widowmaker is at your command,” Captain Yage said when the frigate’s hyperdrive engines had cycled through a routine warm-up sequence. “Course laid in; all systems green. Just say the word, Mara.”
Mara glanced at Luke, who nodded. She relayed the command, and Luke settled back into the copilot’s seat, not needing to do anything with her and R2-D2 at the controls. The stars ahead were bright and too numerous to count. Somewhere within their far-flung tangle was a single world that might be the key to ending the war with the Yuuzhan Vong.
We’re going to find you, Zonama Sekot, he thought to himself. Wherever you are, we’re going to find you …
Engines surged and the stars stretched into lines as hyperspace enfolded them. They were on their way again.
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THE NEW JEDI ORDER
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
#1 New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, SEAN WILLIAMS has published thirty novels for readers of all ages, seventy short stories across numerous genres, and even the odd poem. He has been called “the premier Australian speculative fiction writer of the age,” the “Emperor of Sci-Fi,” and the “King of Chameleons” for the diversity of his output. Best-known internationally for his award-winning space opera series, such as Evergence, Geodesica, and Astropolis, he is also the author of ten linked fantasy novels inspired by the landscapes of his childhood: the dry, flatlands of South Australia, where he still lives with his wife and family.
BY SEAN WILLIAMS
The Unknown Soldier (with Shane Dix)
Metal Fatigue
The Resurrected Man
EVERGENCE (with Shane Dix)
The Prodigal Sun
The Dying Light
The Dark Imbalance
THE BOOKS OF THE CHANGE
The Stone Mage & the Sea
The Sky Warden & the Sun
The Storm Weaver & the Sand
ORPHANS (with Shane Dix)
Echoes of Earth
Orphans of Earth
Heirs of Earth
THE BOOKS OF THE CATACLYSM
The Crooked Letter
The Blood Debt
The Hanging Mountains
The Devoured Earth
GEODESICA (with Shane Dix)
Ascent
Descent
THE BROKEN LAND
The Changeling
The Dust Devils
The Scarecrow
ASTROPOLIS
Saturn Returns
Earth Ascendant
Remaining in Light
COLLECTIONS
Doorways to Eternity
A View Before Dying
New Adventures in Sci-Fi
Light Bodies Falling
Magic Dirt: The Best of Sean Williams
Star Wars: Force Heretic I: Remnant (with Shane Dix)
Star Wars: Force Heretic II: Refugee (with Shane Dix)
Star Wars: Force Heretic III: Reunion (with Shane Dix)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
THE FIXERS
Castle of Zombies
Planet of Cyborgs
Curse of the Vampire (forthcoming)
Invasion of the Freaks (forthcoming)
STAR WARS—The Expanded Universe
You saw the movies. You watched the cartoon series, or maybe played some of the video games. But did you know …
In The Empire Strikes Back, Princess Leia Organa said to Han Solo, “I love you.” Han said, “I know.” But did you know that they actually got married? And had three Jedi children: the twins, Jacen and Jaina, and a younger son, Anakin?
Luke Skywalker was trained as a Jedi by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. But did you know that, years later, he went on to revive the Jedi Order and its commitment to defending the galaxy from evil and injustice?
Obi-Wan said to Luke, “For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.” Did you know that over those millennia, legendary Jedi and infamous Sith Lords were adding their names to the annals of Republic history?
Yoda explained that the dreaded Sith tend to come in twos: “Always two, there are. No more, no less. A Master, and an apprentice.” But did you know that the Sith didn’t always exist in pairs? That at one time in the ancient Republic there were as many Sith as Jedi, until a Sith Lord named Darth Bane was the lone survivor of a great Sith war and created the “Rule of Two”?
All this and much, much more is brought to life in the many novels and comics of the Star Wars expanded universe. You’ve seen the movies and watched the cartoon. Now venture out into the wider worlds of Star Wars!
Turn the page or jump to the timeline of Star Wars novels to learn more.
Luke Skywalker scrambled up the rocky slope, his lungs burning with each heavy breath he took. He was relieved to hear his nephew beside him also panting for breath, because that meant his own difficulties with the climb were in no way a reflection of his age or fitness; it was simply that the atmosphere on Munlali Mafir was thin, that was all.
Behind them came the terrible baying of the Krizlaws. The sound was high-pitched and piercing, even through the rarefied atmosphere, and sent a shiver down his spine. With their great rancorlike heads bent low, sniffing for a scent, Luke knew that the smooth- and pink-skinned aliens wouldn’t be too far behind, converging from around the ruined palace to join in the hunt for the landing party.
He glanced over his shoulder, half expecting to see them snapping at his heels already. Thankfully, though, they weren’t that close. But even as he looked, he saw seven of them emerge from a decorative archway at the base of the nearest wall, tripping over one another and slipping on the rubble in their haste as they headed for the ceremonial mound. Another three jump-rolled from a window, scurrying out of sight behind a statue.
Small reddish eyes, two thin arms tipped with three poisoned claws, two powerful legs designed for pouncing, mouths with jaws extendable enough to swallow a human head in one gulp …
The thought was a reminder for Luke that he should keep moving.
“Only ten of them,” Dr. Soron Hegerty said, the surprise evident beneath her own panting. She seemed to be finding the pace more difficult than the others, barely keeping up even with Jacen’s help. “There have—always been—eleven. I thought that—might have been—significant.”
A second later another Krizlaw leapt through the window, shattering what little remained of the already splintered ornate frame, then dashed for the mound also.
The xenobiologist shook her head, as if to suggest she was tired of being right all the time. “Eleven,” she confirmed.
“Come on, Doctor Hegerty,” Jacen said. Luke felt his young nephew subtly augmenting her stamina with the Force. “We have to keep moving!”
“Ritual hunting party, you think?” Lieutenant Stalgis asked. The stocky Imperial in light combat armor turned to snap a shot back at the seven coming up the mound. The blaster bolt took one on the shoulder, provoking an earsplitting squeal of pain, but didn’t slow the creature down.
“Something—like that,” Hegerty gasped.
Luke and Jacen exchanged worried looks. The xenobiologist was tiring fast, and the top of the mound was still some distance away. The structure consisted of soil packed tight around a central core of stone, creating a tall, conical pseudo-pyramid with a truncated, stone summit perfect for an impromptu landing field. The shuttle was waiting for them there, engines warmed up and ready to whisk them off to safety. The only problem was that at this rate, with the doctor’s endurance flagging, they weren’t going to make it.
The two Jedi turned simultaneously to see the Krizlaws making their way up the slope in assured and steady bounds, digging in with their claws and using their enormous thigh muscles to propel them forward. Seeing Luke and Jacen making a stand, the creatures hurried their ascent, their howls intensifying with each leap. Luke had seen the effects these ululations could have on lower life-forms when he’d witnessed the Krizlaws feeding. The intense vibrations of their howls stunned nerve centers, disoriented senses, and sent muscles into spasm. While their prey was thus incapacitated, the Krizlaws would eat them whole. Dr. Hegerty had said that the Krizlaws believed the still-beating heart to be essential for good digestion.
You won’t be digesting this Jedi, Luke swore determinedly. Whole or otherwise!
He sent his senses deep under the surface of the mound. Packed it might be, but the soil wasn’t bound like ferrocrete. There were fissures underneath the surface, numerous pressure points that, with one solid nudge, could be …
There. Signaling Jacen, he mentally linked up with his nephew using the Force-meld technique perfected in recent months. Together their minds pushed at the pressure point he had found beneath the surface. Dirt erupted from the slope below as though a buried machine had suddenly come to life. The shower of dirt hid the shifting forces beneath as disturbed ground found itself falling, gathered momentum, disturbed more in turn, and became an avalanche that swept over the Krizlaws, driving them back down to the base of the mound.
Stalgis cocked an eyebrow. “Impressive,” he said approvingly, and with obvious relief. Slinging his blaster rifle over his shoulder, he headed back up the mound at a more leisurely pace.
“We’re not out of this yet,” Jacen said.
Luke silently agreed. Urging himself forward, he activated his comlink. “We’re on our way,” he reported. “Any sign of disturbances? ”
The pilot of the Imperial shuttle didn’t waste any words. “All clear. We’re ready for liftoff.”
Above them, he could hear the whine of engines. Relieved that they would soon be offplanet, Luke allowed himself a moment to puzzle at what had gone wrong. Everything had gone so well at first. Munlali Mafir was a planet that Hegerty had listed as one whose indigenous population told of a migratory world that had once appeared in their system, stayed briefly, and then vanished. It wasn’t necessarily Zonama Sekot, but everyone agreed that the lead was worth following up.
Upon arrival, however, it had been apparent that something had changed. The Jostran natives of Munlali Mafir were, according to Hegerty’s records, slow-moving centipedes barely larger than a human arm. What they’d found, though, was a colony of Krizlaws—listed as feral herd beasts with no more intelligence than a common nerf—and no sign of the Jostrans at all. Something appeared to have elevated the Krizlaws to full intelligence while at the same time wiping out the Jostrans. Either that or the Imperial probe records had simply been wrong. The language used by the Krizlaws was in fact the same as that recorded in Hegerty’s files, except that it was attributed to the Jostrans.
The Krizlaws were not a starfaring species, so the arrival of the Imperial shuttle had prompted an enthusiastic welcome. Luke, Jacen, Hegerty, and a small honor guard of stormtroopers had been invited to a ceremonial banquet at which the visitors had witnessed the grisly eating habits of the planet’s indigenous inhabitants. The local chief, who looked indistinguishable from the others except for a brightly colored belt wrapped around his smooth midriff, had freely passed on the legend about the “Star-World” that had appeared in the sky four decades earlier. Lacking telescopes or other optical instruments, their observations had been somewhat limited, but it seemed that this Star-World had appeared as a blue-green light in the skies of Munlali Mafir.
It had stayed there for almost three of the planet’s months, then—as mysteriously as it had appeared—it disappeared again.
For the time that this Star-World held its place in the sky, Munlali Mafir had undergone a period of increased seismic activity. Numerous volcanoes around the planet erupted, and the lands making up the three continents had been rent by groundquakes, all of which resulted in the deaths of many of the natives. Although the locals at the time—whether Jostrans or Krizlaws, Luke had been unable to determine—had no geologic knowledge to speak of, or indeed any understanding of the gravitational effects that astral bodies could have upon each other, they had, nonetheless, associated the spate of disasters with the arrival of the new planet. To them, the Star-World was a harbinger of death and upheaval, and Luke made every effort to reassure the chief and his people that it was unlikely the Star-World would ever return.
It was then that the trouble had started.
A hush had descended on the gathering as Luke patiently explained that the visitation of the rogue planet had been nothing more than a chance event, and it was doubtful that such an occurrence would be repeated. He assumed that Zonama Sekot was simply looking for somewhere safe to hide, and had moved on once it had become clear that Munlali Mafir was inhabited. It was very possible, he had assured the chief, that the Star-World was in fact by now on the other side of the Unknown Regions. He explained that the terrible consequences of its visit—the ruin of most of the planet’s stone cities, the disruption to ocean currents, and the impact upon some vital environmental resources such as aquifers—were only temporary. These things, he promised, would soon return to normal.
Instead of being relieved by his reassurances, though, the locals had become agitated. The chief had signaled his guards, and the visitors—esteemed guests just moments earlier—had suddenly found themselves treated as captives. Luke had forbidden any form of resistance from his party, confident that he could talk their way out of a violent confrontation. It was only as he had tried to make contact with the chief through the Force, however, that he’d realized just how difficult this might prove.
Remnant: Force Heretic I Page 38
