Dov went straight to the controls of the air speeder, reminding me abruptly of the Jedi tradition of leaving piloting chores to the most junior. Did that mean I was going to have to let the kid fly me everywhere from now on?

The speeder was long and slim, with a row of luxuriously padded seats down either side of a carpeted center aisle, and smelled pleasantly of the citrus wood paneling the ceiling and framing the big ports. I picked a seat at the back and looked out the window at my elbow as we skimmed away from our tower to join the eternal sky-jam. A number of other speeders orbiting the senatorial towers peeled off after us. At first I didn't think anything of it but then I noticed they'd joined our stream of traffic, jostling each other to get close to us.

"We're being followed." I warned.

"It's okay," Chani answered, twisting to look around her seat at me, "it's just the holo-news people."

"Huh?"

Eriol Stargazer leaned into the aisle to join the conversation. "We're big news, Luke." he said wryly. "Surely you've noticed the amount of traffic around our tower."

"Yeah, but I didn't think...shouldn't we do something about it?"

"Lord Trae-Arlin recommends we hold a news conference and give some interviews." he answered.

I grimaced.

"Yeah, that's how we all feel," Chani agreed, "but that doesn't make it a bad idea."

"The Order's reputation is to say the least questionable." Eriol observed. "Putting out a little first hand information might help."

"Or hurt." I said dubiously.

That got a chuckle out of Mylo, sitting opposite. "Trust me, Luke. Nothing could be worse than what the Empire's been saying about us these last twenty odd years."

"Only too true." Eriol said grimly.

The Imperial Palace was a gray stepped pyramid decorated with eerie designs and symbols in black, red and gold. A glass walled observation tower glittered like a giant diamond at the pinnacle and four slender minarets rose from the four corners. Dov landed our speeder on the broad skyway leading to the main entrance. As I climbed out I could feel the evil breathing out of the place like a cold breeze and shivered. No doubt about it, Kensai Moriah was dead right about destroying this place!

Slowly we climbed the tiers of steps lined with, strange hooded statues of veined red marble, and passed beneath cyclopean figures of black stone and into a portico overhung by stone blocks engraved with lightsaber wielding figures in strange robes.

There were no doors. We passed directly through one of the many black pillared archways into a canyon like corridor. Red carpeting covered the acres of floor. Red marble clad both walls and pillars. I wrinkled my nose. "It looks like they dyed this place in blood."

"They did." Jezra said flatly, and I remembered she had been in the Temple the terrible night my father attacked it.

"Eriol, Jezra, Yedda, Elana and I will be in the archive room, midway down the third level east gallery." Kensai Moriah said briskly. "call us if you have problems to report or need help. Luke, I suggest you and Dov go to the top floor and work your way downward. Chani, you and Arkady start on this floor and work your way up. Mylo you take the sub-levels"

"Yes, Kensai." we said in ragged chorus

"Be mindful, and may the Force be with you all."

I knew from the diagrams we'd studied there was a lift going straight up to the Emperor's personal quarters, under the observation tower, behind the throne in the main audience hall at the northern end of the grand corridor. Eighty meter tall red and black doors opened automatically before us. The room was big enough to hold Jabba's whole palace - with a little to spare. The throne on its high dais was carved out of a single giant black diamond and glittered sullenly in the cold white light filtering down from distant windows. The elevator, hidden behind blood red draperies, had seats upholstered in the same color.

"I guess the Emperor liked red." I observed, keying the controls.

Dov was pale, his few freckles staring. "I don't feel so good."

"Me either." I said grimly. "It's the taint of the Dark Side you're sensing. Be especially mindful. It's likely to slow you down and limit your perceptions."

"Oh...great." he muttered.

The elevator went up, then sideways, then up again. Finally the doors opened on another red carpeted corridor, but one with more human dimensions. Black pillars lined the red walls and niches held strange, golden statues. Black and golden benches and tables were grouped here and there beneath disturbing reliefs of tangled battle scenes. The miasma of evil was even stronger - though nowhere near as bad as the Emperor's actual presence. I looked worriedly at Dov. He swallowed hard but seemed to be handling it all right.

"Stay behind me." I instructed.

"Yes, Master." he said with some feeling.

It looked quiet enough but I just knew something was going to jump us - and sure enough, it did. Four steps in I felt like I was walking in deep sand, then my feet wouldn't move at all.

"Dov, get back into the elevator!"

"I can't, Master, I'm stuck!"

"Tangle-foot field." I said grimly, and scanned the corridor. "Get ready, we're going to be attacked." and on the word we were.

Web winged things with glittering metal claws and beaks dive bombed us from holes hidden in the elaborate gilt fretwork of the ceiling. I sliced through them as they came within reach, and heard and saw Dov doing the same, but we couldn't keep this up forever.

'Luke.' It was my father's voice speaking softly inside my head. 'The main power conduit runs behind that gold molding above the pillars.'

'Thanks, Father.' I said silently, then aloud: "Dov, cover me."

"Huh?" I heard him say just before I threw my lightsaber, guiding it with the Force to slice through both molding and the cables behind it. One of the bird things nicked my shoulder as the lights and tangle-field went out together.

'Hurry! into the nearest apartment.' Father said.

'Thanks, Dad, but I figured that out for myself!' I grabbed my apprentice with one hand, called my lightsaber back to the other and triggered the door's emergency open with my foot. We got inside just as the secondary power source switched in and heard bird things hit the door as it keyed closed behind us.

For a minute we stood there panting. I checked my shoulder, just a glancing cut. No problem.

"Sorry, Master, I missed one." Dov said.

"You did fine, kid." I assured him then I looked around and the decor struck me speechless.

It was like standing in the heart of a flame. The sheer silken drapes, the carpets on the floor and the heaped cushions were all of fiery scarlet or orange and the furniture plated with some red-golden metal.

"Wow." said Dov.

"Yeah, somebody sure had exotic tastes." I agreed.

'Go through to the robing room at the back' Father's voice whispered in my ear. 'There's a service corridor that will let you bypass the main hall.'

'Thanks.' "This way." I said to Dov, crossed the room to push aside a curtain of glistening beads - then threw an arm up to block my apprentice. "Hold on, kid, I don't think you're old enough to see this - heck, I'm not old enough to see it!"

"Come on, it can't be that bad." he lifted my hanging sleeve for a look, then dropped it like he'd been burned. "Oh, boy!"

"Yeah." I agreed.

The room was unbelievable. The reds and oranges were darker here, like coals and embers. The huge, round bed with its gold stitched scarlet coverlet stood in an alcove completely surrounded by gold veined mirrors - but it got better: A sinuously shaped couch stood at the foot of the bed hung with gilded chains and manacles, as were some of the chairs. And the artwork, of red and orange glass and gold, was ... well let's just say I'd never even imagined some of those combinations - not to mention the positions!

I put an arm around my apprentice. "Just keep your eyes straight ahead - and for Force sake don't tell your mother about this!"

"Don't worry, Master." he replied with deep feeling.

We got through that bordello of a bedroom somehow, and then across an equally decadent bath with a tub about twice the size of our meditation pool and a few fixtures I didn't even want to guess about. The 'robing room' with its racks of teeny-tiny costumes - all red or orange of course - was almost decent in comparison. A door hidden behind a gold figured hanging let us into a refreshingly bare and utilitarian passage.

Dov and I looked at each other - and it's hard to say whose face was redder. "Well that was - educational." I said.

"I don't think I'm ready for that kind of educating." said my apprentice.

"Me neither." I agreed. We started down the narrow corridor to the Emperor's quarters at the end, but just outside his door we met with another obstacle. A wavering blue field sprang up around us. I tested it with my blade - no go. "Ray shield."

"What do we do now, Master?"

"Good question, kid." 'Well, Dad, got an answer?'

There was a smile in his voice as he replied. 'Just wait. A detachment of droid guards will be along any minute to release you - then you slice them up.'

'Just like that?'

'Yup, just like that. Trust me, Luke.'

'Like I got a choice?'

"Master?" Dov said nervously.

"Be ready. Somebody will be along to collect us and we'll take care of them - I hope."

"Unless something else goes wrong." he jittered.

I grinned down at him. "Oh, it will. It always does. All my missions are like this, Dov, one disaster after another. You might as well start getting used to it."

"As long things work out in the end." he said a little dubiously.

"Oh, they will." I promised confidently. "Just relax and be mindful of the Living Force and everything will be fine."