Star Wars_ Young Jedi Knights 07_ Shards of Alderaan - Kevin J. Anderson [22]
YAVIN'S SUN WAS bright and the jungle air warm, with a light breeze but none of the strong winds they had experienced a few days earlier. When Han Solo and Chewbacca strode out of the Falcon, Jaina turned to look behind her. Raynar stood alone a small distance away, twisting his brown sash around his fingers, his eyes averted from the happy family reunion.
Han noticed him, too. He flashed a quick grin at Jaina and Jacen. His eyes, though, were serious. "Got a surprise for you kids from home, but let me talk to Raynar first."
The young Alderaan boy looked up hopefully. Jaina saw her father shake his head.
'No news, actually," Han Solo admitted.
"But we've got some solid leads. If your father made it somewhere safe, we're hoping he'll try to get a message to you. In the meantime, we've got Lando Calrissian and some of the best ex-smugglers in the New Republic on the search."
"I understand," Raynar said, then turned and walked dejectedly back toward the Great Temple, his bright robes drooping around him.
With forced good humor after the sad news for Raynar, Han rubbed his hands together. "Ready for your surprise?" Han turned to yell up the ramp. "C'mon out."
"A.nakin!" Jaina exclaimed as their brother appeared in the opening.
"Hey, what're you doing here?" Jacen asked, giving his little brother a playful punch on the shoulder.
"It's a long story,"Anakin said, sweeping his straight dark bangs away from his ice-blue eyes. "You see, I had an idea for restoring the Great Temple. You know how much I like to take things apart and put them together again. I've always been good at puzzles."
"Well, this one has an awful lot of pieces," Jaina said, looking doubtfully at the piles of broken stones lying about. She dismissed a flickering thought that the whole place felt much bleaker, much emptier, since Zekk had departed.
"I suggested that we could treat the temple like a puzzle-sort out the pieces, then fit them back together again. I figured I could see the patterns in my mind," Anakin continued. "Any areas that we can't reconstruct from the original stones can be reproduced by New Republic artists so they'll look just like the original Massassi work." He held up a little hologram of the Great Temple, taken long ago when it had been used as a hidden Rebel base.
"We'll use this as a template." 'Well, at least I have one brother who's a genius," Jaina said, tossing Jacen a teasing look.
"Mom seemed so excited by the idea that I sort of volunteered to come to Yavin 4, even though its not time for my classes to start again," Anakin went on. "I'm not sure how it happened. I just said that I'd be one of the best people for putting together the puzzle pieces, and Dad said he'd help, and Mom seemed so happy.... He spread his hands, looking a bit confused. 'And here I am."
Han put a comforting hand on his younger son's shoulder. "Don't worry, kid. Your mom just has that effect on people. That's how she got Chewie and me to help with her crazyRebellion against the Empire." The olderWookiee groaned at the' memory.
"Yeah," Jaina said, pondering, "and I remember that time Lowie and I volunteered to map out the orbits of space debris over Coruscant."
Jacen added, "And then you and Lowie offered to help fix old Peckhum's space station, too." This time, Lowie groaned.
"Getting people to volunteer is one of your mother's many gifts," Han concluded.
"That's why she's a politician."
Anakin looked over to where Luke Skywalker and some of his students were still collecting chunks of rock that had been blasted from the top of the temple pyramid. "Well, little brother," Jaina said, what are you waiting for?"
Anakin took a deep breath and blew it out. "I volunteered-I guess I'd better get started." He trotted off toward the Great Temple.
'I brought you each a little gift, as usual," Han said, producing a smooth, pearl-pink sphere and offering it to Jacen. "It's a gort egg. @@
"Wow, I've always wanted one of these," Jacen