Star Wars_ The Jedi Academy Trilogy 02_ Dark Apprentice - Kevin J. Anderson [92]
But Kyp’s were.
He could stay at the Jedi academy no longer. He yanked at the collar of his robe to tear it off. From his stash of personal belongings Kyp pulled out a satchel that contained the flowing black cape that Han had given him as a good-bye gift. During his training at the praxeum, he had been content to wear the rough old robe Master Skywalker provided. But now he wanted nothing more to do with it.
Exar Kun had shown him how to unleash great powers. Kyp did not trust the Sith Lord, but he could not deny the truth of what the shadow man taught. Kyp could see the power actually working.
For now he had to get away to ponder and sort through the conflicting thoughts in his mind.
He opened up the satchel to look at the black cape. A pair of small, lightning-fast rodents dashed out from their nest in his garment and vanished like hot liquid through a chink in the stone wall.
Alarmed, Kyp lost control of his anger for an instant and let fly a searing blast of power that followed the two rodents down their narrow tunnels and incinerated them as they ran. Blackened bones tumbled forward with the momentum, then slumped to dust in the stone tunnel.
Paying no more heed to the distraction, Kyp pulled out the flowing cape, holding it in front of him. Its embedded reflective threads sparkled as if with hidden power. Kyp wrapped it around himself and gathered a few of his other possessions.
He had to go far away. He had to think. He had to be strong.
Later that evening, when Artoo sounded all the alarms, Luke awoke instantly. He sprinted down the corridors to the outside landing area. Mara Jade ran beside him, already alert, as if she had a good idea of what might be happening.
Luke’s eyes adjusted rapidly to the star-strewn sky, which was fuzzy and pale in the south with skyshine from the gas giant Yavin. Mara and Luke stood outside the half-open hangar doors as they watched her Z-95 Headhunter rise from the landing grid with all its running lights darkened.
“He’s stealing my ship!” Mara Jade shouted. The Headhunter’s sublight engines kicked in, burning white-hot behind the craft as it shot into the sky.
Luke shook his head in disbelief and realized that he had unconsciously extended one hand, beckoning for Kyp Durron to return.
The small ship became a white streak of light that grew smaller and smaller as it reached orbit, then set out among the stars.
Luke felt a devastating emptiness, knowing that he had lost another of his Jedi students forever.
24
Every flagstone gleamed. Every Imperial column had been scrubbed white. Every colorful banner representing the Empire’s most loyal worlds hung absolutely straight, displayed without a wrinkle. Everything was in order at the main citadel of the Imperial Military Academy on Carida.
Ambassador Furgan nodded. Just the way he liked it.
Three hundred crack stormtroopers stood at attention in the echoing hall, motionless in perfect ranks. Their white armor glistened like polished bone. They were identical, intensively trained, precise military machines. These stormtroopers were the best of the best in the academy. Only the top Imperial recruits even began stormtrooper training, and these three hundred had excelled in every way.
Ambassador Furgan moved toward the podium to address them. The smell of oils and waxes on the synthetic wood seemed potent in the otherwise sterilized air. Furgan drew himself up, trying to look larger than his stocky stature allowed. The white helmets turned in unison to track him with their black goggles.
“Imperial troops,” he said, “you have been chosen to lead the most important mission since the fall of our beloved