|
|
Despair short-circuited Alee's mind. Her stomach clenched and she bent over, hugging her midsection. Numb. Her body felt numb. The hologram of Powell smiling, then dying, was on a looped replay in her mind and she couldn't find the control pad to switch it off. The knowledge that she'd never get to tell Powell who she was thickened the despair until it clogged her throat, as if she were trying to breathe in a bacta tank without an ox-mask.
"I failed them, too, Alee," Luke said quietly. "But the memory you were given might be important in figuring out how to destroy this thing so it can't kill anyone else. We have to focus on that, Alee."
Alee squeezed her eyes shut for a long moment, fighting past the anguish to reach the calm essence of the Force. Her reply was barely a whisper. "Forward only flows the Force."
She let the Force wrap around her and assuage her tattered nerves. She sensed Luke, calm, at peace, waiting for her to regain her equilibrium. Balance. To be conscious of the Force was to be aware of the galaxy constantly striving for balance.
"Shanni." Alee's eyes snapped open. Anxiety sliced through her tentative peace of mind and she stumbled to her feet. "I have to go to her."
"Wait, Alee ..." Luke's voice chased after her.
Alee sprinted down the aisle and crashed through the door. She ignored the muffled grunt her exit caused and took off across the compound. She burst through the door of the Besarc's hut. The silence slammed into her, bringing her to a sudden halt.
Shanni looked up from the lounge table where she was playing quietly. Her face snapped to life like a glowrod and she popped to her feet. Bouncing over to Alee, she took the Jedi's hand and craned her neck back.
"Is Luke bringing Mom and Papa? Breakfast is ready. I set the table. Come on, I'll show you."
Shanni tugged Alee's hand and led her over to the table. Alee stared at the five place settings circling a lopsided bouquet of wild grasses and flowers, and felt her throat constrict. She swept the child into her arms and carried her back to the lounge area. Sitting on the same chair as the night before, Alee let Shanni curl up on her lap. She buried her face in the girl's untamed hair and inhaled the sweet scent of innocence. A shudder ran down her arms.
"Are you sad again?" Shanni asked.
Balancing the child on her knees, Alee caught bright green eyes in her gaze. "Do you believe I would never, ever want to say or do anything that would hurt you? Take your thoughts deep inside yourself, Shanni and tell me if, deep inside, you trust me."
Shanni looked at the Jedi curiously, as if this were some kind of new game. She closed her eyes and sat very still. A moment later she reopened them at stared into Alee's eyes.
"Yes," she stated. "Way down inside, I really, really trust you."
Alee brushed the hair back from Shanni's face. "Good. And I feel the same way about you. Someday I will tell you why, but now is not the time.
"Why? Because Mom and Papa are coming now?"
Alee swallowed hard. "No, Shanni. Because I have to tell you something that will hurt very, very much."
Round eyes stared at the Jedi. Alee cringed inwardly at the patient stillness of this child as she waited for the words that would shatter her world irrevocably. Alee reached for her inner center of calm, grasping slender tentacles of the Force and willing herself to continue.
"There was an accident at the lab," she began.
"Is Papa hurt?" Alarm studded Shanni's voice. "Should I go to him?"
Alee grabbed the child's shoulders. "Let me finish. This is hard enough as it is." She exhaled slowly. "The ball your parents were working on is a thing of powerful evil. They removed the last shield and touched it."
"Did it hurt them?" The question was a fearful whisper.
"Oh, Shanni. More than that. It killed them."
"Mommy and Papa? Both?" Shanni squeaked.
Alee nodded.
"D-dead? Like Grandmere Rein?" With Alee's second nod, Shanni stiffened. "I don't believe you. You're mean to tell such a big lie."
"I wish it weren't true, Shanni. But I never lie. Look deep inside again. You'll know I'm telling the truth."
The child's bottom lip started to quiver and her eyes turned liquidy. Compassion welled in Alee as she looked into that forlorn little face and she pulled Shanni against her chest, holding her close. A minute passed before sobs racked the small frame pressed against her. Alee fought back tears of her own as the child's anguish poured out, soaking the Jedi's tunic.
An hour later, Luke slipped into the hut and perched on the edge of the small repulsor couch. He ran a finger over the childish drawing left undone on the lounge table. When his glance turned to Alee cradling the child, his expression turned thoughtful. Shanni had long since cried herself into a twitching sleep, whimpering with each attempt by Alee to shift her weight.
"Where have you been?" Alee whispered.
"I dealt with the, ah, remains," Luke replied quietly.
To the question etched on Alee's face, he said, "I borrowed a couple of small vases from the collection and swept ... They are in our hut." Alee suppressed a shiver as he continued, "Then I spoke with Captain Innis about the goings on last night. He wasn't too surprised, as his squad had discovered the battle site and he had left a detail to clean up. He's called for another squad to join him. It should be here by this evening."
"What's our next move?" Alee softly hushed Shanni as she cried out from her dreams.
"I'm not sure. But I know it doesn't involve touching that thing."
"How did you manage, being alone in the chamber with it?"
Luke paused and his forehead creased in thought. "It was very draining. The orb seemed to be planting the suggestion in my mind to touch it."
"Which you might have, if you hadn't had access to the Force to help you resist," mused Alee. "Without a doubt, the Dark Side is strong in that object."
"Yes. But there is something else at work here." Luke's voice dropped to barely audible. "Even when I was under attack by the Emperor, the most powerful Dark Side acolyte of our time, I was never under threat of, of total disintegration." He paused. "But there's something even more disconcerting."
Alee cast Luke a perplexed glance. "What could be worse than annihilation?"
"How big did Rand say it was?"
"30 centimeters, I think."
"Right. When I was cleaning up it looked a little different, so I fired up the radon particler. It's grown to 35 centimeters."
"What?" cried Alee, jerking upright. Shanni startled, but didn't wake. Alee hugged her close and whispered, "It grew?"
Luke nodded. "What if the lifeforce energy of the Besarcs somehow made it more powerful? What if it feeds off the Force itself? It can vaporize individuals. Right now the repulsor pad is keeping it from touching anything, but what happens if it comes in physical contact with a larger Force-imbued object like a planet? Could it destroy that as well?"
Alee shuddered. "Space the thought."
"We have to find out more about this thing," muttered Luke.
"Where? How?"
"The castle, maybe."
"But the archaeological team has been combing that site. Rand never mentioned anything about finding any kind of recorded data regarding the orb," Alee pointed out.
"True. But if you were developing such a powerful weapon, and delving into the Dark Side to do it, would you leave your notes lying around for just anyone to see?"
Alee didn't hesitate. "No. I'd conceal them very, very carefully."
"So carefully that a team of searchers looking 2000 years later couldn't find them," Luke said.
"We have to go to the castle."
"That's right."
"I have a bad feeling about this," Alee said softly.
Luke sighed, "So do I, but what's new?"
Alee's relief grew as their distance from the compound increased. The forcefield was doing double duty. Keeping danger out. Keeping tension in. Alee had felt the resentful stares, the mistrustful glances. The friction caused by death under mysterious circumstances had sparks flying and people sniping. At this second, facing the unknown seemed a far easier path than remaining behind.
"Did she wake up?" Luke asked.
Alee glanced over her shoulder at the receding forcefield dome. "No. It's a shock-induced sleep, I think. I left a female worker with her." Alee sought to reassure herself. "Shanni will be fine. She's very brave."
"A lot like her great, great aunt."
Alee rolled her eyes. "Do you have to say it that way? Maybe you should run back and grab a gravsled - I don't think this old timer will be able to make the trek."
Luke cast her an impish smile. "I think you'll manage. You're remarkably well preserved - for an old timer."
"No wonder you won Mara Jade's heart. Your compliments just sweep a girl off her feet."
Luke chuckled and walked on in silence.
Rolling slopes flanked the Jedi, tawny grasses rippling over the hilltops and sweeping into the valley to brush their knuckles as they followed the trampled path toward the dig site. Ahead, grass gave way to rock as the hills abruptly jutted out of the ground at steep angles to choke the valley off to all but a narrow gorge trickling through a reluctant pass. The harshness of the landscape they were heading into pierced a needle of foreboding into Alee's mind.
The pass was a mere kilometer beyond the compound, and the dig site a kilometer beyond that. But the landscape dictated a cautious pace As they approached the mouth of the boulder-strewn gorge, Luke shortened his stride.
"Tell me about the first time," he said.
"There are many firsts in a person's life. Which one are you asking about?" Alee asked.
"The first time the Force gave you a memory."
Alee sensed the Jedi Master stretching out through the Force to scan the path. She followed suit. Several humans were high above them. Watching? Or waiting in ambush? As the slopes became steep barriers of loose shale, Alee inhaled calm and gathered her thoughts.
"It was on a little mid-rim planet called Naboo." The path narrowed, casting the path into shadow, and Alee slipped behind Luke as she continued, "The Force led me to the very spot where someone from my past - someone very special to me - was struck down."
"That's all I get? The micro-condensed version?"
"What more do you need?"
Alee watched the back of Luke's head as he shook it. Dryly he asked, "Have you ever tried to dig a burr out of a Wookiee's hide without getting slammed across the room? Because that's about how challenging it is to get information out of you." She snorted quietly as he continued, "You said there was a reason for that other time. What was it?"
Alee covertly scanned the sharp slopes. Their watchers were still content to remain hidden behind large boulders that dotted the ridge like battlements.
She turned her thoughts back to Luke's question. "The Force took me there to say good-bye. My new life with Dru was waiting, and I needed to let go of my old life."
"That must have been difficult for you. Last night I got the impression you still consider yourself part of the past. How have you reconciled old and new?"
"Your Jedi curiosity is showing," Alee replied.
"A lamentable trait, I know, but I've learned to live with it." Luke cleared his throat. "Just like you've learned to live with the curse of evasiveness."
"It's not a curse. It's a survival tactic."
The watchers' stares simmered against Alee's spine as they neared the end of the gorge.
"Well, you certainly are a born survivor," Luke commented.
"And you certainly are a persistent Jedi Master." The path widened again and Alee moved up to Luke's side. "If you must know, I haven't reconciled old and new. I don't waste energy on impossible tasks. But I choose to live in the moment. I keep focused on the Living Force, often to the exclusion of Cosmic undertones in a situation. Which is why I find these Force-given memories so ... intrusive and disturbing."
"Forgetting the past dooms us to repeat it," Luke said softly.
Alee sighed. "I forget nothing. But I cannot go back, and so I will not dwell on it." With a nasal lilt, she added, "Disturb the past, we cannot. Only learn from it, we can."
"Yoda was very wise," Luke said. "He should have added, 'Share it we must, for others to learn. Knowledge hidden is ignorance.'"
As they moved out of the shadowy chasm and into bright light, Alee squinted and looked up. "Point taken," she whispered.
The two Jedi halted and looked over the desolate valley spread out at their feet, to the odd-shaped mound less than a kilometer away. The path to the dig site negotiated a boulder field that covered the whole basin floor, making it look like they had stepped onto an asteroid. The reason, no doubt, that the compound wasn't situated in this valley.
Luke rubbed the back of his neck. "So, at this moment, why do you think our friends back there chose not to attack?"
Alee started down the path into the forest of stone. "I would say, that since we neither revealed our knowledge of their presence, nor acted like we cared, they didn't feel threatened, and so were content to merely watch us."
Luke jogged the few steps to catch up to her. "They might not be so benevolent when we return. Especially if it appears as if we've found something."
"Then it mustn't appear so."
"Why? I thought you liked a good fight."
"Not when it means walking into a deathtrap like that gorge," muttered Alee.
"Which, of course, you'd never do," Luke replied.
"What's your point?"
"We might need to enter the lair to find out who the predator is. You've walked into traps before, Alee. And you've survived." He paused. "Just like a regular ... hero."
Luke smiled unconcernedly under her shriveling stare.
"Oh ... go breathe vacuum, Skywalker." She whirled around and strode away.
Despite his teasing remarks, or maybe because of them, Alee found the ensuing silence between them to be a companionable one. A brisk ten minutes brought them to the clearing fronting the ancient Jedi ruin. Spotting two indigenous, long-necked pack animals near the entrance, the Jedi ducked behind a boulder. Alee squatted and began tapping her teeth. Luke joined her and arched his eyebrows. She snatched her hand down.
"Who's in there?" she whispered.
"In accounting for all personnel, Captain Innis found that two archaeologists had left the compound at the break of day. To get an early start here, apparently."
They both peered over the top of the jagged rock. Two men exited the ruin, secured several well-wrapped items to the animals' packs, and disappeared back inside. Minutes later they reappeared and attached a few more items. They released the tethers, and grasping the lead ropes, headed toward the hidden Jedi with the pack animals trailing sedately behind. Luke caught Alee's eye and touched his finger to his lip. The men passed by without noticing Luke and Alee, though one of the doe-eyed creatures whinnied in their direction.
After they'd disappeared around a bend, Alee asked,"Instead of you cloaking us with the Force, shouldn't we have revealed our presence to those men? Let them know what is going on?"
"No. Only Captain Innis knows where we were headed and why. I'd rather keep it that way," Luke replied.
"That could prove awkward if anyone else shows up for work."
"The good captain is going to keep everyone busy all day with interrogations."
"That's mighty neighborly of him," Alee sneered.
Luke gave her a half smile. "Cooperation is one of the advantages of sporting a well-known face."
"And being a highly visible target is one of the disadvantages. So why don't you go first, and draw the fire of any unfriendlies that may be lurking around the site. That way, I can protect your back." Alee smiled sweetly and stretched to her full 1.7 meters.
Luke stood. "Thanks. That's mighty neighborly of you."
"Hey. You're the hero."
"Right. And who are you?"
"The sarcastic Jedi sidekick."
"Don't they always get killed in the third act?" Luke asked nonchalantly.
"I sincerely hope not," mumbled Alee.
She turned her attention to the ruin. The aptness of the name, Melted Castle Mountain, struck Alee. The structure was a lop-sided, multi-tiered cake. Four levels, with each smaller than the one below it, and each set to the far left, making for a sheer cliff on the one side and giant steps on the other. No outside features were discernible, as the icing had apparently melted, leaving a smooth, rounded surface. The room that had collapsed to expose the mountain's secret was nowhere in sight and was, presumably, on the far side. Working backwards, the archaeologists had discovered and exposed the original entrance, an arched doorway, on the right of the lowest level, that echoed the smooth contours of the edifice.
"It looks like some star cruiser turned it into a slag heap," Luke commented. He turned to his partner, executed a shallow bow and gracefully waved her forward. "Shall we?"
Alee sighed. "If we must. But please, ... heroes first."
Alee was only a step behind Luke as they entered the castle ruins. Warmth sizzled over her skin, as if she'd stepped too close to a flame. The sensation disappeared as she moved into the cool interior. Something stung her and she slapped it away. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Luke do the same thing.
Luke stepped to the left, and Alee to the right, as they paused to study the hallway in which they stood. A string of motion-sensitive portable lights came to life in a wave that swept down the hall. Five meters wide and high, it was longer than she'd expected, running unbroken for close to 30 meters. The walls and ceiling were polished alabaster, dulled by centuries of neglect, and studded with small metal disks in a pattern vaguely reminiscent of a double helix. Every five meters the arched tunnel was interrupted by a metal rib, the last one heralding the beginnings of a staircase curving to the left. Four evenly-spaced, unadorned metal doors graced the right wall.
The Jedi advanced slowly, hugging opposite walls. When Alee came to the first door, she wiggled the doorknob experimentally. The door swung open on squeaky hinges. She scanned the room, which seemed to run the length of the hallway. It was empty, stripped clean by the archaeological team. A reception hall, perhaps? She shrugged at Luke and moved on.
As they neared the halfway point of the long hall, tension on Alee's neck loosened its grip a notch. She rotated her shoulders, picking up her pace slightly. Snap. Alee and Luke spun around. With a hiss, the second metal rib sprouted a forcefield, sealing them off from the entry. A second later, similar fields appeared in each doorway. The Jedi exchanged alarmed glances.
Heart pounding, Alee sprinted down the hallway with Luke behind her. Darts began spitting out of the metal disks adorning the wall. Alee dived, rolled and sprang into a running crouch. A pinprick in her left arm. Another in her leg. She stretched out and called on the Force to enhance her speed. With the stairs in reach, she took a flying leap towards them.
The instant her boots touched the third stair, Alee felt it start to give way. She grabbed at the next step, seeking purchase, even as numbness shot down her left arm. Luke landed beside her slipping fingers and grabbed her wrist. Yanking with the Force, he pulled her out of the hole and held her against him.
With darts no longer winging past them, they paused on the meter-deep stair to catch their breath. Alee pulled away to peer down the hole she'd just created. Her left leg wobbled and Luke grabbed her. She pushed away and shook her head, then steadied herself with one hand against the wall.
Her left side was sluggish, responding at half impulse. She rubbed the spot where a dart had found its mark, while she covertly studied Luke's clothing for telltale nicks that might indicate he'd been hit as well. Nothing was apparent.
Luke raised his eyebrows. Alee nodded in reply to his silent question of whether or not to continue. He tapped his toe on the next stair and snatched it back as that step also crumbled, chunks of rock thudding their way into the darkness below. Faint skittering noises rippled upwards as the rock fell.
Alee started to crouch, but stopped when her leg buckled. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes for a moment. She reached out through the Force, scanning, searching the steps for patterns that might tell which ones were stable.
Tap. Tap. Alee's eye's flew open. Luke was squatting, lightsaber in hand. He gave the step another tap and flipped the weapon into the air. He caught it with a slight smirk and tossed it onto the next step. As it began to turn to dust, he snatched his weapon back with the Force. He lobbed it onto the next step. Alee held her breath. The lightsaber wobbled when it landed. Both Jedi stared at the weapon for a moment, anticipating a delayed reaction. The lightsaber lay, glinting dully in the low light.
Alee straightened up slowly, cautiously testing her left side. Still numb - like it was going into, or coming out of, hibernation. She shifted her weight, as inconspicuously as possible, to her right, and waved for Luke to proceed.
Luke jumped, landing softly. He turned to Alee and bobbed on his toes, spreading his arms and giving her a near cocky grin. She stared at him blandly for a second, then drew on the Force. She planted her right boot solidly on the edge and sprang, scissor-kicking to land on the same foot.
They repeated the procedure several more times - using the lightsaber to find the next safe step, then advancing - until they could see where the broad curving staircase turned, once again, into hallway. The four remaining steps crumbled when tested.
Alee felt Luke's gaze as he took in her stance, which, with each jump, had favored her right side more and more. She leaned against the wall with studied nonchalance.
"What are you waiting for, Skywalker?" she asked with a soft sneer.
"Can you make four meters like that?" Luke returned.
"Was Master Piell a fierce warrior?"
A blank look flitted over Luke's face. "Ah, I don't know."
She straightened with a sigh. "The answer is 'yes,' Luke. Fire up your boosters."
Luke regarded her thoughtfully for a second, then turned and leapt the span with ease. Alee braced her hand against the wall. She hoped she was right. The numbness had conquered a little more of her body with each jump, causing her to think that the poison in those darts was spread through the muscles by movement. Alee inhaled a calming breath and jumped. Mid-air she felt the Force pulling as well as pushing. She landed on her left leg and stumbled. Luke grabbed her arm and helped her regain her footing.
Alee cast him a victorious smirk and the corner of Luke's mouth twitched. As he turned to go, familiar designs caught her attention. Alee gasped and slammed Luke up against the white wall. In answer to his frown, she pointed at the floor where more of the archaeologists' motion lights revealed 30 centimeter square stone tiles, each carved with Jedi runes. The sand colored tiles spanned the width of the hall and ran for at least ten meters. That the area was of interest to the research team was evident from the extra lighting.
Luke knelt and brushed his fingers over the rune on the corner tile. Alee felt only resignation when the tile disappeared, falling into a pit. Maybe the same pit that ran under the stairs.
Luke stood up. "Not very original," he whispered. "But effective none the less."
Alee stared at the runes. The written language of her ancient peers was a rare sight in this dark future she inhabited. She closed her eyes and studied the runes in her mind's eye, looking for a design. Only the completely depraved provided no escape to such a carefully laid trap. If one wanted to pit wits against his foe, he had to allow for the possibility of defeat. Did this long-dead enemy want victory at any cost? The pattern jumped out at her.
"Isn't that the same kind of writing that is inscribed in your cloak?" Luke's quiet question intruded in her thoughts.
With a nod, she replied, "These runes form the words from the Jedi Code." She pointed out the trails. "Key words only, repeated over and over. Peace. Knowledge. Serenity. Force. We only need know which path to follow."
"What path did this Jedi follow in creating his terrible orb?" Luke asked softly.
Thoughtfully, Alee said, "His security measures tell me he had no peace or serenity. And we know he turned from the Light Side of the Force. That leaves only ..."
"Knowledge," Luke whispered.
Alee didn't hesitate. She limped onto the first tile and steadied herself. Drawing on the Force to shore up her rickety leg, she progressed slowly, following the path of knowledge, stepping gingerly from one rune to the next. The path zigzagged down the center, rarely coming within an arm's span to the wall. Beads of sweat clung to her hairline. Her leg sagged suddenly, and she threw out her arms to regain her balance. One step. Another. With all of her Force abilities honed on keeping her leg steady, Alee was tempted to look back and see how closely Luke was following. She pictured herself twisting - then falling. She drew a soothing breath and moved forward. Her leg began to shake. Three meters to go. Two. With her control beginning to waver, Alee leapt.
As she landed on the ledge bordering the tiles, her arm fell back, sweeping across a section of flooring. Immediately, a gaping hole appeared, ready to swallow the Jedi, should she roll the wrong way. But she had no intention of rolling anywhere. Alee lay, unmoving, staring at the etched alabaster ceiling and letting the Force stream through her limbs, until Luke's dark blond head popped into her line of vision.
The Jedi Master pulled Alee to her feet and propped her against the wall. She cut off any comments with a glare. The Force had stopped the numbness in her arm and leg from spreading, but in its wake was a stiffness, like a sudden debilitating attack of arthritis. Her muscles were congealing and her bones were fusing together. At least the leg was taking her weight - mostly.
Whoosh! The Jedi both started and looked back to see all the tiles except the path of knowledge collapse into the pit, sending a cloud of dust billowing up. Through the dust, they could see that the remaining tiles were actually the tops of very narrow pillars stretching downward into the gloom. Alee frowned. Why hadn't it happened sooner? She looked all around, trying to spot the scanners that must be tracking their every move, but nothing was apparent.
Alee willed herself to push away from the wall, clenching her teeth as the throbbing pain in her leg and knee radiated out to lap halfway up her spine. She surveyed the remaining stretch of hallway, its unadorned walls studded with the same metal ribs as downstairs, two doors on the right, locked behind shimmering energy fields, and a flat ceiling carved to make it look like it was tiled. Totally unremarkable, yet she was beset by a vague reluctance at the thought of moving forward. She noticed Luke's fingers twitching beside his lightsaber. Their eyes met. She nodded.
Cycling the Force through her left leg, Alee followed Luke with a stiff-legged gait. They hadn't gone ten steps when a soft whirring noise made them spin around, drawing their weapons as they did so. Directly above the ledge bordering the pit, two of the ceiling tiles dropped a meter to reveal antiquated gun turrets. The black perforated gun barrels began spitting slugs at them, faster than a Hutt sweeps up credits. Blue and green lightsabers flashed, harmlessly deflecting the bullets. Alee side-stepped right, then left. The turret tracked her. Each focusing on one of the guns, the two Jedi slowly backed up in synch, their weapons sparking as balls of lead hit them in rapid succession and loud popping echoed down the corridor. Through the Force, Alee was able to see and anticipate each bullet before it reached her, and it struck her as odd, how easy this trap was to overcome. Perhaps it was designed for a single foe. But if it was aimed at Jedi ... they often travelled in pairs.
A mechanical hum, directly above and behind them, announced the entrance of two more turret guns into the fray. With her leg spurting bursts of pain, Alee joined Luke in backpedalling furiously to keep both pairs of guns facing them. As soon as they were past the new threat, Alee's leg called a sudden halt to her quick movements. Suddenly, twice the number of slugs were hailing down on them. Alee clung to the Force tenaciously in an effort to deflect everything. Several times she sensed bullets nipping her clothing as she dodged out of the way. Frustration hammered at Alee's thoughts. They couldn't turn and run without being mowed down. She struggled to back up faster, her stiff leg making her movements jerky and awkward, like those of a protocol droid. Luke kept pace beside her.
Alee's heart sank when she sensed, rather than heard, another telltale whir several meters behind them. Luke shouted for her to cover his back, and she wheeled into position, a slug ripping her sleeve as she did so. The hallway ended in another set of stairs, a few short meters past the last pair of turrets, only five meters from where Alee was pinned, protecting Luke's back. It was hard to think about gaining ground when every joule of energy was focused on deflecting the deadly fire raining down on her head. And Luke was fending off four guns.
A bullet singed her hair from behind. She sensed that Luke's focus was faltering. If something didn't happen soon they'd be leaving little pieces of themselves behind. Alee took three short deep breaths and sprinted toward the right gun, and skidding to a halt directly below it. As it realigned to take aim at Luke, she jumped straight up and sliced the barrel off with one swing of her lightsaber.
The weapon exploded, tossing Alee against the wall. Air slammed out of her lungs and her vision blurred. Burning pain erupted in her shoulder and she threw herself to the right, a trail of bullets following her rolling dodge. She reached for her lightsaber with the Force and flicked it on as soon as it slapped her palm. The blade shielded her as she clambered to her feet.
The second gun was quickly dispatched, and Alee called the "All clear" to Luke as she craned her neck to look up the staircase as it curved to the right and out of sight. She braced her hand against the wall, causing her wounded shoulder to protest loudly. She pressed her hand to her left shoulder and frowned at the red painting her palm.
Suddenly Luke was at her side, along with a wave of bullets. Again her lightsaber wove a sizzling blue net in front of her. Only three of the four guns were still firing, and as she watched, another fell silent. Still the barrage continued.
"Go, Luke!" Alee shouted.
"We go together," Luke replied. "Now!"
The two Jedi jumped into the stairwell, landing on the third and fourth steps. Spikes lanced out of the vertical risers, seeking to impale their ankles. But the Jedi were already leaping upwards. Each time her toes touched the next step, Alee grabbed the Force and catapulted into the air before the trap could spring. Touch. Jump. Flip. Touch. And again.
Alee left the stairs behind and landed on the third level a micron after Luke. Her leg folded and she crashed into the wall, shoulder first. A moan escaped her lips. Luke gripped her elbow and shoved her toward the first door on the left. Its shield had never properly engaged and was sputtering around the doorjamb like a hazy red halo. Luke pushed through the shield and into the room beyond. Alee followed, singeing her fingers on the sparking shield.
Back-to-back, they circled with lightsabers lit, waving their weapons as they searched for a trap. The creamy white walls stood rigid; the pale yellow ceiling remained fixed. Labored breathing echoed around the empty chamber. Anything that wasn't fastened down, which was everything, had already been removed by the archaeologists. They had even absconded with the dust.
Alee powered down her blade and sank to the floor. She stretched out and let the cool stone floor soothe the burning ache in her shoulder. Now that she wasn't moving, numerous scratches and a few bullet tracks made themselves known. Luke fell into a cross-legged position beside her and let his chin fall to his chest. Alee scanned the other Jedi. Tears in his tunic and leggings revealed that he sported the same type of cuts and abrasions as she did, indicators of just how close those guns had come to doing some serious damage.
"I don't get it," Luke said quietly. "The archaeologists have moved in and out of here for weeks without a problem. Even this morning, those two workers had no trouble that we could see. Why are we triggering all these traps? It doesn't make sense."
Alee sat up quickly and winced at the red-hot needles piercing her shoulder. Luke looked at her with a puzzled expression. She said, "I know how. Do you remember at the entrance? It was like stepping through a heat barrier, and then I got stung - I thought by an insect."
"Me, too," Luke commented.
"They weren't insects," Alee said. "We were image scanned and the prick was a needle, shot into us and retracted so quickly we thought nothing of it."
Luke's blue-eyed stare was expectant.
Alee continued, "The scan helps the security system accurately identify each person who enters the building, and the needle provides a blood sample that allows the system to measure midi-chlorian levels. I'd bet you feel the heat every time you enter, but the sting only once."
Luke's expression faded to confusion. "Midi-chlorian?"
Hesitating, Alee took in his genuinely bewildered aura. "Yes ... midi-chlorians are the symbionts that exist within us and allow us to connect with the Force."
"You mean, if the security program registers us as having a certain level of these symbionts, these midi-chlorians, then it identifies us as ... Jedi?"
"Right. No one on the archaeological team had a high enough count. We qualified, thereby setting off the security measures." Alee paused and felt furrows stamp her forehead. "But those measures were set up 2000 years ago. How could they still be effective?"
Luke paused before answering, "I think that the apparent meltdown the outside of the building suffered, sealed the interior so well that nothing deteriorated. There's no rust. No dust. Nothing. You saw how perfectly preserved all those recovered household items were. The wiring for the security would be in special protective conduits to begin with, and that, coupled with the near vacuum seal of the meltdown, meant everything was still able to work when we walked in today. Unfortunately." He studied Alee's shoulder. "Do you have anything to wrap that with so we can stop the bleeding? You won't be much good to me if you faint."
Alee retrieved a micro-medkit from her belt and tossed it to Luke. Alee shrugged out of the left sleeve of her tunic while Luke found two self-adhesive gauze pads. He applied one over the exit hole on her back, while she covered the front portion of the wound. She felt the adhesion sensors kick in and seal the pads against her skin.
"Thanks," she said. "I wouldn't want to slow you down anymore than I already am. Speaking of which, have you noticed how difficult it is to anticipate these traps?"
"Yes. Probably an effect of the lingering Dark Side aura. It can make things rather indistinct."
"You've had some experience with it?"
"What? The Dark Side?" Luke frowned. "More than I ever wanted." Alee silently waited for him to expand on the comment. Instead he said, "How is that leg?"
Alee silently berated Luke for his own reticence to talk about himself, pushed to her feet and stared at the crimson blotch she'd left behind on the light brown floor. She blinked and pulled her thoughts back to Luke's question. "It's getting better. A little stiff. I would've hated to have seen how powerful the serum in those darts would've been when it was fresh."
Luke stood and waved her toward the door. "Shall we?"
"If we must," Alee replied with a paltry smile.
