Darkest Knight

22

In the aftermath of the devastating attack on the Wookiee computer fabrication facility, Jaina knew they could not afford to wait. Too much was at risk—and right now.

While the New Republic forces sent a few nearby ships filled with a complement of engineers and soldiers to help in reparation activities, Jaina and Lowie worked tirelessly with Chewbacca to complete repairs to the Shadow Chaser. The tall Wookiee still limped on his sore leg, but his injuries had mostly healed, and he didn’t let a little stiffness slow him down.

Inside the crowded power-supply bulkhead of the Shadow Chaser, Jaina, the smallest of the workers, crammed herself deep into the tightest spaces, hooking up power leads and disconnecting diagnostics. All the replacement parts had been ready even before the Imperial attack on Kashyyyk, but now the sleek vessel needed to be reassembled.

“Power it up before I crawl back out of here,” Jaina said. “All the circuits are grounded and shielded, but I want to make sure everything checks out before I fight my way into open air again.”

Lowie grunted and flicked a power switch. He and Chewbacca simultaneously roared an affirmative.

Jaina heaved a sigh of relief. “Well, I’m glad the ship’s functioning again,” she said. “We have to get out of here and back to Yavin 4 before the attack comes. We need to be ready for the Shadow Academy.” She swallowed. “We’ve all been training a long time for this.”

Lowie roared in agreement, though he and Chewbacca and Sirra seemed somewhat saddened. Sirra growled a series of notes, and Em Teedee said, “Mistress Sirrakuk says that she will stay to help her people clean up and make repairs, but she understands that her brother Lowbacca must return to fight with the other Jedi. There are many Wookiees who can assist here on Kashyyyk, but there aren’t many other Jedi Knights … and she is exceedingly proud that her brother is one of them.”

Lowie rumbled his appreciation.

Em Teedee added, as an aside, “I do believe she’s quite pleased with him.”

Sirra patted her big brother on his hairy shoulder, then proudly ran one hand over her glossy new belt, woven from the strands of fiber she had harvested from the syren plant. Jaina knew that Sirra’s personal opportunities were now wide open, possibilities for her life that had always been there … but that she would now be better able to take advantage of.

Jacen rushed aboard the Shadow Chaser carrying the small cage with his pet Ion and her babies. He cooed reassurances to the furry rodents.

Tenel Ka accompanied him, looking confident in her freshly polished reptilian armor. She had reworked all of her braids meticulously, brushing her hair out and plaiting it using the new one-handed technique Anakin Solo had developed for her. “We are prepared to depart,” she said. “And we are ready to fight as true Jedi Knights.”

Lowie roared with enthusiasm. Sirra embraced her big brother, and then each of the young Jedi Knights.

Chewbacca limped up the ramp and strapped himself into the Shadow Chaser’s pilot seat. Lowie slid into the seat behind his uncle, flipping on the controls and powering up the various subsystems. The two Wookiees barked a preflight checklist back and forth.

Sirrakuk slipped back out of the sleek ship and stood watching as the craft prepared to depart. Within moments the Shadow Chaser rose up on its repulsorlifts, bearing its message of warning to Luke Skywalker and his Jedi academy.

“We’ve just sent the alert to Yavin 4, but now we have to go,” Jaina told her brother. “Uncle Luke is back from his scouting mission with Dad—but the Jedi academy is still in danger.”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Jacen agreed.

He held the small cage in his lap, still whispering soothing words. Tenel Ka sat beside Jacen, eager to go. She brushed her fingers over the weapons at her belt, anticipating the fight to come.

Chewbacca yowled a brief order to prepare for acceleration, then the Shadow Chaser leaped skyward. A few minutes later, they catapulted into hyperspace and left Kashyyyk behind.

They raced back to Yavin 4 at full speed, knowing they had to prepare for the greatest challenge of their lives.

The Shadow Academy was coming.