The Unseen Queen (25 page)

“Some of us don’t like it,” Zekk added.

Jacen continued to study the argument. “Does this have anything to do with the Colony?”

“Everything,” Jaina said.

They told him the highlights, from Raynar blaming the Jedi for the Fizz attacks on the Utegetu nests to the Colony’s return to the Chiss border. Then they summarized Cilghal’s theory about the stuff being a self-replicating nanotech terraforming system, and what they knew about Leia and Saba’s detention by the Galactic Alliance. They finished by describing Chief Omas’s attempt to take control of the Jedi order by appointing Corran Horn its temporary leader.

“And you can see how well
that’s
working,” Jaina said.
“Half the order thinks we need to mount rescue missions for Mom and Saba and Dad and Uncle Luke.”

“And the other half thinks we need to support the blockade and intimidate the Colony into pulling out of the buffer zone,” Zekk added. “Meanwhile, the Killiks are establishing nests all along the Chiss frontier.”

Jacen felt the blood drain from his face, and he saw again the burning planets and the spaceships carrying flames from system to system, he saw the hands of humans and Chiss and Killiks setting those fires, saw the whole galaxy going up in one eternal blaze.

“Jacen?”

“What’s wrong?” Jaina asked. “Jacen!”

“It’s happening,” Jacen gasped.

“
What’s
happening?” Jaina demanded.

“Another war.” Jacen was beginning to see what had to be done, why the vision had come to
him
. “An eternal one.”

“All right, Jacen,” Jaina said. “You’re starting to scare us.”

“Good,” Jacen said. “Because
I’m
terrified.”

He turned toward the argument still raging beyond the StealthXs, then touched Tesar in the Force and summoned him over.

The meaning of the vision was growing clearer to Jacen every moment. Ta’a Chume had attacked his infant daughter through the Dark Nest, just as the Dark Nest was attacking the Galactic Alliance through its black membrosia and its pirate harboring. The Force had shown him what was going to come of the Colony’s actions—and it had shown him in the moment he was taking action to protect his daughter.

The Force wanted him to protect
its
child.

The Force wanted him to do to the Killiks what he had done to Ta’a Chume.

“Jacen?” Jaina asked. “Tesar said you—”

“Just a minute,” Jacen said.

He summoned Lowbacca next, and then Tahiri, one at a time so their departure would go unnoticed by those in the argument.

Once they were all gathered around, he said, “I need your help. Now.”

“Now?” Tesar asked. “Sorry. Master Durron needz us to rescue—”

“That isn’t important.”

“It’s important to
us
,” Tahiri said. “The Colony is holding Han and Master Skywalker hostage—”

“Free Uncle Luke or not, support Master Horn or oppose him, it makes no difference in the end.” Jacen reached out to them all in the Force, trying to share with them the horror he had felt when he experienced that vision, offering them just a glimpse of the dark future he had foreseen. “I need you to do something that will make a difference.”

Lowbacca groaned the opinion that Jacen should tell them what in space he was talking about.

“I had a vision.”

The group grew quieter, and Tahiri whispered, “
That
can’t be good.”

“It isn’t,” Jacen said. “A war erupts between the Killiks and Chiss, and the Galactic Alliance is drawn into it.”

“That is what we’re trying to prevent,” Tesar said. “That is why we must rescue Master Skywalker and put an end to the Galactic Alliance’z blockade.”

Jacen met the Barabel’s eye. “The war has already started—and the Killiks are the only ones who know it.”

“The Killiks?” Jaina shook her head. “The Killiks are peaceful—”

“The Dark Nest
isn’t
,” Jacen said. He could see that the others were still too enamored of the Killiks to help him willingly, so he would have to explain things in terms they could accept. “The Dark Nest is leading the Colony astray again. The black membrosia, the Utegetu pirates, who knows what else—it’s been working to destabilize the Galactic Alliance for months.”

“Because they still want to expand into the Chiss frontier?” Tahiri asked.

“Because the Dark Nest still
wants a war
with the Chiss,” Jacen corrected.

“This one is not so sure,” Tesar said. “Why would the Dark Nest want a war with the Chisz?”

“The same reason they did last time,” Tahiri said. “To conquer them.”

“Remember how their larvae feed,” Zekk said.

“It can’t be easy to expand a nest when you need a constant supply of slaves to lay your eggs in,” Jaina added. “A war is the ideal cover. When people disappear, they’re casualties, not mysteries.”

“Exactly,” Jacen said. “Everything the Dark Nest has done has been designed to neutralize the things that prevented the war last time. The Galactic Alliance is so angry about the black membrosia and the pirates that it won’t lift a finger to interfere with the Chiss.”

Lowbacca nodded, then looked back toward the argument and growled that the Jedi had been neutralized as well.

Tahiri let out a breath, then asked, “So what do you want us to do, Jacen?”

“Stop the war.” Jacen slowly drew a veneer of calm over his presence, projecting an aura of tranquillity into the Force that would prevent the others from sensing the lies he was about to tell. “In my vision, the war starts in earnest
when the Chiss launch a surprise attack against the new Killik colonies.”

“That makez no sense,” Tesar objected. “Even Master Durron sayz the Chisz are waiting for the Jedi to make the Killikz withdraw.”

Jacen used a smile to hide the grimace inside. This was something he had not heard about. “And how do we know this?”

Tesar remained silent and looked to Lowbacca and Tahiri, who merely shrugged.

“From the meeting where Master Horn was appointed our leader,” Tahiri said.

“So we can assume that the information came from Chief Omas,” Jacen said. “And he might or might not be telling the truth—as he knows it.”

Lowbacca groaned a question.

“What I’m saying is that the information probably came from the Chiss themselves,” Jacen said.

Jaina nodded. “And if they
were
planning a preemptive attack—”

“—they would want to keep the Galactic Alliance out of the way,” Zekk finished.

“Exactly,” Jacen said. “Chiss lie—visions don’t.”

Seeing the alarm in their faces—and sensing it in the Force even more clearly—Jacen fell quiet and allowed the others a few moments to contemplate what he was asking. With the Jedi essentially leaderless and in disarray, he had no doubts about their eventual decision. In times of turmoil, most people were eager to follow a being with a vision. Vergere had taught him that.

It was Tahiri, of course, who brought up the question that Jacen felt sure was nagging them all. “If the Dark Nest is
causing
all this trouble, why aren’t we going after it?”

“Two reasons,” Jacen said. “First, that’s what Master
Durron and his squad will end up doing, after they get Dad and Uncle Luke back.”

“And second?” Tesar asked.

“We’re either going to be in the middle of the war with the Chiss or stopping it,” Jacen said. “The Dark Nest will be coming to
us
soon enough.”

Jaina and Zekk nodded at this, then the group fell silent and studied each other for a few moments.

Finally, Jaina asked, “When do we leave?”

Jacen thought for a moment, running through different ways to furtively deactivate the barrier field—which had been raised again after his skiff entered the hangar—then pointed at the six nearest StealthXs. “We’ll take those.”

The pearly light had drained from the outer walls of their prison three hours earlier, and still Luke sensed no hint of Juun and Tarfang’s approach. Maybe the Ewok had convinced his Sullustan captain that Han was swindling them, or maybe the pair had decided they were in so much trouble they would be better off just running and hiding. Maybe Raynar had learned of their plans and imprisoned them, too. All Luke knew for sure was that
DR919a
should have signaled them more than two hours ago, and they were still waiting.

“You going to move that savrip or what, Skywalker?” Han asked.

“What’s the hurry?” Luke asked, pretending to study the hologrammic dejarik board R2-D2 was projecting between their stools. “It’s not like we’re going anyplace.”

Han’s eyes finally left the game. “That’s no excuse to bore me to death,” he said. “Besides, the time will go faster if you keep your mind on the game. We’ll be out of here before you know it.”

It was clear to both Luke and Han that they were talking about their escape plans and not the game, but that was as close to
relax, they’re coming
, as Han could say aloud. Luke had sent the X-wing replica—and the Gorog spies it contained—back to Raynar, and a Saras guard had immediately
taken up residence inside their cells. Even now, it was hovering behind Luke, watching the dejarik game with great interest.

Luke spent a moment actually studying the game, then said to R2-D2, “Leave my savrip where it is. Have my closest grimtassh attack Han’s ghhhk, then make a surprise-kill attack on his houjix.”

“Oh, my—that is quite an unorthodox move,” C-3PO said. “Are you sure you want to do it, Master Skywalker? If you defeat the ghhhk and take the surprise attack on Captain Solo’s houjix—”

“Butt out, chiphead,” Han growled. He turned to R2-D2. “What are you waiting for? You heard the man.”

Luke barely noticed as his grimtassh hopped over to Han’s ghhhk and took its place on the board. From what he could feel in the Force, Mara and Leia were fairly close to the Utegetu Nebula, but Mara had dropped into a deep Force-hibernation, and Leia seemed frustrated and impatient. Clearly, the
Falcon
had been delayed on her return trip, and Luke’s patience with his “detention” had come to an end. If Juun and Tarfang did not show up soon, he was going to break out and go hunting for them.

Han sent a k’lor’slug over to assault the savrip Luke had neglected to move out of harm’s way, then scowled at R2-D2 when the attack failed.

“What are you doing?” he demanded. “That was from behind! It’s automatic.”

“There
are
no automatic victories in dejarik,” C-3PO said helpfully. “Even rear attacks have a one in ten thousand probability of failure.”

“And Artoo expects me to believe he just
happened
to generate a failure when Luke makes a vac-headed move like that?”

R2-D2 emitted a defensive whistle.

“He says that Master Luke is distracted,” C-3PO said. “He needs a handicap.”

“I’m not
that
distracted,” Luke said. “Do it over, Artoo—and use standard probabilities.”

R2-D2 let out an annoyed whistle, then Luke’s savrip vanished and was replaced by Han’s k’lor’slug.

“That’s more like it,” Han said. “Now pay attention, Skywalker. The game is about to get interesting.”

Luke barely watched as Han’s k’lor’slug slinked over to attack his monnok. He was trying to connect the
Falcon
’s delay to Alema’s attempts to make him doubt Mara. Clearly, the Dark Nest was trying to drive a wedge between him and his wife, probably to punish her for killing Daxar Ies. But he was beginning to suspect that there was another reason—that the attacks were also directed against him in some subtle way he had yet to understand.

“Luke?” Han said. “It’s your move.”

Luke looked up to find Han smirking at him across the hologram. Han had succeeded in taking control of the center of the board and now had Luke’s ghhhk encircled, with no hope of escape.

“Artoo, have my strider retreat to the edge of the board.”

“Retreat?” Han scowled. “You’re sacrificing the ghhhk?”

R2-D2 whistled gleefully and did as Luke instructed, leaving Han’s pieces almost alone in the middle of the board. Once Han took the ghhhk, he would be stuck with all his pieces facing center and no surprise-kill attacks available to change orientation. Luke, meanwhile, was scattered around the edge of the board, able to attack any of Han’s pieces from behind.

Han took one look and kicked the hologram. Of course, all that happened was that his boot came down in the middle of the game.

“You sandbagged me again!” Han accused. “You were paying attention the whole time.”

Luke shrugged. “Dejarik is an old Jedi game.” As he spoke, Luke finally sensed the familiar presences of Juun and Tarfang streaking across Saras nest toward their prison. “Are we going to play it out?”

Han must have sensed Luke’s rising excitement, because when Luke looked up, there was a glint in Han’s eye that could not possibly have come from the belief that he could win.

“You bet,” Han said. “I’ve still got a three-piece …”

Han let his sentence trail off as the guard suddenly stepped away from Luke and began to drum its thorax.

“Saras is ordering us to move away from the wall,” C-3PO reported. “She seems to believe we’re trying to—”

Luke sprang from his stool, already bringing his foot around in a crescent kick that sent the Killik stumbling into the wall. Han was on the insect before it could catch its balance, slamming his stool down across the back of its head with chitin-cracking force.

“—escape,” C-3PO finished. He studied the unconscious Killik with a cocked head for a moment, then turned to Luke. “Pardon me, Master Skywalker, but
are
we making our escape attempt now?”

“No,” Han growled. “We just thought we’d have some fun beating up our guards.”

“Oh.” C-3PO straightened his head. “In that case, you’re going to have quite an exciting time. Saras was trying to tell you that there is a whole company of reinforcements coming up the ramp.”

Luke and Han exchanged glances, then Han said, “I’ll take ’em.” He hefted his stool, then went into his own room and turned toward the hatch. “You just get that wall open.”

Luke followed Han and went to the wall where he had been having R2-D2 scratch x’s. He used his finger to connect four sets of x’s together, tracing an imaginary asterisk on the wall.