Star Wars - New Jedi Order - The Apprentice by Elaine Cunningham

Author:Elaine Cunningham [Cunningham, Elaine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2002-01-18T00:51:43+00:00

The dull humming in Jaina's ears rose swiftly to a shrill wail and then dissipated in a sharp, sudden burst. She sat up abruptly, feeling dazed and disoriented. After a moment, she remembered her mission, and the bruising tumble that had brought them this far.

She looked around. The Hapan had recovered consciousness. He leaned heavily against the now-empty coolant tank, eyeing her with undisguised horror. Jaina’s gaze quickly slid away from the accusing stare. Four guards lay sprawled across the floor. Kyp Durron knelt by one of them, rhythmically pumping the man’s chest with both hands. The guards body suddenly jerked, and the bluish color began to fade from his face.

The Jedi Master rose to his feet and extended a hand to Jaina. She took it and let him pull her up. “Wow,” she said, gazing at the Force-blasted guards. “Who did this, you or me?”

“We’ve got to keep moving,” Kyp said, ignoring her question. “The longer this takes, the slimmer our chances of walking out of here.”

Jaina nodded. “Before we go, I need you to show me how to wipe away memories. They can’t remember they saw us here.”

When he did not respond, she continued her argument. “The scientist is a political prisoner. Secrecy is vital, not only so we can get our prisoner where he needs to go, but also to stave off more reactionary response to the Jedi.”

Kyp held his silence for a few moments. “No.”

“No?” she repeated, incredulous. “You said yourself that no one can know about this.”

“And I hold to that. But I’ll do it myself.”

She lifted one brow in challenge. “What's the matter? Not the sort of lessons you had in mind?”

“An apprentice should learn from a Master, not repeat his mistakes.”

“This is no different from the little Jedi mind tricks that every Jedi uses without a twinge of guilt,” she argued, “You're just better at it than most. If I’d wanted to become a singer of ballads, I’d be traveling with Tionne. You want to win the war against the Yuuzhan Vong. That’s why we're here. Show me.”

The Jedi Master let out a profound sigh. He grimaced as if steeling himself for an unpleasant task, then dropped to one knee. “Watch, feel and follow,” he instructed, and then reached out to one of the prisoners.

Jaina felt the older Jedi’s power reach into the mans mind. Kyp formed the image of a morning-misted sun, barely visible above the forest horizons of Gallinore — about the time, Jaina recalled, that they had landed. With smooth, cool strokes, Kyp swept away the memory from that moment to this. He eased away, like a thief creeping from a plundered home.

Slowly Kyp broke the contact with the fallen guard and lifted his eyes to hers. His face was still pale from the chilling tumble, and the deep shadows beneath his eyes made them look vividly green. The power in them, though fading, was both eerie and compelling. “Now you.”

Jaina nodded and reached out to another guard. But instead of envisioning the morning sun, she focused upon an image of a chronometer.

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