Star Wars: Fate Of The Jedi: Omen Part 14

"The reasons are twofold. First, we wish to purge apprentices of anything that smacks of luxury. There will be time for such things later, but now, we will pare you down to the very bone. Artificial light and heat are technological gifts. As Sith, you must learn to be at home anywhere. The entire galaxy is ours. Some of that galaxy is rich and comfortable. Some of it is bare and harsh. When your training is complete, you will be able to sleep anywhere, know how to make a fire, and be at peace whatever your surroundings."

Vestara slipped the dress over her head. For a moment, she was pale and naked and vulnerable in the dark, dim room. Then she slipped the heavy black robe over her head and was immediately comforted by its familiarity and tradition.

"The other reason"-and again Lady Rhea smiled-"is simpler. It's more practical this way."

Vestara, bent over lacing her boots, smiled, too. She rose, fastened her lightsaber onto her belt, and took a deep breath.

"I know you are familiar with some areas, but now much more is accessible to you. And yes," Lady Rhea added, antic.i.p.ating the question, "you will be permitted to set foot in the historic vessel that brought us to this world. It is all part of your training."

"And ... Ship?"

"Patience," chided Lady Rhea. "It is only your first day. You have years of training ahead of you. Come. I will let you familiarize yourself with the Temple."

IT WAS A FEW HOURS LATER, WHEN THEY WERE HAVING SOMETHING TO eat in the dining room, that Vestara felt the summons at the back of her mind; a cool, probing touch that sent shivers down her spine.

Ship.

She had been eating a simple meal of barrat stew and oro bread. It was not a sophisticated dish, but the apprentices who had prepared it had a knack for seasonings, and she was hungry. Now, though, the bite of bread seemed dry and tasteless in her mouth. She glanced up at Lady Rhea, mutely asking if she, too, had felt it.

"Yes," Lady Rhea said. She rose immediately, leaving her half-eaten meal on the table. "It wants us."

They went.

Apparently, Ship wanted many people. As Lady Rhea and Vestara hastened at a brisk trot out into the courtyard, Vestara saw that several had already gathered and more were emerging. It looked as though everyone in the Temple had been summoned, and when Vestara had threaded her way through the crowd to the front, as was her right as Lady Rhea's apprentice, she glanced up and saw that several others were approaching on uvak-back. Even, she realized with surprise, Lord Vol. He landed and dismounted stiffly, waving off offers to a.s.sist and walking proudly, if slowly, to stand beside the strange, orange-red vessel.

Apparently, when Ship called, one came.

Ship seemed to have patience. After that one summons, Vestara sensed nothing further from him. He seemed to have shuttered himself off from them, still and quiet. Vestara stood rigidly at attention as the minutes ticked past, resisting the urge to shift her weight or otherwise betray any emotion other than stoic patience. At least she was somewhat warm now in her heavy Sith robes. At one point, Lady Rhea placed her hand on Vestara's shoulder.

And then, with no hint, he was there, in her mind again. All around her, she felt her fellow Sith coming sharply to attention.

You are needed.

Vestara nodded. Twilight had come fully, and the temperature had dropped. Her breath misted softly on the evening air.

Long have you dwelled here. But you are needed now.

Of course they were needed. They were Sith of the purest stock. Members of the Tribe could trace their origins back in an unbroken line for over two hundred generations. Doubtless they were truest to what it meant to be Sith than any others out there. Five millennia past, the Omen had crashed on Kesh, exiling the Tribe from their Sith brethren. But there had been no doubt in the minds of any Sith on that vessel that their brethren would succeed in the ultimate Sith goal. And there was no doubt now, that across the galaxy, the Sith ruled world upon world, as they did Kesh. That- No.

The statement was flat and brooked no argument. Vestara was confused. No what?

The Sith have been hunted. Pushed back. Almost destroyed. Only a handful remain. I have seen them, the so-called One Sith, and found them wanting. Jedi are on many worlds. They do not rule, but their numbers are great and growing.

The shock in the Force from those a.s.sembled buffeted Vestara, and her stomach clenched. She tasted bile and had to fight the urge to vomit. Beside her, even Lady Rhea was stunned. Her hand on Vestara's shoulder suddenly gripped painfully, the nails digging in even through the thick cloth layer of the black robe.

How could this be? Ship would not lie to them. They would have sensed it. Besides, it was designed to serve them. Its blunt statement had shattered five thousand years of complacency, of smug satisfaction. Everything they had believed, for all this time, was untrue.

She felt Lord Vol's powerful presence in the Force. He, too, could not quite hide his shock, but his resolution to remain strong in the face even of this disastrous news was like a lifeline. Vestara-indeed, she suspected, everyone present-clung to it as such.

"We are Sith," he said. His voice carried clearly; he was obviously using the Force to augment it. "Even if every other Sith on every other world has died ... we are still here! Our traditions, our beliefs-they still endure. We have thrived on this world. And perhaps this is why we were here-so that in this time of need, we, the Tribe, can restore the Sith!"

Vestara listened raptly. The idea that they could simply leave Kesh and rejoin the rest of the Sith had been exciting enough when everyone believed that the galaxy was under their sway. To think now that they might be the greatest surviving number of their kind-to think that they might wrest control of the galaxy from the hated Jedi-it was almost too much to hold.

Ship a.s.sured them this was why he had searched his data banks and sought them out. He could teach them. He could teach all of them.

"Now is the moment of our destiny!" Vol lifted his fist and shook it defiantly. "And we will not shirk it. This Ship will serve us. It will teach us about this universe as it is now, not as we thought it was in our navete, shunted away to this unknown world. We will emerge from our rest and conquer. It is in our blood. It is in our bones. We are Sith, and we will not falter!"

The crowd was cheering now. Even so, Vestara could still sense their worry in the Force, a hint of cold fear: What if we fail?

But they would not fail. It was not an option. They had a task laid before them. They would plan, and learn, and mount an attack on the Jedi who had defeated their forefathers five thousand years past.

The Sith would rise, completely unexpected, and claim what was theirs.

After all, they were Sith, were they not?

GRAND EVENT CENTER, CORUSCANT.

"WOW, THIS PLACE STINKS," JAINA SAID WITHOUT PREAMBLE.

Han gave Leia a meaningful glance. "Hey, this was your mother's idea."

Leia sighed and forced herself not to cover her own nose as they pa.s.sed the nerf corral.

The Coruscant Livestock Exchange and Exhibition had been under way for several days by the time arrangements had been made for the Solo family to attend. But as it lasted for a full month, they still had plenty of time. Many creatures had already gone home with their new owners, to be displayed, ridden, petted, or eaten, as said new owners saw fit. But the reek of animal excrement of all varieties that made the daily pollution level of Coruscant seem nonexistent was testimony to the fact that there were still plenty of things that walked, crawled, slithered, hopped, and/or flew to be seen.

Escorting the Solos were two Jedi Knights, Natua Wan, a Falleen, and Radd Minker, a Brubb. Han and Leia had tried to get Yaqeel and Barv for the a.s.signment, as Allana knew and liked both of them, especially Barv, but they were offworld at the moment.

Natua and Radd, being there on official duty, were dressed in the traditional white and brown robes of their order. Leia and Jaina wore comfortable street clothes. All four Jedi carried lightsabers, though Leia and Jaina had theirs in roomy bags slung over their shoulders. All six of them strolled along leisurely, and Allana certainly had enough entertainment to keep her giggling happily for hours.

And the littlest Solo was, as Leia had predicted, immune to the stench. They had not even entered the main exhibition area yet and already Allana's eyes were wide. Leia stroked her short hair, dyed dark to disguise its too-recognizable natural red, and smiled. Allana rewarded her with a grin and pointed at the large, furry animals with four horns, thick s.h.a.ggy coats, and a cloud of flies hovering over them.

"I know them, don't tell me!" Allana said. She had indeed been a diligent student over the past few days. Leia had said there would be a test afterward. What she hadn't told the girl was that the reward for pa.s.sing the test-and both Leia and Han were sure Allana would pa.s.s with ease; she was an extremely intelligent little girl-would be the riding animal she most gravitated toward.

"Even a tauntaun, if that's what she wants," Leia had said.

"Hey, we had a deal," Han had protested, but only halfheartedly.

"Those are nerfs," Allana said proudly. "Jaina has a very pretty coat made from their hide, and we all like the steaks." The animals grazed, placid for the moment. Allana pointed to another corral. "And the rams are separated because it's mating season. They can become very aggressive and fight each other, as well as trample their young."

Leia wasn't sure, but she could have sworn she saw Han blush a little as his granddaughter cheerfully rattled off the words mating season. She smothered a grin.

"That's right, sweetheart," Leia said. "Nerfs aren't the nicest animals in the world."

"But they're dewicious," Allana said. She had outgrown most of the slight lisp she'd had as a younger child, but now and then it crept back on certain words. "Can we have nerfburgers for lunch? With hubba chips?"

"If they're available at the cafeteria," Leia said. She expected they would be, along with more exotic foodstuffs. After all, if she were a breeder or seller of livestock, she'd make sure everyone had a chance to find out how "dewicious" said creatures were.

"And those are banthas," Allana said, hurrying down the entrance walkway to the next open-air corral. Natua Wan quickened her pace slightly, un.o.btrusively closing the gap between the child and her, keeping a close eye on Allana while maintaining the illusion to anyone who was watching that this was nothing more than a normal family and their Jedi friends on a social outing. Radd brought up the rear. Brubb were a social people, and his present cheerful demeanor was completely unforced. He was enjoying himself.

"They are a highly adaptable species and live on many worlds," Allana said. "And those are-oh, those are rontos! I've never seen a live one before!" She started to run, but a strong hand gently caught hers.

"Be careful, Amelia," Natua Wan said kindly, the blue beads woven into her long black hair clacking with her movement. "There's a reason you haven't seen one. They're good animals, very loyal and fond of their masters, but they spook very easily. You don't want to be running up and scaring them."

Allana nodded seriously. "You're right, Jedi Wan." She dropped down to a measured pace, unconsciously straightening.

"Any way you can break her of that?" Jaina murmured to Leia as they walked side by side. The secret of Allana's ident.i.ty was a closely guarded one, but Leia shared Jaina's fear. The girl was intelligent enough to not deliberately give herself away, but she had the movement and bearing of one bred to royalty, even at age seven. It would be a significant clue if anyone understood what they were looking at.

"I figure that everyone knows she's a ward of a former Princess and Senator," Leia replied, pitching her voice equally soft. "It would make sense."

Jaina snorted. "I didn't move and stand like that."

"Well, you are your father's daughter. There wasn't much I could do with you in that area."

Han had moved ahead and swept Allana up onto his broad shoulders as she giggled delightedly. Mindful not to startle the rontos, Allana, now much closer to their eye level, slowly extended a hand. One of the great creatures perused her, then stretched out its long neck to sniff the hand curiously.

"Gentle as they come," said a voice right next to Leia. A heavyset human with a single brow, tanned skin, and a name tag that declared him to be TEVAR SHAN, OWNER, RONTO-RAMA FARMS, TATOOINE, grinned down at her. "If you have any heavy loads to move, rontos'll do the job for you. And as you can see, they're even good with younglings."

"Thanks," Leia said, "but we're not in the market for something that large."

"For the girl, eh?" The man's grin widened. "How about an eopie? I'm also part owner of Eopies Extraordinaire. We specialize in the dwarf variety, perfect for a little one." He pointed across the flood of people to a corral that housed the pale, long-snouted, humpback creatures.

"Throw in a dewback and Uncle Luke would feel right at home," Jaina said.

"Thanks, but I think we'll keep looking," Leia said, giving the man her best smile. A few paces ahead, Allana seemed more than content to stay on Han's shoulders, and Han seemed delighted to have her there. Leia nodded to herself. This had been a good idea-not just for Allana, but for all of them. So much had been going on. A little break, to look at animals and walk around for a bit, was just what they all needed.

"How is he, by the way?" Jaina continued.

"Luke? I've felt him in the Force now and then, but I haven't had a lot of contact. Especially not recently."

Jaina nodded. "Me neither. Enough to know he and Ben are all right, though. Cilghal says she's been keeping him up to date. More than that we probably shouldn't know."

Something about the way she said it caused Leia to give her a searching look, but Jaina offered nothing further. Following her instincts, Leia said, "How are things with you and Jag?"

Jaina graced her mother with a smile of rare sweetness. "Good," she said. "Be nice to be able to have a date without making a mission out of it, but good."

"Comes with the territory, I'm afraid. Javis Tyrr again?"

"Mostly him, some others, but mostly him. We got him good, though." In a conspiratorial tone, Jaina told her mother about how they had tricked Tyrr at the restaurant.

"Well done. Just hope he doesn't catch you at something. He might not enjoy the idea of us laughing at him. Something about him-maybe the hair-makes me think he doesn't have a sense of humor when it comes to himself."

Jaina shrugged her narrow shoulders. "He's just a journalist. This family has survived being smeared before. What can he do? He's not even an official observer."

"But he is observing right now," came Radd's voice. He jerked his head to the left. Jaina looked in the direction indicated and groaned slightly. "Shall I go over and have a word with him?"

"No," Jaina said quickly. "Any attention will only encourage him. Let's head inside to the main halls and see if we can ditch him."

Leia agreed, and the family picked up their pace. Leia spoke to her husband and Natua, and the Falleen smoothly navigated them through the river of people, threading her way while Radd, watching out for Tyrr, brought up the rear. Right before they stepped inside the large exhibition center proper, Leia caught movement from the corner of her eye.

She turned her head to see several small, brown-pelted, horned creatures milling about in a pen. They stood upright on muscular, hooved hind legs, their smaller forelegs tucked close to their chests, and she was reminded of Han's loathed tauntauns.

But these were much prettier creatures, graceful and gentle with long bushy tails. As she watched, one of them leapt and ran for a few paces, and Leia smiled, watching it until the last instant when the press of people blocked them from her sight.

Kybucks. Too small to be used as mounts ... by adult humans at least. Yoda had ridden one, she remembered hearing. And they were the perfect size for a seven-year-old girl. Kybucks originated on Kashyyyk, the homeworld of her husband's best friend, the much-loved, late Chewbacca.

It fit perfectly. She would contrive for Allana and Han to see it before they left. If the girl took to the kybuck as Leia suspected she would, then she and Han would return tomorrow and secretly purchase one. Pleased, Leia turned her attention to the sights, sounds, and, unfortunately, smells of the enclosed exhibition hall.

The main hall was filled with displays, banners, and all manner of advertising. In the center was an elaborate scale display of some of the more standard animals to be seen at the exhibition, along with a sign that announced MAIN EXHIBITION HALL, in case anyone couldn't figure that out.

Off to the left was the SMALL ANIMAL HALL, whose smaller rooms held the cages or pens of the smaller creatures such as gizkas, twirrls, voorpaks, and the still-popular, though not all the rage anymore, chitliks. To the right was a large WARNING: DANGEROUS ANIMALS sign, with a great deal of smaller print below the bold statement: "The animals on display in this section of the exhibition hall have been known to exhibit violent behavior. All security measures have been taken to ensure the safety of our valued patrons. Attendees of the Coruscant Livestock Exchange and Exhibition should be aware, however, that they proceed at their own risk, and that the exhibition hall management a.s.sumes no responsibility for any injuries incurred."

"Nice," Jaina said. "I'll remember that when I've got a rancor nibbling at my ankle. Oh wait, I've already got Javis Tyrr. Where is he anyway?"

"I think we lost him," Natua said, her narrowed eyes scanning the crowd.

"Good," Leia said. She was anxious to tell Han about the kybucks she'd spotted, but Allana seemed glued to her grandfather. She was off his shoulders now but clinging to his hand, tugging him along in the direction of- "Honey," Han was saying to her, glancing at Leia with a slightly desperate glint in his dark eyes, "don't you want to go see the cute little critters in the Small Animal Hall?"

"No," Allana said, not rudely, but clearly. "I want to go see those." She pointed at the WARNING sign.

Leia shrugged at her husband. "She's a Solo," she said, and he was forced to nod in understanding.

It was, of course, perfectly safe. Leia half suspected that the overly large, garishly colored WARNING sign was more advertis.e.m.e.nt than caution, especially as gaining entrance to this area required a separate and not insubstantial admission fee. Regardless of the lurid warning and the steep price, the area was crowded.

Only a small portion of those waiting patiently in line were permitted in at a time. Patrons stood single-file in a winding line for admittance to the turbolift that would take them to an area beneath the exhibition hall. Han, Leia, Allana, Jaina, Radd, and Natua crowded in with about fifteen other beings as the turbolift slowly descended.

Allana did not like the close press in there. It had been rare that anyone other than her mother or servants even came into her presence, let alone touched her or stood so very close. She stood with her back pressed against Han and his arms folded protectively around her. Leia could feel her nervousness in the Force and sent her calm.

"We can always ride right back up, honey," Han said to his granddaughter.

"No," Allana said stubbornly. "I want to see the animals here."

Leia met Han's eyes and shrugged.

The turbolift doors opened and everyone surged out, almost getting stuck in the doors. Jaina was the first out from their group, having been the last one to wedge herself in when the turbolift doors were closing, and Leia heard her daughter's annoyed voice carrying over the murmur of the crowd.

"Oh, for the love of ..."

Leia actually laughed when they emerged. The decor, the lighting, the ambient noise-a dull heartbeat with a barely audible, tension-inducing sound from some wind instrument in the background-all conspired to set the scene for antic.i.p.ation of something dreadful. It was so over-the-top it was positively ludicrous.

The lighting was slightly tinged with red, casting a slightly b.l.o.o.d.y hue on everything they would see. The walkway that stretched before them was bare metal, and their feet clanged ominously as they moved forward. The ramp was narrow, forcing everyone to proceed single-file. It did have banisters, and cross sections so that patrons could either linger at a particular pen or move steadily across the entire viewing area. A quick perusal proved that everything was quite solidly built.

But below-protected by force fields, thick transparisteel so cleverly lit it was all but invisible, and security measures that would have given the designers of a third Death Star pause-were creatures that, despite the precautions, would have unsettled any viewer. The designers of the area had not needed the silly mood-setting tricks to get the desired result.

Leia felt a sense of unease as the crowd moved steadily toward the first viewing pen and wondered if they hadn't made a mistake in bringing Allana to this part of the exhibition. Not because the creatures themselves were alarming to behold, although they were, but because of why they were here. These were animals that had been captured or bred as a display of their owner's power, and none was trained to win the t.i.tle of Most Placid in Show. They would likely be kept in uncomfortable conditions during their short lives, their innate tendencies toward aggression fostered. They would probably be mistreated and die painfully in gladiatorial combat on worlds where such entertainment was legal. Of course the owners would sign contracts a.s.suring that their new purchases would never be used in such a fashion; Leia knew better than to a.s.sume any of those promises would be honored.

She wasn't looking forward to explaining to Allana how sick and cruel some beings could be to animals.

They were almost over the first viewing pen now. While the ceilings over the animals were transparisteel, the part.i.tions between pens were thick duracrete. No one wanted to take any chances with one species getting into another's pen. The placard hovering in the air announced that this was a reek. Leia braced herself for the inevitable bad pun from Han about the creature's name, but it didn't come. And from that alone she realized her husband shared her concerns. His big hands were on Allana's shoulders, letting her move where she wanted, but protectively there.