Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy A Fan Novelization

Chapter Twelve - Mission: Coruscant

Part 1: Homecoming

Jaden flew over her home planet of Coruscant, the city lights twinkling in the dark night like stars. She landed her X-wing, the Far Wanderer, on a platform near the coordinates she'd received from Kyle. Across a long, wide bridge stood the office building that Lannik Racto was believed to conduct his illegal business in. Jaden hopped out of the cockpit, sizing up the building and its gigantic front door.

Get in, capture the crime lord, and contact the New Republic authorities as soon as you've got him, she thought, remembering Kyle's orders to her. Can't be that hard, right?

She carefully started across the bridge that led towards it. She was barely a quarter of the way over when the door opened and a bearded man with trimmed hair, dressed in fine clothes and wearing a permanent scowl on his face stepped out. He matched the description Kyle had given her of Racto right down to the scowl.

"Did you think you could just barge in here and take me into custody, Jedi?" He asked, clicking a button on a small device in his left hand. There was a sound of steady beeping.

Almost without thinking, Jaden turned and ran back towards her ship, jumping for cover, landing face down as the bridge blew up behind her. She stood up shakily, looking across the now wide chasm separating her from her quarry. Racto stared back, a triumphant smile on his face, then returned inside the building.

"Yes," Jaden said in answer to the scumbags question. "As a matter of fact, I did."

She brushed herself off and looked around to find another way to reach his headquarters. This platform she had landed on was more or less a private one, no access to the streets, just one way out. Up. But if Lannik Racto thought he was going to get away that easily, then he had another thing coming.

She shuffled behind the Far Wanderer to get a better look at the back of the platform. There, a nearby ledge leading around a building close to the streets. She held back a groan. She'd have to take the long way.

But I know these streets like I know the back of my hand. I've got this. Hopefully.

She made the leap to the ledge without harm and walked to the streets, pausing briefly before coming out to be sure her lightsaber was in full view hanging off her belt and peeking out from under the edge of her jacket. Kyle had always told her and Rosh that sometimes just the sight of a lightsaber was enough to make someone leave you alone, and she needed to get through the busy Coruscant streets quickly in case Racto was planning to run. But the streets were scarce of people at this time of evening, it was night, though not late and no holidays were on the horizon. People just wanted to be indoors and home, safe and comfortable. The main hustle and bustle of the city's noises were coming from the traffic above, below and alongside her. All kinds of ships and speeders alike were zooming through the lanes of organized chaos, weaving between the countless buildings and skyscrapers that made up Coruscant. Exactly the reason Jaden had never learned much flying skills until the Academy.

She felt she was going in more or less the right direction, checking her datapad, but found no other main entrances or access from the streets at all. It's not hopeless, not yet, maybe I can find a back alley or a short jump from a ledge. But the issue now was finding the building again from another angle and even her map of the city wasn't helping much, especially now that her datapad was running low on power.

"I thought I just charged this!" She groaned and put it back in the large interior pocket of her jacket and kept walking. She couldn't get upset, not here. She had to succeed, she had too.

She was making her way across a big square with a fountain that was very familiar to her. She was close to her uncle Orn's neighborhood where she grew up. Who knew this scumbag Racto lived so close to my own neighborhood?