Shadow Academy

5

On Yavin 4 Tenel Ka paced the ramparts of the Great Temple that housed Luke Skywalker’s Jedi academy. As befitted a warrior of Dathomir, she wore scaled armor that shone as if it had just been polished … which it had. Her red-gold hair was caught up in a multitude of ceremonial braids, each decorated with feathers or beads. Her cool gray eyes scanned the leaden skies for any sign of the ship that would bring the dreaded ambassador from her grandmother.

Wind whipped the ornamented braids about her face, and Tenel Ka pushed them away in annoyance. The humid air felt oppressive, charged with menace. Yavin’s dry season had ended.

She sensed an uncomfortable tingling in the depths of her mind that told her something was about to happen, as if lightning were about to strike. She sighed. Her grandmothers messengers and diplomats could be as lethal as lightning….

They were not above killing an enemy, or even a friend, to ensure that the successor to the throne of Hapes was the one they most desired to have in power. It was rumored that her grandmother’s assassins had murdered Tenel Ka’s own uncle, brother to her father, Prince Isolder.

She started in surprise as a raindrop, warm as blood, landed with a splat on her bare arm. Although the air was not cold, she shivered.

Her feelings toward her grandmother were complex: she both admired and despised the older woman. Tenel Ka preferred to dress in the lizard-skin armor of the warrior women of Dathomir, like her mother, rather than in the fine web-silks of the Royal House of the Hapes Cluster.

So far, Tenel Ka had managed to tread a fine line between pleasing and annoying her grandmother. She knew that if she stepped over that line too far, assassins might someday pay her a visit….

A branch of lightning crackled across the ominous sky, followed by a boom of thunder. Atop the temple, Tenel Ka paced like a caged animal, her agitation increasing as she stalked along the edge of the pyramid and wondered why Ambassador Yfra did not come. So great was her turmoil that she didn’t even notice that Luke Skywalker had joined her on the observation deck until he stood directly in front of her.

The Jedi Master placed both of his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. Peace and warmth flowed from him, and Tenel Ka felt herself begin to relax. “There’s a message in the Comm Center for you,” he said quietly. “Would you like me to be present while you speak with the ambassador?”

Tenel Ka could not suppress a shudder of revulsion as she thought of her grandmothers thin-lipped emissary. “Your presence would”—she paused for a moment, searching for words—“honor me, Master Skywalker.”

Tenel Ka stood erect, holding her head high as she faced her grandmother’s ambassador in the Comm Center viewscreen—an image that for all its apparent cruelty still held traces of proud beauty. Ambassador Yfra’s hair and eyes were the color of polished pewter.

“Our meetings on Coruscant took longer than we anticipated, young one,” Yfra was saying in a voice that indicated she was not used to being questioned. “Therefore, our meeting with you must be postponed for two days.”

Tenel Ka gave no outward sign of her discomposure, but her heart sank. Jacen, Jaina, and Lowbacca were due back long before then. She sent a pleading glance to Luke.

The Jedi Master stepped forward and spoke in a soft voice. “Perhaps I could bring the Princess of Hapes to meet with you on Coruscant?” he offered.

Ambassador Yfra smiled in what Tenel Ka knew was meant to be a kindly fashion, but there was no kindness or conciliation in her eyes. “I have specific orders to observe the heir of Hapes in her place of study.”

Tenel Ka opened her mouth to speak, but was spared the necessity when an emergency beacon flashed next to the screen. Luke reacted instantly. “Ambassador Yfra, we have a priority override communication coming in. Please wait,” he said, switching the channel before the ambassador had a chance to reply.

The dark face of Lando Calrissian appeared, his handsome features marred by a worried frown. Confusion haunted his bleary eyes. His hair and clothes were disheveled, and warning sirens whooped in the background.

“Luke, buddy,” he rasped, “I’m not sure exactly what happened. They … fried our security satellites, boarded the station … must’ve stunned us. We’re okay, but—” Lando’s troubled eyes closed and his jaw tightened, “Jacen, Jaina, and Lowbacca are gone. They’ve been kidnapped.”

Luke drew in a deep breath. Tenel Ka guessed he was using a Jedi calming technique, but with less success than usual. His body appeared relaxed, but his clear blue eyes carried a laser-sharp look. One hand was clenched into a fist at his side. “Who did this?” he asked, his voice terse.

Lando shook his head. “We don’t know who has the kids or why, but I’ve got all my best people working on it. It was someone connected with the Empire, though—that’s for sure.”

“I’ll be there within the hour,” Luke said, reaching for the comlink.

“Wait,” Tenel Ka said. “These are my friends. I know how they think. I know what they would do. I cannot cower here while they are in danger. Please. I must go with you.”

Luke nodded. “Your presence would … honor me,” he answered, echoing her earlier words. His eyes went back to Lando’s image. “We’ll be there within the hour,” he amended, then switched back to the ambassador’s comm frequency.

Ambassador Yfra’s mouth was open as if she were prepared to protest such rude treatment, but Luke spoke first. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Ambassador, but an emergency has come up. It requires both my presence and that of the princess. I’m afraid we must postpone any plans to meet with you until this situation is resolved. Please convey our respectful greetings to the Royal House of Hapes.” With a slight bow, he snapped off the comm channel.

Even though she was worried about her friends, a feeling of satisfaction bubbled up within Tenel Ka at the deftness with which Master Skywalker had handled Ambassador Yfra.

Luke looked at Tenel Ka. “I’m sure the ambassador isn’t used to being postponed with so little explanation, but we have more important things to do right now.”

Tenel Ka nodded emphatically. “This is a fact.”

Tenel Ka tried to be impartial and unemotional as Master Skywalker expertly guided the shuttle toward GemDiver Station. She needed to remain unruffled and alert, to search for any clue that might help them recover the three young Jedi—the best friends she’d ever had.

The multicolored lights of the station winked as the docking-bay doors slid open and Luke brought the shuttle in for a landing. At any other time Tenel Ka might have noted her surroundings, the artistry and craftsmanship that had gone into the stations construction—but the moment the shuttle doors opened, she was assailed by a sense of lingering violence and darkness. Of wrongness.

Harried and disheveled, Lando Calrissian met them at the shuttle. Motioning for Luke and Tenel Ka to follow, he led them to the sealed shipping bay where the final struggle had occurred.

Tenel Ka swept the chamber with her eyes, noting the blaster burns on the walls and ceiling of the outer corridor, the congealed rivulets of molten plasteel, the shards of broken metal. Then she watched as Luke sank down on one knee, placed both hands against the floor, and let his eyes flutter closed.

“Yes, it happened here,” he murmured. He took a few deep breaths, then fixed Lando with the piercing blueness of his gaze. “Don’t blame yourself,” he said. “You fought well.”

Lando’s face was filled with regret, and he shook his head. “But it wasn’t enough, buddy. I couldn’t save them.” A note of anger and self-reproach crept into his voice. “I was too busy trying to defend my station—thinking they were pirates come to steal my Corusca gems. I didn’t even realize they were after the kids until it was too late.”

Luke neither condemned nor pardoned Lando, Tenel Ka noticed. He simply listened.

At last Lando spoke again in a quiet voice. “If there’s anything you need to help find them—my station, a ship, a crew … anything at all—”

Lando’s offer of help was cut short by the arrival of his assistant Lobot, whose computer headset flashed with an ever-changing array of lights. “We finished patching the hull breach in lower equipment bay thirty-four,” he said without preamble.

Lando turned to Luke and Tenel Ka, his forehead creasing into an indignant scowl. “They sliced us open like a disposable can of emergency rations.”

The bald cyborg nodded in corroboration. “Their equipment was specially designed to remove a section of hull.”

Lando continued, “The only thing I know of sharp enough to slice through durasteel that quickly is—

“Corusca gems,” Luke finished for him.

“Industrial grade,” Lobot added.

“Right,” Lando said morosely. “They used our own gems against us.”

“Rare and expensive,” Lobot said. “Not just anyone could purchase them.”

Tenel Ka saw Luke’s eyes light with sudden hope. “Can you tell us where your shipments of such gems were sold?”

Lando shrugged. “Like my friend said, industrial-grade gems are fairly rare. We’ve made only two shipments since our operation opened.” He sent a questioning glance at his cyborg assistant.

Lobot pressed a panel on the back of his head and cocked it to one side as if listening to a voice no one else could hear. A moment later he nodded. “Both shipments were sold through our broker on Borgo Prime.”

“Can you find out who he sold them to?” Luke asked.

“I doubt it,” Lando said. “Gem brokers are pretty skittish. They pay a good percentage, but they’re secretive—afraid that if we know who their customers are, we won’t need the middlemen anymore.”

“Then we must go to Borgo Prime and find out ourselves,” Tenel Ka said with fierce determination.

Luke sent her a warm smile, then turned back to Lando. “What is Borgo Prime anyway?”

“An asteroid spaceport and trade center. It’s also a hangout for merchants, thieves, murderers, smugglers … the dregs of the galaxy.” Lando flashed Luke a grin. “A lot like Mos Eisley on Tatooine. You’ll feel right at home.”

Tenel Ka waited in silence as Master Skywalker faced the screen in GemDiver Stations Communications Center.

Han Solo stood with one arm around his wife, Leia, who was supported on the other side by Lowie’s uncle, Chewbacca.

Tenel Ka studied the images on the screen and decided that at this moment Leia Organa Solo looked more like a concerned mother than a powerful politician.

“But Luke, they’re our children,” she was saying. “We can’t simply stand by and do nothing if they’re in danger.”

“Not on your life!” Han said.

“Of course not,” Luke agreed quietly. “But as the New Republic’s chief of state, you can’t afford to put yourself in that same danger. Mobilize your forces. Start an investigation. Send out spies and probe droids. But stay there and act as a central clearinghouse for information.”

“All right, Luke,” Leia said. “We’ll work from Coruscant for now, but once we’ve done everything we can from here, we’ll go looking for them ourselves.”

“I’ll come get you in the Falcon” Han said.

“Give me ten standard days first,” Luke said. “I have a lead I’m going to follow right now before the trail gets cold. We need to get going. We’ll keep you informed of our progress.”

“We?” Han asked. “Is Lando going with you?”

“No,” Luke replied. “The heir of Hapes will honor me with her company,” he said, gesturing to Tenel Ka.

“We are grateful for your assistance,” Leia said formally.

Tenel Ka nodded toward the screen with a brief, stiff bow. “Jacen, Jaina, and Lowbacca have a greater call on me than honor,” she said. “They have my friendship.”

Leia’s face softened. “Then I owe you my gratitude as a mother as well.” Chewbacca rumbled what Tenel Ka could only interpret as an agreement.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find them,” Luke said, his voice filled with urgency. “But we need to leave now.”

Han lifted his chin and smiled at Luke. “Okay, get going, kid.”

Just before the communications link was broken, Leia spoke again. “And may the Force be with you.”