Star Wars_ Darksaber - Kevin J. Anderson [163]
He had to find Callista. His Jedi Knights had fought remarkably well, a small band of Force-talented soldiers battling independently and wreaking great destruction on far-superior Imperial technology.
Not long ago Luke Skywalker had been one of the only remaining Jedi Knights—but now he had created the core of a new order of valiant fighters loyal to the New Republic, trained in using the Force. The Jedi Knights would rise again—of that, he had no doubt.
As he thought of Tionne, Streen, Kirana Ti, Kyp Durron, Kam Solusar, Cilghal, and all the others he had worked with, he pondered again Callista’s stated objections: that she could not be with him because she had not yet regained her Jedi talent … that if they married and had children, she was afraid that their sons and daughters would not be able to use the Force, would be isolated from it as she was.
But what did it matter? He loved Callista, whether or not she had Jedi powers. He had already created a fine league of defenders for the New Republic, and he would continue to train Jedi on Yavin 4. It didn’t matter if their children might not have the full potential for the Force. It didn’t matter if Callista could use her Jedi abilities. It didn’t matter!
He wanted her, and no one else. He had to make that clear to her when he finally found her. He had already brought back the Jedi Knights. Luke had searched all of his life for Callista, and he could not allow himself to lose her, not now.
He made his way back to the Great Temple to the clearing where some of his other Jedi trainees had gathered to form a combined force against the rag-tag leftovers from Vice Admiral Pellaeon’s ground assault troops. His heart sank when he failed to see Callista among them.
Where had she gone? Why had he let her out of his sight? He had so much to tell her. So much to promise her.
But she wasn’t there.
“Callista,” he whispered longingly, knowing she could not hear him. But then he looked up into the misty white sky, and suddenly he felt her through the Force. It was like a door opening to let in a ray of light.
His gaze snapped over and fixed on the black silhouette of the doomed Super Star Destroyer. It was in flames, plunging into the gas giant. A few straggler lifepods sprayed out in all directions as the crew evacuated—and Luke knew with a clawing dread that Callista somehow had gone up there.
He groaned to himself, recognizing exactly what she must have done. Feeling helpless without Jedi powers, Callista had taken the problem head-on, charging in with focused attention and a rigid adherence to the lone solution she thought would work. She would consider no other possibilities, only her single-minded way.
“No, Callista,” he said. “No!” He got only a flicker of sensation from her, a dark glare through the Force that felt like a shudder down his spine. She had opened herself up to her powers again, but she was using only the dark side. Callista had been tempted and let herself slip, but at least now Luke could sense her through the tangled skein of the Force.
And then the flicker went away, the door had slammed shut again, as if Callista had lost her powers—or as if something had happened to her.
With stinging eyes he stared up at the dwindling, sharp-edged silhouette of the Knight Hammer, trying to focus his Jedi senses to enhance his sight. But he could detect nothing from her anymore. The door into the Force had slammed shut and locked, blocking him away from any ability to detect her—but he knew she was up there on that dying ship.
Luke saw the Super Star Destroyer plunge like a knife blade into the atmosphere of Yavin, its black-armored hull glowing cherry red with friction against the atmospheric gases and the buffeting storms.
With a final series of explosions that ignited scarlet and yellow glows in the upper clouds, the Knight Hammer vanished into Yavin, swallowed up forever—and taking Callista with it.
HOTH ASTEROID