The stone hallways of the Jedi academy were dimly lit at night. A hush
had fallen over the Great Temple hours ago. No sound could be heard but the
distant buzzing of millions of jungle insects. Everyone was quiet, everyone
peaceful. Except for Uldir. He couldn't sleep. Each time he closed his
eyes, pictures from the Holocron flashed through his mind. The kindly old
face of Jedi Master Ash Krimsan smiled at him.
Next came the images of Exis Station, which had once held a library of
Jedi knowledge. Exis had been a magnificent space station. Uldir was sure
that if he had studied there for a few months, back in the days when Ash
Krimsan was a teacher, he would have become a powerful Jedi.
Uldir's thoughts raced. There was no hope of going to sleep now, so he
decided to walk the cool halls. He met no one as he moved slowly through
the shadows, almost invisible in his brown Jedi robe. Most of the students
were already asleep or meditating in their rooms. Tionne had retired to her
chambers right after evening meal. Even Ikrit was curled up asleep at the
foot of Anakin's bed when Uldir poked his head in to check on his friend.
Feeling truly alone, Uldir heaved an unhappy sigh. Thoughts of his many
failures in trying to learn about the Force nibbled away at his pride.
Uldir was sure now that Ash Krimsan was the key. If only he could
study her lessons, he felt certain all of his problems would melt away.
Unfortunately, he might never have a chance to learn the things that Ash
Krimsan could teach him. So far, only Master Skywalker and Tionne could
decide when to use the Holocron. But they didn't need the holographic
lessons of a Jedi Master like Uldir did. It wasn't fair. Uldir wandered,
paying no attention to where he walked. Soon he found himself at the end of
a long passage. The hall on his right led back to the students' quarters.
To his left, a stairway led upward. He was too restless to go back to his
room, so he decided to take the stairs. Climbing the stone steps, Uldir
felt a flash of irritation at Master Skywalker and Tionne.
They were holding back valuable knowledge from him. Didn't they
realize how important the Holocron could be in Uldir's quest to become a
Jedi Knight? Of course they realized it, Uldir reasoned. After all, he
badly needed someone who could train him to do the tricks all Jedi Knights
had to know. He needed a good teacher, and he needed the Holocron. He had
tried to follow the slow, painstaking lessons that Tionne and Ikrit taught.
He had listened to Master Skywalker's lectures. But the lessons seemed
tedious. The information was too hard to use. Uldir was getting nowhere.
Uldir came to the top of the stairs and headed down the first hallway he
saw, still deep in thought.
He felt a sharp pang of self-doubt. Was he really sure anymore that he
was capable of becoming a Jedi? After months of going to classes and
practicing, he couldn't lift even a small leaf or feather with his mind.
One time he thought he had come close, but he couldn't be sure. And,
despite his best concentration and effort, he hadn't made a single spark
when he tried to light a candle flame.
He knew he had to show some progress soon, or Master Skywalker
wouldn't let him keep studying at the Jedi academy. It wouldn't have to be
much progress, but at least a little. Could they be holding something back
from him? Uldir passed thick stone walls and heavy wooden doors, but he
hardly noticed. His thoughts became gloomier by the minute. What if he
never got the right training to use the Force?
Without it, he'd never be a Jedi; he might as well just work in a
kitchen for the rest of his life. Uldir groaned. If only he had more time
to practice. If only he could take a lesson whenever he wanted. If only
Tionne and Master Skywalker would let him use the Holocron. Then he might
make some progress. In fact, the Holocron might be his only hope of ever
becoming a Jedi now.
As he began to see the direction his thoughts and his steps had taken
him, Uldir stopped still. That was it, of course: he had to have the
Holocron! If he could just borrow it, he could learn everything he needed
to know. Uldir looked around and realized that he was outside Master
Skywalker's chambers. His feet must have known where to go even before his
mind did. The Holocron was inside there-just waiting for him to use it.
Before he could think any further, Uldir took a step toward the heavy door
that led into Master Skywalker's chambers. His breathing became shallow,
and his hands shook as he reached for the door latch.
A cold watery feeling, like a puddle of melting ice, formed at the pit
of his stomach. You can't just walk in there and take it, his mind warned
him. That's stealing. Besides, what if someone sees you? Suddenly
frightened, Uldir backed away from the door and flattened himself against
the opposite wall.
Now he was hidden in shadows. He would have time to reconsider. Was
this really stealing? Of course not, Uldir told himself. I'll just be
borrowing it. He decided he would give the Holocron back someday. But for
now he needed it. It was his last chance to become a Jedi. Uldir darted a
look up and down the corridor, but there was no sound, no movement.
Master Skywalker was gone, he remembered. Nobody would be inside the
teacher's room. If he wanted the Holocron, he'd have to take it now-there
would be no better time. And once Uldir had studied the Holocron and become
a Jedi, everyone would agree that he'd had to do this. It was the only way.
Uldir tried to screw up his courage. He would have to act quickly. But
despite all his reasons, he was very nervous. Did he truly dare to break in
and steal from the greatest Jedi Master in the galaxy? Uldir took a deep
breath to steady himself.
There's always a price to pay if you want to be a Jedi, he reminded
himself. He took another deep breath. Then, glancing all around again to be
sure he was completely alone, he tiptoed forward. His heart pounded and he
felt sweat prickle on his forehead. When he reached the door, he tried the
latch. It was open. For some reason, this made him even more nervous, and
the latch slid out of his fingers with a sharp click. It took him two more
tries before his trembling hands could hold on to the latch long enough to
pull the door open.
By the time Uldir slipped inside and quietly shut the door behind him,
his legs were shaking so badly that he had to lean back against the door
for support. Inside, the room was even darker and quieter than the hallway
had been. Strangely shaped shadows crisscrossed in the air and made strange
patterns on the flagstones at his feet. Uldir wondered - a bit late-if
Master Skywalker had some sort of intruder alarm to guard his room. But
Uldir heard no shouts of warning, no footsteps running through the halls.
Like a blind man, Uldir held his hands out in front of him and moved
forward, feeling his way along one wall.
He didn't dare turn on the glow - panels for fear of the light being
seen through the window or under the door. Something brushed agains
t his
face, light as an insect's wing. Uldir just barely kept himself from crying
out. The thing was still there brushing against him, so he jumped back and
flailed at it with both hands, hoping to chase the creature away. A moment
later he held the thing in his hands-a robe.
The "creature" he had feared was nothing more than one of Master
Skywalker's Jedi robes hanging from a peg on the wall!
"Get a grip on yourself, Uldir," he muttered. "Jedi aren't supposed to
get spooked that easily. A Jedi uses all the knowledge in his possession.
You know what this room looks like, so stop acting like a baby gundark in a
glass-blower's shop."
Shaking his head to clear it, Uldir hung the robe on its peg again.
Next, he turned his back to the wall and headed toward the corner where he
knew Master Skywalker's worktable stood. He guessed that was where Tionne
would have put the Holocron objects while waiting for Master Skywalker to
return. His legs bumped against the table when he reached it. Something
thumped, rolled, then fell to the floor with a loud clatter. Uldir stood
paralyzed for a moment, wondering if anyone had heard. That was silly, of
course. No one outside the room could have heard the sound, any more than
they could have heard the furious hammering of his heart.
He bent to retrieve the object. It was heavy and shaped like a tube,
with ridges along its metal surface.
A lightsaber.
It must be the weapon that had once belonged to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Uldir
turned the handle so that the blade would point away from him and pressed a
smooth button on the handle. Almost immediately, the bright, blue-white
blade sprang to life with a whoosh. By the pulsing light of the energy
sword, Uldir saw the treasure he had come for: the Holocron.
He reached a shaky finger out to touch the pearly, cube-shaped object.
Nothing happened. Picking up the Holocron with his free hand, he held it
high and waited for it to speak to him. Again, nothing happened. Why didn't
it turn on?
The thing had always turned on as soon as Tionne wanted it to. There
were no buttons to press, no switches to throw. What, then, was the secret?
Uldir closed his eyes and concentrated. Turn on, he told it.
No hologram appeared.
He tried whispering the words out loud, but with no better effect. A
knot tied itself in his throat and he swallowed hard.
"Let me speak to Ash Krimsan," he hissed. The Holocron remained
stubbornly silent. Then a thought occurred to Uldir. Perhaps the Holocron
responded only to a full-fledged Jedi or someone who knew its secret. In
fact, the Mage Orloc himself had claimed to know the secret of the Holocron
and had offered to teach him. It certainly made sense that if the Mage
lived at Exis Station-a place that had once held a great Jedi library-he
would know how to operate the Holocron.
Then Uldir remembered the Sunrider, the ancient ship that belonged to
Master Ikrit. The ship still stood out on the landing field.... Did he
dare?
"No guts, no glory," Uldir reminded himself in a fierce whisper. Yes,
he decided: he dared. He still wanted to be a Jedi, and he had come this
far. He would just have to go to Orloc and ask the Mage to teach him. With
that decision made, he switched off the lightsaber. He tucked it and the
Holocron into the folds of his brown Jedi robe and crept quietly out of
Master Skywalker's quarters.
Tahiri loved the feel of the Great Temple's smooth, cool stones
beneath her bare feet. She hummed a soft tune under her breath while she
walked up and down the halls, but her mind was set on just one thing:
finding Uldir. The teenager was already more than an hour late for a
practice session he and Tahiri had planned this morning. It wasn't like her
friend to be late. Anakin had gone for an early walk in the jungle with
Master Ikrit.
They wouldn't be back until time for the midmorning lesson, so Tahiri
decided to look for Uldir alone. She started with the kitchens. When she
stuck her head in to look around, the food-prep area was bustling with
activity. The scents of baking bread, stewing meats and vegetables, and
freshly sliced fruits filled the air. Half a dozen cooks, servers, and
cleaning people scurried about doing their chores, but Tahiri saw no sign
of Uldir's shaggy chestnut hair or broad shoulders. In fact, the kitchen
staff said that Uldir had not been in all morning. Tahiri shook her head
and yanked thoughtfully at a strand of blonde hair.
This was not like Uldir at all. Next she tried the Grand Audience
Chamber, where Uldir sometimes went to think. But this morning the huge
auditorium stood completely empty. Tahiri looked in every one of Uldir's
favorite places, both inside the Great Temple and out. She even searched on
the landing field and noticed that Ikrit's ship, the Sunrider, was gone.
The white-furred Jedi Master must have changed his mind and taken Anakin
for a short flight instead of a walk, she
guessed. Tahiri headed back inside. She was beginning to get worried
about her friend. After checking the docking bay, the rear steps of the
temple, and the Comm Center, her worry turned to alarm.
Then, like a blaster bolt, it struck her-she hadn't actually looked
inside his room! She had only knocked once, and given up when there had
been no reply. Of course, if Uldir was still in his room and hadn't
answered her knock, that probably meant he was sick or upset over
something. Still, she was relieved. She began humming her little tune again
as she hurried toward his quarters as fast as her bare feet could carry
her. At the door to her friend's room, Tahiri raised a small, strong hand
and rapped sharply on the thick wood.
"Uldir, it's me," she sang out. "Can I talk to you?" When there was no
reply, she tried again. "Uldir, are you all right? May I come in?"
Again, no answer. Tahiri sensed nothing from behind the door.
Nothing at all. What if her friend was really sick or unconscious? She
would have to look. Carefully she eased the door open a crack and peeked
in. The sleeping pallet in the corner was empty.
Pushing the door open so that she could step inside, Tahiri called,
"Uldir?"
The room was empty. Completely empty. Not a trace of her friend. She
even checked the refresher unit, but the door stood open and the cubicle
was empty. Something was very wrong here. A feeling of dread clamped itself
around Tahiri's chest, making it hard for her to breathe. In the little
trunk where Uldir kept his few possessions, Tahiri found nothing. She
whirled and looked at the wall. No flightsuit or Jedi robes dangled from
the pegs there.
Uldir was gone. But where?
Anakin always enjoyed walks with Ikrit. Now that they were back, the
white-furred Jedi Master sat on the windowsill sunning himself while Anakin
got ready for his morning lesson. Artoo-Detoo stood in the corner nearby;
the little droid always stayed close to Anakin when Master Skywalker was
gone. Anakin had just finished pulling on a fresh flightsuit when Tahiri
burst into the room. Pale yellow hair damp with sweat clung to her
forehead. Her emerald green eyes blazed like they always did when she had
something important to tell him.
"Uldir's not here!" Tahiri blurted out. "I can't find him anywhere. I
looked all over the Great Temple while you and Master Ikrit were flying
around in the Sunrider. No one has seen him all morning, and his room is is
empty. Well, aren't you going to say anything?" She rushed on before Anakin
could grasp what she was telling him. "Even his clothes are gone, and his
blanket. Everything. There's nothing at-"
"Wait a minute," Anakin said, trying hard to let his mind catch up
with Tahiri's words. "Who told you that Master Ikrit and I were in the
Sunrider? We went for a walk this morning."
"Well, one of the places I looked for Uldir was on the landing field,
and when I noticed that the Sunrider was gone, I naturally figured that you
and Master Ikrit were..." Her words trailed off.
Anakin shook his head. Ikrit spoke up from the windowsill.
"Mmmmmm, the girl is right. My ship no longer stands on the landing
field."
Artoo-Detoo gave an astonished - sounding twitter.
"I've got a strange feeling about this," Anakin said.
Just then, their teacher Tionne appeared in the doorway. A worried
frown drew her silvery brows together and creased her forehead. When she
saw her two students with the Jedi Master, her face cleared.
"Oh, there you are. Did you borrow the Holocron, Master Ikrit? I
wanted to ask it something before our morning lesson. But when I went to
get it from Master Skywalker's room, the table where I had put it and Obi-
Wan Kenobi's lightsaber was empty."
Kenobi's Blade Page 2
