Star Wars_ Young Jedi Knights 06_ Jedi Under Siege - Kevin J. Anderson [6]
According to Lowie's sensors, the flickering energy shield above had failed. He growled out the news.
Without waiting for a translation, Tionne said, "We can still return to the Jedi academy, but we should leave the T-23 at the edge of the jungle.
I have a feeling it's not safe to approach the temple landing field or the hangar bay. It's bound to be under attack." She sat up straight between the two young Jedi trainees. "It has already begun."
The Great Temple of the Massassi had stood nearly unchanged for thousands of years. The stone blocks in the walls and floors were as solid as they had been the day they were assembled. Even so, Jaina felt a vibration in the floor of the Jedi academy's control center. Warning lights flashed across the shield generator console.
"Something's wrong, Uncle Luke," Jaina said. "There's been an explosion out in the jungle... oh no! Our defensive shields are down!"
Luke stood behind the chair where Jacen sat at the communications controls. He nodded grimly to Jaina. "Can you get the shields back on line from here?"
She frantically flicked switches and checked connections, trying to bring the shields back up. She scanned the display screens and diagnostics, continually pushing buttons. "Don't think so," she replied.
"Power's out. The entire generator might be gone."
Her brother Jacen blew out his breath and pushed back from the comm console.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," he said, running fingers through his tousled brown curls. "I'll bet it's sabotage."
Luke caught Jaina's eyes, then Jacens, and came to a decision. "I'm calling an all-hands meeting in five minutes. We may need to clear out the Great Temple, go into hiding in the jungles where we can deflect the assault. Send a message to your mother that we're under attack now and need those reinforcements right away. Then meet me in the grand audience chamber."
Jacen looked at his sister in a state of near panic. "My animals..." he said. "I can't leave them in their cages if the Jedi academy's under attack. They'll stand a better chance of surviving if they're free. And if Uncle Luke's going to evacuate all of the students-"
"Go ahead," Jaina said, waving him away.
"Take care of your pets. I'll get a message to Mom."
Already running for the door, Jacen tossed a "thank you" over his shoulder.
Jaina plopped down at the comm station, selected a transmission frequency, and tried to make a connection to Coruscant. She received no response, only dead static. With a sigh of disgust over the erratic behavior of the old equipment, Jaina tried a new frequency.
Still nothing.
Odd, she thought. Maybe the main comm screen wasn't working. She donned the headset and selected yet another frequency.
Static. She switched again. Stronger static, as if something had swallowed up her desperate signal. Soon the crackling hiss built to a crescendo squeal loud enough to set her teeth on edge. Jaina snatched the headset off her ears and tossed it down with a shudder.
"We're being jammed!"
Jaina checked the readouts on the communications console just to be sure.
Their long-range transmissions were being blocked by the Shadow Academy.
She had to let Luke know right away....
In his chambers inside the ancient temple, Jacen lifted the latches and slid aside the doors to each cage that held his menagerie of unusual pets. He could see that Tionne had kept them well fed while he was gone on Kashyyyk. The near-invisible crystal snake with its iridescent scales glittered with languid satisfaction, but the family of purple jumping spiders in the adjoining cage bounced up and down in agitation.
"It's all right," Jacen sent the message with his mind. "Be calm. You'll be safe if you get to the jungle. Just get into the jungle."
One cage rattled with two clamoring stintarils, tree-dwelling rodents with protruding eyes and long jaws filled with sharp teeth. In another damp enclosure tiny swimming crabs peeked out of their