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

I thought for a moment, then nodded. The background was not so improbable that I couldn't slip into it. I add a run of bad luck that becomes bitterness about rich folks who have stolen my commissions, and I become a likely pirate candidate with skills they need. УYou sure this Jenos isn't going to come look-ing for me?Ф
УJenos hasn't been heard from for over twenty years. If he had surfaced, your father would have gotten him, since Hal was close to arresting him back then.Ф Rostek Horn's smile dimin-ished only slightly. УI also have arranged for transport for you on the Tinta Lines Starship Tinta Palette. You will transfer in the Bormea system to the Tinta Rainbow and make your way to Coruscant. From there I suspect you can find your way to the Erant Venture and the Invids.Ф
I frowned. УThe Tinta ships are luxury liners and have their cruises booked months in advance.Ф
УSiolle Tinta loves flowers, Corran.Ф He plucked a bud from a small seedling. УShe was happy to see to it that a friend of yours would be treated like family.Ф
УWhile you might have gotten the death warrants for me quashed, there are still Imperial sympathizers here who wouldn't mind capturing me and selling me to High Admiral Teradoc or any other self-styled warlord. Shouldn't I be keeping a lower profile than shipping on a luxury liner?Ф
My grandfather laughed easily. УMy dear boy, two things you must remember about Imperial sympathizers on CoreIlia: they would never believe any Rebel stupid enough to come to CoreI-lia in the first place, and, second, they would find it impossible to believe any Rebel would be able to afford luxury passage on a starliner. Imperial sympathizers here live in a fantasy world twenty years old. They think of the days of Moff Vorru as a golden age. Aside from a few CorSec officials, I doubt anyone knows you are a Rebel, and those officials would never lay a hand on you.Ф
УAfraid of flowers?Ф
УA few. More remember your father very well.Ф
УI see.Ф I sighed. УI cannot tell you how much i appreciate wmr doing this for me. I've been a feel and I think you know it. l'd like to thank you for not having bashed me over the head with it.Ф
He watched me closely, his grey eyes cooling off. УWhat have you been a feel about?Ф
УBecoming a Jedi in order to save Mirax. I've wasted so much time.Ф
Rostek brushed his hands off, then posted his fists on his hips. УI should make this very clear for you, Corran. I don't think you've been a feel. What you've learned is what you needed to learn. It may well be that not everything you studied at the academy will help you find and save Mirax, but you could not have known that before. I saw Nejaa do many things to solve cases that had nothing at all to do with the Force or his training as a Jedi-except where that training made him a bet-tel' person. Going through that training and being able to make the decision you are to abandon it takes a maturity I've never seen in you before. Granted, your adventures with Rogue Squadron and your marriage to Mirax probably imparted much of the maturity to you; but you shouldn't devalue your training. Just because it did not take you where you wanted to go does not mean the journey was not good for you.Ф
'Tin sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.Ф
УYou didn't. I hold memories of Nejaa Halcyon very dear. I consider my work here, preserving his knowledge of the Force, to be the greatest thing I could have done with my life; and I am glad that you will have access to it all. I'll even share it with your Luke Skywalker, if you wish.Ф УPlease.Ф
He nodded. УConsider it done. I am very proud of you, Cor-ran, and whatever course you take in your life. Times may not have changed much here on CoreIlia, but your ability to survive in the maelstrom of the civil war amazes me.Ф
I walked over and gave him a hug. УAgain, thank you.Ф
He smiled as we parted. УOh, in your document package, along with the journal datacards I gave you, I included a copy of the CorSec files on that smuggler you asked about, Jori Car'das. Files were old-he disappeared almost as long ago as Jenos Idanian. I hope they are useful.Ф УMe, too. They'll pay off a debt.Ф
УGood.Ф He glanced at his chronometer. УYou'd best finish packing. Tosruk will speed you to the spaceport.Ф
УOne other thing I need to do, first.Ф I reached back and opened the small satchel I'd set on the potting bench nearest the door. I drew out Nejaa Halcyon's lightsaber and presented the hilt to my grandfather. УA lightsaber is a Jedi's most prized possession-after his friends. I cannot take it with me because very few pirates wear them these days and, to be honest, I've not earned the right to wear it. I'm not Nejaa Halcyon. I'm not really a Jedi Knight. I want you to keep it, keep it safe, as you have his knowledge and his memory.Ф
My grandfather accepted it carefully, as if it weighed fifty kilos. УIt may seem odd, but this was the missing piece. For the time I knew him, this lightsaber was part of him, an instrument of justice. When he died and the lightsaber never came back with him, I felt justice had also vanished. Now, perhaps, it has returned.Ф
A single tear rolled down his cheek. УYou may be right that now is not the time for you to accept the Halcyon mantle, but when it is, this shall be waiting for you.Ф
I left him there, alone in the greenhouse with his memories and the memories he had stored in the plants. Tosruk took me to the spaceport where I shipped out on the Tinta Palette, and now found myself, several days later, seated next to Keevy Spart, listening to the dismal story of his life. УYou don't say,Ф I said.
УYes, yes, it's all true. I've collected every story I can find about Rogue Squadron and want to put together a history of the unit. I know all of the pilots' profiles, how many kills they had, where they came from ....Ф
УWhat they look like . . .Ф
УOf course.Ф He stared at me intently. УHave you ever met any of them?Ф
УMe'? No, not even in passing.Ф I nodded toward the external viewport. УSee the Rainbow yet?Ф
Keevy shut up and pressed his face against the viewport transparisteel. The shuttle, Tinta Blue Seven, had docked on the outside of the Palette, securely linked to the bigger ship by a docking collar. The shuttle's gangway extended down into the ship allowing the passengers to move up into the passenger compartments while ship's crew transferred our luggage to the shuttle's hold. Once everyone was aboard and the shuttle was ready to travel, we'd head over to the Tinta Rainbow and off-load ourselves through a similar docking arrangement. Rainbow passengers that wanted to join the Palette would be sent over on a different shuttle and both ships would proceed on their courses with a minimum of delay.
УI don't see anything yet.Ф His position at the viewport added nasal tones to his voice. УShip should be showing up soon, though.Ф
УWell, then, I guess I'll take the opportunity to visit the cock-pit.Ф
Keevy turned back and grabbed my arm. УTake me with you, please?Ф
УI don't know.Ф
УPlease?Ф He looked at me with pitifully large and sad brown eyes. УThis is probably the only chance I'll get to see an AP127CP in a real shuttle.Ф
I frowned at him. УYou wouldn't touch anything, would you?Ф
His voice got small. УNope.Ф
УMaybe I'll talk to the captain for you. He should be getting on board soon.Ф I twisted in my seat to get out and caught a flash of white in space outside. УIn fact, I wonder what's keep-ing him. Is that the Rainbow?Ф
Keevy looked back outside. УNope, looks like a Mark II Im-perial Star Destroyer, and a lot of little ships with it. Coming this way.Ф
I got up from my seat and turned toward the flight attendant, but as I did so two men came running up the gangway and appeared in the front of the main cabin. Both wore blasters holstered on their hips and one, the bigger one, brandished a huge vibroblade. УStay calm,Ф the smaller one urged with up-raised hands. УStay calm and no one will get hurt.Ф
The flight attendant quieted two people as the smaller man waved me from the Premier cabin back with the rest of the passengers. Apparently he missed Keevy. УGlad you could join us. We're from the Invidious and we're here to relieve you of your wealth.Ф
An older man pointed a palsied finger at the leader. УYou were Laanars, my cabin steward.Ф
Laanars took a quick step around to the starboard aisle, ap-proached the man and slapped him. УI was, you cheap pile of nerf-dirt. I did your scutwork because I knew this day was com-ing.Ф
УYou don't need to hurt anyone else.Ф I kept my voice cool as I met his brown-eyed gaze. I stood in the portside aisle, looking at him across a block of three seats. УYou're in control. You can take what you want.Ф
УThat's right, I am in control.Ф Laanars' larger companion slipped past him and stood near the head of the starboard aisle. Laanars held up a hand and waggled his fingers. УLet's go, off with the jewelry. You don't surrender it, Biril here will show you why they don't let him work as a manicurist anymore.Ф
I could feel the flood of anxiety gushing out of everyone and resorted to a quick Jedi technique to keep from being over-whelmed by it. I spread my senses out, expanding my sphere of responsibility to take in the whole of the shuttle. I wished I could reach out to everyone, inducing calm in them, or causing the two pirates to go to sleep, but I didn't have such skills. The best thing I could do, I knew from long experience in hostage situations, was to let the pirates have what they wanted.
Then I sensed Keevy tensing for an attack. Unseen, he'd worked his way across the Premier cabin and was set to spring on Biril. The pirate was big enough that I doubted he'd even feel the impact of Keevy's assault. With no effort at all, Biril would scrape Keevy off him, then probably carve the kid up just because he could.
And Keevy, having grown up his whole life wanting to be a hero, saw this as his chance.
He'd be a hero, all right-a dead one.
УHey, sport,Ф I called to Laanars. УThis is a one-time offer.
Leave now, and you won't get hurt.Ф
УSomeone gets hurt, it won't be me.Ф Laanars watched me closely. УSit down and shut up.Ф
I shrugged my shoulders and shook my hands out. УAny time you care to make me.Ф