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

by Sean Williams

  Leaping over fallen logs, ducking heavier branches, Jacen hurried through the dense undergrowth. The ground cover was so thick he couldn't see where to put his feet, and on more than one occasion he stumbled when the ground dropped out from beneath him. The rain fell in a heavy mist all around, plastering his hair and clothes to his skin and blurring his vision. It was all irrelevant. All that mattered was reaching Danni and making sure no harm came to her. He stayed focused on her spark in the Force and continued to push himself harder and faster through the vegetation.

  Without warning, he burst out of a dense knot of ferns and onto a narrow path. He turned to follow it, knowing instinctively that this was how the Ferroans had made such speedy progress. Moving steadily along the path, he cast his mind out into the Force again to check the area.

  He found Danni's sparkfaint and flickering, but there nonetheless. He couldn't detect Saba, thoughwhom he had sensed following some time agonor hear her movement in the tampasi around him. He didn't have time to dwell on it. He had to stay focused...

  His pace quickened, feet splashing noisily on the wet ground. He could tell that he was closing in fast, and this goaded him on. He could sense the kidnappers now, also five in all, each with a certain calm to their thoughts. They were relaxed, exuding a confidence that came from the belief that they had gotten away with their crime-along with the fact that they were being joined by other conspirators.

  Yes, thought Jacen, reaching out farther into the Force. There they were now. The two groups were coming together in a clearing up ahead, greeting one another with laughter and congratulatory handshakes, none of them exhibiting the slightest hint of fear or concern.

  Removing his lightsaber from his belt, he increased his pace even more. The kidnappers were so close now that he could hear their voices just off in the distance, could even see faint movements through the gaps between the mighty boras that stood between them and himself.

  If you've hurt her in any way...

  Using the fallen trunk of a boras as a springboard, Jacen leapt into the small clearing where the kidnappers were gathered, somersaulting in the air as he went and igniting his lightsaber at the same time. When his feet touched the ground he was already in a defensive stance, ready to deflect the three bolts of energy that spat from the tips of the kidnappers' lightning rods harmlessly into the ground.

  He raised his lightsaber above his head, poised in a double-handed pose to strike if anyone came too close. The kidnappers froze, and an uneasy silence fell over the clearing.

  He looked down at Danni lying on a stretcher made from two thick branches with a crisscrossing of vines in between. He couldn't tell whether she was all right, but she didn't seem to be moving at all, and that didn't bode well.

  "We're prepared to fight, " one of the kidnappers said, stepping forward. The weapon in his hand trembled uneasily.

  Looking around at the startled conspirators, he could see from their faces and postures that they weren't experienced fighters, and he had no doubts that he could take them all on with little effort. But that wasn't what he wanted. That wasn't who he was. There had to be a peaceful way of resolving this and getting Danni back safely...

  "You can't win, " another said with marginally more confidence. "It's fifteen against one. "

  Jacen was about to lower his weapon and try another tack when an ear-piercing roar broke the rainy quiet. A dark shape leapt out of the trees as Jacen had and dropped heavily into the clearing. Saba's lightsaber sliced through the air, turning the rain to steam with a menacing hiss.

  "Fifteen against two, " she snarled.

  Half the kidnappers fled in panic at the sight of the mighty Barabel, not even attempting to put up a fight. Seven remained, all clustered around the stretcher, putting themselves between Jacen and Saba and their hostage. Five of them raised their clubs, ready to fight, while the other two flashed their gnarled lightning rods.

  "Wait!" Jacen called out over the rain. If he was going to defuse this situation, he knew it would have to be now. "Please, just lower your weapons!"

  Heads turned to him as he deactivated his lightsaber and returned it to his belt. He raised both hands defenselessly in the air.

  "Do you really want to die here tonight?" he asked the Ferroans.

  "You're the ones outnumbered, Jedi!" one of the kidnappers spat.

  Jacen extended his will through the Force toward the lightning rod in the man's hand. With a small gesture, he pulled the weapon to himself. The Ferroan glanced down at his empty hands, then up at Jacen, surprise fighting with panic in his eyes as he took a nervous step back.

  "Looks can be deceptive, " Jacen said, dropping the weapon to the ground.

  Caught between the snarling ferocity of a Barabel and Jacen's calm confidence, the group tightened their grip on their remaining weapons and moved in threateningly close to Danni.

  Jacen stepped forward, one hand upraised, keen to stay any violent acts they might intend. "There has to be another way. "

  "Such as?" asked the one whose weapon had just been confiscated.

  "We could try talking, " Jacen said. "Perhaps if you told us why you're doing this, we might be able to work things out without violence. "

  "I don't trust them, " said another of the Ferroans, a woman with black hair and round features. "I don't trust any outsiders!"

  "There's no reason to be frightened of us, " Jacen said. It was the truth, of course, but he pushed the words anyway into the more receptive parts of their minds to reassure them.

  "We're not frightened of you, " the woman snarled. "We just don't want you here!"

  "But we are here, " Jacen said. "And we're here by Sekot's invitation. "

  "Then Sekot is wrong, " the first man said. "As Senshi says, it's"

  "Quiet!" snapped one of the kidnappers at the back, a narrow-eyed man whose hair came to a sharp widow's peak above his forehead. "Tell them nothing!"

  Jacen thought quickly. This "Senshi" who had been mentioned was obviously someone of influence in their conspiracyperhaps even their leader. This was the person he needed to be speaking to, rather than wasting time arguing in the rain. As easy as it would have been to rescue Danni now and return to camp, he knew that in the long run this wouldn't solve anything. The problem wouldn't have been dealt with, which meant further attempts on their lives would be made. This needed to be resolved now.

  "You came looking for hostages, " he said, "and you're returning with one. But three would be better, don't you think?"

  "What are you saying?" the woman asked, frowning.

  "I'm saying that we don't need to fight. " He indicated Saba, who still had her lightsaber raised and at the ready. "Saba and I will accompany you, as prisoners, so that we can talk this out properly with Senshi. "

  "I still don't trust them, " the woman said. She spoke to the other Ferroans, but her eyes flitted back and forth between Jacen and Saba.

  "If you fight, you'll lose, " Jacen said simply. "And possibly even die. But my way nobody has to die, and you get to return to Senshi with more hostages than he or she could have hoped for. " Jacen put the weight of the Force behind the suggestion, trying again to breach the barrier of their minds. He felt the words find purchase in their thoughtsespecially the mind of the man at the back whose comment had silenced everyone. "You know it makes sense. "

  The man nodded slowly. "It does make sense, " he agreed.

  The woman at the front turned on him, the look on her face one of perplexity and anger. "Have you gone mad, Tourou? We can't take them to Senshi! They'll kill him for sure!"

  "Nobody's going to kill anyone, " Jacen assured her. "Here, look. " He undipped the lightsaber from his belt and tossed it to her. "You can hold my weapon for me, if my word's not enough. "

  The woman stared at the lightsaber pommel with something akin to horroras though shocked to be given it, but terrified of what it might do.

  Jacen nodded at Saba, who, after an initial hesitation, deactivated her blade and tossed it to th
e man Jacen had disarmed. If she was unnerved by Jacen's decision, she didn't show it. She was a picture of impassivity, awaiting further instruction.

  "Very well, " Tourou said. He gestured, and the group broke apart. Two came cautiously around Jacen's side to stop him from getting away, while another two did the same with Saba. "Pick up the stretcher, " Tourou ordered his two new captives. "You'll carry your friend. That way you won't be in any position to try anything. "

  Jacen did as his captors told him, taking the rear handles while Saba took the front ones. Her tail swished agitatedly, flicking the puddles of water on the ground. Then they were moving again through the tampasi, with three Ferroans leading the way and four at the back.

  Jacen looked down at Danni's limp form on the stretcher. Her clothes were soaked and muddy, and there was a bruise on the side of her head that looked quite nasty. Hopefully she would wake up soon; if she did, a larger degree of his uneasiness would be laid to rest, and he could concentrate on settling the grievances of the rebellious Ferroans. For now, though, he concentrated on walking, as well as trying to send his uncle some reassurance that they were okay. But he found it difficult to reach through the Force, and the farther they went into the tampasi, the fainter the life signals of the others back at the Ferroan camp became. Not for the first time since leaving them behind at the settlement, he wished he'd brought a comlink with him so that he could have at least let them know what was happening. Saba, he presumed, would have left hers behind, also, probably under the collapsed habitat with all the other gear. With nothing but the clothing they were wearing, they were both grossly unprepared for a mission that would take them farther away from their friends.

  If I handle this correctly, he thought, then maybe we won't be away for long...

  As they walked, Saba glanced over her shoulder and said, "This one hopez you know what you are doing. "

  He shook his head. "Not really. But it's uncertainty that make life so interesting, don't you think?"

  Saba didn't smile at his attempted levity. She just returned her gaze to the path ahead and continued walking in silence.

  Tahiri's scream was like a cold knife to Jaina's heart. She felt the darkness flex around her. Sudden, striking emotions stabbed at her from all directions fear, pain, surprise, hurt. There was no way to separate them, and no way she could offer succor.

  Then an image came to her of Riina crouched before Tahiri, blood dripping in a steady stream from a wound in her hand. Tahiri dropped, too, clutching her own arm. Her blue-white lightsaber fell from her hand, leaving a broad, black scorch mark as it hit the ground.

  Jaina was confused for a long moment as to what had happened. In a previous memory-image she had seen the two women confront each other. Something had happened, and Riina had been injured. Now Tahiri appeared to be injured, too. Was their mental dueling finally drawing blood?

  Tahiri, are you all right? Sithspawn! You have to bear me!

  Jaina rattled at the confines of her mental cell. As before, Tahiri's mind was in no hurry to let her out, and she was unwilling to force the issue for fear of doing more damage. There was no one outside who could help, and she wasn't certain that her presence here was irrelevant. If she couldn't get out, then something wanted her there, even if both Tahiri and Riina appeared to be ignoring her for the moment.

  Jaina had seen enough of the fight to know that Riina fought with all the skills of an alien warrior plus Tahiri's mastery of the Force. The ferocity of a Yuuzhan Vong combined with the skills of a Jedi would make Riina a formidable enemy if she ever took over Tahiri's body. More than ever, Jaina knew she couldn't let the Yuuzhan Vong girl win this battle. Jaina's mind urged Tahiri to get up.

  A memory flash showed both women stirring. Blood shone blackly in the blue light. Only then did Jaina realize that Tahiri had inexplicably incurred exactly the same injury as Riina, but on the opposite arm.

  Realization flashed like lightning in her mind. Tahiri and Riina were mirror images fighting each other to the death. What one did to the other, they did to themselves. If Tahiri defeated Riina, then she would defeat herself in the process. Neither could win!

  There was a brief but intense moment in which Tahiri and Riina seemed to be arguing with each other without using wordsas though some kind of communication was taking place on an altogether higher plane, one that Jaina was not privy to. Then, in unison, two sets of green eyes turned to look into the darkness.

  The memory-image faded, but for a terrible second Jaina knew that they were talking about her. She felt definitely threatened by the double stare.

  Another image. Both girls had risen to their feet, each releasing the wounds they'd been nursing. Their bloodied hands reached for their lightsabers. Both weapons flew through the air into their hands, the blades leaving identical, shining streaks of light through the dark.

  Anakin is dead. Tahiri's voice came clearly from the darkness. The grief caught in her throat on the last word. I cannot bring him hack.

  The terrible, never-forgotten sadness rose in Jaina again, made all the more terrible in this nightmarish setting. She pushed it back and concentrated on sending Tahiri feelings of love and assurance.

  I've run for too long. Tahiri advanced with her lightsaber raised. Riina matched her step by step. It's time I faced my fears.

  Jaina tensed, unsure what she could do.

  As though from a great distance, she thought she heard Jag's voice calling to her.

  I love you, Jaina, the voice whispered over the darkened landscape. Please come back to me...

  It was an illusion, she knew, a product of wishful thinking. Jag may have felt such sentiments, but he'd never actually say them. But just the thought of him saying such things was enough to give her the strength she needed.

  Face your fears, Tahiri, she told the shadowy world around her.

  The dreamscape began to tremble, as though about to dissolve a way.

  "Krel os'a. Hmi va ta!"

  The darkness firmed at the sound of the harsh alien voice, and the dream tightened once again.

  Leia held on as the shock wave from another near miss rattled the Falcon's bulkheads. C-3PO's stiff arms went up in the air as he squawked in alarm.

  "Oh, my, " he exclaimed. "I do believe that's the closest one yet. It's only a matter of time before one hits home, and then I'm afraid we'll all be done for. "

  "Keep it down, Goldenrod, " Han bellowed from a service hatch in the ship's belly. "The Ryn are easily jinxed, you know. "

  "Only in ships like this, " Droma fired back. The two of them were hastily working on the shield generator power couplings, hoping to gain a few extra points of efficiency.

  "There's nothing wrong with the Falcon, " Han said as his head emerged from the service hatch. "Hand me that hydroclamp, will you?"

  Droma shook his head as he passed Han the requested tool. "This must be the stupidest plan I've ever heard. "

  "Which part?" Leia asked wryly.

  "All of it! But especially this. The only thing keeping us alive right now are the shields. If we accidentally shut them down while we're tinkering with them

  "We're not going to shut them down, " Han grumbled.

  "And your confidence comes from having done this kind of thing so many times before?"

  Droma's dig prompted Han to stick his head out from the hatch again and point the clamp at the Ryn.

  "Hey, just because I've never actually done this before doesn't mean I couldn't do it anytime I wanted. "

  "So why haven't you?"

  "Because I haven't needed to!" He looked to Leia, who was leaning against the door arch, and said, "Take him back to the cockpit, will you?"

  Then he disappeared again into the hatch.

  C-3PO turned to Leia in despair. "We're doomed, " he keened.

  "And take Goldenrod with you!" Han called out.

  "Where are they, Princess?" the droid asked, seemingly oblivious to Han's annoyance. "Surely they should have been here by now?"

 
Leia shook her head, not having an answer for him. Therein lay the problem. They'd sent the message to Captain Mayn asking for help, but so far there'd been no replynor any sign of the help they'd requested. She was beginning to have one of Han's "bad feelings. " But she didn't say anything; it would have only upset C-3PO further, which in turn would have annoyed Han.

  "Try that, Leia!" her husband called.

  She quickly returned to the cockpit and attempted to up the shield strength. It did increase, but only slightly. "Getting there, " she called back.

  Her husband appeared through the cockpit entrance a few seconds later, dropping heavily into the seat next to her and fiddling with the controls as he tried to wring every last megajoule out of the shield generators.

  "Come on, girl, " he muttered under his breath. "Show us what"

  A violent explosion from somewhere disconcertingly close suddenly thundered around the cabin, almost throwing them from their seats. Out in the corridor she heard the clattering sounds of C-3PO falling over, followed by another plaintive cry. Han furiously punched controls with one hand while clinging on to the console with the other.

  "Doomed, I tell you, " they heard C-3PO moan.

  Droma entered the cockpit. "I'm with the droid on this. The only thing in our favor right now is that the Vong don't know our exact whereabouts. But if they keep shelling the area like this"

  "Your concerns have been duly noted, " Han said. "In the meantime, though, why don't you go back there and have a game of dejarik with Cakhmain and Meewalh or something " Then, louder, "Threepio? How are our hangers-on out there? They're a lot more fragile than we are. "

  The droid waddled into the cockpit and proceeded to warble a message to the Brrbrlpp huddled in the Falcon's protective shield. In the aft screen, they could be seen clustered together, the edges of their flowerlike bodies all touching to form one large, quivering mass.