by Timothy Zahn
For a few seconds Doriana remained where he was, taking deep breaths as he worked out the tension still quivering through his body. Once again, the game had nearly proved fatal. Once again, he had made it through unscathed.
One of these times, perhaps, he wouldn't.
But that future was a long way away. Right now he had a fleet to find, and an ambush to prepare.
And eighteen Jedi to kill.
Shutting down the holoprojector, he went back to the pilot's chair and plugged Kav's data card into the reader slot. Time to find out exactly where they were going.
14
The pylon turbolift car door opened into yet another spacious lobby area. "Okay," Anakin said, leaning out for a look. "And this one is"—he threw a not quite surreptitious look at the marking on the side—"Dreadnaught-Four?"
"Correct," C'baoth said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder and pressing him forward out of the car. "We're now at the farthest side of Outbound Flight from the command ship, Dreadnaught- One."
"Rather like Tatooine in that respect," Obi-Wan added drily.
"Right," Anakin said. "Only cooler and less sandy."
"'Tatooine?" C'baoth asked.
"A small planet where Anakin grew up," Obi-Wan explained. "The locals like to say that it's the farthest point from the center of the universe, like Dreadnaught-Four's the farthest from Dreadnaught-One's command areas."
C'baoth nodded. "Ah."
Dreadnaught-Four's architecture and equipment, Obi-Wan noted, were identical to those of the other ships they'd visited on C'baoth's tour. Not really surprising, considering how the expedition had been put together. Also as in the other Dreadnaughts, the people passing through the corridors around them all seemed to be moving with a brisk, business-like step, their expressions cheerful, confident, and determined.
Small wonder. Against steep odds their grand adventure had finally begun, and the warm glow of that accomplishment was still with them.
"Jedi Master Justyn Ma'Ning is in charge of this particular Dreadnaught," C'baoth said as they headed aft. "I believe you spoke with him at the First Night dinner."
"Yes, we chatted for a few minutes," Obi-Wan said. "I thought Commander Omano was in charge of Dreadnaught-Four."
"I meant that Master Ma'Ning oversees Jedi operations and activities," C'baoth said. "He should be back in Conference Room Five with his two Jedi Knights and a select group of families. Let's go see how they're doing."
"What were these families selected for?" Obi-Wan asked.
"The highest honor possible," C'baoth said. "Over the next few days, one of each family's children will be starting Jedi training."
Obi-Wan stared at him. "Jedi training?"
"Indeed," C'baoth confirmed. "You see, along with their basic technical skills, prospective colonists were also screened for the presence of Force-sensitive children. Those families with the most promise were given preferential status, though of course we kept that a secret up until now. We have eleven candidates in all, including the three here in Dreadnaught-Four."
"How old are these children?" Obi-Wan asked.
"They range in age from four to ten," C'baoth said. He cocked an eyebrow at Anakin. "Which is, I believe, the same age Master Skywalker was when you took him as your Padawan."
"It is," Obi-Wan confirmed, feeling his lip twist. For centuries standard Temple policy had been to accept only infants into Jedi training, and C'baoth knew it. Unfortunately, Anakin was a glaring exception to that rule, an exception C'baoth clearly intended to use as his justification for this. "What about their parents?"
"What about them?"
"They've all given their permission for this training?"
"They will," C'baoth assured him. "As I said, giving a child to the Jedi is the highest honor possible."
"So you haven't actually asked them yet?"
"Of course not," C'baoth said, an edge of puzzlement creeping into his tone. "What parent wouldn't be proud to have a Jedi son or daughter?"
Obi-Wan braced himself. "But if for some reason they don't see it that way—"
"Later," C'baoth interrupted, gesturing to a door to their right. "We're here."
The conference room was one of many midsize meeting areas scattered around a typical Dreadnaught. At the far end, standing beside a podium, was Jedi Master Ma'Ning, listening intently to a question from a woman in the front row. Flanking him, dressed in Jedi robes, were a pair of Duros.
And seated in the rows of chairs in front of them, nearly packing the available space, were perhaps forty men, women, and children. Far more than the three families C'baoth had implied would be here.
C'baoth was clearly surprised, too. "What in the . . . ?" he rumbled under his breath, his eyes flashing as he looked around.
"Maybe they brought their friends?" Anakin suggested hesitantly.
"Friends were not invited," C'baoth growled. He started to move forward, then seemed to think better of it. Instead, he gave an impatient gesture to his right. Turning that direction, Obi-Wan saw Lorana Jinzler detach herself from the back wall where she'd been standing and walk over to them.
She nodded in greeting as she reached them. "Master C'baoth," she said quietly. "Master Ma'Ning said you might drop in on us."
"And it's fortunate that I did," C'baoth said. His voice was low, but Obi-Wan could see a few of the people in the back row starting to look around to see what was going on. "What are all these people doing here?"
"Master Ma'Ning invited all the secondaries and their families, as well," Lorana told him.
"Secondaries?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Those with a small amount of latent Force sensitivity, too small for them to ever become Jedi," C'baoth said, glowering across the room at Ma'Ning. "What about you, Jedi Jinzler? Why aren't you attending to your duties on Dreadnaught-One?"
"Master Ma'Ning asked me to come," she said, her voice a little strained.
C'baoth rumbled deep in his throat. "I see," he said darkly.
They waited in silence as Ma'Ning answered the question he'd been asked—something about ration redistribution for those whose children would be undergoing the training—and called for more questions. There were none, and with a final word of thanks he called the meeting to a close.
And as the audience began to gather themselves together, C'baoth strode down the aisle toward the front. Obi-Wan followed, Anakin and Lorana at his sides. As near as Obi-Wan could tell from the snatches of conversation he could hear, most of the people did indeed seem pleased or even excited by the fact that they had future Jedi in their families.
Most of them. But not all.
Ma'Ning nodded in greeting as the group approached. "Master C'baoth," he said. "Master Kenobi; Young Sky—"
"What do you mean by bringing the secondaries to this meeting?" C'baoth demanded.
"I thought it would be useful to let everyone know at once why they'd been selected to fly on Outbound Flight," Ma'Ning said. His voice was calm, but Obi-Wan could see tension lines at the corners of his eyes. "Since the secondaries are the ones most likely to produce Jedi offspring in the future, I thought they should know what to expect."
"That could have been dealt with if and when it happened,"
C'baoth growled. "This is not how it should have been."
"None of it is as it should be," Ma'Ning countered. "Children this age—and taking them from their families by force—"
"By force?" Obi-Wan put in.
"I don't expect force to be necessary," C'baoth insisted, glaring at Obi-Wan and Ma'Ning in turn. "The few parents who have doubts will undoubtedly come around. Certainly the children themselves will be thrilled to begin their training."
"The question remains why we're even doing this," Ma'Ning said.
"We're doing this because we're setting off on a long and dangerous trip," C'baoth told him. "We'll need all the Jedi we can get, far more than Master Yoda would permit me to invite.
Very well; so we will raise the
m up by ourselves. And please don't quote me that learned nonsense about how young a Jedi candidate has to be, because that's all it is: nonsense."
"Master Yoda would disagree with you," Ma'Ning said.
"Then Master Yoda would be wrong," C'baoth said flatly. "We don't train children or adults because we choose not to. That's the only reason." He gestured at Anakin. "Padawan Skywalker is proof that older children are trainable."
Ma'Ning's lip twitched. "Perhaps," he conceded. "But there are other reasons for accepting only infants."
"What other reasons?" C'baoth asked. "Tradition? Politics? There's certainly nothing in the Code itself that specifically speaks to the issue."
"Actually, that's not true," Obi-Wan put in. "The writings of Master Simikarty are very clear on the subject."
"Master Simikarty's writings are his interpretations of the Code, not part of the Code itself," C'baoth said. "More tradition, under a different name."
"You do not approve of tradition?" one of the Duros asked.
"I don't approve of simply and blindly accepting it as truth," C'baoth told him. "Nor can we afford to do so. The lists of Jedi are shrinking all across the Republic. If we're to continue our role as the guardians of peace and justice, we must find ways to increase our numbers."
"By forcibly taking trainees from their parents?" Ma'Ning asked. "Especially considering the fact that none of these parents had wanted their children to become Jedi in the first place?"
"What makes you think that?" C'baoth asked.
"The fact that if they had, they'd have taken them for testing when they were infants," Ma'Ning said.
"Perhaps there were other reasons," C'baoth rumbled. "But all right, yes, the parents have always made the decision whether or not their children would be trained. More tradition. But what about the child's wishes? Wouldn't it be more ethical to allow him or her to make that decision?"
"But as Master Ma'Ning says, there are good reasons for accepting only infants," Obi-Wan said.
"Most of which don't apply here," C'baoth said firmly. "There are no deep-rooted family hierarchies aboard Outbound Flight to deal with. Nor will the children be going hundreds or thousands of light-years away to the Temple on Coruscant where their families will never see them again." Beside C'baoth, Lorana stirred but remained silent. "No, here they'll be merely a turbolift ride away in the storage core," C'baoth continued. "After some initial training, we might even consider allowing them occasional evenings with their families."
"You're putting them in the storage core?" Ma'Ning asked, frowning.
"I want the training center as far away from noise and mental confusion as possible," C'baoth told him. "There's plenty of room down there."
Ma'Ning shook his head. "I still don't like this, Master C'baoth."
"New ideas are always discomfiting, as are new ways of doing things," C'baoth said, looking at each of the others in turn. "In many ways all of Outbound Flight is a grand experiment. And remember that if we're successful, we may return to the Republic with the key to a complete reinvigoration of the entire Jedi Order."
"And if we don't succeed?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Then we fail," C'baoth said stiffly. "But we won't." Obi-Wan looked at Ma'Ning. The other still didn't look happy, but it was clear he didn't have any fresh arguments to offer.
Besides, C'baoth was right. Something new had to be tried if the Jedi Order was going to survive.
And once upon a time, according to the histories, the Jedi had been willing to take risks.
"All right," Ma'Ning said at last. "We'll try this grand experiment of yours. But move carefully, Master C'baoth. Move very carefully."
"Of course," C'baoth said, as if there were no doubt. "Then all that remains is to prepare the training center." He turned to Lorana. "Since you're here, Jedi Jinzler, you will see to that."
Lorana bowed her head. "Yes, Master C'baoth."
"And in the future," C'baoth added, looking back at Ma'Ning, "you'll check with me before you take any of my Jedi from their assigned duties."
Ma'Ning's lip twisted slightly, but he, too, bowed his head. "As you wish, Master C'baoth."
C'baoth held his eves a moment longer, then turned to Obi-Wan and Anakin. "And now, we'll continue our tour," he said, gesturing toward the door.
He strode down the aisle toward the rear, ignoring the small clusters of crewers still conversing quietly among themselves, and out into the corridor. "You mentioned Jedi duties," Obi-Wan said as they turned aft. "What exactly will you be wanting us to do?"
"At the moment, the sorts of things you've always done," C'baoth said. "Patrolling Outbound Flight and assisting where you're needed. Later, I'll want you to assist with the training of our prospective Jedi. And, of course, we'll be needed to maintain order aboard the ships."
"I hadn't noticed a great deal of disorder," Obi-Wan pointed out.
"There will be," C'baoth said grimly. "This many people can't live this closely together without friction. Even before we leave the Unknown Regions, I fully expect we'll be regularly called upon to resolve disputes among passengers, as well as organizing proper rules of conduct."
Rules of conduct? "Wouldn't that sort of thing be Captain Pakmillu's responsibility?" Obi-Wan asked carefully.
"Captain Pakmillu will have his hands full with the physical requirements of running Outbound Flight," C'baoth said. "Besides, we're the best qualified for such tasks."
"As long as we remember that our role is to advise and mediate," Obi-Wan cautioned. " Jedi serve others rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy.' "
"I said nothing about ruling over anyone."
"But if we take over Captain Pakmillu's job of keeping order, isn't that essentially what we're doing?" Obi-Wan asked. "Mediation offered with the underlying threat of compulsion hardly qualifies as mediation."
"As I threatened the two sides on Barlok?" C'baoth asked pointedly.
Obi-Wan hesitated. He remembered feeling uncomfortable with the tone C'baoth had used to the two sides in the aftermath of the abortive missile attack. Had he in fact overstepped his bounds by forcing them to accept his terms? Or had the compulsion merely come from the attack itself, coupled with their sudden and sobering recognition that the negotiations were no longer purely matters of charts and abstract numbers?
And what was C'baoth's connection, if any, to that attack? That was a question he was still no closer to answering.
"They did need someone to tell them what to do," Anakin offered into his thoughts. "And we're supposed to have wisdom and insight that non-Jedi don't have."
"Sometimes wisdom requires us to stand by and do nothing," Obi-Wan said, Windu's words back at the Temple echoing through his mind. Still, if the Council had reprimanded C'baoth for his actions, Windu hadn't mentioned it. "Otherwise people might never learn how to handle problems by themselves."
"And such wisdom comes only through a close understanding of the Force," C'baoth said, his tone indicating the discussion was over. "As you will learn, young Skywalker." He gestured ahead. "Now, down here we have the central weapons and shield cluster . . ."
C'baoth and the others disappeared through the conference room door. Lorana watched them go, sighing with tiredness and frustration.
Why had Ma'Ning asked her here, anyway? Because she presumably knew C'baoth better than anyone else aboard? If so, she certainly hadn't been of much use during the discussion. Was she supposed to have joined the others in objecting to his Jedi training plan, then? Well, she'd failed on that account, too.
"Is he always this overbearing?"
Lorana turned back around. The two Duros had wandered away and were talking quietly together, but Ma'Ning was still standing there, eyeing her thoughtfully. "He didn't seem particularly overbearing to me," she said, automatically rising to her Master's defense.
"Perhaps it's just his personality," Ma'Ning said. But there was a knowing look on his face. Maybe he'd seen other Jedi c
ome to C'baoth's defense before, for the same reasons Lorana had. Whatever those reasons were. "Tell me, what do you think of this scheme of his?"
"You mean the training of older children?" She shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. It's all new to me."
"He hasn't talked about this before?"
"No," she said. "At least, not to me."
"Mm," Ma'Ning said, pursing his lips. "It's an interesting concept, certainly. And he's right: there have been exceptions in the past, most of whom have worked out fine."
"Like Anakin?"
"Perhaps," Ma'Ning said cautiously. "Though until a Padawan actually achieves Jedi Knighthood, there's always the danger he or she might fall away. I'm not expecting that of Skywalker, of course."
"No," Lorana agreed. "If you'll excuse me, Master Ma'Ning, I need to find some crewers to help me start organizing the new training center."
"Certainly," Ma'Ning said, nodding. "I'll speak with you later."
He stepped over to the two Duros, joining in their conversation. Three Jedi, holding a private discussion among themselves.
With Lorana on the outside. As if she were still just a Padawan.
Still, she had said she was leaving. Maybe that was all it was. Taking a deep breath, putting such thoughts from her mind, she headed down the aisle toward the door.
She was nearly there when a man stepped partway into her path. "Your pardon, Jedi," he said tentatively. "A word, if I may?"
"Certainly," Lorana said, focusing on him for the first time. He was a typical crewer, young and bright-eyed, with short dark hair and a hint of greasy dirt on the collar of his jumpsuit. Summoned directly from his shift to Ma'Ning's meeting, probably. Behind him stood a young woman with a sleeping infant in one arm and a boy of five or six standing close beside her. Her free hand was resting on the boy's shoulder. "How can I help you?"
"My name's Dillian Pressor," the man said, gesturing back to the others. "My son, Jorad, has a question."
"All right," Lorana said, stepping over to the boy, noting that as she approached the woman seemed to tighten her grip on her son's shoulder. "Hello, Jorad," she said cheerfully, dropping to one knee in front of him.