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The Lost Ones

Page 12

by Kevin J. Anderson

the observation dome. He grasped a cold metal pipe that thrust out from the

  curved wall and bent down to look, at the huge ball of Coruscant. High

  clouds masked the daylight side of the planet, while the darkened hemisphere

  gleamed with millions upon millions of city lights that sparkled like

  colorful jewels in the night.

  Lowie had seen planets from space before, but somehow it had never struck

  him how intimate the setting was. Here, high above the world, he felt a part

  of the universe and apart from it, a piece of the cosmos and an observer at

  the same time. It was strange to have such a perspective, and it made the

  galaxy seem both small and immensely large at the same time.

  "Don't just stare, Lowie," Jaina urged. "We've got work to do. Our first

  priority should be to get those communication systems up and running."

  Chewbacca roared his agreement, clapping a strong hand on his nephew's hairy

  shoulder.

  Peckhum seemed to be working hard to keep his attention on the routine

  aboard the station, rather than letting his thoughts wander to Zekk.

  "I really appreciate what you're all doing," he said.

  "Happy to help," Jaina offered as she knelt down to poke around in some

  control panels.

  "Lowie, you're good with computers. Give me a hand here."

  "Oh, absolutely," Em Teedee said. "Master Lowbacca is exceedingly talented

  when it comes to electronic systems." Lowie growled a response, and the

  miniature translating droid answered, "Of course they already know that. I

  was simply reminding them."

  "Could you please work on the comm systems first? When I try to transmit,

  all I can really manage is static," Peckhum said, hovering behind them as he

  pointed out problems.

  Jaina's forehead furrowed with concentration. "Sounds like the power

  transmission is still working, but the voice synthesis encoders aren't doing

  their jobs."

  With everyone standing around, the area was far too cramped to let Chewbacca

  push his way in, so the older Wookiee hung back and waited. Lowie suspected

  his uncle was amused to watch the two young professionals working so hard.

  Perhaps it reminded him of the way he and Han had worked together, fixing

  things again and again.

  "Well," Jaina said, scratching her cheek and leaving a smear of grime from

  the corroded control panels, "I expect that by the end of today we'll have

  these comm systems up and running." She smiled brightly at Peckhum, and

  Lowie rumbled his agreement. "Just a stopgap measure, you understand, but

  they'll work."

  Peckhum shrugged. "Better than what I've got now. I still wish we had that

  central multitasking unit," he said dejectedly. "Almost as much as I wish we

  knew what happened to Zekk."

  "I'm sure he's all right," Jaina said, but Lowie knew that she was sure of

  no such thing.

  As Jaina tinkered, Chewbacca went to a different part of the station and

  roared a suggestion. Lowie readily agreed. Since it was getting toward time

  for midday meal, it seemed a very good idea to get the mirror station's food

  processing units up and running. Lowie's appetite was already large, and his

  mouth watered as he thought of the excellent dishes they could create, even

  from the meager ration supplies on board.

  Em Teedee tsked. "Really, Lowbacca! There you go again--always thinking with

  your stomach."

  Chewbacca roared an annoyed challenge, and Em Teedee's voice became thinner,

  less emphatic. "You Wookiees," the miniaturized translating droid said in

  quiet exasperation, "you're all alike."

  * 17 *

  JACEN HAD GOTTEN distracted so many times during their scavenger hunt for

  the hawkbat egg with Zekk that he would never have been able to retrace his

  steps through the labyrinth of Coruscant's lower levels. Tenel Ka, however,

  led the way with an unerring sense of direction . . . which didn't surprise

  Jacen a bit.

  The buildings drew closer together, became more dilapidated, more ominous.

  The walls were dark and smeared with sickly discolored blotches that looked

  like centuries-old bloodstains. Jacen saw the ever-present cross-in-triangle

  gang symbol chiseled into the duracrete bricks or splashed on with bright,

  permanent pigments.

  "Ah. Aha. We have found the territory claimed by the gang of the Lost Ones,"

  Tenel Ka said, her senses sharpened like a hunter's blade.

  Jacen swallowed. "Let's hope we find Zekk soon. I'd hate to overstay our

  welcome if that gang is in a bad mood again."

  "I suspect they are always in a bad mood," she observed. "They may still be

  angry at us for escaping them before."

  "Well, maybe they've got Zekk. We have to rescue him. That Norys guy seems

  like a bad customer."

  Something skittered along the wall behind them, an ugly spider-roach dashing

  for cover in a clump of slimy moss. At any other time Jacen would have

  rushed to study the creature, but at the moment he just wanted to be back

  home and safe in his rooms.

  Tenel Ka looked tall and brave as she marched down the enclosed corridor.

  Jacen wished fleetingly that he had his own lightsaber, like the one he had

  used at the Shadow Academy . He knew the Jedi weapons were dangerous and not

  for play, but right now he didn't want to play with one--he wanted it for

  genuine protection.

  Jacen swallowed nervously and moved closer to the warrior girl, keeping his

  eyes on her dangling red-gold braids. Maybe humor would turn his thoughts

  from the sinister gang. "Hey, Tenel Ka-do you know the difference between an

  AT-AT and a stormtrooper on foot?"

  Tenel Ka turned and gave him an odd look.

  "Of course I do."

  He sighed. "It's a joke. What's the difference between an AT-AT and a

  stormtrooper on foot?"

  "I . am supposed to say 'l don't know'--this is correct?"

  "Yeah, exactly," Jacen said.

  "I don't know."

  "One's an Imperial walker, and the other's a walking Imperial!"

  Tenel Ka gave a sage nod. "Yes. Very humorous. Now let us continue our

  search." She narrowed her cool gray eyes as they approached a corner. "Zekk

  is your friend. You know him best. Reach out with your Jedi powers again to

  see if you can sense him. These corridors have many twists and turns."

  Jacen nodded. He didn't think his powers were strong enough to locate any

  person specifically--he wasn't sure if even Uncle Luke could do that--but

  all he needed was a trickle of thought, an impression, a hunch. He and Tenel

  Ka were wandering blindly so far, anyway, and the slightest inkling would

  increase their odds over pure luck.

  As he concentrated and closed his eyes Jacen thought he felt a tingle,

  something that conjured up an impression of the dark-haired boy in his mind.

  He pointed the way before he could have second thoughts. Uncle Luke had

  always taught them to follow their Jedi instincts.

  He hurried to keep up with Tenel Ka as they moved down one hall, then

  another. The old skyscraper seemed completely empty, oppressive in its

  silence despite the inhabited levels far above, but Jacen felt invisible

  eyes watching him from secret hiding place
s. He trusted his Jedi senses

  enough to guess that this was not just his imagination.

  "We are getting closer, I think," Tenel Ka said.

  They heard voices up ahead, and Jacen recognized the timbre of a clear,

  strong voice--a young man's voice--though he could hear none of the words.

  "That sounds like Zekk!" he whispered. "We've found him."

  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

  ambassador 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 scraped

  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 petite 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 noble

  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 mak
e 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

 

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