Lowie gave a roar for emphasis. “Indeed,” Em Teedee said. “You have absolutely no idea how much we have to tell you.”
21
With the crisis finally over, the return trip from Kessel to the Jedi academy was uneventful. The companions—Zekk, Jaina, and Anja in the Lighting Rod, and Tenel Ka, Jacen, Lowie, and Em Teedee aboard the Rock Dragon—spent the time exchanging stories of their adventures.
When they all arrived at the landing field on Yavin 4, with its lush jungle surrounding the spectacular ancient pyramids, Master Skywalker himself was there to welcome them back.
Wearing a mock-stern expression on his face, the Jedi Master looked around at the young Jedi Knights and Anja and Em Teedee. “I just received an enlightening message from a former student of mine on Mon Calamari, Ambassador Cilghal. I’m not sure I understand why the administration at Crystal Reef wants me and Han and Leia to take an all-expense-paid vacation there.”
Luke pursed his lips and gave a slow bemused shake of his head. “And I got a glowing message a few minutes ago from Nien Nunb on Kessel. He thanked me repeatedly for allowing you to stay long enough to help him fix his transmitter … ?”
He shook his head again, as if he could hardly believe what he had heard. “I thought I sent all of you out to find a friend who was in trouble—not to save the entire New Republic from a hostile financial takeover.” The stern set of his lips softened into a proud smile. “I wonder if I’ll ever stop being surprised by the things my students manage to accomplish when they work together.”
The companions looked at each other, somewhat embarrassed.
“Anyway, now I have a surprise for you. The New Republic has decided to hold a celebration here in a few days—and it’s about time, after all the work you’ve done. I think you’re all going to receive some long-overdue appreciation, after defeating the Shadow Academy and thwarting the Diversity Alliance, and now Black Sun. Our first guests should be here by evening meal. But before they start arriving, I’d like the chance to speak with each of you alone. We have some important issues to discuss about your future. All of you.”
“Luke—Master Skywalker?” Anja spoke hesitantly. “If you wouldn’t mind, sir, I’d like to be first.”
The Jedi Master looked into her large eyes for a long moment and then nodded. “I see you’ve come a long way.”
By twilight the entire Jedi academy was in a state of controlled pandemonium. Excitement and anticipation hung in the air like rich perfumes. Cooks and Jedi trainees and even New Republic security guards bustled back and forth in the kitchens, helping to serve the guests who were already beginning to fill the Great Temple.
With a minimum of the usual fanfare that accompanied the travels of the Chief of State, the Millennium Falcon showed up in time for evening meal, carrying Jacen and Jaina’s parents, their younger brother Anakin, Chewbacca, and the golden protocol droid See-Threepio. Jacen made a point of sitting next to his father as the Solo family ate their first meal together in months. While Jaina was busy explaining how Czethros had schemed to trigger a revolution of sorts via transmitter, Jacen spoke quietly with Han.
“I know I’ve been kind of a jerk, halfway believing you murdered Anja’s father because of how she told the story, and I’m sorry. I guess she was just so hurt and angry all the time, I figured there had to be a reason.”
Han raised his eyebrows. “And I was that reason?”
Jacen shrugged. “Well, Anja believed you were.”
“And you believed Anja.” Han’s face became more stern.
“Not anymore,” Jacen said. “I’ve known you all my life, and you’ve never lied to me. Well, maybe exaggerated sometimes—but only for dramatic effect. Anyhow, I should have known you were telling the truth.”
“A pretty girl with a pair of sad eyes can make it hard to see the truth sometimes,” Han observed.
“Yeah,” Jacen admitted, squirming a bit. “But hey, that’s no excuse. I’m sorry I doubted you.”
Han put an arm around Jacen’s shoulder and gave him a brief hug. “Thanks, kid. You’ve got no idea how good it feels to hear you say that. Really makes me feel like we’re a family again.”
Jacen felt as if a weight had been lifted from his mind. He grinned around like an idiot at his father and mother, then at Jaina and Anakin. Anakin’s ice-blue eyes were rolled to one side in that odd expression he wore when solving a puzzle. Around them, the buzz of conversation in the eating hall rose and fell in random patterns.
“Okay, I think I’ve got it,” Anakin said. “Nothing simpler.”
Jaina smiled and ruffled her younger brother’s dark hair affectionately. “All right, what does the master puzzle-solver of the galaxy think the solution is?”
“Solution to what?” Jacen wanted to know, reaching over to take a hot bread-puff. Two serving droids hustled in with trays of steaming foods, recipes sure to please the palates of any number of species. He thought briefly of the wild food fight they’d had just after they’d first met Lowbacca—so much had changed in all that time.
Leia spread her hands on the polished table. “We still need to find out who the Black Sun infiltrators and operatives were. I’m hoping to thaw Czethros out from that block of carbonite he’s in so that I can question him.”
“I’d like to be there when you do that,” Han Solo said. Half of his mouth quirked in a wry smile. “I have some experience with carbon-freezing. And besides, Czethros was an old … acquaintance of mine.”
Leia’s dark eyes lit with amusement, and a dimple appeared in her cheek. “Yes, you might be of some help. I seem to remember it wasn’t easy to get you unfrozen from carbonite and away from Jabba the Hutt. But even if we -work together to question Czethros, we don’t know if he’ll cooperate and give us any names.”
“Wait. I have another idea,” Anakin said.
“All right, kid, shoot,” Han said encouragingly.
Anakin brushed his straight dark bangs away from his piercing blue eyes. “You haven’t made any general announcement yet about capturing Czethros, have you?”
Leia shook her head. “I’ve asked Nien Nunb to keep it quiet. We don’t want Black Sun putting out a bounty on Czethros before we have a chance to interrogate him.”
“Good.” Anakin looked at his sister. “Did Czethros program in any specific destinations for his message beacons?”
Jaina sighed. “Afraid not. He had the message programmed in, but it’s in some sort of unbreakable code. All we managed to learn for sure was the frequency he planned to use.”
Anakin clapped his hands. “That should be enough.” He directed his gaze back toward his parents. “This could be tricky. Here’s what I suggest. Pick a planet and alert the people there that something important is about to happen and to watch for it.”
“Go on,” Jacen urged, interested in his brother’s line of thinking.
“Then we send a message via direct beam only to that planet” Anakin said. “Use the message Czethros programmed, and sent it on the frequency he was planning to use.” He shrugged. “Then sit back and wait to see what happens.”
Han and Leia exchanged hopeful glances.
“Just might work,” Han said. “We can fight the little takeovers one at a time, instead of all at once. Black Sun doesn’t stand a chance that way.”
“I knew I had one brother who was a genius,” Jaina said with a teasing look at Jacen.
It was Anakin who blushed, though. He shrugged. “The biggest problem with my plan is that you’d probably have to do this dozens of times,” he said.
Leia leaned over to give her younger son a kiss on the cheek, then stood briskly. “I guess I’d better get our people started on this right away, in that case. Before word leaks out.” She smiled down at her husband. “I’ll be in the comm center if you need me.” Then she swept out of the room.