[Junior Jedi Knights] -05(15)

“Just a moment,” Tionne said. Drawing her lightsaber, the instructor switched it on and moved slowly up the hallway toward the pale holograms. She held perfectly still for a moment and then, with a move so fast Anakin could hardly see it, she slashed upward. Something gave a loud pop and sparks sprayed down from the ceiling around Tionne. The images of the drakka guard boars flickered and went out. In fact, all the holograms were gone now.

“That holographic projector won’t be able to fool us again,” Tionne said with a nod of satisfaction.

“And we have also learned something,” Ikrit said.

“You mean that we should trust our Jedi senses and not just our eyes and our ears?” Anakin asked.

“That is true enough,” Ikrit said. “But remember that the more tricks and traps we find, the closer we are to the treasures your grandfather wished to guard.”

“Then that would mean-,” Tahiri began.

“Look,” Anakin said. He went over to the wall and traced his finger along the outline of a doorway that had been hidden by the hologram.

Placing a hand against one side of the stone door, he pushed. It budged. He pushed again, but nothing more happened.

“Do you think there’s a password or an access code?” Tahiri asked.

Then, without quite knowing why, Anakin pressed one hand against the door and said, “I am Anakin. Let me in.”

Without a creak or groan, the door swung open. Carefully, checking for traps as they went, Anakin, Tahiri, Uldir, Tionne, Airtoo, and Ikrit entered the tiny secret chamber. The small room was perfectly round, with a high domed ceiling. A soft bluish light radiated from the walls. There was nothing in the room except at the very center. There, in a ray of bright white light, stood a crystal column as clear as water. On the very top of the column, about at Anakin’s eye level, lay a lightsaber.

Glancing at Tionne and Ikrit to make sure that it was okay, Anakin reached out and took the hilt of the lightsaber in his hand. The handle felt warm and heavy and perfectly balanced. It was solid and well used, but not ancient. Anakin knew he wasn’t ready to be trained with a lightsaber yet, but this one held a special interest for him. Obi-Wan Kenobi had been Darth Vader’s Jedi teacher, and his uncle Luke’s first teacher, too. Anakin ran a finger up the ridged handle and over the power stud, but did not press it.

“Here,” he said, handing it to Tionne. “I think this is what we came for.”

Tionne smiled and took it from him. “It was the weapon of a great Jedi.”

“Mmm. It is better that such things never fall into the wrong hands,” Ikrit said.

Just then ArtooDetoo beeped an alarm. At the same moment, a puff of smoke erupted in the doorway, and a dark-haired man with a neat beard, tawny eyes, and a deep purple cloak stood before them. The man threw back his head and laughed, although Anakin couldn’t see what was so funny.

“The powerful Mage of Exis Station thanks you,” he said. “I would never have found the lightsaber without your help.” He snatched the weapon from Tionne’s hand. “But I’ll take it now.”

As usual, Tahiri’s curiosity got the better of her. It didn’t occur to her until much later that she should have been terrified of this strange dark man brandishing a lightsaber.

“Who are you?” she asked. “How did you get here? And why did you take that lightsaber? Only Jedi use lightsabers, and you don’t look like a Jedi. You’re not going to kill us, are you? Well, aren’t you going to say anything?”

Every eye in the room turned toward Tahiri. Anakin coughed a couple of times, his brows raised in surprise. Tionne and Ikrit remained silent, but ArtooDetoo gave a loud shrill of alarm. Uldir let out a low whistle. The strange man blinked rapidly several times, as if trying to think of the proper thing to say.

“I-well, I…” Then he seemed to recover from his surprise. “Behold,” he boomed in a rich voice, “I am the Mighty Orloc. Who are you?” He drew himself up to his full height and pulled back the hood of his deep purple cloak. The silver spangles along its edge glittered in the soft blue light.

Tionne’s hair glowed silver-blue as she gazed calmly at the newcomer.

“We’ll be happy to introduce ourselves to you, `Mighty’ Orloc, if you’ll be polite enough to give our lightsaber back. We need to take it to the Jedi academy to share with the other Jedi and students.”

The strange man ignored her and continued in a louder voice.

“I am the invincible Mage Orloc of Exis Station, and I claim this lightsaber as my rightful weapon. It is a fitting blade for-“

“Mage?” Tahiri interrupted. “You mean like a magician?”