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“He wasn’t. My grandfather was Rostek Horn. He worked for the Corellian Security Force. He wasn’t a Jedi. He once partnered with one—liaised with him so CorSec could work with the Jedi on things on Corellia—but that was it.” Corran unfastened his tunic at the neck and pulled out the medallion he wore. He unclasped the gold chain and gathered the Jedi medallion in his right hand. “The Jedi on this medallion may have been his friend, but he wasn’t my grandfather.”

Luke’s voice remained even. “Your father was Hal Horn?”

“Yes.”

“And his given name was Valin Horn.”

“Yes, but everyone called him Hal.” Corran blinked. “You don’t think that was a rhyme for part of his name, do you? You think that was short for Halcyon, right?”

“What I think, Corran, is that Nejaa Halcyon died in the Clone Wars, and his friend, Rostek Horn, was there to support Nejaa’s widow and son through the tragedy. Rostek married your grandmother and adopted your father.” Luke frowned momentarily. “When the Emperor began to hunt down the Jedi and kill them, Rostek Horn, given his position in CorSec, managed to change records so that Nejaa’s family was hidden from Imperial scrutiny. You and I are alike in that we come from families with a strong Jedi tradition, yet neither of us were aware of our heritage until later.”

Luke reached out and took Corran’s right hand in his left. He pressed the lightsaber into it and closed Corran’s fingers around the shaft. “You may want to consider finding this lightsaber a coincidence or luck, but there’s no such thing. I’ll have you know that of the other two-dozen lightsabers in those rooms, only three worked without recharging, and this one had lain in a case far longer than any of the others.”

“You mean my grandfather wasn’t my grandfather?”

“Oh, he was very much your grandfather. He accepted the responsibility for directing you and your father into the sort of life that would honor Nejaa Halcyon and insulate you from the dark side of the Force. It was a difficult and courageous thing for him to do, and clearly he did it well.” Luke smiled. “In fact, he did it very well. So well, in fact, I have an offer to make you. For thirty generations the Jedi Knights safeguarded the galaxy, and the Emperor was only able to succeed in our absence. I am dedicating my life to reestablishing the Jedi Knights. I want you to join me. Come with me. Train and learn with me. Become a Jedi Knight.”

Wedge felt something hollow open up inside his gut in the wake of the hushed gasps of the rest of the squadron. He instantly recognized the void—I’m jealous! That surprised him for a moment, then he realized how the emotion had been born. Luke had always been a special friend, but as he had grown into his heritage as a Jedi Knight, distance had formed between them. They still got along well and had a great time in each other’s company, but Wedge’s inability to understand what it was to be a Jedi also forced them apart. Now someone who does not know him as well as I do, someone he barely knows at all, is being offered the chance to learn about a side of Luke I can never know.

Corran lifted the lightsaber up in front of his face. “You want me to become a Jedi Knight?”

“Yes. Together we can make certain no more Emperors can rise up to enslave a galaxy. Everything you were raised to do within CorSec you will be able to do in the whole of the New Republic. The Empire is but one manifestation of the Force’s dark side and we will stand as a buffer between it and good people everywhere.”

Mirax hugged Corran’s left arm. “A Jedi Knight. This is quite an honor.”

Corran shook his head. “No.”

Wedge nodded at him. “Oh, it is quite an honor, Corran, one I envy you.”

“You’re not hearing what I’m saying.” Corran’s head came up. “I realize it’s an honor to be asked to train and become a Jedi Knight. Believe me I do, but my answer is no.”

Borsk Fey’lya’s jaw dropped open. “No?”

“No.” Corran frowned. “I have things I have to do. Erisi and Iceheart have crimes to pay for.”

Luke’s cloak closed around him and