Vader's Fortress Read online

  left and right."

  Laser bolts continued to streak across the entry hall and through the

  doorway.

  "Good deduction, Anakin," said Tionne.

  "So what should we do?" Tahiri asked.

  "I'm open to suggestions at this point," the Jedi teacher said,

  glancing over at her three charges.

  Uldir gave Anakin a light nudge with his elbow.

  "You've figured it out this far. What's the solution?"

  Anakin was surprised to hear Tahiri agreeing with Ul1;3Cdir.

  "He's right, you know, Anakin," she said. "I'm sure if you think of

  this as a puzzle to solve, we'll come up with an answer in no time."

  Anakin looked over at Ikrit for some sort of of support, but the old

  Jedi Master merely nodded as if to encourage him. Anakin thought, letting

  his eyes roll up and to one side. It came to him in just a moment.

  "Okay, Artoo," he said, "have you analyzed the pattern?"

  The barrel-shaped droid beeped once.

  "Do you think you can use that little mirror gadget that Uncle Luke

  installed in your head to deflect some of the laser bolts back so that one

  of us can get in and disable the lasers?"

  "But that little mirror can't protect Artoo from blaster bolts,"

  Tahiri objected. Her bright green eyes were wide with alarm.

  "That's true," Anakin said. "But these are lasers. Lasers are just

  concentrated light. A mirror can deflect laser beams. Artoo should be fine-

  as long as he doesn't get shot."

  Before Anakin could say any more, ArtooDetoo beeped once again and

  rolled into action. Laser blasts shot toward the little droid as he

  trundled into the huge entry area. He reflected the first and second bolts

  back in the direction of the lasers that had shot them. To Anakin's

  surprise, one of the deflected blasts struck the laser that had fired it.

  The laser exploded with muffled sizzles and thumps. Artoo moved forward and

  caught the third bolt on his reflector as well.

  "Stay here," Tionne ordered.

  As Artoo-Detoo reflected a fourth blast, Tionne and Ikrit sprinted

  into the vast entry hall and took cover behind the statue of Darth Vader.

  The fifth laser bolt struck the side of Artoo-Detoo's domed head and the

  droid let out an electronic shriek. Even so, the brave little droid

  swiveled to catch the next laser bolt.

  "Hang on, Artoo," Tahiri cried.

  "Tionne-your lightsaber!" Anakin called.

  The Jedi teacher launched herself to her feet and ran toward Artoo-

  Detoo. With her first step, Tionne drew out her lightsaber and in one

  smooth motion ignited it. Letting the Force guide her movements, she drew

  the automatic laser fire and deflected several bolts while Ikrit used the

  Force to lift the little droid back to safety near the entrance. Artoo

  trundled to shelter behind one of the large doors. Anakin crawled forward

  into the entryway on his stomach, dodging blasts of concentrated light.

  "Stop! What are you doing?" Tahiri hissed.

  "There must be a way to disarm the lasers," Anakin said, glancing back

  at his friend. "Something near the entrance, so the people who lived here

  could get in. I've got to find it."

  "Well, you're not going without me, Anakin Solo!" Tahiri said and

  wriggled along the stones following him.

  "No guts, no glory," Uldir agreed. He scrambled after them, ducking

  bolts of laser fire. Ahead, Anakin could see that Tionne and Ikrit had

  begun flinging chunks of plasteel from the broken statue at the deadly

  lasers. He rolled to the left to avoid the sizzling beam of light that

  struck the floor by his head. His elbow thumped painfully against the huge

  door, but he got to his hands and knees and kept going until he could look

  around its edge and see the wall behind the door, where Artoo had taken

  shelter. To his right, Tahiri and Uldir were doing the same.

  "There's nothing here!" Tahiri cried.

  On the wall just above Artoo's head was a control panel.

  "I've got it!" Anakin yelled back.

  With a bright flash, a laser hit the statue of Darth Vader near the

  spot where Ikrit and Tionne were working. A hunk of smoking plas - teel

  broke off from the statue. Anakin crawled around the huge door and pushed

  himself to his feet. He tried a few combinations to work the controls.

  Nothing happened. Tionne hurled the still-smoking chunk of statue back at

  the lasers.

  "I need your help, Artoo," Anakin said.

  The wounded droid gave a brave beep and plugged himself into the panel

  as another bolt of laser fire speared toward them. Anakin hit the floor

  again. The laser blast caught Artoo on his right leg-but not before the

  astromech droid had finished his job. That was the last shot fired: All of

  the remaining lasers were disabled. Groaning, Anakin got back to his feet.

  "Are you okay, Artoo?" he asked. "I'll be right back."

  He went to the center of the doorway to check on Tahiri and Uldir.

  They were unhurt.

  Tahiri blinked at Anakin in amazement. "That was a great solution."

  Uldir clapped one hand down on Anakin's shoulder.

  "Not half bad for a kid," he said. Anakin winced. His ribs felt

  bruised from diving to the floor so quickly, and his feet and legs ached

  from the long climb.

  "Is it safe to go in now?" Tahiri asked.

  "Wait there," Ikrit said. While the Jedi Master and Tionne checked out

  the great entry hall, Anakin closed his eyes and tried to sense any danger

  in the area. He didn't detect any, but at the moment he couldn't tell if

  that meant there was no danger present or if it was simply too well hidden.

  . After all, this fortress had belonged to Darth Vader, a Dark Lord of the

  Sith. Vader had been a powerful Dark Jedi. He might have set booby traps or

  other safeguards that Anakin couldn't sense. Traps that the Imperials who

  came to the castle later had not found or disarmed.

  "It is safe to enter now," Ikrit said.

  Although Anakin stood just inside the doorway, something held him

  back. This place belonged to my grandfather, he thought. But never while he

  was Anakin Skywalker, the good man for whom I was named. This had been

  Darth Vader's castle. He He had built it, and he had lived there. How can I

  go into this place? Anakin wondered.

  Tahiri had no such qualms, however. Neither did Uldir. Both of them

  stepped forward into the large chamber. But still Anakin hung back. A

  biting wind whipped across the platform again, and blew through the

  doorway. He shuddered.

  "Come on in," the sturdy teenager said. "It's a lot warmer in here."

  Tahiri plopped herself on the floor just inside the entry.

  "I hope those were the last stairs we have to climb. My legs may never

  be the same again!" With a sigh of bliss, she pulled off the boots that

  Tionne had given her for their trip to Dagobah. "Much better," she

  declared.

  Anakin thought back on what he had learned in the cave on Dagobah. His

  quest had taught him that he came from a mixed family-there were good Jedi

  and bad Jedi, smugglers and heroes. His grandfather was a part of him. But

  Anakin could choose what path he would take. He wouldn't let the ghosts of

 
; the past make his choices for him. Only Anakin would decide what kind of

  Jedi he would become. Suddenly, his hesitation melted away, and Anakin

  walked into Darth Vader's fortress.

  The smooth stone floor of the enormous chamber felt wonderful against

  Tahiri's bare feet. Even though freezing rain and howling winds raged

  outside, the polished rock floor inside the castle was warm. Tahiri guessed

  that Anakin might need a few minutes alone to think, now that they were

  really here in the fortress his grandfather had built. It was impossible

  for her friend to forget that Anakin Skywalker had chosen to serve Emperor

  Palpatine and the dark side of the Force by becoming Darth Vader. Tahiri

  knew that Anakin had learned to live with those thoughts since their

  adventures on Dagobah. Even so, it was something he could never forget.

  Tionne and Ikrit were looking for a way into the main rooms of the

  castle, so Tahiri got her sore legs moving again and went to help Uldir

  check on the damage to Artoo-Detoo.

  "Artoo, are you all right?" she asked. Artoo-Detoo managed a weak

  bleep and turned to show her his damaged side.

  "It doesn't look as bad as I expected," Uldir said, squatting down

  next to the little droid and looking at the laser-burned area. Artoo-Detoo

  burbled a comment. "I'm not sure what he's saying," Uldir said, "but I know

  a lot about fixing these little droids. My parents started teaching me how

  when I was about two years old. He swung open the damaged panel and peered

  inside.

  "Really?" Tahiri asked doubtfully as she looked over his shoulder.

  "Well, okay, I was older than. two. But I have been around mechanics

  for most of 1;3Cmy life," Uldir said. He pointed inside. "Looks like we

  burned out a few circuits here in the area that controls his right leg."

  Uldir made a few adjustments. "This is the best I can do without more

  tools. Artoo's leg won't move very well right now, but it's nothing I can't

  fix when we get back to Yavin 4."

  "Hear that, Artoo?" Tahiri said, giving the little droid a pat.

  "You're going to be just fine."

  Artoo gave a happy-sounding tweet.

  Tahiri was still concerned.

  "Are you sure?" she asked.

  "Well, Artoo won't be able to climb any more stairs, but everything

  else is working fine," Uldir assured her.

  "He's right," Anakin said, coming up behind Tahiri. "I can usually

  sense if the insides of machinery aren't working right. Those circuits

  there are the only problem. That was very brave, Artoo," Anakin said,

  addressing the droid directly. "We'll get you fixed up again good as new."

  Ikrit and Tionne rejoined the group.

  "That was very quick thinking on your part, Anakin," said Tionne.

  "I didn't really do much," Anakin objected. "You and Artoo did all the

  work."

  Tionne gave her head a small shake.

  "I let the Force guide my actions, but you came up with the solution."

  Her pearly eyes twinkled and her smile was warm. "It's always a good skill

  for a Jedi to be able to think quickly under fire."

  "Why were all those lasers firing at us, anyway?" Uldir asked. "I

  thought you said this place was abandoned."

  "It has been for many years now," the instructor said. Her voice was

  uncertain, though.

  "Then why were all those automatic defenses armed and ready?" Tahiri

  asked.

  "Why weren't they turned off?" She didn't like being shot at any

  better than the others did, and her curiosity now got the better of her. "I

  mean, I know you said that there might be lasers guarding the landing pad

  out front, but this is the back door. If no one lives here, why is this

  place so heavily defended?"

  "I don't know," Tionne admitted.

  "Probably to guard something valuable," Anakin said.

  "Seems like an awful lot of firepower just to protect a broken statue

  and some old guy's lightsaber," Uldir scoffed.

  Ikrit said, "Perhaps the last people to live here believed they would

  return, and so they left the security systems armed."

  "It's possible that they never turned them off in the first place,"

  Tionne suggested.

  "Or maybe someone got to the fortress before we did and activated

  everything again," Uldir said.

  "Well, one way or another," Anakin said, "I'm sure we'll find more

  defenses and booby traps the closer we get to whatever is most valuable

  here."

  Ikrit nodded and gave a grunt. "The boy makes good sense. We must all

  be careful."

  "When do we start looking for the lightsaber?" Tahiri asked, leaning

  over to massage her aching legs. "I hope there aren't any more stairs."

  "The sooner we start, the better," Tionne answered. "If there's any

  chance someone else is here looking for the lightsaber, too, we should find

  it as quickly as we can and leave."

  Tahiri got a tingly feeling at the back of her neck when she heard

  that. As tired as she was, she had a strange feeling that it was important

  for them to hurry.

  "Will it be faster if we split up?" she asked.

  "No, I don't think so," Tionne said quickly.

  "It may become necessary," Ikrit pointed out. "For now," the silvery-

  haired instructor said, "I think we should all stick together."

  After a brief rest and a light meal from the provisions in their

  packs, the companions began to explore. Several short hallways led away

  from the main chamber, though most of them only led to storage rooms and

  air ducts. Tahiri had tucked her boots into her pack, and her bare feet

  padded noiselessly on the hard floor. Every room and hallway smelled

  slightly of rock and metal and plasteel, but the air that flowed from the

  ducts overhead was surprisingly fresh. Bright orange glowpanels lit their

  way wherever they went. In fact, all of the systems in the castle seemed to

  be in perfect working order. Ikrit still rode atop Artoo-Detoo, but the

  droid could not turn as well as he had before being pummeled by the laser

  blasts. Sometimes Ikrit got off to give the little droid a. push and turn

  him back in the right direction.

  They explored for an hour or so without finding their way into the

  main rooms of the castle. They found nothing of interest down any of the

  smaller hallways, and after each exploration they were forced to return to

  the huge room from which they had started. Finally Tionne agreed to let the

  group split up, but only for a few minutes.

  "Anakin and I will take this hallway," she said, pointing to another

  small corridor. "Ikrit and Artoo will take the second one, and Uldir and

  Tahiri will search the next hallway over." She looked at her wrist

  chronometer. "Don't be gone long, though," she said. "Everyone meet back

  here by the statue of Darth Vader and report what you've found in five

  minutes."

  "Okay," Anakin said. Artoo-Detoo beeped a "yes."

  Ikrit nodded his agreement.

  "Fine with me," Tahiri said.

  Uldir flipped Tionne a playful salute.

  "Yes, captain. We'll see you here in five minutes."

  With no time to waste, each pair set off. In less than five minutes

  all six of them we
re assembled again in the large chamber to compare their

  findings.

  Tahiri tugged at a strand of her pale yellow hair as she listened to

  the others' reports.

  "There were two storage rooms in our hallway," Anakin said. "The first

  one was open and empty, but the second one was locked."

  Tionne nodded. "I managed to open it using my lightsaber."

  "The whole - storeroom was full of Imperial food rations," Anakin

  finished. "They're not very tasty, but we brought some along just in case

  we need them."

  Uldir made a gagging sound. "Well, it'll have to be a real emergency

  before I eat any of those."

  Tionne passed out the rations, and the companions stuffed them into

  the equipment packs they carried on their backs.

  Ikrit and Artoo gave their report next.

  "Our hallway ended in a large circular room," the Jedi Master said in

  a scratchy voice. "It was empty except for some ankle and wrist irons

  chained to the wall."

  Artoo-Detoo gave a disapproving buzz.

  "I believe it was a place to hold prisoners for a short while when