To Honor The Dead
Introduction:
This story, came from a feeling that the Young Jedi Knights books were lacking something. After a while (and reading Vision of the Future) I realized it was Mara Jade, Corran Horn and Mirax Terrik.
Where were they during those years? What were they fighting? In this story, I attempt to explain what happened.
This is an EU story encompassing the first story of arc of the Young Jedi Knight series. I have tried to stay true to what was written already, and so there are points in the story where dialogue has been lifted directly from Kevin J Anderson and Rebeca Moesta's books. (Thank You) where I wrote senario's much like what Michael Stackpole did in I, Jedi. Additionally I have a section (in the pull down menu) entitled Inspiration where I have placed songs that are meant to convey the feeling of each section (there is an explanation of where the songs go in terms of the stories chronology) and my explanation for why I chose each song. To find full lyrics try a lyric search engine. As must be said, most of the familiar characters in this story and the world, which it encompasses, is the property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm.
YJK Book Explanations
YJK Book 1—Posted Before Post 1
Heirs of the Force
The Solo twins have been on Yavin 4 for a month with a companion that most of us will come to know is the daughter of Tenenial Djo and Isolder of Hapes, while the twins Jacen and Jaina believe she is merely witch of Dathomir; her name is Tenal Ka. The opening of the book brings the arrival of Han Solo and Chewbacca, who brings his nephew Lowbacca (Lowie) to be trained. Lowie recieves a T-23 skyhopper from his uncle, who are also visiting Lando's new venture a Corsuca Gem mining facility suspended above the gas planet. In the first part of the book you see the students getting to know each other, with a rousing food fight, and other adventures.
Luke is called away on a mission, and the students venture into the jungles of Yavin where they encounter Ooryl a former Imperial pilot who has been in the jungle for 20 yers. Held captive, they are saved by Han and Chewie. Luke returns to see them safe and sound, and to find that the tie fighter pilot escaped the jungle.
A few things you need to know…Jacen is determined to make the somber and serious Tenal Ka laugh, and is a non-stop opening of jokes. Jaina and Chewie are both extremely mechanically inclined.
YJK Book 2—Posted Before Post 3
Shadow Academy
Jacen, Jaina and Lowie go to Lando's new venture in the gas planet of Yavin. Named Gem Diver Station, the venture attempts to capture valuable Corsuca gems from deep inside the gas giant's core. Tenal Ka stays behind because the Hapan Ambassador Yfra is coming to visit her at the Academy (Her friends still are unaware of her Royal heritage)
While visiting Gem Diver Station, the twins and Lowie are kidnapped by a dark woman who is later found to be one of a new breed of Nightsisters named Tamith Kai. They are taken to a cloaked academy from where they find that they are to be trained as part of a group of dark Jedi for the Second Imperium, who has a "Hidden Leader". The Academy is being led by a former student named Brakiss (who's story is further explained in The New Rebellion. He also has a brief stint in I, Jedi)
Luke and Tenal Ka leave together to go and rescue the other Jedi Trainees, they head to Dathomir where they pretend to be master and student (Tenal Ka the master, Luke the student) and are taken to the cloaked academy on the quantum armored ship Shadow Chaser.
Meanwhile aboard the Shadow Academy, Jacen, Jaina and Lowie are isolated after they band together to prove that Brakiss' teachings are wrong. Through holo's and illusions, each are forced to fight one another without recognition.. Brakiss also provides them with lightsabers (Jacen especially had been slightly impatient for receiving his, and had to be talked to by Master Luke).They escape using a Corsuca Gem(which is much like a diamond..can cut through anything) and arrive at the landing bay just in time for Luke to meet Brakiss, and Tenal Ka to have a brief face off with the Nightsister Tamith Kai (who had been haunting her dreams).
Upon arrival back at the Academy, Luke speaks to Jacen about Lightsabers and asks his nephew to demonstrate his new found skills. Realizing the import of what he had learned, Jacen tells his Master that he understands the need to wait and returns the Lightsaber to his uncle.
YJK Book 3 –Posted Before Post 6
The Lost Ones
New Character: Zekk- a teenager a year older than Jacen and Jaina who lives with Old Peckhum (the academy's supplier. On the days that Peckhum is not shipping things to the Academy, he works one of the orbital mirrors above Coruscant) on Coruscant. Not of the same high society as the twins, he was orphaned at 8 when his planet Ennth underwent its cycle of destruction. (Every 8 years the planets volcano's erupt and take over the whole planet destroying all in its wake.) Hopping from shuttle to shuttle he finally landed on the ship of Peckhum, who took care of him.
In the Lost Ones, Jacen, Jaina, Lowie and Tenal Ka all travel to Coruscant for a month's vacation. Jacen tries to give his mom his Corusca gem but his mother says he may need it for something else, later.
Lowie has Em-TeeDee his droid attached to his belt, and Tenal Ka is still traveling as a warrior from Dathomir.(although Leia and Han know she is not.)
On Courascant the YJK receive a tour from Zekk. There they capture a Hawk Bat's egg, and learn about a gang that lives in the underlevels called The Lost Ones (headed by a guy named Norys). Zekk is very lucky at finding things, and never ever gets lost. While with him you notice that he is closer to Jaina then Jacen, but in the time since they spoke to him he has developed a slight resentment. Afterward they go to meet Peckhum, where Jaina and Lowie offer to help make his mirror station more comfortable.
One event that happens in this book is that they are all invited to a dinner that Leia is giving for a head of state. At first Leia is heistant about inviting Zekk, but sh gives in. At the banquet Protocal is messed up…and Tenal Ka knows the correct Protocol. I.e. that in the particular planet they were hosting...serving children first shows the graciousness of the host.(a sign that she isn't just a warrior from Dathomir) Zekk is invited as well, but he is completely out of place. He accidently eats the centerpiece as a salad. After the dinner Zekk runs away without saying anything, and Han reads the Ambassador's children "The Little Lost Bantha Cub" (I put this in b/c it's the same story from JA)
Meanwhile Brakiss is maneuvering the ship into the space above Coruscant…still in its cloaking shield. He and Tamith Kai go down to the surface and start to kidnap children. One of the groups that they kidnap is a gang that lives in the underlevels called The Lost Ones. Bullies, orphans and macho boys…. they want Zekk to be part of their group as well but he refuses.
Before the twins can explain that it is all right he is kidnapped by the Shadow Academy and is taken up to the cloaked space station. There he is isolated and slowly brainwashed into thinking that Jacen and Jaina hid his ability to use the force from him because they are selfish and not really his friends, while in fact they had no knowledge of his ability. He comes back down to round up the last of the Lost Ones and meets Jacen and Tenal Ka who along with Anakin launched a search party. He snubs them goes back to the space station, where the hidden leader is revealed to be the Emperor himself.
Lowie and Jaina are helping Peckhum fix the mirror station, and mapping the trajectory of astroids. There they notice an area of space where no debris exists at all. Upon hearing what happened to Jacen and Tenal Ka (who are saved by Leia when Anakin tells her that they never came back) the other two JK realize what the void is and try to stop it, but prove unsuccessful. After the ship leaves Zekk sends a message to Pekhum and the twins saying that this was his chance…..a chance he had never been given by the New Republic. He also promises to never hurt them, but that he's doing this to be true to himself so that they can be proud of him.
Luke comes and picks them up from Coruscant giving him a chance to speak with Leia. On the way home the kids are quiet, and Luke is able to make some important decisions.
YJK Book 4—Posted Before Post 7
Lightsabers
Basically all you need to know about this book is this….part of the book has a point..but the rest of it...is part of a small side plot that has been developing the whole series.
Due to the Shadow Academy's growing power, Luke decides that the 4 YJK are ready to take the next step towards full knighthood. Lightsabers. (Two main speeches are given in the book that I found extremely important that is why I'm not really going to recount them for you..because I give most of the speech word for word in the post. The one where Luke addresses the whole academy, and then when he has a more private gathering with Jacen, Jaina, Lowie and Tenal Ka.)…. Next the book goes on to describe the 4's trek to making the lightsaber, not really important to the story…but its interesting to see how each builds their own. The most important thing that they got out of this is that when building a lightsaber…one should not rush. Tenal Ka's Lightsaber is natural, whereas Jacen uses his Corsuca Gem from Gem Diver Station. Jaina's lightsaber is cobbled together from her mechanistic skills. (Forgive me I can't remember how Lowie's is)….
They start out training against remotes, but then they get to fight one another. I basically assumed that at one time or another, Mara helps train them, but what happened next seemed to be better flowing for the story….(wow I have a lot of dialogue rather then telling what happened in the book..sorry!)
Tenal Ka when building her lightsaber, rushed the gem's formation process. Therefore there was a small flaw, which while she was fighting Jacen, her beam went out and his Lightsaber went through and cut off her arm. Unable to cope with it Tenal Ka is picked up by Ambassador Yfra within a short while and is spirited off to her home of Hapes. This is how Jacen and Jaina find out about their friend, and who she truly is.
After a few weeks of not hearing anything from Tenal Ka, Luke decides that it isn't a safe thing, and he takes the kids to Hapes, where the twins are told of their friends true heritage. There there is a brief attempt by Ambassador Yfra to assasinate Tenal Ka, and once again you meet the wonderful and charismatic Ta'Chume from Courtship. The twins, the wookie and the Happen Princess thwart the plot, which alos threatened Isolder and Tennenial Djo. Where Tenal Ka (who has refused to get a prostethic limb) learns that she can be whatever she chooses, and that she is born the Hapen princess, a title which she can not ignore.
Luke returns to Hapes and takes the twins and children back to Yavin 4.
YJK Book 5—Posted Before Post 10
Darkest Knight
In the previous book: Zekk defeated another student to earned he title of Darkest Knight.
In this book:
As his first task he must raid a mechanical plant on the Wookie homeworld of Kashykk.
Guess who happens to be there?
Jacen, Jaina, and Tenal Ka are going to Lowie's city to support him while his sister Sirrakuk undergoes a rite of passage (going into the underlevels and retrieving a silk thread form a plant that is carnivorous)
Sirra is reckless with a "punk rocker" look--shaved patches around her wrists and ankles and head. She is determined to be different, and wants to be out in the world...like her brother. She and Lowie lost a friend who performed the rite foolishly by herself...Rabba was emulating Lowie's feat so that she would somedaybe considered worthy to be his mate.
As the second Imperium arrives Zekk has 2 tasks
1: to raid the factory (where Lowie's parents happen to work)
2: To rid the Second Imperium of the YJK nuisance--Tamith Kai believed that he could not succeed.
2 Nightsisters come to retrieve the Shadow Chaser (the quantum armored ship) which Chewie used to bring the kids to Kashykk.
The raid on the factory is semi-successful, but each time Zekk meets up with the twins he is unable to perform the second one. The YJK are forced into the underbrush, and have to fight with Nightsisters, stormtroopers, and the wildlife.
At the end Jaina faces off with Zekk who tells her to not go back to the academy...alluding to an imminent attack on the Jedi Academy, and tries to make her realize how he has been lost.
YJK Book 6—Posted Before the Epilouge
Explained in an Interlude before the Epilouge at the end of To Honor the Dead……..