"Michael Stackpole "I, Jedi"" - читать интересную книгу автора

I felt tendrils of the Force snake out from her and probe the fringes of my mind. УBut that's not where you live.Ф
I concentrated for a nanosecond and shut her out of my mind. УNo. I was attracted to the old pilot billets on the ground floor.Ф
Mara Jade smiled and I found it all too predatory for me.
УThen I'll look there first for a place to stay. If you don't mind.Ф
УMine is not to mind, but to obey the wishes of my Master.Ф
She clapped her hands mockingly. УOh, very good. Spoken like an obsequious Imperial courtier.Ф
I gave her a quick smile as we entered the Great Temple.
УGlad to make you feel at home.Ф
That remark brought her head up. УThe Empire's dead.Ф
УBut not all loyalties to it.Ф
She stopped in the middle of the hangar floor and I noticed
her spacesuit had shifted to darker, flatter colors to blend in with the surroundings. УYou said we'd not met, but you clearly have a problem with me. Shall we settle it now?Ф The narrowed stare she gave me was pure fire and won a smile from me.
I was just about to rise to her challenge and let her have a catalog of hideous things the Empire had done, beginning with the death of the Jedi Knights and working on up to GantorN' murder, when sense kicked back in. Here I was, standing in the middle of the place from which a desperate strike at the Em-pire had been launched. It had succeeded. I had been part of subsequent attacks against the Empire, attacks that brought it to its knees and took away its capital world: Coruscant. I had helped destroy the Empire that had been her home, and there xvas no reason why she shouldn't long for things from her past as much as I did.
I drew in a deep breath, held it, then slowly exhaled it.
'Please, forgive my being rude. It is very easy, when things are not going as planned, to trace the fault back to the Empire. You are not the Empire. To accuse you of loyalties or sympathies is unfair and probably stupid. Not the first time I've been either, but I try not to do both with people I've just met.Ф
I extended my hand to her. УI am Cotran Horn.Ф My true name almost caught in my throat, but offering it to her came as a sign of trust. Luke clearly trusted her and my gut told me I should do the same.
Mara Jade shook my hand and looked me over again. УI've heard of you. I apologize for the probe. I knew you were famil-iar. but the name 'Keiran' didn't fit. I didn't know why. Since I sensed no deception from Luke-Master Skywalker-I won-dered if he knew you were here under a lie.Ф
УHe suggested it.Ф I smiled. УIn many ways I think he thinks of me as Keiran Halcyon. Seems Keiran Halcyon was an ances-tor of mine and a Jedi of some note in the Corellian system.Ф У] see.Ф
The smile on her face slowly died and I sensed her closing toward me. I didn't know why and was fairly certain I could have tried to probe her for eons without getting so much as a sign of life from her. Part of me wanted to once again become very suspicious, but I kept that side of myself at bay. I had decided to trust her, so I trusted her. That might have seemed stupid, but it ,fielt very right.
УMaster Skywalker felt I should attend the academy under this alias so I wouldn't distract the students.Ф
УAnd there were other reasons you didn't want to attract attention?Ф
УWhy would you ask that?Ф
УYour father-in-law is Booster Terrik.Ф Mara Jade let the barest shadow of a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. УThat's reason enough for anyone to go into hiding. I don't seem to recall having heard anything of Mirax for six weeks or so. You've been here, what, a month?Ф
УAnd you wonder if I murdered her and have come here to hide?Ф
УNo.Ф Mara's words came cold and solemn. УI wondered if sonleone else murdered her and you're here learning how to find them.Ф
Her hitting so close to the mark sent a jolt through me. УHow is it that you know how long ago anyone heard about my wife?Ф
She shrugged easily as we passed into the back corridor lead-ing to the old pilots' quarters. УShe's very good at what she does, you know. As a smuggler, she's easily in the ninety-fifth percentile in finding exotic goods and finding buyers for them. Talon Karrde still talks about the Sith lanvarok she enabled him to unload. When someone like her drops out for more than a couple of weeks, either they're up to something big, or they're dead.Ф
I flicked on the glowlamps in a small room. УThis room be-longed to a female Rebel pilot. She died before the Death Star battle.Ф
Mara took a quick look around the room, then nodded. УIt'll suit me. So, what happened to Mirax?Ф
УShe's alive, but that's all I know.Ф I leaned against the door jamb. УMaster Skywalker and Wedge think she was kidnapped for reasons unknown. They think someone has her in hiberna-tion. She's out there, somewhere, waiting.Ф
The fire-haired woman folded her arms across her chest.
УAnd you're here learning what you can so you can find her.Ф
УFind her and save her.Ф
Mara nodded. УLucky woman.Ф
УI hope so.Ф I let my voice descend into a growl. УIf she's not, if I arrive too late; her captors are going to find all the luck in the galaxy won't do them any good.Ф
think Master Skywalker planned on or hoped for something a bit festive in the way of a meal for our guest. This meant I got tagged with kitchen duty. While I didn't really have any formal training in the culinary arts-and the Holocron had not revealed any Jedi power ori-ented toward making food taste good-I had been raised on Corellia and had seen a fair amount of the galaxy. Luke rea-soned that I knew more about interesting food than a Bespin hermit or Dorsk 81--especially because the clone's digestive svstem was so specialized he could only eat processed food wafers.
Ugh.
Luckily for me, I'd learned all I needed to know about cook-ing from the chef on Siolle Tinta's private yacht. During a party with which I had become bored I met Chid-like all great art-ists, he asserted he only needed one name-and we chatted about the self-important guests on the cruise. We also drank, and after a lot of chatting and even more drinking, Chid con-fided in me the keys of great culinary success.
УFirst, make portions small. If they want more, they think it was good. Two, give the dish an exotic name and make it sound like there are secret spices in there. Snobs will spend much time trying to see if their palate is sophisticated enough to detect one part per million of Ithorian saffron and they won't dare pass judgment on the food for fear someone will think them a boor. Three, serve things that are supposed to be cooked raw, and serve hot things cold. Makes them think it's special. Four- most important-tell them you created it special for them. Only a Gamorrean would protest such an honor.Ф
The academy's supplies weren't really long on spices-calling them survival rations would actually be stretching a point-but mashing up ration bars, mixing them with fruit compotes and baking them into long slender loaves that I sliced on a bias made for an interesting breadlike food. Dried meat became something of a stew with enough boiling, and tossing the dried veggies into the meat broth allowed them to soak up some flavor. And since we'd all gotten to realizing that the grain gruel the New Republic sent probably wouldn't kill us, I con-centrated on spicing it, and garnished a big plate of it with a couple blueleaf sprigs that made the yellowish mound of grain look special for the occasion. I also included the obligatory salad of local greens, but only because Master Skywalker seemed to enjoy it.
I'd just finished serving everything and was returning from the kitchen after shutting down the stove, when Kyp stormed out of the dining room and clipped me with a shoulder. УHey, Kyp, what's the problem?Ф
The younger man said nothing and continued to stalk down the corridor. I ran after him and caught up with him after a couple of steps. I dropped my left hand on his left shoulder. УKyp, answer me.Ф
Kyp whirled beneath my hand, his dark eyes blazing. I felt something solid hit my chest, but I'd already begun to move to my right. The Force blow he aimed at me glanced off the left side of my chest, yet was strong enough to bounce me off the corridor wall. I caught myself against the rough stones, but not before I'd slid halfway to the floor.
УYou are not my master.Ф Kyp shifted from pointing at me to pointing back toward the dining room. УHe is not my master. What good is it being a Jedi if we do not act?Ф
УWhat good is it if we are Jedi that don't act responsibly?Ф I hauled myself upright. УRemember, Kyp, 'no-good Jedi' kicked Exar Kun's butt.Ф
Kyp struck at me again through the Force, but I expected it this time. I relaxed and let the Force energy flow over and through me. I absorbed enough of it to let me create a shield that split the attack. The fact that I didn't end up being ground back against the wall surprised him.
УYou're good, Kyp, but you're not great.Ф I held my hands up in a nonthreatening gesture. УYou're involved with someone who lost a long time ago. Don't compound his error.Ф УAnd who will stop me?Ф
I hesitated because Kyp's words seemed to echo within them-selves. It took me a second or two to figure out that the echo wasn't a purely auditory phenomenon. I was hearing Kyp's voice through my ears, but the undertones were coming to me through the Force. We were not alone, which meant Kyp's men-tor had come to aid his apprentice.
УI will, if you make it necessary.Ф
An ancient sneer of contempt twisted Kyp's features. УPuny Jcdi, you are of no concern to me.Ф