Lonisa City where Ram had grown up was a small place People knew and looked out for each other it seemed light-years away from the ongoing grind and rumble of the rest of the galaxy But over the past few weeks Ram had felt the rising tide of all that sudden attention the hubbub and fuss seeming to get louder and louder as the many eyes of the Republic turned to Valo So much prep had gone into this gigantic event and there was still so much to do But None of that mattered All that mattered was this very moment Ram had slyly mentioned to Master Kunpar that one of the security team’s speeder bikes was out of commission commission with a faulty gasket hub and all the state mechanics were busy setting up the light show so Master Kunpar had grumbled and fussed with his chin tentacles some before finally relenting but he had and that was why Ram got to be here in his favorite place on the planet a dingy dim garage full of rusty mechanical parts and tools The team of repair Bonbraks scurried back and forth on the shelves around him chattering at each other and futzing with various smaller projects but otherwise Jedi 4 RACE TO CRASHPOINT TOWER
CHAPTER ONE Padawan Ram Jomaram was in the most peaceful state he knew all alone in the garage a small shed in the back grotto of the Jedi living quarters No complicated rules or protocols to follow no ancient wise Masters to show the correct deference to Just metal and bolts and plastoid and some big-eared long-tailed fur balls who made plenty of squeaky fuss but mostly minded their own business Ram was one with the Force and the Force was with Ram he reminded himself Here in this peaceful grease stained hideaway he could give over fully to the quiet powerful place inside All around him a small constellation constellation of speeder parts hovered There were the leather seat and metal casing over the main hub he could swing those out of the way for the moment Here was the engine with its grill and gaskets and piping Here was the fuse box that would fit in alongside the retrovaporizer and connect into the rest of the machinery And here was the repulsorlift hub still shiny with residue from when it had spluttered fission oil earlier during a routine patrol You must see the whole for the whole Master Kunpar had told Ram so so many times and each part for the role 5
it plays not for what you want it to be not for what you fear it to be Just for what it is He made it sound so easy Also he was probably talking talking about meditation techniques and combat maneuvers most of the times he said it true Jedi stuff But for Ram mechanics was meditation And anyway the Force was everywhere right He figured his master would be pleased he was finding practical applications for all that wisdom Hopefully Ram could feel the quiet thrum of each segment the tiny vibrations in the air that described them as they floated in a slow circle around him that faraway trill within the hub that rang just a fraction of a note dissonant from the rest of the parts Each part for the role it plays There That meant something was off He knew how all the different pieces were supposed to look feel sound He’d pored over the tech specs and taken apart and put back together everything everything mechanical within grabbing distance since he was a youngling so he knew when the vibrations of a part didn’t hum right The shape of it had warped probably too much heat but how Not for what you want it to be not for what you fear it to be Something else must be wrong 6 RACE TO CRASHPOINT TOWER
CHAPTER ONE He knew most Jedi didn’t use the Force this way but what fun was it having cool abilities if you didn’t investigate investigate the inner workings of busted old mechanical parts with them right That was how Ram saw it anyway He loved gears and wires and the secrets they seemed to hold and he loved feeling the Force flow through him connecting connecting him to the larger universe Combining the two was just about the best thing ever Ram continued his scan his mind sliding along the accelerator foot pedals steering mechanism control panels and exhaust pipe Just for what it is He had caught the faintest sense of something a teensy off-key ding when GREETINGS MASTER RAM the metallic voice of V-18 called from the doorway I must see the whole for the whole Ram whispered eyes still closed The speeder parts faltered in their slow rotation dipped toward the ground And each part for the role it plays JomaramaRam do chunda mota mota-ta an irritated Bonbrak countered That was probably Tip the youngest and surliest of the crew Several others concurred loudly Well there’s no need to be rude V-18 said 7
