Filled with elation, suddenly dismissing all of his ominous thoughts, he rushed forward while Tenel Ka kept pace, advising caution. "Careful," she said just as Jacen turned another corner and ran into an echoing room filled with battered furniture, half-collapsed ceiling beams, and glowpanels wired to the walls as if someone had rigged them wherever it seemed most convenient to connect electrical power. Other doors leading from the large room were closed, some blocked by crates, others jammed on their hinges.
In the middle of the room Jacen saw a young man, emerald eyes glittering in the uncertain light of the haphazard glowpanels. It was Zekk.
His hair, a shade lighter than black, was fastened at the nape of his neck with a leather thong instead of hanging free down to his shoulders.
Jacen had never seen Zekk"s hair like that. His friend"s clothes were also different: clean, dark, padded, as if they were a uniform, and much more stylish than the suit he had worn to the diplomatic banquet for the amba.s.sador from Karnak Alpha.
Sitting on chairs or sprawled on ragged cushions sat a dozen tough, hard-bitten kids, all in their middle to late teens. Most were boys, but the few girls looked wild and rugged enough to take Jacen apart piece by piece, like an obsolete droid.
"Hey, Zekk!" Jacen cried. "Where have you been? We"ve all been worried!"
Startled from his speech, the dark-haired young man drew himself up, frowning at Jacen and Tenel Ka. His green eyes flashed with momentary surprise and delight, but he quickly masked the expression with a scowl.
Zekk appeared to have aged a dozen years in the few days since his disappearance.
"Jacen, now isn"t the time," he said in a rough voice.
A brawny boy with close-set eyes and thick eyebrows stood up, glaring. "I don"t recall inviting you two." Jacen recognized the bully Norys.
Zekk gestured behind him to calm the burly gang leader. "Let me handle this." Anger showed clearly in Zekk"s face as he shook his head at Jacen.
"Why couldn"t you have left me alone for just a little longer?"
Jacen scratched his tousled hair, completely baffled. When he stepped forward in confusion, Zekk flinched. "Go away," he whispered, "You"ll ruin everything!"
The other Lost Ones stood up from their places like a pack of nek battle dogs zeroing in on a target. Jacen swallowed. Beside him, Tenel Ka placed a protective hand on his shoulder, in case they would be required to fight.
"Zekk, it"s us," Jacen pleaded. "We aren"t going to ruin anything-we"re your friends."
Just then, one of the corroded doors at the far side of the chamber sc.r.a.ped open. "They are not your friends, young Lord Zekk," said a woman"s voice, rich and low. "You know better than that now. They may claim to be your friends, but you"ve seen evidence of just how much they truly value you."
Jacen and Tenel Ka both whirled to see the ominous form of the black-cloaked Nightsister, with her static-charged ebony hair and blazing violet eyes. The upthrust spines on the shoulders of her cloak looked like spears. Two others dressed in similar fashion stood on either side of her: a young dark-haired man and a pet.i.te powerhouse of a woman, both of whom looked as rigid as the towering Nightsister herself.
"Tamith Kai... " Jacen acknowledged. "Charming as usual, I see."
"And Garowyn. And Vilas," Tenel Ka said with an astonishing and unexpected expression-a feral smile-on her normally serious face. "So, how is your knee?" she asked Tamith Kai. Her grip on Jacen"s shoulder felt tight enough to crack a bone.
The tall woman"s face rolled with a thunderstorm of anger. Her wine-dark lips curled down, and she barely controlled her rage at being reminded of how Tenel Ka had humiliated her during the young Jedi Knights" escape from the Shadow Academy. "Jedi brats," she snarled, "You should learn when to leave well enough alone."
"And you should have figured out not to mess with us after the first time," Jacen responded in a challenging tone. "Zekk, what are you doing with these clowns? What sort of nonsense have they been telling you?"
Zekk seemed to waver for a moment, but his voice was strong. "They"re offering us-all of us-an opportunity. A chance we never had before."
"Like what?" Jacen said, genuinely mystified. "What could these losers possibly offer you?"
"They"re taking us back to the Shadow Academy to train us!" the burly gang leader, Norys, said. "Now we"ll have our own shot at being powerful."
"But not everybody has Jedi potential," Jacen said reasonably, trying to keep Zekk talking until he or Tenel Ka could figure out what to do.
"I do. You would have known that if you"d bothered to test me," Zekk said defiantly. "And anybody who joins us but doesn"t have the talent will be recruited into the Imperial military forces, given responsibilities and a chance for advancement in the Second Imperium."
"Oh, Zekk," Jacen said, shaking his head, "those are all lies designed to lure you into dropping your guard-"
"They are not lies!" Tamith Kai interrupted, her melodious voice holding the potential for deadliness. "We will keep our promises. You will all be given equal opportunities, without regard to your social status in the Rebel worlds. The Second Imperium won"t judge who you are-only what you do for us."
"Zekk," Jacen cried, "how can you trust them? These are the people who kidnapped me and Jaina."
"Yes," Tamith Kai continued, "and we have learned our lesson. Highborn n.o.ble pups such as you are no more worthy of being Imperial Dark Jedi than any other student." Her violet eyes glared daggers at Tenel Ka.
"Zekk," Jacen whispered quickly, "this is your chance. Trust me on this: You"re in great danger. You could escape now. Get away!"
But his formerly happy-go-lucky friend gave him a look that was somewhere between pity and a plea for understanding. Jacen thought he saw a glimpse of the deep sadness that touched the young man"s heart.
Zekk said, "You don"t understand, Jacen. You can"t because you"ve always had too much. You"ve never wanted for anything. These people"-he gestured toward the evil Nightsister and her companions-"they"re offering me something I never had in my old life. With them I have a chance to be someone."
"Not much of a chance, if they"re the ones offering it," Jacen muttered.
Tenel Ka tensed, holding her hands at her utility belt, ready to draw a weapon.
One by one, each of the gang members stood and glared at the two young Jedi. The burly Norys and the other Lost Ones seemed to have been hypnotized, and Jacen wondered if Tamith Kai or the others were using some sort of Force trick to make them more susceptible to insidious suggestions.
Tenel Ka whispered, "Jacen, we must leave while we can still bring help."
Jacen tensed, ready to turn and run. He clicked on the comlink, hoping to signal Anakin and Threepio, but before he and Tenel Ka could sprint to the door, Vilas pulled out a blaster.
"We can"t risk any more of your meddling," Garowyn said. "There"s too much at stake."
Jacen and Tenel Ka managed to take a few running steps before stun bolts slammed into them from behind. They plunged headfirst into helpless unconsciousness.
18.
BRAKISS SEALED THE locking mechanism on the door to his private office, changing the access code to make absolutely certain no one could disturb him. He wouldn"t allow even Tamith Kai to eavesdrop on his special communications with the great Imperial Leader.
Brakiss always found inspiration on the walls of his Shadow Academy office, where the exploding stars, broken planets, and cascading glaciers reminded him of the fury locked within the universe. By using the dark side as his focus, Brakiss tapped into that incredible energy and used it for his own benefit, to help pave the way for the return of the Empire.
He set the glowpanels to low as he waited for the contact, checking his chronometer. Speaking with his ominously powerful leader filled Brakiss with both terror and awe, and he was forced to use a Jedi calming technique, though patience was very difficult.
The Great Leader of the Second Imperium had enormous burdens and responsibilities. He was frequently late for his scheduled communications-not that Brakiss would ever dare mention it. The Leader set his own schedule; Brakiss was merely the dutiful slave who knew his place in the grand scheme.
Just as the Rebels depended on the overestimated protection of their vaunted Jedi Knights, so the new Leader would have his own secret weapon: an army of Dark Jedi who could use the dark side of the Force to carve a broad place in history for the Second Imperium.
But Dark Jedi were notoriously dangerous and unstable, p.r.o.ne to delusions of grandeur. Realizing this risk, the Great Leader had taken precautions to protect himself from the Shadow Academy. The huge ring-shaped station was riddled with deadly explosives, detonators threaded through the life-support systems, the hull, and thousands of other places that Brakiss neither knew nor wanted to consider. The moment his Dark Jedi gave hints that they might get out of control, the Great Leader would detonate those explosives and end the experiment without remorse.
Brakiss had to show success after success to keep his powerful master happy-and the Shadow Academy had recently had several spectacular accomplishments indeed.
With a humming sound, the holographic generators in his sealed office activated, and Brakiss snapped to attention. The air shimmered in front of him as a ma.s.sive image crystallized into focus, transmitted from some far-distant hiding place in the Core Systems. Static rippled along the edges of the gigantic cowled head that loomed over Brakiss, scowling down at him.
Brakiss instinctively averted his eyes, bowing his head in reverence.
After performing the appropriate gestures of obeisance, he looked up into the face of the Great Leader of the Second Imperium-the hooded, wrinkled form of Emperor Palpatine himself!
Though the holographic image was fuzzy and fragmented from being transmitted across so many systems on the Holonet, through asteroid belts and solar flares and ion storms, the features of the sallow-faced Emperor were unmistakable. Brakiss looked adoringly at the harsh paternal figure.
Here was the man who would make all star systems quake with terror until they learned to live again with respect and glory, in the Imperial way.
The Emperor"s skin was ravaged with wrinkles brought on by too deep an immersion in the potent powers of evil. His yellow reptilian eyes blazed from hollowed sockets, and wattles on his neck hung down like the throat sac of a scrawny lizard.
Brakiss knew that the rest of the galaxy thought the Emperor had died many years ago, first in the explosion of the second Death Star, and then six years later in the destruction of the last of Palpatine"s clones. But the Emperor"s death must have been some kind of illusion, because Brakiss could see the transmission with his own eyes. He could not guess how the Emperor had survived, what sort of trick the great man had played on everyone-but with the Force, many things were possible.
Master Skywalker had taught him that.
When he finally spoke, the Emperor"s voice was harsh and raspy. "So, Insignificant One, what is your report for today? More successes, I hope.
I am tired of failures, Brakiss. I grow impatient to bring about my reign and the Second Imperium."
Brakiss bowed again. "Yes, my master. I have good news to report. We are sending along the hyperdrive cores and turbolaser batteries stolen from the Rebel supply ship, as you ordered. I think your glorious military machine will make efficient use of them."
"Yesss," Palpatine hissed.
Brakiss continued. "Here at the Shadow Academy your new force of Dark Jedi grows more powerful each day. I am particularly pleased that we have uncovered new candidates from the underworld of Imperial Center - - exactly as you suspected, my master. No one will notice their disappearance, and we are free to turn them."
"Yesss!" the Emperor said. "I told you it would be simpler to turn candidates whose lives held little hope. It is especially ironic to s.n.a.t.c.h them from under the very noses of the Rebel usurpers in the government."
Brakiss nodded. "Yes, indeed, my master. We merely offer the new candidates something they need-and they are desperate to take it from us."
"Ah," the image of the Emperor said. He seemed almost-almost-proud.
Brakiss drew a deep breath before continuing. "Naturally, many of these new candidates have no Jedi potential, but still they remain eager for opportunities. Therefore, we have begun training one group as elite stormtroopers. They know the underworld of Coruscant very well, and could prove to be effective spies or saboteurs, should we choose to employ them in such a fashion."
The projection of the Emperor nodded inside his cowl. "Agreed, Brakiss.
Very good." A ripple of static flickered across the transmitted image, and the Emperor"s voice wavered. "You shall survive another day"
"Yes, my master," Brakiss said.
The expression on the Emperor"s ravaged face grew stern. "Don"t disappoint me, Brakiss," he said. "I should be most displeased if I was forced to blow up your Shadow Academy."
Brakiss bowed low, and his silvery robes pooled around him. "I would be displeased as well," he said.
The holographic image of the Emperor shimmered, then broke into sparkles of static as the transmission cut off.
Brakiss felt himself trembling all over, as he did each time he spoke to the awesome Palpatine. Exhausted, he sat down again at his desk and began to review his next set of plans, obsessively careful not to allow any mistakes.
19.
YOUNG ANAKIN SOLO stood next to the comm unit in the living area of his family"s quarters, exhausted from his long and fruitless search, and worried about his brother Jacen. Staring at the darkened screen, he willed a message to come in from Jacen, but he knew that none would come-he could feel it.
He and Threepio had returned to their quarters an hour earlier after covering their a.s.signed search locations, but they had heard no word from Jacen. And Anakin knew he couldn"t delay any longer.
He turned and walked over to the wall, where the golden protocol droid sat enjoying the refreshment of a brief shutdown cycle. Ice-blue eyes looked into the droid"s yellow optical sensors. Anakin gave the droid a tap. "Wake up, Threepio. We"ve waited long enough. Time to get help."
The optical sensors winked to life, and See-Threepio gave a start of surprise. "Dear me, I couldn"t possibly have overslept, could I? I thought we agreed to rest two more cycles before going out to search again. And you have a lesson plan to-"
"I can sense that something is wrong," Anakin interrupted. "Jacen and Tenel Ka haven"t come back."
"Well, if you ask me-"
"l didn"t," Anakin cut in. "Try to signal them again with your mobile comlink connection."
"I"m sure they"re quite all right, but I"ll try." Threepio tilted his head sideways and stared off into s.p.a.ce for a few seconds.
"Any response?" Anakin asked.
"No, Master Anakin," Threepio replied with greater concern in his voice.
"None at all."
Just then Leia Organa Solo entered the room, smiling brightly at Anakin-then frowning. "Anakin, what"s wrong?"
Anakin considered how much to tell his mother-after all, they had asked for her help earlier, but she had not believed Zekk"s disappearance was anything serious. Now, though, maybe Leia would change her mind when she learned that Jacen and Tenel Ka had vanished as well. The young boy spilled the story rapidly, with Threepio adding sound effects and embellishing with unnecessary comments.
"Jacen would have answered our call if he could," Anakin said.
"Most certainly," See-Threepio added with enthusiasm. "Master Jacen may be somewhat disorganized, but he is always conscientious."
Her alarm growing visibly, Leia said, "He would answer-unless he"s in trouble." She reached some sort of decision and snapped into action, demonstrating one of the qualities that made her a good Chief of State.
"We"ve got to go find them. Tenel Ka wouldn"t let Jacen do anything dangerous. But she probably doesn"t think anything is dangerous."
Leia ran to a wall panel. "I"ll summon a group of guards to go with us.
Threepio, can you trace the location of Jacen"s comlink?"
"Well, it is certainly not as precise a tracking system as I"d like, but I suppose that by sending a continuous signal and monitoring the feedback from the mobile comlink I could probably-"
"So how close can you get us?" Leia interrupted impatiently.