The Unseen Queen (10 page)

The path rounded a gentle bend, and a dozen meters ahead, the trapezoidal span of Clarity Gate framed a tranquil courtyard accented by a small fountain. Leia passed under the crosspieces without stopping, then turned toward an opening to one side of the fountain—and heard a disapproving hiss behind her.

“This one is shocked at the forgetfulnesz of her student,” Saba rasped. “What must a Jedi do as she enterz the academy groundz?”

Leia rolled her eyes and turned to face the Barabel. “We don’t have time to meditate right now, Master.”

Saba blinked twice, then clasped her claws together and remained standing on the other side of the gateway.

“Really.” Leia went back through the gate and tapped the side of the jar. “Look at this stuff.”

Saba looked, then said, “That is no excuse for ignoring the rulez.”

“We don’t have
time
for rules,” Leia said. “We need to get this jar to Cilghal.”

“And the sooner you complete your meditationz, the sooner we will do that.”

“Saba—”

A rumble sounded low in Saba’s throat.

“
Master
Sebatyne,” Leia corrected, “don’t you think Luke would want us to hurry?”

The Barabel tipped her head and glared down at Leia out of one eye. “You are doing it again.”

“Doing
what
?”

“
Reasoning
. That is a skill you have already mastered.” Saba’s tone grew stern. “What you have not yet learned is obedience.”

“I’m sorry, Master.” Leia was growing exasperated. “I promise to work on that later, but right now I’m more worried about this stuff getting loose inside the academy.”

“It is when we are alarmed that meditation is most important.” Saba reached for the stasis jar. “This one will hold the froth so you can concentrate.”

Realizing that her determination was no match for a Barabel’s stubbornness, Leia reluctantly yielded the stasis jar. She focused her attention on the fountain, watching its silver spray umbrella into the air, listening to it rain back into the pool, and began a Jedi breathing exercise. She grew aware of the crisp scent of anti-algal agents and the
coolness of mist on her skin. But even that faded after a moment, and she was left with only her breathing to concentrate on … 
in through the nose … out through the mouth
 … and the knots inside her started to come undone.

Leia began to realize that she was not worried about the froth at all. She had seen on Woteba that it did not disintegrate anything instantly. Even if the glob were to explode inside the stasis jar, she would still have plenty of time to reach Cilghal’s lab and contain it in something else.

What troubled her was Han—or, rather, Han’s absence. She felt guilty about having to leave him on Woteba, especially to honor a promise
Luke
had made … and especially knowing how he felt about “bugs.” Even more than that, everything just seemed wrong. It was the first time in years she had traveled more than a few hundred thousand kilometers without Han, and it felt as if a part of her Was missing. It was as if an MD droid had removed the wisecracking part of her brain, or she had suddenly lost a third arm.

And Leia knew that her sister-in-law felt much the same about Luke. After landing on Ossus, the first thing Mara had done was head for the Skywalkers’ apartment to see if Ben was back from his camping trip with Jacen. She had claimed she only wanted to be sure that the academy rumor mill did not alarm him with a tangled version of why Luke had not returned with the
Falcon
, but Leia had sensed the same hollow in her sister-in-law that she felt in herself. Mara had been trying to fill the uncomfortable void caused by leaving Luke behind, to reassure herself that her family’s life would quickly return to normal … just as soon as Cilghal told them how to stop the froth.

Leia was about to end her meditation when it was ended for her by Corran Horn’s throaty voice.

“Where’s Master Skywalker?” Corran entered the small
courtyard via a path leading from the academy administration building. He was dressed in breeches, tunic, and vest, all in various shades of brown. “The hangar chief said he didn’t disembark from the
Falcon
.”

“Neither did Han,” Leia said. Judging by the expression of shock that flashed across Corran’s face, she had not quite managed to conceal the irritation she felt at being tracked down even before her legs had grown accustomed to Ossan gravity again. “They stayed on Woteba to guarantee our good intentions.”

Corran lowered his thick brows. “Guarantee?”

“Woteba is having a Fizz problem.” Saba lifted the stasis jar toward Corran’s face.

He frowned at the silvery froth inside. “A Fizz problem?”

“It’s corrosive … 
very
.” Leia told him what was happening to the Saras and their nest, then added, “The Colony believes the Jedi knew about the problem all along,
before
we convinced them to relocate their nests from Qoribu.”

Corran’s face fell, and alarm began to fill the Force around him. “So Master Skywalker stayed behind to convince them we
hadn’t
?”

“Not exactly.” Leia began to grow alarmed herself. “And Han stayed, too. What’s wrong?”

“More than I thought.” He took Leia’s elbow and tried to guide her toward a bench near the fountain. “Maybe I should go get Mara. She’ll need to hear this, too.”

Leia pulled free and stopped. “Blast it, Corran, just tell me what’s wrong!”

Saba rumbled low in her throat, a gentle reminder to follow the rules.

“Sorry.” Leia kept her eyes fixed on Corran. “Okay,
Master
Horn—tell me what the chubba is going on!”

Saba nodded approvingly, and Corran nodded cautiously.

“Very well. Chief Omas has been trying to get Master Skywalker on the HoloNet all morning. The Chiss are furious—transports are landing Killiks on planets all along their frontier.” Corran’s tone grew worried. “It’s beginning to look like the Killiks have this whole thing planned out.”

“Or the Dark Nest does.” Leia turned to Saba, then pointed at the froth inside the jar. “Can you think of a better way to destroy our relationship with the Colony?”

“Perhapz,” she said. “But the Fizz is working well enough. It has already turned Raynar and Unu against us.”

“And now the Colony has Han and Luke for hostages,” Corran said. Signaling them to follow, he turned toward the path that led toward academy administration. “Chief of State Omas needs to hear about this as soon as possible.”

“No, he doesn’t.” Leia started toward the opposite corner of the courtyard, toward the path that led to the academy science wing. “We should handle this ourselves.”

“I have no doubt we will,” Corran said, speaking to Leia across several meters of paving stone. “But our first duty is to report the situation to Chief Omas.”

“So the Galactic Alliance can start blustering and making threats?” Leia shook her head. “That will only polarize things. What we need to do is get this stuff to Cilghal so she can tell us how the Dark Nest is producing it—and give us enough proof to convince Raynar and Unu.”

Corran scowled, but reluctantly started toward Leia’s side of the courtyard.

“No,” Saba said. She placed a scaly hand on Leia’s shoulder and pushed her toward Corran. “This one will see to the froth. You may help Master Horn with his report.”

“Report?” Leia stopped and turned back toward the Barabel. “Did you hear what I just said?”

“Of course,” Saba said. “But you did not hear what
this
one said. It is not your place to question Master Horn’z decision.”

This shocked even Corran. “Uh, that’s all right, Master Sebatyne. Princess Leia is a special case—”

“Indeed. She knowz how to give orderz already.” Saba’s gaze shifted to Leia. “Now she must learn to take them. She will help you with your report, if you still think that is best.”

“I
know
how to take orders,” Leia fumed. “I was an officer in the Rebellion.”

“Good. Then this will not be a difficult lesson for you.”

Saba started down the path toward Cilghal’s lab, leaving Leia standing beside Corran with a stomach so knotted in anger, it felt like she had been punched. She knew what Saba was doing—teaching her how to fight from a position of weakness—but
now
was not the time for lessons. The lives of her husband and her brother would be placed at risk if she lost, and Corran Horn could teach even Barabels a thing or two about stubbornness.

Once Saba was beyond earshot, Corran leaned close to Leia. “Tough Master,” he observed in a quiet voice. “Did you really pick her yourself?”

“I did,” Leia admitted. “I wanted someone who would challenge me in new ways.”

“Hmm.” Corran considered the explanation a moment, then asked, “Well, is training with her what you expected?”

“More rules and less sparring.” Leia fell silent a moment, then grew serious. “Corran—Master Horn—you don’t actually intend to send that report to Chief Omas, do you?”

Corran studied her for a moment, then said, “I always
did.” He started down the path toward academy administration. “Now that Saba’s pulled rank for me, I guess there’s no harm in admitting that I just didn’t see any point in arguing with you about it.”

Leia nodded. “Silence is not agreement.” Feeling a little foolish for forgetting one of the first lessons she had learned as a Chief of State, she started to follow. “But you know what will happen when Chief Omas hears that Luke has been taken hostage by Killiks.”

“He’ll demand that they release him.”

“And the Killiks will refuse. Then he’ll threaten them, and they’ll draw in on themselves, and we’ll have no chance at all of convincing the Colony to withdraw from the Chiss frontier peacefully.”

“If you were the Chief of State, you’d be free to handle it “differently,” Corran said. “But you’re not. Cal Omas deserves to know what’s happening.”

“Even if it means sacrificing control of the Jedi order?”

Corran stopped. “What are you talking about?”

“I think you know,” Leia said. “The Chief of State has been frustrated with the Jedi since the Qoribu crisis. He thinks we’ve put the good of the Killiks above the good of the Alliance. With Luke out of contact, you don’t think Omas would jump at the chance to take control of the order and make sure our priorities are what he believes they should be?”

Corran frowned, but more in thought than alarm. “He could do that?”

“If the Jedi were divided, yes. I know how strongly you believe our mission is to serve the Alliance. But you
do
see how dangerous it would be for the order to fall under the Chief of State’s direct control?”

“Of course. The will of the government is not always the will of the Force.” Corran fell silent for a moment, then finally
shook his head and started walking again. “You’re worrying about nothing, Princess. Omas will never take direct control of the Jedi order.”

Leia started after him. “You can’t know that.”

“I can,” Corran insisted. “The Masters may disagree on a lot, but never that. It could lead to the Jedi becoming a political tool.”

Leia followed him down a narrow promenade flanked by more cedrum trees, cursing Saba for insisting that they continue training even in the middle of a crisis. What did Saba expect her to do, hit Corran over the head with a rock? It would have been such a simple matter for the Barabel to pull rank on
him
instead of goading him into doing the same to her. After all, Corran was the newest Master, promoted on the basis of his actions during the war against the Yuuzhan Vong, the disruption of several pirate rings, and having trained an apprentice—a young Jedi named Raltharan whom Leia had never met. Saba, on the other hand, was a highly respected member of the Advisory Council who had produced more than a dozen highly skilled Jedi Knights before she had even
seen
Luke Skywalker.

The path descended to a shallow brook and continued across the water via a zigzag course of stepping-stones, but Leia stopped at the edge and simply stared at Corran’s back. In sparring practice, Saba was always rasping at her to stop making things hard on herself; to save her own strength by using the attacker’s against him.

Leia smiled, then called, “Master Horn?”

Corran stopped with his feet balanced precariously on two rocks. “There’s no sense discussing this any further,” he said, looking back over his shoulder. “My mind is made up.”

“I know that.” Leia looked to her side, where a winding stone-chip walkway snaked along the edge of the brook
toward the academy residences. “But before you make your report, shouldn’t you tell Mara? You owe that much to her, if you’re determined to place her husband’s life in danger.”

“Danger?” Corran’s face fell, his green eyes blazing with conflict as he realized that performing his duty to Chief Omas would mean betraying his personal loyalty to Luke. “Chief Omas wouldn’t push things that far.”

“I’m not the Master here,” Leia said, shrugging. “You’ll have to decide that for yourself.”

Corran did not even need time to think. His chin simply dropped, then he swung a leg around and started back across the stepping-stones.

“You win,” he said. “This isn’t something I should decide on my own.”

“Maybe not,” Leia allowed.

Corran stepped off the last stone and gave Leia an exaggerated frown.

“No gloating at Masters,” he said. “Hasn’t Saba taught you anything?”

The big hoversled emerged from behind a massive hamogoni trunk and skimmed across the forest floor, crashing through the underbrush and weaving around bustling crews of insect loggers. Han slipped the landspeeder he was piloting behind a different trunk, this one at least twenty meters across, then stopped and took a moment to gawk around the grove of giants. Many of the trees were larger than Balmorran skyscrapers, with knee-roots the size of dewbacks and boughs that hung out horizontally like enormous green balconies. Unfortunately, most of those balconies were shuddering beneath the droning saws of Saras lumberjacks, and a steady cascade of branch trimmings was raining down from above.

“Okay, Han,” Luke said. He was sitting in the passenger’s seat beside Han, using a comlink and datapad to follow the tracking beacon they had planted on their quarry back in Saras nest. “The signal’s getting scratchy.”