Lightsabers

by Kevin J. Anderson

  LIGHT SABERS

  by

  Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta

  Jungle birds cried out and took wing, searching for a breakfast of

  flying insects. The enormous gas giant Yavin hung overhead, luminous

  with reflected light, but Luke stared beyond it with his imagination,

  envisioning all of the galaxy's dark and secret corners where the Second

  Imperium might lie hidden.. . .

  Finally Luke stood and stretched. It was time for his morning exercises.

  Perhaps the exertion would help him think more clearly, get his heart

  beat' Ing harder, tune his reflexes.

  At the top of the pyramid, he went to the sheer edge of the enormous,

  vine-covered blocks that formed the sides of the towering temple. It was

  a long drop to the next level, where the ziggurat widened toward its

  base. Each squared-off set of blocks displayed decorative etchings and

  crenellations, carved into the stone thousands of years earlier during

  the building of the ancient structure" weathered by scorching attack and

  passing time.

  The dense jungle encroached at the rear of the temple pyramid,

  embellishing the massive stones with thick vines and overspreading

  Massassi tree branches.

  Luke paused for a moment at the edge, took a deep breath, and closed his

  eyes to center his concentration. Then he leaped out into space.

  He felt himself falling and rotated in midair, executing a backward

  somersault that brought him into Position, feet down, just in time to

  see the cracked old stones rushing up at him. Using the Force to slow

  himself just enough for a hard landing, he rebounded and pushed off

  toward the nearest vine. Allowing himself a brief laugh of LIGHTSABERS

  exhilaration, Luke snagged the rough jungle creeper and swung up onto

  the lichen-flaked branch of a Massassi tree. He landed smoothly and ran

  along the branch without pausing. Next he jumped across in the jungle

  canopy and grabbed a small a gap branch overhead, hauling himself

  higher, climbing, running.

  finding more Each day Luke challenged himself, difficult routines in

  order to continue honing his skills. Even during times of peace, a Jedi

  Knight could never allow himself to relax and grow weak.

  But these were not quiet times, and Luke Skywalker had plenty of

  challenges to face.

  Years ago, a student named Brakiss had been planted in Luke's academy as

  an Imperial spy to learn the ways of the Jedi and twist them to evil

  uses. Luke had seen through the disguise, however, and had tried

  unsuccessfully to turn Brakiss to the light side. After the dark trainee

  had fled, Luke had not heard from Brakiss again-until recently, when

  Jacen, Jaina, and the young Wookiee Lowbacca had been kidnapped. Brakiss

  had teamed up with one of the evil new Nightsisters-Tamith Kai-to form a

  Shadow Academy for training Dark Jedi in the service of the Empire.

  Panting from his workout, Luke continued to climb through the trees,

  startling a nest of ravenous stintarils. The rodents turned on him,

  flashing bright teeth, but when he nudged their attack instincts in a

  new direction, they forgot their intended target and scattered through

  the leafy branches.

  He swung himself up and finally reached the jungle canopy. Sunshine

  burst upon him as he pushed his head above the leafy treetops. Humid air

  filled his burning lungs, and he blinked again in the morning light. The

  lush world around h

  im seemed very bright after the filtered dimness of the thick

  underievels. Looking back toward the stepped pyi-amid of the Great

  Temple that housed his Jedi students, Luke considered both the new group

  of fighters he had brought here to help protect the New Republic and the

  trainees at the Shadow Academy. . . .

  In the past few months, the Shadow Academy had begun recruiting

  candidates among the disadvantaged young men and women Of Coruscant,

  taking these "lost ones" to serve the Second Imperium. One of these had

  been the teenager named Zekk, a dark-haired, green-eyed scamp who had

  been a good friend to the twins, especially Jaina. In addition, the TIE

  pilot Qorl-who had spent over two decades hiding on Yavin 4 after the

  first Death Star was destroyed-had led a raid to steal hyperdrive cores

  and turbolaser batteries from an incoming New Republic supply ship.

  All this and more had led Luke Skywalker to the conclusion that the

  Shadow Academy was gearing up for a major battle against the New

  Republic.

  LIGHTSABERS

  Since the dead, of Emperor Palpatine, there had been many warlords and

  leaders who had attempted to rekindle the imperial way-but Luke sensed

  through the Force that this new leader was something more evil than just

  another pretender. . . .

  Bright sunlight fell across Luke, warming his hands. Brilliantly colored

  insects flitted about, buzzing in the new day. He shifted against the

  rough branches and drew a deep breath of the fresh air, catching mingled

  scents from the lush jungle all around him.

  The Shadow Academy was still out there, still training Dark Jedi. Luke

  hated to rush his training of those who studied the ways of the light

  sidebut circumstances forced him to attempt to bring out powerful

  defenders faster than the Shadow Academy could create new enemies. A

  fight was brewing, and they had to be prepared.

  Luke grabbed a loose vine and let himself drop, drop, drop until,

  landing with a jarring thump against a wide Massassi tree branch, he set

  off, running at top speed back to the academy.

  The workout had awakened him fully, and now he was ready for action.

  It was time for another gathering of students at the Jedi academy-and

  Jacen Solo knew that meant his uncle, Luke Skywalker, had something

  important to say.

  Life at the academy was not a constant series of lectures and classes,

  as he had experienced during tutoring sessions back on Coruscant. The

  Jedi academy was designed primarily for independent study in a place

  where Force-sensitive individuals could delve into their minds, test

  their abilities, and work at their own pace.

  Each potential Jedi Knight had a range of skills.

  Jacen himself had a knack for understanding animals, calling them to

  him, and kno thoughts and feelings wing their His sister Jaina, on the

  other hand, had a genius for mechanical things and electronic circuits,

  and possessed engineering intuition.

  Lowbacca, their Wookiee friend, ha

  d an eerie rapport with computers, which allowed him to decipher and

  Program complex electronic circuits.

  Their athletic friend Tenel Ka was physically strong and self-trained,

  but she usually avoided relying on the Force as the easiest solution to

  a Problem. Tenel Ka depended on her own wits and strength first.

  In his quarters Jacen's exotic pets rustled in their cages along the

  stone wal
l. He hurried to feed them and then ran his fingers through his

  unruly brown curls to remove any stray bits of moss or fodder he might

  have picked up from the cages. He poked his head into his twin sister

  Jaina's chambers as she, too, Prepared for the big meeting. She quickly

  combed her straight brown hair and scrubbed her face clean so that her

  skin looked pink and fresh.

  LIGHTSABERS

  "Anv idea what Uncle Luke's going to talk about?@' she asked, drying

  drips of water from her chin and nose.

  "I was hoping you'd know," Jacen said.

  One of the other young Jedi trainees, Raynar, emer-ed from his room

  dressed in garishly colored i-obcs with an eye-popping display of

  intense priiiiary blues, yellows, and reds. He seemed terribly

  I'lustered as he brushed his hands down the fabric of I"is robe. let out

  a sigh of dismay, and ducked back int ) his rooms.

  "Ilet the meeting has something to do with that i i-lp Llncle Luke just

  took to Coruscant," Jaina said.

  J@liceii remembered that their uncle had recently flown off in the

  Shado@v Chaser-a sleek ship they had appropriated from the Shadow

  Academy in order to make good their e-,cape-to discuss the threat of the

  Second Imp erium with Chief of State Leia Organa Solo, Luke's sister and

  the twins'

  mother.

  "Only one way to find out," Jacen said. "Most of the other students

  should be in the grand audience chamber already."

  "Well then, what are we waiting for?" Jaina said, and took off with her

  brother at a brisk clip down the corridor.

  Behind them, Raynar emerged from his quarters again, looking much more

  satisfied now that he had managed to find a robe that was, if anything,

  even more dazzlingly bright than the first one-enough to cause tension

  headaches in anyone who looked too long. Raynar cinched the robe around

  his waist with a green and orange patterned sash, then bustled after

  Jacen and Jaina.

  When they stepped out of the turbolift into the grand audience chamber,

  the twins looked at the restless crowd of human and alien students, some

  with two arms and two legs, Others with many times that.

  Some had fur, others had feathers, scales, or slick damp skin .- - but

  all had a talent for the Force, the potential-ifthey trained and studied

  diligently-to eventually become members of a new order of Jedi Knights

  that was growing stronger with each passing year.

  Over the background chatter they heard a resounding Wookiee bellow, and

  Jacen pointed. "There',s Lowie! He's with Tenel Ka already."

  They hurried down the central aisle, passing other students and slipping

  between rows of stone benches to reach their two friends. Jaina held

  back and waited while her brother took a seat next to Tenel Ka, as he

  always did.

  Jacen wondered if his twin sister had noticed how much he liked being

  with Tenel Ka, how he always chose a place beside the Young warrior

  girl. Then he realized that Jaina would never miss anything of that

  sort-but he didn't really care.

  Tenel Ka didn't seem to object to Jacen spending LIGHTSABERS

  his time next to her. The two of them were an odd mix. Jacen always wore

  an impish grin and enjoyed joking around. Ever since they had met, one

  of his main goals had been to make Tenel Ka laugh by telling her silly

  jokes. But despite his best efforts, the strong girl with reddish-gold

  hair remained serious, almost grim, though he knew she was intelligent,

  quick to act, and profoundly loyal.

  "Greetings, Jacen," Tenel Ka said.

  "How are you doing, Tenel Ka? Hey, I've got another joke for you."

  Lowbacca groaned, and Jacen shot him a wounded look.

  "There is no time," Tenel Ka said, pointing toward the speaker's

  platform. "Master Skywalker is about to address us."

  Indeed, Luke had come out onto the stage and his Jedi robe. His face

  deeply serious, he stood in folded his hands in front of him, and the

  audience quickly grew quiet.

  "A time of great darkness is upon us," Master Skywalker said. The

  silence grew even deeper.

  Jacen sat straight and looked around in alarm.

  "Not only does the Empire continue its struggles to reclaim the galaxy,

  but this time it is using the Force in an unprecedented manner. With its

  Shadow Academy, the leaders of the Second Imperium are creating their

  own an-ny of dark side Force-wielders.

  And we, my friends, are the only ones who can stand against it." He

  paused as that news sank in.

  Jacen swallowed hard.

  "Though th@ Emperor has been dead for nineteen years, still the New

  Republic struggles to bring the worlds of the galaxy into an alliance.

  Palpatine did not take so long to squeeze his iron fist around star

  systems-but the New Republic is a different kind of government. We

  aren't willing to use the Emperor's tactics. The Chief of State will not

  send armed fleets to crush planets into Submission or execute

  dissidents. Unfortunately, though, because we use peaceful democratic

  means, we are more vulnerable to a threat like the Empire."

  Jacen felt warni inside at the mention of his mother and what she was

  doing with the New Republic.

  "In days long past," Luke said, walking from side to side on the stage

  so that he seemed to be t@ilkitig to each one of them in turn, "a Jedi

  Mastei- spent years looking for a single student to teach and guide

  along the path, of the Jedi." Luke's voice became graver. "Now, though,

  our need is too great for such caution. The Empire nearly succeeded in

  obliterating the Jedi Knights of old, and we don't have the luxury of

  such patience. Instead, I'm going to have to ask you to learn a little

  faster, to grow strong a little sooner. I must accelerate your training,

  because the New Republic needs more Jedi Knights."

  From one of the front rows, where he always sat, LIGHTSABERS

  Raynar spoke up. Jacen had to blink to clear the spots of bright color

  from his vision when the sandy-haired boy raised his hand. "We're ready,

  Master Skywalker! We're all willing to fight for YOU."

  Luke looked intently at the boy who had interrupted him. "I'm not asking

  you to fight for me, Raynar," Luke said in a calm voice. "I need your

  help to fightfor the New Republic, and against the evil ways we thought

  were behind us. Not for any one person."

  The students stirred. Their minds churned with a determination they

  didn't know how to direct.

  Master Skywalker continued to pace. "Each of you must work individually

  to stretch your abilities.

  I'll help as I can. I want to meet with you in small groups to plan

  strategy, discuss ways to help each other. We must be strong, because I

  believe with all my heart that we face dark times ahead."

  Down in the echoing hangar bay beneath the temple, Jacen crouched in a

  cool corner, extending his mind into a crack between blocks where he

  sensed a rare red and green stinger lizard. He sent a tendril of thought

  to it, imaginary enticements of food-dismissing reptilian concerns of

  danger. Jacen very much wanted to add the lizard to his collection of
/>
  unusual pets.

  Lowbacca and Jaina tinkered with Lowie's T-23 skyhopper, the flying

  craft that his uncle Chewbacca had given him when he'd brought the young

  Wookiee to the Jedi academy. Jacen knew his sister was a bit jealous of

  Lowie for having his own flying machine. In fact, that had been one of

  the reasons Jaina had so badly wanted to repair the crashed TIE fighter

  they'd found out in the jungle.

  Tenel Ka stood outside the upraised horizontal door of the hangar bay.

  She held a forked wooden spear that she used for target practice,

  throwing it with exceptional skill toward a tiny mark on the landing

  pad. The teenaged warrior could strike her target with either hand. She

  stared at her goal with cool, granite-gray eyes, focused her

  concentration, and then let the sharpened stick fly.

  Tenel Ka could have nudged the spear with the Force, guiding it where

  she wished it to go-but Jacen knew from long experience that she would

  probably tackle him to the ground if he dared suggest such a thing.

  Tenel Ka had gained her physical skill through faithful practice and was

  reluctant to use the Force in a way that she considered to be cheating.

  She was very proud of her skills.

  In the rear of the hangar bay, the turbolift hummed. Master Luke

  Skywalker emerged and looked around. Jacen gave up his designs on the

  stinger lizard and stood. His knees cracked, and his ankles were sore,

  which made him realize how long LIGHTSABERS

  ^ 3 he had crouched motionless. "Hi, Uncle Luke," he said.