{"product_id":"dark-journey-star-wars-legends-isbn-9780345428691","title":"Dark Journey: Star Wars Legends","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe New Jedi Order continues as Jaina Solo struggles with anger and despair after the Jedi Knights’ harrowing adventure behind enemy lines. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThough the Jedi strike force completed its deadly mission into Yuuzhan Vong territory, the price of success was tragedy: not everyone made it out alive. In a daring getaway, hotshot pilot Jaina Solo stole an enemy ship, taking along her fellow survivors—and leaving behind a huge piece of her heart. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith the enemy in hot pursuit, Jaina is forced to seek haven in the unprotected, unfriendly Hapes Cluster, where the Jedi are held responsible for a past tragedy—and where the royal family has grim plans for their famous Jedi guest. Even more sinister are the intentions of the Yuuzhan Vong, desperate to capture Jaina for a hideous sacrifice. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrief-stricken and obsessed with revenge, Jaina is blind to these threats—and to the overpowering evil dangerously close to consuming her. In the coming conflagration, Jaina will be fighting not for victory or vengeance, but for her very being.A former music and history teacher, \u003cb\u003eElaine Cunningham\u003c\/b\u003e has written more than a dozen fantasy novels and many short stories. She is best known for the Songs \u0026amp; Swords books, particularly\u003ci\u003e Elfshadow\u003c\/i\u003e, a mystery in a fantasy setting. She lives with her family in a coastal New England town.Chapter Two\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnakin is dead. Jacen is gone\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese thoughts resounded through Jaina Solo's benumbed senses, echoing through an inner \u003cbr\u003esilence as profound as that of the watchful stars.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese thoughts drowned out the sounds of battle, and\u003cbr\u003ethe frantic, running commentary of the seven young Jedi\u003cbr\u003ewho struggled to fly the stolen Yuuzhan Vong ship. Like\u003cbr\u003eher companions, Jaina was battered and filthy from days\u003cbr\u003eof captivity, and from a battle that had lasted too long\u003cbr\u003eand cost too much.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOnly eight Jedi had fought their way out of the world-ship\u003cbr\u003eand onto this smaller ship, bringing with them the\u003cbr\u003ebody of their young leader. The survivors had taken the\u003cbr\u003eYuuzhan Vong frigate analog quickly, with astonishing\u003cbr\u003eease. Jaina had a dim recollection of searing anger and\u003cbr\u003ekilling light, of her friend Zekk pushing her away from\u003cbr\u003ethe pilot's seat and into the Yuuzhan Vong equivalent of\u003cbr\u003ea gunner's chair. She perched there now on the edge of\u003cbr\u003ethe too-large seat, firing missiles of molten rock at the\u003cbr\u003ecoralskippers pursuing the Jedi and their stolen ship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJaina watched with a strange sense of detachment as\u003cbr\u003ethe alien ship released plasma at her command, as the\u003cbr\u003edeath of coralskippers and their Yuuzhan Vong pilots\u003cbr\u003ewas painted in brief, brilliant splashes against the dark\u003cbr\u003ecanvas of space. All of this was a fever dream, nothing\u003cbr\u003emore, and Jaina was merely a character caught in her\u003cbr\u003eown nightmare.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eJacen is gone\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt didn't seem possible. It wasn't possible. Jacen was\u003cbr\u003ealive. He had to be. How could she be alive if Jacen\u003cbr\u003ewas not? Her twin brother had been a part of her, and\u003cbr\u003eshe of him, since before their birth. What they were could\u003cbr\u003enot be separated from what they were to each other.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHer thoughts tumbled like an X-wing in an out-of-control\u003cbr\u003espiral. Jaina's pilot instincts kicked in, and she\u003cbr\u003eeased herself out of the spin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReaching out through the Force, she strained beyond\u003cbr\u003ethe boundaries of her power and training as she sought\u003cbr\u003eher brother. Where Jacen had been was only blackness,\u003cbr\u003eas unfathomable as space. She went deep within, frantically\u003cbr\u003eseeking the place within her that had always been\u003cbr\u003eJacen's. That, too, was veiled.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJacen was gone. Jaina did not feel bereft, but sundered.\u003cbr\u003eA burst of plasma flared toward the stolen ship. Jaina\u003cbr\u003eresponded with one of her own. It streamed toward the\u003cbr\u003eincoming plasma bolt like a vengeful comet. The two\u003cbr\u003emissiles met in a tidal wave.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZekk threw himself to one side, straining the umbilicals\u003cbr\u003eon the pilot's gloves in his attempt to pull the ship\u003cbr\u003easide from the killing spray.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFortunately for the Jedi, their Yuuzhan Vong pursuers\u003cbr\u003ewere also forced to turn aside. This bought them a moment\u003cbr\u003eof relative peace--no immediate danger, no obvious\u003cbr\u003etarget.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJaina twisted in her seat until she could see the world-ship\u003cbr\u003ewhere Anakin had fallen, where Jacen had been\u003cbr\u003eabandoned. It seemed odd, and somehow wrong, that\u003cbr\u003esuch a terrible place could be reduced to a small lump of\u003cbr\u003eblack coral.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"We'll be back, Jacen,\" she promised. \"You hold on,\u003cbr\u003eand we'll come for you.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI'll come for you, she added silently. She would go\u003cbr\u003eafter Jacen alone, if it came down to that, as Anakin had\u003cbr\u003egone to Yavin 4 to rescue Tahiri.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow Anakin was dead, and a battered and heart-broken\u003cbr\u003eTahiri watched over his body. The small blond\u003cbr\u003egirl blazed in the Force like a nova--Jaina couldn't help\u003cbr\u003ebut feel her anguish. The severed bond was different\u003cbr\u003efrom that shared by twins, but perhaps no less intense.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe realization hit her like a thud bug. Anakin and\u003cbr\u003eTahiri. How strange--and yet it felt right and perfect.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTears filled Jaina's eyes, refracting an incoming streak\u003cbr\u003eof molten gold into lethal rainbows. In the pilot's seat,\u003cbr\u003eZekk muttered a curse and wrenched the frigate's nose\u003cbr\u003eup and hard to port. The alien ship rose in a sharp, gut-\u003cbr\u003ewrenching arc. Plasma scorched along the frigate's underside, \u003cbr\u003esheering off the irregular coral nodules with a\u003cbr\u003eshrill, ululating screech.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJaina jerked her left hand from its living glove and\u003cbr\u003efisted away her tears through the cognition hood that\u003cbr\u003ecovered her face. Meanwhile the fingers of her right hand\u003cbr\u003eslid and circled as she deftly brought her target into\u003cbr\u003efocus. She jammed her left hand back into the glove and\u003cbr\u003esqueezed it into a fist, releasing a burst of plasma at the\u003cbr\u003eattacking coralskipper--an instant before it launched a\u003cbr\u003esecond plasma.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJaina's missile struck the Yuuzhan Vong ship in that minuscule \u003cbr\u003einterval between shielding and attack. Shards of\u003cbr\u003eblack coral exploded from its hull, and the snout heated\u003cbr\u003eto an ominous red as molten rock washed over it. Cracks\u003cbr\u003efissured through the Yuuzhan Vong pilot's viewport.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAgain Jaina fired, and again, timing the attacks with\u003cbr\u003eskill honed through two long years and too many missions.\u003cbr\u003eThe coralskipper's projected gravity well swallowed\u003cbr\u003ethe first missile; the second proved to be too much\u003cbr\u003efor the severely compromised hull. The ship broke apart,\u003cbr\u003espilling its life out into the emptiness of space.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I know that feeling,\" Jaina muttered.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA small, strong hand settled on her shoulder. She felt\u003cbr\u003eTenel Ka's solid presence through the Force--there, but\u003cbr\u003eprofoundly different. A moment passed before Jaina\u003cbr\u003erealized why: her friend's emotions, usually as straight-forward\u003cbr\u003eand unambiguous as a drawn blaster, had been\u003cbr\u003ecarefully shielded.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"We are doing the right thing for Jacen,\" Tenel Ka said\u003cbr\u003estoutly. \"Because they have only one twin, they will harm\u003cbr\u003eneither. We suspected as much, but now we have proof.\u003cbr\u003eThey are not trying to destroy this ship.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Couldn't prove it by me,\" Zekk muttered as he jinked\u003cbr\u003esharply to avoid another plasma blast.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Fact,\" the warrior woman said bluntly. \"Zekk, for\u003cbr\u003etwo years you've flown cargo ships--a true contribution,\u003cbr\u003ebut poor training for this escape.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Yeah? Here's another fact: I haven't gotten us killed\u003cbr\u003eyet.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"And here are several more,\" Tenel Ka retorted.\u003cbr\u003e\"Jaina was in Rogue Squadron. She had access to New\u003cbr\u003eRepublic intelligence on enemy ships. She has survived\u003cbr\u003emore dogfights than anyone here. If we are to survive,\u003cbr\u003eyou must let her fly.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZekk started to protest, but another barrage cut him\u003cbr\u003eoff. He zigzagged wildly to avoid incoming fire and then\u003cbr\u003eput the ship into a tumbling evasive dive. The force\u003cbr\u003ethrew Tenel Ka into the seat behind the pilot. She muttered\u003cbr\u003esomething in her native language as she struggled\u003cbr\u003einto the restraining loops.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJaina braced her feet against the irregular coral floor\u003cbr\u003eand steeled herself for the punishing buildup of g-force.\u003cbr\u003eShe expected her cognition hood to bulge out like the\u003cbr\u003ejowls of a Dagobian swamp lizard, but it remained comfortably\u003cbr\u003ein place. She filed the data away for future use.\u003cbr\u003eIn any New Republic ship, this maneuver would have\u003cbr\u003ebeen punishing; apparently, the internal gravity of a Yuuzhan \u003cbr\u003eVong ship was far more complex and adaptable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEven so, for several moments speech was impossible.\u003cbr\u003eJaina quickly ran through the list of survivors as she \u003cbr\u003econsidered Tenel Ka's words. Nine Jedi remained, just one\u003cbr\u003emore than half of their original strike force. Tahiri was\u003cbr\u003eonly fifteen, and no pilot. She had been terribly wounded\u003cbr\u003ein body and spirit, and Tekli, the Chadra-Fan healer, was\u003cbr\u003ebusy attending her. The reptilian Tesar, the sole survivor\u003cbr\u003eof the Barabel hatchmates, was working the shielding\u003cbr\u003estation in the stern. Lowbacca was needed everywhere,\u003cbr\u003eand since their escape he'd been dashing about patching\u003cbr\u003ethe living ship's wounds. When his efforts fell short, he'd\u003cbr\u003ealternately cajoled and threatened the ship in Wookiee\u003cbr\u003eterms so vivid that Em Teedee, the lost translator droid,\u003cbr\u003ewould have been hard-pressed to come up with genteel\u003cbr\u003eeuphemisms.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat left Tenel Ka, Alema Rar, and Ganner Rhysode.\u003cbr\u003eJaina quickly dismissed Tenel Ka. Yuuzhan Yong ships\u003cbr\u003ewere not designed with one-armed pilots in mind. Forget\u003cbr\u003eAlema. The Twi'lek female was emotionally fragile--\u003cbr\u003eJaina could feel her teetering on the edge of mindless,\u003cbr\u003evengeful frenzy. Put Alema in the pilot's seat, and she'd\u003cbr\u003elikely plot a suicidal plunge directly at the worldship's\u003cbr\u003edovin basal. Ganner was a powerful Jedi, an impressive-\u003cbr\u003elooking man whose role in this mission had been to serve\u003cbr\u003eas decoy for the real leader--Anakin. Ganner had his\u003cbr\u003epoints, but he wasn't enough of a pilot to get them out\u003cbr\u003eof this.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTenel Ka was right, Jaina concluded. Anakin had died\u003cbr\u003esaving the Jedi from the deadly voxyn. He'd left his last\u003cbr\u003emission in Jacen's hands, not hers, but she was the one\u003cbr\u003eleft to see it through. The Jedi--at least the Jedi on this\u003cbr\u003eship--were now her responsibility.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA small voice nudged into Jaina's consciousness,\u003cbr\u003ebarely audible over the screaming dive and the thrum\u003cbr\u003eand groan of the abused ship. In some dim corner of her\u003cbr\u003emind huddled a small figure, weeping in anguish and\u003cbr\u003eindecision. Jaina slammed the door and silenced her\u003cbr\u003ebroken heart.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I need Ganner to take over for me,\" she said as soon\u003cbr\u003eas she could speak.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA look of concern crossed Tenel Ka's face, but she\u003cbr\u003eshrugged off her restraints and rose. In moments she re-\u003cbr\u003eturned with the older Jedi.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Someone has to take my place at gunner,\" Jaina explained.\u003cbr\u003eShe stood up without removing either the gloves\u003cbr\u003eor hood. \"No time for a learning curve--better work\u003cbr\u003ewith me until you get the feel of it. The seat's big enough\u003cbr\u003efor both of us.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter a brief hesitation, Ganner slipped into the chair.\u003cbr\u003eJaina quickly settled into his lap.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe chuckled and linked his hands around her waist.\u003cbr\u003e\"This could get to be a habit.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Hold that thought,\" Jaina told him as she sighted\u003cbr\u003edown an incoming skip. \"It'll keep your hands busy.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA surge of annoyance came from Zekk, but Jaina\u003cbr\u003eunderstood Ganner's flirtation for what it was. Ganner\u003cbr\u003ewas big, jet-black-haired, and so absurdly handsome that\u003cbr\u003ehe reminded Jaina of the old holovids of Prince Isolder.\u003cbr\u003eThe scar across one cheek only served to heighten the\u003cbr\u003eoverall effect. When Ganner turned on the charm, his\u003cbr\u003epheromone count probably rivaled a Falleen's, but Jaina\u003cbr\u003eknew a shield when she saw one. Not long ago, Jacen had\u003cbr\u003edisguised his thoughtful nature with labored jokes. Perhaps\u003cbr\u003eit was best to leave Ganner's defenses safely intact.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Put your hands in the gloves and rest your fingers on\u003cbr\u003emine,\" she directed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Ganner wriggled his hands into the flexible gloves,\u003cbr\u003eJaina reached out for him through the Force. She lacked\u003cbr\u003eJacen's empathy, but could convey images to Ganner\u003cbr\u003eusing her own force talent.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs she aimed and fired, she formed mental pictures of\u003cbr\u003ewhat she saw--the battle as viewed through the greatly\u003cbr\u003eexpanded vision granted by the cognition hood, the\u003cbr\u003eblurry concentric circles that made up the targeting device.\u003cbr\u003eThrough the Force she felt the grim intensity of\u003cbr\u003eGanner's concentration, sensed a mind and will as focused\u003cbr\u003eas a laser. Soon his fingers began moving with hers\u003cbr\u003ein a precise duet. When she thought him ready, she slid\u003cbr\u003eher hands free, then tugged off the hood as she eased out\u003cbr\u003eof his lap. She pulled the hood down over Ganner's head.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Jedi jolted as he made direct connection with the\u003cbr\u003eship. He quickly collected himself and sent plasma\u003cbr\u003ehurtling to meet an incoming ball. The two missiles col-\u003cbr\u003elided,sending molten rock splashing into space like festival\u003cbr\u003efireworks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGanner's crow of triumph was swallowed by the ship's\u003cbr\u003egroan and shudder. Several bits of molten stone had\u003cbr\u003esplashed the frigate despite its shielding singularity and\u003cbr\u003eZekk's attempts at evasion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Tenel Ka is right,\" Jaina said. \"Let me have her, Zekk.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe pilot shook his hooded head and put the ship into\u003cbr\u003ea rising turn. \"Forget it. You're in no condition for this.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe planted her fists on her hips. \"Yeah? Everyone\u003cbr\u003ehere could use a few days in a bacta tank, you included.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"That's not what I meant. No one could be expected\u003cbr\u003eto fly after losing . . . after what happened down there,\"\u003cbr\u003ehe concluded lamely.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSilence hung between them, heavy with loss and pain\u003cbr\u003eand raw, too-vivid memories.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen Jaina caught a glimpse of the memory that most\u003cbr\u003edisturbed Zekk--an image of a small, disheveled young\u003cbr\u003ewoman in tattered jumpsuit, hurling lightning at a Yuuzhan\u003cbr\u003eVong warrior. A moment passed before Jaina\u003cbr\u003erecognized the furious, vengeful, bloodstained face as\u003cbr\u003eher own.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSuddenly she knew the truth of her old friend's concern.\u003cbr\u003eZekk, who had trained at the Shadow Academy and experienced\u003cbr\u003ethe dark side firsthand, was as wary of it as Jacen\u003cbr\u003ehad been. In taking the pilot's chair, Zekk hadn't been\u003cbr\u003econsidering her loss, her state of mind. He simply didn't\u003cbr\u003etrust her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJaina braced herself for the pain of this new betrayal,\u003cbr\u003ebut none came. Perhaps losing Jacen had pushed her to\u003cbr\u003esome place beyond pain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe brought to mind an image of the molten lightning\u003cbr\u003ethat had come so instinctively to her call. She imbued it\u003cbr\u003ewith so much power that the air nearly hummed with energy,\u003cbr\u003eand the metallic scent of a thunderstorm seemed to\u003cbr\u003elurk on the edge of sensory perception. She projected this\u003cbr\u003eimage to her old friend as forcefully as she could.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Get out of the seat, Zekk,\" she said in cool, controlled\u003cbr\u003etones. \"I don't want to fry the controls.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe hesitated for only a moment, then he ripped off the\u003cbr\u003ehood and rose. His green eyes met hers, filled with such a\u003cbr\u003eturmoil of sorrow and concern that Jaina slammed shut\u003cbr\u003ethe Force connection between them. She knew that\u003cbr\u003eexpression--she'd seen it in her mother's eyes many times\u003cbr\u003eduring the terrible months that followed Chewbacca's\u003cbr\u003edeath, when her father had been lost in grief and guilt.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo time for this now.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJaina slid into the pilot's seat and let herself join with\u003cbr\u003ethe ship. Her fingers moved deftly over the organic console,\u003cbr\u003econfirming the sensory impulses that flowed to her\u003cbr\u003ethrough the hood. Yes, this was the hyperdrive analog.\u003cbr\u003eHere was the forward shield. The navigation center remained\u003cbr\u003ea mystery to her, but during their captivity Low-bacca\u003cbr\u003ehad tinkered a bit with one of the worldship's\u003cbr\u003eneural centers. The young Wookiee had a history of taking\u003cbr\u003eon impossible challenges, and this task lay right\u003cbr\u003ealong his plotted coordinates.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSuddenly the shriek of warning sensors seared through\u003cbr\u003eJaina's mind. A chorus of wordless voices came at her\u003cbr\u003efrom all over the ship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe details of their situation engulfed her in a single\u003cbr\u003eswift flood. Several plasma bolts streamed toward them,\u003cbr\u003econverging on the underside of the ship--so far, the favored\u003cbr\u003etarget. Coralskippers had moved into position aft\u003cbr\u003eand above, and others were closing in from below and\u003cbr\u003eon either side. Another ship came straight on, still at a\u003cbr\u003edistance but closing fast.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo matter what she did, they could not evade the disabling\u003cbr\u003ebarrage.","brand":"Random House Worlds","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304078921957,"sku":"NP9780345428691","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780345428691.jpg?v=1767724512","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/dark-journey-star-wars-legends-isbn-9780345428691","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}