by Jason Fry
“Just one more moment,” Luke said as they reached the tunnel leading back to the cave and the river valley.
He knelt in the middle of the hall, resting his hand atop the Jedi’s massive stone one.
“The Force brought me here,” he said quietly. “And what I learned here saved me.”
He swallowed, then continued. “I will become a Jedi. I will rebuild the Order. And one day I will come here again. I swear it on the memory of Obi-Wan Kenobi. And my father. And all the Jedi who walked these halls.”
He got to his feet. The sun was almost at the horizon. It was time to go.
JESSIKA PAVA’S COMLINK chimed for the third time in the previous five minutes.
“Hold on a sec, Threepio,” she said with a scowl, activating the device. “Yes? It’s Pava. What’s that? All right—I’m on my way. Be there in a minute.”
She shut off her comlink and shrugged at Threepio.
“Afraid I’m needed in the command center.”
“I understand, Blue Three.”
She smiled. “Call me Jessika. Before I go, I want to hear how you got off Devaron. The Empire found Skywalker’s Y-wing, after all. So how did you get away?”
“That is a tale,” Threepio said. “When we returned to Tikaroo—”
“I’m afraid I only have time for the short version, Threepio. The very short version.”
“Oh,” Threepio said, sounding disappointed. “Well, Miss Pava, Master Luke reclaimed his starfighter—which had been repaired quite capably by Kivas, I must say. On the way to space he dropped several bombs at the base of the spire, cutting off the paths into the jungle. I’m pleased to say that meant the end of those dreadful hunts.”
“And the alien? The one they called the Scavenger?”
“Just recalling that awful creature puts me at risk of a short circuit,” Threepio said. “Master Luke claimed he was alive. My sensors detected no trace of him, but he was quite insistent.”
Jessika’s comlink was chiming again.
“Stang! I said in a minute, didn’t I?”
“You did,” Threepio said. “And it has been one minute and two seconds exactly.”
“Right. I have to go. But…just tell me about Farnay. Did you ever see her again?”
“Oh, yes,” Threepio said. “Artoo and I were delighted to be reacquainted with Farnay when Master Luke kept his promise and returned to Devaron. She’d grown into quite a capable young woman. It would be my pleasure to tell you that story, Miss Pava. But there goes your comlink again, the beastly thing. So I suppose that tale will have to wait….”
JASON FRY is the author of The Jupiter Pirates young adult space-fantasy series and has written or cowritten more than thirty novels, short stories, and other works set in a galaxy far, far away, including Star Wars: The Essential Atlas and the Servants of the Empire quartet. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, son, and about a metric ton of Star Wars stuff.
PHIL NOTO began his career at Walt Disney Feature Animation where he worked on such films as The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, and Lilo & Stitch. In 2001, Phil started his comic career as the cover artist for DC Comics’ Birds of Prey. Since then he has worked on numerous projects such as Danger Girl, Jonah Hex, Avengers, Uncanny X-Force, X-23, The Infinite Horizon, and most recently, Marvel’s Black Widow.