Darkest Knight

by Kevin J. Anderson

  DARKEST KNIGHT

  by

  KEVIN J. ANDERSON and REBECCA MOESTA

  The best place to think.

  It had been a long time since he had been back to the Wookiee world of

  Kashyyyk. He hadn't seen his immediate family since departing for Yavin

  to begin training as a Jedi Knight. Although Lowie loved tinkering with

  computers-as did his sister and his parents-he wanted more than anything

  to make use of his special, undefinable talent, a potential for using

  the Force that few Wookiees in his family line had ever exhibited.

  When Lowie first arrived at the Jedi academy, uncertain and alone, his

  uncle Chewbacca had given him a T-23 skyhopper as a gift, so he could

  cruise far out into the jungle.

  Sometimes he brought his friends Jacen and Jaina and Tenel Ka. At other

  times, though, he just needed to be by himself, far from everyone. And

  this was one of those times.

  He missed his family very much, especially his younger sister Sirrakuk.

  A very dangerous time in her life was fast approaching. . . .

  With a great heave, Lowie used one long arm to draw his body up to a

  leafy nest of branches, where he disturbed a shrieking horde of the

  voracious tree rodents called stintarils. Stintarils normally ate

  anything in sight, an@g that moved-but when Lowie treated them to his

  best Wookiee roar, the chattering rodents scampered away through the

  trees, kicking up clouds of broken twigs and leaves.

  At last, surrounded by the dimming colors of dusk, Lowie parted the

  final blanket of leaves overhead. He braced his broad, flat feet on a

  sturdy branch, pushed his head above the treetops, and stood there,

  drinking in the distance. He looked across the sprawling jungle that

  spread all around him like an ocean of greenery, occasionally broken by

  the protruding ruins of temples. He smelled the damp scents of

  approaching evening: night-blooming flowers from vines that curled

  through the leaves, the rich moistness of the Massassi trees themselves,

  a fine mist rising above the canopy as if the forest itself were '--ling

  in its sleep.

  e looming coppery gas-giant of Yavin sn.,-@mered low in the sky like a

  dying ember, a huge sphere of swirling gases. Not far from the orangish

  planet, though invisible to Lowie's eye, orbited GemDiver Station, Lando

  Calrissian's mining operation that retrieved valuable Corusca gems from

  the gas-giant's core.

  Lowie looked away from the planet setting on the horizon, though, as

  deeper night seeped into the sky. Specks of starlight dusted the

  midnight blue canopy.

  Finding a comfortable spot to lean against the outspread crown of the

  Massassi tree, he remained still, breathing deeply, drawing comfort from

  the sight of the endless trees . . . and thinking of Kashyyyk.

  He should be calm, but he was very worried about his sister. He could do

  nothing to help her, and she had to make her own choices-and face the

  consequences of those choices. Even so, Lowie understood the dangers she

  intended to face deep in the underlevels of the rain forest on the

  Wookiee planet.

  He ran his long, strong fingers over the pearly strands of his fiber

  belt, woven from threads harvested from the deadly jaws of the

  carnivorous syren plant. It had been quite an ordeal for him to obtain

  those strands, but he had succeeded. Alone.

  Lowie sat still as the air cooled and the noises of the jungle grew

  louder. Evening insects and predators stirred and went about their

  business.

  At his side the miniaturized translating droid, Em Teedee, remained

  silent-switched off, so that Lowie could ponder his concerns without

  being interrupted by synthesized chatter. He sat back, and time passed.

  He would be late for evening meal back at the Jedi academy, but he

  didn't mind.

  He had more important things to worry about.

  By the time Jaina Solo finished her meal ,side the Great Temple, most of

  the other Jedi trainees had left the eating area. Preoccupied, she

  slurped the last morsels of roasted crab nuts and salted boffa fi-uit,

  dabbing up the juice with a chunk of fresh bread.

  Beside her at the table, her twin brother Jacen had only half finished

  his meal; a droplet of greenish syrup ran unnoticed down his chin. Jacen

  spoke excitedly, his brandybrown eyes blinking as he ran a hand through

  his tousled brown hair.

  "And I did manage to catch that stinger lizard down in the hangar bay.

  It's taken me weeks to coax him out of hiding. He's all by himself now

  in that new cage you built for me, but I'm not sure what he eats." He

  paused briefly to stuff some food into his mouth.

  Jaina nodded, only half listening. She was concerned that Lowbacca

  hadn't shown up to eat. Their Wookiee friend had been reserved lately,

  keeping to himself, speaking little even to his closest friends.

  'Not to mention that several of the cocoons for my beetle moths are

  about to hatch!"

  Jacen continued. 'I think I'm going to let most of them go, but I want

  to keep two as specimens, to see if they'll lay eggs in captivity. And

  you should see the fascinating blue fungus I found in a crack between

  some stones down by the river."

  He gulped more juice, then suddenly held up a finger as he remembered

  something.

  "Oh yes, I've been meaning to ask-could you check the cage for my

  crystal snake? I think he's up to some mischief, maybe even trying to

  break out again-and you know what trouble that would cause."

  Jaina could@t help indulging in a quick giggle, remembering the

  pandemonium the nearly invisible snake had caused the last time it had

  gotten loose: the serpent had bitten the uppity student Raynar, sending

  the boy instantly to sleep. Not all of Jacejys pets caused trouble,

  though. Another crystal snake had helped to divert the lost TIE pilot

  Qorl from his attack on the Jedi academy, shortly after the ns had found

  Qorl living in self-imposed a deep in the jungles of Yavin Jaina had

  hoped the old TIE pilot might have a soft spot for them after f. leir e:

  to help him, but Qorl had chosen not to become their ally. Instead, the

  Imperial brainwashing he had undergone resurfaced and became even more

  deeply entrenched. The pilot had returned to the remnants of the Empire,

  where he had fallen in with the Shadow Academy.

  Jaina nodded to her brother, shaking herself from her reverie. "Okay,

  I'll take a look at the crystal snake cage."

  She whirled as she heard the tinny mechanical voice of Em Teedee saying,

  'Master Lowbacca, I must urge you to ingest a wider variety of

  nourishment than that. According to your species' nutritional

  requirements, those foods are insufficient for a growing Wookiee to

  maintain a healthy level of energy . . . though I must admit you have

  been sulking lately instead of engaging in physical activities.
Your

  diet should consist primarily of large quantities of fresh meat, which

  is substantially higher in protein than those fresh fi-uits and

  vegetables you're presently consuming."

  Lowbacca answered with only a halfhearted growl as he carried his food

  into the eatingarea. Without even looking for his friendsamong the other

  Jedi trainees, he sat by himself at a small table against the stone

  wall.

  "Lowie!" Jaina got up and hurried over to the ginger-furred Wookiee. "We

  were worried about you. You didn't come join us for the meal."

  Lowie grunted something too brief for Em Teedee to translate.

  Jaina pulled up a wooden chair across from their Wookiee friend and

  straddled it. Tucking a long strand of straight brown hair behind her

  right ear, she looked with concern at Lowie's shaggy head. The Wookiee

  turned his golden eyes down and studied the fruits and greens on his

  platter.

  "Lowie, will you please tell us what's wrong?" Jaina said. "You can talk

  to us. We're friends, remember? Friends help each other." Em Teedee

  spoke before Lowbacca could respond. "He won't answer you, Mistress

  Jaina. Even I can't get a response out of him.

  I'm afraid I'll never understand Wookiee behavior. Do all biological

  creatures have these unpredictable moods?"

  Jacen sat down beside his sister. "Hey, maybe Lowie just wants to be

  left alone."

  The young Wookiee groaned and nodded dejectedly. Jaina sighed, gradually

  realizing that perhaps the best thing she could do for her friend would

  be to respect Lowie's wishes and let him solve his problems on his own.

  He knew he could talk to Jaina or Jacen anytime he wanted-but right now

  he didn't want to.

  'All right," Jaina said, maintaining her deeply troubled expression,

  "but remember we're here for you, whenever you need us."

  Lowie nodded, then stretched out one hairy arm to clasp Jaina's hand in

  his. The Wookiee's large grip engulfed her entire hand.

  During the brief touch, she reached out with the Force, hoping to find a

  clue to Lowie's strange behavior, but all she sensed was warmth and

  friendship.

  Jaina stood up and gestured to her brother.

  'Come on, Jacen. Let's have a look at that crystal snake cage."

  Lightsabers flared into the night, reflecting off the ancient stone

  walls of the Great Temple. Tenel Ka gripped the carved rancortooth

  handle of her new weapon as its brilliant turquoise beam pulsed through

  the activating crystal, a precious rainbow gem of Gallinore she had

  taken from her own royal tiara.

  The warrior girl stood in the flagstoned courtyard at the side of the

  ziggurat temple, a newly refurbished training area the students had

  reclaimed from the ever-encroaching jungle. The hardworking Jedi

  candidates had cleaned and polished the carefully set stones for

  exercises just such as this.

  Tenel Ka gazed across at the alien mother of-pearl eyes, elven features,

  and long quicksilver hair of her opponent-nonne, the Jedi trainer and

  historian who often assisted Master Skywalker. The Jedi woman used her

  lightsaber with precision, matching Tenel Ka's moves stroke for stroke.

  During an earlier training accident, Tenel Ka's poorly constructed

  lightsaber had exploded, and her friend Jacen's lightsaber blade had

  severed her left arm. Now -Tenel Ka lived and fought with only one hand.

  But she wielded her glowing energy blade with strength and confidence.

  Although skilled biotechnicians had offered her the best prosthetic arm

  replacement in the Hapes Cluster, Tenel Ka had turned them down. She

  prided herself in being herself-relying on her own abilities, her own

  strength and prowess. She did not want the artificial assistance of a

  biomechanical limb. Instead, she chose to alter her means of achieving

  her goal. She was determined to be as strong and as capable as ever

  before.

  And when Tenel Ka determined to do something, she usually accomplished

  it.

  Bright lights on the cleared landing grid in front of the temple

  illuminated the jungle, attracting thousands of nocturnal insects and

  the flying predators that fed on them. In the flagstoned courtyard,

  though, only the flares and flashes of intersecting lightsaber blades

  disturbed the night, bathing the area in a dazzling multicolored glow.

  Tionne countered the warrior girl's stroke.

  "Very good, Tenel Ka," the teacher said. "You are learning to focus on

  precision rather than brute strength, to anticipate my moves and your

  own reactions using the Force."

  Tenel Ka nodded, and her heavy red-gold braids danced around her head.

  The beads she had woven into the braids jingled and clacked together.

  She fought harder, sensing the control and skill of this older Jedi, who

  had been training for more than ten years now.

  Several other students had come out to watch the exercises. All of

  Master Skywalker's Jedi candidates had intensified their training

  efforts, now that the New Republic was sure of the growing threat posed

  by the Shadow Academy and the Second Imperium.

  For more than a thousand generations, Jedi Knights had been the forces

  of light throughout the galaxy, and Luke Skywalker intended to continue

  the tradition.

  Tionne swung her weapon with a calm, smooth gesture so unexpected that

  Tenel Ka barely reacted in time. She had sensed no intention of a

  counterattack from the silver haired scholar, and so Tionne had

  surprised her. Their blades locked and sizzled-and then 'Bonne pulled

  her lightsaber back.

  "Halt," she said, and switched off her weapon, leaving the warrior girl

  to stand with her own lightsaber blazing in her hand.

  Tionne gestured up into the night sky of Yavin 4. The other students

  around the flagstoned courtyard stood up to watch. Just then, the twins

  Jacen and Jaina emerged from a low stone arch in the side of the Great

  Temple, hoping to observe Tenel Ka at her exercises. Instead, they all

  saw a glowing light streaking toward them like a tiny meteor.

  'Hey, it's a ship!" Jacen said.

  'Not just any ship," Jaina added. "I'd recognize it anywhere!"

  Jacen blinked. "Hey, Dad never told us he was coming!"

  Within a few moments the ship swooped down with a roar of its sublight

  engines and powered-up repulsorlifts. The flat, pronged disk of the

  Millennium Falcon settled with a loud hiss onto the landing pad.

  Talking excitedly with each other, Jacen and Jaina rushed from the

  courtyard out onto the close-cropped weeds of the landing field to greet

  their father. The modified light freighter's boarding ramp extended, and

  Han Solo strode down it. A lopsided grin appeared as his children

  greeted him with wild enthusiasm.

  When Chewbacca bounded down the ramp, Tenel Ka heard a bellow of

  greeting from behind her. She turned to see Lowbacca on one of the

  pyramid's stone ledges above the training area. He swung himself over

  the ledge and scrambled down the sloping temple blocks to reach the

  ground. Chewbacca roared a response to his nephew.

  Lowbacca had been very troubled recently
, and Tenel Ka could sense many

  deep thoughts working through his brain. She had decided to honor her

  Wookiee friend by letting him fight his own battles . . . unless he

  asked for help. But when she saw the expressions on Chewbacca's and

  Lowie's faces, Tenel Ka grasped a strange and interesting fact.

  Although the twins had been surprised by the unexpected appearance of

  the Millennium Falcon, Lowbacca had known full well that the ship was

  coming. ----------------JAINA REALIZED SHE was grinning like an idiot as

  she hugged her father. "What are you doing here? We didn't even know

  you were coming."

  Beside her, Jacen gaped at Han Solo's unfamiliar costume of tattered

  cloth and furs. His hair had been cut raggedly, and he looked much

  tougher. "Blaster -bolts, Dad!

  Why are you dressed like that?" Before Han Solo had a chance to reply,

  Jaina glanced behind him. Even in the dimness she could see that some of

  the Millennium Falcon's plating had been replaced with dark anodized

  hunks of metal, new storage pods had been mounted on the bow, and a

  second transmitting dish was attached to the rear. Her jaw dropped. "And

  what did you do to the Falcon? It looks so different!"

  "One question at a time, kids," Han said, laughing and holding his hands

  palm out at chest level, as if to ward off an oncoming charge. There've

  been a few problems in the Outer Rim recently, so in her official

  capacity, the New Republic's Chief of State-" 'You mean Mom," Jaina

  said.

  "Right." Han's grin was boyish. "Anyway, she's been after me and Luke to