“What’s that, Artoo? Calm down,” Luke said.
“If you would allow me, Master Skywalker,” Em Teedee said, “I was able to parse your astromech droid’s message and could provide a translation for you. I am fluent in over six forms of communic—”
“Thank you, Em Teedee,” Luke Skywalker cut off the little droid’s chatter, “that would be very helpful.”
“Artoo-Detoo reports that—oh dear!—the front of the hangar bay has been hit. Rubble has completely sealed off the entrance. No ships can get in or out. The Shadow Chaser is trapped inside.”
“Hey,” Jacen said after a moment of thought, “Peckhum, what about the Lightning Rod? It’s not sealed in.”
Tenel Ka felt a frown crease her forehead at the thought of Jacen facing an Imperial attack in the rickety old cargo shuttle.
“The Lightning Rod doesn’t have the Shadow Chaser’s quantum armor,” Luke pointed out.
“Too dangerous,” Jaina said.
“Hey, we’re all in danger here,” Jacen said in a low, firm voice. “And we have to get a message out.”
“Sure, we could do it,” old Peckhum said. “I’ve learned some pretty good evasive maneuvers in my day—enough to make it to orbit without gettin’ blown up, I’d guess.”
Just then Lowbacca gave a warning yelp and pointed toward the window slit. Hovering over the jungle in the distance was an ominous-looking construction, a giant weapon-studded tactical platform, like a deadly raft carrying enemy troops.
Tenel Ka felt a stab of recognition. “Tamith Kai is there; I can feel her,” she said.
“It looks like she’s directing the ground battle from up there,” Luke said.
“Then we must disable that battle platform,” Tenel Ka replied without a pause. “I volunteer. The Nightsister is mine.”
Lowbacca barked a comment. “Master Lowbacca wishes to point out that his T-23 is still out near the landing pad. Using the skyhopper, he and Mistress Tenel Ka could easily reach that platform within minutes.”
Luke nodded. “We each have our missions. I’ll do one last sweep of the pyramid to make sure no one was left behind. I’ll see you all out at the rendezvous point in the jungle.”
As the young Jedi Knights raced down the stairs inside the temple, Tenel Ka’s mind already began moving ahead to the coming confrontation. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, and her mind was alert. She had been bred and trained for battle.
Although fighting with only one arm would present her with new challenges, she felt neither afraid nor overconfident. She was simply ready. A Jedi must always be ready, she knew. Master Skywalker and Tionne had trained them all well. Tenel Ka had her lightsaber and her Force skills. Together, she was certain, that was enough for her to defeat any enemy.
By the time they all reached the landing pad, Jaina had already split off from the group, plunging toward the river and the shield generator station. Tenel Ka was surprised to note that the old pilot Peckhum had kept up with them as he and Jacen sprinted toward the battered supply shuttle.
Dodging energy bolts from the TIE fighters that swooped overhead, Tenel Ka and Lowbacca scrambled into the T-23 skyhopper while Peckhum and Jacen boarded the Lightning Rod.
Watching Jacen run up the ramp into the Lightning Rod, Tenel Ka felt a tug at her emotions she could not explain, even to herself. Almost at the same moment, Jacen reappeared and stared at Tenel Ka with a serious expression. His face broke into a grin. “I’ll tell you a joke when we get back—a good one this time.” Then he was gone again.
As Lowie fired up the T-23’s repulsorjets, Tenel Ka answered, though she knew he couldn’t hear her, “Yes, my friend Jacen, I would like to hear your joke. When we all get back.”
7
The Lightning Rod’s engines whined as the ship strained against gravity. Just after liftoff, the battered vessel gave a sharp jolt. Alarm bells went off inside Jacen’s head. “We’re hit!” he cried, not even bothering to check the readouts.
“Naw,” old Peckhum answered. “Lightning Rod’s been doin’ that ever since I switched out the power coupling to the rear repulsorjets. I guess I’ll have to take a look at that again one of these days.”
The knot of panic in Jacen’s stomach eased a little—but only a little. “Maybe Jaina can help you with it later,” he said.
An energy bolt streaked by as a TIE fighter sang past them on its descent toward the Jedi academy. “Hey, that was a close one!” Jacen said.
“Too close,” Peckhum agreed. “Hang on, young Solo—I’m gonna try some evasive maneuvers.”
Lowie focused his full concentration on getting the T-23 to cover. With his peripheral vision he could see other Jedi students dodging fire from TIE fighters as they sprinted for the safety of the trees. When they reached the edge of the forest, the young Wookiee pulled his skyhopper into a sharp climb.
The dense network of leafy branches had always signified protection to Lowie, and he longed for a few peaceful moments in the treetops. But no peace awaited Lowie and Tenel Ka up there. Not this time.
Lowie clenched the steering controls tightly and zigzagged the flight path across the treetops, trying to throw off any pursuers who might be on their track. Today trouble rained down on them from above, and he could flee to no safe height. His best bet lay in remaining among the trees.
An energy bolt spat past the T-23 and sent up a plume of dirt and singed turf behind them. “Let the Force guide you, Lowbacca, my friend,” Tenel Ka said from the passenger seat in back.
Lowie rumbled an acknowledgment and took a deep calming breath. He flew onward, letting the Force control his weaving and dodging. They headed toward the wide, greenish-brown river over which Tenel Ka and Lowbacca had seen the Nightsister’s sinister battle platform. Even from half a kilometer away, they could see lances of laser fire shoot out from the armored vessel, incinerating trees along the banks.
Suddenly, Tenel Ka gave a shout of surprise. “Look. There!”
From the sky above a group of figures descended like swooping birds of prey—human forms, Dark Jedi dropped from the clouds in a dispersed attack pattern, lightsabers flashing as they controlled their direction with repulsorpacks.
A proximity alarm sounded the moment Lowbacca diverted his attention, and a laser cannon blast from a passing TIE fighter struck them. A jet of smoke and sparks spewed from the T-23’s rear engines. The tiny skyhopper shimmied and bucked in the air. With a shriek of shearing metal, one of the attitude-control fins gave way.
“Oh my,” Em Teedee wailed. “I can’t bear to watch.”
Lowie, reacting with the instinct of his Jedi training, wrestled with the controls. Directed by the Force, one of his sharp-clawed hands flew across the control panel, while his free hand guided their descent. Smoke poured into the cockpit, and the skyhopper sputtered and rocked. Without knowing quite how he did it, Lowie cut the rear engines and bled off their momentum into a steep upward climb. Then, letting the little ship fall back toward the treetops, he used one final burst from the repulsorjets to slow their descent—enough, he hoped. The T-23 crashed onto the jungle canopy.
With every breath, Tenel Ka drew fire into her aching lungs. Nearby a Wookiee groaned, but she could not make sense of the growled words. She could see nothing.
“Mistress Tenel Ka!” A strident electronic voice broke into her foggy consciousness. “Master Lowbacca urgently requests your assistance removing the T-23’s canopy.”
Tenel Ka tried to look around. She saw only roiling, changing shapes of light and dark. The shifting patterns stung her eyes, and she squeezed them tightly shut.