Star Wars - New Jedi Order - Force Heretic III - Reunion - Book 19

by Sean Williams

  After rescuing his sister at Fondor, Droma and his family had drifted from place to place, as was their custom. The encroaching front of the Yuuzhan Vong kept them moving at first toward the Core, then into the outer regions of the galaxy, seeking safer climes. There they encountered fierce parochialism, anti-Jedi sentiments, civil war, and other signs of collapsing infrastructure. It was

  all his family could do just to keep their collective heads above water.

  "Then we heard about the Ryn network." Droma's tail whipped and coiled as he paced the Falcon's main hold as if it were an extra hand, gesticulating to emphasize certain points of his speech. "We knew of the Great River, but we weren't qualified as resistance fighters or idealists. We're just travelers, with our own unique skills. The thought of using those skills to gather and disseminate information as we traveled seemed so obvious, and I'm not surprised it took one of us to think of it. A great, galactic enterprise the Ryn could finally be part of! It seemed almost too good to be true."

  "We've only met two from this network so far," Jaina said. "There was one on Galantos, who saved us from a Peace Brigade trap, and Goure on Bakura who sent us here. He said that"

  "That someone would be waiting for you," Droma interrupted, nodding. "That sounds like them."

  Jaina looked questioningly at her father, who just shrugged. "He does this. It takes some getting used to."

  She looked back at the Ryn. "Are you able to tell us anything that might help us find the Ryn we were supposed to meet here?"

  Droma shrugged. "I can't tell you much more than I already have. I came here to apply on behalf of my family. We wanted to become part of the network ourselves; we want to give something back to the people who helped us on Duro, without compromising what it means to be a Ryn. I don't care what people think of us; I don't want to be a hero. I just wanted to try to keep the clan safe, you know? I figure the more friends we have, the safer we are. If the ceiling's about to come down on us all, I'd like to have some company."

  "So what happened?" Jaina asked.

  Droma made a disappointed noise, deep in his throat.

  "They heard me out, but said they had no vacancies in the organization at this timeat least not where we were stationed. I said we'd be prepared to move to somewhere we were needed, but they weren't interested."

  "Would you be able" Leia started.

  "To identify the boss Ryn?" Droma finished, shaking his mane of wiry hair doubtfully. "He's about as shy as they come. And for good reason, too. It certainly sounds like he and his network have been helpful to you and other people in recent times, and the Yuuzhan Vong aren't going to like that very much."

  Jaina frowned. "So you can't tell us any more about them?"

  "I would if I could, believe me. You helped me out, getting me off Onadax like that. It was about to get real ugly down there."

  "You don't know anything about that, I suppose," Leia said. Her expression was one of acceptance, as though she finally believed the Ryn's story, but there were still numerous holes to fill. "It looked to us like someone was pulling up stumps and getting rid of the evidence."

  "Evidence of what?"

  "The network, I presume."

  Droma shrugged again. "Sorry, but it's no business of mine. I'm just here for the ride. If you could drop me off somewhere in the Juvex sector, though, I'd be extremely grateful. I can work my way back to the others from there."

  "If we're going that way, sure," said Han.

  "What do you mean, 'if?"

  "Truth is, we don't really know where we're heading next," Han said.

  Droma was looking at them as though they were speaking Gamorrean. "What about Esfandia?" he asked. "You're going there, right? And Juvex is on the way."

  "Esfandia?" Han repeated, frowning.

  "Esfandia is one of two small communications centers on the other side of the galaxy," Leia said. "It services the Outer Rim. There used to be only one, Generis, but another was brought on-line at the beginning of the war.

  "Why would we go there?" Jaina asked.

  "You don't know what's happened?" Droma appeared genuinely shocked.

  "No," Jaina said. "What has happened?"

  "It's only something I overheard while I was being interviewed," he said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "A message came through while I was there. They mentioned something about the head Ryn not wanting to do anything about it, though, because he figured you guys would have already heard about it through official channels."

  All eyes remained on Droma, waiting for him to explain.

  "You seriously don't know what I'm talking about?"

  Jaina took a step toward him. "No, we don'tand if you're so good at reading what people are going to say, then you'll know that I'm about to"

  "Jaina," her mother cautioned.

  Droma chuckled at this, glancing at Han. "I see she's inherited the Solo temper."

  "You can't even begin to imagine," Han said.

  The Ryn turned from Han back to Jaina. "Generis has been destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong, and Esfandia is under attack."

  "When? "Jaina asked,

  "Yesterday, I think."

  "What has this got to do with us?" Han asked. "I know these sort of stations. If it's Outer Rim, it's probably automated, maybe staffed by a token crew to keep things maintained. If the Yuuzhan Vong have attacked it, it's already lost."

  Leia shook her head. "Cal Omas beefed up th e defenses there before we left. It might still be holding on."

  "And what if it isn't?" Han asked. "Does it really matter if we lose contact with part of the Outer Rim?"

  "It's not just any part of the Outer Rim," Leia said. "Generis and Esfandia are the only relay centers we have servicing the Unknown Regions. Every communications signal to and from the Chiss goes through there. Take them out and you effectively put the Unknown Regions out of contact."

  There was a moment's silence as the implications suddenly sank in.

  They'd been walking for more than two standard hours in virtual silence. Darak and Rowel, their Ferroan guides, stayed for the most part ahead of Jacen and the others, rarely bothering to check that their guests were keeping up with them.

  This wasn't necessarily a problem. There was more than enough to see. The tampasi was vigorous and rich with life. The trunk of each boras was a miniature ecosystem, supporting dozens of species of plants and fungi, which in turn provided homes and food for brightly colored insects. These insects became prey for lizards and arachnids, which were eaten by birds or larger animals still. Everywhere Jacen looked, he had the feeling that a tiny universe had, just that second, stopped in the middle of furious motion, and would start up again the moment he glanced away.

  Danni had complained that it didn't make sense that they should have landed Jade Shadow so far away from their destination, but Darak had said that their ship was not permitted in the airspace around any inhabited area; it could interfere with the carefully balanced ecosystem of the planet.

  That Jacen could understand. There was only so much wonder he could take, though. His curiosity piqued by something his uncle had told him, he quickened his pace to bring himself alongside Darak. She didn't turn to acknowledge him in any way, nor slow her pace.

  "My uncle tells me that you remember Vergere," he said.

  "Your uncle is mistaken," she said, keeping her gaze fixed on the path ahead. "I was a child when she and the other Jedi came to Zonama, and my settlement half a world away."

  The other Jedi. . . Jacen felt the tug of this revelation like a physical force.

  "Your people, then," he persisted. "You know of her. You've heard stories."

  "Stories, yes. Bedtime stories for children."

  He didn't let the Ferroan's frosty tone deter him. "I'm not sure whether you know it or not, but the Jedi were almost wiped out about fifty years ago. The ones who came here when you were a child would have been trained in the old ways. If we could learn more about them"

  "Not all were trained," Rowel
put in. "One was an apprentice. Strong in his fashion, but unrefined."

  "What happened to them here?"

  "We are guides," Darak said sourly, "not historians."

  "I know, but surely"

  He stopped when a shadow passed over them. Glancing up into the upper reaches of the boras, Jacen looked just in time to see something large and dark pass overhead. It didn't stay in view long enough for him to make out exactly what it was.

  The others had stopped also and were gazing upward. Darak and Rowel continued on unconcerned.

  "What was that?" Jacen asked.

  "A kybo," Rowel called back. "Their fields are nearby."

  "Are they dangerous?" Mara asked.

  "Hardly," the woman said. "They're airships."

  Moments later they emerged from the dense tampasi into a clearing that was twice the size of the one in which Jade Shadow had landed. Hovering just above the ground were half a dozen enormous manta-shaped dirigibles. Of roughly the same proportions as Millennium Falcon, but at least three times larger, they cast deep shadows across the meadow. Each kybo had five slender lines anchoring it to gnarled roots that protruded from the ground, holding it taut against the gently tugging winds that blew across the vast, grassy area. Beneath each hung a single bullet-shaped gondola with two bone-colored fans protruding from the rear.

  Higher up, drifting over the tops of the enormous boras, Jacen could see a further three of the airships, as well as another one at the far end of the field coming in to land. Decorated in long, sweeping stripes of purple and orange across rough white skin, the crafts stood out against the lush green backdrop of the tampasi.

  Working around the area were thirty or more Ferroans, some carrying baskets, some working on gondolas, others securing lines. They all looked incredibly industrious. "Couldn't we have traveled to your village in one of these?" Danni asked.

  The two Ferroans were already meters away from her after she'd stopped to take in the sight.

  Darak stopped to answer her. "These airships are not transports," she said. "They're harvesters. They are used to collect produce from the tops of the boras."

  Luke, Mara, Saba, and Soron emerged from the tree line together, all looking in wonder at the spectacle around and above them. They moved as a group over to where one man was working on repairs to a gondola that was lying on the grass on its side. The accompanying dirigible floated directly overhead, its anchor lines creaking as the great balloonlike structure moved in the wind.

  Jacen felt confident stepping beneath the massive dirigible. From where he stood, he could see that it was composed of dozens of smaller bladders full of gas, each separated by thin membranes. For the craft to crash, a majority of those bladders would have to fail simultaneously, an eventuality too unlikely to worry about.

  Inside the gondola was dark and dank. From the sunlight available he could make out benches for sitting on as well as a number of large baskets woven from vines, obviously for the harvested fruit. The sides were moist and ribbed, and he couldn't help thinking that to sit in one would have been like riding in the belly of a giant whaladon.

  "Are you the pilot?" Luke asked.

  "My name is Kroj'b," the man said. "I am her companion."

  "Companion?" Mara said.

  The man smiled, revealing an expanse of healthy white teeth. "We have a symbiotic relationship," he explained. "I care for her and she cares for me."

  Jacen realized only then that the dirigible wasn't just a balloon; it was a living creature.

  "What do you call her?" he asked.

  The man smiled.

  "Her name is Elegance Enshrined," he said, as though pleased to be asfked.

  Jacen nodded thoughtfully. "It's a good name; I like it."

  "Your approval is neither sought nor required," Rowel said from nearby. "You must come now. We still have a long way to go, and Darak will not wait."

  In the distance, the female Ferroan could be seen near-ing the distant line of boras. Rowel turned and moved in her direction also, seemingly unconcerned whether the others followed. As much as he would have liked to have stayed and talked some more to this kybo's "companion," Jacen knew that they had to comply with Rowel's and Darak's wishes if they were to ever reach their destination.

  He and the others continued with their trek, with Danni coming up alongside Jacen.

  "It's all so amazing, isn't it?" she said. "There seems to be life in everything around us. Everywhere we look!"

  Jacen nodded, watching one of the kyboes skimming the tops of distant boras. "It makes me feel very small," he whispered as they wound their way alongside the massive boras trunks. Strangely, though, that thought didn't bother him at all.

  Back on Pride of Selonia, Jaina sat beside Tahiri through the long jump across the galaxy. While Jag stretched his wings at the head of Twin Suns Squadron, she kept an eye on her friend's progress. Although by medical definition Tahiri's condition was supposed to be stable, Jaina wasn't convinced. Outwardly the girl appeared okay, but below the surface Jaina sensed a terrible psychic disturbance that was only getting worse with time.

  "Can't you feel it?" she asked Dantos Vigos, the Selonia's chief medical officer, a Duros with long, solemn features. Tahiri's skin was waxy and pale, and the scars on her forehead continued to burn. The self-inflicted ones on her arms had all but disappeared. "It's as though there's a fire blazing inside her."

  Vigos shook his head as he studied the girl's vital signs. "She doesn't seem to be running a fever."

  "I'm not talking about her body; I'm talking about her."

  Vigos stared at her, his eyes filled with puzzlement. He was a highly trained doctor with at least two decades of combat experience under his belt, and he wasn't the type to turn his back on any relevant information that might help a patient. But clearly he was unable to grasp what Jaina was trying to tell him now.

  "I'm afraid she's going to run out of fuel," Jaina mused softly, not really talking to him anymore. "What happens then?"

  She wished she had Uncle Luke or Master Cilghal with her. They'd know what to do, she was sure. This wasn't her field of expertise; this wasn't an enemy that could be squared up to and beaten down. What tactics was she supposed to use against an enemy that was trying to take over her friend's mind? An enemy that came from within that thought it had as much right to that mind as Tahiri herself?

  "Jaina?"

  She looked up, realizing the doctor had asked her something.

  "I said, is there anything I can get you?"

  Jaina shook her head. Vigos patted her shoulder sympathetically and returned to his duties, leaving her once more alone in the room with Tahiri. As much as she'd have liked him to stay and do something to help her friend, she knew that in reality there was nothing anyone could do except stand around and watch her decline.

  No, Jaina thought resolutely. She wasn't about to let that happen. She refused to just sit holding Tahiri's hand while the girl battled futilely against her inn er demons. That was as good as giving up, letting Riina win. Jaina had never before abandoned a friend in need, and she wasn't about to start now.

  The only question was what could she do about it? Tahiri might be losing a battle, but it was one she'd been fighting for years. Unknown to anyone, she had been maintaining a delicate rearguard action against the Yuuzhan Vong personality thought expunged on Yavin 4. Only now were the cracks beginning to show. If Jaina intervened, the facade might crumble completely, leaving Tahiri exposed. It could be just as dangerous as sitting back and doing nothing.

  There was no way for Jaina to contact the Falcon or Twin Suns Squadron for advice, either. While they were in hyperspace, it was up to her and her alone. She sat for more than an hour weighing up the possibilitiesfew though they wereall the while holding Tahiri's hand, feeling the Force ever so slowly ebb from the young girl.

  I don't care what her vital signs say, she thought. She's slipping away. I can feel it.

  "What's our ETA?" she asked Captain Mayn via the ro
om's comlink.

  "Two hours until we're within sensor range of Esfandia," came the reply. "We're running on schedule, if that's what you're asking."

  Two hours, Jaina thought. That could be easily long enough to make a difference.

  She closed her eyes, concentrating on forming the mind-meld that the younger Jedi Knights used to share strength in battle. If Tahiri was losing the fight, perhaps all she needed was a little reinforcement. . .

  Tahiri felt something sweep over her, as though a deep-ocean wave had just rolled by. She didn't dare look around, though, for fear of giving Riina the advantage in their duel. Her world consisted of nothing but those green eyes and the harsh humming of two lightsabers striking at each other in imperfect synch. Fatigue ground painfully at every muscle in her body, but she wasn't about to give in. She was determined not to allow her place in this world to be usurped.

  Parry.

  But something had changed, and now primal instincts were whispering to her, warning of the dangers that this change would bring. She couldn't afford to allow herself to let her guard down. Whatever that deep-ocean wave had brought with it, she had to regard it as a threat.

  Lunge, parry.

  Did you feel that?

  Although the voice came from her assailant, it reminded her too much of her own voice.

  I felt it, she replied, stepping to one side as Riina's lightsaber swung past. Do you know what it is?

  Tahiri sensed Riina's uncertainty, and her hands gripped her pommel a little tighter.

  No, she said, taking the lightsaber in both hands and bringing it down toward Riina's head.

  Riina blocked it easily, as though she'd been expecting it. The lightsabers remained locked, crackling menacingly in the quiet. Then Riina leaned in closer with a nervous half smile, and her green eyes fixed Tahiri through the glow of her weapon.

  Something's coming, she whispered. Tahiri desperately wanted to look around. She felt as though the small of her back was on fire. A hole burned there from the stare of an unnamed something that was gradually drawing nearer. But how could she fight it if she took her eyes from Riina? Backpedal, block, sweep. Riina leapt away, lightsaber poised defensively. We could fight it together, she said. Tahiri's body went cold as suspicion flushed through her. Why should I want to do that?