Chapter X – Phoenix: A Cloak of Illusion
The Ky-Lin had to be the strangest creature I had ever encountered, which was certainly saying something. I say this not based on his physical appearance (not to say that was not strange in itself), but on other factors. He talked almost nonstop during our trek, though little of the information he offered was vital in any way. And it seemed that he was physically incapable of traveling in a straight line – he would take a jump in one direction, then turn sharply and bolt in another, taking a crazy zigzag path as he trotted. When asked, he told us the reason for this erratic path was his personal creed to not injure any living thing. Whenever he came across an insect or a patch of vegetation, no matter how small, he immediately changed course to eliminate the slightest possibility of trampling it. Strange in my mind, but then, the humans of our galaxy probably believed things he thought outlandish.
"We're not going to be traveling for days again, are we?" complained Luke, tugging on Nightwind's lead to urge him on his way.
"Not at all, Luke," Ky-Lin replied. "We're going in a different direction than the one you came from. We should reach the ship before dusk."
There was silence for a time, then Tuck spoke up.
"The Shadow said Vader's real name – Anakin – meant 'son of the dragon.' Does Luke's name have any special meaning?"
"Not that I know of," Luke replied.
"'Bringer of light,'" Jessa volunteered. "At least, that's what it means on our planet."
I nodded. Appropriate. Luke had indeed brought light back to the galaxy… and into my own life. The question was whether he would continue to bear that light, and what form that light would take in the end. Would it be the light of the Jedi? Or another sort of light entirely?
"What about my name?" asked Tuck.
"Dunno. Have to look it up when I go back home."
"Does your name have a meaning, Jessa?" I asked, intrigued.
"Jessalyn means 'blessed with wealth and beauty.'" She gave a disdainful snort. "Joke if I ever heard one. Do I look rich and beautiful to anyone?"
"Beauty and wealth are in the eye of the beholder," the Ky-Lin said sagely.
Fett glared at the rainbow creature. "How does the Shadow put up with you anyhow? Your self-righteousness and proverb-spouting would drive me up the wall in a day."
"I only began serving the Shadow very recently," the Ky-Lin replied. "Of course, 'very recently' to us immortals means 'within the last fifty years' to the rest of you. When Summer – excuse me – Talitha and Jasper departed to go before the Dragon Council, she entrusted me with her ring. And centuries later, I discovered the egg and decided to turn it and the ring over to the first magician I could find. It was providential that the first magician I encountered was the Shadow."
"Why not find a stronger magician?" asked Ash. "Why not wait until you met one who could restore Anakin to his proper dragon form, rather than trap him in a human form?"
"Because the Shadow insisted she be the one." He halted in his tracks and gave me a searching look. "She felt she owed you a debt, Anakin. Her father was Dickon, after all."
His statement, so calm and matter-of-fact, hit me like a blow to the head. Dickon, the man whose actions had quite probably destroyed Talitha… was the Shadow's father?
"The Shadow was once mortal," he went on, oblivious to my shock. "She was the product of a… liaison between Dickon and a prostitute. Her mother died giving birth to her, and the midwife who normally tended to the brothel's needs took pity on her and raised her, intending to train her in her arts. But the Shadow had greater ambitions, and when she was eight years old she ran away and was taken in by the Ancient, one of the great wizards of her world. It was he that informed her of her father's crimes, and when the egg fell into her hands, she decided it was a chance for her bloodline to make peace with yours."
I looked at Nightwind's pack, where the journals of Fleur and Talitha were carefully stowed away. So it had come full circle. A conceited fool had acted rashly and unleashed the wrath of the dragons upon an innocent woman… and centuries later his daughter sought to correct the damage and aid the woman's son. I was not merely the Shadow's current sympathy case. Her intentions were very personal.
It was strange… so many events were transpiring, events that, a mere month ago, I had had no inkling of. They were an integral part of my life all along, but they had operated out of my sight. It was as if someone had instructed an artist to paint a masterpiece, and he had prepared his tools and turned to the canvas, only to find the painting nearly completed already.
I wondered just how this painting would be finished.
At last we approached the ship. It was a nondescript freighter, nothing fancy but in good working order. The paint was a slightly faded green, and across the bow a single symbol had been applied in dark blue – the numeral 1.
"The first ship," the Ky-Lin explained, coming to a halt before the freighter. "It will take you as far as your first stop. From there, you will travel aboard a space liner until you accomplish your first quest. Only then will you come across your second ship… and the path to your second quest." He smiled at each member of the group in turn. "I have to wonder which of you will be the first."
"First to what?" asked Nightwind.
"Why, the first to accomplish his quest! Remember what the Shadow said?"
"Joy," Jessa said unenthusiastically. "Hope it's not me that's first, though knowing my luck…"
"Oh, and Anakin." The Ky-Lin cocked his head. "Reach behind my ear just so… behind the mane…"
Something had been strapped there, concealed by the glittering ruff about his jaws. I pulled it free and examined it. How in the galaxy… I hadn't seen this since Bespin…
"Where did you get this?"
"The Shadow has ways of securing what she wants," the Ky-Lin replied, nodding at the lightsaber. "She thought you might appreciate your old Jedi weapon more than your Sith weapon. I would encourage you to use it wisely, however – violence should always be a last resort."
I clipped the saber to my belt. "Thank you."
"Not a problem. And now, farewell." And he was off in a burst of color, taking his peculiar twisting path back to his mistress' abode.
Break…
Our first stop – Corusant.
Oddly enough, the fall of the Empire, which seemed to have caused chaos, if not total anarchy, on so many worlds seemed not to have affected the capitol world much. It was still the same crowded, cluttered, busy, flashy, dirty planet that I had spent much of my life on. Traffic still clogged the airways, citizenry still packed the walkways, great skyscrapers still competed for space. It was ever-changing as new layers of city covered its face repeatedly, yet strangely unchanging through the reigns of Old Republic, Empire, and Alliance. Love it or hate it, call it the center of civilization or the great cesspit of the galaxy, it was ugly, it was beautiful… and it was where our hyperdrive took us.
"Okay, now what?" asked Tuck as I docked the freighter.
"She said we were to take a space liner from here," Luke replied.
"Problem," Fett growled. "You two have prices on your heads." He gestured at Luke and me. "And I doubt a stormtrooper will be welcome out there."
He was correct. While flying over the cityscape, I had not seen a singe Imperial soldier, and normally their white armor was a common sight on the streets.
"Look through the packs," Ash suggested, suiting actions to words by picking open a bag with her beak. "Remember, we packed changes of clothing. Fett and Tuck can disguise themselves simply by wearing something other than their customary armor. Luke can hide his features by wearing a hat and scarf. Jessa should be fine as she is – droids of all kinds are a customary sight here."
"What about Darth?" asked Jessa.
"He wears the ring."
"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Tuck.
"That is up to him."
I stared down at the ring, now a dormant circle of ivory. The Shadow told me it had grown quite powerful in the possession of the Emperor. Perhaps I had not yet utilized it to its full potential.
"Someone go down to the hold and get Nightwind," I told her. "I will secure passage on a liner."
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" asked Luke.
"Do not worry about me," I told him with an assuredness I certainly did not feel. "I can look after myself."
And with that, I disembarked and made my way to the ticket kiosk, where a bored-looking Twi'lek man and a nervous human female waited. As I approached I drew on the Force, feeling it entwine with the power of the ring and enfold me like a cloak… a cloak of illusion. They could not see me as a Sith, they had to see me as just another prospective traveler, just another man…
"Whaddaya want?" grunted the Twi'lek, not even looking up.
"Seven tickets aboard the next liner," I replied.
"Destination?"
"No preference. Whatever departs the soonest."
The young woman's eyes grew wide. For a moment I wondered if she had somehow seen past the ring's power, but her gaze was fixed on a point behind me. When I turned, I saw Tuck leading Nightwind down the street toward us as casually as if he were a pet dog, the acklay following docilely. Passers-by stared nervously at the creature, no doubt wondering why such a beast was not chained or caged.
"I count five of you," the Twi'lek replied dully. "Plus cargo space for the critter." He pointed at Ash, who perched on Fett's shoulder. "Your bird'll have to be caged before we can let it aboard – cost of the cage'll be added to your tab." He punched something into his computer. "That'll be twenty-five hundred."
"That's ridiculous!" countered Luke, his voice muffled behind the scarf.
"Just pay it," Fett snarled. "Let's get out of here." He was incredibly unhappy with having to go maskless, though it was vital that no one draw more attention than necessary on this journey.
I counted out the credits and handed them over. He passed us datachips granting us space aboard the next liner, bound for Almania. A trip to an exotic-pet store to purchase feed for Nightwind, and we were ready.
No one paid the human members of our company so much as a second glance, a good sign. Nightwind garnered the most attention as he was loaded in the cargo hold – he was a visually striking creature, and the fact that we had such a reportedly ferocious beast confined by no more than a tether seemed incredible to most. Ash also received her share of attention, being rather unusual in appearance even for a bird. And Jessa received a few odd glances as well.
"What kinda droid's that?" demanded a spice miner boarding just behind us.
"Watch it, pal," growled Jessa, clenching her claws into a fist.
"Ooh-hoo, droid with an attitude," the spice miner's friend chuckled. He clapped a hand on my shoulder. "My advice, pal? Get a restraining bolt. No one should have to put up with lip from his droid."
"I'll give you more than lip, you…" Jessa snarled.
"Enough," I ordered her. "On the ship."
The liner was divided into two classes. First class was for wealthy vacationers and powerful citizens, and was appropriately opulent. Second class, our destination, was far less – it was little more than an extra cargo bay with seats bolted into the floor here and there. Migrant workers, refugees, miners, lower-class families, and others crowded the space, some traveling with little more than the worn clothes on their backs. Cargo that wouldn't fit into the regular cargo bay had overflowed into the second-class area, and some of the less savory passengers saw fit to rifle through the luggage of the first-class passengers and help themselves. There seemed to be an unspoken rule to not touch the possessions of other second-classers, but just to be on the safe side, we located our supplies and positioned ourselves close by to guard against theft.
Luke had a seat beside me. "I wonder what they would think if they knew Darth Vader was riding with them."
"They would not think, they would panic," I replied. "It feels strange to be this exposed before them, even if the ring guards against my discovery."
Jessa was singing again, a soft haunting tune regarding a unicorn… the "last unicorn." I found it oddly appropriate for our journey, for it was the power of the unicorn that bound us and led us forward. I wondered if it had been the last of the unicorns that had perished to form the ring, or if there were others…
Luke sighed and leaned back against a nearby crate. "This is all so incredible. When I went with you to face the Emperor… I had no idea this would come of it. Not that I regret it. I do miss my friends with the Alliance, but to have this… this time with you… finally learning about my father after all this time… and learning who my father really is…" His blue eyes seemed oddly sad now. "Owen never wanted to talk about my father. Obi-wan just told me you were dead. It always seemed that no one wanted to tell me the truth. And now that I have the truth… now that I have you…" He shook his head. "I'm not sure I'm making a whole lot of sense…"
"You have sought all your life for a father figure," I replied. "And now that you have found it, you are quite surprised that you found much more than you bargained for."
"I guess that's it."
"Would it help if I told you I feel the same way?"
"What do you mean?"
"My own father. As far back as I can remember, there was no father in my life. I just had my mother… Shmi Skywalker. I loved her, but a growing boy needs a male role model in his life. I suppose that is why I latched onto Qui-gon Jinn so quickly. He filled that void in my life. And I suppose that is why I resented it when Obi-wan had no desire to forge that sort of bond with me. He wanted a Master-Padawan relationship, not a father-son relationship. And that may also be why I accepted the Emperor so quickly when he extended that sort of relationship, never dreaming that he merely used my longing for a father figure to manipulate me." I leaned back. "When the Shadow revealed that I had a father – but a father who was not even human, but a beast of magic – it quite surprised me."
"Makes sense to me," Jessa piped up. "The whole fathered-by-the-midichlorians deal seemed like a cop-out by Lucas to me. The dragon angle was weird at first, but I like it better."
"You're a hopeless snoop, you know that?" Luke inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"And proud of it!" she said with a smile in her voice. She winked at Luke, then turned away and broke into song once again. "Country roooooaaaads, take me hoooooooooome to the plaaaaaaaaaaace I belooooooong, West Virginiaaaaaaaa…" Her serenading drew a lot of stares, and I could only hope that the novelty of a singing droid in our party would not attract too much attention.
Luke arranged his jacket to make sure his lightsaber was properly concealed. "Do you think you'll meet your father someday?"
"I am not sure. Though I would be lying if I did not admit I hope our journey takes us to him."
Days passed. The freighter did not take a straight path to Almania but made detours to Empress Teta, Chandrila, and other worlds to pick up and drop off passengers. The two miners that had harassed Jessa departed on Raxus, replaced by a large family that encompassed four generations, from the elderly matriarch who seated herself in her hoverchair as if it were a throne to the weeks-old infant that filled the hold with its cries. Also joining us were students on their way to Ansion to study the alien life there, priests from some obscure religion on a missionary journey, an arms dealer who guarded his cargo quite jealously, and an exotic-bird breeder who was quite taken with Ash and offered Fett a million credits for her. Amazingly, he turned down her offer, though I am certain he was tempted.
For a time we sank into a state of complacency, mingling with the other passengers, exchanging travel tales to an extent, even sharing meals with them. The days seemed to merge together, spent mostly in napping or conversing with the others, interrupted only by my trips into the 'fresher to tend to my medical needs and into the cargo hold to check on Nightwind. I began to wonder if we had somehow taken the wrong path, that we had missed our quest entirely.
I need not have worried. Our quest found us.
The ship lurched to a halt one day, causing everyone to buzz with speculation. Minutes later, panic ensued as the ship was boarded… by stormtroopers.
The troops were quick and thorough, herding us together like animals, having no qualms about pushing and prodding those who moved too slowly for their tastes. Most of the passengers were too shocked to protest or even to offer token resistance. Our own party was broken up and scattered in the rush, and I found myself surrounded by the terrified students, one young woman sobbing in terror and clutching at my arm. Fett looked stunned, having been pushed into the large family and the squalling baby thrust into his arms. Luke clutched Ash's cage in his arms and was garnering covetous looks from the bird-breeder, while Tuck looked uncomfortable in the center of the priests.
Before I could gather my scattered wits enough to worry, the commanding officer stepped forward. Unlike his comrades, he was an enlisted officer rather than a clone, and his manner suggested that he found it beneath himself to be addressing us.
"All right, listen up, you pathetic spice grubs," he sneered. "Here's the deal – the governor of Kruvex IV is hosting the wedding of his daughter in two weeks' time. His hired entertainment for the evening has backed out, and at this date it's too late to search for a paid replacement. That leaves you worthless scum, and we're not leaving this ship until someone steps forward who can replace them." His disdainful gaze swept those gathered. "Does someone aboard this flying heap of scrap metal sing, or perform, or otherwise know how to entertain a young bride-to-be? And you can drop that sort of thought, you pervert," he barked at a student who had given a ribald snigger at the officer's choice of words. "Come on, step forward, or we start shooting people!"
I had to wonder at the gall of whatever Imperial warlord had ordered this. The Empire was in tatters, and he was hosting a gala? Perhaps he was just in denial. During the Republic's transition into the New Order, senators and other Republic officials had done just this, throwing elaborate banquets and masquerades, feasting and laughing and pretending that there was no tomorrow, that their impending doom would never come…
"Them's got a droid that sings!" a gas prospector piped up, pointing at me. "An' some kinda fancy bird I never seen 'fore, an' an acklay too! Some kinda circus act…"
"Aw crap," Jessa hissed, ducking behind the hulk of the arms dealer.
"A singing droid, eh?" The officer marched forward and pulled Jessa away from her hiding place. "Odd make of droid… but a singing droid… something different might appeal to the governor…" He stared at me now. "Where'd you get this droid?"
I opened my mouth to speak… but it was the ring that provided an answer and spoke through my lips. "My sons and I were once employed by the Royal Naboo Circus as animal trainers. When the circus went bankrupt, the owner could not afford to give us severance packages, so instead he divided the attractions and creatures of the circus between the performers and other workers. As we had had the most to do with the acklay and the bird, we received them. The droid was thrown in for good measure." Jessa would not forgive me for that comment, I knew, but we hadn't time to worry about that. "We are on our way to Almania in hopes of beginning our own show."
The officer gave a sharp nod. "Very well. I'll need to see ownership papers for the bird and acklay, but that can wait until we get to Kruvex. All right, you and your sons follow us." And before any of us could protest, his men had taken Ash's cage from Luke and ordering us out.
"Um… is this a good idea?" asked Tuck, slipping in beside me.
No, it was not a good idea at all. But the ring prevented me from stating that. It pulsed approvingly, and I wondered what awaited us on Kruvex IV.
Break…
Governor Laman of Kruvex IV was an imposing figure, seeming younger than his fifty-two years. His jet-black hair was just beginning to go gray at the temples, and his features were only faintly lined with age and stress. Still athletic and handsome, he nevertheless had hard green eyes and grim features, as if something dissatisfied him.
At his side stood his daughter, Tyra, seventeen years old and as shy and soft-featured as her father was confident and stone-faced. Lovely and as dark-haired as her father, she wore a sequined green gown that matched her eyes and a string of emeralds about her throat that could have ransomed an entire star system. Like her father, she seemed preoccupied and discontented; unlike her father, though, she looked ready to break down into tears at any moment over whatever bothered her.
It felt odd standing before the governor as a subordinate rather than a superior. If he had realized who was in the room with him, he might have had quite a shock. Or he might have gloated over the situation.
"The papers check out," he said at last, handing back the ownership papers Fett had discovered in our supplies – I would have to thank the Shadow for that bit of foresight. "What did you say your name was?"
I decided to risk giving my real name. "Anakin Skywalker."
"Interesting. Any relation to the Rebel?"
"If so, it is distant."
"And your sons' names?"
Jessa had taken it upon herself to give Luke and Fett aliases, and I had a feeling she had had a great deal of fun at their expense. "Their names are Tuck, Eragon, and Albus."
Governor Laman nodded. "Animal acts are not what I had in mind at my daughter's wedding, but my men tell me you have an extraordinary amount of control over your beasts. It is the singing droid that piques my interest – however was she programmed?"
"I haven't the slightest idea," I replied. "She came that way." At least that was the truth. I just hoped no one paid too close of attention to her eyes. There was no way her organic eyes could be mistaken for photoreceptors…
"We shall give you a trial run," he replied. "You will perform for us tonight, at the rehearsal dinner. If we are satisfied, then you will perform again at the wedding of my daughter Tyra and be well paid for your trouble. Otherwise, you will depart on the next liner for Almania."
"Thank you, Governor," I replied, giving a respectful bow. "And good luck to the bride."
She blushed furiously at the attention.
The others were waiting for me in the speeder garage that had been hastily converted into a stall for Nightwind. They looked at me expectantly.
"We are to give a performance tonight at the rehearsal dinner," I informed them.
Groans met this statement.
"We're not performers!" Fett exclaimed, throwing up his arms. "Why did you give them that story in the first place?"
"At ease, hunter," Ash replied, hopping down from Nightwind's back to land on the durasteel floor. "It will not be difficult to give the governor what he wants. A little acting and planning on our parts…"
The phoenix seemed to have taken charge of the situation, and I was more than happy to let her. We all listened attentively as she explained what we would need.
"We will have to devise a repoitare of tricks for myself and the acklay," she went on, "and hand signals corresponding to the tricks – no good can come of him discovering you wear the ring. Unfortunate that we have no band… Jessa, can you perform a cappella?"
"Won't have to." She uncurled her claws to reveal a small electronic device. "I have something from home. Dalzor filched it off my body when he turned me into a cyborg, and I stole it back when his lab blew up."
"What is it?" asked Luke.
"An MP3 player. I have thousands of song accompaniments on here. All I need is some way to plug it into a sound system."
"Very good and quite fortunate," Ash replied. "Lastly, does anyone here sew?"
"Sew?" repeated Tuck, confused.
Fett, of all people, raised his hand. "On occasion I have had to put together my own disguises when none have been handy."
"Good. Now I need someone to ask transport to the nearest town and purchase some flashy fabric. Circus performers need costumes, don't they?" She thought a moment, head to one side. "One more thing – when we go before the governor, I would ask that you don't mention that I talk."
She did not have to worry. I had no intention of mentioning that fact.
Tuck volunteered to go to town and departed, and the rest of us set about choreographing the performance while he was gone. I certainly hoped Ash knew what she was doing – she had been wrong before, and that had proven disastrous. All we could do was have faith.
