Fate Of The Jedi: Ascension Part 20

Saba sissed. "Trust me, Master Skywalker. They have no wish to set foot outside the Temple-nor to let anyone in-for quite some time yet."

"Also, they can serve even so," he said. "They can be watchful of the Temple, and make sure that it is not violated. It is our home, even if we can no longer live here. For now, to emphasize our unity, the Jedi should leave together, but I would not deny any Jedi entrance to our own Temple. Infact, Tesar and Wilyem and any others staying behind could do me two favors, if they wouldn't mind."

Saba c.o.c.ked her head. "That dependz on the nature of the favorz."

"One-remove the guard-grates from the water supply mains." He gave her a quick smile. "Every slicer knows you need to leave a backdoor."

Saba sa.s.sed. "This is truth," she said. "And the second?"

Luke sobered. "Ask them to undertake guardianship of the Temple. Protect it."

Saba considered for a moment. "Yes," she said finally. "That would not interfere with their ... other activities. And if they are permitted to be undisturbed, this one will accompany the other Jedi."

"Please give them my thanks," he said. "Are we in agreement with all that I have presented?"

They considered, then all nodded. Luke could sense that they were grateful to again feel part of a group being led, rather than dictated to. "Good. We'll return to some of the details of those decisions in a moment. They are, of necessity, to be made public. What I have to say next-will be for your ears only."

Vestara was silent, following Ben and Jaina through the Temple as they approached the library. Most of what she had seen so far was turbolifts and corridors. Jaina had wanted to see Natua first thing, to thank her for her hard work, and had told Ben that he and Vestara were free to explore the Temple on their own after that.

After a few moments, Ben broke the uncomfortable silence. "So what do you think?"

She turned to him. "It's ... quite large."

"Jedi have been on Coruscant for a very long time," Ben reminded her.

"Sith have been on Kesh for a very long time as well, and yet our Temple is much smaller."

Ben filed that away for further inquiry later. "Well, once we're done in the library, we can go anywhere you'd like. You had a chance to study the plans. What sounds interesting?"

Vestara, who had been closed and somewhat shy toward him since their arrival, suddenly melted. "Everything!" she said, sounding almost more like Allana than her normal cool, controlled self. He gave her an answering grin and squeezed her hand.

It was hand in hand that they entered the library. Ben braced himself for beings coming up to him and welcoming him back, but the library was hardly a hubbub of socializing, and what few beings were here seemed engrossed in their research.

Even, it seemed, Natua Wan, whom they finally found as Jaina peered behind several stacks of datapads.

"I commed you about seventeen times," Jaina greeted her.

Natua glanced up and did a double take. "Jaina!" she exclaimed. "Ben! Welcome back. I'm sorry ... I had it turned off. I was completely lost in some research I've been doing."

"So I see." Jaina grinned.

Natua had risen to greet them, and now turned to Vestara. "You must be Vestara Khai," she said. Ben winced inwardly at the caution she was exuding, both in the Force and through her species' natural release of pheromones. "Master Luke tells me you wish to become a Jedi."

Vestara nodded. "I do." Her unguarded sincerity seemed to rea.s.sure Natua.

"I look forward to talking with you," Natua said. "I didn't know much about the Sith culture before I started doing research for you all. Now I find it fascinating."

"I think I will like learning about Jedi," Vestara offered. "Of course, I'll tell you what I can to help."

Jaina carefully moved a pile of 'pads from a chair and sat next to Natua. Ben and Vestara emulated her. "I wanted to come and thank you for all you've done," Jaina said. "You've been extremely helpful."

Natua grimaced a little. "Even if all you reached was a bunch of dead ends?"

"Even so. It's hardly your fault the Sith have a lot of hidey-holes we need to investigate one by one."

"Well," she said, "the wild caranak chase just might be done. I was going to comm you myself shortly. I wanted to do a bit more research first, but since you're here, you might as well know."

"What have you found?" Jaina, Ben, and Vestara leaned forward eagerly.

"I'm not certain," said Natua, "but ... I might have found Ship."

"What?" Jaina's yelp was so loud that a few heads turned her way. Natua laughed. Ben, too, felt happy and excited, and didn't care that the feeling largely flowed from the pheromones that Natua was emitting. He'd feel the same way regardless-if they really could find Ship.

"I know that we wanted to focus on known Sith worlds, going on the idea that if we knew about it, the Lost Tribe would as well," Natua said. Ben could sense that despite her pleasure and enthusiasm, Natua was going to present things in an orderly fashion. "But one night, I decided to just randomly start reading about worlds we knew very little about, or that didn't really play a significant role. One of these worlds is called Upekzar."

She touched a datapad, and a display of a rather nondescript planet appeared. Ben, Jaina, and Vestara rose, peering over Natua's shoulder.

"Upekzar has been mostly forgotten," Natua continued. "By and large, this seems to be a pleasant and temperate planet. There are polar ice caps, rain forests, oceans, plains, mountains, forested areas-most climates are represented here. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, the unpleasant spots are where we need to target our investigation."

She pointed at the image on the datapad. There was a chain of islands and coastlines cl.u.s.tered in one part of the world. "See this ring here?" Natua drew a finger along the chain, starting near Upekzar's south pole, going up through its equator, toward the north pole, and then down again. "The ancient Sith called this Circle of Visions. The rest of the planet went undeveloped while they focused all their attention on five specific sites along this circle."

"Why was that area so special?" Vestara asked.

"The abundance of volcanoes," Natua replied promptly.

"Yeah, that sounds about right for the Sith, jumping into volcanoes," said Ben softly to Vestara, his voice playful. She shoved him, but she was smothering a smile.

"More specifically," Natua continued, "they valued what the volcanoes left behind. Volcanic caves, caverns, tubes-all formed when lava continued to flow beneath a top layer that cooled faster, forming a crust. The Sith thought these caves significant, and when they ventured to explore them, many Sith suffered hallucinations."

"From various fumes contained in the caves?" asked Jaina.

"No." Natua shook her head, her fingers tapping on the console to call up another holographic image. It was a sort of insect, with six legs, a multisectioned body, antennae, and what looked like a two-p.r.o.nged tail extension.

Ben's eyes widened. "I know what that is," he said solemnly.

Vestara glanced at him. "You do?"

He nodded. "It's ... a bug!"

"Your sense of humor is almost as bad as Jacen's was," muttered Jaina. Ben smiled a little. He realized that he was starting to let Jacen Solo replace Darth Caedus in his mind-and in his heart. And he was glad of it. Of course, ever since Vestara had told him she wanted to become a Jedi and they had begun exploring what "relationship" meant, he'd felt happier and more confident than he had in a long, long time.

"What type of bug, Natua?" Jaina asked.

"It's a variety of diplura. A type of hexapod, which is a ..." Natua looked at the blank expressions around her and smiled a little. "... a bug. Variations of diplurans are found on almost all habitable worlds. It's this particular species that is interesting. During various parts of its life cycle, it excretes a certain fluid rich with pheromones. These pheromones happen to be a powerful hallucinogen for some mammalian species. From what records survive, the hallucinations were terrifying."

"And of course, the Sith believed it was the work of the dark side," said Vestara.

"Was it? In part?" asked Ben.

Natua nodded. "Yes to both. At first, the Sith had no idea what was going on. Later, once they understood, they deemed the volcanic caves special places, and conducted initiations and other rites of pa.s.sage without protection from the pheromones. The caves were, if not a dark-side nexus precisely, definitely a site in which the dark side flourished. Centuries of rituals imbued with the power of fear and anguish induced by the pheromones only strengthened that. Also-while the Sith did not live in the lava tubes, their interactions with the bugs became the foundation of their culture. They dwelled close to the five major places where they performed their Mysteries. Each settlement was located near an elaborate lava cave system that had a specific focus."

She indicated various areas on the image as she spoke. "The one located here, near its south pole, was for Cold Rites-presumably focusing on tempering emotions, hardening hearts, and so on. The one on the equator, for Rites of Fire. This might be where the Sith focused on their anger and pa.s.sions, how to use them to serve the dark side. However, I believe that this one here, in a very temperate zone-the one that hosted what was called the High Rites-might be the most significant area to explore. Only the highest-ranking Sith-the ones strongest in the Force-conducted rituals here. And correspondingly, the most powerful Sith on Upekzar lived only a few kilometers away from this cave system, in a city that lies in the shadow of a dormant volcano."

She touched the screen, and a map of the area replaced the image of the planet.

"Ben, you first found Ship on Ziost," Natua said. "He was ... docked, for a better word, below an abandoned citadel, in the ground. What remaining doc.u.ments there are indicate that this site was 'the nest of the future Sith.' I thought it was a nursery or a school ... until I saw this."

She touched the 'pad again. The map disappeared, replaced by the image of an orange, pebbly-surfaced, too-familiar Ship. And even though everyone knew exactly why they were here, there was still a flicker of apprehension in the Force at the sight.

"While it's highly doubtful this is the same Ship we seek, considering how long he seemed to have been on Ziost," Natua continued, "it is definitely a Sith training vessel. It's not too much of a stretch to believe that Ship might decide to return to a known 'nest' to 'roost.' "

"So, it sounds like we'll have two goals," Jaina mused, thinking aloud. "We'll explore the city to see if we can find a trace of Ship in its, uh, hangar, and we'll investigate the nearby volcanic caves to search for other information that could help us if he's not there. Natua, what do we know about the rites that were conducted in the lava tubes?"

"Unfortunately, nothing," said Natua. "They were secret-only for the initiated. Once the Sith started using the diplurans, or rather the pheromones they produced, the records go silent on what actually transpired." She sounded a bit frustrated that she could not provide answers. Ben realized that, like most of the formerly "mad Jedi," Natua was trying to atone for the harm she had caused while under Abeloth's influence. Jaina, too, obviously saw what was going on and squeezed Natua's arm in a friendly fashion.

"Upekzar is a small and not very well-known bastion of the Sith to begin with," Jaina said. "Add to that these ... bugs ... and secret rituals, and n.o.body's going to find much information on them."

"Rhak-skuri," Natua said. "The Sith called them rhak-skuri."

"Dream Singers," Vestara translated.

"That's an awfully nice name for bugs," Ben said.

Vestara turned to him. "To the Sith, nightmares are really no different from ordinary dreams. They offer opportunities for growth. To be able to control the direction of your nightmare-to defeat it-means you are strong. So creatures that caused visions would be valued and respected for the challenges they brought."

"Yeah, but they don't sing," Ben pointed out. He glanced at Natua. "Do they?"

The Falleen smiled. "Not as far as I have been able to determine."

"It's a metaphor," Vestara said. "They could have been called dream makers, or weavers, or creators, or-"

"I get your point," Ben said, holding up his hands in a mock-surrender gesture. "Are the rhak-skuri dangerous in any other way, Natua?"

"No," Natua replied. "The secretion is nontoxic and they are otherwise harmless. Even their mandibles are too small to pierce skin."

"You're going to make the Grand Master of the Jedi very happy," Jaina said. "And if you'd like-I'd love it if you'd come with us. Seems to me you've more than earned your right to partic.i.p.ate in the hunt, and I'm going to tell Luke so."

Natua's eyes widened. "I ... I would of course be honored to help the Grand Master, if he wishes me to come. Thank you, Jaina."

Not so long before, Ben knew, the two women had been locked in a lightsaber battle. But Natua was now healed, and determined to make up for the illness Abeloth had forced upon her. He was glad of it. He was just plain glad right now.

"I'm going to leave a message for Uncle Luke, and then I'm off to see my fiance."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Ben quipped.

"Hey-I certainly hope I do, and you better not," Jaina shot back. She was already striding off at a brisk pace, speaking quietly into her comlink.

"So," Ben said, "time for me to play tour guide. Where would you like to go first?"

"It's your Temple," Vestara answered. "I want to see everything, so where would you like to go first?"

"Honestly?" Ben said, giving her a rueful grin. "The cafeteria."

Vestara rolled her eyes.

ABOARD THE MILLENNIUM FALCON.

"I WISH SHE'D STOP CARRYING ON WITH THE SQUIBS," HAN MUTTERED. His jaw was set, his eyes narrowed as he sat in the pilot's chair of the Falcon, staring outward with grim determination to get home as fast as possible.

"You were the one who suggested she learn how to play sabacc," Leia mused.

"I thought it would teach her something about human nature," Han replied. "I didn't expect her to actually sit down and play it with three little-"

"They're not using actual credits," Leia reminded him.

"Doesn't matter."

"And she's winning."

Han brightened slightly as they slowed and emerged from hypers.p.a.ce, the stars slowing and finally becoming stationary. The yellow-brown orb of Coruscant, glittering with lights that never went out, appeared before them.

"Home, and none too soon," Han said.

Leia leaned over to touch the communications array, using her proximity to her husband to steal a quick kiss. "Not quite yet," she said. "There are a few people we need to talk to first."

Han sighed. From behind them he heard, "No, no, Mistress Amelia, you don't want to put that card down!" in a distinctively fussy voice, and Han grimaced.

"Threepio, what have I told you about commenting on someone's hand?" Han called. R2-D2 tweedled something that sounded like I told you so.

"Well, Captain Solo, I know you don't wish my advice or calculations when you indulge in games of chance," came 3PO's voice. "But as one of my duties is a.s.sisting with Mistress Amelia's education, I thought it inc.u.mbent upon me to-"

"Well, it's not, so don't."

"Oh. As you wish, Captain. Mistress Amelia, you may indeed play the Star if you wish."

Han winced at the comment. Leia grinned. Much as Han feigned annoyance with the golden droid-okay, sometimes it was genuine annoyance-she knew he was as fond of C-3PO as anyone. And when 3PO was fussing, all was right with the world.

Jag's voice crackled over the comm system. "Jagged Fel."

"Jag," Leia said warmly, "it's Leia and Han."

"Oh, hey, Mom and Dad," came their daughter's voice.

Han and Leia exchanged surprised smiles. "Hi, honey," Leia said. "When did you all arrive?"

"Just a couple of hours ago. Uncle Luke's talking with the Masters, and Ben and Vestara are wandering around the Temple. Seems she wants to become a Jedi."

"A Sith wants to become a Jedi?" Han echoed. "What's Luke think about this?"