eight-year-old had been kidnapped and forced to enroll in the new Imperial Naval
Academy. Trever had enrolled in order to get him out, and he’d discovered that the little guy had full-moon smarts and nerves of durasteel. Not to mention that he was pretty good company.
They’d spent a bit of time together before Ry-Gaul had whisked him off to the asteroid. Maybe it was the spooky Force-connection Lune had, but the kid definitely kept you on your toes.
Trever hopped on a moving ramp that brought him up another fifty levels in the crisscrossing levels and mid-levels of the district. As the ramp moved upward, a new perspective of the shimmering
buildings appeared. His gaze rested on the ruined Jedi Temple, now directly in front of him.
He turned his head. He’d been inside the Temple with Ferus, early in their friendship. He’d hung onto that spire and followed Ferus inside. Even he, with no Force connection at all,
had felt the power that still hummed inside those walls.
It hurt his eyes to see it now.
He’d heard the ruined Temple was now a site of ghoulish fascination to the elite of Coruscant. It was a place where so many Jedi had died. It was considered a mark of status if you’d
been permitted to tour it. The whole idea disgusted him. He wouldn’t tell Ferus. He knew how much it would upset him.
Just then, to his surprise, he caught sight of Flame above, moving through the crowds. As the ramp moved upward, he saw her turn onto another walkway. He leaped off the ramp and followed
her.
He caught up with her near the fountains on the edge of one of the many plazas surrounding the Senate building.
“Sightseeing?” he asked as he came up beside her.
She must have jumped a meter. “I didn’t see you,” she said. “Trever, you gave me a fright. I’m always on the lookout for an Imperial ID check.”
“Sorry.” He leaned back against the fountain wall, feeling the spray against his neck. “What are you doing in these parts?”
“Is the meeting over?” she asked, running over his words. An anxious look was on her face. “They asked me to leave so they could debate more freely.”
“They’re still blabbing away.” Trever shook his head. “You’d think a bunch of resistance fighters would have more nerve. Everyone’s afraid of being
caught.”
“It’s a question of trust,” Flame said, looking at the play of sunlight on the fountain. Her green eyes narrowed. “Decisions like this take a cohesiveness that the group
doesn’t have yet.”
“Cohesiveness?” Trever snorted. “It takes guts. That’s all.”
“They’ve already proved their courage,” Flame chided gently. She frowned. “But I don’t like this. I’m afraid Moonstrike will fall apart. I had a meeting with
Bail Organa. I was given an introduction to him by one of the resistance leaders, a former trusted associate of his. I asked him to join Moonstrike, and he refused. He said there was no resistance
on Alderaan and that he was committed to working through the Senate. He must be lying,” she said, clasping her hands together. “There’s got to be an underground movement on that
planet. What does Ferus say?”
“He only just got there. He didn’t say much.”
“Bail Organa is the key,” Flame said. “If only we had Senators in Moonstrike! That would lend it legitimacy. We could form a galaxy-wide movement for certain then, with a
political arm and a military one. But if Bail Organa refuses, others will.” She turned to Trever. “Do you think Ferus could convince him?”
“Ferus is undercover,” Trever said. “Organa thinks he’s part of the Empire, remember?”
“Well, he’d have to reveal his identity as a double agent, of course,” Flame said. “But Bail Organa is trustworthy. We need him, Trever!”
“I’ll ask Ferus,” Trever said. He’d do just about anything for Flame. Rumor had it she’d sacrificed a pretty sweet life and a personal fortune to start the
Moonstrike movement. Next
Academy. Trever had enrolled in order to get him out, and he’d discovered that the little guy had full-moon smarts and nerves of durasteel. Not to mention that he was pretty good company.
They’d spent a bit of time together before Ry-Gaul had whisked him off to the asteroid. Maybe it was the spooky Force-connection Lune had, but the kid definitely kept you on your toes.
Trever hopped on a moving ramp that brought him up another fifty levels in the crisscrossing levels and mid-levels of the district. As the ramp moved upward, a new perspective of the shimmering
buildings appeared. His gaze rested on the ruined Jedi Temple, now directly in front of him.
He turned his head. He’d been inside the Temple with Ferus, early in their friendship. He’d hung onto that spire and followed Ferus inside. Even he, with no Force connection at all,
had felt the power that still hummed inside those walls.
It hurt his eyes to see it now.
He’d heard the ruined Temple was now a site of ghoulish fascination to the elite of Coruscant. It was a place where so many Jedi had died. It was considered a mark of status if you’d
been permitted to tour it. The whole idea disgusted him. He wouldn’t tell Ferus. He knew how much it would upset him.
Just then, to his surprise, he caught sight of Flame above, moving through the crowds. As the ramp moved upward, he saw her turn onto another walkway. He leaped off the ramp and followed
her.
He caught up with her near the fountains on the edge of one of the many plazas surrounding the Senate building.
“Sightseeing?” he asked as he came up beside her.
She must have jumped a meter. “I didn’t see you,” she said. “Trever, you gave me a fright. I’m always on the lookout for an Imperial ID check.”
“Sorry.” He leaned back against the fountain wall, feeling the spray against his neck. “What are you doing in these parts?”
“Is the meeting over?” she asked, running over his words. An anxious look was on her face. “They asked me to leave so they could debate more freely.”
“They’re still blabbing away.” Trever shook his head. “You’d think a bunch of resistance fighters would have more nerve. Everyone’s afraid of being
caught.”
“It’s a question of trust,” Flame said, looking at the play of sunlight on the fountain. Her green eyes narrowed. “Decisions like this take a cohesiveness that the group
doesn’t have yet.”
“Cohesiveness?” Trever snorted. “It takes guts. That’s all.”
“They’ve already proved their courage,” Flame chided gently. She frowned. “But I don’t like this. I’m afraid Moonstrike will fall apart. I had a meeting with
Bail Organa. I was given an introduction to him by one of the resistance leaders, a former trusted associate of his. I asked him to join Moonstrike, and he refused. He said there was no resistance
on Alderaan and that he was committed to working through the Senate. He must be lying,” she said, clasping her hands together. “There’s got to be an underground movement on that
planet. What does Ferus say?”
“He only just got there. He didn’t say much.”
“Bail Organa is the key,” Flame said. “If only we had Senators in Moonstrike! That would lend it legitimacy. We could form a galaxy-wide movement for certain then, with a
political arm and a military one. But if Bail Organa refuses, others will.” She turned to Trever. “Do you think Ferus could convince him?”
“Ferus is undercover,” Trever said. “Organa thinks he’s part of the Empire, remember?”
“Well, he’d have to reveal his identity as a double agent, of course,” Flame said. “But Bail Organa is trustworthy. We need him, Trever!”
“I’ll ask Ferus,” Trever said. He’d do just about anything for Flame. Rumor had it she’d sacrificed a pretty sweet life and a personal fortune to start the
Moonstrike movement. Next
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