Anakin nodded absently. He wondered if the entire planet was really as eerie as it looked, or if they just felt uncomfortable because they knew Darth Vader himself had built a stronghold here.
Uldir shook his head.
“It seems strange to me. I thought that Darth Vader was a really powerful Jedi and a Dark Lord of the Sith. Why would he want to come to such a tiny planet?”
“Size matters not,” Ikrit reminded him.
“Well, for a `tiny’ world, it looks like there are some pretty good-sized storms down there,” Tionne said. “Check your crash webbing, everyone. We’re going in for a landing. Ready, Artoo?”
ArtooDetoo beeped once for yes. Tionne nosed the Lore Seeker down into the atmosphere.
“Are you sure you know where this fortress place is?” Uldir asked.
High winds began to buffet the Lore Seeker as it descended, and Tionne took a moment to stabilize the craft before answering.
“Master Skywalker gave me coordinates for what he says is the safest landing area near Bast Castle.”
The Lore Seeker shuddered and jolted, but Tionne held their course steady. Anakin felt his stomach lurch. Landings in his father’s ship, the Millennium Falcon, were usually much smoother than this. He glanced at his companions. Uldir’s face had turned as pale as Ikrit’s fur, and beads of sweat stood out on his upper lip. Tahiri’s eyes were shut, and her hands gripped the arms of the seat tightly.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” she said in a small voice.
Tionne’s voice was grim.
“Hang on, everyone, it’s going to get even rougher before we land.”
Although it was daytime, the sky grew darker around them as the ship plunged into a cluster of roiling storm clouds. The ship shuddered again, and lightning crashed outside the viewports.
“This would be a fine opportunity to practice your Jedi relaxation exercises, my young friends,” Ikrit pointed out. The small Jedi Master sounded completely calm. Anakin was thankful for the reminder as high winds continued to jostle the ship. He began to feel better almost instantly.
“You all right?” he asked Tahiri.
She nodded.
“Better.”
Anakin was glad to see that Uldir seemed to have relaxed as well. His face was no longer deathly pale, though he merely grunted when Anakin asked how he felt.
“Not much longer now,” Tionne said.
The Lore Seeker jerked sideways, and she steadied it.
“It’s only about fifty more kilometers to the landing area.” Ikrit said, “I wish to help, if you would not object. I cannot control the weather, but if you will show me our path, I can use the Force to steady your ship.”
“Thank you, Master Ikrit. I would appreciate your assistance,” Tionne said in a relieved voice. In less than a minute she had shown him the coordinates to Bast Castle and their flight path.
Then Ikrit closed his blue-green eyes and stretched one paw toward the front viewport in the direction of their flight. Instantly the Lore Seeker’s shuddering quieted. Anakin could still feel some vibration when winds struck the ship or lightning flashed close by, but the tiny Jedi Master held the ship steady while Tionne piloted the Lore Seeker in a smooth descent to the landing area. As the craft folded its coppery wings and touched down with a gentle thump, Anakin, Tahiri, Tionne, and Uldir burst into cheers and applause.
“All right, I admit it,” Uldir said. “I’m impressed.”
ArtooDetoo twittered and bleeped enthusiastically.
“Good work, everyone,” Tionne said. “And a special thanks to both of my copilots.”
“Well, let’s get out and take a look at Darth Vader’s fortress,” Tahiri said.
Anakin suddenly had a strange feeling at the pit of his stomach again. While safe on Yavin 4, he had been very curious to see the fortress his grandfather had built. But now that he was here, he wasn’t so sure….
The area where they had landed was rocky and bare except for a few stunted trees, whose leafless branches stretched toward the cloudy sky. Anakin turned in a slow circle to look around. Dark rocky spires stretched up hundreds of meters to disappear into the mist and low clouds. But they saw no sign of any buildings.
“Where is the castle?” he said at last. Tionne sighed. “According to Master Skywalker, it’s up there.” She pointed to one of the rocky peaks. Tahiri, Anakin, and Uldir exchanged surprised glances. Distant lightning flickered across the shadowy landscape.
“Don’t worry,” Tionne said, “the information broker told me how to get to the top.”
“Then why didn’t we just fly up there?” Uldir asked.
“Master Skywalker warned me that the wind and storms might make it difficult for me to pilot the Lore Seeker safely onto the landing platform in front of Bast Castle. Even some modern ships have trouble making that landing.”