*THE APPRENTICE*
Elaine Cunningham
STAR WARS GAMER 8
BONADAN BOOKS
*THE APPRENTICE*
Elaine Cunningham
Jaina Solo adjusted the restraints on the copilot chair and leaned forward,
eager for her first glimpse of Gallinore. The small Hapan freighter glided
smoothly out of hyperspace, and star lines compressed into brilliant points
of light-- a beautiful sight, but one that could have marked nearly any
destination. Then the ship banked sharply to starboard, and a soft green
haze bloomed against the darkness of space.
Mist clung to the deeply forested planet, and the slanting rays of the
rising sun lent the humid atmosphere a luminous, verdant glow. Lowbacca let
out a low, poignant moan that mingled appreciation and longing.
'It does look a bit like Kashyyk,'' Jaina agreed, naming the Wookiee's
homeworld.
She glanced back at her companions. Lowbacca had always been thin by Wookiee
standards, but their recent captivity had left him positively gaunt, and his
ginger-hued fur was dull and patchy. Tenel Ka was thinner, too, and her dark
green flight suit clung to her too-slender form. Her long reddish hair was
carefully plaited in the many-braided fashion of a Dathomiri warrior, but
with one difference: She'd swept her hair over to one side to hide the raw
patch left when a Yuuzhan Vong inquisitor had yanked out one of her braids.
Jaina quickly averted her eyes from this reminder of their shared ordeal.
Her own scars were of a different sort.
Her gaze shifted to the man in the pilot seat. Kyp Durron could add about a
dozen years to her eighteen. The long, careless waves of brown hair were
threaded with silver, and faint lines collected at the corners of his green
eyes-- lines that suggested easy smiles and shared laughter. Kyp had the
sort of face that inspired camaraderie and confidence, and probably would
have even without the added charisma of his formidable Jedi powers. One
thing was certain: People followed Kyp. Jaina intended to figure out why.
The mists of Gallinore swirled up to receive their ship. Jaina shifted
impatiently in her seat. Her fingers itched for the feel of the controls,
and she briskly scrubbed one hand against the leg of her flight suit as if
that could erase the urge to take over. Kyp was a Jedi Master, however,
and-- more importantly-- a Master who'd asked Jaina to be his apprentice.
For Jaina, sitting in the copilots' chair was one way of taking this notion
for a test flight.
Part of her wanted to reject his offer out of hand. Kyp Durron had been a
dubious figure before the war started, before he'd undertaken his rogue
crusade against the Yuuzhan Vong invaders. His forays were highly
controversial, and his passionate advocacy of aggressive tactics brought
discord to every Jedi gathering, whether he attended or not.
But at some level, Jaina sensed that she and Kyp were already flying on the
same vector. She couldn't argue against either his philosophy or his
methods. She just wasn't sure she wanted to hand over the controls.
Kyp peered at the unbroken expanse of green rushing up toward their ship.
'The navicomputer confirms our landing coordinates, but I don't see anything
down there that looks like a city.''
Tenel Ka glanced up from the datapad she'd been studying throughout most of
the trip. 'Dimitor is difficult to see from above. The city is constructed
mostly of green marble and all the streets are lined with tall trees. Even
the landing docks are paved with multicolored stone, making them
indistinguishable from meadowland until you are almost upon them.''
'Makes you wonder what they've got to hide,'' Kyp observed, slinging a
quick, pointed glance at Jaina.
'Gallinore is a lawful world, closely affiliated with the government of
Hapes,'' Tenel Ka returned gravely. Her gaze shifted to Jaina. 'I'm more
concerned about our purposes than theirs. We are landing shortly. Shouldn't
you tell us why we've come?''
Jaina conceded with a nod. 'Let me see your lightsaber.''
The warrior woman frowned in puzzlement, but she removed the weapon from her
belt and handed it over.
Jaina turned the unusual lightsaber over in her hand, running her thumb over
the strange carvings Tenel Ka had meticulously etched into the yellowed
ivory handle. 'A rancor's tooth,'' she observed. With a flick of her thumb
she unleashed a stream of brilliant, turquoise light-- a strangely
iridescent hue, one that, on close inspection, held dancing motes in every
color of the visible spectrum. 'You used rainbow gems for the focusing
crystals, right? From Gallinore?''
'Fact,'' Tenel Ka confirmed.
'These `gems' are actually living creature, yet you were able to use them in
a Jedi lightsaber-- just as Anakin attuned the Yuuzhan Vong's lambent
crystals to his. I've read that the rainbow gems, like many of the unique
life forms on this world, were bioengineered.''
Understanding dawned on the warrior woman's face. 'This similarity leads you
to hope the scientists of Gallinore can help you understand the_Trickster_
,'' she concluded, naming the living ship that Jaina and Zekk had stolen
from a Yuuzhan Vong worldship.
'That's the plan.'' Jaina switched off her friend's Jedi weapon and handed
it back.
They fell silent as Kyp made voice contact with the dock officials. He
passed along the authorization codes and deftly maneuvered the ship down
through layers of clouds. The three younger Jedi rose immediately, leaving
him to power down the controls.
The ramp unfolded, and Jaina walked down and gazed around the docks with
interest. She could see why this place was nearly invisible from above.
A stiff breeze stirred the thick, landbound clouds that filled the open
docks and clung to the trees in the city beyond. Tall, swaying branches
moved in and out of sight like timid forest animals. The docking bays were
teaming with pilots, mechanics, and dock officials, all clad in flight suits
fashioned from mottled shades of green. They, too, seemed to move in and out
of the mists in random patterns. Some odd optical quirk made their movements
appear nearly identical to that of the swaying foliage.
Even so, workers immediately converged on any newly landed ship, using stout
little hover sleds to maneuver it into a docking bay covered by a tall,
camouflaged canopy. It was hard to believe that Gallinore's sun could burn
off the sheltering morning clouds before reaching its zenith. Jaina squinted
up at the brightest patch of fog, noting the sun's position with dismay.
She'd have to work fast.
'The customs building,'' Tenel Ka said, nodding toward a low, green
structure. 'City officials will be expecting us there.'' She set her
shoulders back, in the manner of a warrior preparing to do battle, and set
off at a brisk pace.
A
fleeting grin touched Jaina's lips as she imagined the 'diplomatic
meeting'' that would follow. Tenel Ka was a princess of Hapes, the dominate
world in the Hapes Cluster, but she was here as a warrior to exhort others
to prepare for the coming conflict. At Jaina's suggestion, all of the
visiting Jedi except Lowbacca were dressed in green flight suits identical
to those worn by the Gallinorians. She'd suggested this as a means of
honoring local custom, of creating an impression of unity. Tenel Ka had been
pleased with this notion, and she didn't ask if Jaina had had other reasons
for wanting to blend in.
Kyp came down the ramp and checked the hatch leading into the cargo hold.
Tenel Ka glanced over at the older Jedi. Although the expression on her face
did not change or her pace alter, disapproval rolled off her in waves.
Jaina stepped into the Dathomiri warrior's path and faced her down. 'All
right, let's have it.''
Tenel Ka stopped and regarded Jaina with a cool, gray-eyed stare. 'I
understand your desire to learn from Gallinore's scientists. But why is Kyp
Durron with us? Surely you're not considering his offer of apprenticeship.''
'Maybe I should. Kyp is an exceptionally powerful Jedi.'' Jaina paused for a
brief, humorless smile. 'He'd have to be. The only reason he's still alive
is that people who mattered believed that his talent overbalanced his past
crimes.''
Tenel Ka lifted one red-gold brow. 'It is not like you to be cynical.''
'Practical,'' Jaina corrected. 'Kyp Durron knows things I don't. I could
learn from him.''
'Fact. That's what concerns me.''
Jaina blew out a frustrated sigh and put down her best card-- an endorsement
powerful enough to clinch arguments and bring conversations to a dead stop.
'Master Luke trusts him.''
'Do you?'' Tenel Ka shot back. 'Can you, after what he did at Sernpidal?''
The blunt reminder hit Jaina like a punch to the gut. Not long ago, Kyp had
used the Force to convince Jaina that enemy shipyards hidden among the
fragments of the dead world Sernpidal were building super weapons. Kyp had
manipulated her, using the Solo name and Jaina's personal reputation as a
Rogue Squadron pilot to convince New Republic forces to join in the attack.
That deception still stung, as did the knowledge that Rogue Squadron,
largely at her instigation, had attacked a civilian target.
She tried to dismiss all this with an impatient shrug. 'The mission was a
success. The destruction of the Vong's new worldship strengthened the
Republic position.''
'Perhaps,'' Tenel Ka allowed. 'Yet I wonder if your willingness to attack
Sernpidal had as much to do with vengeance as tactics.''
A Wookiee howl of protest preempted Jaina's retort. Lowbacca stepped up to
Jaina's side, his long arms folded over his chest and his black eyes
narrowed. He whuffed out a few curt, indignant phrases. Some of the nuances
of the Wookiee language might have escaped Tenel Ka, but his meaning was
clear enough to bring a faint flush to her cheeks.
She inclined her head. 'I apologize, my friend. I meant no disrespect to
your uncle Chewbacca's honor, or to the life debt you assumed in his name.
His sacrifice on Sernpidal would indeed be diminished by vengeance.'' The
look she sent at Jaina was pointed, but not as sharp as it might otherwise
have been.
Kyp strode over to the trio. His gaze slid over them, lingering on
Lowbacca's defensive stance. 'What did I miss?''
'We're just getting ready to split up,'' Jaina said, mindful of the possible
double meaning her words held-- and certain that Kyp would pick up on the
nuance. 'Tenel Ka has some sort of diplomatic meeting to attend, and Lowie
and I will go to the research center.''
'I see. I'll stay with the ship and keep an eye on things.''
'That should not be necessary,'' Tenel Ka observed. 'Dimitor is a lawful
city.''
'All the more reason I should stay here,'' Kyp said in a dry tone. A glint
entered his eyes and he turned his most charming smile on Tenel Ka. 'Or
perhaps I misunderstood. Were you inviting me to join you?''
The warrior's eyes widened, and for a moment her formidable composure
faltered. Before she could formulate a suitably tactful refusal, Kyp sent
her a mocking wink and then strode off toward their ship.
Jaina lifted a hand to her lips to conceal a smirk. Of course the Jedi
Master had sensed the discord between the two young women, and he'd enacted
this small, teasing vengeance on Jaina's behalf. His support amused and
warmed her, even though she recognized the manipulation that prompted it.
For whatever reason, Kyp wanted to take over her training. She intended to
see just how far he'd go to meet this particular objective.
She waited until Tenel Ka left with a pair of city officials, then she
turned grateful eyes to her genuine supporter. Lowbacca acted as a buffer
between Jaina and her other friends. Tenel Ka was not the only young Jedi
who followed Jaina but did not entirely trust her. No one questioned the
Wookiee's integrity, however, and his continued support of Jaina helped
mitigate their concerns.
'I don't know what I'd do without you,'' she said sincerely.
Lowbacca's brief, disgruntled response brought a grin to Jaina's face. 'If
EmTeedee was still around, he'd probably translate that as `Master Lowbacca
respectfully suggests that without his intervention, you might inadvertently
enter targeting coordinates that focus your weapons upon vital portions of
your own anatomy.' I'll bet you really miss that little droid.''
The Wookiee let out an unmistakably derisive chuff.
Jaina tucked her arm through his. 'Me either,'' she agreed.
***
Jaina and Lowbacca wove through the mist-laden maze of green marble
buildings to the sprawling research district. A letter from Ta'a Chume,
Tenel Ka's grandmother and the former Queen Mother of Hapes, earned them
full cooperation and unquestioned access to the facility. Within moments,
Lowbacca was seated before a terminal, his furry digits flying as he sifted
through computerized records of the Gallinore research, searching for
anything that might provide a link between a technology that he and Jaina
could understand, and the secrets of the_Trickster,_ their stolen Vong ship.
But apparently even Ta'a Chume's influence was not enough to grant them
unsupervised access to this information. A dark-haired young woman wearing a
technician's white tunic and a perpetually worried expression stayed nearby
to 'help'' them. Jaina waited until the tech's comlink beeped, then bent
over and rested her chin on the Wookiee's shoulders.
'Can you get me a reading on the layout and security?'' she said softly.
Lowbacca growled a question. In response, Jaina sent him mental images of
their recent battle in the Yuuzhan Vong worldship, flashed back to him the
terror and uncertainty of fighting their way through the unknown. A
knowledge of the worldship's layout might have made a difference, might have
saved some of the lives lost in that terrible place. A soft, whirring moan
escaped the Wookiee a
s he acknowledged their shared loss, and the prudence
of Jaina's precaution.
She straightened up and turned to the technician. 'I need to speak with
Sinsor Khal. Can you show me where I might find him?''
A peculiar expression crossed the young woman's face, but she pulled out her
comlink again and relayed Jaina's request. Lowbacca deftly affixed a
holocube to an output terminal and transferred the requested data. This he
surreptitiously passed to Jaina.
In moments an armed escort arrived and guided her through a maze of pristine
white halls. They left her before a large door, nodded toward a palm reader
mounted beside the door, and left at a much faster pace than that which had
brought them here.
Jaina shrugged, then placed her hand against the device. The door irised
open. She ducked through into a large room, one crowded with so much
equipment, all of it in such disarray, that for a moment Jaina suspected she
was viewing the result of a head-on collision between two large ships. The
door snapped shut behind her with a clang like that of a prison door.
She crept through the room, surveying it as she might a battlefield. When
she knew all she needed, she slipped out the way she'd come and retraced her
steps through the corridors, finally making her way back to their ship.
Kyp awaited her in the hold, his lean face grim and his eyes holding no
trace of the sly humor he'd turned against Tenel Ka. He nodded toward their
shared secret-- the Hapan prisoner hidden in the hold, kept in a
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