Watching Heir To The Empire

Chapter 4 Part 1

"It took the Chimaera nearly five days at its Point Four cruising speed to cover the three hundred fifty light years between Myrkr and Wayland, but that is all right, because it took the engineers nearly that long to come up with a portable frame that would both support and nourish the ysalamiri. I'm still not convinced this is really necessary," Pellaeon grumbled, eyeing with distaste the thick curved pipe and the fur-scaled, salamanderlike creature attached to it. The pipe and its attached frame were blasted heavy,
and the creature itself didn't smell all that good. "If this Guardian you're expecting was put on Wayland by the Emperor in the first place, then I don't see why we should have any problems with him."

"Call it a precaution, Captain," Thrawn said, settling into the shuttle's copilot seat and fastening his own straps.
"It's conceivable we could have trouble convincing him of who we are. Or even that we still serve the Empire." He sent a casual glance across the displays and nodded to the pilot. "Go."
There was a muffled clank, and with a slight jolt the shuttle dropped from the Chimaera's docking bay and started its descent toward the planet surface.

"We might have had an easier time convincing him with a squad of stormtroopers along," Pellaeon muttered, watching the repeater display beside his seat.

"We might also have irritated him," Thrawn pointed out. "A Dark Jedi's pride and sensibilities are not to be taken lightly, Captain."

"Dark Jedi," Yoda said and everyone looked at him.

"What...what is a dark Jedi?" Padme asked, never having heard the term. "Like that Darth Maul back on Tatooine?"

"No," Kenobi shook his head. "Maul was a Sith, like Palpatine and Vader."

"It's a vague name of dark-side practitioners,"
Mace explained. "The Sith are an order, like a Jedi Order, with their own rules, knowledge and traditions. Though, dark Jedi and Sith would often work together."

"So, he worked with Vader? Is that why he hasn't killed him?" she asked.

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan said.

"Besides-"he looked over his shoulder "-that's what Rukh is for. Any close associate of the Emperor ought to be familiar with the glorious role the Noghri have played over the years."

Pellaeon glanced at the silent nightmare figure seated across the aisle. "You seem certain, sir, that the Guardian will be a Dark Jedi."

" Who else would the Emperor have chosen to protect his personal storehouse?" Thrawn countered. "A legion of stormtroopers, perhaps, equipped with AT-ATs and the kind of advanced weaponry and technology you could detect from orbit with your eyes closed?"

"A better question is what the Emperor was hiding that needed such protection," Anakin said.

Pellaeon grimaced. That, at least, was something they wouldn't have to worry about. The Chimaera's scanners had picked up nothing beyond bow-and-arrow stage anywhere on Wayland's surface. It wasn't all that much
comfort.
"I'm just wondering whether the Emperor
might have pulled him off Wayland to help against the Rebellion."

Thrawn shrugged. "We'll know soon enough."
The gentle roar of atmospheric friction against the shuttle's hull was growing louder now, and on Pellaeon's repeater display derails of the planet's surface were be. coming visible. Much of the area directly beneath then appeared to be forest, spotted here and there with large, grassy plains. Ahead, occasionally visible through the haze of clouds, a single mountain rose above the land.
scape. "Is that Mount Tantiss?" he asked the pilot.

"Yes, sir," the other confirmed. "The city ought to be visible soon."

"Right." Reaching surreptitiously to his right thigh, Pellaeon adjusted his blaster in its holster. Thrawn could be as confident as he liked, both in the ysalamiri and in his own logic. For his part, Pellaeon still wished they had more firepower.
The city nestled against the southwestern base of
Mount Tantiss was larger than it had looked from orbit, with many of its squat buildings extending deep under the cover of the surrounding trees. Thrawn had the pilot circle the area twice, and then put down in the center of what appeared to be the main city square, facing a large and impressively regal-looking building.