Star Wars_ The Jedi Academy Trilogy 01_ Jedi Search - Kevin J. Anderson [119]
The trapezoidal command tower rose high above the arrowhead-shaped main body, giving a panoramic view overlooking the vast landscape of the ship. Qwi stood and stared out the front viewport toward the cobbled-together collection of rocks that made up Maw Installation. For a moment she remembered watching from the orbiting educational sphere as Moff Tarkin obliterated Omwati cities far below.…
Command crew bustled about their stations, intent on their work as if in the middle of an important drill. In the corridors stormtroopers marched by at a brisk pace. Overlapping intercom messages peppered the air. Qwi wondered how the troops could be so busy after a decade of doing nothing.
Admiral Daala stood by her command console, staring at the deadly swirling gases that blocked her from the outside. Qwi saw her trim, perfect figure masked by an aurora of chestnut hair that flowed like a living blanket down her back. When Daala turned to face her, some of the hair remained where it hung, wrapping around her waist while other strands arced behind her.
“You wanted to see me?” Qwi asked. Her reedy voice quavered despite her efforts to control her nervousness.
Daala looked at her for a moment, and Qwi had the impression of being placed under a magnifying lens in preparation for dissection. Then Daala suddenly seemed to recognize her. “Ah! You are Qwi Xux, in charge of the Sun Crusher project?”
“Yes, Admiral.” She paused a moment, then blurted, “Have I done something wrong?”
“I don’t know. Have you?” Daala answered, then turned back to the broad window, staring out at her other ships. “I can’t get any straight information out of Tol Sivron, so I’ll tell you directly. If you have any further work to do on your Sun Crusher, finish it now. We are mobilizing the fleet.”
Daala misinterpreted Qwi’s shocked silence. “Don’t worry—I’ll authorize whatever assistance you need, but everything must be done within a day. You’ve had two years longer than Grand Moff Tarkin gave you. It is time to put the Sun Crusher to use.”
Qwi took a deep breath, trying to keep her thoughts from spinning. “But why now? Why such a rush?”
Daala whirled back at her, wearing a sour expression. “We have received new information. The Empire lies wounded and vulnerable on the outside, and we can’t just sit here and wait. We have four Star Destroyers, a full fleet the Rebellion knows nothing about. Since the Death Star prototype is not capable of hyperspace travel, it is useless to us in this operation—but we will have the Sun Crusher. Your beautiful Sun Crusher.” The lights of the fiery gases outside glimmered in Daala’s eyes. “With it we can destroy the New Republic, system by system.”
All of Han’s warnings echoed as loud as screams in Qwi’s head. He had been right about everything.
Daala dismissed her, and Qwi stumbled as the stormtroopers escorted her back toward the waiting shuttle. Qwi would have to make her decision sooner than she had expected.
24
In her own quarters images of planets scrolled in front of Leia’s eyes. Statistics, populations, resources—cold data that she had to absorb and assess to make her decision. She rejected most of the worlds out of hand; others she marked as possibilities. So far nothing had jumped out at her as the perfect place for Luke to establish his Jedi academy.
It hadn’t seemed like such a difficult request, since the New Republic encompassed so many possible planets. She had found Dantooine as a new home for the survivors from Eol Sha—why was an academy site causing her so much trouble?
After meeting Luke’s first two trainees and seeing how unusual they were, Leia suspected the Jedi studies would require complete isolation. She had spoken again to Gantoris and Streen in the past day and was discouraged to find both of them feeling miserable and abandoned. If