Star Wars.

Young Jedi Knights.

The Rise Of The Shadow Academy.

The Lost Ones.

by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta.

1.

"Must be a sign of maturity," Jaina teased.

"Who, me?" Jacen said, pretending to take offense. "Nah." Then, as if to disprove her theory, he flashed a lopsided grin that made him look like a younger version of their father, Han Solo. "Want to hear a joke?"

Jaina rolled her eyes and tucked a strand of straight brown hair behind one ear to keep it away from her face. "Don't suppose you'd take no for an answer?" Then pretending to have a brilliant idea, she snapped her fingers. "Say, why don't you go up to the c.o.c.kpit and tell it to Tenel Ka instead?"

She knew full well that the young warrior woman, one of their closest friends at the Jedi academy, had never even smiled - much less laughed - at Jacen's jokes, though he tried daily to coax a chuckle from her.

"I want you to be a test audience first," he said. "Then I'll go try it on Lowie - wherever he is. He's got a pretty good sense of humor for a Wookiee."

"Shouldn't be too hard to find him," Jaina said. "The Falcon's not that big, and you can be pretty sure he's somewhere near a computer."

"Hey, you're just trying to distract me from telling my joke," Jacen said. "You ready?"

Jaina heaved a long-suffering sisterly sigh. "All right, what's the joke?

"Okay, how long does Uncle Luke need to sleep?"

She gave a puzzled frown. "You got me."

"One Jedi night!" He laughed out loud, proud of his joke.

Jaina gave a melodramatic groan. "I don't think even Lowie will laugh at that one."

Jacen looked crestfallen. "I thought it was one of my best jokes so far.

I made it up myself." Then his face brightened. "Hey, I wonder if Zekk is still hanging around back on Coruscant. He always laughed at my jokes."

Jaina smiled at the mention of their mischievous friend, a street urchin who had been taken in and cared for by old Peckhum, the man who brought supplies to the Jedi academy A couple of years older than the twins, Zekk had proven to be a resourceful scamp, despite his disadvantaged life.

Jaina would sit and listen to Zekk for hours as he regaled her with stories of his childhood on Ennth and how, when the colony had been devastated by a natural disaster, he had escaped on the next supply ship.

Jaina had to admire Zekk's determination.

The wild dark-haired boy never did anything unless he wanted to. In fact, when the captain of the rescue ship had suggested that Zekk might be better off in an orphanage or a foster home, Zekk had jumped ship to another outbound freighter at the very next stop and stowed away on it.

From then on he had traveled from planet to planet, sometimes working as a cabin boy, sometimes stowing away, until one day he had met old Peckhum, who was on his way to Coruscant. Though both were independent, somehow a friendship had formed, and they had been together ever since.

"Okay, Zekk might laugh at your joke," Jaina agreed at last. "He has a strange sense of humor."

Leaving the Jedi academy far behind on Yavin 4, Jaina and Jacen watched the viewscreen in silence as the stars stretched into starlines and the Millennium Falcon flew into hypers.p.a.ce, taking them toward Coruscant.

Toward home. Sitting at the hologame table in the rec area, Jacen studied the board. He racked his brains for a strategy to counter Lowie's previous gambit.

"It is your turn," Tenel Ka pointed out, her voice low and matter-of-fact.

Jacen had been hoping to impress his friends by winning a game or two, but he found it hard to concentrate with Tenel Ka beside him. She crossed her bare arms over her reptile-skin tunic, watching his every move. Her reddish gold hair, tamed into numerous braids, dangled wildly around her head and shoulders every time she spoke or shifted position.

Across the table, Jaina stood behind Lowie and conferred with the ginger-furred Wookiee in a whisper, pointing from one holographic gamepiece to another. The tiny wriggling figures on the table seemed impatient for Jacen to make his next move. A thin film of perspiration formed on his forehead and upper lip. Jacen knew he didn't stand a chance against the computer whiz-especially not while Jaina was helping Lowie.

"We'll be coming out of hypers.p.a.ce in about five standard minutes," Han Solo announced from the c.o.c.kpit. "You kids ready?"

"Hey, Dad, can we try some target practice?" Jacen leaped to his feet, glad for the interruption. Finally, something he was good at!

Jacen loved this game their father had devised for them. Whenever he brought them back to Coruscant in the Millennium Falcon, Han let the twins sit in the two gun wells. As the ship approached orbit, Jacen and Jaina scanned for floating chunks of metal and debris left over from the s.p.a.ce battles that had raged over Coruscant years before, during the overthrow of the Empire.

"We hardly ever find enough debris for both of us to shoot at," Jaina grumbled.

"Oh yeah?" Jacen said, giving her his most challenging smile. "You're just worried because last time I hit something and you didn't. I'm sure we're going to find some wreckage to shoot at today. I have a good feeling about this." He shrugged once. "But if you're just not up to it:"

Jaina's eyes narrowed as she accepted his challenge. A smile tugged at one corner of her mouth. "What are we waiting for?" she said. With that, she dashed toward one of the gun wells, leaving Jacen to scramble to the other.

Tenel Ka followed him, while Lowie loped after Jaina, eager to help.

Behind them, the blurry monstrous figures on the hologame table hunkered down and waited for somebody to make a move.

Jacen settled into the overlarge seat of the bottom gun well. He strapped in and leaned forward to take the laser-cannon firing controls as Tenel Ka dropped into place beside him. Her granite-gray eyes narrowed, intent on the weaponry. "Watch that screen there," Jacen said. "Help me get a target. There's plenty of debris left, but it's all pretty small."

"Even small, such wreckage could be deadly to incoming ships," Tenel Ka said.

"This is a fact," Jacen answered with a grin, echoing his friend's often-used phrase. "That's why we clear it out every chance we get." Loud explosions sounded from the other gun well as Jaina began firing her quad lasers. Jacen heard a loud Wookiee roar of encouragement.

"Hey, how did she target so fast?" he said.

"Honing in," Tenel Ka said, pointing at glowing lines on the tracking screen.

"Oh! Well, I could fire too-if I was paying attention," Jacen said. He swung the four-barreled weapon into position, then watched the targeting cross move closer and closer. Maybe it was an old shielding plate from a blown-up Star Destroyer, or an empty cargo pod dumped by a fleeing smuggler. He tracked in closer....

"Stay on target," Tenel Ka said. "Stay on target... fire!"

Jacen reacted instantly, squeezing the firing b.u.t.tons, and all four laser cannons shot focused beams that vaporized the hunk of debris. "Yahoo!" he yelled. A similar whoop of delight came from the other gun well.

"It would appear that Jaina also hit her target," Tenel Ka said.

"Don't get c.o.c.ky, kids," Han shouted good-naturedly from the c.o.c.kpit. His copilot Chewbacca roared agreement.

"Just making the galaxy safe for peaceful navigation, Dad," Jacen called.

"We're at a tie," Jaina said. "We need one more shot each. Please, Dad?"

"You twins are always at a tie," Han answered. "If I let you keep shooting until one of you scores and the other doesn't, we'll be circling the solar system for years. Come on back up to the c.o.c.kpit. We're almost home."

As the Millennium Falcon settled onto a clear rooftop, Lowbacca unbuckled his crash restraints and groaned. The landing on Coruscant had been smooth, and he had enjoyed his time optimizing the Falcon's computers-but he was anxious to get back into the open air. Even city air, as long as he could be high enough off the ground.

By the time Lowie reached the ship's exit ramp, Jacen and Jaina had managed to unfasten their crash webbing too. The twins sped past him down the ramp and into the waiting arms of their mother. Leia Organa Solo, the New Republic 's Chief of State, stood on the landing platform with her younger son, Anakin Solo, and the golden protocol droid See-Threepio.

Lowie adjusted the miniaturized translating droid, Em Teedee, at his hip and made his way down the ramp, watching the close family scene with a certain amount of envy. Dark-haired Anakin hovered beside his two older siblings, asking occasional questions, his ice-blue eyes taking in everything. Leia, her long brown hair arranged in intricate coils, looked at all three of her children with obvious pride and affection. When Han Solo came out to join the reunion, the family erupted in another joyous burst of kisses and hugs and hair ruffling. Lowie missed his family on Kashyyyk.

Jaina said, "Thanks for letting us bring our friends home with us for the visit, Mom."

"Your friends are always welcome here," their mother replied. She stepped forward to greet Lowie with a warm smile, then bowed briefly to Tenel Ka, who had followed him down the ramp. "We're very honored to have you all here. Please treat the palace as if it were your own home."

Though Lowie didn't say a word, Em Teedee spoke up at his waist, chiming in with a delighted voice. "Ah, See-Threepio! My counterpart, my predecessor, my... mentor! I have many things to upload to you. You'll be most distressed to hear about some of the adventures I've had since Chewbacca first delivered me to the Jedi academy-"

"To be sure! A pleasure to see you again, Em Teedee," Threepio said. "I doubt, however, that your tribulations are anything compared to the heavy diplomatic responsibilities I have to bear here on Coruscant. You simply couldn't believe how easily offended some of these outworld amba.s.sadors can be!"

As the two droids chattered along in near-identical voices, Lowie rolled his large Wookiee eyes. Chewbacca, having finished the Falcon's shutdown procedures, came out to join his nephew just as Lowie handed Em Teedee over to See-Threepio so that the two could reminisce as "family" for a while.

Lowie heaved a small sigh, thinking of his homeworld of Kashyyyk, his parents, and his younger sister. His uncle placed a sympathetic hand on his hairy shoulder. Perhaps Chewbacca sensed Lowie's homesickness, because he immediately launched into a description in Wookiee language of the room he had picked for his nephew to sleep in-one of the highest rooms in the Imperial Palace. Though Lowie would see no treetops from his window, Chewbacca a.s.sured him that the heights were indeed breathtaking, which should make him feel comfortable and secure. Chewie had also seen to it that the room was furnished with trees and hammocks and lush green jungle plants. It wasn't as good as visiting home, Chewbacca said, but it was a great place for a vacation.

Tenel Ka stared at the opulent room chosen for her by Leia Organa Solo.

The furniture was beautifully carved, and the draperies and bed coverings were of the finest quality. The mattress looked soft and luxurious. It felt like home in the Fountain Palace on Hapes. Tenel Ka shuddered. She was a princess of Hapes, since her father, the son of the former queen, a powerful matriarch, now ruled the Hapes cl.u.s.ter with his Dathomiran wife.

But Tenel Ka had kept this fact hidden from her friends at the Jedi academy, preferring instead to follow her mother's heritage from wild Dathomir. This palace was a bit too much like home on the Hapes central world - and Tenel Ka was uncomfortable with such amenities right now.

"Ah," she said. "Aha."

Striding to the bed, she yanked the covers off and pulled the pad onto the polished stone floor. She squatted down on it and nodded with satisfaction. The room no longer seemed as posh and fluffy-therefore, it was much more comfortable, not to mention much more suitable for a tough warrior woman. This was a fact.

2.

AS SHE TRIED to sleep, Jaina thought of how different Coruscant was from the thick jungles of Yavin 4. The planet-wide capital city bustled with an intensity and energy that filtered into every aspect of daily life.

Unlike the tiny moon, which managed to still itself in the quiet hours before dawn, the New Republic 's central world stayed awake all the time.

Her brother Jacen blinked his bleary brown eyes as he joined her in the dining area the next morning. Tenel Ka and Lowbacca had risen early and, already at work on their morning meals, greeted the twins as they arrived. The golden protocol droid See-Threepio hurried about, making sure the guests had a fine eating experience.

Lowie ate steaming pieces of heated (but still raw) red meat from a gold-etched plate frilled with sculptured loops; Threepio had used the best diplomatic tableware and the choicest garnishes. The Wookiee youth, however, seemed to have trouble avoiding the decorative sprigs and delicate flowers that adorned the b.l.o.o.d.y meal. Tenel Ka, using a small dagger to poke at her plate, speared a piece of fruit.

"Ah, good morning, Mistress Jaina, Master Jacen," Threepio said. "Such a pleasure to have you home with us again."

Jaina glanced at the holographic window that stretched across the wall of the room - actually an image transmitted from one of the towers elsewhere in the great city. Because their mother was the important Chief of State, their family quarters were protected deep within the palace, without any real windows to the outside. Jaina knew that many other diplomats around the city were looking out their own false windows at the same projected image.

"Thanks, Threepio," Jacen said. "We've been looking forward to this vacation. Uncle Luke has been teaching us some terrific Jedi skills, but it can be exhausting."

The droid tapped his gold-plated hands together. "I am delighted to hear it, Master Jacen. Although I am naturally quite busy tutoring young Master Anakin, I have taken the liberty of setting up a fine curriculum of studies for you while you remain here on Coruscant. Your guests are more than welcome to attend cla.s.ses as well. Oh, it will be just like old times!"

"Cla.s.ses!" Jacen interrupted as he plopped down in a chair and began to shovel breakfast into his mouth. "You're joking, right?"

"Oh, no, Master Jacen," Threepio said sternly. "You mustn't neglect your studies."

"Sorry, Threepio," Jaina said, "but we have other plans today."

Before the droid could advance his argument any further, the twins'

mother came into the room. "Good morning, kids," Leia said.

Jaina smiled at her mother. Princess Leia looked as beautiful as in the old picture Jaina had seen from the Rebellion. Since that time, Leia had taken on extremely heavy political duties and devoted most of her waking hours - along with quite a few of those she should have spent sleeping - to untangling knots in the threads of diplomacy.

"What are you doing today, Mom?" Jaina asked.

Leia sighed and rolled her dark brown eyes in an expression that Jaina often unconsciously imitated. "I have a meeting with the Howler Tree People of Bendone... they speak a very strange language and need a team of translators. It'll take me all morning long just to hold a conversation." She closed her eyes and rubbed her fingertips at her temples. "And their ultrasonic voices give me a headache!" Leia drew a deep breath and forced a smile. "But it's part of the job. We have to keep the New Republic strong. There are always threats from the outside."

"This is a fact," Tenel Ka said gruffly. "We have seen the threat of the Shadow Academy and the Second Imperium firsthand." Lowbacca growled, clearly remembering the dark and difficult time he and the twins had experienced aboard the cloaked Imperial training station.

"Hey, I've got something that'll cheer you up, Mom," Jacen said, reaching into his pocket. "A present I kept for you." He held out the glittering corusca gem he had snagged while using Lando Calrissian's gem-mining machinery deep in the stormy atmosphere of the gas-giant Yavin.

Leia looked down at it, blinking in amazement. "Jacen, that's a corusca gem! Is this the one you found at GemDiver Station?"

He shrugged and looked pleased. "Yeah - and I used it to cut my way free from my cell in the Shadow Academy. Would you like to have it?"

Leia's expression showed how deeply moved she was, but she closed her son's fingers around the valuable gem. "Just having you offer it to me is a very special gift," she said. "But I don't really need any more jewels or treasures. I'd like you to keep it-find a special use for it. I'm sure you'll think of something." Jacen flushed with embarra.s.sment, then turned an even deeper red when she gave him a big hug.

Han Solo came into the cozy dining area from the family's living quarters, freshly washed and wide awake. "So kids, what's up for you today?"

Jaina ran to give her father a hug. "Hi, Dad! We're going to spend some time catching up with our friend Zekk."

"That scruffy-looking teenaged junk hunter?" Han asked with a faint smile.

"He's not scruffy-looking!" Jaina said defensively.

"Hey, just kidding," Han said.