Abyss (46 page)

In the palatial suite called simply The Presidential by the hyperattentive staff of the stately Corusca on Fellowship, everything was done on a grandiose scale. Jaina was lounging next to Jag on a hover-sofa that could have seated an entire fighter squadron
with
support staff. Her feet were propped on a table the size of a small landing platform, and she was watching a vidscreen that would have no problem showing life-sized images of a StealthX. Currently, the screen was filled with the wrinkled, Wookiee-sized snout of Perre Needmo, snuffling up and down as his giant gray lips read the news.

“… remains uncertain who fired on the
Millennium Falcon,
” the Chevin was reporting. “Galactic Alliance military spokesbeings categorically deny responsibility. However, the detonation was witnessed by thousands of civilian sensor operators. And several ChaseX fighter craft from the
Nargi
-class pursuit frigate
Fast Death
were in the vicinity at the time. Chief Daala’s office has declined to comment.”

Jaina muted the sound, then smiled over at Jag. “I’m beginning to
see why Dad enjoys this guy so much,” she said. “He has a way of getting to the truth despite the cover-ups.”

Jag allowed himself a rare smile. “Or at least a version that your father finds palatable.” He paused, then asked, “Were there any casualties?”

Jaina shook her head. “Not on our side, at least,” she said. “The
Falcon
and the
Gizer Gut
made their rendezvous as scheduled. They ought to be leaving for the Transitory Mists anytime now.”

“Good.” Jag’s expression was one of relief, but his Force aura remained troubled. “Then you’ve actually heard from your father?”

Jaina shook her head. “No, the message was from Mom.” She poked him playfully in the ribs. “But don’t worry. Dad will come around.”

Jag looked doubtful, but before Jaina could reassure him, the suite’s resident valet droid whirred into the room on his repulsorlift.

“Please forgive the intrusion, Head of State Fel,” the droid said. “Our staff has just received advance notice about
Javis Tyrr Presents
. There will be a news item concerning you and Jedi Solo, and I assumed you would want to see it.”

Jaina closed her eyes and groaned,
“What now
?”

“I’m sorry, Jedi Solo.” Taking Jaina’s question for a request, the droid used its built-in controls to switch programs. “I’m afraid we weren’t given details regarding the content.”

An instant later the handsome face of Javis Tyrr—obviously cosmetically enhanced—appeared on the vidwall, three times as large as life.

“… now for another Javis Tyrr exclusive,” he was saying, flashing his too-white teeth.

An image of Jaina and Jag, seated in the backseat of Jag’s crumpled limousine, appeared on the vidwall. Jaina immediately had a sinking feeling, and she felt Jag’s entire being tense.

“Here’s a little clip of what passes between everyone’s favorite couple when they have a little alone time,” Tyrr continued. “How do we do it? I can’t tell you
that
, my friends, but I
can
say you’re going to find this little
gem
very interesting.”

The image drew in for a close-up of Jaina frowning as she demanded to know what Jag was trying to hide from her.

On the couch in the hotel suite, Jaina turned to face Jag. “I don’t know what to say,” she began. “I’m so—”

“Hold on,” Jag said, turning to the valet droid. “VeeTen, will you please turn that off?”

The vidwall went instantly blank. “Of course, sir.”

“Now, please excuse us,” Jag said. “And inform the staff that I won’t be needing to see any more of Javis Tyrr’s reports.”

“Very good, sir.” The valet droid tipped its body forward in a bow, then added, “If I did something to upset you or Jedi Solo, you have my deepest apologies.”

“We’ll be fine,” Jag said. “Thank you.”

As the droid whirred out of the room, Jaina let her chin drop. “Jag, I am so sorry,” she said. “Tyrr must have been downloading data from that parasite droid the whole time he was walking down—”

“Jaina, stop.” He slipped a finger beneath her chin and coaxed her into raising it. “You didn’t put the spy in my limo, and it’s going to be okay.”

“Okay?
How can you think
that
is going to be okay?” Jaina pointed at the vidwall. “If you had ever been a Jedi young one at Shelter, I would think you were going barvy, too!”

Jag appeared completely unruffled. “It’s not a problem.
We’re
going to be okay.” He fluttered a dismissive hand toward the vidwall.
“That
is just politics. And I’m not going to let a little thing like politics come between us.”

He pulled her closer and kissed her gently, then added, “I’m not going to let
anything
come between us.”

Jaina’s eyes remained open. “Promise?” she asked.

Jag nodded. “I promise.”

“Well, then.” Jaina closed her eyes and leaned forward to kiss him. “I promise, too.”

Lying unconscious in the
Shadow’
s medbay, Luke Skywalker looked more dead than alive. He was only half bathed and still stained with blood. But the wounds would heal, Ben knew, and the strength would return after a few good meals. What Ben
wasn’t
so sure about
was the always hopeful spirit. When he did the math, he realized his father had spent
weeks
beyond shadows. And that didn’t seem like an experience
anyone
could recover from quickly—maybe not ever.

Ben had spent only a few days beyond shadows himself, and the brief visit still weighed on him like a sack of rocks on a three-kilometer swim. It wasn’t all bad, of course. He had been happy to meet Anakin in the Lake of Apparitions, and deeply grateful for the chance to speak with his mother one last time. And with every fiber of his being, he intended to honor the promises he had made to her.

But as for seeing Jacen … how sad it had been to discover him so alone and so lost—not bitter, but completely aware of the monster he had become. Jacen understood the harm he had caused so many, the anguish he had inflicted on the ones who had loved him most. And the thing that really got to Ben—the thing Ben knew would bother him for the rest of his life—was how
accepting
Jacen had been of it all. Jacen had seemed almost
smug
about it, as though all of the suffering he had inflicted on himself and others had been the necessary cost of pursuing some far greater end.

And yet … it had been
Jacen
who had finally scared Ben back to his senses, who had finally saved both Skywalkers by convincing them they could go no farther without losing all they had come to save. There was a deeper truth buried in there somewhere, Ben realized, but it would probably remain forever just beyond his grasp.

Ben sensed a stirring in the Force, and he glanced down to find his father’s blue eyes studying him intently.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that, Dad,” Ben said. “It’s kind of creepy.”

“What?” Luke asked. “Me trying to be available when my son needs guidance?”

“Not that,” Ben said. “Always
knowing
.”

“Sorry.” A familiar Skywalker smile crept across Luke’s lips, and Ben’s heart immediately felt a thousand kilos lighter. “I can’t help it. Sort of comes with the territory.”

“Yeah.” Ben sighed. After a pause, he asked, “Hey, as long as you’re awake, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“What are we still doing here, hanging out in the Maw, when we’re completely out of food and medicine?”

“Naw—I already figured that one out.” Ben traced a finger along the cut across his father’s nose and cheek. “You put a blood trail on that Sith girl. We’re just waiting for her to get her act together and leave Sinkhole Station, so we can follow her.”

Again, Luke smiled. “Well, then, it seems you have all the answers.”

“Not
all of
them,” Ben said, shaking his head. “There’s one question that’s really been bugging me.”

Luke’s expression grew serious. “You can
always
ask.”

“I know,” Ben said. He took a deep breath. “When Jacen asked what you had seen on the Throne of Balance …”

“I remember,” Luke said. “I told him that I’d seen Allana, surrounded by friends from all species.”

“Right …,” Ben said. “And then you asked Jacen what
he
had seen.”

Luke nodded. “I remember. He told me it wasn’t me.” His gaze grew distant, and he looked away. “I’m not entirely sure I believe him.”

“Because you
know
what he saw?” Ben asked.

“Because I know part of it,” Luke replied, continuing to look away. “Just enough to make me wonder.”

“Okay,” Ben said, “then here’s my question: what did Jacen see?”

Luke looked back to Ben. “What Jacen saw on the Throne of Balance doesn’t matter—not to you.” His smile returned, this time filled with equal parts sadness and hope. “And you know what’s really wonderful about that? It
never
will.”

Many people contributed to this book in ways large and small. I would like to thank them all, especially the following: Andria Hayday for her support, critiques, and suggestions; James Luceno, Leland Chee, Pablo Hidalgo, Keith Clayton, Christine Cabello, Scott Shannon, Frank Parisi, and Carol Roeder for their fine contributions during our brainstorming sessions; Shelly Shapiro and Sue Rostoni for
everything
, from their remarkable patience to their insightful markups to their great ideas; to my fellow Fate of the Jedi writers, Aaron Allston and Christie Golden, for being such a blast to work with and for their myriad other contributions to this book and the series; to all of the people at Lucasfilm and Del Rey who make writing
Star Wars
so much fun; and, finally, to George Lucas for sharing his galaxy with us all.

T
ROY
D
ENNING
is the
New York Times
bestselling author of
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Abyss; Star Wars: Tatooine Ghost; Star Wars: The New Jedi Order:
Star by Star; the Star Wars: Dark Nest trilogy:
The Joiner King, The Unseen Queen,
and
The Swarm War;
and
Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Tempest, Inferno
, and
Invincible—as well as Pages of Pain, Beyond the High Road, The Summoning
, and many other novels. A former game designer and editor, he lives in western Wisconsin with his wife, Andria.

By Troy Denning

Waterdeep
Dragonwall
The Parched Sea
The Verdant Passage
The Crimson Legion
The Amber Enchantress
The Obsidian Oracle
The Cerulean Storm
The Ogre’s Pact
The Giant Among Us
The Titan of Twilight
The Veiled Dragon
Pages of Pain
Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad
The Oath of Stonekeep
Faces of Deception
Beyond the High Road
Death of the Dragon (with Ed Greenwood)
The Summoning
The Siege
The Sorcerer

Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Star by Star
Star Wars: Tatooine Ghost
Star Wars: Dark Nest I: The Joiner King
Star Wars: Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
Star Wars: Dark Nest III: The Swarm War
Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Tempest
Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Inferno
Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Invincible
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Abyss
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Vortex

What is a legend? According to the Random House Dictionary, a legend is “a nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical.” Merriam-Webster defines it as “a story from the past that is believed by many people but cannot be proved to be true.” And Wikipedia says, “Legends are tales that, because of the tie to a historical event or location, are believable, though not necessarily believed.” Because of this inherent believability, legends tend to live on in a culture, told and retold even though they are generally regarded as fiction.

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a legend was born: The story of Luke Skywalker and his fellow heroes, Princess Leia and Han Solo. Three blockbuster movies introduced these characters and their stories to millions of people who embraced these tales and began to build upon them, as is done with myths everywhere. And thus novels, short stories, and comic books were published, expanding the
Star Wars
universe introduced in the original trilogy and later enhanced by the prequel movies and the animated TV series
The Clone Wars
. The enormous body of work that grew around the films and
The Clone Wars
came to be known as
The Expanded Universe
.

Now, as new movies, television shows, and books move into the realm of the official canon,
The Expanded Universe
must take its place firmly in the realm of legends. But, like all great legends, the fact that we can’t prove the veracity of every detail doesn’t make the stories any less entertaining or worthy of being read. These legends remain true to the spirit of
Star Wars
and in that way are another avenue through which we can get to know and understand our beloved heroes in that galaxy far, far away.

—Del Rey Books, May 2014

Turn the page or jump to the
timeline
of
Star Wars Legends
novels to learn more.