by Greg Keyes
“Sithspit!” the older Jedi shouted. “What do you think—”
“Close the landing ramp, Corran! Close it now!”
“What? What have you—”
Several bolts fizzling against the bulkhead cut Corran short. On reflex he slapped the close mechanism, carefully not showing himself through the port.
“I take it we need to fly?” Corran said as Anakin and Tahiri dismounted the speeder. What have you done now, Anakin?
“Might not be a bad idea,” Anakin replied. He was trying not to sound cocky, and failing.
“I’ll be very interested to hear why,” Corran snapped.
“Fly now,” Anakin said, heading for the cockpit. “I’ll explain later.”
“Explain while,” Corran said as they settled behind the controls.
“Right,” Anakin said as the engines begin to whine to life. “It started when we felt a Jedi in trouble …”
“You’re right; it can wait,” Corran decided. Hearing the story was probably only going to make him angrier, a distraction he didn’t need right now. “And I’m flying. You calculate a series of jumps, at least three, and close together.”
“To where?”
“Anywhere. No, strike that. Not back toward the Errant Venture. Coreward. We’ll find the Venture later.”
“Okay,” Anakin said. “Working on solutions now.”
“And hang on. Tahiri, you strapped in?”
“Yes, sir.”
Corran rose on repulsors and kicked the engines violently into light. The Lucre sliced through the murky clouds, where Corran steepened their angle, watching his sensor readouts, wondering how long it would take the Eriaduans to scramble their fighters, trying desperately to remember what he knew of their planetary defense from his days in CorSec.
Soon enough, both questions were answered: not long and not nearly enough, respectively. As several heavily armed interceptors closed from several sides, he cleared his throat.
“Any time now, Anakin.”
“Hang on,” Anakin replied. “I have three jumps. I’m rechecking the last bit.”
“No time. Lay it in and let’s go.”
The transport’s shields trembled beneath a terrific blow. The port opaqued.
“Wow!” Anakin said. “What—?”
“That was no interceptor,” Corran said grimly. “That was a planetary defense laser. Are we laid in?”
“Sort of …”
“Great.” Corran broke atmosphere, engaged the hyperdrive, and the stars sleeted out of existence.
The first jump took them no more than half a light-year, and Corran had time to see that one of the interceptors had correctly guessed their vector before they jumped again, seconds later. The second jump was longer, followed immediately by a third. It was hard to tell, but it looked as if they lost their tail on that one.
“How long is this jump, Anakin?”
“A few hours.”
“Great. Then why don’t you explain to me, in great detail, why you were joyriding on a judicial speeder. And do not leave out the part that explains why people were shooting at me, and why you two disobeyed my direct order.”
“I understand why you did it,” Corran said when the two had finished relating their story. “But you shouldn’t have.”
“Why?” Tahiri demanded. “Wouldn’t you have done the same?”
Corran hesitated fractionally. “No. I felt Kelbis Nu, too, but so dimly I couldn’t figure out where he was. But even if I’d known, I have both of you to think of. As you should have been thinking of me. Anakin, you’ve always been impulsive—”
“This was my fault,” Tahiri interrupted.
“Yes. Emphatically, yes. But Anakin set the example. Didn’t either of you learn anything on Yavin Four?”
“Yes,” Tahiri said. “I learned that the Jedi can count on no one but ourselves.”
“Really? Your dad is no Jedi, Talon Karrde is no Jedi, nor were the people under his command who died trying to rescue you.”
“Well, no one was going to rescue Kelbis,” Anakin pointed out.
“Including you.”
“But we might have. We had to try.”
Corran looked at them both tiredly.
“This isn’t over,” he said. “When we get back to the Errant Venture, we’re going to have this talk again, with Kam and Tionne and anyone else I think of who might be able to get a word past this youthful, idiotic self-confidence of yours. But for the moment—you say Kelbis said something about Yag’Dhul?”
“His last word,” Anakin said. “It took a lot out of him to say even that. He really wanted me to know something. I think Yag’Dhul may be in danger.”
Corran’s eyes narrowed, reflecting a sudden, plunging-stomach suspicion. “Anakin, where is this jump taking us?”
“You said Coreward,” Anakin replied innocently.
“Tell me we aren’t going to pop out in the Yag’Dhul system.”
“We aren’t going to pop out in the Yag’Dhul system,” Anakin told him.
“Good,” Corran said, relieved.
“We’re going to come out really near it, though,” Anakin added.
“Why you—” Corran held back a series of specifically Corellian words he that really wanted to use. But Tahiri was only fourteen. Would he make it through Valin’s and Jysella’s teenage years without turning to the dark side? Probably not. “How close?” he said, trying to sound not quite as irritated as he was.
“One jump. I thought you’d at least like to check it out.”
“Anakin! Supplies! We were just supposed to get supplies, not mount a search-and-rescue–recon mission!” He buried his face in his hands. “Now I understand those pitying looks Solusar was giving me before we left.”
Corran wished Mirax were here. She knew how to deal with this kind of thing. “How long before realspace?”
“Another five minutes.”
“Terrific. Now listen to me very carefully. I am the captain of this vessel. From now on you don’t even visit the ’fresher without my say-so, either of you. You will follow my orders. That means, by the way, that you do not imagine or guess at my orders, but actually wait until you hear them.”
“I was following orders,” Anakin protested. “You said to jump Coreward.”
“Don’t insult us both, Anakin. You’re better than that.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Good.” Corran settled himself before the controls and awaited the reversion to sublight speeds.
They reentered realspace with a pockmarked asteroid nearly filling their field of vision. Corran swore and decelerated, cutting hard toward the nearest horizon of the rock. A jagged crater edge loomed, and he knew they weren’t going to make the angle. Desperately he switched on the repulsorlift.
The Lucre squealed a metallic protest as the field bounced them none too gently away from the asteroid. Corran let out his breath and killed their motion relative to the planetoid until he could get his bearings.
A good thing, too, because in the surrounding space he made out hundreds of asteroids, densely packed. It would take a good deal of care to fly out of it unscathed.
“You could have warned me about the asteroid field,” Corran told Anakin.
“I would have if there had been one,” Anakin said in a strange voice.
“It wasn’t on the charts?”
“It’s still not,” Anakin said. “Look at the sensor readings.”
Corran did, and swore again as everything snapped into focus. Aside from the cratered stone he’d nearly hit coming out of hyperspace, the rest of the objects near enough to see had the organic but all-too-familiar lines of ships grown from yorik coral.
“This is a Yuuzhan Vong fleet,” Anakin said.
SEVENTEEN
“I’ve located the Errant Venture,” Luke said. “Not far from Clak’dor. We’ll be there in a day or so.”
Mara nodded. “Good,” she said shortly.
“How are you feeling?”
“So did I,” Luke replied. He pressed his lips together. He sensed more than mere irritation behind Mara’s words. There was a kind of defensiveness about her outburst. “Is there something you want to tell me?” he asked gently.
“If I wanted to tell you, I would, wouldn’t I?”
“Not if you thought it might upset me,” Luke said.
“You’ve got me. I hate that shirt. In fact, I think you’re a crummy dresser, period.”
“You bought me this shirt,” Luke reminded her. “Mara, are you sick again? Have you come out of remission?”
Mara studied her fingernails. “Cilghal’s keeping tabs on that,” she said, still with that underlying air of defiance.
“And?”
Mara’s face pinched tight. “The disease isn’t present in our child.”
“Is it active in you again?” Luke demanded.
Mara watched the starfield for several long minutes. “Maybe,” she admitted. “Maybe.”
* * *
As predicted, they found the Errant Venture about one standard day later. The Star Destroyer opened a berth for them, and he navigated the Jade Shadow in without incident.
A small crowd awaited Luke, Mara, and Cilghal. Booster Terrik, captain and owner of the Errant Venture, stood in front, a great gundark of a human with an impressive, well-tended beard and curling mustachios. Just behind him and to the side were three more humans, two in Jedi robes. Luke recognized Kam Solusar by his sure stance, haunted features, and receding blond hair. His wife, Tionne, was as unmistakable; her hair was a silver river cascading down her shoulders. The third human was another woman, clad in a dun jumpsuit, her black-glass hair cut in a bob: Mirax Terrik Horn, Booster’s daughter and sometimes business partner. She was married to Corran Horn, who was conspicuous by his absence.
Behind them were some thirty-odd youngsters of at least seven species. This was what remained of the academy on Yavin 4, the praxeum that had trained almost a hundred Jedi. Now Yavin 4 was occupied by the Yuuzhan Vong, the temple that had housed his students destroyed. With half the galaxy hunting for Jedi gifts to present to the Yuuzhan Vong warmaster, the only safe place for the moment was no place. For months, Booster had been jumping randomly about the galaxy to keep the students hidden.
Two others were missing as well, Luke noticed. Anakin Solo and Tahiri Veila. Knowing Anakin, that was a bad sign. Luke made a mental note to ask after him as soon as the pleasantries were over.
“Look there,” Booster growled, as Luke and Mara descended the landing ramp. “There’s the man who made the once mighty and terribly feared Booster Terrik into a glorified baby-sitter. I ought to space you right now, Jedi.”
“I can’t tell you how grateful I am,” Luke said. Though he knew Booster meant well, he didn’t have the energy or inclination for banter at the moment.
“You ought to be. Jedi brats.” He mussed the hair of a young boy with brown hair, then the girl next to him. “With some notable exceptions, of course,” he amended.
“You’re funny, Grandpa,” the boy said. Then he turned his brown eyes toward the Jade Shadow and Luke and Mara. “Hello, Masters.”
“Hello, Valin,” Luke replied. “I hope you’ve been staying out of trouble and concentrating on your lessons.”
“I have, Master Skywalker. I promise.”
“And the rest of you?” Luke directed his gaze over the assembled students.
In return he got a chorus of assents and barely bridled enthusiasm.
“Well, that’s good, then. Kam, Tionne, Mirax. Good to see you.”
There was a round of clasping and hugs, and then a moment of awkward silence.
“I guess we need to talk,” Luke said at last. “I need to fill you all in on a few things.”
“That’s all very well,” Mirax said, “but Mara looks tired.”
“I’m okay,” Mara disagreed.
Mirax shook her head. “I’ve had two kids. I know that look. Let me take you someplace where you can freshen up, and let the rest of them have their conference. Luke doesn’t need you for that, does he?”
“I guess not.” She shot Luke a look, and he knew what it meant. My health concerns are private. You will not speak of them.
He nodded to let her know he understood.
Out loud, what he said was, “If you’re tired, go with Mirax. If I leave something out, you can fill them in later.”
Mara smiled wanly. “Put on a little weight and everyone treats you like an invalid.”
“You’ll see how long that lasts after the big event,” Mirax said. “When Baby Skywalker has a little accident, everyone will magically think you’re plenty strong and capable.”
“Boy. And I thought this was the best part.”
“Yep,” Mirax said. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Come along now. I’ve got a comfy couch with your name on it.”
“I’ll come with you, too, if you don’t mind,” Cilghal said.
“Of course,” Mirax replied. “The more the merrier.”
They sat around Booster’s circular conference table, absorbing the news.
“Do you really think you would have been arrested?” Kam asked, folding the fingers of both hands together into one very large fist.
“I honestly don’t know,” Luke replied. “Hamner thinks the whole thing was a ploy engineered to get me away from Coruscant. He may be right. Borsk Fey’lya has never been one of our strongest supporters, but I can’t see him thinking that arresting me would solve any of his problems. In fact, I think we narrowly escaped an insurrection because he ordered my arrest.”
“Last I heard,” Booster said, “the senate was divided over the Jedi question. Maybe it’s tipped, and Fey’lya was just being the politician he is.”
“Maybe,” Luke agreed. “In a way, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is what we do now.”
“And that is?”
“Right now, Han, Leia, Jacen, and a number of other allies are out there creating a network to help Jedi or whoever else needs to escape from danger zones—to get us in and out of Yuuzhan Vong and Vong-sympathetic space as safely as possible. I have no doubt that in time, that network will be in place. But when that day comes, we need a terminus—a planet that only we know about, that only we can find. We can’t just keep hopping around the galaxy—we have to have a home base to plan and act from. If Han and Leia are creating a great river, we need a sea for it to flow into.”
“Well, that sounds good to me,” Terrik said. “I certainly don’t want all of you robe-wearing freeloaders on my ship. You have someplace in mind?”
“Frankly, no. I was hoping for some suggestions.”
“The Maw installation,” Kam said.
“We’re already using that,” Luke said, “but the Maw is pretty well known. Almost impossible to navigate in, but well known. Any number of collaborators could at least point the Yuuzhan Vong there, and we still don’t know the limits of their technology. We’re risking a base there, a safe house, but I won’t place the future hope of the Jedi in that exposed a position.”
“If there were another cluster of black holes like the Maw …,” Tionne began.
“Well, there is,” Booster said. “Or at least a place like it. Worse, actually.”
“Where?”
“Think. What makes the Maw such a nightmare? All those mass shadows, butted up against each other. Gravity bending space and time so much that almost no hyperspace route is a safe one. There’s another place like that.”
Kam nodded. “The Deep Core,” he said. “Terrik, you’re crazy.”
“You’re the one who suggested the Maw,” Booster pointed out.
“Yes, but we know how to get in and out of the Maw.” “Some
body found the way,” Booster said.
“Right. Somebody crazy.”
“Kyp found it, too,” Luke said. “Using the Force. If Kyp could do it at the Maw, we can do it in the Core. It just won’t be easy.”
“A world of our own,” Tionne lilted. “A Jedi world, safe for the children. It’s a worthy goal.”
“Worth a song or two, wouldn’t you say?” Booster asked.
Tionne, well known for her ballads, nodded and enigmatically smiled.
Not so enigmatic to Kam. His eyes went very wide. “Us?” he said.
His wife continued smiling. “The students will have Luke, at least until Mara gives birth, and I suspect for a bit after. And they will have Corran when he returns. We have been too long sedentary, Kam. You have. This will be good for us.”
Booster bellowed laughter. “I suspect we’ve found your madman, Solusar.”
Kam set his shoulders uncomfortably. “Yes, perhaps you have,” he acknowledged.
“Speaking of Corran,” Luke said, after smaller versions of Booster’s laughter had wandered around the table, “where is he? I didn’t see Anakin either.”
“Boy was getting deck fever,” Booster said. “He went with Corran for supplies.”
“They took Tahiri with them?”
“I don’t know about that,” Booster said.
“He did,” Kam said.
Booster’s eyes narrowed in anger. “Without asking my permission? Who’s captain here, anyway? When that CorSec whelp my daughter married gets back, I’m going to teach him who is, that’s for sure.”
“I’m sure Corran knew what he was doing,” Luke said.
“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far,” Kam averred. “He took Anakin and Tahiri, together? No, I doubt he has any idea whatsoever what he’s doing.”
EIGHTEEN
The Lucre was a Codru-Ji sword dancer gone mad, gyring, whirling across a stage of plasma bursts and coralskippers flying as thick as swarming insects.
“Twenty kilometers down, another thousand to go before clearing the fleet,” Corran said coldly.
Anakin didn’t answer as the Lucre dropped into a sudden, hard-out sprint, a bid to close that impossible gap.