I, Jedi

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 1:

Rogue Squadron is waiting to ambush the Invids, a pirate gang working with the former Imperial Star Destroyer Invidious commanded by Leonia Tavira, near the planet Alakatha where Corran Horn and his wife, Mirax, honeymooned three years ago.

The Invids are planning to hit a luxury liner called the Glitterstar and the Rogues are hoping this is not an ambush. Fortunately, Tavira seems to like luxury so, in between pirate raids, Corran has time at home which he has had little of the last few years. Thrawn ruined his first anniversary, the rescue of the Lusankya prisoners the next and then the reborn Emperor’s attack on Coruscant had dropped a Star Destroyer on their home.

Now that things are settling down, however, Mirax wants a child. Corran would prefer the galaxy to be more stable but she points out that the galaxy was in trouble when their parents had children and they turned out fine. Her business dealing in exotic goods does very well and could support all of them if Corran had to stop the dangerous work he does.

She also resorts to telling him what a great father he’d be and turning on the HoloNet whenever it shows Leia Organa Solo’s children who have been credited for a baby boon in the New Republic. He would prefer to wait until they get rid of the Invids.

In the cockpit of his X-Wing, Corran has Whistler remind him to make a decision regarding this baby thing as soon as he’s home. He will not allow the galaxy’s events to dictate his life.

When the pirates head out, Rogue Squadron, including several new pilots, Vurrulf, Ghufran and Reme Pollar, move to engage. They do not get the ambush they expected and lose only equipment, not pilots, which is a miracle any day

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• This novel runs concurrently with the Jedi Academy trilogy Jedi Search, Dark Apprentice and Champions of the Force.

• The time is 11 years ABY since that’s when the JA series occurred. Corran and Mirax were married at the end of The Krytos Trap which was 7 years ABY which was four years ago, not three. I suppose they could be coming up on their fourth anniversary… However, the Thrawn trilogy, which Corran cites in this chapter, took place 9 years ABY which would put the disruption of their anniversary two years after they got married, not one. Isard’s Revenge, in which Corran rescues the Lusankya prisoners is also 9 years ABY so I suppose their second anniversary could have been disrupted then.

• Leonia Tavira was name checked in Isard’s Revenge, but first appeared in Dark Horse Comics’ Rogue Squadron series.

• The chapter refers to Leia’s children as three-year olds. They were roughly 2-2 ½ in the JA trilogy.

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 2:

After the Rogues escort the liner to Coruscant, Corran catches breakfast with his wingman, Ooryl Qyrgg, who confesses that Mirax has come to him for help in convincing Corran to have children. He is assured that Corran is both willing to speak with Mirax about it and is fully capable of producing children.

On the way home, he looks at the ruins around him. Though the conflict has brought out the worst in some, it’s brought out the best in others. Some of the old Imperial families are opening their homes to non-humans displaced during the attack. Shared suffering sometimes breaks down walls.

Corran watches a mother with a child while on the hoverbus and considers how this child will see the rebuilt world.

At home, he is disappointed to see that Mirax is gone. Her message tells him he’ll be alone for just a day. This concerns him as escorting the liner took an extra day and she’s still not back.

He does consider that she might have been delayed or stopped off to visit her father on Errant Venture, so he showers and lays down, hoping to wake up when she comes in. In his sleep, however, he hears her scream his name. He wakes up, knowing she is gone.

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• The Glitterstar is referred to several times in this chapter as Glimmerstar.

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 3:

He wanders around the apartment, feeling strange and recognizing Mirax’s possessions, but getting no emotional sense of her. He contacts the Rogue Squadron headquarters and gets oriented by Emtrey, the supply droid. He asks him to have Tycho wait for him because Mirax is missing.

At headquarters, he finds Tycho with General Cracken who explains that they got some information from Captain Riizolo of the pirate freighter Booty Call which they captured, but not a lot.

He brings Corran up to speed on Leonia Tavira who was 16 when she began an affair with the Moff of Eiattu 4, home of former Rogue Squadron pilot Plourr. She married the Moff after the mysterious death of his wife. After he suffered a stroke, he worked himself to the point where he could use his hands and then shot himself with his blaster. Tavira took over for him, ruling the planet until the Rogues forced her to flee.

She ran a pirate gang for awhile until she somehow obtained the Invidious from High Admiral Teradoc’s fleet about 6 years ago. She caused some minor trouble during both the Trawn and reborn Emperor campaigns, but now appears to run a loose coalition of marauders.

Without the Invidious, the pirates would fall apart. He is troubled, however, that they weren’t attacked on their mission. Though someone in Tavira’s organization tipped them off about the raid, Riizolo doesn’t seem to understand that he was set up.

He has provided an updated image of Tavira, though, about the only useful information he has been able to. She tends to initiate contact so none of the pirates know where she is. Only those recruited to serve on it come aboard and they are not allowed to leave it.

They’ve got Iella Wessiri working on Intel. Somehow, Tavira knows when the Rogues are going to hit her and calls off the raid. They’ve not been able to find any pattern of behavior that would tip her off, so they’ve started relying on less orthodox methods of finding her. That’s where Mirax comes in.

Mirax had come to him looking for help in ending the Invid raids because a client of hers had lost some items in a raid. She claimed she could go where Cracken’s people couldn’t and, despite the danger, would not take a co-pilot. She wanted to end the pirate activity so the Rogues wouldn’t be killed and everyone could go back to their lives.

Corran knows that she is doing this because he had set the breaking up of the Invids as a condition for having children. Feeling guilty because he should have known she wouldn’t have sat around doing nothing about it, he tears up.

Cracken doesn’t want him to worry. She may be overdue, but not so much that they should assume the worst. Corran insists that he heard her scream his name in his sleep and then vanish. He knows she’s not dead but something has happened to her.

Cracken asks if this is some example of his Force connection. Corran doesn’t know and asks Tycho if he can feel Winter’s presence. Tycho explains that he does feel it when they are together, but she is taking care of Anakin Solo. He has no idea where or how she is, but he expects she is well.

Corran wants to know where Mirax was headed, but Cracken will not tell him. He reminds Corran that when he was inserted on Coruscant they had to do the same thing. They cannot risk endangering agents on the field if Corran shows up and the Invids thinks they are being set up. Corran threatens to use whatever political capital he has to convince the ruling council to order Cracken to reveal the information to him.

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• Winter is obviously on Anoth at this time. Tycho wouldn’t assume she is well if he knew how she flirts with Ackbar!

• High Admiral Teradoc has been name-checked in some of the previous X-Wing books. The Rogues were inserted on Coruscant during Wedge’s Gamble.

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 4:

Corran knows he would have made the same decision in Cracken’s shoes, but he blames himself for Mirax getting herself in this position in the first place. Any citizen can petition the council and Corran will likely get an audience after speaking with the Corellian Councilor Doman Beruss. That doesn’t mean he’ll get what he wants.

To have a chance, he has to get the backing of a couple of Councilors. He goes first to General Wedge Antilles who is taking some time to indulge a childhood dream of building things rather than destroying them. Some day he may change his mind.

Corran explains that Mirax is missing but Cracken will not reveal her last known whereabouts for fear of jeopardizing his operation. He wants to ask Wedge if he can solicit Leia Organa Solo’s support in petitioning the Council to make Cracken give the information up.

Han Solo shows up and asks Wedge if he wants to make a run to Kessel. Wedge has other duties, but Han tells him that construction droids run themselves. Wedge can head out and check on folks he left there, like Fliry Vorru.

Wedge introduces Corran to Han who has heard of him, as well as Hal Horn who was on Han’s tail so badly that he joined the Imperial Naval Academy to get rid of him.

Corran knows he should hate Han for his loose association with criminals, the fact that he’d run spice for the Hutts and, of course, because he reinforces Corellian stereotypes, but there’s something honorable about the man that makes him likable.

Wedge explains that Corran is married to Booster Terrik’s daughter who has turned up missing while involved in an operation for General Cracken who won’t reveal the details. Corran was hoping Wedge to get Leia to help him get the Council to force Cracken to reveal it.

Han reminds Corran that he wouldn’t have given such information to the spouse of an informant while he was in CorSec. Leia could probably get the hearing, but the priority of the request would be low and it’s not likely he would be successful anyway. However, he does know of a way to track Mirax.

He’s headed out to Kessel because Leia has him working as some kind of liason for the inmates there. He can put feelers out to see if anyone’s spotted the Pulsar Skate. Wedge turns him down once more as he’d really rather not talk to Moruth Doole again.

Corran asks Wedge not to ask Iella for any information that might compromise her job. He’s really surprised Wedge hasn’t asked her out yet. Wedge mentions that he’d meant to before her husband turned up again. With his death, the Thyferran operation, organizing Wraith Squadron, Thrawn and everything else that’s happened, he’s not had a lot of time.

He also suggests that Corran go see Luke Skywalker who might be able to help him find Mirax.

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• Doman Beruss appeared in Wedge’s Gamble and The Krytos Trap.

• Since Han arrived at Kessel at the beginning of Jedi Search, this chapter would take place right before his mission which was, according to that book, to open up diplomatic ties to the world, not to be a liason to the inmates.

• Wedge had dealt with Moruth Doole in Wedge’s Gamble when he’d bargained with Doole to release several inmates, including Fliry Vorru, to help in the seizure of Coruscant. Vorru was apparently returned to Kessel after being recaptured in The Bacta War.

• According to The Paradise Snare, chapter 14, Hal had put a freeze on the accounts of one of Han’s aliases. Han may be exaggerating here, but the Han Solo books claimed that Han went to the Imperial Academy because he wanted to be a pilot, not because Hal Horn was pursuing him.

• Additionally, Han has worked with Corran before, most notably in Solo Command. Corran was married to Mirax then. Did none of this come up?

• I certainly got the impression that Wedge and Iella were starting up a relationship at the end of Isard’s Revenge. Maybe they had to call it off?

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 5:

Wedge flies Corran to the Imperial Palace which people had tried to rename to something more democratic but nothing seems to fit it more appropriately.

Luke Skywalker welcomes them into his dimly-lit room. Corran explains about Mirax being missing because hed put off having kids until the Invids were taken care of. Luke cautions him about taking responsibility for Miraxs choices. Upon learning of Corrans experiences while dreaming and his odd sensations in their home, Luke asks to try something.

He presses his hand to Corrans head until he uncovers a memory including Mirax. Corrans mind pushes him back and they both collapse. Luke thinks that Corrans mind shut off connections to Mirax so he would not be so wounded as he was when she screamed in his mind.

They discuss that Mirax might have been taken for a variety of reasons. She had the Jedi medallion that Corran had given her when they were engaged. Someone could have recognized it and assumed she had a link to the Jedi. The fact that Corran cannot sense her through the Force could mean that she is being held in stasis or in carbonite.

Luke feels that Corrans best option is to accept Jedi training. Luke wants to gather several students together and he can be one of them. If someone took Mirax because they want to send a message to a Jedi, hed better be one if hes going to go after her. If not, then Jedi training wont hurt him.

Corran reminds Luke that, if it becomes known that he is undergoing Jedi training, her kidnappers may kill her. Luke suggests he die his hair, grow a beard and use a different name. Hes been studying the brave Corellian Jedi who stuck close to their own system.

One of them was named Kieran Halcyon and could have been an ancestor of his. That should be sufficient to allow Corran to be trained without attracting undue attention or distracting the other students.
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• During this chapter, the subject of the Jedi medallion which Corellian Jedi had struck for them when they became a master and gave to family, friends and other Jedi comes up again. We learned about this in the X-Wings books, but we know now that, even if we can believe the Jedi Council allowing any Jedi to celebrate himself in this way, the medallions wouldnt have been given to family as a Jedi was not allowed to have such attachments.

• And surely they can come up with something better than Imperial Palace! I've had issues with that for awhile.

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 6:

Wedge takes Corran back home where Corran asks that he not say anything to Booster Terrik about this. They have no way of knowing how Booster will react and a man with a Star Destroyer at his disposal is likely to do a lot of harm.

Inside, Whistler frets over Corran who tells the droid about his conversation with Luke. Whistler thinks it’s time Corran listened to his father’s message. Before he died, Hal Horn had encrypted a messaged into Whistler that Corran assumes contains information about their Jedi heritage that he wanted Corran to know. Corran has resisted listening to it until he was ready. He decides to give the decryption code: Nejaa Halcyon.

Hal Horn appears and explains he recorded this to make sure Corran had information about their family. He hopes that they are watching this together, but if not, he wants his son to know he’s proud of him. Hal was the son of a Jedi of the Old Republic named Nejaa Halcyon who served as his master until Halcyon was killed shortly after the end of the Clone Wars when Hal was ten years old. His closest friend, a CorSec officer named Rostek Horn, cared for Halcyon’s widow and son. Eventually, he married her and adopted Hal, taking steps to secure their identities when the Empire began hunting the Jedi and their families.

He kept the information from Corran because he feared his son would be unable to resist telling others which would put him in danger. The Halcyons were great Jedi. He is unlikely to find information about them now. What the Empire didn’t destroy, Rostek probably did. He has some left but has hidden it away.

Hal is proud that Corran wants to join CorSec, but he wants his son to know that few have the opportunity to be a Jedi and that it would be a shame if he did not take any opportunity open to him.

Knowing that this may be his best chance to find Mirax, Corran takes the hilt of his grandfather’s silver-bladed lightsaber and tells Whistler that he is going to take up Master Skywalker’s offer.

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• We’ve covered this briefly in the X-Wing series when Corran first began getting information regarding possibly being the descendant of a Jedi and getting his father’s message. Nejaa Halcyon appeared in Jedi Trial with Anakin Skywalker around 6 mos before the end of the Clone Wars. He admitted to Anakin that he was secretly married and had a son named Valin. He did not specify his son’s age. Which is problematic as Hal says he was ten when his father died. Even if we assume that Halcyon died 19 years BBY, leaving behind a ten-year old son, then it’s virtually impossible for that son to have raised a son himself that is about the same age as Luke who was born around that same time. In other words, Hal probably didn’t become a father at age 10! This is just the old thinking regarding the Clone Wars timeline being earlier than the installation of the Empire.

• And while we know that the Empire was certainly grabbing any Jedi padawans at the time, since no one was really supposed to know that Halcyon had any children, Valin Halcyon, Hal’s real name, probably would have been safe. If, of course, Halcyon hadn’t confided in Anakin Skywalker about his son’s existence.

• Further, as we’ve already discussed that the Jedi didn’t have families, the Halcyons being a great line of Jedi is also an issue. However, I have no doubt that they would have been a great line since we know the Force can and is often passed down through generations.

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 7:

Iella appraises the dyed golden hair, mustache and goatee which are much better than the green he’d accidentally had going earlier. She warns him about weird foods affecting the metabolization. He’s spent the last couple of weeks training in preparation for starting Jedi training.

She’s disappointed he didn’t tell her about Mirax. He explains he didn’t want her to run into a professional conflict. Iella admits she doesn’t know much more about the Invids than he does. There are rumors she’s got some Vaderish people wandering around with her, but it’s unknown if they can use the Force or if she just wants everyone thinking they can.

At lunch, he asks her about her relationship with Wedge. Iella thinks that Wedge has been through so much in the last decade that he’s taking some time to pursue some of his interests. She’s letting him alone for the time being.

She also thinks Corran would have gone to Jedi training even if Mirax were not missing. He has always wanted to be the best, but his stiffest competition is himself. She thinks Luke will be able to open him up to his feelings more.

Corran thanks her for her support. He’s considering visiting his grandfather on Corellia but isn’t sure he’ll be able to get in so easily. The relationship between the New Republic and the Diktat isn’t very good, but it’s really not more difficult to get past them than it is any other Corellian regime. He would have a problem if he is recognized from any of the warrants out for his arrest for the trumped-up murder charges that were arranged before he fled. Any communication with his grandfather is normally censored, but Iella offers to arrange a secure one in the hopes that he will make arrangements that will keep him safe.

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• Since it’s been a couple of weeks, I am sure that New Republic Intelligence can probably confirm that Mirax is indeed very late coming back and is more concerned about her obvious absence!

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 8:

Ooyrl flies Corran, Luke and two other recruits to Yavin IV where he will pick up the New Republic engineers and bring them home. There are a total of 12 students who will make up this new class of Jedi.

Luke brought the three here first since they all have some foundational understanding. Kam Solusar is introduced as the son of a Jedi who trained him, became a Jedi Knight and then was corrupted by the Empire. He has rejected that path.

Brakiss was discovered as a Force-sensitive by the Empire and used him as a spy under penalty of destroying his family.

And Corran is introduced as Kieran Halcyon, the grandson of a Jedi who fought in the Clone Wars. He has a hard time not thinking like a CorSec officer, asking about setting watches and combat training. Luke will allow him and Kam, the only two with their own lightsabers, to come up with some formalized combat training, but cautions them that they will receive other types of training, too, that will be just as helpful.

They are sent to find rooms and Corran gravitates toward one on a lower level. Luke finds him there and notes it’s an appropriate room as Wedge, Biggs and Porkins bunked here before they took on the Death Star.

Corran asks if he was brought here to help watch Brakiss and Kam who both have experience with the Dark Side. Luke tells him that he, too, has that same experience, but Corran need not be suspicious of them. They have chosen to begin their journey anew.

He does caution Corran about how the dark side will speak to him and he must learn from the lessons of others so he can endure.

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• If Kam Solusar was the son of an Old Republic Jedi and became a Jedi Knight himself, then he must have some insight that he can share with Luke. He is described as older than Luke so he may have been a young Knight when the Republic fell. Why he wasn’t killed in the Purges is a mystery but it appears the Empire seduced him to the dark side. My point being that he should be able to tell Luke how Jedi training went, what the Jedi of the Old Republic practiced, etc. Of course, he was the son of a Jedi, so obviously, his father didn’t do things the way the Jedi Order wanted him, too. I wonder if Ranik Solusar was one of Master Altis’s people?

• First appearance of Brakiss. So we can add him to our list of Jedi trainees we learned in Dark Apprentice. So far, we have Kam, Corran/Kieran, Brakiss, Dorsk 81, Gantoris, Streen, Tionne and Kirana Ti. Kyp Durron didn’t show up right away and neither did Mara Jade. If there are twelve students already, who are the other four?

• This chapter takes place right after Jedi Search ends and before Dark Apprentice[/b] begins. FYI, though. Although Corran is clearly at the Academy during the events of Dark Apprentice neither his name nor the name of Kieran Halcyon was used in any of the JA books. He was simply one of those nameless students I mentioned.

 

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 9:

Corran sets his own physical training regimen that includes runs through the forest. He has an idea that his fellow trainee, Gantoris, who is clearly used to being a leader, thinks Corran is doing it to curry favor. But this is just part of Corran’s path to discovery that Luke encouraged each of them to take.

He and Kam put together a combat regimen that Luke modifies slightly. The trainees practice with wooden padded sabers. He and Kam work well together; he is certain that Gantoris means to hurt him.

Corran receives several humiliating blows from him which shatter his image of the great Jedi hero he wants to be. But he finds that the Force guides him in evading blows as soon as he gives up that desire. Gantoris reminds him that evasion only works for so long and may not help him against a lightsaber.

Corran doesn’t think that he will be facing too many opponents with lightsabers, but Gantoris points out it could happen. Luke says that, when it does, they will be ready for it. For right now, they are only in the infancy of their training.

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[Jedi Cool]

chapter 10:

Corran does as well as he can. Some of Master Skywalker’s examples seem silly, little training exercises he learned from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. But they all have a purpose. He leads them in some sensory deprivation exercises designed to give them new perspectives on situations.

After all, truth can be dependent on a point of view. To illustrate this, he explains how they know of Darth Vader as evil, but Luke knows him as the good person who was still inside, who found the ability to reject the dark side and kill the Emperor.

They had thought that Luke killed the Emperor, but Luke explains that he gave Vader the motivation to do so. It is powerful love that saves someone. Leia’s love saved him when he went too far and Luke’s love saved his father.

It takes a moment for Corran to realize what Luke is telling them. Luke explains that he has divulged his last secret in the hopes that they will understand that no decision is final. They can come back from the darkness, but he hopes to give them the skills to avoid it altogether.

Corran participates in the exercises with his fellow trainees and realizes how dangerous it is to become vulnerable to them, something he could easily do. His experiences in criminal investigations and in battle have demonstrated the importance of detachment.

They are set to practice levitation by lifting small stones with the Force, but he cannot seem to be able to accomplish this. He loses all sense of the rock. Where others are moving theirs far and Gantoris is spinning pebbles around him, he cannot move the dust on the rock. Luke tells him he must stop thinking and believe. Gantoris tells him not to believe in failure.

Luke reminds Gantoris that failure at some things is a natural part of training. Gantoris doesn’t choose to do that. Corran thinks of that line as similar to the claims of criminals who vowed that CorSec would never take them alive.

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• In the last few books, there has been some confusion as to what is publicly known about Luke’s family. Leia being his sister is one and their father being Anakin Skywalker seems to be well known. However, how public is the knowledge that Anakin Skywalker was Darth Vader and, thus, their father? We’ve run into situation, such as in Tatooine Ghost where it seemed to be understood by many people. Imperial sources, such as Thrawn and Ambassador Furgan in the JA trilogy, seem to know that quite readily, too. So why would Luke be revealing this to his Jedi trainees as if it were some secret?

[Zerimar Nyliram]

This is one of the best Star Wars novels ever written. Truly the EU at its finest.

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 11:

In his room, Corran struggles with the idea of giving up doubt. Feeling cooped, he heads up to the temple’s top where he finds Streen sitting alone. Streen admits he prefers being alone much of the time, but Kieran holds himself in tightly enough that his presence is not painful.

However, bits leak out like his pride and a lot of pain and a good sense of judgement, too. Streen can tell, for example, that he doesn’t like Gantoris. It doesn’t take the Force to see that or that Gantoris doesn’t like him either.

But Streen doesn’t want him worrying about Gantoris’s ability to move rocks. He already had some skill in the Force when he and Master Luke visited Bespin. They talk about how the Force feels to them. Corran has to admit that he doesn’t feel much connection, but Streen thinks that will change.

He wants to know what Kieran thinks about the dark side being evil and cruel. He admits he got angry at the avians on Bespin once and made them do things he wanted them to. Corran speculates that it’s probably the selfishness Luke was talking about but doesn’t consider it necessarily evil.

Streen wonders when Kieran is going to stop lying about his past. They’ve been told about his family being Corellian Jedi and how he fought with the Rebellion but his sense of pride smacks of more than that. Corran admits there are things he isn’t telling them but nothing that will help them all become Jedi.

They agree to go in since it’s gotten cold and even a Jedi should be smart enough to do that.

Luke takes them to where a large rock is embedded in the ground. They don’t know how large it is or how deep it sits, but this exercise is designed to show them how size does not matter. Gantoris says he will try to lift the rock. Corran says he will do it.

He reaches out and senses everything about the rock, the air around it, the cavern and the students. The Force surrounds him joyously, in a way he never thought it could. In his mind, with his eyes closed, he can see the rock struggle from the ground and then lift two meters so even Gantoris cannot deny what he’s seeing. When he opens his eyes, however, the rock is sitting in the ground still. Everyone’s eyes are on the spot where it should be in the air, though. Corran doesn’t understand why it didn’t move. Luke explains that, regardless of what did or did not move, he touched the Force and has taken his first step toward being a Jedi.

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• That still doesn’t change the fact that he can’t move a rock. What’s up with that?

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 12:

Luke brings a Jedi Holocron to Corran the next day and explains the gatekeeper is a Jedi Master named Bodo Baas. The Master describes a Jedi technique called Alter Mind that allows one to change the perceptions of those around them based on what they see or do not see.

This is a dangerous power as it can be used for dark purposes. Luke thinks that what Corran did the night before was something similar. Corran remembers that he’d used the Force to keep a stormtrooper from spotting him after he’d escaped from the Lusankya.

There is always the temptation to misuse that power so he shouldn’t try to make Gantoris think he’s dressed when he’s not. Luke laughs and explains that Gantoris holds himself to the same standard he had on Eol Sha where he was responsible for the lives of his people.

They are resettling on Dantooine now but he cannot loosen up. Unfortunately, the skill that kept him alive on Eol Sha is not useful here. He sees Corran as a rival, someone he must measure up to. As Corran has some ability that Gantoris does not understand, that makes sense.

Corran, having worked before with people he wasn’t particularly close to, believes that he can find some way to work with Gantoris.

He practices little things over several days. Then Luke leads them into an underground pool where they practice sensory deprivation. During this time, the superheated gases begin to overwhelm them. While Gantoris helps Dorsk 81, Corran feels the heat pour through his body and uses that energy to lift Tionne who is gasping for breath out of the water.

Luke congratulates him for finding a talent for the absorption of energy and the ability to redirect it. Without it, Corran may not be able to move objects with his mind, but he must also avoid using it hastily. Darth Vader had a similar skill. This doesn’t make Corran feel much better, but Luke thinks that both he and Gantoris exhibited skills that show what the Jedi can be.

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• The sensory deprivation incident occurred in Dark Apprentice.

• The incident where Corran hid himself from the stormtrooper occurred in The Krytos Trap.

• I thought the gatekeeper of the holocron was Vodo-Siost Baas. That’s who it was in Dark Apprentice.

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 13:

Corran doesn’t sleep much that night to the point where he gets a late start on his run and realizes he’s lost time in their early morning training sessions. As he gets closer to the Temple, however, he spies Luke and Gantoris going at it with lightsabers, one of which Gantoris shouldn’t have.

Luke is faster than anyone he’s ever seen and needs that speed as Gantoris is fighting ferociously. In the end, though, Luke is able to take the saber from him and, to Corran’s astonishment, gives it back.

After he dismisses the students, Corran asks if he’s not going to punish Gantoris for meddling in things he’s not prepared for. Luke tells him to stretch out his senses and feel how sorry Gantoris is. Corran acknowledges that remorse is useful, but correction can also be helpful.

Luke is not of the persuasion that he should punish adults who are going to be Jedi. Besides, retribution leads to the dark side. Corran understands why Luke is a Jedi Master but secretly wishes he were not in the man’s first training class.

Corran wonders how he built a lightsaber. Neither he nor Kam could have taught him and Luke apparently didn’t. Luke thinks the holocron would have withheld that information from him as it can sense a student’s ability. They have sensed no one else here on Yavin IV. Corran wonders if that mystery bothers Luke as much as him. Luke says it probably does more.

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• Ah, so we have Luke Skywalker’s teaching philosophy: beat them at Jedi-type stuff and make sure they feel bad. It does rather explain why Kyp Durron could attack him, steal a weapon, wipe out two solar systems and then only have to give the thing back and apologize.

• And this scene was also detailed in Dark Apprentice, albeit without Corran’s part.

[The Maker]

When reading this book I often wondered if Stackpole used Corran's perspective as a voice for calling out the various flaws and shortcomings of the Jedi Academy trilogy.

[Destiny Skywalker]

Oh, I think very much so. But I always loved how it was first person. Such a unique take. And Corran is one of my favorite EU characters.

[Jedi Cool]

You know, it really wouldn't surprise me if Corran was used to point out Luke's weird teaching.

 

chapter 14:

The next morning, Corran finds the other students and Luke in front of Gantoris’ door. The charred remains of their fellow student are inside. Corran wants to start an investigation immediately.

It appears Gantoris was burned from the inside out. Luke is adamant that none of the other students was involved. He explains that Gantoris feared a dark man from his nightmares. Luke thinks he may have been approached by this dark man in his own dreams where he took the form of Anakin Skywalker and tried to convince him that it was the flawed teaching of the Jedi that led him down a destructive path.

Corran suggests that Luke study the holocron. If the dark man is trying to make students question the wisdom of the Jedi, it might be wise to use it to give the students a sense of their heritage so they’ll be less likely to fall for that line. He also suggests finding out more about the temples here and see if they can learn more about this dark man.

Corran goes to the small library where he finds Tionne with the holocron. She is tearful, worrying over what happened to Gantoris. She knows he must find her contemptible with her small Force connection and her emotional openness. Corran thinks that makes her more open to the Force.

She wonders about the pain he’s suffered and asks if he’s going to reveal his secrets yet. Corran admits he has them but they are boring and would distract everyone from their studies. She thinks she would like to know more about Keiran Halcyon. Master Bodo explains he was a Corellian Jedi four centuries back. Corran is surprised to see a man with a mustache and goatee, as well as a silver lightsaber.

Tionne thinks she should write a ballad about him, but he tells her that it might put off the other students.

He is here because he wants to learn more about the Massassi temples. She offers to teach him how to use it.

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• Gantoris’ death was detailed in Dark Apprentice.

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 15:

The students become more supportive of each other over the subsequent days. Tionne does some research and finds that the Halcyons were notoriously unable to use telekinesis, so things like levitating himself are also cut off for Corran. Fortunately, they’d also developed a reputation for standing their ground, so boldness is a trait of theirs.

Luke will not cause panic among his students by telling them about the dark man, but he does start teaching them calming exercises. Corran continues his investigation into the death of Gantoris by looking into the various temples.

On one such trip, he, Kam and Brakiss head out to the Blueleaf temple which was so odd that General Dodonna had ordered it sealed. Imperial surveyers, coming here after the base was abandoned, had tried to get into it judging by the hole.

Inside, they can find no evidence that Gantoris was ever here, but in a room with a blue crystal cone, they all see images. Kam and Corran are disturbed, Brakiss less so. He is amazed by what a powerful person could do with the Force. Master Skywalker could never create such a work of art as he’s from a farm on a provincial world. It’s not that he cannot physically do it, but he doesn’t have the creative spark in him.

This leads to an argument of using the power of the Force to do good things. Brakiss thinks a powerful enough Jedi could have pulled the Death Star from the sky and saved a lot of people. Corran argues that the ends do not justify the means. They must all be careful how they use their power, lest they convince themselves of the need for more and justify their actions.

At some point, someone decided the pacifistic Caamasi were a threat. They were nearly wiped out and, even then, a second time when a large group of them died on Alderaan, too. If someone can justify killing an entire species, they’ll justify anything.

Kam agrees and Brakiss apologizes, but he still feels that one can do good even when wielding dark side powers. Corran believes that he does not want to risk sliding down that slope. Master Luke could possibly pull such a person back but it would mean little to anyone hurt in the process.

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• I cannot imagine that the Jedi would have tolerated Nejaa not being able to levitate objects if his species didn’t have some type of limitation that inhibited it. Remember that Kiffar student back in Fatal Alliance who was being denied Knighthood because he couldn’t use the extraordinarily rare talent of reading objects?

• I’m not getting Corran’s argument how pulling the Death Star out of the sky would be an ends-justifies-means scenario. If he’s referring to people on the station itself possibly being killed, then didn’t those same people all get killed anyway via Luke’s torpedo?

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 16:

A new student, Kyp Durron, arrives. Luke asks Corran to help Wedge and Dr. Qwi Xux. Wedge introduces the Doctor to Corran whom he explains is using an alias here on Yavin IV. They point out where the first Death Star died. She is disappointed that there is no debris left from it before going to take a nap.

Wedge can tell his friend is not impressed with her. Corran admits he doesn’t know her personally, but he is not really a fan of her work. He feels that she should have known the repercussions of what she was working on even if the names didn’t clue her in. She could have put a life-sensor lock on the Death Star so that it couldn’t destroy an inhabited planet.

Wedge tells him that he has gone over that himself in his mind but she is so innocent that it’s easy to believe that she truly thought her inventions would be used for benign purposes. Corran realizes that Wedge is attracted to her.

He warns Wedge about falling for someone he’s supposed to be protecting. Corran’s been there before and assures him that, once the shooting stops, the love-under-fire thing quickly fizzles out.

Wedge gets his assurances, though, that he will let him figure this out himself. In the meantime, Han hasn’t found any information about the Pulsar Skate and no one has heard from Booster.

Kyp’s arrival regenerates Luke who spends a great deal of time with the young man who has many parallels to Luke himself. It is clear, right from the start, that Kyp has a great deal of power and skill. They’d buried Gantoris in a beautiful spot where they’d all rather like to be buried someday, but not soon.

Kam has taken over a lot of their training and decides to start Corran on lightsaber combat. Corran, feeling the old weapon in his hand, finally feels ready to take on the mantle left by his grandfather.

They start with remotes and Kam advises him on increasing his sphere of responsibility, what Corran thinks of as situational-awareness in piloting, to determine where the remote is. He also advises Corran not to resent Luke for spending a lot of time with Kyp. Corran admits he’s competitive, but doesn’t mind being in second place because it makes the one in first work harder. Kam thinks that’s a sign of maturity.

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• If Kam can take on a lot of training for his fellow students, what does that say about Luke’s ability to teach him much?

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 17:

Kyp Durron progresses by leaps and bounds to the point where they don’t think even Luke knows what to do with him. Corran continues to try to resolve Gantoris’ death, but he’s run into snags.

The holocron hasn’t been very helpful. The only information is has on Yavin IV is when the Sith Lord Exar Kun enslaved the Massassi, built the Temples and was brought down by a Jedi Army during the Sith Wars.

Corran doesn’t want to believe that a long-dead Sith Lord is influencing people on this moon, but if anyone fits the bill of Gantoris’ dark man, it’s him, Corran would rather believe some dark Jedi has landed on the planet and is secretly tutoring people, but he is certain Luke would have sensed such a person.

Which brings him back to Kun who, owing to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s example, could be guiding people after his death. But Kenobi stopped appearing after about 10 years. Would Kun still be around after 4 thousand?

Kam continues his work with the lightsaber until Corran can deflect bolts within 16 meters. He has also been able to plant ideas into the minds of people he knows well, such as Dorsk 81.

They continue to use the Holocron for Jedi history. Some of it is boring; others, like Yoda becoming a Jedi, are more interesting. Tionne composes ballads to cement their lessons. One day, however, after singing about Nomi Sunrider, she is chastised by Kyp Durron who thinks she is ignoring what Exar Kun could have accomplished.

Luke asks him about how he’s learned this information and the kid brings up the Holocron. Corran and Tionne know that they’ve been using it too much for Kyp to have had time to spend with it.

They are interrupted by the arrival of Mara Jade who has come for Jedi training. Corran knows who she is of course and she wonders if she’s seen him before but Luke introduces him as Keiran Halcyon.

He takes her to the old pilot quarters where she makes a joke about Imperials and he makes a joke that falls flat. He apologizes for making her feel uncomfortable. She knows he’s hiding something and he admits he’s Corran Horn. She’d wondered if Luke knew about it.

Corran says he did but recommended the alias himself. Mara knows he’s Booster Terrik’s son-in-law and asks about Mirax who hasn’t been heard of in six weeks. He asks if she thinks he killed her and came here to hide. Mara tells him she thinks that someone else killed Mirax and Corran is here to learn how to find that person.

Mirax is too good at what she does to just disappear for more than a couple of weeks. Corran admits she’s alive but he doesn’t know where. Luke and Wedge thinks she’s been kidnapped and is in some kind of hibernation. He’s here to learn what he needs to in order to find her.

Mara remarks that she’s a lucky woman.

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• Kyp’s outburst about Exar Kun and Mara’s arrival were in Dark Apprentice.

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 18:

Corran gets stuck with cooking duty which he makes the best of with the provisions they have here when he runs into Kyp who is angrily stalking through the dining room. Kyp uses the Force to push Corran back, telling him he’s not his master and neither is Luke. They are Jedi so they should act.

Corran reminds him that Jedi act responsibily the way the Jedi of old battled Exar Kun. Kyp uses the Force against him again but Corran absorbs the energy and turns it into a shield that protects him. He knows Kyp is dealing with Exar Kun and will stop him if he has to.

He gets the idea that they are not alone in here. It’s a feeling that pans out when Corran’s shield doesn’t hold against a new onslaught that ultimately causes Corran to lapse into unconsciousness.

Luke and the other students find him. Corran explains that he was attacked by Kyp and is surprised that Luke didn’t sense it. He asks to speak with him alone. Luke thinks Corran provoked Kyp as it’s clear that Exar Kun is a sensitive subject.

Corran tells Luke that Kyp is being influenced by something dark, if not Kun himself, then someone pretending to be him. All they know about Kun from the Holocron is that it took an army to wipe him out.

Luke thinks there may be information on the Holocron accessible to him but not the students. Corran believes Luke is considering trying to redeem Exar Kun the way he did Darth Vader.

Luke won’t deny the possibility but rejects Corran’s accusation that this is some misguided attempt at reassuring himself that he did all he could to save his father. Corran explains he knows what second-guessing like that does to a person because he did it himself after his own father died.

Luke did everything he could have done. This Academy is a step in the right direction of purging his father’s legacy. However, he cannot ignore the fact that Kyp is under a dark influence and needs to be spoken to. Luke thinks they need to let him calm down before confronting Kyp and asks Corran to try to avoid provoking him for now.

Corran really doesn’t want to leave Kyp alone but respects Luke’s wishes. He regrets doing that. Late that night, the young man steals Mara Jade’s ship.

Corran tries to get her to calm down as it’s just a ship. She tells him he doesn’t know what it’s like to have his life derailed so that he doesn’t know where he fits in. He explains that he knows what it’s like to lose those who comprised his moral compass. Others stepped up to help him. Master Skywalker will help both of them.

Mara doesn’t think Luke is handling this problem with Kyp very well.

Corran admits Luke’s not doing it the way he would but his heart is in the right place. He reminds her a supply ship will be here in a week and that’s at least as long as Kyp was here. She should give herself a chance to see if Luke can give her what she needs.

Mara understands he runs in the mornings. She’d like to come with him if he doesn’t mind.

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• Dark Apprentice mentioned no attack on another student. However, Mara Jade’s ship was stolen by Kyp.

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 19:

Luke trades teaching Kyp for teaching Mara and Kam continues to instruct the rest of them. They are uneasy, but at least they have the calming influence of a new trainee, the Mon Calamari Ambassador Cilghal who is grilled by Mara about Admiral Daala’s attack on the water world.

R2 drags Corran into Luke who shows him the melted Holocron. He’d attempted to learn more about Exar Kun from the master who was giving him details when the thing melted and a shadowy image laughed at him.

Luke thinks it’s more likely that someone trained by the Empire is just fashioning himself a Dark Lord of the Sith. Corran wonders if that person is Kyp and tries to assure Luke that it was Kyp who failed him not the other way around.

Luke needs to focus on the students who are here now, not the ones who aren’t. They also have to do something about Exar Kun or whoever it is pretending to be him. Luke has searched the Great Temple and senses tiny traces of evil. Corran remembers that the temples were focal points for Kun’s power. Maybe they need to find out the center of that power where Gantoris and Kyp got their instructions.

The students keep survey logs of their journeys but Kyp’s could have been falsified. Dorsk 81’s wouldn’t have, though.

Mara and Corran fight remotes together. During the session, he injures his hand to keep a bolt from hitting her face. They joke about how Jedi do not feel pain. She thanks him for doing that and he thinks she would have done the same for him. She tends to show loyalty to her friends and, if he’s not a friend, he’s at least someone she trusts.

He accepted making sacrifices all the way back in his CorSec days. Rogue Squadron has only cemented his willingness to take action be responsible for those who cannot. Mara tells him the Emperor would have considered him a sentimental fool who deserved to die. Corran will remember that the next time he dances on Palpatine’s grave.

He tells her sometimes the sacrifice seems right and she’ll know it when she faces the same thing.

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[Jedi Cool]

chapter 20:

Luke gives his cloak to Kam and heads to Corran, telling him he doesn’t have to do this. Corran thinks Luke is concerned about something else. Luke admits he’s concerned that Corran wants to duel him prior to leaving.

It doesn’t help that Mara Jade had left that morning. She told Corran that she already knows how to do the things Luke teaches here. All he did was trade dark side emotions for light ones. In other words, she has a new fuel source that’s harder to use and burns lower.

She admits that she thought about what they talked about. She’s used to being responsible for herself, not for other people. She has some thinking to do as to how she relates to the Smuggler’s Alliance. Corran asks her to keep an ear out for Mirax and Mara asks him to keep an eye on Luke. She doesn’t think he’s willing to admit how much his experience with the dark side affected him.

Hence, the duel. He can tell Luke is listless from losing yet another student. Corran’s friends had taken him out drinking but that’s not possible here on Yavin IV, so he decides to give him some exercise.

During the fight, Luke admits he feels some kind of oppressive doom coming. Corran points out that putting up defenses aggressively is not bad. Luke has to trust his students to use the power he’s opened them up to. He’s got to stop blaming himself for their choices.

Mara didn’t leave because he failed but because she learned what she needed and now has to return to her responsibilities. They may be novices in the Force but they are adults who have chosen this path. He has to stop treating them as children by taking all of the responsibility on himself. That includes allowing them to fail so that they learn that they can get up and keep going.

Luke wants to think about it. Corran believes the time to think is past. He has to start acting.

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• This chapter pretty much confirms what I thought, that Mara had been trained to use the Force and it was only the motive behind her training that affected her. Why she was alleged to have had problems using it in the JA trilogy is beyond me.

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 21:

Corran feels sluggish the next morning, but gets up and runs anyway until he runs right into Mara’s stolen ship. This means Kyp is back. He heads back to the Temple to find Luke being held by Cilghal. He’s alive but there is an empty space where his presence in the Force should be.

Corran blames himself for not pressing the matter with Luke. But he assures the others that they are not helpless. He knows Kyp was here and is probably the one responsible for what happened to Luke. They need to contact Coruscant.

Cilghal tells him that someone could have stolen the ship from Kyp. The landing pad notes no missing ships and Corran points out that, if Kyp was here, the only way he could get off this moon, since none of them can sense his presence, is by using the Sun Crusher. Cilghal still thinks he’s reaching. He urges them to at least get Luke out of the elements.

They decide to lay him in the Grand Hall because the acoustics will help with music and remind him of the victory celebration there. They will have to contact Leia Organa Solo and get a survey team out here to make sure the Sun Crusher is where it should be. Luke shouldn’t be left alone in case Kyp comes back.

Corran contacts Tycho and explains they need a med team here quickly as well as some other equipment designed to take down one of the temples. He asks Tycho to mislabel the crates as not everyone here believes he’s on to something.

Then he calls General Cracken and tells him that he doesn’t have proof but he believes Kyp Durron has stolen the Sun Crusher and may be headed for Imperial space. In the meantime, Cracken has no news about Mirax, not even a ransom note.

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• Doubtlessly, the events of this chapter take place after the end of Dark Apprentice and before Champions of the Force.

[Jedi Cool]

chapter 22:

A week later, Leia Organa Solo arrives with her family. The New Republic cannot tell if the Sun Crusher is there or not. Corran finds himself mostly ignored with the hierarchy dealing with Cilghal as leader, leaving Kam to train them. He largely just has them perfect what they’ve already learned.

He’s concerned because they haven’t seen the return of the dark man. He’d worked quickly on Gantoris and on Kyp. That he’s not here now could mean that he wants them to despair over Luke or that he’s focusing on Kyp and the Sun Crusher.

Tycho’s supplies arrive and he asks if Corran wants him to fly over one of the temples and blow it. Corran tells him to hold off for the time being.

Han Solo, being the only non-Force sensitive on the moon, does what he can. He is the only one who is not affected at dinner after Leia gives a rousing lecture to the students before a great disturbance in the Force shakes them all.

Han pulls Corran away from the others and guesses that Kyp has used the Sun Crusher. When they guess he went to Carida for his brother, Han decides he’s going after him. Corran wants to go with him, but Han thinks he’ll do fine alone.

Corran pushes, revealing his identity, but Han thinks Corran is less afraid of Kyp than is of a former smuggler getting his hands on the Sun Crusher. Old prejudies die hard. Han can’t do anything here. Corran is a Jedi. He needs to stay here and help Luke.

And, if Kyp turns on Han, Corran won’t be able to run to Carida the way Han did to get away from Corran’s father.

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• I thought it was pretty much agreed upon right after the Solos arrived that the Sun Crusher was gone. At least, that’s how it seems in Champions of the Force.