by Greg Keyes
There was a moment of silence, then the comm crackled. "This is the Blind Mynock. We have no valuables aboard, no passengers. There's no profit in boarding us."
Jag sent a sidelong glance at his wingmate. An expression of grim outrage had settled over the Chiss female's features. "We're not pirates," he said flatly. "If you require an escort, we will accompany you to Hapan space."
"We've no need of whelp-tending," the pilot blustered. "The Mynock has plenty of speed and firepower."
Jag's patience began to fray. "If you had weapons, you would have returned fire in the hope of protecting your nonexistent cargo and paying passengers. This sector has a history of piracy, so I understand your caution. On the other hand, it also has a demonstrated Yuuzhan Vong risk. If you'd rather take your chances with them, say so plainly and we'll respect your choice."
The comm crackled promptly. "They fried our navigational computer," a different voice said, "which is why we came so close to wearing your ship as a hull ornament. We'll have to input the jump coordinates manually. Problem is, we don't know them offhand. If you could see your way clear to giving us directions to Hapes, we'll be on our way."
Jag named the coordinates and watched as the freighter lumbered off, then lurched into sublight acceleration.
"Shall we follow them?" Shawnkyr asked.
"They don't seem eager for company," he observed. "But let's report to Hapes, see what information we can gather there. Maybe even pick up a few more pilots."
"A new squadron, Commander? You asked for a Chiss phalanx and were refused. Do you intend to build a substitute?"
"We could scout more efficiently with more eyes," Jag argued.
"True enough. And when this scouting squadron encounters the Yuuzhan Vong, it will be able to engage them more efficiently than could a pair of Chiss clawcraft."
"You make it sound as if we're on an offensive mission."
The female's clawcraft edged closer so that their wingtips were nearly touching. "Not at all, sir. Our mission is to scout out enemy activity, not to initiate battle through first-strike tactics. It is manifestly clear, however, that the Yuuzhan Vong have no such compunction. Once the first shot is fired-and it will be-we are obligated to defend ourselves."
Jag sent a startled glance at his wingmate.
"I know why we've come, sir," the Chiss said softly. "And so do you."
For once, Jag had nothing to add. "To Hapes, then," he said, and began to prepare for the jump.
TWELVE
The young Jedi gathered in the cockpit of the ship Jaina had named the Trickster, watching in silence as their stolen craft moved steadily toward a large Hapan ship. The vessel was moving steadily away from Hapes.
"Well, this ought to be interesting," Tahiri murmured.
Jaina silently agreed. "Are you sure they've got TenelKa?"
"She's been picked up, all right. The ship is mechanical, not organic. That's good news."
"But no guarantee of safety," Ganner added. "For all we know, they could be Peace Bri-"
He broke off abruptly, and the expression on his face suggested that someone had just hit him between the eyes with a hydrospanner.
Before Jaina could make sense of this, white-hot pain exploded through her senses. She ripped off the cognition hood, but the agony didn't lessen in the slightest. Dimly she realized that it came not from the ship, but from the other Jedi aboard. She felt them all, and all of them formed a single thought
Jacen.
The surge ended abruptly, and the sensation disappeared.
For a moment Jaina sat frozen, stunned beyond speech. Jacen had appeared in the Force-but not to her.
Jaina could accept that her own grief and anger blocked
Jacen's ability to contact her. But as Jaina looked from one stunned face to another, she saw a different, darker truth. Her brother's death was written on Lowbacca's furred face and in Tekli's rodent-black eyes. It was in the sorrow that flowed from all of them.
Jaina was dimly aware of Zekk nudging her aside and taking over the pilot's chair. She slumped against the rough wall. Her whirling thoughts screamed denial, rejecting a truth she could neither sense nor accept.
Then a second storm hit her, a searing frenzy that was barely recognizable as Tenel Ka. Jaina felt the other woman's emotional storm, the rawness in her hand from beating against the walls of the escape pod.
But why could she feel nothing of her own?
Tenel Ka's grief turned to rage. Jaina experienced this, too, and with the same benumbed detachment. One part of her was startled by the depth and intensity of Tenel Ka's reaction. She'd been troubled by her father's response to Chewbacca's death, but Han's denial and detachment made more sense to Jaina than her friend's heartbroken frenzy.
Maybe her family wasn't a reliable measure of such things. The Skywalkers and Solos were no strangers to conflict, and they'd all stepped up at an early age. In matters of relationships, however, every one of them seemed a little vague on the coordinates. Her mother, conditioned through training and experience to hold the New Republic paramount, had nearly accepted Prince holder's offer of marriage. Leia had known that Han loved her, but somehow she 'd misplaced the access codes to her own emotions. Had Jacen done the same thing? Had he loved Tenel Ka and never fully realized it?
Yeah, Jaina decided numbly. That sounded like Jacen- forever thinking about everything under a hundred distant suns rather than focusing on what was right in front of him.
As she herself was doing. With great effort, Jaina pushed herself away from the wall.
"Tenel Ka is still out there," she said in a cool, steady voice. "We need to focus on her."
For a moment every eye fixed upon Jaina. A symphony of emotions ranging from incredulity to anger to pity washed over her.
Ganner was the first to pull himself together. He threw himself in the gunner's chair. "You got it. Let's hunt them down."
Tesar hissed his approval and scuttled off to his station, his armored tail rasping against the rough coral floor. The rest of the Jedi set to work or strapped in for the pursuit.
As they neared the Hapan ship, they noted the small flight of Hornet Interceptors that followed it. These scattered and fled at the approach of the Yuuzhan Vong frigate.
"They've got the escape pod," Zekk confirmed. "Just pulled it through the hatch."
Ganner swore softly. "What I wouldn't give for a good ion cannon right about now. Something that would take out the controls, but not the ship."
"Force lightning," Jaina suggested.
"Oh, great," Tahiri muttered. "How Sith is that?"
"I'm serious." Jaina placed a hand on Zekk's shoulder. "We could do this. You graduated from the Shadow Academy. They must have taught you how."
He pulled the hood back and stared at her, as if he didn't trust his ears to decode this message without further data. As he studied her, horror dawned in his green eyes. Even Lowbacca looked at her strangely. A burst of laserfire erupted from the Hapan ship, cutting off any reply either Jedi might have made.
Jaina cast her eyes toward the cockpit ceiling. "All right, then, I've got another idea. Move over."
He quickly yielded the pilot's seat. Jaina tugged on the hood and coaxed the dovin basal to abandon shielding in favor of exerting a slow, steady pull. The ship jarred and shuddered as the Hapan ship's fire found its mark.
Alema Rar leaned over Jaina's shoulder and peered at the approaching ship. "You've got it in a lock, but with no escape pod or vac suits, how are we going to get to Tenel Ka?"
"She's coming to us," Jaina announced, her eyes fixed firmly on the Hapan ship. "Brace!"
The Twi'lek promptly dropped to the floor, her lekku twitching with apprehension. The cargo ship slowed as it neared the Trickster, but the impact was still enough to rock the frigate and send a shower of black coral dust cascading over the console. Alema rose to her feet, sneezing violently and repeatedly.
"After this war is over, I'm taking a vacation on Mon Calamari," she
announced as she wiped her streaming eyes.
"Sounds nice," Zekk said absently, his concerned gaze still fixed on the young pilot.
"I'm going to find the largest coral reef on that world," Alema concluded grimly, "and then I'm going to blow it up."
"Hold that thought," Jaina suggested.
She mentally ordered the ship to breach the other vessel. On the wall just behind the cockpit, a viscous substance, similar in appearance to the Yuuzhan Vong's bio-rash jelly, seeped from the coral and outlined an oval portal. Foul steam began to rise as the solvent worked its way through the living hull.
The Wookiee padded over to observe. He leapt back as a neat two-meter chunk of coral tipped into the corridor. The smoldering edges were now as smooth as transpari-steel. Yellow goo still seeped from the ship's walls and was swiftly eating through the ceramic and metal hull of
the captured freighter. The melted substance hardened quickly, forming a solid, airtight bond between the two ships.
Once the steam subsided, Lowbacca poked experimentally at the portal. Roaring in satisfaction, he spun to one side and delivered a solid kick.
The "door" went in and fell hard, taking down two humans in red uniforms. Lowbacca strode over them, igniting his bronze lightsaber as he went. The other Jedi spilled through the portal, falling in on either side of the Wookiee.
A double ping sounded as blaster bolts greeted them. Tenel Ka's turquoise blade picked off both of them before her "rescuers" could respond.
Jaina pushed forward, stepping over the prone forms of three red-clad mercenaries as she took in the battle. At least six humans were sprawled on the floor, some of them moaning softly. One of these stirred and tried to push himself up onto his hands and knees. Lowbacca planted a furry foot on the man's rump with a force that sent him skidding facedown across the polished floor. His head struck a metal cabinet with a satisfying thunk.
Tenel Ka strode past the Wookiee without a glance, moving toward the last two men standing-tall, blond men in red uniforms and in fighting trim.
One of them tossed aside an empty blaster and pulled a stun baton from his weapons belt. The other fell into the ready stance of a Hapan kickboxer.
Jaina held out one hand to hold the others back. "Let her handle this. I've got a feeling she needs it. Sorry, Alema."
The Twi'lek woman shrugged and stood down.
Tenel Ka brought her lightsaber into high guard position, and then switched it off. She tossed the weapon to Tahiri without looking back. The young Jedi deftly
caught it, and her lips moved as she murmured silent encouragement.
The kickboxer spun toward Tenel Ka, delivering two quick, feinting jabs and then snapping a high kick to her head. She leaned and slapped aside the kick with the metal band that encircled the end of her truncated arm. She turned her body in to the blow to add strength to the parry and to put herself into position for a side kick. This she delivered, hard, to her opponent's chest.
He staggered back, surprised by the unexpected power of the small woman's kick. Tenel Ka advanced, dropping to the floor suddenly and spinning into a low leg sweep. Her opponent leapt over the attack, an easy, agile move. The Jedi flipped onto her side and kicked again, higher, catching him on the inside of the knee just as he landed. He stumbled and went down.
Tenel Ka rolled away twice to gain some distance and then rose smoothly. Meanwhile her opponent got his feet under him and lunged up into a running charge.
She darted to meet him, throwing herself into a leaping spin and slamming her right foot directly into his face. Her left foot shot straight out and caught him just below the rib cage. She twisted as she fell and kept rolling away. The Hapan fighter reeled back and hit the wall, then slowly slid down.
Tenel Ka came up in a crouch, and her gaze snapped toward her final opponent. He advanced swiftly, stun baton leading.
The Jedi extended her hand. Tahiri threw the light-saber back to its owner. It spun twice, end over end, and then slapped into Tenel Ka's waiting palm. A stream of turquoise light raced toward her attacker's throat and stopped a breath away, halting him in midstride.
Instinctively he struck out at the beam with his stun baton. The metal end sheared neatly off, and sparks exploded from the severed weapon. His blond hair leapt into
spikes about his head and his eyes glazed. The weapon fell from his violently shaking hand, and he stumbled back into a benumbed retreat. Tenel Ka rose and matched him step for step, her lightsaber still at his throat.
Jaina felt a collective surge of dismay from the other Jedi. Impatiently she swept it aside and willed Tenel Ka to get on with it, get it over with.
Her thought must have carried to Tenel Ka. The warrior stopped abruptly, and her gray eyes sought Jaina's. Tenel Ka lifted her blade away from the man's throat and switched it off, still holding her old friend's gaze.
For a moment they were open to each other. Jaina felt the other woman's wrath, but also her determination. Tenel Ka saw these men as traitors to Hapes, and her duty, as a Jedi Knight and as the daughter of Hapes's queen, to see that they would be dealt with accordingly. Jaina had been sure that Tenel Ka simply needed to let off some steam; now she sensed how wrong she'd been.
She also sensed a question coming from Tenel Ka, a subtle seeking such as a Jedi might use to measure a stranger. And then, not even that. The warrior's formidable shields were back in place.
Jaina's own internal shields firmed, and she nodded in approval. "Good for you," she said, and her gaze took in both Tenel Ka and the Twi'lek. "Why waste energy on helpless coral reefs and Hapen pirates?"
The weird light in the Twi'lek's eyes flared. The look she sent Jaina was the sort that passed between kindred spirits, or perhaps conspirators.
"Save it for the Vong," Alema said in complete agreement.
THIRTEEN
Kyp Durron followed the Millennium Falcon in its hiccuping voyage through the dovin basal mines and into the confusion of Hapan space. After weaving through the chaotic traffic, he finally gained landing clearance. The worst behind him, he quickly set down his fighter next to Han's ship.
He swung out of his X-wing and gazed with dismay at the scene around him. The docking area outside of Hapes's royal city stretched as far as his eyes could see. Movable landing pads shifted to squeeze the ships together and make room for the scores of vessels still circling or hovering in the skies overhead. Refugees milled about, and their confusion was like a scent on the wind.
Then another, stronger wind swept through Kyp, a psychic blast of incredible power and pain. He staggered and caught hold of his battered ship as Jacen Solo's agony swept through his veins like molten rock.
His own astonishment mingled with the younger man's pain, for Kyp had no ties with Jacen Solo that would explain so powerful a connection. He didn't even like the young Jedi. In his view, Han's oldest son was a spoiled, self-absorbed brat who'd rather let the Yuuzhan Vong sweep across the galaxy like a plague of insects than sully his precious vision of the Jedi ideal.
Yet for some reason, Kyp was sharing what was
certainly a final agony. He couldn't imagine living through something like this firsthand. He wasn't sure he'd want to.
As the pain began to recede, a strong hand grasped his elbow. "Hey, kid-exactly how long have you been cooped up in that flying "fresher?"
Kyp quickly pulled away from his old friend, shielding his thoughts and manufacturing a wry smile. "Too long, apparently. Give me a minute to get my land legs back, and I'll be fine."
Han nodded absently and glanced over at the Millennium Falcon. Luke Skywalker emerged from the ship on the heels of his redheaded wife. His arm encircled his twin sister's waist as they walked slowly down the ramp. Leia Organa Solo was pale but composed. Impatience crackled around Mara Jade Skywalker like sparks from a severed cable, only slightly muted by the sorrow that rose from them all.
Kyp bowed to the Jedi Master, but spoke to the Solos. "My sincere regrets over the loss of your son."
> Leia's eyes drifted shut, and Han quickly moved to her side. "Thanks," he said, speaking quickly as if to spare his wife the necessity of words. "I won't deny it's tough. Doesn't seem right, outliving your youngest kid."
"Your youngest?" Kyp echoed in dismay. Jacen he could shrug off without much trouble, but not Anakin. Anakin Solo's star had been swiftly rising, making him the war's most visible and attractive Jedi hero. Anakin could have made a difference.
Too late, Kyp realized what his words revealed. Han's face turned gray, and he gripped Kyp's arm with bone-crushing force.
"You were talking about Jacen. What did you hear? What do you know?"
Leia placed a gentling hand on her husband's shoulder.
"Kyp might have felt what I did-a sudden surge of Jacen's presence, then a dimming."
Dimming wasn't the word Kyp would have chosen. He'd seen stars go nova with more subtlety. Concerned, he glanced toward Luke Skywalker. The Jedi Master's lips were compressed in a tight line. Grief and concern mingled in his eyes as he regarded his sister. His gaze shifted to Kyp's, drawn by the younger man's unspoken question. His slight, almost imperceptible nod confirmed that he, too, had felt Jacen Solo's death.
Mara stalked forward, her green eyes burning. Kyp didn't need the Force to read the warning written there leave Leia her protective illusions, let her deal with this in her own time.
"Surely you have no problems shading the truth," Mara purred softly. "After all, you managed to deceive my apprentice. My apprentice," she emphasized.
Obviously Mara hadn't forgiven him for involving Jaina in his latest vendetta. Kyp had used his considerable Jedi powers to "nudge" Jaina into believing that an unfinished Yuuzhan Vong worldship was actually a superweapon. And yes, he'd asked the young pilot to become his apprentice, mostly as a means of putting her off stride and making her more receptive to his deception. Mostly,
"Warning me off?" he asked mildly.
She glanced toward Luke. "Only because he's been a good influence." Her eyes narrowed. "So far."
Mara spun away from him. "We need to find a ship," she said abruptly as she strode away. Luke followed, his eyes approving his wife's hard-won restraint.
