Star Wars_ Young Jedi Knights 06_ Jedi Under Siege - Kevin J. Anderson [7]
He turned them loose one by one, carrying them to the window as carefully as he could, moving with a controlled urgency. Jacen had just set the last of his creatures free - his favorite, a stump lizard-when he heard a loud Wookiee roar, followed by the voice of Em Teedee.
"Oh, thank goodness, we're not alone in the temple after all." Jacen turned to find Lowie, Em Teedee, Tionne, and Raynar standing in his doorway.
"Did the others leave without us?" Raynar asked with a look of forlorn worry on his face.
"Everyone's up in the grand audience chamber," Jacen said. "We need to get there as quickly as possible. Master Skywalker's giving his final instructions before the battle begins."
When the group stepped out of the turbolift into the grand audience chamber, Jaina was already there talking in a low voice with Luke and Tenel Ka while the other students sat in frightened silence.
A look of relief washed over Luke's face when he saw that Lowie had returned s-cessfully from his mission. Tionne stretched out her hand toward Luke, and he gave it a brief squeeze.
"I'm glad you're safe," Luke said.
"What did Mom say?" Jacen asked his sister.
Jaina bit her lower lip, and Tenel Ka answered for her. "The Shadow Academy is jamming our transmissions. We were unable to send our distress signal."
Jacen felt the blood drain out of his face.
How long would it be, then, until reinforcements arrived, if they couldn't even send a distress call?
Luke spoke in a loud voice, addressing the gathered Jedi students. "We can't rely on outside help to save us. We must fight this battle ourselves. I believe the Great Temple will be the initial target of attack. Tenel Ka has already briefed you on ground tactics, so we're going to move this battle to the jungle-where the territory will be new for the Shadow Academy's troops, but familiar to us. We'll fight them one-on-one.
"But we must evacuate the Jedi academy immediately."
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FROM THE SHADOW Academy's crowded hangar bay, Zekk watched the final preparations for the attack. The frenzy of bustling troops, mixed with their brooding anger and lust for destruction, galvanized him. He felt as if the lines of Force around him had been set on fire.
The hub of the activity was an immense hovering battle platform that dominated the hangar bay. Constructed specifically for this most important assault on the Rebel Alliance, the movable tactical platform bristled with weaponry. Stormtroopers crawled over its armored surface, preparing to launch. Guided by the ominous Nightsister Tamith Kai, the platform would be the staging point for the ground combat, Jedi versus Jedi.
At the battle platform's helm she stood, eager for vengeance. Her long black cape slithered around her with a hissing sound, like snakes coming out to strike. Spines, taken from the carapace of a murderous giant insect, protruded from her shoulders.
Her black hair curled around her head like ebony wires, writhing and crackling with dark powers, each strand seemingly alive and malevolent.
Tamith Kai's violet eyes burned as she ordered the stonntroopers to board the battle platform, gathering her inner power. Her onyx-scaled armor clung to her muscular, well-formed body. Her demeanor spoke of power and confidence-and a yearning for destruction.
Zekk tended to his own duties. He himself had been a target of Tamith Kai's suspicious thoughts. The Nightsister didn't trust him.
She felt that his commitment to the dark side wasn't strong enough, that he was blinded by his former friendship with the Jedi twins, Jacen and Jaina Solo.
Zekk had been trained as the prize student of Lord Brakiss, and had defeated the Nightsister's own prot6g6 Vilas in a duel to the death. By winning the duel, Zekk had gained the title of Darkest Knight. And Tamith Kai-perhaps because she was simply a sore loser, or perhaps because she