Part 4 (1/2)
In a moment, Ken saw the face of a beautiful, dark-haired woman on the computer screen.
”Kendalina was a Jedi Princess who was captured by Imperials,” Kadann explained. ”She was forced to pledge allegiance to the Empire, and she was a.s.signed to work for many years as an Imperial nurse on the planet Kessel, deep in the spice mines.”
Now the screen showed a picture of the building in the spice mines where Kendalina worked: The Imperial Insane Asylum of Kessel.
”That's where she met the man who became your father, Ken,” Dee-Jay interrupted. ”He was an Imperial prisoner, considered insane because he said he was a pacifist who believed in disarmament instead of war. He has three eyes. Two at the front of his head. One at the back.”
”This is your father-” Kadann revealed. Suddenly the screen showed a portrait of Triclops!
Ken felt his heart skip several beats as his throat constricted.
”You inherited many of your mother's features, Ken,” Dee-Jay explained. ”You have a natural talent for the Jedi arts and skills, like she did. You have her brown hair and her eyes. Fortunately, you didn't inherit your father's gene for a third eye, and you weren't born a mutant like he was. Now you know that you really do have Jedi blood in your veins-but you are also descended from the royal blood of the Empire!”
Ken's arms, limp and drained of all strength, dropped to his sides.
”Behold-your grandfather!” Kadann declared.
On the screen Ken saw the image of Emperor Palpatine, sitting on a throne in the Death Star, the Emperor's face looking twisted, tortured, and evil.
”It can't be true!” Ken exclaimed. ”Please, no, it isn't true!”
Losing control of his emotions, Ken struck the old, metal droid, pounding on Dee-Jay's chest and screaming out, ”No, no . . .”
Dee-Jay calmly gripped Ken's wrists, saying sternly, ”Be still! Why do you think you were brought to us, Ken? Because your mother wanted you to have a chance to overcome your grandfather's ways of darkness and evil. That's why we were chosen to raise you,” Dee-Jay explained, ”so that, under the guidance and teaching of the caretaker droids of the Lost City, your Jedi heritage could win out over the Dark Side that is also a part of your heritage.”
”I've heard enough from that droid,” Kadann declared. ”Deactivate him!”
”NOOOOO!” Ken screamed.
But the Imperial intelligence agent opened a panel in Dee-Jay's back and swiftly deactivated him, leaving the old droid motionless and silent.
Miles above, on the surface of Yavin Four, Luke Skywalker, who was being held under armed guard in a chamber aboard the Scardia Voyager, finally felt that the effects of the stun-beam had worn off. Himself once again, Luke sensed a disturbance in the Force. The disturbance seemed to be coming from deep within the fourth moon of Yavin. It was a terrible feeling, a gnawing sensation that hinted at catastrophe for the Lost City. Then, as he closed his eyes and concentrated deeply, Luke intuitively realized that his sister, Princess Leia, was nearby. Surely that meant that an Alliance rescue mission was approaching.
Now that the stun-beam had worn off, Luke knew that the time had come for him to make his move. The first step was to free his hands from the Imperial wrist-cuffs that bound him.
It took a little longer than usual, but Luke was able to put himself in total harmony with the Force, focusing his concentration on the metal lock at his wrists. Slowly the metal parts within the lock began to move.
CLIIIICK!.
His hands were free! Luke concentrated now on clouding the minds of his captors.
”You lazy fools,” Luke said to the armed guards. ”Where is my tea that I asked for half an hour ago?”
”What tea?” the stormtrooper in charge asked.
”When Kadann asks for tea, he expects tea!” Luke demanded, using the old Jedi mind trick that his master Obi-Wan Ken.o.bi had taught him. ”Do you think the Supreme Prophet of the Dark Side likes to be kept waiting?”
”Of course not, Kadann,” the stormtrooper apologized. He then turned to a companion. ”How come you haven't brought Kadann his tea?”
It was working! Luke pushed harder, clouding the minds of every guard in the room and placing them in a state of extreme mental confusion.
”Never mind, I'll get it myself,” Luke said. ”Open the door and stay here.”
”Yes, Kadann!” the stormtrooper in charge replied.
As the door was unlocked for him, Luke sensed that something was luring him toward a room three doors down the cold, gray hallway. Was danger awaiting him from that room? He quieted his mind and discovered that it was a sensation of attraction, not repulsion. He had nothing to fear from whatever was inside.
Quietly and quickly, Luke slid open the door. There his eyes were greeted by display cases containing some of Kadann's most priceless captured relics. And in the center was a new addition to this little museum of valuables. The sign above the display case read: LUKE SKYWALKER'S LIGHTSABER. And then, in smaller letters: THIS IS THE LIGHTSABER THAT CUT OFF THE RIGHT HAND OF DARTH VADER INSIDE THE IMPERIAL DEATH STAR.
Luke reached out his hand, beckoning the lightsaber to come toward him, just as he had once done on the ice-planet Hoth inside the cave of a Wampa creature.
The lightsaber rattled on its small stand, then struck the inside of the gla.s.s case, splintering it. As Luke concentrated even harder, the lightsaber once again smashed against the gla.s.s, then flew past the sharp jagged edges of broken gla.s.s and zoomed toward his outstretched hand. Drawn toward him by a mysterious mental magnetic attraction that only a Jedi Knight could understand, the lightsaber was soon in his grasp.
Luke turned it on, its glowing green blade stretching outward to defend him. Then Luke reentered the hall and crouched behind the large, rectangular engine-cooling module. He glanced toward the rear of the Scardia Voyager, certain that the Alliance a.s.sault would come in any second from that direction.
Luke was right! A Rebel Alliance a.s.sault team moved a garrison of equipment into position, creating an ion force field to s.h.i.+eld themselves against the weapons of the Scardia Voyager. Led by Alliance leader Mon Mothma, and Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, See-Threepio, and Artoo-Detoo, the Rebels used a captured Imperial TNT-a treaded neutron torch to punch a gaping hole in the aft of the golden Imperial s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. Then the Alliance staged a lightning charge.
Luke joined the action, working his way through the Scardia Voyager, using his lightsaber to swiftly defeat every stormtrooper who stood in his way. The Prophets of the Dark Side on board were quickly overpowered.
”Luke, that's the last time we send you out after macaab mushrooms,” Han said, when they were safely outside the s.h.i.+p. ”That was supposed to be a quick and easy trip, remember?”
”How did you find me?” Luke asked, giving his sister Leia a hug.
”A rather simple computation,” the familiar voice of See-Threepio chimed in, as the golden droid came over to greet his master. ”Artoo and I freed Chewbacca from the tentacle-bush after you and Ken were captured. Chewbacca then flew us back from that mushroom planet. We watched as the Imperial command speeder took you to the Scardia Voyager, and we continued tracking you all the way to Yavin Four, sending the coordinates on your flight movements back to SPIN!”
”Groooaaae to the surface again. But the controls didn't respond.
”At this rate, we'll never get down there to rescue Ken,” Han Solo said.
”I have an idea!” Luke exclaimed. They hurried back to the captured Imperial TNT. Luke climbed inside, searching. Finally he came out, holding a long gray canister. He opened it, revealing a protective outfit that was designed as a heat s.h.i.+eld. It even included a helmet. ”Han, the climate of this planet is controlled by steam vents, remember? Those vents go from down in the Lost City all the way up to the surface. If I can't get down the tubular transport, then I'll slide down a steam vent-wearing this!” Luke held up the heat-resistant clothing. ”I'll end up in the Lost City, at the Weather and Climate Control Center,” Luke added excitedly.
”Sounds crazy to me,” Han said.
”Totally crazy,” Princess Leia agreed.
”But it's our only hope,” Luke replied confidently. ”We don't have any other choice!”
With help from Artoo-Detoo, whose heat sensors could detect steam from far away, they located the nearest steam vent deep in the jungle. Then they removed the grating that covered it.
When Luke peered down into the endless hole, he started to have second thoughts about his plan. He knew that Hologram Fun World had a ride through a black tube that twisted its way through a mile of darkness. But scary as that ride was, it was more like a slide. However, Luke realized that this ride would be more like a tumbling fall-and straight down for most of the way, with only the clouds of rising, hot steam to slow his descent!
Luke didn't want to go through with it. But then he thought of Ken. And a moment later, he closed his eyes, held his breath, and made the leap!
When Luke opened his eyes, he couldn't see the steam, but he could feel and hear it through his heat-protection outfit. The steam hissed and pushed against him like a blast of scalding air, as he plunged into the endless darkness.