Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 01_ Outcast - Aaron Allston [109]
But now, work done for the day, after a sanisteam, dressed in fresh clothes—even if they were the horribly dull robes worn by everyone in these caverns—Ben felt a little better as he and his father walked to their audience with the Hidden One.
Ben glanced at his father. “So, what's your strategy?”
Luke frowned, puzzled. “Strategy?”
“To convince him to let us out of this hole.”
“Ben, what's our objective here?”
“To get out!”
“The objective that brought us to Dorin in the first place.”
“Oh. To find out about Jacen.”
“If we were to march in there and demand our release, and he agreed and somehow magically transported us to the surface, we would have failed in achieving that objective.”
“Well, yeah. Ultimately it's the more important one.”
“Ultimately, yes. But since we're under no time pressure, let's handle things in a logical order.”
Ben let out a sigh.
They left the main corridor and entered the communal dining hall, which was all but empty at this midpoint hour between afternoon and evening servings. It was not that large a chamber; there were fewer than fifty Kel Dors in these caverns, and the hall could accommodate all of them. Tables and benches meticulously cut out of stone and sanded into straight, clean lines were arrayed in neat ranks for the diners, flanked by matched stone benches.
The Hidden One sat alone at the nearest table. He nodded at the Skywalkers as they entered.
The informality bothered Ben. The Hidden One was effectively a king, though his kingdom was tiny, and yet he was not accompanied by advisers for an important meeting with a fellow Master.
Luke seated himself opposite the Hidden One. “Thank you for seeing us.”
Ben slid into place beside his father.
The Hidden One offered a toothless smile. “It is no inconvenience. The opportunity to talk with those fresh from the surface world is one of our few pleasures. As I understand it, you wanted to know about Jacen Solo.”
“Yes.”
“He came here—that is, to the temple in Dor'shan—about nine years ago, very full of life, very sure of himself. He wanted knowledge of the Force, especially as it was understood by those outside his Order.”
“Did you see any sign in him …” Luke paused to consider his phrasing. “Of what he was to become?”
“I think there were scars on his spirit, but they seemed to be well healed. From my many conversations with him, I concluded that his childhood had been an unsettled one, and that he had severed himself from much of it, as though it were dead flesh that needed to be cut away lest it endanger his life.” He looked at Ben. “You are his cousin, no? Is it the same with you?”
Ben shook his head. “You're not going to have a normal childhood in this family, and I guess I have some things in common with Jacen. Separated from our parents for long stretches. I was tortured, too, but not as long as Jacen was.” He saw his father suppress a wince. “I don't know if, when I get to be Jacen's age, I'll want to cast my childhood off, but I don't think so. If only because, if he did, he's a bad example to follow.”
“Interesting.”
Luke continued, “And you taught him the lightning-rod techniques.”
“First, I taught him techniques of weather anticipation and the ability to sense energy piling up in the natural world. You can feel heat in the water in the seas, heat that will become cyclonic storms, for instance. But he heard rumor of the lightning-rod techniques and asked about them.”
“Did he teach you anything?”
“I trained against him in combat.”
Luke's eyebrows rose. “You're one of the Baran Do with combat training?”
“I am. In life, I was the teacher of Charsae Saal, who is now Chara. The Baran Do who study combat train mostly in unarmed and staff combat, and I was interested in learning to defend against the lightsaber.”
“What was your conclusion there?”