CHAPTER FIVE

Luke looked up and smiled as Corran escorted his two nephews into the briefing room.

“Did you see your sister off on the shuttle?”

“She’s on her way.” Jacen, the older one, glanced around the room, always looking to see if anything had changed since the last time he’d been there. “She wishes she had a better assignment.”

“I’m sure she does.” Luke watched Jacen for a moment. Always checking the world, verifying what he could assume, not trusting until he is certain. “Right now, I need her picking up Danni at Commenor, then meeting with your mother and Senator A’Kla.”

Anakin, the younger nephew, toyed with an ancient piece of equipment left in the corner since the time when the Rebels fought the Empire in the skies above Yavin 4. “If Danni had just stayed with our mother on Coruscant, she could have come out with her and not needed Jaina.”

Jacen frowned. “Jaina’s going to help Danni work on her Force skills, that’s why she’s going. They’ll be traveling for a few days with nothing else to do, and Jaina’s a good teacher.”

Luke nodded. “And, after her ordeal, Danni did need time to meet with her family and assure them she was unharmed.” He didn’t know if “unharmed” was accurate; the trauma of capture by the Yuuzhan Vong had to have been severe. Still, Danni Quee had been intelligent and resilient, so Luke felt she’d recover from her ordeal if given the proper support.

Anakin popped the panel off the old transceiver and peered inside. “What is it you have for us to do? Pretty much everyone else has their assignments already. I bet it’s something good.”

Jacen snorted in his brother’s direction, narrowing his brown eyes. “He let the others go first because our assignments are going to be no better than Jaina’s.”

Corran frowned. “How did you get a target lock on that idea?”

Jacen half turned to face the Corellian Jedi. “He won’t play favorites because of his relationship to us, and realistically, we are young. At least, by saving us for last, he saves us some embarrassment.”

Jacen’s words didn’t seem as full of disappointment as they should have, which reinforced a decision Luke had already made concerning assignments. “Anakin.”

The younger boy, blue eyes bright, glanced over at his uncle. “What?”

“I’m going to have you accompany Mara to Dantooine.”

“Huh? What?” Anakin straightened up. His brows furrowed, and just for a second, Luke caught an angry expression that meant trouble whenever he’d seen it on Han Solo’s face. “But I thought I’d be out doing something . . . I thought . . .” The anger that had flashed over his face drained away with his words. “I understand.”

Luke arched an eyebrow at him. “And what is it you understand?”

“You don’t trust me.” Anakin looked down at his dust-smeared fingertips and whispered hoarsely, “You don’t trust me because I killed Chewbacca.”

The mournful tone of the boy’s voice sent a shiver down Luke’s spine. Regret and hurt poured off Anakin, underscoring the turmoil he felt over the Wookiee’s death. Anakin has always wanted to be a hero, has always wanted to redeem his name, and suddenly finds himself drowning in a tragedy.

“There is something you must understand, Anakin, first and foremost: You did not kill Chewbacca.” Luke walked over to his nephew and rested his hands on the boy’s shoulders. Using his thumbs, he tipped the boy’s face up until their gazes met. “The Yuuzhan Vong caused Sernpidal’s moon to come crashing down into the planet, not you. For you to accept blame for Chewbacca’s death absolves them of his murder and the murder of all those you couldn’t save. You can’t do that.”

Anakin swallowed hard. “It sounds logical when you say it, but, in my heart, what I feel . . . What I see in my father’s eyes.”

Luke lowered his face to a level with Anakin’s. “Don’t be reading something into your father’s eyes that isn’t there. He’s a good man, with a good heart. He’d never blame you for Chewie’s death.”

The Jedi Master straightened up again. “Regardless of misunderstanding, I don’t know how you can think I don’t trust you. I am very specifically entrusting to you my wife, the person I hold most dear.”

The boy frowned. “Are you sure it’s not the other way around?”

“Ah, Anakin, do you think Mara would like an assignment baby-sitting an untrustworthy apprentice?”

“Um, no.”

“And do you think she’d give me an earful about it?”

Corran laughed. “An earful would be getting off lightly.”

Anakin smiled a little. “I guess she would, Uncle Luke.”

“I may be adept in the ways of the Force, but there’s no Jedi ability that’ll take the sting out of the sharp side of her tongue.” Luke stepped back and gave Anakin a brave smile. “Mara needs some time to get her illness under control. Dantooine is a world teeming with life, so it’s full of the Force. I want her there to be able to recover, and I want you with her to help her out. If you’ll accept this mission, I’ll be very grateful.”

Anakin hesitated for a moment then nodded. “Thanks for trusting me.”

“I’ve never had any doubts about you, Anakin.” Luke winked at him. “You should go get your things together, then see to gathering the provisions you’ll need on Dantooine.”

“Blasters and lightsabers included?”

Luke nodded. “Lightsabers, of course. Blasters because I think you can use the work concentrating and focusing the Force. Target practice demands that sort of concentration.”

Anakin’s smile broadened. “Besides, Aunt Mara wouldn’t be caught dead without a blaster.”

“Only one?” Corran laughed. “Run heavy on the power packs, Anakin.”

The youth clapped his hands together. “I’ll take good care of her, Uncle Luke, I really will. We’ll come back ready to do whatever we need to beat the Yuuzhan Vong.”

“I’m sure of it.” Luke nodded to his nephew and watched the boy leave the room. He waited until he could sense Anakin’s presence descending in the turbolift, then turned his attention to Jacen. “Do you really think I’ve got some embarrassing duty planned for you?”

“No, Uncle Luke, I’m just afraid I might embarrass you.”

Luke turned and walked toward the table that had been behind him. He gave himself a moment to ponder Jacen’s words. He turned and leaned back against the table. “I suppose this conversation has been coming for a while, hasn’t it?”

“Probably.” Jacen shrugged. “I’ve been thinking since the Yuuzhan Vong arrived, and since all the Jedi were here and talking.”

“Sounds like this is a family talk.” Corran levered himself away from the room’s back wall. “I’ll return later.”

Jacen held a hand up. “No, wait. It is a family matter, but one for the entire Jedi family, not just us.”

Corran looked at Luke. “Luke?”

“Do stay. I suspect more than two perspectives will be useful here.” Luke looked over at his nephew. “What have you been thinking?”

The youth sighed, and a certain amount of relief pulsed off him. “If this sounds harsh, I don’t mean it to be, but I’ve come to realize something pretty fundamental about the Jedi order. We’re all trained to use the Force to allow us to do things to keep the peace and stave off disaster. We do that because we’re following your teaching. You’re following the teaching of your masters, Uncle Luke, but they had to instruct you in those things you needed to defeat the Empire. They did a great job forging you into a weapon, and you even went beyond their training to do things they probably didn’t think you could.”

The Jedi Master nodded. “I can accept that.”

“Okay, the thing of it is that you were shaped as a weapon by Jedi Masters who were part of a tradition that had developed into peacekeepers. I get the feeling, though, that’s not how the Jedi began. I think the Jedi philosophy started as something that strengthened people within. The powers we manifest—I think those are all outgrowths of the internal strengthening, but a lot of those teachings were lost along the way. I mean, I feel the need for something inside.”

With anguish on his face, Jacen looked at his uncle. “I’m not sure being a Jedi Knight is my calling in life. I’d really prefer it if you gave me no assignment at all.”

Luke shifted his shoulders involuntarily as a twitch shot up his spine. “Wow, I’d not expected that.”

Jacen glanced at the floor. “I’m sorry I disappointed you.”

“No, it’s not that.” Luke frowned. “I was going to tell you that what you wanted didn’t matter right now because I need you. And as I was getting ready to say that, I heard Uncle Owen telling me the same thing, right before he died.”

Jacen’s head came up. “Then you understand?”

“Oh, very well.”

“Then you’ll let me seek the answers I need?”

“No.” Luke held his hands up quickly. “I mean, yes, you’ll be able to seek for your answers, but not as a replacement for an assignment. You have to remember that absolutely key to the Jedi philosophy is a respect for all life. For you to go off now means you’d be putting your life ahead of that of others, and that’s not good.”

“But, Uncle Luke, you’ve always put yourself last. You—and Mom and Dad and everyone else—are always being pulled every which way.” He balled his fists and pounded them against his hips. “You don’t have the time to figure out what it is you need to do to develop yourself further in the Force. You’re always distracted.”

Corran scratched at his throat. “You’ve got a point there, Jacen, but you’re assuming that only by going off like a hermit to contemplate the Force and your integration with it are you going to be able to get anywhere. That’s just not true.”

“How do you know, Corran?” Jacen crossed his arms over his chest. “None of the Jedi alive today have had that chance. For all we know, Yoda spent the first three centuries of his life as a hermit. Maybe that’s what we need to do.”

“Or, maybe, Jacen, that’s just one path to get where you want to go.” Corran pointed a finger at Luke. “Your uncle and I differed over paths to becoming a Jedi Knight, but we’re both here. And, sure, there might be distractions out there, but there are lessons learned from doing things and succeeding or failing that aren’t easy to learn from tranquil consideration. You’re right, having time to consider them and their consequences is useful, but I find it hard to concentrate on introspection when folks out there are in trouble.”

Luke nodded in agreement. “Corran’s point is well taken, Jacen. I do understand what you are saying, and I promise you that if you decide that your path is one of introspection, I won’t stand in your way.”

The youth’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “There’s a catch.”

“There is. I really do need you. I’ve saved the most dangerous mission in all this for myself, and I want you with me. Because you’ve dealt with the Yuuzhan Vong before, you have the experience I need. We’re taking Artoo and going back to Belkadan, to see what that Yuuzhan Vong agent was trying to create there. This is a very important mission, and I really do need you with me.”

Corran snorted. “Great, I guess that leaves the aforementioned embarrassing mission for me.”

Jacen glanced at him. “Trade you.”

“No, you won’t.” Luke reached down and clutched the edge of the table. “You wouldn’t like the assignment I’m giving him, and given what you’ve told me, you’re really not suited to it. The Belkadan mission, however, is one you’re perfect for.”

Jacen’s face closed for a second, then he nodded, but stiffly. “I’ll go along with you for now, but I have such mixed feelings. I’m afraid I’ll be no help to anyone.”

“Fair enough.”

The youth bowed his head. “If you will permit me, Uncle Luke, I’ll leave you two to discuss Corran’s mission.”

“No, wait, listen to what you almost asked to do.”

Corran rolled his eyes. “This is going to be worse than I thought.”

Luke laughed. “Okay, so yours is the second most dangerous mission. Out on the Rim there’s a system designated MZX33291 by Imperial surveyors. It has a pulsar in the area that disrupts communications from the only habitable world in the system. The Empire had made the planet off-limits to everyone for reasons that are unclear. There is some evidence that they had xenoarchaeological teams out there, but no trace of what they might have discovered.”

“Okay. You think the Yuuzhan Vong are there?”

“I don’t know.” Luke shrugged. “The University of Agamar uncovered the records concerning the fifth world there, which they’ve named Bimmiel after the Imperial survey team leader. About three months ago they sent a xenoarch survey team out as part of a for-credit course. No one has heard from them, which isn’t wholly unexpected. We were sent word by the university administrators, who thought, if we had Jedi in the area, we could swing by and make sure everything was okay.”

The Corellian smiled. “They think our budget for interstellar travel is bigger than theirs?”

“Something like that. I also think they believe Jedi will be better in the rescuing department than students they might send out.” Luke sighed. “Initial reports from the team indicated the climate had changed from that seen by the Imperial surveyors. The students arrived during the stormy season there. It’s pretty severe.”

Corran nodded. “Bad weather doesn’t sound that dangerous.”

“I want you to take Ganner Rhysode with you. He’ll be your partner.”

The Corellian hissed. “That trade offer still good, Jacen?”

“If it’s any consolation, Corran, Ganner was no more in favor of this pairing than you were when I told him what he’d be doing.” Luke gave his friend a simple smile. “Look, if there is nothing going on out there, then the mission should be simple. You get in, you locate the university’s people and evacuate them.”

“Ganner could do that by himself.”

“He could, but if the Yuuzhan Vong are there, I think he’d be likely to launch into them, and that would leave the folks he came to save in a very bad position. You’re in charge, and he will obey you, albeit rather reluctantly.”

Jacen smiled at Corran. “Besides, Corran, you have to admit that your lacking telekinetic abilities does put you at a bit of a disadvantage.”

“Sure. I can’t move a rock with my mind, but, boy, can I make that rock think it’s been moved.” He sighed. “Ganner is pretty good with TK. Makes sense to include him. And things could have been worse. You could have paired me with Kyp.”

“I’d not be so cruel to either of you.”

“Hey, I’m not that bad.” Corran arched an eyebrow at Luke. “Or are you thinking this is one of those from-a-certain-point-of-view things?”

“See, all that training did pay off.” The Jedi Master nodded. “This is also a chance, Corran, to show Ganner that Kyp’s approach to the Force isn’t the only way to do things.”

“Got it.” Corran smiled. “Well, may the Force be with all of us, I guess.”

“Yes, please.” Luke nodded solemnly. “You know, I like the fact that the Jedi are the galaxy’s first line of defense, but what I’m dreading here is that the Yuuzhan Vong will show us how very weak a line that is.”