but he wouldn't take it.
"I won't play your games," Jaina insisted.
"We do not play at the Shadow Academy ," Brakiss said. "But we do
practice. Important training for a Jedi."
"Fighting stupid holographic monsters? I won't do it anymore. I've done too
much for you already. You may as well just take us home, because we'll never
serve your Shadow Academy ."
Brakiss spread his hands. "Ah, but you're getting so good with the
lightsaber," he said, as if reasoning with a recalcitrant child. "Try it one
more time. I'll give you a worthy opponent, someone a bit more challenging
to fight."
"Why should I?" Jaina said. "I don't owe you anything. I want to see my
brother. I want to see Lowie."
"You will see them soon enough."
"I won't fight unless you promise I can see them."
Brakiss sighed. "Very well. I promise to let you see each other again,
during classes. But only" - he held up one finger - "if you agree not to
cause more disturbances."
Jaina pressed her mouth into a grim line. For now, this was the best she
could hope to accomplish. "Agreed."
Then Brakiss said, his tone disturbingly encouraging, "Think of it this way
- the more training you undergo, the better chance you'll have if ever you
fight against me. Consider it . . . training for your eventual escape,
hmmm?"
She found the calm smile maddening on his smooth, handsome face.
"There will be another change in our session this morning. As you fight, you
will be shrouded in a holographic disguise. It will not hinder your
movements, but you may find it a bit distracting. You must learn to fight
wearing this three-dimensional mask: for the good of the Empire, we may
occasionally need to deploy our Dark Jedi in disguise."
Jaina held the lightsaber in front of her. "All right, I'll fight this one
training session - then you have to let me see my brother and Lowie."
"That was our agreement," Brakiss answered. "I'll go arrange it now.
Meanwhile, good luck." He slipped back out the doorway, and it sealed shut.
Shadows wrap themselves around her - not enough to blind her, just a blur.
She realized it must be the holographic costume. On the other side of the
room an imaginary wooden door groaned open, and Jaina rolled her eyes. Just
a corny illusion, as everything else had been. Jaina was not amused. Her
only challenge was trying to figure out how the equipment on the station
worked. Someday she would foil the Shadow Academy , bring its
systems crashing down- For now, she would play along with Brakiss, and
eventually she would find a way to turn the head teacher's schemes against
him.
Her new opponent stepped out of the barred dungeon doorway-a tall, looming
figure wrapped completely in black. The black plasteel mask echoed and
hissed as Darth Vader breathed through his respirator. Startled, she caught
her breath, instinctively flicking on her lightsaber. Brakiss wasn't playing
fair! This went beyond any of the other illusions he had sent against her
before. Darth Vader had been killed before the twins were even born, but the
Dark Lord of the Sith had been her grandfather; she knew all about him.
Vader's lightsaber was a deep pulsing red, like fresh blood, glowing with
light from within. Jaina felt both anger and dismay rise within her, and she
stepped forward to confront him. Her holographic costume swirled around her,
but she didn't let it distract her. Jaina hated the evil acts Darth Vader
had performed during his alliance with the Emperor, but she also loved the
idea of what her grandfather Anakin Skywalker could have been, the good man
he had become in his last moments when he turned against the Emperor and
ended his reign of terror.
Whether it was her own fear or something deeper, Jaina sensed a great
uneasiness in the training chamber, a pulsating dread that slowed her
movements. Darth Vader took advantage of her shocked hesitation. He came
toward her, scarlet lightsaber sizzling. His breathing echoed all around
her. Vader slashed with the weapon, and Jaina countered with her own beam,
producing a shower of sparks as the energy blades crossed and struck. They
struck again and again. Thrusting. Parrying. Attacking. Defending.
Jaina swung, trying to land a blow on Darth Vader's chest armor, but the
Dark Lord brought his own beam up to crash against hers. She backed away as
he attacked with greater strength, slashing, striking with his lightsaber.
The shrieks of electrical discharge nearly deafened her. But as Jaina began
to falter, she pretended Vader was Brakiss or Tamith Kai - the ones who had
kidnapped her and brought all of them to this school of darkness - and was
able to defend herself with renewed strength, this time pushing Vader back.
They clashed, but Darth Vader seemed to draw strength from Jaina's fury.
They fought on for a long time, neither gaining the upper hand. Jaina lost
track of how many minutes or hours passed.
They stood with lightsabers crossed and electric arcs flying around them,
pressing against each other, straining with all their might. But Vader could
not defeat her, and she could not defeat him. They were equally matched. She
gritted her teeth and strained, her breathing heavy, her lungs burning cold.
She gasped, but would not let up. Vader also did not stop.
"Enough!" Brakiss's voice came over the intercom.
The training room's holographic simulation faded, leaving her standing in
the flat gray room, her lightsaber still crossed with her opponent's. Only
now she could see who her adversary really was.
Jacen.
In the control room, looking down at the displayed images from the
simulation chamber, Brakiss tapped his fingers together. With great
pleasure, he watched the twins battle each other. Wearing his dark Imperial
uniform, Qorl stood beside him, observing the activity. The monitor showed
none of the holographic disguises, just the twins fighting, battling to the
death-and not even knowing it! Their lightsabers crossed and locked, neither
twin overpowering the other.
Qorl remained silent for a long moment, fidgeting with restrained anxiety
Finally he said, "Isn't this dangerous, Brakiss? With one slip, those
children could kill each other. You would lose two of your best trainees at
the Shadow Academy ."
"I doubt I'll lose them , Brakiss said, dismissing the thought with a wave.
"But if one kills the other, then we will know which is the stronger
fighter. That is the one we must concentrate our training on."
"But what a waste," Qorl said. "Why would you do this? What is the point?"
Brakiss turned to the old TIE pilot, allowing just a trace of anger to show
on his perfect face. "The point is to obtain and develop the strongest
fighters for the Empire. The most talented Dark Jedi."
"No matter what the cost?" Qorl said.
"Cost is of no consequence," Brakiss replied. "These young twins are simply
tools to be used as you are, as we all are."
Qorl frowned and watched the continuing battle. "Are you saying the twins
are expendable?"
"They are ingredients . . . components to be installed in a great machine.
If they do not meet our stringent testing requirements, they are no good to
us.
"But perhaps you're right," Brakiss said, finally conceding. "They have both
fought well and demonstrated their skills with the lightsaber. Now to make a
real impact on them." He turned on the comm. "Enough!" he said, and disabled
the holographic disguise generator.
The twins cried out, then sprang apart, astonished to discover they'd been
fighting each other.
After a few moments Brakiss switched off the intercom, not wanting to listen
to the children's outraged cries anymore. He shrugged and smiled at Qorl. "I
did promise to let her see her brother. I don't know why she should be so
upset."
Qorl turned away and walked toward the exit, so Brakiss would not see the
depth of his uncertainty. The harsh treatment of Jacen and Jaina disturbed
him, affecting him against his wishes.
"Their training is coming along quite nicely," Brakiss said as Qorl reached
the door. "I am pleased with their progress. They will become great Dark
Jedi in our service."
Qorl made a noncommittal reply as he slipped out and closed the door behind
him.
* 17 *
Tenel Ka and Luke rode astride a young rancor that had not yet been marked
to show ownership by any particular clan.
The night air was warm and still heavy with moisture from the unnatural
storm Vonnda Ra and her student Vilas had called up. Dathomir's two moons
floated in and out of wispy clouds, shedding a diffuse pearly light on their
path. Tenel Ka sat in front of Luke on the whuffa-hide saddle, guiding the
rancor steadily in the direction of the Great Canyon . She was a
good rider, and she knew it. She had to admit that it felt good to
demonstrate to Master Skywalker that she was an expert at something.
A light breeze rustled the leaves of the low bushes around them, so that
when Luke leaned forward to whisper in her ear, Tenel Ka hardly heard him at
first. "I had to kill a rancor once," he said. "It was a shame-they're such
fine creatures."
"Even so," Tenel Ka answered, "they are dangerous to those who are not their
friends."
Luke was silent for a while. "I've fought many battles," he said at last,
"and yes, I have had to kill. But I've learned from the light side of the
Force that it's better to do everything in my power first to . . . turn a
situation-"
"But surely," Tenel Ka interrupted, "a Nightsister - or anyone else seduced
by the dark side, would not hesitate to kill you."
"Exactly!" Luke's soft exclamation took her by surprise. "Now you begin to
understand," he said. "Those who use the light side do not believe the same
things as those who use the dark side. But we can only demonstrate our
differences by acting on our beliefs. Otherwise . . . we're not so different
after all."
"Ah. Aha," Tenel Ka said. "Just as I struggle to show that I am different
from my grandmother on Hapes.'' Her voice trailed off. "Yes, I see now.''
In spite of the darkness, their surefooted rancor picked its way steadily
down the steep path that led to the floor of the Great Canyon .
During their descent, they spotted a cluster of more than a dozen campfires,
and knew that they had found the Nightsisters' encampment.
By the time they reached the canyon floor, both Luke and Tenel Ka were sore
and aching and weary. The air was cool, with a light mist hovering close to
the ground, and they were both glad of the warm cloaks that Augwynne had
pressed on them during their rushed preparations for departure. She had
given them each a change of clothes appropriate to their cover story, along
with a bag of provisions. Then she had hugged Tenel Ka fiercely. "Daughter
of my daughter's daughter," she said, "go in safety. The thoughts of the
Singing Mountain Clan are with you." She turned to Luke. "And may the Force
be with you."
Augwynne had released Tenel Ka and spoke again to her. "I am proud of what
you do for your friends. You are a true warrior woman of our clan. Always
remember our most sacred rule from the Book of Laws: 'Never concede to
evil."'
Now, as they drew closer to that evil, Tenel Ka shivered and pulled her
cloak more tightly about her. She wondered if they would find Lowbacca,
Jacen, and Jaina at the camp of the Nightsisters, or if that would only be
an intermediate step in their search. Could the Nightsisters be training
them in the dark ways of the Force? Tenel Ka let her eyes drift shut and
cast about with her mind, but she sensed no trace of her three friends.
As if understanding the direction of her thoughts, Luke leaned forward
again. "If we don't find them here, the Force will guide us. We are close .
. . I feel it."
An ululating cry rang out from the canyon rocks above them. Tenel Ka started
in surprise. "A scout sounding the alarm," she said, irritated with herself
for having been caught off guard.
"Good," Luke replied. "Then they know we're here."
Tenel Ka hesitated at first, uncertain of whether it was safe to continue,
and then urged the young rancor forward. She looked up at the sky, which had
lightened from black to predawn grayness, reminding her again of how much
time had passed since her friends had been captured. Rounding the next bend
in the trail, the rancor came to an abrupt stop. Tenel Ka looked at the path
ahead of her and saw that their way was blocked by three full-grown rancors,
each bearing a rider, dressed much as Vonnda Ra and Vilas had been earlier
that evening. The pressure of Luke's hand at her waist was a warning, but
she already knew. Even in the dimness she could see that each of the riders
held an Imperial blaster aimed directly at them.
Tenel Ka had been raised to take command, and though she rarely exercised
that power, it did come naturally. She sat up straighter in the saddle and
held one arm high. "Sisters and brothers of the Great Canyon Clan," she
said, "we have heard your message as far away as the Misty Falls Clan and
have traveled here to join you. We are not without skill in the Force, and
we wish to learn your ways, to use all of the Force and to become strong!''
Leaving the rancors at the well-provisioned stockade, Tenel Ka and Luke
followed the guards toward the center of camp. She was surprised to see two
Imperial AT-ST scout walkers clanking like mechanical birds around the
perimeter on guard duty, near the penned rancors. Passing between boldly
colored tents made of water-repellent lizard hides, Tenel Ka noted roughly
ten women and at least as many men going about their early-morning business
in eerie silence, as if the warm ground mists swirling up to their knees
muffled all sound. She saw no children at all in the encampment, heard no
babies cries, no sounds of young ones playing. In fact, she saw very few in
the Great Canyon Clan who were even as young as she was.
Though she had known what to expect, it amazed Tenel Ka that men came and
went here as freely as the women, apparently slaves to no one. She wondered<
br />
if it really was possible on Dathomir that these men and women now thought
of each other as equals.
At the center of camp, they came at last to an enormous patchwork pavilion
that floated on the mist like a barbaric island made of furs and lizard
hides sewn together. It was held up at the center and the corners by spears,
three meters long and as thick around as Tenel Ka's wrists.
One of the Nightsisters raised a tent flap and motioned them inside. They
entered, but the Sister did not follow. The flap dropped shut behind them,
sealing out the wraithlike mists and the morning light. Waiting for her eyes
to adjust, Tenel Ka tried to sense her friends; she still found no trace,
but the light touch of Master Skywalker's hand on her arm reassured her.
At the center of the tent a tiny pinpoint of light suddenly flared into a
bright flame, and Tenel Ka saw that it came from an oil lamp fashioned out
of the inverted skull of a mountain lizard. Beside the lamp, on a wide
platform covered with furs and cushions made from the hides of a variety of
wild beasts, an imposing woman reclined in a massive chair made from a
stuffed rancor head. The woman beckoned them forward into the flickering
circle of light.
Without so much as a greeting, Vonnda Ra asked, "What is your business
here?"
Tenel Ka, who had recognized the dark-haired woman instantly, said, "I have
come to join the Nightsisters, and I have brought my slave with me."
"What have you to offer us?" Vonnda Ra looked mildly interested, but not
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