Star Wars_ Young Jedi Knights 12_ Return to Ord Mantell - Kevin J. Anderson [4]
"My uncle was a sad man, with great guilt on his shoulders. He knew what Darth Vader had done, and-because he was afraid for me-he spent his life protecting me on that desert planet. His heart was in the right place...
but if he had succeeded, think of the outcome: I would still be a moisture farmer on Tatooine, the Empire might still be in power, and there would be no Jedi Knights."
Luke looked up. His eyes glittered in the firelight, though most of his body was cast in shadow. Perched on the stone blocks beside Jacen, Tenel Ka nodded. He sat closer to her as his uncle's point became clear to him.
"Challenges and diversity make us strong. Too much protection can prevent us from learning, from reaching our potential. We can learn from others, but we must also learn from our own experiences... and our own mistakes,"
Luke said. He smiled. "Just try not to make too many of them before you learn."
Another figure emerged from the base of the temple, a young man with dark hair and squared shoulders dressed in a black jumpsuit and a cape.
The sleek Jedi outfit looked comfortable, serviceable, and wellworn.
"Master Skywalker is right. And some of us certainly made huge blunders before we managed to come back to the right course," the young man said.
"This is Kyp Durron," Luke announced with a broad grin, "one of my first students here at the Jedi academy, many years ago. Han Solo rescued him from the spice mines of Kessel, and he came here to learn the ways of the Force."
Kyp nodded at the audience with a grim smile. Firelight splashed across his face. "I came here to learn, but I was impatient. I listened too closely to the spirit of an old Dark Lord of the Sith, Exar Kun, and I'm sorry to say I caused quite a bit of trouble for the new Jedi Knights."
"Like me," Zekk murmured.
"So did I," another voice said as a second man emerged from the temple.
A nimbus of wild white hair floated around his head and fluttered above his thin beard. He wore a vest and breeches with so many pockets that Jacen thought he probably could have carried all the components for his own starship engine inside them.
"That's Streen," Jaina whispered, and Jacen immediately recognized the man. Once a cloud prospector on Bespin, the old hermit had developed an affinity for controlling the weather and the winds.
Luke said, "These two have been Jedi Knights for well over ten years now.
They learned from their mistakes and their successes, and they've served the New Republic admirably." Kyp Dutton and Streen looked both powerful and exhausted, as if they had come through some terrible ordeal that had made them stronger-though neither seemed ready to tell the story.
"Looks like they've had some interesting adventures," Jaina observed.
Lowie rumbled thoughtfully. Zekk nodded.
"I, for one, do not wish to hear about them," Em Teedee said. "I've heard quite enough horrifying stories about Jedi adventures in Mistress Tionne's legends." The silvery-haired instructor was a Jedi scholar and minstrel, and had also been among Luke's first trainees.
"Then I guess Tionne'll just have to make up some songs about the new Jedi Knights," Jacen said.
Tenel Ka nodded. "Soon there will be many Jedi Knights; we must remember our heroes."
Jacen brought his finger close to the lizard again. It flashed its scarlet frill and raised up on its forelegs. The frill spread about the creature like a tiny cape. A sudden thought occurred to Jacen. He glanced over at his sister and knew she was thinking the same thing: Kyp Durron had been a very close companion of Han Solo's.
"Think Dad knows Kyp is on Yavin 4?" Jaina said.
Jacen gave his sister a sly grin. "Well, there's no reason we can't send him a message. Hey, you never know - Dad might even come for a visit." As it turned out, Han Solo was already en route to Yavin 4 to visit his children when he got word of Kyp Dutton's arrival