by Timothy Zahn
Thrass shook his head and went back to the door. There he stopped, his hand over the control “Has it ever occurred to you,” he said, not turning around, “that attacks like yours might actually provoke beings like the Vagaari to move against us? That if we simply left them alone, they might never become any threat to the Ascendancy at all?”
“No, I’ve never had any such thoughts,” Thrawn replied evenly.
Thrass sighed. “I didn’t think so. Good night, Thrawn.” Tapping the control to open the door, he left the room.
12
There,“ C’baoth said, pointing through the viewport as their transport came around the curve of Yaga Minor. ”You see it?“
“Yes,” Lorana said as she gazed at the massive object hanging in low orbit over the planet. Six of the brand-new Dreadnaught warships, arranged in a hexagon pattern around a central storage core, the whole thing tied together by a series of massive turbolift pylons. “It’s quite impressive.”
“It’s more than just impressive,” C’baoth said gravely. “Therein lies the future of the galaxy.”
Lorana stole a furtive glance at him. For the past three weeks, ever since her official elevation from Padawan to full Jedi Knight, C’baoth had been showing a marked change in attitude. He spoke with her more often and at greater length, asking her opinion on politics and other matters, opening up to her as if to a full equal.
It was gratifying, even flattering. But at the same time, it stirred some uncomfortable feelings. Just as he’d expected so much of her as his Padawan, it seemed that he now expected her to suddenly have all the wisdom, experience, and power of a seasoned, experienced Jedi.
This trip to Yaga Minor was just one more example. Out of the clear and cloudless sky he’d invited her to come along with him to observe the final stages of preparation. It would have been more fitting, in her opinion, for him to invite Master Yoda or one of the other Council members to see him off on his historic journey.
But instead he’d chosen her.
“The crew and families are already aboard, stowing their gear and making final preparations,” C’baoth continued. “So are most of the Jedi who’ll be accompanying us, though two or three are still on their way. You’ll want to meet them all before we leave, of course.”
“Of course,” Lorana said automatically, feeling her muscles tense as a horrible thought suddenly occurred to her. “When you say we, Master C’baoth, who exactly—I mean—”
“Don’t flounder, Jedi Jinzler,” C’baoth reproved her mildly. “A Jedi’s words, like a Jedi’s thoughts, must always be clear and confident. If you have a question, ask it.”
“Yes, Master C’baoth.” Lorana braced herself. “When you say, we… are you expecting me to come with you on Outbound Flight?”
“Of course,” he said, frowning at her. “Why else do you think I recommended your elevation to Jedi Knighthood so soon?”
A familiar tightness wrapped itself around Lorana’s chest. “I thought it was because I was ready.”
“Obviously, you were,” C’baoth said. “But you still have much to learn. Here, aboard Outbound Flight, I’ll have the necessary time to teach you.”
“But I can’t go,” Lorana protested, her brain skittering around desperately for something to say. She didn’t want to leave the Republic and the galaxy. Certainly not with so much work here to be done. “I haven’t made any preparations, I haven’t asked permission from the Jedi Council—”
“The Council has granted me whatever I need,” C’baoth cut in tartly. “As for preparations, what sort of preparations does a Jedi need?”
Lorana clamped her teeth firmly together. How could he have made such a decision without even consulting her? “Master C’baoth, I appreciate your offer. But I’m not sure—”
“It’s not an offer, Jedi Jinzler,” C’baoth interrupted. “You’re a Jedi now. You go wherever the Council chooses to send you.”
“Anywhere in the Republic, yes,” Lorana said. “But this is different.”
“Only different in your mind,” C’baoth said firmly. “But you’re young. You’ll grow.” He pointed at the approaching collection of ships. “Once you see what we’ve done and meet the other Jedi you’ll be more enthusiastic about the destiny that awaits us.”
“What about this one?” Tarkosa asked, tapping his fingers on a rack of negative couplings. “Chas?”
“Just a second, just a second,” Uliar growled, scanning the racks already in place as he silently cursed the crowd of tech assistants the Supreme Chancellor’s Office had sent from Coruscant to help with the loading. For the most part, they’d proven themselves completely useless: dropping delicate components, sorting others into the wrong storage areas, and more often than not doubling up on one rack of spares while the proper set was left buried somewhere in the bowels of the storage core far beneath them. “It goes there,” he told Tarkosa, pointing to a spot next to a rack of cooling-pump parts.
“What in the worlds?” a deep voice said from behind him.
Uliar turned to see a balding middle-age man in a plain tan robe standing in the doorway. “Who are you?” he demanded.
“Jedi Master Justyn Ma’Ning,” the other said, his forehead creasing as he surveyed the chaos in the room. “This equipment should have been stowed two days ago.”
“It was,” Uliar said. “Very badly. We’re trying to fix it.”
“Ah,” Ma’Ning said, a wryly knowing look on his face. Apparently, he’d met the Coruscant tech assistants, too. “Better speed it up. Master C’baoth is arriving today, and he won’t be happy if he sees things this way.” With a nod, he turned and headed off down the corridor.
“Like Jedi happiness is our problem,” Uliar muttered under his breath at the empty doorway. He turned back to the storage racks; and as he did so, a repeater diagnostic display suddenly flickered on.
“That got it?” a voice called, and a young man popped his head into view through an open floor access panel.
“Hang on.” Uliar stepped to the display and ran through its options list. “Looks perfect,” he confirmed. Coruscant’s tech assistants might be worthless, but the few actual techs who’d come with them were another story completely “Thanks.”
“No problem,” the other said, setting his toolbox on the floor beside the panel and pulling himself out. “You still having trouble with the repeater in the aft reactor bay?”
“Unless what you just did fixed that one, too,” Tarkosa said.
“Probably not,” the young man said as he maneuvered the access panel back into place. “These things are hooked parallel, but I doubt the circuit extends that far. I’ll try to get to it when I get back from D-One.”
“Why not do it now?” Uliar suggested. “D-One’s all the way over on the far side of the hexagon. Why go all the way there and then have to come all the way back?”
“Because D-One’s also the command ship,” the tech reminded him. “Mon Gals might look like pushovers, but when Captain Pakmillu says he want something fixed, he means now.”
Tarkosa snorted. “What’s he going to do, bust all of us to civilian?”
“Don’t know what he’d do to you,” the tech said drily, “but I’d still like to have a job once you fly off into the wild black. It won’t take long, I promise.”
“We’ll hold you to that,” Uliar said. “You sure we can’t persuade you to come along? You’re light-years ahead of most of our regular techs.”
A muscle twitched in the other’s cheek. “I doubt that, but thanks anyway,” he said. “I’m not ready to leave civilization just yet.”
“You’d better hope civilization doesn’t leave you,” Tarkosa warned. “The way things are going on Coruscant, I wouldn’t bet on it.”
“Maybe,” the tech said, picking up his toolbox. “See you later.”
“Okay,” Uliar said. “Thanks again.”
The other smiled and left the room. “Good man,” Tarkosa commented. “You ever get his name?”
Uliar shook his head. “Dean something, I think. Doesn’t matter—it’s not like we’ll ever see him again after tomorrow.
Okay, that rack of shock capacitors goes next to the negative couplings.“
“The entire system can be run from here,” Captain Pakmillu said, waving a flippered hand around the vast Combined Operations Center. “That means that if there’s an emergency or disaster on any of the ships, countermeasures can be instituted immediately without the need to physically send people to those sites.”
“Impressive,” Obi-Wan said, looking around. Situated just aft of the cross-corridor behind the bridge/monitor room complex, the ComOps Center stretched probably thirty meters aft and filled the entire space between the Dreadnaught’s two main bow corridors. It was currently a hive of activity, with dozens of humans and aliens bustling around and half the access panels and consoles open for last-minute checks or adjustment.
“What’s that thing?” Anakin asked, pointing to a low console two rows over from where they were standing. “It looks like a Podracer control and monitor system.”
“You have sharp eyes, young one,” Pakmillu said, his own large eyes rolling toward the boy. “Yes, it is. We use it to control our fleet of speeders and swoops.”
“You’re joking,” Obi-Wan said, frowning at the console. “You run swoops through these corridors?”
“Outbound Flight is a huge place, Master Kenobi,” Pakmillu reminded him. “While each Dreadnaught is linked by the pylon turbolifts to its neighbors and the core, there’s still a great deal of travel involved where the turbolifts do not go. Speeders are vital for moving crewers back and forth in both emergency and non-emergency situations.”
“Yes, but swoops?” Obi-Wan persisted. “Wouldn’t a more extensive turbolift system have been safer and more efficient?”
“Certainly,” Pakmillu rumbled. “Unfortunately, it would also have been more expensive. The original Dreadnaughts did not include such a system, and the Senate did not wish to pay the costs of retrofitting.”
“These control systems really are pretty good, though,” Anakin assured him. “Some of the Podracers on Tatooine use them when they’re trying out a new course.”
“There aren’t fifty thousand people wandering in and out of a Podracing course where they could be run over,” Obi-Wan pointed out.
“But there are plenty of animals on the courses,” Anakin countered, a little too tartly. “You know, like dewbacks and banthas?”
“Anakin—” Obi-Wan began warningly.
“We have already tried the system, Master Kenobi,” Pakmillu put in quickly. “As Padawan Skywalker said, it works quite well.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Obi-Wan said, eyeing Anakin darkly. The boy had developed a bad habit of disrespect lately, especially in public where he perhaps thought that his master would be reluctant to reprimand him. It was partly his age, Obi-Wan knew, but even so it was unacceptable.
But Anakin also knew just how far he could push it. In response to Obi-Wan’s reproving look, he dropped his gaze, his expression indicating at least outward contrition.
And with that, this particular incident was apparently over. Making a mental note to have yet another talk with the boy the next time they were alone, Obi-Wan turned back to Pakmillu. “I understand you’ll be making a short tour through Republic space before you enter the Unknown Regions.”
“A sort of shakedown cruise, yes,” Pakmillu said. “We must confirm that our equipment is functioning properly before we go beyond reach of repair facilities.”
He stepped to a nearby navigational console and touched a key, and a holo of the galaxy appeared overhead. “From here we go to Lonnaw in Droma sector,” he said, pointing. “After that, we’ll cut through the edge of Glythe sector to Argai in Haldeen sector. Then we’ll travel through Kokash and Mondress sectors, with a final stop possible in Albanin sector if it seems necessary.”
“That’s a lot of stops,” Obi-Wan said.
“Most will just be flybys,” Pakmillu assured him. “We won’t actually stop unless there are problems.”
“What happens then?” Anakin asked.
“If all goes well, three weeks from now we’ll formally enter Unknown Space,” Pakmillu said. “At a point approximately two hundred thirty light-years from the edge of Wild Space we’ll stop for a final navigational calibration”—his mouth tendrils wiggled as he shut down the holo—“and we’ll then begin our journey in earnest. Through the Unknown Regions, and to the next galaxy.”
Anakin whistled softly. “How long before you’ll get back?”
“Several years at least,” Pakmillu told him. “But the storage core has supplies enough for ten years, and we expect to be able to supplement its stores of foodstuffs and water along the way. In addition, our numbers may well diminish if we find hospitable worlds to colonize.”
“You’re not just going to leave people behind in the Unknown Regions, are you?” Anakin asked, frowning.
“If we do, it will be with enough food and equipment to get settled,” Pakmillu assured him. “We would also leave one of the Dreadnaughts behind for defense and transport. As you can see from Outbound Flight’s design, it will be relatively easy to detach a single ship from the rest of the complex.”
Anakin shook his head. “Still sounds dangerous.”
“We are well prepared,” Pakmillu reminded him. “And of course, we have eighteen Jedi aboard. It will be safe.”
“Or at least as safe as one can be anywhere in these times,” Obi-Wan murmured.
“And it will be a glorious adventure, as well,” Pakmillu continued, eyeing Anakin. “A pity you will not be joining us.”
“There are still a lot of things I want to do here,” Anakin said, an unexpected flicker of emotion coloring his voice and sense. He looked sideways at Obi-Wan, and the emotion vanished beneath a more proper Jedi composure. “Besides, I can’t leave my master until my training is complete.”
“With six Jedi Masters aboard you would have several choices of a teacher,” Pakmillu pointed out.
“That’s not really how it works,” Obi-Wan told him. It amazed him sometimes how people who had no idea whatsoever of the inner workings of Jedi methodology nevertheless had equally few qualms about expressing that ignorance. “You said Master C’baoth will be arriving soon?”
“He is in fact here,” C’baoth’s voice boomed from across the room.
Obi-Wan turned. There, just entering the room, were C’baoth and Lorana Jinzler. “This is a surprise, Master Kenobi,” C’baoth continued as he strode casually through the bustle of activity. No one actually had to move to let him pass, Obi-Wan noticed, but there were quite a few near misses. Fortunately, most of the techs were too preoccupied to even notice his passage. Lorana picked her way through the crowd more carefully, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “I thought you’d be on your way back to Sulorine by now.”
“I was relieved of that assignment,” Obi-Wan said. “There’s something I need to discuss with you, Master C’baoth.”
C’baoth nodded. “Certainly. Go ahead.”
Obi-Wan braced himself. Between C’baoth and Anakin, this was likely to be unpleasant. “Anakin and I would like to join the expedition.”
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Anakin turn to him in astonishment. “We would?” the boy asked.
“We would,” Obi-Wan said firmly. “At least to the edge of the galaxy.”
C’baoth’s lip quirked. “So Master Yoda finally concedes that I might indeed find Vergere?”
“Who’s Vergere?” Lorana asked.
“A missing Jedi,” C’baoth said, his eyes still on Obi-Wan’s face. “Master Kenobi tried once to find her and failed.”
“There was nothing in the voyage mandate about a search and rescue mission,” Pakmillu said, his voice suddenly wary.
“That’s because it’s Jedi business, Captain, and none of your concern,” C’baoth told him. “Don’t worry, it won’t interfere with our sch
edule.” He lifted. his eyebrows toward Obi-Wan. “I hope you didn’t ask to come along in the hope of assuaging any feelings of guilt.”
“I didn’t ask to come at all,” Obi-Wan said. “I simply do as the Council directs me.”
“As do we all,” C’baoth said, an edge of irony in his voice as he shifted his eyes to Anakin. “What about you, young Sky-walker? You seem unhappy with this change in your plans.”
Obi-Wan held his breath. There were several reasons he hadn’t told Anakin in advance about Windu’s mandate, not the least of them being the fact that the boy still obviously held C’baoth in high esteem. If he’d told Anakin they were coming to Yaga Minor to keep an eye on the man, he would have pressed for further explanation. It wouldn’t have done to disillusion him with Windu’s concerns about C’baoth’s possible involvement with the Barlok incident.
Fortunately, it was quickly evident that the decision to keep the boy in the dark had been the right one. “I’m not unhappy at all, Master C’baoth,” Anakin said with a clear voice and sense of complete honesty. “I was just surprised. Master Obi-Wan hadn’t told me about it.”
“But you do want to come see the Unknown Regions with me?”
Anakin hesitated. “I don’t want to leave the Republic forever,” he said. “But I was impressed by how you handled things on Barlok, ending the deadlock and all. I think I’d learn a lot just by watching you in your daily activities.”
C’baoth smiled wryly at Obi-Wan. “One thing at least you’ve given the lad, Master Kenobi: a smooth tongue.”
“I would hope I’ve given him more than that,” Obi-Wan said evenly. “Still, he’s right about how much he could learn from you.” He nodded to Lorana. “As I’m sure Padawan Jinzler would agree.”
“Indeed,” C’baoth said. “And it’s Jedi Jinzler now. She was elevated to Jedi Knighthood three weeks ago.”
“Really,” Obi-Wan said, carefully hiding his surprise. From the way she’d been talking on Barlok, he would have guessed that event to be years in the future. “My apologies, Jedi Jinzler, and my congratulations. Do I take it you’ll also be traveling aboard Outbound Flight with Master C’baoth?”