The New Academy

by Dizzy

You know, I don't know what to say of this. It's MY own little sequel to the Trilogy, without Mara or anything like that, mostly because I've not read a single book that tell about what follows....If you're Mara's lovers well, take a look, just to say 'I'

6. Great Year 6

6

Princess Leia was in her private office; it was now visible that she was pregnant. Her secretaries went mad under the mountains of congratulations that arrived every day. She was happy twice. Even if Han had asked her to stay at home and sleep, to do all but not work out, she had gone out that morning, as the previous one. A week. Only another week. It was the term. And in a week they would inaugurate Chewo Coruscant, as she called it using the tender word her father on Alderaan used with her. The Senator stretched out the arms, breathing deeply.

She had gone on with her busy life under tight control of Han, surely one of the most apprehensive fathers in the Galaxy. The General Solo had done all the possible and impossible things, using either the common channels of the Republic and his own smuggler channels, to cut off most of the meetings her wife would have presided. Chewie had seen a great number of matches between wife and husband at home and in the hangar where the Millennium Falcon was often under review. Luke had been in the same condition pretty often: he had the extraordinary ability to call Cloud City always in the worst moment of their arguments and he had always worked hard to calm them. Leia smiled caressing her babies. She had a free moment between two colloquies with two groups of Senators, one was from Tatooine and Leia was curious to see the representatives of the planet that had saved his brother's life, hiding him for twenty years. Yana's face appeared in the little screen on the left of the writing desk after a beep. Leia turned.

"Yes, Yana."

"They're here, madam." Informed her the secretary.

"Lead them in."

"As you want, Madam." Yana nodded and her face disappeared. Leia rose from the chair and fitted her suit. Someone knocked on the door. She reached the door and opened it. A tall, huge man was in front of her, behind him another thinner man, both with the colors of Tatooine on the shoulders and on the chest. The thinner man moved a step forward and the huge man shifted aside, letting him come in.

"It's a honor for me to meet you Senator Panaka." Said Leia, shaking her hand with the man's. Panaka smiled.

"The honor is mine, all mine, Princess." Answered chivalrously the brown skinned man. Leia beckoned the chair in front of the writing desk and Panaka sat down. The taller man stood silently behind him.

"Well Senator…was there something in particular that you want to discuss?" She hadn't received bad news from Tatooine and couldn't sense any preoccupation in Panaka's soul. Her training would have advised her.

"Yes, to speak clearly, I'm here to talk to you about…" the man hesitated. He turned and whispered something to the guard who nodded and left the room. When the door closed Panaka turned again. "I want to talk to you about your family."

"My family?"

"Your mother…I know it's time for you to know more about her. You probably know about Queen Amidala of Naboo."

"The Great Queen, yes. I know of her from the chronicles, the books…" her voice slowly silenced while a strange thought rose its voice in her mind.

"Your knowledge will go further now. You don't remember about your mother more than something like a dense fog with some lights…is it true?" Leia nodded. "It's better for you if I start from the beginning. Queen Amidala made my father promise to help you, and your brother, discovering your past. She wanted you to know about her, about how much she cared of you, how much she loved you. The promise has been kept. 'When they'll be safe and my name won't be a danger for them, Panaka, tell them who they are.' These had been her words, my father made me learn them by heart. Now that the new Republic is safe, you're respected and peace governs the Galaxy I feel the need to move and meet you." Panaka took a deep breath then went on. "You Senator Organa and your brother are daughter and son of Queen Amidala of Naboo, the Great Queen. You are Luke and Leia Skywalker. Your mother wanted you to have this." The man slipped a hand inside a pocket then drew it out, carrying something. Leia drew out a hand and Panaka opened the hand. A glittering datacard and a pendant fell in her hand. Leia looked at the pendant then looked at Panaka, waiting for something else.

"No, there's nothing else. You know the story and that datacard will tell you what I can't." The man rose from the chair but Leia stopped him. "Senator, tell me something about you. I want to know the person who brings light in the darkness of my past. If your father was on Naboo with my…mother…how can you be a Tatooinan Senator?" Panaka smiled.

"My father wanted me to live near your brother but our way never met and…that's all. Probably things would have been different if I had met Luke, oh… Jedi Master Skywalker."

Leia smiled.

"Don't worry 'bout the name you use." She kept silent for a moment then sighed. "Thank you, Senator Panaka." They shook their hands and Panaka left the office. Leia was surprised and happy. Her brother contacted her.

Leia…

Luke, it's fantastic!

I know…he was hiding something, Leia could feel it.

What's wrong Luke?

It's for Darth Maul and…, it was still unbelievable for him and his mind did an effort to co-ordinate the words, our mother. She's pursuing him, I've to help her but I don't know how.

Let her show you the path. Luke smiled; again her thought touched him as a gentle reproach. He nodded and saluted Leia.

When are you planning to come here?

It's not safe for the Academy to be without my presence in this time. I'll be there as soon as possible, I promise.

Ok, Bye.

His feet led him to the dining room, it was breakfast time and he discovered to be really hungry. The apprentices and Rjssdek, with the brown official Jedi outfit, looked up at him, greeting him. He answered automatically, nodding and raising a hand. He sat down, at his reserved table. A domestic droid, so alike R2 to make Luke feel its lack in his life, arrived, beeping and whistling and put before the Master his breakfast then left.

The room around was extremely bright and full of happiness. Luke's smile didn't want to go away. Irene reached him and touched his shoulder.

"Master?" called uncertainly. Luke looked up at her, regaining a shadow of self-control.

"It's all right, Irene, don't worry. I've just received a wonderful news."

"I know, and I'm glad to see you happy. It has been a long time since you smiled so brightly."

Luke simply nodded. Irene patted on his shoulder, smiling, and then left her Master at his moment of euphoria.

Mother…my mother…Queen Amidala of Naboo, the Great Queen…The thought passed in his mind like a flowing advertisement. When the moment passed, the present fell on him with more urgency than before. Now he had another reason to defeat Maul. His mother.

Mother. That word now, for him, had a face and a name. For the first time in twenty-five years.

After the morning lectures and the exercises for the chorus -built up by Irene and that had heard even the Master sing- Luke found a moment to meditate.

He had noticed a square room not far from his office that seemed to be born to be a meditation chamber. The silence was absolute, so the darkness. The room was an empty cube and Luke was in the middle of it. His training fasted the reaching of a deep concentration. He was now free from his physical limits, unchained.

Luke let his spirit wander freely in the Force stream.

Suddenly something viscid entered his mind. It was cold and seemed to take death with it. Luke tried to sense the presence clearer to recognize it. Nothing. The presence was scanning his mind and was there but he sensed only its touch. For a moment a memory jumped out of a corner. Luke felt the pain of a stroke of lighting hit him. A blue bolt lit the darkness. The presence smirked them disappeared. Luke was alone again.

Thoughtfully Luke got out the room. The daylight was bright and pure. The Master stopped before one of the big windows –he had called a squad of workers to destroy part of the heavy walls of the Temple and build up new arc windows- and took a look down. From where he was, he could see the open space where his apprentices were doing physical exercise with long sword-like pieces of wood. He was proud of them, of them all.

Luke… Amidala's voice whispered suffering in his brain. Luke iced.

Mother…

Go, Luke…he's becoming too powerful, if you don't go he'll get it…

Get what?

The Hemmel Crystal…

Hemmel…Crystal?

Luke please…

Where's the crystal?

In a secret cave under Folg Island.

But it's in the other hemisphere!

Please, it will be the worst catastrophe after the Civil War.

Ok… He was answering when Irene's voice shook the air of the corridor.

"Luke!"

Luke turned immediately. Irene drew out a hand to call him and he ran to her.

"What happened?"

"Toman…in the hangar…he's gone away…with an A-Wing…Maul…he's in him… again. He's a lightsaber with him…I'm sorry…I haven't done…a good work…guarding the room of…the weapons…." Panted the woman. The Master helped her sitting on the floor. He touched her arm and she screamed.

"But you're wounded! Who's done this to you?" But it wasn't necessary to have an answer. Luke knew it. "I'll put an end at this…in a way on in another…" Hissed the man, letting the anger pulse in his blood like a mortal river. Irene touched his hand.

"No, Luke…There's no anger…there is calm. Don't let the anger lead you to the Dark Side, never, not because of me." She caressed his cheek. Luke smiled. "Save that poor boy or you'll lose him."

Luke nodded. Irene did a gesture with the hand, it was better for him to go and Luke left her.

An orange bolt rushed inside the main hangar. Behind him another, taller, presence dressed in orange too. The hangar had come back to life in ten minutes; Luke's orders had the usual tone of a Commander's voice. Four operators were frantically preparing the scarred and worn out X-Wing of the once Commander Skywalker. R4-K7, the astromech droid assigned to it, was silently waiting to be put in its socket. Luke looked at it, wearing his helmet, and sighed. Rjssdek stopped before a Bentarian Hawk, another version of the X-Wing, with silver pictures of animal on black camp.

The ground staff left Luke once the canopy closed.

Inside the X-Wing there was the familiar smell of ozone. Luke breathed deeply then opened a frequency with the ground staff.

"Here Yavin Base. You're clear to take off Master." Announced a female voice.

Luke cut in the power and the afterburners of the X-Wing became as hot as Hell. Rjssdek gave the affirmative sign and the couple of fighters took off.

"Have you got the A-Wing on the screen?" Asked Luke with an unusually eager voice.

"Yes sir. South East of your position." Answered the female officer. Then the silence.

The low atmosphere of Yavin IV was shaken when the fighters disappeared over the horizon.

Irene was thoughtfully watching over the apprentices, who were reading the copy of the ancient tales of the First Order of the Jedi Knights. The stories had a capturing style, half way between the good-night lullabies and the myths every planet in the Galaxy had; the children hadn't liked the idea of reading the first time they had entered the Library but Luke's ability in playing, with Irene and Lukas, the first tales had made the apprentices curious and now they ran to seize the datacard they'd left the previous day.

To involve the other Padawans in their story, Dakana and Grrakkj were reciting a paragraph of it. Irene wasn't really paying attention at them, nodding and smiling lightly. The group was instead glued by the performance of the actors. Her soul was in the cockpit of a shabby X-Wing, which was going to meet an obscure future. Irene's perception was driving her crazy and the preoccupation for the mission was increased by the doubt, the unclearness of the feeling that was crushing her heart. The green gloomy eyes were dancing on the horizon trying to see over it, to regain the lost peace. The ache for the wound on the right arm didn't hurt so much now but her mind wasn't free from the pain.

Suddenly a spot appeared at the horizon line. Irene bent the muscles, in waiting. But her mind reached the ship without the comfort of Luke's usual mental shield. From the dark flying objects came only an indistinct sense of anger. That absence amazed the Jedi-in-training, who opened the hands against the cold glass of the window. Another spot followed the first one and together the coming ships veered a little, heading towards the Massassi Temple. Irene's forehead was bathed in a cold sweat.

"Lukas." Called Irene under her breath but it wasn't necessary: Lukas had felt the ships too and had jumped up, ready to push the old button that would cry the approach of the enemy.

"I'm ready Irene, at your sign." Voiced back the robed young fellow. Irene thought incessantly for five second then nodded. Lukas pressed the button. The eldest apprentice turned, looked around at the amazed children then pointed at the door.

"We've to move. Follow me and Lukas."

Grrakkj barked a question. Even if the other apprentices didn't know perfectly his idiom, they all understood what that sound meant. Irene didn't turned.

"Yes Grrakkj, we're in danger. Probably great danger. But we've not to run out acting like beasts. We're all Jedi-in-training, we'll do our best like the Jedi we want to be." The group agreed with the silence and moved along the corridor.

Long the way for the old refuges in the viscera of the Temple, the group met the preoccupied doctor and his nurses, followed by the humanly worried droids.

"Who's activated the alarm?" Asked the white haired woman.

"I gave the order. There are two approaching ships. And there are no friends on them." Explained Irene and the doctor didn't even think of a light answer to argue about her perceptions. She was like other citizens of the Galaxy, full of a mystical fear and a deep reliance for the Guardians of Peace and Justice.

"Show us the way, Madam."

Irene nodded and the enlarged group followed her, silently. The Padawan forced her feet to walk fast instead of evidently run, a bit to calm the group and a bit to calm her own furious hearth beat. The group stopped in the weapon room. While the older people were arming themselves Irene ran to a hidden low-ceilinged room. In the darkness she picked up a lightsaber and reached the others in the corridor. No one asked her where she had been.

The alarm rose and its crying voice echoed till the group arrived before an apparently wall of rock. Irene stopped before it. It looked like she was trying to hear something that the wall itself was telling her. Then her right hand drew out of an inner pocket a little piece of transparent plastic and inserted it in a narrow vertical fissure. After a lonely beep, barely audible in the noise of the alarm, the wall moved silently away, disappearing in the ceiling. Irene lit up the tunnellike passageway and, grabbing tightly the lightsaber, descended. The tunnel smelled of closed and the air was heavy like it had been there since the time of the Clone War. The neon lights on the ceiling and long the walls lit the way and sometimes little creatures ran away from the invaders when their feet touched the following stair. There the sounds were muffled and the group of trustful people hadn't said a word. Irene hadn't the time to speak so everything was quite. Suddenly a beep echoed in the half darkness. A tall humanoid, with the uniform of the ground staff of the Republic, started searching frantically in his many pockets. The clawed right hand disappeared inside one of them. The man drew out a little datapad, with a screen and a comlink incorporated in the square blue structure. The other members of the ground staff of the little base in the Temple stopped, making the doctor and her followers stop suddenly too to avoid a collision. Irene had heard the beeping call of the datapad and stopped. Lukas, apparently second in command, looked in her eyes for a fraction of second then reached the gray group behind the young Padawans.

"Then?"

The small glowing eyes of the Aar'aa looked up at the man.

"The ships are now on Yavin4's surface." The eyes looked down a moment. "Twenty unknown people are approaching the furthest edge of the controlled space around the Academy." Lukas nodded, turned to Irene and came back at his position, behind the group of Padawans. In a scale of importance they were three stairs before the other people and had to be protected. Irene sighed, her first sound from the beginning, and then drew a step forward. The people started move after her again.

The trees under the star fighters were only green spots on the background and the sea was an increasing blue spot twinkling in the light, reddened by Yavin's huge presence. Suddenly the Jedi Masters felt a deep pain. Luke recognized Irene's presence. She was trying to hide her feeling but Luke's training passed easily through the weak mental wall. The Academy was in trouble! They were running away from something.

Irene…

Master, we're under attack but, don't worry, we're safe, by now.

I'm coming back.

No. You've to save that poor boy. We'll be fine. Luke sighed. Irene was right. He couldn't have come back in time however even if he had reached his top speed. He had to be the Master. Rjssdek followed his thoughts but didn't express his opinion.

Irene, good luck. May the Force be with you.

And with you Master. We all need it.

Irene slowly went out of his mind. Luke admonished himself not to be blinded by his feelings. He had to be clear on what he had to do. Rjssdek called him.

"Master, Toman's not far from us. What will we do?" Asked the Bentarian Jedi. His voice had a preoccupied tone. Luke tried to be convincing.

"Don't hit the fighter, we've to make him land, without killing Toman. Clear?"

"Crystalline."

Luke fell in a deep meditation, after a quick passage on the first row of switches in front of him.

He could feel Toman, far from him, surrounded by a dense blackness. But, instead of fighting it, Toman had embraced Maul's spirit like the apprentice welcome the Master's teachings. The man felt the weight of that truth fall upon him with a deafening sound of broken glasses.

No…Toman…I lost him…

You've never had him. His mother's presence warmed him a little but the wound in his heart was deep. It was the first time. He wanted to cry and scold himself for what he hadn't seen.

I can save him…can't I?

No, you can't Luke. He's chosen the path to follow.

But he's too young!

Let him go, Luke. When you meet him, you'll have your chance to make him turn and come back. But if the Dark Side is strong in him, as the Masters feel, you'll have to let him go, following his destiny.

Luke sighed, nodding. But it was still too dark, too bad. Toman, like his father. He'd saved Anakin.

He could save Toman.

A beeping sound attracted his attention. Toman's A-Wing was on the screen. It was landing on an island, the biggest of the Archipelago where Folg Island was.

"Rjssdek, there's an open space behind that trees, we'll lend there." Instructed Luke, following Toman's way to the shore.

"Roger, Master." Answered immediately Rjssdek.

The fighters landed.

Luke jumped down and ran to the edge of the wood. Toman had reached Folg Island. It was like he was waiting for something, or someone.

A huge mercantile landed on the bigger island. A group of people descended. There was a smaller figure in the middle of the group, an important person surrounded by his guards. Luke paid a great attention at the group, forgetting for a moment Toman. There was something in that group that made Luke's blood freeze. Perhaps it was only a wrong perception; the memory was playing with him again. It couldn't be real…the hooded presence couldn't be…

Rjssdek moved and Luke turned to look at him.

"It's better for us to divide. You'll follow the group, I'll go after Toman, ok?" Luke forgot that he was speaking to a Master, probably with far more experience than him, but Rjssdek nodded, in agreement, acknowledging his superiority (probably come out from nowhere) as the Prime Master of the Academy of the New Order.

Luke patted on his shoulder, did a deep breath then moved silently.

Rjssdek waited until he saw Luke swimming, extremely slowly, rounding the island. Then the Bentarian Morpher moved forward, becoming as little as a pony and reached the island.

The group of people turned all at once and the taller men drew out their guns pointing them at Rjssdek, ready to shoot. The shorter presence came out of the wall of brawny shoulders and looked at him. He was a harmless Yavinian Pony. Four innocent black eyes were looking at the hooded figure. The man took the hood off. Rjssdek jumped back, neighing loudly. In a moment all his fears became reality in front of him. The group of guards moved immediately and covered the Sith Lord –the outfit was the unmistakable suit of the Sith Lords-. Rjssdek, acting like a stupid animal started running around. Luke could now dive and follow Toman, under the green surface of the atoll.

Probably it was a fortune that the little squad hadn't thought about a trap revelator and immediately, two guards were trapped and killed by a hidden laser. The other startled at the sudden end of their friends and became suspicious. Another laser came to life after that a guard touched a platform, hidden under false grass, and the man and his companion became a smoking amount of ash. The captain of the squad stopped. Then, after a long look at the ground at the trees at everything around the group, he moved slowly. Another switch clicked and the tall brawny man jumped away from another mortal bolt. Moving only the hand, he instructed his soldiers. The remaining soldiers of the first squad walked cautiously after the captain. They hadn't the evil grin of victory on their face anymore. The planet was uncomfortable and the hand of man was terrified. The Academy wasn't a harmless monastery to contemplate the beauty of the universe, but a training center to preserve that beauty.

But even if the Captain was a sharp-minded man he couldn't avoid the death of another soldier and the apprehension of the group rose exponentially with every step, every sound, and every movement behind the green malefic wall of leaves.

Finally the group, tired and distressed, saw the entrance of what they thought was a mountain in the middle of the forest. The Temple rose, apparently like the giant trees all around, silent and majestic. All was immobile, deadly immobile. The Captain pointed at two of the men behind him, who looked around for a moment then moved forward.

"They're above us now…" commented Lukas, looking out of a narrow window near the ceiling that opened long the wall of the main room of the Temple.

"Keep quite." Hissed back Irene. The apprentices were mute, as near as the leaves of a tree, half hidden by Irene's tall presence in front of them. Lukas nodded, keeping on looking out. He saw the guards enter the big room and look around suspiciously with the blasters out of the holsters. The Aar'aa reached him and looked out. One of his long clawed fingers was eagerly waiting to hit a little switch on the left side of the blue datapad. Lukas bent toward the man.

"What do you want to do?"

"Kill them."

"How?"

"In every room there are some traps. I can choose which activate and which not. But those bastards have to walk on a specific part of the floor, where it's sure they'll become smoking ash immediately. You go to that window and tell me when they are above the floor near the female statue. Madam, can I ask you to do me a favor?" Irene nodded. "Perfect, go to the opposite window and tell me when they're near the fallen column."

The boy was not far from him and Luke found the way to reach the cave under the island where Toman had entered without been noticed by him. Inside the cave there was breathable air. A smell of fish welcomed the Jedi Master when he finally breathed again, coming out of the water. Still hiding himself in the Force, Luke started following the wet traces Toman had left.

The path seemed to lead nowhere but in a dark corridor and the Master extended his perception as far as he could to sense in time a probable trouble. The corridor was humid and the sound of his steps was the only noise in the darkness. Finally Luke saw a far light, like a candle lonely burning in a bigger room.

The man silently moved on a side and pressed the back against the wall, keeping on going forward until he reached the entrance of the room. Inside the diaphanous light had a font: an oval crystal of a pale blue, suspended at mid-air. Toman's slim figure was a dark spot against the light. Luke stopped on the entrance and looked at the boy. He had known him five months before but, as for the other apprentices, he felt a deep affection for him. Toman was his apprentice. But the Dark Side had seduced him and now Luke had to take him back. The boy took a step toward the crystal, his arms drawn out to touch its warm surface.

The crystal emanated a huge power, symbol of a deep connection with the Force flowing. Luke didn't know what that crystal could do but he felt the great energy it could give. Toman took another step. A drop of water rolled down from his forehead. Another. Luke couldn't let him touch the crystal.

"Toman!" Luke came out of the shadows. Toman stopped and looked at him, angrily. "Fight him! Don't let him rule. You can win." The boy drew a step back and picked up something from behind his back. When Luke saw his hands again two red blades shone in the half-light. Luke ignited his lightsaber, but he didn't act like he was ready to fight.

"I won't fight."

"It'll be easier to kill you, then."

"But I won't leave him in your hands, Maul."

"It's unavoidable, Jedi. There's someone who wants this crystal and the boy. He's incredible connected with the Dark Side of the Force and He wanted him."

"Who wants him?!"

"You can't know it now. If you don't feel him, it's because it's not the time you do it."

Toman sighed and grabbed better the lightsaber. Luke didn't move to attack. The boy ran to him and started the battle. Luke parried the blows without passion or attention; he was passive like the little rock in the big river that knows it can't stop the water. His body was relaxed and this behavior upset incredibly Maul who grinned furiously at the Master.

"Fight!" Ordered Maul, shaking the double lightsaber.

"No." Whispered Luke, calm, terribly calm.

"You're a coward!"

"You're the coward who hides behind the shoulders of a child."

"You bored me, little insignificant Jedi."

The boy raised a hand, ready to hit Luke with a stroke of blue light.

"Damnation, it's like they know where not to walk." Lukas's voice creaked, full of distress.

"Yes, but we've to wait, and hope they don't find the way for the private rooms of the Master." Murmured Irene, looking in and out.

"Why?"

"For a simple reason: they're the private rooms of the Master. It's like enter the rooms of a King, it's for a question of respect and safety. We don't know what Master Luke has in his bedroom. Even if I'm sure he would have told us if there had been something dangerous there…" her speech had a clear and simple logic.

"You're his best friend here, you'd have known it…"Added Lukas, convinced.

"However, if they find the hidden passageway, I'll go out and fight with them." The tone of her voice didn't allow an argument.

"But you're raving or what?!"

"I'll go and knock you out if you block me."

"You're stupid…are you telling me that you would go out there, act like a Jedi and save the secret –supposing that there's one – of Luke? For which reason? Respect!"

"Lukas, you can think what you want. I'm the first real Padawan of Master Luke, I'm in debit with him." Something deeper that the respect had guided her voice and Lukas narrowed his eyes in a questioning expression.

"Please, Madam, Mister, stop talking and come back to your position." Said the humanoid, checking out of the window where the guards were. Irene and Lukas turned in the same instant. The right hand of the woman was seizing the smooth handle of the lightsaber. Lukas shook his head and sighed, looking out of the window.

Something moved behind the Jedi and stopped Toman. Luke felt a presence but he couldn't have a clear perception of him, as during the morning meditation. The fact didn't frighten Luke. The man slowly turned and looked at the thin short person before him. The boy emanated a huge power, the darkness all around him seemed to eat the light of the crystal. Luke saw a pleased smile run across his lips as if he was glad to see him. Two probing malefic yellow eyes scanned Luke's face. The man shuddered for a sudden shiver that shook him deeply. It wasn't for his wet clothes.

The boy was overjoyed, evilly overjoyed. Luke didn't move and cleared his mind from the unreasoned fear for that hooded boy. At least he was only a boy!

The silence was broken only by the low endless music of the crystal and the noise of the sea. Toman was pawing impatiently. He wanted to kill Luke; he wanted to accomplish his duty. He had been conquered by Maul a short time before his meeting with Luke. The spirit of the Dark Lord of the Sith had seduced him with an endless power and the possibility to rebuild the Empire with his own signature. Toman wanted his grandfather to be proud of him. His grandfather, who had been the potent Commander on the Exterminator and had won a lot of battles, during the first years of the Empire annihilating the Dungan System. Dreams of power were winding in his mind.

His hand moved slowly.

He focused on Luke's back.

Toman's hand opened.

But the light hit the wall.

Luke did a complete caper. Without rationally thinking about it, he handled the lightsaber and threw it toward Toman's chest. And his mind analyzed the situation clearly only when the hand opened and the arm relaxed.

A green bolt passed through the soft flesh, with a disgusting smell of burnt meat. The time iced for a moment. From Toman's throat came out nothing but a sigh. The boy fell on the ground. The other boy ran to him and checked his vital signs with a quick movement of the hand upon his forehead. A dark cloud left Toman's body and entered the body of the other boy. He had eaten up Maul's spirit. He picked up the double lightsaber from the hand of the dead body.

Luke didn't even try to stop him. His astounded eyes were focused on Toman's body, on his opened eyes.

Those eyes would persecute him for a long time. He knew it.

Menacing Luke with the lightsaber, the hooded boy drew a step toward the Crystal. Luke followed in a very passive way his movement. The yellow eyes of the boy were glittering with desire. Desire of power.

Suddenly a violent shiver shook Luke's body.

Luke, react! Toman's gone. You've to think about the crystal! Amidala's imperative voice would have shaken the highest iced mountains of Hoth, but Luke's mind answered with a dull low noise. Then, unexpectedly, the dull noise grew. Grew. It was now as loud as the scream of the afterburners under heavy work. Hate. Anger. The spirit of the Great Queen was in the middle of that storm. She called out Luke's name twice. And the storm calmed a little. The Code winded in Luke's mind, taking the peace and the control of knowledge with it.

Yes.

He couldn't let it happen.

He was a Jedi Master.

The young hooded man turned. He had sensed the change in Luke's spirit.

Every trial has a conquest.

Luke had conquered a deeper calmness, a deeper consciousness of…probably of himself, of the Universe, of the deep bond within the two things. And the boy's dark peace trembled for a moment.

Luke, Toman's death was now only another shadow in his soul, focused on the crystal, on its shape, color, sound. He imagined that it rose and flew in his hands.

The light in the room moved.

The hooded boy snorted, angrily. The Jedi Master opened his eyes and his hands and grabbed the crystal. His major duty was to take the crystal at the Academy, where he could control it. But it wasn't so easy.

The double lightsaber rose. The boy acted like he was ready to cut Luke's head off.

His eyes met the eyes of the boy. The obscure light in those yellow eyes brought a terrible reminiscence. Luke drew a step back. He wasn't frightened by what he had remembered. He was astounded.

The Jedi Master called his lightsaber. The light blade trembled. Luke focused deeper on it. With a low buzzing the lightsaber flashed in his right hand. Hiding the crystal inside the wet cloak, Luke prepared himself for the unavoidable battle.

In his heart the calm was absolute. The fight wasn't transmitting him anger, fear, hate. His first real battle against a Dark Lord – the boy was probably a young one- after the deaths of Anakin and Palpatine. And he was serene.

Probably it's for the crystal. It must have some special connections with the Force and can accentuate the predominant part in a Jedi. That boy wants it to increase its dark possibilities.

Luke let his deepest part reach the inner fragment of the crystal, its pulsing heart of diamond. His heartbeat was sounding in unison with the crystal.

The menacing noise of the lightsaber took Luke back to the physical level where he had a battle to fight.

"Prepare yourself to disappear." The irony in his voice was plain and its tone was as sharp as a knife. Behind the veil of darkness came out a grinning seventeen-year-old face. The curly light brown hair was like infernal flames in the bloody light of the weapon.

"You are too self confidant." Admonished Luke with the voice he used with his own Padawan. The boy felt his words like a harsh reproach and shouted back.

"Don't treat me like one of your little stupid apprentices! I'm a Dark Lord of the Sith." The anger mounted in him like a storm and the boy ran toward Luke, ready to fight. Luke, swerving to the left, avoided the impact and parried the first blow. The boy turned immediately and attacked again. Luke defended instead of attack. But however, the boy was drawing a step backward at every impact. When the blades met sparks flew in every direction, dancing in the electric atmosphere. The combatants looked at each other between the crossed blades, rotating slowly, like two fighting animals that studied the enemy. Luke's heart was a vast calm sea, in harsh contrast with the palpable anger that ruled over the young Dark Lord, who seemed really disgusted by Luke's behavior, by his inner peace and control.

Gnashing his teeth like a furious beast, the boy, shielded against every attempt of Luke to reach him, threw himself against Luke, trying to do a smoking hole in his flesh. Luke dropped, rising the lightsaber to repel the oncoming second blow, then shifted aside and rose. They exchanged some blows with the grace of two expert dancers, without results, and then paused. The crystal was still safe in Luke's hand after a second exchange of blows, twinkling and singing like a delighted child.

Irene followed eagerly one of the soldiers walk dangerously near the hidden entrance of the hallway to Luke's bedroom. The man stopped before a column and touched it. His hand touched the control panel of the door that shifted aside revealing the passage.

"Ehi! Kadel! I found a passage."

Irene's jaw contracted. The woman jumped up, heading toward the second exit of the refuge. Lukas grabbed her shoulders.

"Where are you going?"

"I told you Lukas, I'm goin' out there."

"I'm not going to let you do it."

"Don't make me use my powers on you." A diabolic light glittered in her eyes. Lukas, astounded, opened his hands and Irene touched silently the control panel at the right of the door. Before to go, she turned and looked at the other Padawans.

"If I don't come, try to contact Master Luke. May the Force be with you."

Said that she exited. The door closed behind her shoulders.

She had done a lot of exercise with that lightsaber. Luke had always said that she was a good warrior and that she only had to learn how to control her emotions not to surrender to the Dark Side. With that half conviction the woman reached the door of the passageway.

When it silently disappeared Irene saw the men looking inside the darkness of the passageway, unsure of what they had to do. Finally the man called Kadel patted on the shoulder of the other soldier and drew a step inside. Irene ran and hid behind a column. Kadel turned but, sure it was only an impression, lit the torch he was carrying. Irene ran again and disappeared behind the column before the one with the control panel, where the other man still was.

"C'mon Yuk. We've to find them. The Lord told us to find them and take the prisoners to the ships. They're harmless monks."

"They're Jedi!"

"No, they're not Jedi yet. They're Jedi-in-training…"

Irene pushed a little colored button on the handle and the blue intense light of the blade lit her pale and contracted face.

"Did you hear it?" cried out Yuk.

"Yes..."

"What was it?"

"I don't know…probably an animal."

"Yes…it was an animal." Repeated the frightened man to reassure himself. The soldiers drew a step inside.

Luke and the unknown boy were fighting furiously. Luke was giving the back to the entrance of the cave. The sound of the sea grew louder behind him in the loud sizzling of the lightsabers. Luke took a look at the approaching water. The boy lunged. Luke hooked the sword out of the hand of the boy and sent it flying. The boy snorted and kicked the Jedi Master, unbalanced, on the knee. Luke fell on the floor. His lightsaber rolled away. The boy towered above him. The crystal, in spite of Luke's fall, was still in his hand.

"Give me that crystal, or you'll force me to kill you." It was the first time the boy spoke. Luke covered better the crystal, answering without speaking. The boy sighed, falsely contrite, shaking his head. His right hand recalled his lightsaber. Something diabolic lit his eyes.

"You'll die then. It's a real pity…Jedi." Luke's eyes became enormous. The boy noticed it and smiled again. A red bolt lit Luke's face. The bolt lowered cutting the soft sand. Luke disappeared in the cold pool of water. A moment before to dive he called his lightsaber.

Rjssdek was starting to worry about Luke's condition down there. It was impossible for him to contact him; the Hemmel Crystal was shielding him. Suddenly a coming light attracted the attention of the transformed Jedi Master. The brawny guards didn't pay attention at him and he reached the edge of the island. Finally Luke's blond head appeared from the water. The man breathed deeply.

The men turned but Rjssdek changed form again becoming an enormous rancor. The prompt shots of the guards didn't stop the beast that roared and beat the ground with its feet. Luke came out of the water and ignited his lightsaber. The men shot at him but he repelled their blasts then gave the crystal to the rancor that morphed in a tall humanoid. Rjssdek smiled seeing only some bleeding scratches on his friend. The hooded boy jumped out of the water and landed between the Jedi and the guards, grabbing the double lightsaber with even more anger. But he didn't attack with the mortal weapon. He cast the lightsaber away then pointed the open hands at Luke. The Master drew a step back; he knew what was going to happen. When the blue evil bolts buzzed toward him, Luke jumped away.

"Rjssdek! Go and help Irene."

The Bentarian ran away. "May the Force be with you, Master Skywalker." Murmured the Jedi disappearing behind the green wall of the wood on the continent, dodging the intense volume of fire of the guards. The star fighter flew away.

"Go after him!" ordered the boy. The guards ran inside the mercantile ship and started pursuing the fast fighter.

"We're alone now…"

"I'm not afraid of this."

The boy tried to hit Luke with other strokes of lighting. Luke drew out his left hand and the light crashed against the open palm. The Jedi Master focused all his power in his left palm to contrast the boy but after another assault Luke's arm trembled and one of the blue bolts hit Luke's forearm. The Jedi grinned in pain, looking at the boy with a strange light in his blue eyes. More he was near to the boy, more the darkest part of him -the part he had learned to keep down, to expel to embrace the Light- came out howling of anger and revenge, icing him. No! He was a Jedi, a Jedi Master, he couldn't surrender to the Dark Side. He had the knowledge to resist. He had the duty to resist. And he resisted.

Again he had played on a razor's edge and he had won. The boy grabbed the lightsaber and attack, jumping high in the air and trying to cut Luke's in half. The Master repelled the blow in a blinding cascade of light sparks. Alternating the blade with which he attacked the boy forced Luke to move tracing a circle. The wood was now behind him and he knew it was only a jump that he needed to reach his X-Wing. It was more important for him to save Irene and the Academy than kill -probably he would have killed him- the boy who was so much like the nightmares that had followed the battle of Endor. And he did it. Bending his legs for a fraction of second Luke flew away from the boy whose lunge cut nothing but the air in front of him. The boy stopped without trying to catch Luke again. He followed the X-Wing way in the blue sky of Yavin4 then drew out a comlink and a male voice spoke.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Don't worry. Come here and let's come back home."

"Immediately Sir." Answered promptly the male voice.

"He's still corruptible, it's only a question of time." Added thoughtfully the boy, with a voice that made him older and wiser. Then he switched the comlink off and sighed, smiling evilly.

Irene did a deep breath then came out of her refuge.

"Stop immediately." Ordered firmly, to hide her fear. The men turned and looked at her. Yuk pointed trembling the blaster at her and shot. Irene repelled the blasts that hit the columns and the wall. Kadel studied her for a moment then shot. Irene did another miracle with the lightsaber and saved her life again.

"Who told you they're Jedi-in-training?! A Jedi-in-training don't know how to use a lightsaber like she does!" yelled terrified Yuk. Kadel kicked him in the bottom and grinned at Irene.

"I'm a Jedi. You won't take another step on that staircase, I won't let you do it."

"Heard! She's a Jedi. She'll cut us in half!"

"No…she's a good Jedi, she can't kill us." Kadel turned and looked at Irene, "Am I saying the truth?"

"Yes. I can't voluntary kill you. The Code prohibits it." Yuk smiled. "But I can defend myself and my Master and kill you to do it." The smile on Yuk's face died.

"Prepare yourself."

"It'll be a pleasure."

"I'm sure of it."

Kadel grabbed Yuk's blaster and threw the man inside the corridor. Irene drew a step back. The soldier shot and the Padawan shifted aside, behind another column. Kadel rounded the column in front of him and Irene's blade cut one of his blasters in half. They were now looking at each other. The blue light of the lightsaber reflected on Irene's contracted face. A red spot was increasing on her right arm. Kadel noticed it and smirked. It was a fortune. He had only to shoot to that red target. Irene tried to reach the weak mind of the soldier. Looking straight in his eyes she did a light move with the left hand and spoke softly but firmly.

"You now lower your gun." The soldier stupidly lowered the gun. "Now you'll go away from this place and refer that there's no one in here."

"Now I'll go away from this place and refer that there's no one in here." Repeated Kadel. Irene breathed deeply. The other soldier moved in the darkness then suddenly ran to his companion and grabbed his gun. The man fell on the floor badly beating his head against the pedestal of a column with a horrifying noise of broken bones. He didn't move again. Irene hid behind a column and averted the blasts. Immediately the room was filled with a dense mixture of powder and smoke. The soldier ran toward her and kept on shooting. Irene danced lowering and jumping to save her life, shielding herself with the lightsaber. Unfortunately a blast hit her leg and she fell on the floor. Yuk arrived at her. The Jedi-in-training was breathing heavily, looking angrily at the man who had hit her. Avoid passion. Anger. Fear. Her mind soon cleared and she was ready to manipulate the mind of the other soldier.

"Now…"

"Shut up! Your tricks won't work on me, I won't let you speak!" The irritation mixed with a deep fear made Yuk's voice creak like a droid's. Irene's cheeks turned white in astonishment.

The soldier was ready to shoot but a deafening explosion lit the space out of the Temple. Irene moved rapidly and kicked the hand of the soldier that was grabbing the gun. The weapon flew away from him and Yuk turned immediately with fearful eyes. Irene rolled away from him and jumped up. Her right hand opened and the smooth gray handle of the lightsaber cleft the air and the blue blade shone at mid air. Irene grabbed it with energy. Yuk felt his legs like two fruit jellies. He was going to discover how a roast beef felt when it was reduced in thin slices. And Irene was really going to cut him in two and ran toward the man, shouting loudly.

Yuk stood up, moving like a fearful mouse, reached Kadel and stopped. He was a soldier. Why was he running away? Irene stopped, the lightsaber still raised above her head. The man picked up the gun and shot. Irene jumped on the left then reached Yuk and in a moment the woman lunged and the light blade passed through the armor. Yuk's eyes opened in confusion and amazement. Irene looked coldly at the man's lifeless body falling on the floor when she freed her weapon. A tall shadow appeared in the fog at the entrance of the Temple.

"Master Rjssdek!" shouted Irene. The tall humanoid drew a step inside. Irene ran to him.

"Is it alright here?"

"Yes…" whispered the apprentice. A light tone of remorse lowered her voice. "Where's Master Skywalker?" asked then the woman, looking over Rjssdek's brawny shoulders.

"He's coming."

"The ships?"

"Blown up. Only the mercantile had survived."

"Mercantile? Which mercantile?"

"Luke will tell you all when he'll be here."

A soft light from inside the closed cloak of the Master attracted her attention.

"What are you hiding?"

"It's better for us to show you what I have here only inside. It's not safe out here." Irene nodded and followed the tall humanoid. Rjssdek suddenly turned; Irene had already turned toward the door of the Temple. They both were looking out, trying to see the sky.

"What was that disturbance in the Force?! It was like a Dark Lord had been here, really near." Irene's voice was a loud amazed yell. Rjssdek shook his head.

"I was afraid of this…" said thoughtfully, looking down.

"Afraid of what?!"

"I have to talk with Luke." The Master was talking to himself, without looking at Irene.

"Is it something dangerous?! Tell me if there's a danger."

"I don't know how great would it be. Irene, probably it's something far. I've to talk to the Great Master." His words would have convinced her but in his eyes there was something in harsh contrast with his voice.

The man drew a step forward and Irene followed him.

Luke was in the warm cockpit of his starfighter. The Jedi cloak was behind his seat. The R2 unit was silent and the little screen that translated its electronic idiom was dark, lifeless. Luke's mind stopped a moment on it, thinking about Artoo-Detoo and its human behavior. The missions made with the blue and white astromech droid and how humanly Threepio asked him to take care of his friend. But a sudden blackout darkened his mind. The worrying presence came again in his mind, shaking deeply the Force stream. Luke seized the controls of the X-Wing not to surrender to the vertigo that had wrapped him like the coils of a snake. For a moment the threatening presence showed itself then came back in the darkness. Luke was panting; the bright eyes were looking around in the cockpit.

The Jedi Master forced himself to be calm, passive, to acknowledge what had happened, look at it cautiously and find its meaning, if there was one. Apparently what he had felt was the result of a Dark Lord of the Sith, threatening but normal presence in the Force. However he couldn't avoid linking the hooded boy to that intense sensation and to the painful presence of the morning. And with those elements the puzzle became a bit darker. Luke didn't want to do those strange conjectures and did a deep breath clearing his mind from those dark thoughts.

And another sad thing came up from a corner. Toman. His death had passed through his heart like his sword had done with the smooth flesh of the boy. But he could decide to survive or surrender. Survive. He had to survive. Toman's death had given him strength.

But damn! Why he had acted so impulsively! He had killed Toman, he could turned around it a thousand times, that was the truth. In an ancient script of the Jedi Order he had read that 'A Jedi is always and however a man. A man can fail, do mistakes. A Jedi can fail, do mistakes and learn from them. This is knowledge.' Then he could do mistakes. Killing a person is a mistake if you didn't want to.

What are you talking about Luke!! The pale Master shook with energy his head. What was he trying to do?! You've not excuses. Learn from what you've done, without treating it like an accident. You've not thought enough. You were not in peace, in perfect tune with the living force. Yoda would have beaten me on the head with his stick. Instead of Yoda's stick there was his conscience that was beating him. I acted without thinking, I can admit it. I'll tell the truth to the Academy. They've to know who's guiding him. A man. A damn fool man not old enough to be called Master. Master of what?! He had passed a year between Tatooine and Dagobah, studying, doing exercises, living like a monk for months, leaving the Rebel Alliance on its own in a lot of battles, and for what? Lose an apprentice, killing him. Great work Luke! He would have, in a very masochist way, kept on scolding himself, denigrating his work. But slowly he saw how stupid was what he was doing. And decided to stop it immediately. Toman died. I can't bring him back to life. I've learned to look deeper inside my future apprentices not to do this mistake again. I would have left him with his parents if I had seen he was so deeply connected with the Dark Side, probably finding a way to eliminate every memory of Jedi abilities. But I haven't and I've killed him, blinded by the anger that boy had made me show. This means that I've still to learn perfectly the way to avoid negative feelings and I swear: I'll do it.

"…and that's all." Luke'd just finished telling why Toman hadn't come back with him. The apprentices were astonished, Luke could feel their sorrow but for some reasons they understood his behavior, completely. Understood and forgave. A warm touch took Luke back to the world. Irene's hands were gently holding his cold murderous hands. The others slowly got up and reached their Master. Lukas was the only one who was still thoughtfully looking down, the arms folded on the chest. His face was contracted in a serious expression. Silently he left the room. Rjssdek left Luke and followed him.

"What are you thinking about, Lukas?" asked whispering. Lukas wasn't able, or he didn't want, to speak. Somehow the Master understood. A comprehensive smile crept his thin lips. Slowly the Master turned but Lukas finally whispered and he turned immediately.

"He…he was…" Lukas started his sighs were louder than his voice but Rjssdek was hearing them perfectly. "Was so alike him…I tried to save him…I'm not so good as a Jedi…"

"Not all the Jedi have the same powers. Dedalus can talk with Nature but he has to work hard to do the same with a person. Dakana is a fantastic mind reader, instead, but she can't talk to the other creatures. You, I've seen it, can easily see the past, the future and it's a gift as important as the others. All of us are somehow special. We're not wizards, or a sect, we're men and women, before to be Jedi. You'll never see a Jedi able to do everything. Even Luke, I know you're thinking about him, has something that he can't do perfectly." He paused. Lukas sighed again. He was not convinced. There was something he was desperately hiding. "I won't say a word about it, but it would be better for you to speak. It's not only because you've failed helping Toman…"

"Fudor, my brother…my…little dear brother…If only I…"suddenly Lukas turned and beat his fists against the wall.

"What happened?"

"He died, it was all my fault. That Hutt, that bastard. Only another fight, he said, one…one last fight. And I fought. When I woke up the other combatants told me what had happened. Busha de'Hutt had made him fight. And that beast killed him. They said he'd died like a man, without a scream. I wanted to die. But I wanted to take Busha and Dolka Puty, his assassin, with me. A squad of Stormtroopers arrived and Busha told them to take me to the Slave Market on Thando3…He's still breathing and my brother is another spot of blood on the wall of the Arena!" Lukas didn't want to cry and kept on beating his fists on the wall until they bled. Rjssdek stopped him. The speech hadn't been perfectly clear but he understood what was behind the words.

"I understand Lukas. Toman was the shadow of your brother and you wanted to save him. But now avoid the revenge. A Jedi doesn't purse revenge."

Lukas looked up and shouted as loud as he could "He deserves to die, Master!" His anger echoed in the corridor. Rjssdek shook his head. "You know because Toman's died. The Dark Side was strong with him. Your feelings do you credit but remember you're a Jedi." An eager silence filled the corridor. Lukas bent the head forward. "Are you going to leave us?" asked the Master. Lukas didn't move.

"I don't know."

"Give yourself the time to clear your mind. I've a mission in the Mid-Rims. I can go in a standard week."

Lukas understood what Rjssdek was telling him and nodded.

"I'll talk to the Great Master then."

Lukas slowly moved away and left the Master.

Luke appeared on the doorstep when Lukas was a shadow in the distance.

"I don't want to lose another apprentice."

"He's now my Padawan, we'll avoid it, Luke. He's now like you were when you confronted your father for the first time." Luke's eyes rose immediately. "We talked a lot about this with Anakin." Explained the Master, with a light smile.

Luke's shoulders relaxed a little. "Take him with you," his head slowly rose and looked at the darkness of the corridor, "I know how he feels."

"Now that this problem is solved, we've another person to think about. Irene."

"She told me about what she had done. I asked her to fight with me. I think…she's probably ready for her lightsaber."

"You'd need Yoda's opinion, but you're now the oldest Master and her personal Trainer, you've to decide. I saw her fight. Her problem is not technical. Like all the young Padawans she fights with anger, the hate for her enemy is strong. But it's not dangerous. If she is able to control it…"

Luke did a deep sight of relief. "I'm going to be alone for a while…" commented smiling.

Rjssdek brotherly patted on his shoulder. "I'll be back in a week. Don't worry, those children are not going to kill you."

The two Jedi laughed and Luke found out how much he needed to laugh.