by John Whitman
circled most planets. This looked like the largest space station ever built.
If some brilliant beings had wanted to build an artificial continent, or even
a small planet, they could not have done better than this.
By the decayed look of the metal, and the pockmarks left by years of
asteroid collisions, the station must have been hundreds, maybe thousands of
years old. Different areas of the station seemed to have been designed by
different engineers as well. It looked as though it had been added to and
expanded over the centuries. The station was a dozen kilometers high and its
length was impossible to guess-it stretched on forever in every direction.
And it was absolutely dark. Not a single running light, or landing
beacon, or environmental glow panel burned anywhere along its length.
"By the Maker," Deevee said softly. "That is Nespis 8.
"Nespis 8?" Zak asked. "You know this place, Deevee?"
"Only from my extensive historical files," Deevee replied sarcastically.
"After all, I was a cultural research droid before I become your caretaker,
and I was considered reasonably efficient at my job."
Uncle Hoole seemed unconvinced. "Deevee, I thought Nespis 8 was just a
legend. Recheck your memory banks."
"What's Nespis 8?" Tash asked.
The droid paused while his computer brain verified the information. "It
is confirmed, Master Hoole. Based on its size, and its apparent age, that is
indeed Nespis 8."
"What's Nespis 8?" Tash repeated in exasperation.
Deevee ignored her tone. "According to legend, the Jedi Knights built the
space station Nespis 8 as a meeting place for scientists from across the
galaxy. The station was devoted to knowledge and learning, and it was
considered neutral territory. Even if two planets were involved in a brutal
war, their scientists could come to Nespis to do research. As knowledge grew,
so did the station, until it was supposed to have grown to the size of a small
planet. The legends say that Nespis 8 contained all the knowledge in the
galaxy. Including," Deevee added, casting a meaningful look in Tash's
direction, "all the wisdom of the Jedi."
"The Jedi," Tash breathed the word as if it were a wish.
"That's correct," the droid affirmed. "It is said that the Jedi
maintained a library on Nespis that contained all the writings of their
ancient masters. But few dared to look for it. I have heard it said that the
halls of Nespis 8 are haunted by the ghost of a Dark Jedi-"
"A Dark Jedi?" Zak asked, half-joking. "Now there are dark Jedi too?"
"Dark Jedi," Deevee explained, "were Jedi Knights who served the dark
side of the Force. Now please let me finish." The droid paused. "They say
Nespis 8 fell to the dark side, and the library was put under a curse
forbidding anyone to enter. Only a true Jedi could enter the library and
resist the dark-side curse. Of course, all of this is just a legend, and not a
very convincing one, in my opinion."
"Whooo!" Zak gave a mock shudder. "Dark Jedi curses-scary stuff."
Hoole dismissed the story with a shrug. "The galaxy is full of rumors.
This one is nothing more than an old spacer's story"
"Even if it's not," Zak said, "it shouldn't bother Tash. Since she's our
resident Jedi, she should be safe as a Wookiee in a tree!"
"Shut up, Zak!" Tash snapped. She hadn't meant to react so sharply, but
she didn't like Zak joking about her interest in the Jedi. Sometimes she felt
strange sensations, almost like warnings-warnings she hoped were the beginning
of the Force growing in her. But her dreams of becoming a Jedi Knight had
seemed to fall apart recently. On their last adventure, Tash had had the
chance to wield a Jedi lightsaber. She had failed miserably. "Besides," Tash
grumbled finally, "everyone knows there's no such thing as ghosts."
"Enough," Hoole said. "We have far more urgent concerns. This is where
ForceFlow told us to meet him, but this station is enormous. I have no idea
where we might find-"
The Shi'ido was interrupted by the bleep of an indicator light.
Zak checked the reading, then pointed toward a wide opening in the side
of the space station. "Someone just activated a homing beacon. It's coming
from that landing bay."
Hoole looked sidelong at his niece. "Well, Tash, it appears your friend
ForceFlow is extending his hand to welcome us."
The Shroud banked toward the darkened landing bay and settled into a
cavernous chamber. To everyone's surprise, as soon as the ship came to a halt,
an energy field activated at the edge of the landing bay, blocking out the
freezing cold of space. Seconds later, breathable air began to flood the space
dock.
"Someone is definitely expecting us," Zak muttered.
"Of course," Tash said. "ForceFlow wouldn't let us down."
"Opening the hatch," Hoole declared.
The Shroud's hatch opened with a loud squeal that reverberated through
the docking bay. Only the dim glow of the ship's landing lights cut through
the darkness. As Tash passed in front of one of those lights, she cast a long,
thin shadow that stretched out for thirty meters across the floor.
Her footsteps echoed mournfully. She stopped. As the echoes died, she
thought she heard something else. It sounded like cloth brushing against skin,
or a soft breath.
"Hello?" she called out.
"Hello? Hello? Hello? " the walls of the empty space station replied.
"Creepy," Zak whispered. "It doesn't look like there's anyone here."
"I suppose the systems could have been automated," Deevee suggested.
Zak looked at his sister, who was staring off into the darkness. "Tash,
do you sense anything?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't matter. I'm not a Jedi, anyway."
Uncle Hoole considered. "Perhaps we should have a look around. Stay
close..."
Tash wasn't listening. Despite what she had said, she did feel something.
She just couldn't tell what. In the past, when she sensed danger, it was like
a pit opening in her stomach. But this was... different. It was like someone
was out there, in the darkness, staring at her. She felt like the Ranat in
Jabba the Hutt's palace-blind and deaf, trying to touch someone she couldn't
see or hear. Before she knew it, she had wandered away from the others, deep
into the darkness of the space station. The ship's lights were now only a
distant gray blur, almost lost in the thick blackness. Tash waved her hand
before her face, but couldn't see it.
She still felt someone's presence.
She groped blindly forward, afraid of stumbling over anything in the
dark. She was sure at any moment that she would find something. Something was
there, she was sure.
Her hand touched cold metal. She had reached the wall of the docking bay.
She felt around for a moment-nothing there. It was just a wall. Confused and
frustrated, Tash turned to head back to the others.
As she did, she felt a cold breath on her back, and a heavy hand fell on
her shoulder.
CHAPTER 5
The grip on Tash's shoulder tightened and she let out a yelp of surprise.
Her cry bounced back and forth on the walls
until it sounded like an army of
frightened voices.
"Be silent," said a deep voice. The strong hand on her shoulder turned
her around slowly. There was a soft click, and a small glow rod ignited and
slowly grew in power, illuminating the air around it. Tash winced, expecting
to see someone-or something-horrible.
Instead, she found herself looking up at the most handsome man she had
ever seen. His hair was as dark as a midnight sky. His blue eyes twinkled as
brightly as stars. His face was creased as if from years of care, and softened
only by a dark moustache. He carried himself confidently. He reminded Tash of
the gambler Lando Calrissian, but he lacked the roguish air of a con man.
"I will not hurt you," said the man. His voice was smooth and comforting.
"You are Searcher 1?" he asked, using Tash's HoloNet code name.
"Y-Yes," she managed to say. "You can call me Tash."
The man nodded. "Greetings, Tash. I am ForceFlow."
"ForceFlow," she repeated, hardly believing it. She had met him at last.
The man who had first introduced her to the legends of the Jedi Knights. The
man who risked his life to make others aware of the evil acts of the Empire.
He looked exactly as she had imagined.
"I did not mean to frighten you," he said.
"You didn't - I mean, I just thought there was nothing behind me but a
wall. And then I felt this cold breath, and..."
ForceFlow pointed his small glow rod toward the wall. A small door had
slid open, revealing a passageway beyond. "I came through there. You must have
felt the air shift."
His words were drowned out by the clanging echoes of approaching
footsteps. Hoole, Zak, and Deevee had heard Tash cry out. A beam of light
swept across the wall and settled on them both.
"Tash, are you all right?" Hoole demanded.
Tash blinked in the bright light. "I'm fine, Uncle Hoole."
By this time she had regained her composure. She introduced the others to
ForceFlow, who shook Hoole's and Zak's hands. He even gave Deevee a slight
bow.
"And what should we call you?" Hoole asked. "ForceFlow is only your
HoloNet code name, isn't it?"
The man hesitated. "ForceFlow will do. Now, if you'll follow me, I can
take you to a comfortable place, where we can talk."
They waited while Deevee secured the ship in dry dock, then they all
followed ForceFlow down the passageway he had opened. The corridor led to
several intersections, all of them dark. But ForceFlow seemed to know his way,
lighting their path with his glow rod.
"Pardon me, sir," Deevee asked as they walked. "But am I right in
assuming that this, in fact, is Nespis 8?"
ForceFlow glanced over his shoulder. "It is. Unless you believe the fools
who say Nespis is only a legend."
Hoole said, "But it is hard to believe that such a large and famous space
station could remain undiscovered for so long."
ForceFlow shook his head. "Nespis is not 'undiscovered.' I have known
about it for years. Scavengers and looters come by every now and then to pick
over the ruins. And lately, there have been fortune hunters. We'll probably
run into a few of them here. Don't worry, they're mostly bored professors who
have retired from teaching to try something more exciting."
"Fortune hunters?" Zak asked excitedly.
ForceFlow nodded. "Nespis is full of undiscovered treasures-valuable
gems, cargo holds filled with spice, things like that. Treasure hunters come
looking for anything valuable."
Hoole had been studying ForceFlow closely. Now he asked, "Why did you
want us to meet you here?"
ForceFlow answered without hesitation. "Tash said you were on the run
from the Empire." ForceFlow opened his arms. "Look around. This is as far from
the Empire as you'll get. The life support systems still function on most
areas of the station, and you can even run equipment if you find a live power
cable. This is where I hide out from the Empire when things get too dangerous.
"
"Is that why you sometimes take so long to answer my HoloNet messages?"
Tash asked.
ForceFlow nodded. "Besides, there's something here that may help you
defeat your enemies, if you can find it."
"What?" Tash asked.
ForceFlow turned and looked her right in the eye. "The Jedi library."
"You mean it really exists?" she asked. "I thought it was just a legend."
"It is a legend," Hoole said firmly.
ForceFlow shrugged. "Nespis is supposed to be a legend too, but you're
walking in it right now."
Hoole frowned. "But the Emperor and Darth Vader hunted down all the Jedi
and destroyed any mention of them. It is hardly likely that they would have
left behind such a valuable thing as a Jedi library."
"Unless they couldn't find it," ForceFlow responded as he made one final
turn and entered a wide chamber. "They say it's very well hidden."
"Who says?" Zak asked.
"They do."
He pointed into the chamber. Like the rest of Nespis, the chamber was
cast in deep darkness, but unlike the docking bay, this darkness was softened
by the dim light of a half dozen glow panels. At one time, the room must have
been a large cargo hold, but now it served as the base camp for a small group
of interstellar travelers. There were five or six of these little camps, each
separated from the others, and each containing the equipment and supplies of
one or two fortune seekers. High above, the ceiling had been replaced by a
wide bubble of transparasteel. Beyond it, a bright field of stars twinkled,
creating a breathtaking scene that equaled the view of any planet's night sky.
"This place is called the solarium," ForceFlow explained. "From here, you
can take passageways to almost any part of Nespis 8. Also, what little power
is left in Nespis runs through cables in this room. That's why most of the
fortune hunters make their camps here."
"Are they friendly?" Tash asked as they approached the fortune hunters'
camp.
"Hey, loves!" called out a gray-haired human woman cheerfully, as if
answering Tash's question. "Newcomers! Welcome to Nespis 8. What are your
names? Where are you from? Say, any chance you passed through Corellia?
That's where I'm from. Name's Domisari of Corellia, but I haven't been
back there in months. Haven't even had any news in weeks, and I'd love to hear
what's zipping about in the old space lanes. You know what it's like on the
treasure trail, never a moment to stop and stare at the stars. So, have you
been there?"
Tash and the others just stared at her blankly, not knowing which of her
questions to answer first. Domisari burst out laughing. "Can't keep up with
old Domisari, eh?" She winked. "Don't worry, no one can."
"Um, have you been here long?" Tash asked.
"No, no, dears," Domisari laughed. "Only just arrived. I was hunting fire
crystals in the No-ad system before this. But I got tired of the heat there,
and thought I'd try my hand at hunting up a few antiquities here. Well,
anyway, welcome, welcome!" Still chuckling to herself, Domisari wandered back
among the piles of storage con
tainers, scanning equipment, and food bins that
made up her small camp.
ForceFlow introduced them to a few other fortune hunters. Unlike
Domisari, these had been on Nespis for weeks, and even months. They seemed
friendly enough, until Zak asked one of them the wrong question.
"So can you tell us how to get to the Jedi library?"
A grizzled, gray-bearded treasure hunter squinted at him. "We don't ask
questions like that, lad. My hunt is my hunt, and I don't give clues. If you
want to be the one to find the library, go out and look for it yourself." His
eyes glittered mischievously. "But do you think you've got the stomach for the
search, lad?"
The warning in the old man's voice put Tash on edge. "What do you mean?"
The graybeard cackled. "You mean to tell me you've not heard of the
curse? The library's a forbidden place. Meant only for the Jedi, they say.
Anyone else who takes a single book, a single leaf of a book, a single word
off a page of a single book, is doomed!"
"Really, sir," Deevee stepped in, "I must insist that you not try to
frighten my charges."
"It's not me that'll put a fright in 'em," the treasure hunter replied.