Part 2:
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Chapter 6
Zeek Solo and Din Holnt were becoming discouraged. They were now leaving the third settlement, having found it exactly like the first two, except for one difference. This town contained the corpses of two vorts instead of only one. They decided to check one more town before heading back to the ship to report their findings … or lack of.
But as they approached the fourth settlement, the two Jedi had a feeling that things were about to get interesting. Where the next town should have been, they found themselves looking a wall that rose dozens of meters into the air. Mounted laser cannons along the wall turned to bear on them as their speeder came to a stop just outside the main gate.
A small orb appeared from out of a shaft on the wall. It hovered over to the stunned Jedi. It flashed and a hologram appeared. The picture contained a lot of static, but the words came through loud and clear. "State your names and reason for coming here."
Din cleared his throat. "My name is Din Holnt, Jedi Knight, this is my Padawan, Zeek Solo; and we were just --."
"JEDI!" The hologram shrieked. "Say no more!"
Before Din could inquire, the gate leading into the city rose, inviting them in.
"Come in! Come in! I am anxious to meet you!" The hologram said before it clicked off and the orb hovered away.
Zeek turned to Din. "I sense no deception."
"Nor do I." Din replied. "It's just not often that Jedi are welcomed so openly."
"Let's find out why." Zeek said as he fired up the speeder and drove inside.
The damage was almost completely repaired. The debris had been swept from the hallway, the back wall had been replaced, and now the turbolifts were being reinstalled.
Salah sighed as she walked slowly down the long hallway. Jyo had become reserved and distant upon hearing what his brother had done; and with Todan disappearing, Zeek going off on a mission, Tay busy tending to her patients, and Denz missing; she felt very alone. Salah felt something growing inside of her. An emotion. Contempt. Disgust. Anger! She was angry, very angry with Cordell. Except for Zeek going off on a mission, Cordell was responsible for everyone else's distance from her, whether physically or emotionally.
Salah hated to be alone. It reminded her too much of her past. Her father had been killed in a space battle against the Yuuzhan Vong when she was very young. Then, a year later, the Vong invaded her home planet of Bespin. Wanting the Tibana gas for their own purposes, the Vong released a deadly neurotoxin on every cloud city.
Salah remembered seeing the deadly fumes coming toward her as she clung tightly to her mother. The next thing she could remember was waking up to find her mother dead beside her. The only conclusion Salah had ever come to, was that her mother had created a Force bubble around Salah and willed it to remain even after her passing. Of course, she did not know that then. Salah had had no idea that her mother had possessed Force abilities.
For days Salah wandered aimlessly around the city. Her mind soon became numb to the dead bodies that littered the streets, buildings, and vehicles. She had eventually collapsed from exhaustion and starvation, for the neurotoxin had poisoned all the food in the entire city. Salah had been fortunate to find some pure water, though. Otherwise she might not have lasted long enough.
One day, as she drank from the cool spring she had discovered, Salah thought she had heard a sound overhead. She ran out to where she could get a look and saw three fighter-size ships streak across the sky. At first she was frightened, then she realized that these were not Vong. Salah waved her arms and jumped up and down as the pilots made another pass. One had apparently seen her and turned around and came toward her.
The ship set down in the clearing where Salah stood. The hatch popped and a man jumped out. His blue eyes were kind and inviting. She began to cry, and he asked her how she had survived. Salah started to tell the man what she knew, but found that she could not speak. Her voice had disappeared. Enduring such complete silence for days on end had left her mute … at least temporarily.
Right now Salah felt like yelling at someone … anyone! She took a deep breath to calm herself. Salah decided that she would play the holographic message left by Denz and make faces at it to cheer her up. But when she reached his door, she remembered that Todan had torn apart the control console. Wires hung out everywhere. Salah saw two that looked like Todan had been about to connect them. Just for the fun of it, though, she touched the ends of the two wires together. They sparked and Denz's door seemed to shudder. Salah touched them together again and held it.
Denz's door slid wide open.
Salah looked quickly up and down the hall. Other than the droids working on the turbolifts, it was empty. She cautiously poked her head inside Denz's room. Salah sensed no traps so she walked inside. The room was mostly empty, just like all the rooms had been when the students first moved in. Except for his desk, which was littered with papers and schematics, the room was eerily neat and tidy.
As she approached the desk and began to leaf through the clutter, she heard a noise. When Salah looked up, she saw a small orb rise from the desk and begin to spin. Thinking it was one of the practice orbs that fired low power laser bolts; she had her lightsaber out in a second. But instead of attacking her, an image appeared above the orb. It was full of static at first, but soon cleared enough for her to make out the face of the missing Jedi Student.
"Greetings." The hologram said. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone was able to crack the security on my door."
Salah sighed with relief as she put her lightsaber away. Clearly this was just another recorded transmission made by Denz before he went missing.
"If you think that this is just another recorded message, I'm afraid you're mistaken. This is a live transmission from a location that I'm not going to reveal to you … yet."
Salah stumbled backward at this. She sat down on his bed to steady herself.
Before she could respond, the hologram continued. "Just so you know, I can't hear or see you, so you'll just have to hear me out. Obviously I'm alive and well. Also, I sensed what happened there on Jedron a day or so ago, and I fear Cordell may know where I am and is coming for me.
"I think he may be being drawn to me, and I to him. But I am not yet ready to face him. I have yet to rid myself completely of dark feelings I have toward him. Thus, I will be fleeing my sanctuary planet for another safe haven.
"But I need Cordell to be slowed down and distracted in order for me to escape and effectively hide myself from him again. For this reason, I need you, whoever you are, to contact another familiar presence I sensed on this planet. Warn him of Cordell and tell him to do anything in his power to stop him. I don't think he will be able to defeat Cordell, but it will at least divert his attention.
"Finally, I would just like to say that I miss all my friends there on Jedron and the day will come when I will return there after defeating Cordell to see you all again. May the Force be with you. End transmission from Duro."
Salah still sat on Denz's bed gaping as the hologram disappeared and the orb fell to the desk with a clunk. After about a moment, she jumped up and dashed out into the hallway. It was still empty except for the droids. Salah hurried toward them. At that end of the hallway was Tahiri's room. If anyone could get in contact with Zeek and Din immediately, it would be the one that sent them on the mission in the first place. Salah thought to herself.
Salah knew the door would be locked so she did not waste time with the control panel. Her lightsaber made quick work of the door, slicing a hole in it in one circular swipe. Salah stepped through the opening and activated the lights. She then searched through the holophone's memory and found the private line to the Naboo cruiser Zeek and Din had taken. But when she tried to contact them, no one answered. She left a message, explaining everything and warning Zeek about Cordell.
Salah felt discouraged as she stepped back through the hole she had created. How would she know if Zeek got the message in time? Suddenly she remembered! Jyo! One time he had explained to Salah, at her inquiry, that the device he always wore on his wrist was a special comlink invented by Denz that could communicate with the other three he had made from anywhere in the galaxy.
"But," he had added sadly, "Denz must have deactivated his. 'Cause I don't even get static when I try to contact it."
But Zeek had one too! And he would have no reason to turn his off. So, all I need to do is find Jyo and get him to contact Zeek and deliver the message! Salah hurried away to find Jyo. But where could he be?
Denz turned away from the holoprojector and looked sadly at his bare wrist. If only I hadn't had to destroy my combomb. Then I could have just contacted Zeek myself. He shook his head, No need to dwell on such things. What's done is done.
A young man in a blue uniform entered the room. "You're ship is ready, Master Dax."
"Thank you, Rolind." Denz said as he made his way to the door.
As he passed the young man, he said, "Master Dax … must you leave?"
Denz sighed and sent a thought through Rolind's mind.
"You must go," Rolind said. "I understand. We will be safe and continue to grow in number and strength."
Denz smiled at his good friend and aide that did not even know his real name. He turned to go. I have to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.
Din and Zeek had been, to say the least, dumbfounded to find inside the tall walls a massive, thriving city! Circular in shape, it had to be several thousand meters in diameter – at least.
Din had been so engrossed with Yibin (the man from the hologram) as he gave him and Zeek a tour of what was called "Sand Grain City" that he almost did not hear his comlink go off. It was linked directly to the ship to alert him of any incoming transmission. It has to be from Tahiri. He thought to himself. Din interrupted Yibin and pulled Zeek aside. "We've got a message waiting for us back at the ship, and as much as I want to find out about this place, it could be important."
Zeek nodded. "No problem. If I can get a transport, I'll take the speeder back to the rental place and just pilot the ship back here."
"Alright." Din turned back to Yibin and asked him if it would be all right to make the transition.
Their guide nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, of course! We shall just appropriate another speeder when we get to the spaceport."
Fifteen minutes later, Zeek and their rented speeder were loaded up in an old freighter. After the ship had taken off, Din and Yibin, in another speeder, continued the tour of the city. Din listened as the proud man told of all the hard work and heart that became what they saw before them.
When Yibin stopped speaking for a moment, Din worked in a question or two. "Who organized all the manpower it must have taken to build … this!" Din asked gesturing at their surroundings.
Yibin seemed to smile even bigger (if that was possible). "He pretty much appeared out of nowhere. He cleared out about eight to twelve of our tiny little villages and brought us all to this spot, where he supplied us with the necessary materials and tools."
He knew Yibin had more to say, but Din interrupted again with a quick question. "Does this 'he' have a name?"
Yibin chuckled in embarrassment. "Oh, yes! The only name he ever gave anyone was 'Dax'. Of course, if you had any respect for him, you would call him 'Master Dax', but …"
"Wait!" Din stopped him again. "'Master?'"
"Why, yes. And we are ever so grateful to Master Skywalker for sending him to us …"
"This Dax said he was sent by Master Skywalker?"
"Well, it was only assumed that that was who sent him. And so young, too …"
"Yibin!"
The chatty guide stopped and looked questioningly at Din.
"I have never heard of any 'Master Dax'; I know for a fact that Master Skywalker did not send anyone to Duro except for me and my apprentice; and where can I find this mystery Jedi?"