Star Wars_ Darth Bane 02_ Rule of Two - Drew Karpyshyn [97]
“I’m afraid such a journey would be impossible,” he replied with a sigh. “The Archives require my constant attention.”
“Master Anno warned me you would say that,” she said, smiling. “He told me you would use any excuse to avoid ever visiting Polus again.”
“Not everyone takes to the ice and snow with the ardor of the Pyn’gani,” the Cerean admitted with a sly twinkle in his eye.
The exchange of pleasantries concluded, he returned to his seat and punched a key on his terminal, bringing up a large block of text on the screen.
“I have reviewed your request to access the Archives,” he told her, “and I believe we can accommodate you.”
He tapped the terminal again and inserted a datacard. The terminal hummed as encrypted data was loaded onto it.
“The Archives are available at all hours, day or night,” he informed her. “You will have clearance to access the general collection, but please remember that the contents of the analysis rooms and the chamber of Jedi Holocrons are restricted.”
“I don’t think they’ll be necessary for my research,” she assured him. “Master Anno was very specific in what he wanted me to look for.”
The datacard popped out of the terminal, the information download complete, and Master Barra handed it to Zannah.
“Insert this into any of the catalog terminals in the Archives whenever you wish to log in and look something up. Original works may not be removed from the premises, but you are free to copy any materials you find onto this disk for your personal use or collection.
“I’ve taken the liberty of preloading your disk with some seminal works that may be of interest to your research,” he added, smiling at her once again.
“Thank you, Master Barra,” Zannah said with a bow.
“How long do you expect to remain here on Coruscant?” he asked.
“A few days at most,” she answered. She doubted she could maintain the illusion that shielded her dark side powers from detection any longer than that. “Master Anno is anxious to continue his research. He wants me to return as soon as I have the information he needs.”
The Cerean nodded in understanding. “Of course. But while you are here, I hope you won’t spend all your time studying parasites and symbionts. You have a rare opportunity to explore all the knowledge and wonders of the galaxy, and I hope you will take advantage of it.”
“I will try, Master Barra,” Zannah promised, though she had no intention of staying a second longer than was necessary.
“Good luck with your research, Padawan Nalia,” the librarian said, dismissing her.
With another bow, Zannah turned and left his room, more confident in her mission than ever. If she could fool Master Barra, chief librarian of the Jedi Archives, into believing she was Nalia Adollu, she knew she could fool anyone.
18
The Mystic dropped out of hyperspace with a jolt. Through the cockpit viewport a large planet loomed only a few thousand kilometers away, its surface concealed beneath a thick mass of rolling gray clouds. Bane checked the nav computer, confirming via the coordinates that he had arrived at Tython.
Like all planets in the Deep Core, Tython was a world shrouded in mystery and legend. Some accounts held that the Jedi had visited this world during the era of the Great Hunt, three thousand years ago, to cleanse it of the fearsome terentateks, monstrous creatures that fed on the lifeblood of those sensitive to the Force.
Much older legends identified Tython as the original birthplace of the Jedi Order over twenty-five thousand years before. According to the tale, priests and philosophers of the world had the ability to draw upon a mystical energy they called Ashla; a power that represented all compassion and mercy in the universe. They were opposed by a rival group that drew their strength from Boga, the manifestation of raw passion and pure uncontrolled emotion.
The stories said that a great war ensued between the two groups, with the