"The New Rebellion (Kristine Rusch)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rusch Kristine Kathryn)

He had been in this position since the huge orange sphere of the gas
planet Yavin had risen on the horizon of its fourth moon. Yavin was now
directly overhead, and although Luke was sweating, he didn't feel tired or
thirsty. The Force flowed through him like cool water, holding R2, the
boulders, and the tree aloft.
The students were shifting, probably wondering how long they would have
to continue watching. Perhaps he would lift them one by one, and then
withdraw, leaving them to find the ground delicately or with difficulty, as
their talents allowed.
Luke suppressed a smile. As much as he enjoyed teaching, he didn't always
show that enjoyment. Sometimes the students believed he was laughing at their
expense, which was not conducive to a good student-teacher relationship.
Still, he had moments of pure pleasure, especially at times like this. R2
didn't appreciate this aspect of the training, but it made Luke feel like a
boy again.
Instead of lifting one of his students, he eased another boulder into the
air. It hovered near the others, bobbing a bit before it found its place. The
students watched, suddenly still. Luke scanned their feet, hoping for some
sign of annoyance. The first one to look restless would be the first one into
the air.
He had learned this method over the years as a way of teaching his
students patience, and also as a way of showing them the powers of the Force.
Like so many of the methods he used, it worked for some students and didn't
work for others. Often he got an insight into a student's mind by the
student's reaction to various aspects of training. These class members were
still new enough to mimic each others' reactions. He hoped that mimicry would
be gone by the end of the day.
Then a wave of emotion slammed into him-cold, hard, and filled with
terror. The pain was worse than anything he had ever felt, worse than the near
loss of his leg on the Eye ofPalpatine, worse than the Emperor's electric
blast on the Death Star, worse than the destruction of his face on Hoth. Mixed
with the terror and pain was the shock of betrayal, a shock multiplied by the
millions of minds who felt it.
Luke wobbled on his hand, struggling to keep the boulders and tree aloft,
to keep them from falling on his unsuspecting students. R2 screamed as he shot
across the sky, the sound mingling with the screams in Luke's mind. R2 landed
with a metallic bang against the jungle floor, Luke's students scattered, and
the rest of Luke's control fled.
His arm collapsed beneath him, and he tumbled to the ground, his breath
gone from his body. He lay on his back, sinking in the soft dirt, the screams
still echoing in his mind.
Then, as suddenly as they had appeared, the voices were gone.
"Are you all right?" one of his students asked. The voice was overlaid
with his own, filled with the same trembly fear seventeen years ago. "What's
wrong?" Luke put his left hand over his face. He was shaking. "There's been a
great disturbance in the Force." He wondered how they could fail to feel it,
how he had failed to feel something even stronger, all those years ago.
As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly
silenced.
"Ben,"he whispered. "Another Death Star?" But he expected no answer.