Star Wars - New Jedi Order - Force Heretic II - Refugee - Book 18

by Sean Williams

  "Actually, no." After Danni's success at cracking the biological secrets of the Yuuzhan Vong, it was easy to forget that her original specialization was astronomy. "Although the capture of extra-solar planets does happen quite naturally, it's a very rare eventand even rarer right in the middle of the habitable zone. A large percentage of those systems have been visited more than once by droid probes on deep-survey missions, and the basic configurations of the others would have been atleast recorded by large-scale interferometric detectors in nearby systems. The Chiss checked every target system at least twice in the last sixty years. Any discrepancies would show up in even the most basic scan."

  Wyn nodded. "We could set up a sweep to look for stuff that was added to any of the systems on record. I can talk to Tris and"

  She stopped as Luke appeared from one of the aisles, followed closely by Saba. "Sorry to interrupt," he said. "We've decided to bring Shadow to a closer spaceport. If you'd like to clean up and have a rest, then this might be your best chance."

  "I think I'd settle for either, right now," Danni said.

  "What about you, Saba?" Luke said, facing the Bara-bel. She was bringing another heavy-looking tome to read.

  "A shower soundz good," she said. The exhaustion was clearly evident in her voice. "Even the best hunterz need to wash."

  "Okay, then we'll see you all shortly at the barge," Luke said. "When we come back, we'll bring Artoo with us. He might be able to help us search through the less obvious data."

  "That's a good idea," Danni said, rising to her feet. She faced Jacen. "You coming?"

  He shook his head. "I think I'll stay here. Someone has to keep looking through the data we've collected. There's a lot to get through, and we've only one day left."

  Danni's disappointment was obvious, but Luke agreed with a cautious nod. "Don't overdo it, Jacen. I'm sure Commander Irolia can provide you with a bunk and a 'fresher if you decide you need one."

  "Of course," the commander said.

  "Syal and Soontir will be coming with us on the ice barge," Luke went on. "Obviously you're welcome to come as well, Wyn, if you're interested."

  "Actually, I think I'll stay and help Jacen, if that's all right?"

  Jacen nodded. "No problem. We can begin that search you thought of, Danni. And if anything comes up, I promise to call, okay?"

  Danni glanced at Jacen and Wyn, offering a curt and unenthusiastic nod. "Sure," she said, then faced Luke. "How soon do we leave?"

  "Right now if you like."

  "Sounds good to me," Danni said. Then, with the faintest glance at Wyn, added "The sooner the better."

  Jacen's uncle, aunt, and Lieutenant Stalgis left for the barge with a brief farewell to everyone, followed shortly by Danni and Saba.

  "So, what do you want to do?" Wyn asked when everyone had gone. "I could show you around, if you want. Or there's always"

  "I don't think that's such a good idea." Jacen cut her off firmly but gently. Commander Irolia silently took up position against the far walla position that allowed her to keep an eye on both Jacen and Wyn. "There really isn't much time before the deadline runs out, and if we don't learn anything, then we're back where we started."

  The girl rolled her eyes, sighing with only a half-serious look of rejection on her face. "Then we'd better get going," she said.

  No, thought Jacen. That's exactly what they wouldn't be able to do. If they ever did find what they were looking for, then everything would be blown wide open. It would be the beginning of the end of everything they had come to take for granted these last few years.

  He kept this to himself. When he thought of the future, the image he received from the Force was invariably clouded. His vision of a galaxy slipping into darkness still burned inside him, and he didn't like to think that any failure on his part might contribute to such an out-

  come. He was determined to bring his uncle's peaceful solution into being. And despite a twinge of guilt, he couldn't allow Wyn's feelings to get in the way of that.

  I should have known better. ..

  Jaina struggled to get a grip on the world around her as suffocating folds of unconsciousness tried to drag her back down. The only signal she received from her body was that of a burning sensation between her shoulder blades, where she'd been shot. She suspected that she hadn't been seriously hurt, but the blaster's stun setting had been on the high side, and her nervous system was still a bit scrambled.

  When the darkness finally began to recede and she managed to haul herself out into daylight, she couldn't tell if weeks or minutes had passed. Moaning, she tried to move, but found that Salkeli had bound her arms and legs tightly together. There was a translucent hood over her head, too.

  "I see you're awake," she heard him say from close by, his voice raised over the steady whining of his land-speeder's motor. From the way the world bumped and slewed beneath her, she guessed that she was slumped on the reclined seat of the vehicle. Despite her situation, she actually found this thought reassuring; it suggested that she hadn't been out too long, after all.

  "Where are you taking me?" she asked.

  "To meet someone."

  "Who?"

  "It's not important. He has money, and that's all that concerns me right now."

  She reached into herself to find her still center, hoping to pluck his intentions directly from his mind, but her focus was scattered by the pain and disorientation.

  "You betrayed them," she said disgustedly.

  "Do you mean Freedom?"

  "You sold them out."

  "They did it to themselves. I mean, what do they expect? You go up against the big cannons, you have to expect to get shot."

  " But you were the one pulling the trigger."

  "Better that than be on the receiving end. Besides, if they hadn't caused so much trouble, this might never have happened."

  "So they were getting close to someone?"

  "You really think you're going to get any information out of me?" He laughed. "I don't think so, Jedi."

  She tried again to use the Force and this time felt a flicker of response. She clutched at it as though it were a life raft. "You could just release me," she said, putting as much persuasion as possible behind the words. "I'm of no importance"

  "You're right," he said. "So I might as well shoot you now and be done with it."

  She heard him pull the blaster from its holster.

  "No, wait!"

  The bolt took her in the shoulder, hurling her again into darkness.

  Hundreds of thousands of stars.

  It was easy to say the words, but much more difficult to comprehend what they actually meant. On a map, the Unknown Regions comprised only 15 percent of the total volume of the galaxy; but when that 15 percent became the search area for something as small as a planet-which, on a cosmic scale, was much, much smaller than a needle in a haystackthe true immensity of the task became all too apparent.

  And they had to do it in just two days!

  Jacen concentrated on scouring through data Saba and Danni had discovered, while Wyn worked on the search

  algorithm. There were thousands of mission reports to scan through. Wandering asteroids and close encounters with comets were common, and it wasn't always easy to distinguish these from a mysterious planetary appearance. He soon lost track of all the unfamiliar names among the thousands of people and places he came across.

  "Who's this Jer'Jo Cam'Co who keeps cropping up in the records?" he asked Wyn.

  The girl looked up and shrugged. "Beats me."

  "Jer'Jo Cam'Co was one of our founding syndics," Irolia said from where she'd kept patiently out of the way while Wyn and Jacen worked. "He proposed the Expansionary Defense Fleet after a series of exploratory expeditions turned up numerous vital resources."

  Jacen nodded. That would explain why the man's name was on so many of the older reports. There were at least seven vessels named after him, and two systems. There had been no mention of him in any of the old or recent Republic
recordswhich only went to show just how much there was still to learn about the Chiss.

  It amused him, therefore, when Wyn demonstrated that the ignorance worked both ways.

  "Tell me," she said, "what's it like on Coruscant?"

  Jacen did his best to describe the capital world as he remembered it. His recollections were tainted by his recent experiences with the Yuuzhan Vong, however, and the knowledge that so much that had been beautiful was now lost or sullied in his memories. It made him sad to think of the former Imperial Palace in ruin, or the Monument Plaza turned into yorik coral fields, but they were very real possibilities. And the saddest thing of all was that even if the Galactic Alliance defeated the Yuuzhan Vong tomorrow, the actual damage inflicted upon Coruscant might never be undone. Memories could be all that remained to future generations. Wyn listened soberly, only occasionally interrupting with a question. The idea of a world devoid of natural life, on which most people lived underground, didn't seem to surprise her as he thought it might. But then, perhaps her world wasn't all that different. On Coruscant, the bedrock was covered with city; on Csilla it was ice, but the effect was essentially the same.

  "I think I'd like to go there someday," she said when he'd finished talking. "When the war is over, of course. I'll see if I can get Father to let me take Starflare, our family yacht. I'm licensed to fly her, you knownot that I get much of a chance because Cem's always taking her out!"

  She was probably fishing for a personal invite from him to show her around the place sometime, but he refused the bait. He smiled, saying nothing.

  "Oh well. If Saba and Danni are right then I guess it doesn't matter anyway." She went on when he frowned at her. "Sometimes they talk about stuff when they forget I'm there." She paused, looking uncomfortable. "You really think there's a chance that we won't be able to beat the Yuuzhan Vong?"

  Jacen nodded slowly. "It's a very real possibility, Wyn, yes."

  She nodded also, equally as slowly, but infinitely more sadlyas only a teenager who'd been told she might not have long to live could. "Sometimes I think" She stopped in midsentence, dropping her gaze. The notion obviously scared her.

  "Sometimes you think what, Wyn?"

  "It doesn't matter," she said. "No one cares what I think, anyway."

  "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't," Jacen said soberly.

  She looked up again, flashing an appreciative smile. "Sometimes I think that the sooner we can be rid of the Yuuzhan Vong, the better. I don't want what happened to Coruscant to happen here, Jacen. I think we should do whatever we have to to make sure of that."

  "Even if it means joining up with us?"

  "Yes," she said, nodding. "Unfortunately, though, Dad and I are in the minority there. Most people believe that the Yuuzhan Vong would strike twice as hard if they found out we'd sided with you. Others just worry that you will corrupt us with your ways, making it easier for the Yuuzhan Vong to walk all over us when the time comes. And Jag's behavior has only helped support this argument, I'm afraid."

  "What do you mean? What about Jag's behavior?"

  "Jag and his squadron were supposed to return months ago," she explained. "To some, the fact that he hasn't only proves that you've been a bad influence on him. He would never have gone off for so long before."

  "I wasn't aware that this was a problem," Jacen said, wondering if Jaina had any idea, either. "But I can say that he's been a great help to us in the fight against the enemy. I hope your people realize that."

  "That's just it, though. Because he hasn't reported back as he was supposed to, no one really knows exactly what he's been doing."

  "Maybe he's just been too busy fighting the Yuuzhan Vong to communicate."

  "Maybe," Wyn said. "Or maybe he's just been spending a little too much time with his new girlfriend."

  Jacen studied her curiously for a few seconds. "How could you possibly know about that?"

  "I didn't say he hadn't reported in at all, just that he hadn't reported in as he was supposed to." She grinned impishly. "That's an important difference for the Chiss, you know."

  Her expression was one of exaggerated innocence mixed with mischievousness. And her smile left no doubt in Jacen's mind that the girl knew that Jag's girlfriend was in fact Jacen's own sister. "Well, perhaps he might prefer his private life to remain private," he returned in a tone that said this was a path he was not prepared to take.

  Her eyes twinkled; she knew how to press people's buttons. "Hey, if he's sweet on her, then that's just fine by me. It keeps him out of my hair for a while, at least. He can be such a pain."

  Despite her obvious intelligence, comments such as this only served to remind Jacen of just how young she really washovering as she was on the cusp of adolescence and adulthood. He didn't doubt that she loved Jag, but she was clearly unimpressed by her older brother's achievements at the same time.

  "What about your father?" Jacen asked, moving the subject along. "What does he think?"

  "Well, he's been something of a disruptive influence himself," she said. "The Chiss don't like to use droids in combat, arguing that they're too slow and vulnerable. Dad agrees mostly, but not all the time. He says, um, that 'expendability can be a deciding factor in a war.' He has a team of engineers working on a prototype droid fighter that should"

  She stopped abruptly when Irolia pointedly cleared her throat. The commander stared warningly at Jacen, her expression telling him quite clearly that she didn't for a moment believe that he was asking such questions out of idle interest.

  "I'm sorry," he put in quickly, directing his apology to both of them. "I shouldn't have asked. My mission here is to find Zonama Sekot, not to pry into your affairs." Then to Wyn specifically, he added, "You've been a lot of help, Wyn, and I'm grateful for that. I'd hate for you to get into any trouble because of me."

  "I won't," she said, offering a fleeting, somewhat chastened glance to Irolia. "Perhaps we should change the subject, though."

  The two of them returned to the holodisplay before them.

  "How's that algorithm coming along, anyway?" Jacen asked after a moment of studying the data. "You almost there?"

  "It's ready to roll. All you need to do is give me the constraints."

  "As we discussed earlier any system that has gained an extra, habitable world in the last sixty years should be flagged for our attention. If Danni's right, that should narrow our search dramatically. Can you do that? "

  "Of course." The girl bent her head to the task, not looking up as footsteps approached across the library floor.

  Jacen didn't need to turn, either, to know who it was; he could tell both from the way that Commander Irolia instantly snapped to attention, and from the hostility the man radiated as he entered the room.

  "At ease, Commander," Chief Navigator Aabe said.

  Jacen and Wyn swiveled around to face him.

  The bald man glided smoothly to the table, flanked by two Chiss guards. He walked to where Wyn was sitting and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your father has asked me to fetch you."

  The girl looked worried. "It was an honest mistake, mentioning the droids," she said. "I swear. If you'll just let me stay to"

  "This has nothing to do with that, child." Aabe's voice was firm. "But disobeying his instructions won't make him any more pleased with you, will it?"

  She sagged into herself, and then stood. "Sorry, Jacen," she said, nervously glancing down to him. "Good luck witi the search, though."

  "Thanks." He watched, unable to protest, as Aabe led her from the room. "Hopefully you'll get the chance to come visit me at my home someday."

  She briefly smiled back at him as the door closed between them. Then she was gone, leaving him alone with Commander Irolia. The commander sat down wearily, her red eyes avoiding his. He sensed that she, too, didn't like the way in which Wyn had been whisked out of the room.

  Nothing was said, but he couldn't help feeling a twinge of misgivings about what had just taken place. Something didn't feel right,
somehow.

  Wyn's search was indeed ready to roll, as promised. He called up a list of references on his datapad and considered where to start. He sat as though he was deep in thought for several minutes, but for once he wasn't thinking about Zonama Sekot.

  He undipped his comlink from his belt and turned away from Irolia.

  "Uncle Luke? Can you hear me?" He kept his voice and the volume of the comlink down to a minimum.

  "I hear you, Jacen. Have you found something?"

  "Not yet. I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

  "Everything's fine. We're still on the ice barge, not far from the spaceport. We should be back within two hours." There was a slight pause. "Is everything all right at your end?"

  "Well, something odd just happened. Do you know if Soontir Fel has been in touch with Chief Navigator Aabe in the last half hour or so?"

  "Not that I'm aware of. He's been with us the whole time."

  Aabe had lied about being sent by Fel to collect Wyn. But why? Jacen thought hard. What was Aabe up to? he wondered. To isolate Jacen, perhaps? He looked over to Commander Irolia. She was sat perfectly still, silently watching him. He sensed nothing untoward in the tone of her thoughtsno anticipation, no nervousnessand

  there was nothing in the Force to suggest she was about to attack him. The threat had to be directed elsewhere. But where?

  "Jacen?" His uncle sounded concerned. "What's wrong?"

  "It's probably nothing," he answered. "It's just that"

  Before he could finish the sentence, however, a sense of extreme alarm surged through the Force. It hadn't come from Luke, either, but rather from someone close to his uncle. And tangled up in the thought was an impression of a cold, white wasteland and howling winds.

  "We're under attack!" came the urgent cry over the comlink.

  "Aunt Mara!" Although she was thousands of kilometers away, he found himself instinctively jumping to his feet and going for his lightsaber.

  Irolia stood also, startled by Jacen's inexplicable outburst, automatically reaching for her own weapon.