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Peckhum perked up. "Well, now we're sure the communications system works.

"

"That sounded like Jacen!" Jaina rushed to the comm unit and flicked a switch, but was greeted by a flash of sparks from a burnt-out fuse. The sudden heat stung her fingertips. Scrambling, she yanked off the panel face and stared at the singed wires. She probed with the Force, following the path of the short circuit, and rapidly managed to hot-wire the damaged system well enough that she could answer her brother.

The speakers crackled back to life. "-are you there? Jaina, answer me!

This is important. We've found Zekk." A burst of static disrupted his next words. "... bad news..."

"Zekk!" Peckhum hurried forward, leaning over Jaina's shoulder. "Hello?"

he shouted into the speaker. "Where is he? Is he all right?"

Jaina tossed her shoulder-length brown hair out of her eyes. "Wait. I haven't got the transmitter back on-line yet." She plucked out a melted cyberfuse and popped in a replacement yanked from her datapad. "That should do it," she said. "Okay, Jacen-we read you. Are we coming through?"

His voice came over the speakers, sizzling and broken. "... some disruption, but... understand you."

"... What about Zekk?" she asked with an indrawn breath. "He's not?..."

"Dead?" Jacen finished for her. The transmission was clearer now, and his voice sounded stronger. "No. We found him-and then Tamith Kai and a couple of others from the Shadow Academy knocked us out."

"Tamith Kai!" Jaina gave a startled cry. Lowbacca roared, and even Em Teedee emitted a squeak of dismay. "But what would she be doing on-"

"They've recruited Zekk and a handful of the Lost Ones gang," Jacen said.

"I don't know where they took him, but Zekk seemed to be with them willingly. Tamith Kai said she was going to train him to be a Dark Jedi!

They're going to the Shadow Academy."

Lowie growled a curious question, but Jaina asked it without waiting for Em Teedee's translation. "But how could they train Zekk? He's not a Jedi-

"

"Apparently he has the potential," Jacen said. "Remember, Uncle Luke found lots of candidates who never knew they could use the Force. Zekk had a knack for finding things to salvage, even in places where other people have scavenged already We just never noticed, never put the pieces together."

Jaina hung her head, thinking of all the time they had spent with Zekk, all the fun they had had together, without her ever having recognized his true potential. "So where is he now?"

Jacen's voice became sad. "I don't know," he admitted. "They stunned me and Tenel Ka, then disappeared. Mom and Anakin came to find us, but that was hours ago. They've probably managed to get off planet by now. I have no idea where they might have gone."

Jaina covered her face with her hands. "Not you, Zekk. Not you!" Then she raised her tear-damp face and looked directly into Lowbacca's bright golden eyes. "The Shadow Academy!" she whispered.

"Remember, the cloaking device makes the whole station invisible, like a hole in space-just like on your orbital map!" He snarled in agreement.

"Oh, my!" Em Teedee said, too flustered to provide a translation.

Jaina turned back to the comm system. "We know exactly where they are, Jacen." She glanced at Lowie's datapad and the projected map, zeroing in on the empty spot in space. Jaina shouted into the voice pickup. "Tell Mom to contact Admiral Ackbar. We've got to mobilize the New Republic fleet. Lowie's going to send you some coordinates. We need to strike fast, before the Imperials realize we've caught them in the act."

"Great," Jacen said. "What are you going to do?"

Jaina smiled. "We're going to shine a little light on the subject."

Old Peckhum sat strapped into the command chair in the monitoring station as it dangled beneath the giant solar reflectors, working the outdated attitude adjustment controls. Jaina crouched over the chair, whispering excitedly into his ear. "Turn the mirrors," she said. "Turn, turn, turn!"

"I'm already beyond the maximums," Peckhum said in despair. His