CHAPTER THREE

Luke Skywalker stood at the edge of the grove, allowing Yavin 4’s light breeze to tease and snap the corner of the dark cloak that shrouded him. In the circular opening of the grove stood a number of gray plinths, one each serving as memorial for fallen Jedi and students. Gantoris had been the first, then Nichos Marr, Cray Mingla, and Dorsk 81. Others had followed them, and now the latest was Miko Reglia.

Luke felt conflicting emotions tear at him as he studied the memorials. He felt great pride in the sacrifices these Jedi had made. Even half-trained, they had accepted the responsibilities of Jedi and had acquitted themselves admirably. They were welcome examples to the new students about how difficult it could be to be a Jedi.

Regret also gnawed at him. I would not be human if I did not wonder if I could have done something to prevent their deaths. The early days of the Jedi academy had been difficult because he was still finding his way as a Jedi and a teacher. His experience of going over to the dark side when the Emperor returned had also blinded him to some of the things his students needed. While he acknowledged that he may have taken on students a bit prematurely, to have failed to do so would have meant there would be even fewer of them to face the Yuuzhan Vong invasion.

“We’re not going to be putting one of those memorials there for Mara, you know.”

Luke raised his head and felt the hint of a smile touch his lips. He glanced back at the dark-haired Jedi Knight in green robes behind him. “That isn’t what I was thinking, Corran.”

Corran Horn shrugged. “Maybe not at the moment, but it had to be lurking there somewhere. Pops for me every time I look at the place, since I heard … But there won’t be a marker for her there.”

Luke arched an eyebrow at him. “That could be taken two ways, you know. One suggests this disease won’t kill her. The other suggests there won’t be any Jedi around to plant the marker.”

The green-eyed Jedi nodded, then scratched at his beard—which had been brown once, but now was shot through with white. “I’m betting on the former, though I know there are lots of folks in the New Republic that wouldn’t shed a tear about the second case.”

“Unfortunately true.” Luke sighed and glanced at the markers again. “They were all so young.”

“Ah, Luke, compared to us, everyone is young.” Corran smiled easily. “Measured by life events, you should be, what, about a thousand years old?”

“Being married to Mara has slowed that process, I think.”

“Yeah, but the years she put on you before you two finally got together still count.” Corran jerked a thumb back over his shoulder. “Before we get any older, I thought you’d want to know they’re all here. The last shuttle came in ten minutes ago or so. Kyp Durron was on it. He made a grand entrance, as always.”

Luke shook his head slowly. “I don’t doubt he made an entrance, but your ‘as always’ comment was unwarranted.”

Corran raised his hands. “Perhaps it was, but his arrival excited a lot of the younger Jedi Knights and apprentices.”

“Including your son?”

The Corellian hesitated, then bowed his head. “Valin was certainly among those who were impressed, but I’m more worried about the cadre of young Jedi Knights who are looking at Miko as a martyr. Too many seem to want to take his place. Ganner Rhysode and Wurth Skidder were right there with Kyp, as were a number of the other bright young Jedi. If not for Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin holding themselves back, I’d have thought everyone would have swarmed Kyp with greetings.”

The Jedi Master exhaled his anxiety in a long, slow, calming breath. “I know your concerns, and you’re not alone in expressing them. Kam and Tionne have worries about the academy. Teaching the children here as a group has been good. Opening the older apprentices up to mentoring experiences with other Jedi Knights has sharpened their skills immeasurably. Of course, that does mean that some of the Jedi Knights who are taken with Kyp’s proactive view of the order do end up instructing our senior apprentices.”

“I’m not arguing the methods, Master Skywalker, and I see the risks inherent in them.” Corran sighed. “What worries me is that Kyp is clearly aware of the political storms his actions are creating, but he just ignores them. We’ve discussed this before, all of us, but the problem has really become acute because of Skidder’s actions at Rhommamool.”

“I know. This is the primary reason I recalled everyone here.” Luke noticed a smirk tug at the corner of Corran’s mouth. “And, yes, I know that issuing a recall lets everyone know who is in charge. I may not have been raised on Corellia where that sort of stuff comes naturally, but I am aware of it.”

“Good. And you know Kyp’s choosing to be the last to arrive means he fought you to the last.”

“Yes, caught that.” Luke turned from the grove and waved a hand toward the Great Temple. “Shall we?”

Corran nodded and started off, with Luke catching up easily enough. He watched Corran for a moment, then smiled. When Corran had first come to the academy, to train as a Jedi to save his wife, Mirax Terrik, he’d been willful and arrogant—all the things Luke expected out of a fighter pilot and law enforcement officer. And a Corellian. Through the process of learning what it was to become a Jedi, however, Corran had matured and changed. While it wasn’t until the peace with the Empire some six years earlier that Corran resigned from Rogue Squadron to become a full-time Jedi, the Jedi philosophy and demands had become fully integrated into his life.

Oddly enough, while Corran had let go of his arrogance, Kyp and others were being dangerously misguided by their pride in being Jedi. Luke easily recognized how it could happen. When one was attuned to the Force, life and reality became rendered much more sharply. Options others could not see or fathom became painfully clear. While when solving a problem Luke and other Jedi took care to explain what they were doing and why, Kyp and his followers tended just to act, confident that they knew the best solution for whatever problem it was they were facing.

Luke didn’t doubt that the Jedi probably did find the best solution available in most situations, but the consequences of that solution might be hard for others to take. Ultimately it would be others who had to live with those results, not the Jedi who caused them, and resentment at high-handed Jedi actions was really inevitable.

The Jedi Master reached out and rested his left hand on Corran’s shoulder. “Before we get into the meeting, I do want to thank you for stepping in and helping here since Mara became ill.”

“My pleasure. I get to see Valin and Jysella. She’s spent more of her life here, at the academy, than with her mother and me. I do want to maintain ties.”

Luke gave Corran’s shoulder a squeeze. “In the old days, all potential Jedi were taken from their families as children to be trained. I can’t imagine it was easy even then, though. There’s so much we don’t know …”

“True, but we can’t allow ourselves to think what you’ve created here is wrong or bad or that the old Council wouldn’t approve. After all, Obi-Wan and Yoda still did take you on. Training an older Jedi isn’t impossible, just more difficult.” Corran shot his Master a sidelong glance. “And despite my early differences with you over training, I do think you’ve done a superb job. We have a hundred Jedi traveling the galaxy, and more ready to serve each year. It’s quite an accomplishment.”

“It will be if we are allowed to go forward.” Luke followed Corran into the turbolift. “Leia’s report on the climate on Coruscant was not good. I was there only a short time ago, and the senate has soured decidedly because of Rhommamool. This may not be the best time to propose a new Jedi council.”

“The hand’s been dealt. We have to play it and hope the flux won’t get us.” The turbolift door opened, and Corran hung back so Luke could emerge first. “Your students await, Master.”

Luke strode from the turbolift and felt his heart swell in his chest. The Jedi had been arrayed in ranks in the Great Temple’s Grand Audience Chamber. They were neither as numerous nor as colorful as the Rebel soldiers who had similarly been gathered after the Death Star had been destroyed, but Luke still felt the return of the same giddy emotions he’d known then. Just seeing the Jedi there—good mix of humans and nonhumans, male and female—peeled back the years and reminded him of the heroic efforts that had been necessary to stave off the Empire.

He paced down the red carpet that split the hall lengthwise and slowly mounted the steps to the dais at the far end. He nodded to Kam Solusar and Tionne, the academy’s husband and wife administrators, then turned and caught sight of Corran slipping into place in the rank behind his son. The younger students had been positioned closest to the dais, with Jedi Knights and their apprentices arraying themselves back through the hall, grouped by their own choice.

If those on the left side have aligned themselves with Kyp, then the division is more marked than I thought. The left side of the room held nearly two-thirds of the adult Jedi and half of the nonhumans. On the right side, along with Corran, Luke recognized Streen and several others who had staunchly opposed Kyp’s stance. The Jedi Master sensed no hatred flowing between the groups, but the level of tension in the chamber was slowly increasing.

He noticed that Jacen stood alone, aloof, in the backmost rank. Though the boy stood on Kyp’s side of the room, Luke felt no connection between his nephew and Kyp’s faction. Anakin, on the other hand, stood three places away from Streen and, while subdued, had a fierce loyalty to Luke burning deep inside him.

Luke made himself smile at the younger students. “I am glad to see you all here. Your bright, shining faces are lit with the Force. You all work hard, and someday, you young Jedi will stand here with us as Jedi Knights. I look forward to that day, and I know you do, too.”

“We can be out fighting the bad guys,” a young Twi’lek piped.

The innocently enthusiastic comment brought smiles to many faces, Luke’s included. “Yes, that will be it. However, for now, I would ask Tionne to take you away to continue your studies. There are things I need to discuss with the others that you need not know about at the moment. Thank you for greeting all of us, and may the Force be with you.”

The children marched out in even rows, with the eldest helping conduct the youngest out and down the stairs. The adult ranks broke as people closed in on the dais, though the left and right division remained. Kyp worked his way toward the front of the pack, placing him opposite Corran and Streen. Expectations of a confrontation filled the air.

Luke held a hand out, palm down. “We face two very grave problems. Either one of them could destroy the Jedi. Together, they most certainly will unless we put aside any differences and work together. Kyp, perhaps you would share what you know of the Yuuzhan Vong.”

The request clearly surprised the dark-haired Jedi. Kyp had come to the Jedi academy as a gangling youth of sixteen. At thirty-two he had grown into a strong, slender man with sharp features and angry eyes. He had been the first among the Jedi to encounter the Yuuzhan Vong, and his escape from their clutches spoke volumes about his skill as a pilot and with the Force.

“As you wish it, my Master.” Kyp’s low voice filled the hall. “My Avengers and I were ambushed by these Yuuzhan Vong. They fly living ships, made of something like coral. The ships can collapse the shields on an X-wing, or cause laser shots to be sucked into a small black hole. We can kill them, of course, but it is not easy. They wiped out my Avengers, capturing and later killing Miko. I barely escaped with my life.”

“What was the most important thing you learned about the Yuuzhan Vong?”

The younger man frowned. “I don’t understand the question.”

“You said you were ambushed by the Yuuzhan Vong. How is it that a Jedi Knight is ambushed?”

“They looked like rocks in their fighters—pieces of asteroids, really …” Kyp’s voice trailed off as his face closed. “I registered no hostile intent from them. I didn’t even sense them through the Force.”

His admission started conversation buzzing through the room. Luke let it go, permitting the surprise and anxiety to replace the sense of impending confrontation before he spoke. “Yes, exactly. I engaged the Yuuzhan Vong, as well, and could not sense them in the Force. They seem disconnected or shielded from it.”

Streen, the old Bespin miner, frowned. “If they are not connected with the Force, how can they be alive?”

“That’s an excellent question, Streen. I have no answer for you. I just don’t know.” Luke folded his arms across his chest. “The New Republic is of the opinion that the Yuuzhan Vong threat has been eliminated, but I believe they have come from outside our galaxy, and therefore, all we’ve dealt with so far is a strong probe. They will continue to come.”

Kyp snorted. “Once again the New Republic remains blind to a threat, leaving us to deal with it.”

Corran narrowed his eyes. “But this is a threat we may not be able to handle without help from the New Republic. If we say we can handle the problem and they’re right, that none exists, then we look to be fools. If it does exist, and we fail, that could be the end of the order.”

“We won’t fail.” Kyp looked around, and numerous heads bobbed in agreement with his statement. “With the Force as our ally and lightsabers as our tools, we’ll destroy the Yuuzhan Vong.”

Jacen Solo stepped forward, coming down along the carpet. “Listen to yourself, Kyp, and think about what you’re saying. The Yuuzhan Vong are camouflaged against the senses we rely on. They’ve got armor and weapons that a lightsaber can’t cut instantly, and they’re trained warriors. More importantly, if Master Skywalker’s thinking is correct, they will be coming in numbers suitable for conquering a galaxy. Even if each of us stands against a thousand of them, we will be too few.”

Kyp’s head came up. “Then what do you suggest, Jacen?”

Before his nephew could answer, Luke raised a hand to stop the discussion. “Our situation is this: We’ve got a foe who is able to blindside us coming forward in unknown numbers, at unknown sites, for reasons unknown, and a galactic government that has decided to do nothing about it. That government also does not trust us. I think, no matter which way this turns out, we will be in for a lot of blame.”

“All the more reason we shouldn’t care what the government thinks.” Wurth Skidder tucked his thumbs in his belt. “They’re clearly not interested in what’s best for the galaxy.”

“Meaning we are?” Streen fixed the younger Jedi with a hard stare. “That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?”

“What he is saying, Streen, is that disaster has struck the galaxy whenever the Jedi order has been weakened.” Kyp pointed a hand toward Luke. “If we will be blamed for what happens, I would rather be blamed for being zealous in attacking this problem, than timid in waiting for developments.”

Luke closed his eyes for a moment and studied the danger in Kyp’s comment. The Jedi Knights were always meant to be defenders of peace, but Kyp encouraged offensive action, proactive and preemptive strikes. He’d called his squadron the Dozen-and-Two Avengers, instead of something more suitable like the Defenders. Now he spoke of attacking the problem. To some it might be word games, but the words he uses to express his ideas and communicate them to others show me how close to the edge he is.

The closeness to the edge did not surprise Luke, for he’d seen it develop in Kyp over the years. While still an apprentice, Kyp had been influenced by the spirit of a dead Sith Lord. He’d stolen a superweapon and destroyed the planet Carida, killing billions. Kyp had worked tirelessly to atone for what he had done, but had chosen more difficult and visible campaigns as time went on, so more people could see that he was making amends. This invasion must seem to Kyp as a grand crusade through which he can win the acceptance of even his most harsh critics.

Luke opened his eyes again, then took a step down toward the crowd of Jedi before him. “It is premature to speak of any attacking of the Yuuzhan Vong. Jacen is right—we cannot stand against them alone. Our job, right now, is to prepare for the worst and to learn as much about the Yuuzhan Vong as we can. We have to have good and useful data the New Republic can use to plan a defense or an offense. Our role here is as guardians, and our skills can allow us to scout out this threat. Once we have good intelligence about the Yuuzhan Vong, then we can plan what we will do.”

He looked around at the Jedi Knights arrayed there: male, female, human, and nonhuman. “Over the next week or so I will give you assignments. I will be sending you into dangers I cannot even guess at knowing. I hope all of you will return unhurt, but I know that will not happen. While the outside world may be divided about us, we cannot afford to be divided against ourselves. If we do not stand together, we will be torn apart, and with us will fall our galaxy.”