Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi II: Omen Read online

  She sighed. She’d just turned around to speak to her friends when she found herself caught up in a nearly crushing hug. A grin curved her lips despite herself and she hugged Barv back.

  “Thanks, Barv,” she said, using up the last bit of air he’d left in her lungs.

  He released her and she gulped oxygen, smiling up at him. Yaqeel embraced her then, all warm, slightly spicy-scented fur and a softness that most people never really got to know. “You’ll feel better once you’re doing something,” Yaqeel said.

  Barv allowed that he himself always felt better when he was doing something. Usually that involved attacking bad guys. Yaqeel patted Jysella’s cheek. “Sure you don’t want us coming in with you?”

  “No, it’s okay. You two have done enough. I—I don’t know what I would have done without you, honestly,” Jysella said, the words burbling out of her. “Mom and Dad have been so focused on Valin—and I mean, of course they should be focused on him. I am, too. Just—”

  “You don’t need to say it,” Yaqeel interrupted her gently, sensing, as Jysella now did, that if the human girl continued she’d lose what tenuous control she had. “We’re the Unit. And the Unit can always rely on each other. You’d have done the same for us.”

  Barv nodded vigorously. And it was true. Jysella and Valin would have done the same for either of these two friends and fellow Jedi Knights. Done a lot more, as she knew they would have if they had to.

  “Well,” she said, trying to put a brave face on it, “with you two and the whole Jedi Order, I’m sure we’ll have Valin out of that carbonite slab in no time. Though I have to admit, when I was a kid, there were plenty of times when I’d have loved it if he’d been a caf table that didn’t talk back.”

  It was a feeble attempt at humor, but they all seized it and laughed. Gotta laugh or I’ll cry, Jysella thought. And Valin wouldn’t want her to cry. She’d done altogether too much of it in recent days.

  Grinning, Yaqeel slipped her arm through Barv’s. “Come on. I’ll buy you a caf. We still on for lunch, Sella?”

  Lunch. She’d forgotten about that. She seemed to be forgetting a lot these days, except the overwhelming longing for everything to be all right again.

  “Oh, right. Yes, come back in a few hours. I’m sure I will have annoyed Cilghal sufficiently by then.” She laughed, a genuine laugh this time.

  It was a good note to end on, and the three remnants of the Unit waved at one another. Jysella watched Barv and Yaqeel walk off, then sighed and turned to enter the Temple. She smiled politely at the five apprentices who were stationed there as guardians.

  How many times had she been here before? She had lost count. It had always been a special place, as it was to every Jedi. For long stretches, when she was not out on assignment, it had been home. But now it seemed even more to her to be a bastion of hope. Somewhere within this vast repository of knowledge, some information that could help her brother had to be housed. Some clue as to what had happened to him, and how to put it right.

  Barv thought so. Jysella clung to that hope as well.

  Her booted feet rang in the vast, open space of the Temple entrance hall as she headed toward the turbolift that would take her to the First Wing of the archives. She crossed her arms, fidgeting slightly, as the turbolift hummed softly and bore her to the top floor.

  She found Cilghal in a small alcove in the depths of the stacks, seated at one of the tables and surrounded by tall piles of glowing blue datatapes and datacards. Her smooth brown head was bent over an ancient text, and her flipper-like hands were encased in gloves to protect the delicate old flimsi. She looked up at Jysella’s approach.

  “Jysella. Right on time,” she said, her gravelly voice warm.

  Jysella offered her a weak smile in return and slipped into the seat across from her. Even though this was the arranged time for them to meet, it was clear that Cilghal had been here for a while already.

  “I …” Jysella sighed and reached out for a datapad, holding it in a limp hand. “I’m sorry, Master Cilghal. I don’t even know where to start trying to help.”

  Cilghal regarded her sympathetically, slightly turning her head to fix Jysella with a single large, bulbous eye. “You know everyone is doing everything they can. It is important to us all that your brother recover fully—and that we understand what happened to him. With understanding will, we very much hope, come a cure, and the ability to negotiate his release from Galactic Alliance custody.”

  Jysella winced and brushed back a lock of reddish brown hair that had escaped the haphazard bun she’d pinned up that morning.

  “I know. It … it’s upsetting that this is only serving to damage the Jedi in the eyes of the public. Valin—he would never have wanted that.”

  “Of course not,” Cilghal soothed. “This is in no way a reflection on your family, Jysella. It is simply a tragic and, temporarily I hope, an inexplicable event.”

  Cilghal sounded utterly earnest, and Jysella believed that the Mon Calamari healer meant every word. She knew that Cilghal was, to some degree, against the idea of Jedi having attachments. And yet she was still so kind and supportive to Jysella. It meant a lot.

  Still … She wished Master Skywalker were here. Although Luke had done everything he could to make sure the transition of power was smooth, the Jedi Order had been thrown into tumult upon his departure. She knew Master Hamner was doing his best in the thankless role of trying to handle everything tactfully, but also knew he wasn’t succeeding. The last thing the Order needed was a crazy Jedi Knight running around claiming that people weren’t who they were.

  And now Valin was encased in carbonite in a GA prison, unable to be with those who loved him, to even comprehend that those who loved him were trying to help him. Empathetically feeling the cold that enshrouded Valin, Jysella wrapped slim arms around her own body and shivered slightly.

  Oh, Valin. If only you could tell us what had happened … why you looked at Mom and Dad and thought they weren’t themselves. How could you not know your own parents?

  Tears leaked past her closed lids, and she brushed them away angrily. Stop it, Sella, she told herself sternly. Grief and worry would not serve Valin, or the Order, now. Only calmness and knowledge would. She opened her eyes and reached for the discarded datapad.

  “That looks like a very old record,” she said, lifting her eyes to Cilghal. “Do you have any theories on—”

  Jysella felt the blood drain from her face.

  The Mon Cal was apparently done with the old flimsi and now was intently studying the information on a datapad. Her large eyes were fastened on it, unblinking in her concentration. The alcove was quiet, save for soft voices talking and the sound of footfalls some distance away. All was as it had been just a moment before.

  Except everything—everything—had been turned upside down.

  Valin had been right. She saw it now …

  Jysella inhaled swiftly. It looked like Cilghal. Whoever had done this had not missed a detail. It even moved like the Mon Calamari healer. And it had certainly acted and sounded like her. But Jysella suddenly and sickly understood exactly what her brother had meant.

  The Not-Cilghal turned to regard Jysella, cocking her head curiously. “Jysella? What is it?”

  “N-nothing. I … you know what?” She gave a shaky laugh. “I think I may be too upset to help you out much,” she managed. She rose. She had to get away, and fast, before this doppelgänger realized she was on to its deception. But where would she go? Who could she tell? If Valin had been right, then everyone except for her had been taken and replaced by their doubles. How could she not have seen this earlier? Oh, Valin, I’m sorry I didn’t believe you—

  The imitation Cilghal looked fully away from the datapad she had been studying and fixed Jysella with one huge, circular eye.

  “You’ve held up very well indeed throughout all this, Jysella,” the doppelgänger said gently. “It’s not surprising that you might now be finding you cannot carry it all. Do you wish
to talk about this? Speaking one’s worry and fears can be as healing as bacta tanks, in its own way.”

  The rough voice was warm and concerned. It only rattled Jysella more. Stang—whoever it was, she was good; she had mastered Cilghal’s voice, her inflections, her movements. No wonder she was succeeding at fooling everyone.

  But Valin hadn’t been fooled, although in his confusion he had mistaken his sister and parents for doppelgängers like the one before her now.

  Oh, no … what if he’d been right about Mom and—

  “I think I had just better go.” One hand dropped casually to her waist, resting on the lightsaber hilt that was fastened there. As a full Jedi Knight, she was authorized to carry the weapon throughout the Temple except in a very few restricted areas. She’d almost forgotten it this morning in her stress over Valin. Now she was tremendously glad she had gone back for it.

  Cilghal’s eye followed the gesture, and she got to her feet. She had her own weapon, of course, but made no move to draw it. “Jysella, why don’t you come with me and we’ll—”

  Terror shot through Jysella, and a sob escaped her. She stepped back, her hand gripping the lightsaber hilt so hard her knuckles whitened.

  “Get away from me!” she screamed, her voice shaking.

  “Jysella—” It reached out to her imploringly.

  “I said get away!”

  Jysella drew the lightsaber in one hand and shoved the other in the false Cilghal’s direction. The males in her family were unable to use telekinesis. Jysella was not so hampered, and she used that ability now. She put all her fear, all her focus, in the gesture, and Not-Cilghal was caught unawares as Jysella Force-shoved her back into a stack of data-pads.

  She didn’t pause to watch as Cilghal crashed into the stack. By then Jysella Horn, quite possibly the only real person left on the planet—maybe in the galaxy—except for her brother, was racing down the aisle toward the turbolift as fast as she could go.

  CILGHAL RECOVERED QUICKLY, USING THE FORCE TO STEADY THE STACK and prevent it from toppling entirely. A few datapads clattered to the floor as she rose and reached for her comlink with one hand and her lightsaber with the other. She’d been utterly taken by surprise and mentally rebuked herself.

  “Temple security, this is Master Cilghal,” she said even as she began racing after the fleeing human. “Jedi Jysella Horn is to be captured and retained. Do not harm her if at all possible. She is not herself. Notify Master Hamner immediately. Tell him—tell him we’ve got another one.”

  “Acknowledged,” came a crisp, cool voice. Cilghal clicked the comlink off. Time enough for more details once Jysella was safely apprehended.

  It was obvious what had happened. Like her brother, Jysella Horn had lost her reason. But unlike Valin, who had been irrationally angry, Jysella was pouring utter and abject fear into the Force. Whatever her mind might be telling her, it was terrifying her beyond anything Cilghal had experienced from a human before.

  Compassion combined with a grim determination to prevent the frightened young woman from harming anyone lent the Mon Calamari speed. One way or another, they would stop her. After all, this was the Jedi Temple, and Jysella, although quite a capable Jedi Knight, was hardly unstoppable, even if fueled by insane fear.

  Where could she possibly go?

  JEDI TEMPLE, CORUSCANT

  WHERE COULD SHE GO?

  Jysella was trapped, trapped like an animal, and she had to get out, she had to. Oh Valin, Valin, I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you, I’m so sorry I—

  She couldn’t take the turbolift. It was too slow, and besides, they, the doppelgängers, would shut down the power to it and trap her inside. She’d have to get down to the main floor another way, and she knew exactly how.

  The turbolift shaft was located in the center area where the hallways of the Archives came together. Four ramps led over an open space from the halls to the turbolift. There were carved stone banisters at waist height, more for decoration than function. Any Jedi walking over these ramps could glance down and see the corresponding hallways of the floor below.

  Jysella did not hesitate for an instant. Clutching her activated lightsaber in one hand, she reached out with the other, placed it on the cool marble of the banister, and vaulted diagonally to the other walkway on the floor below. Using the Force to control the leap, she landed easily. She had just turned her head and was about to jump to the next level when she heard Not-Cilghal’s voice.

  “Jysella, wait! What you think is not true! No one has stolen us away. We—”

  Terror flooded Jysella so that her sweaty hand almost lost its grip. She sprang for the next level, haphazardly and inaccurately, and slammed her knee hard against the marble banister as she clung to it from the side.

  She felt the presence of the Jedi rushing toward her, and her head whipped up. She knew this Jedi—or rather, knew who she was supposed to be. The doppelgänger looked exactly like the Falleen female Natua Wan, right down to Natua’s preference for blue beads woven into her long black hair. Her lightsaber was activated and she was shouting something at Jysella. Some nonsense about how she didn’t want to hurt her, that something wasn’t right with Jysella’s thinking but that they wanted to help her. And this doppelgänger’s skin was changing color, just like a real Falleen’s would when she was exuding pheromones in order to trap Jysella—

  “Right,” she muttered. Jysella couldn’t release either the railing or her lightsaber, but Not-Natua had to be stopped before the pheromones took effect. Her eyes lit on a bust that sat on a small table at the end of this hallway. With a quick snap of her head, Jysella threw the carved stone bust of a long-dead Jedi at the being who was impersonating a living one. It slammed hard into Natua’s double and she fell.

  Jysella didn’t want to see if the false Falleen got up. Grimly she dropped down, landing easily on the balls of her feet.

  Jysella was on the main floor now. Escape, and safety, temporary though it might be, was just a few moments away. She turned and saw the exit from this wing. It opened onto the huge main hallway. Beyond that, the Promenade, and freedom. Jysella gulped and started running.

  She swore under her breath as another Jedi emerged from one of the side stacks. This one looked like a Brubb, but she didn’t recognize him. They were everywhere, these false ones. So desperate was her need to get out that she didn’t even slow. With a snarl, she made a gesture as if she were running her fingers horizontally along one of the shelves. Hundreds of datatapes sprang forward as if thrown from where, a heartbeat before, they had been safely ensconced. They showered down on the Jedi Knight, momentarily distracting him as he tried to deflect them. Brubb were strong, and no doubt this doppelgänger had that quality as well. Little that Jysella could throw at him would harm him, but all she needed was to buy a couple of moments—

  Coming at the Brubb at a dead run, Jysella threw her lightsaber directly at him. She saw his slitted eyes widen in his pitted yellow-skinned face as the glowing weapon hurtled end over end toward him. He barely got his own lightsaber up in time to bat the blade away. By then Jysella was in the air, vaulting easily over him, extending her hand to call her weapon back to her.

  She landed lightly, raced through the entrance, then whirled and touched the button that caused the door to this wing to slam shut.

  He could open it from the other side, she knew. To prevent that, she shoved her lightsaber hilt-deep into the controls. They crackled and hissed, and her nose wrinkled at the acrid burning smell.

  It wouldn’t hold them for long, but she’d bought herself a precious moment to think, blast it; clear her head and think. She was prey, trapped in the rancor’s lair, and she had to get out—

  She took a slow, steadying breath, and with the control of a Jedi Knight she was calmed her racing, terrified thoughts. Jysella closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth, and then slowly opened them.

  And saw something very strange.

  CILGHAL CAUGHT U
P WITH RADD MINKER AS THE BRUBB WAS USING HIS lightsaber to cut a hole in the door. She reached out into the Force, trying to sense Jysella, startled to realize that the young woman was still on the other side of the door.

  “Cilghal to security,” she said on her comlink. “Jysella Horn is directly outside the Archives on the south side. She has closed the door and destroyed the controls. Jedi Minker is currently cutting through the door with his lightsaber. My guess is that once she catches her breath she’ll head straight for the Promenade exit. She’s frightened, and I anticipate she’ll take the most direct route. Expect her to bolt.”

  “Acknowledged. She won’t get past us.”

  Cilghal replaced the comlink on her belt and extended her thoughts into the Force, trying again to see if she could reach Jysella and calm the panicked human.

  She braced herself for the expected, almost animalistic fear that had buffeted her the first time she’d reached out to Jysella. Instead, she found something else entirely. The fear was still there, yes, but over and around it was something that was only vaguely familiar to Cilghal, and the Mon Cal healer couldn’t quite place it. She frowned, letting herself drop in deeper.

  JYSELLA SAW HERSELF, RACING DOWN THE HALLWAY TOWARD FREEDOM. The hallway was flanked by large pillars on either side, supporting the beautifully carved roof. Before her astonished gaze, hitherto concealed doors in two pillars opened and two security droids emerged.

  They started attacking her at once. Jysella watched, trying to understand what she was seeing, as her other self batted back bolts so quickly her lightsaber was nothing more than a blue blur. Was this really her, or just her imagination? What was going on? From the entrance, the five apprentices she had seen half an hour before—had nodded to in greeting—came rushing in. One of them was shouting something into a comlink.

  The other Jysella lunged forward and brought her lightsaber down on one of the security droids. It sliced clean through the metal and wires. She flipped just as the other droid was firing, executing a one-handed cartwheel and lashing out with her lightsaber.