Under A Black Sun Trilogy

by Kevin J. Anderson

  "Just fly in a slow rig-zag across the field, Dad," Jaina said.

  "It will be hard not to find a detonator," Anakin agreed. He helped

  his sister aim one of the ship's laser cannons.

  Jaina fired from the copilot's controls, and was rewarded with a large

  explosion, much greater than the laser should have made. "Got one!"

  she cried.

  "There are hundreds more," Anakin said.

  Jaina targeted another detonator, and the laser cannon eliminated that

  one as well. After she blew up three more, Han asked, "We getting

  close?"

  "Not in the least," Jaina said. "This'll take all day."

  "A single footstep could set one off at any time," Anakin said.

  "But they move around a bit. We'll have to target each one

  precisely."

  "You kids are doing great." Han patted the Falcon's control panel.

  "But I think I've got a faster way."

  "We can't miss a single one," Jaina warned. "It could start the

  fighting all over again."

  "Don't worry, I think we can get full coverage." Han activated the

  ship's deflector shields, which had blasted comets out of the way

  during their final trial run of the Derby. Now, as he cruised low, the

  force field pressed down, like a heavy unseen hand, on the ground.

  "We'll just cruise over the fields. The force field will push down and

  pop any of those land mines we encounter."

  The Falcon moved slowly, its deflector shields placing pressure on the

  dirt. As the deflectors ruffled the soil, one of the burrowing

  detonators exploded directly beneath them, rocking the craft from side

  to side.

  Jaina and Anakin looked at their father.

  "Not to worry," Han said. "This ship can handle a lot more than

  that.

  " They flew in a straight line as Anakin marked the pattern of their

  flight on a holochart he called up. Three more detonators exploded.

  Clouds of suspended dust and smoke looked like phantom trees growing

  from the barren field.

  "Ah, looks like our reinforcements have arrived," Han said.

  Jaina looked into the sky to see the fleeting shape of another ship-a

  familiar ship. The Hapan passenger cruiser circled low, coming in to

  pace them. "But-we left the Rock Dragon on Ord Mantell."

  Han shrugged. "I asked somebody to pick it up for us." He toggled the

  conim switch. "Hey, Kyp. That you, kid?"

  "You bet," Kyp Dutton said. "With Streen-and I brought some more

  assistants from the Jedi academy, in case you could use an extra

  hand."

  "Or hoof," another voice broke in.

  "Is that Lusa?" Jaina asked, suddenly recognizing the voice of the

  centaur girl who had come to Yavin 4 after escaping from the Diversity

  Alliance.

  "Yes, we've got Lusa here, and young Raynar, another friend of yours,"

  Kyp continued. The young man from the Bomaryn trading fleet greeted

  them.

  "Looks like we're going to have quite a reunion tonight," Kyp said.

  "But for now, we've got some land mines to clear."

  "Hey, I'm just a good pilot who happens to be here on a diplomatic

  mission," Han Solo said. "I'm trusting all of you to use your Jedi

  powers to make sure we do a thorough job."

  The two ships parted and began to crisscross the vast acreage that had

  once been cropland. It was clear that the fields of Anobis could grow

  food enough to feed all its inhabitants, once the land was made safe

  again.

  The rumble of repeated land-mine detonations sounded like rapid

  gunshots in the empty sky. The Rock Dragon and the Millennium Falcon

  continued without pause. Their deflector shields pushed down on the

  fertile ground, at the same time smoothing out many of the jagged holes

  and pits left from earlier explosions.

  "Never thought we'd be using our spaceships to harvest bombs," Jaina

  said.

  Han smiled at her. "The Falcon's good for just about anything," he

  said." 'Course I prefer to give her more glamorous duties."

  Both ships left their comm systems open. Jaina chattered with Raynar

  and the centaur girl Lusa, catching up on news as they continued their

  work. Toward the end of the afternoon, Lowie and Tenel Ka emerged from

  the dense forest and waved up at the ships crisscrossing the air.

  "Looks like they're finished," Jaina said. "But I have the feeling we

  just did the easier parts of the job. We can go home once these

  weapons are cleaned up. But the people of Anobis still have to come to

  terms with all their hatreds and prejudices. They've got a long

  history to overcome."

  Han looked at his daughter. Another burrowing detonator exploded

  behind them, but he didn't even seem to notice. "The rest is going to

  be up to them," he said. "Sure, your mom'll send in some New Republic

  peacekeepers and inspection teams, but these people have to determine

  in their own hearts whether this war will ever end."

  "That was hard work. I'm starved," Jaina said. She collapsed onto a

  wooden bench beside her brother and looked appreciatively at the feast

  being laid out by both miners and farmers on long shady tables in the

  fading afternoon sunlight at the foot of the mountains.

  "You're hungry?" Jacen said. "Hey, what about us? Zekk and Anja and

  I weren't just sitting on a ship and flying around all day, you know.

  There was nothing between us and those explosives except for the Force

  and our lightsabers."

  "Lowbacca and I were also in considerable danger afoot," Tenel

  Ka pointed out.

  Jaina grinned good-naturedly. "Guess you're probably even him grier

  than I am then, huh?"

  The one-armed warrior girl crooked an eyebrow at her. "This is a

  fact."

  Anja stood with feet spread apart, shook back her long silky hair, and

  heaved a dramatic sigh. "I could eat a whole gun dark right about now,

  without even bothering to cook it first."

  "I know what you mean," Zekk said.

  Jaina noted with amusement-and perhaps a hint of alarm-the playful look

  Anja directed at both Zekk and Jacen as she said, "I don't like to

  share."

  Jacen chuckled. "Don't worry. We'll find our own gundarks."

  "So, uh, how does it feel?" Jaina asked, changing the subject. She

  looked at Anja, then gestured toward the miners and farmers as they

  uneasily worked together to prepare the meal.

  "Strange," Anja admitted. "It's ... hard to start trusting someone

  you've hated all your life. I'm not sure what to do with myself now.

  I've always been a fighter and a smuggler, not a miner."

  "Why not come back to Yavin 4 with us?" Jacen suggested. Jaina

  blinked in surprise at what her brother had said.

  "Really?" Anja asked.

  "Sure," Zekk said with a twinkle in his emerald eyes. "After all,

  you're pretty dangerous with a lightsaber already. Master Skywalker

  might be able to teach you a bit more about control."

  Jacen said, "It's obvious you've got some talent."

  A suspicious look entered Anja's enormous dark eyes. "I don't know. I

  don't take rejection very well. Your Master Skywalker might not let me

  study there. I'd hate to make the trip for nothing."r />
  "Trip? Where're you heading?" Han Solo asked, striding up with

  Anakin, Kyp Durron, and Streen.

  "Urn, Jacen had an idea that Anja might want to study for a while at

  the Jedi academy," Jaina said uncertainly.

  Kyp smiled and looked at Han. "I was quite a handful myself, as I

  recall."

  Han drew a deep breath, let it out slowly in a soundless whistle. He

  looked into the eyes of the young woman who had hated him for so many

  years. "If you're really interested, I'll put in a good word for you

  with Luke."

  Jaina tensed, expecting Anja to throw her father's offer back in his

  face. Instead, the young woman said stiffly, "Thank you. I accept."

  Then she whirled, her long hair lashing like a silken whip behind

  her.

  "Now if you'll excuse me," she said over her shoulder. "I have to say

  some goodbyes. I'll return in an hour." Without another word she

  sprinted off toward her village.

  Anakin stared quizzically after the young woman. "It's all settled

  then?" he asked.

  "Guess so," Jaina murmured.

  Just then Lusa trotted up, with Raynar running easily beside her, as if

  he were now used to such exercise. "Elis says the feast is almost

  ready," the centaur girl said. "We must come and eat."

  Han nodded. "We'll stay for evening meal, and then take off. You kids

  want me to fly back to Yavin 4 with you?"

  "Naw," Jacen said. "We'll be fine in the Rock Dragon."

  "We can manage," Jaina added. "There's plenty of room for all of

  us."

  Her father nodded again, as if he had expected this.

  "In that case, do you mind if Streen and I get a lift back to Corus

  cant with you?" Kyp Dutton asked. "Master Skywalker told us that's

  where we'd begin our next assignment."

  This suggestion brought a grin of pleasure to Han Solo's face.

  "Hey, no problem. Be just like old times, huh, kid?"

  "Two of the best hotshot pilots in the galaxy together again," Kyp

  agreed.

  Anakin looked over at his sister. "This could be interesting."

  Jaina bit her lower lip and looked in the direction Anja had taken

  toward the mountain village. "Yes. Very interesting."

  Anja stood impatiently in front of the viewscreen in the mining

  village's secondary comm center. She crossed her slender arms over her

  chest and tried not to fidget. It would not do to show her

  impatience.

  Why was the transmission taking so long to go through?

  Finally, the static on the screen cleared, revealing the close-cropped

  green hair and the rugged, visored face she had been expecting:

  Czethros. "Things didn't go exactly as you had planned," she said with

  a tight smile. "Solo is still alive. But I've managed to get the

  situation back under control."

  Czethros's image remained impassive, but Anja could see the interest in

  his eyes. "Tell me," he said.

  "Solo's own children invited me to join them at the Jedi academy."

  Czethros's mouth opened slightly. He looked suitably impressed.

  "Once I'm in place on Yavin 4," Ania went on, "I'll win their

  confidence. And I believe many opportunities will present

  themselves.

  . . ."

  Czethros nodded his moss-green head, and a dangerous smile formed on

  his face. "You've done well. As long as you can stay in touch with

  me, I'll make sure you're supplied with andris."

  Czethros broke the connection and Anja allowed herself to relax.

  That was all she had needed to hear.

  For Jacen, the return trip to Yavin 4 proved to be endlessly

  fascinating.

  While Jaina and Lowie piloted the Rock Dragon with Em Teedee as their

  navigator, Zekk, Raynar, Lusa, Tenel Ka, Anja, and Jacen gathered in

  the crowded crew cabin to talk.

  They shared stories of their adventures on various planets. Lusa spoke

  of her experiences with the Diversity Alliance. Zekk talked about the

  Shadow Academy and about his time as a bounty hunter. Raynar spoke

  haltingly of the bounty Nolaa Tarkona had placed on his father's head,

  and of Boman Thul's death in the Emperor's plague storehouse.

  Jacen and Tenel Ka explained how the warrior girl had lost her arm in a

  lightsaber training accident. Last, Anja shared more about her

  experiences growing up as an orphan on the war-torn planet of Anobis.

  As she told her story, tears formed occasionally in her huge sad eyes,

  but she never allowed them to fall. Jacen found it hard to imagine the

  horror of seeing so many friends die year after year.

  "We got rid of a lot of the land mines, punchers, and detonators,"

  Jacen said, trying to comfort her. "Maybe now your people can stop

  living in fear."

  "Ah," Tenel Ka said. "Aha. But that is only a beginning."

  "That's true," Zekk said. "War changes people. They're going to have

  to learn how to trust and accept each other now. It ... it doesn't

  come naturally."

  Anja looked ruefully around at the faces of the young Jedi Knights.

  "That's going to be difficult for me too. It's been a long time since

  I trusted anyone."

  Lowie roared a comment from the cockpit. "Master Lowbacca wishes to

  inform you that we will be emerging from hyperspace in one standard

  minute," Em Teedee said.

  "Almost there," Jaina added. "Hang on, everybody." The companions

  moved forward to the cockpit to get a good view of the tiny jungle

  moon.

  When it appeared in the front windowports, Jacen said, "There it is,

  Anja. Yavin 4. For now, your new home."

  This one is for Dave Dorman whose brilliant cover art has made the

  Young Jedi Knights series shine

  Special thanks to Matt Bialer of the William Morris Agency, without

  whom this third story are might never have seen the light of day; Sue

  Rostoni, Allan Kausch, and Lucy Autrey Wilson at Lucas Licensing for

  their valuable input; Ginjer Buchanan and Jessica Faust at Berkley for

  their support throughout this series; Dan Wallace for his research and

  resource materials; the work of Brian Daley, Al Williamson, and Archie

  Goodwin in providing background for our story; Debra Ray at AnderZone

  for her personal support and cheerleading when we needed it most;

  Catherine Ulatowski and Sarah Jones at WordFire, Inc for keeping

  everything running smoothly; and, as always, Jonathan Cowan for being

  our first test-reader.

  laina Solo, daughter of the legendary pilot and smuggler Han Solo, ran

  through the dense jungles of Yavin 4 as if her life depended upon it.

  Crashing sounds in the nearby underbrush bore testament to the fact

  that she was not alone.

  Her mother, former princess of Alderaan and the New Republic's current

  Chief of State, would have been aghast at Jaina's disheveled

  appearance. Her straight brown hair dripped with sweat. Leaves,

  branches, and trailing vines whipped at her face, though she hardly

  seemed to notice.

  She let the Force guide her footsteps. The rich spicy scent of jungle

  foliage filled her lungs. Jaina ran headlong through the alternating

  light and shadows of late afternoon, out of breath.

  The c
rashing sounds came not from pursuing enemies, however, but from

  her companions: the ginger-furred Wookiee Lowbacca, and Tenel Ka,

  princess of the Hapes system and warrior from Dathomir.

  Still, Jaina fled-not from her friends or from the Jedi academy where

  she trained, but from a feeling that she couldn't shake, a sense that

  something was not right. The feeling hounded her like a nek battle dog

  snapping at her heels. From far behind, Lowie bellowed a suggestion,

  and Jaina veered off onto a narrow path that would lead them to a

  clearing near the river.

  "Got it! Almost there," she yelled without slowing down. The

  unpleasant feeling still followed her like some vicious beast ready to

  pounce. She hurdled a Massassi tree that had fallen across the path.

  Tenel Ka and Lowie converged behind her and leapt over the fallen

  tree.

  Jaina and her friends burst through the dense foliage and into the

  clearing by the broad, slow-moving river.