"I'll explain in a minute," Ben said, continuing to look toward the exit. Rhondi had reached the hatch and was beginning to pound it with the heel of her hand. "Right now, I'd better get to that charge before she-"

Ben was interrupted by a stunned cry as a red circle of blazing heat burned through the back of Rhondi's skull. Her body, lifeless before the scream died, crumpled to the floor. Behind her, the bright column of a scarlet lightsaber began to cut a smoking furrow through the thick metal of the hatch.

A wave of danger sense rolled up Ben's spine. He turned to find his father already standing beside the gurney, his lightsaber in hand and his attention fixed on the entry hatch. Ben could see by how low he held his hand, and by the fatigue in his eyes, that his father was still weak. But he could also feel his father drawing on the Force, pulling it into himself to enliven atrophied muscles and restore dead synapses.

"Ben," his father asked, "who the black empty void is that?"

THE TIPS OF FOUR SCARLET LIGHTSABERS WERE CHASING ONE ANOTHER around the perimeter of the hatch, so bright that Ben could look at them only through the blast-tinting of his helmet's faceplate. The blades were cutting through the thick alien metal as though it were plasteel, and Ben could feel dark presences-a lot of dark presences-standing in the corridor outside. around the perimeter of the hatch, so bright that Ben could look at them only through the blast-tinting of his helmet's faceplate. The blades were cutting through the thick alien metal as though it were plasteel, and Ben could feel dark presences-a lot of dark presences-standing in the corridor outside.

His father was down in the front of the control room, trying to cut a meter-wide escape hole into the viewport. The metal was only a fraction the thickness of the hatch, but his lightsaber was cutting much more slowly than the blades of the mysterious intruders. It seemed strange that thin transparent material should be so much tougher than a heavy metal hatch, but that was certainly the way it looked.

"Dad, you're cutting really slow," Ben said, speaking into his helmet microphone. After Rhondi's death, the first thing both Skywalkers had done was put on their vac suits with the idea of fleeing back to the Shadow Shadow as swiftly as possible. "Could your power cell be low?" as swiftly as possible. "Could your power cell be low?"

Luke's reply came over the helmet receiver, calm and patient. "Son, I'm a Jedi Master. Do you really think I'd forget to check my own lightsaber's power-cell levels?"

"Just asking. Strange things happen around here." Ben checked the hatch again and saw that the four scarlet blades were almost to the corners. "Such as ...they're cutting through that hatch about twice as fast as you're cutting through the viewport."

"That is is interesting." Luke sounded less nervous about this news than intrigued by it. "And you're interesting." Luke sounded less nervous about this news than intrigued by it. "And you're sure sure you have no idea who they are?" you have no idea who they are?"

"Dad, I told you no. But they had had to hear Rhondi pounding on that hatch." Ben wasn't worried about electronic eavesdropping; even if the intruders had a receiver set to the correct channel, the Skywalkers' communications were encrypted using the latest Jedi technology. "And they still pushed a lightsaber through it at to hear Rhondi pounding on that hatch." Ben wasn't worried about electronic eavesdropping; even if the intruders had a receiver set to the correct channel, the Skywalkers' communications were encrypted using the latest Jedi technology. "And they still pushed a lightsaber through it at head height head height. Does that sound like Mind Walker style to you?"

"Not really." Luke deactivated his lightsaber and stepped away from the circle he had been cutting, leaving about ten centimeters at the top still attached. "But they didn't manifest out of the void. They're a part of this somehow."

"Yeah, but we really don't have time to stop to talk ..."

Ben let the sentence trail off as his father raised a hand and used the Force to push the smoking circle of semi-attached viewport outward, opening a hole large enough to serve as an escape route. Instead of leading the way through it, Luke started toward the back of the room, angling toward the corner opposite Ben's.

"We need to take one alive," Luke said.

"Alive?" Ben echoed. "Check your vitals readout. You're barely strong enough to make a run for the Ben echoed. "Check your vitals readout. You're barely strong enough to make a run for the Shadow Shadow-much less take prisoners." prisoners."

"True-and feeling better every second." Luke pointed at the hatch. "Ben, we need to find out who those people are-and who sent them. That's the key to figuring this place out."

Ben knew there was no point in arguing. His father's voice had a.s.sumed that I'm the Master I'm the Master tone. Besides, the logic was sound, at least until it came to the part about them making it back to the tone. Besides, the logic was sound, at least until it came to the part about them making it back to the Shadow Shadow alive. alive.

"Can we at least be careful about it?" Ben asked. "Right now, all we know about them is that they don't mind killing people, and they have a thing for red lightsabers. Whoever they are, they seem to have all the advantages."

"Not all all of them," Luke said, slipping behind an equipment cabinet on the opposite side of the room. He was on the upper tier, about five meters past the hatch. "Are you ready with that gas cylinder?" of them," Luke said, slipping behind an equipment cabinet on the opposite side of the room. He was on the upper tier, about five meters past the hatch. "Are you ready with that gas cylinder?"

Ben checked the hand torch he had used to weld himself and Rhondi into the chamber. The feed valve was wide open, and the safety shutoff was disabled.

"Affirmative."

"Then hide your Force presence and wait for my signal," Luke ordered. "We might learn something just by watching them."

Ben slipped into his own hiding place-the foot well of an equipment console, on the upper tier directly across from his father. He quickly drew his Force presence inward, shrinking it down until even he could not sense it, then felt the floor reverberate as the heavy hatch fell into the room.

Two seconds later the door charge detonated, but there were no m.u.f.fled screams to suggest that anyone had been near the entrance when the fuse activated. Whoever they were, Rhondi's killers had obviously learned their lesson when they opened Rolund's cell and tripped the first mine.

The blast of the door charge was still vibrating through the floor when Ben felt the lighter pounding of running feet. He guessed that maybe seven or eight intruders had entered, but there was no way to be certain. He waited five long breaths for them to pa.s.s his hiding place, then peered out toward the hatchway. The metal was still smoking and glowing white. Even so, he could see a pair of vac suit boots on the floor outside the hatchway.

A double comm click sounded inside Ben's helmet. The signal meant his father was preparing to move, but it would be impossible to see the rear guard from his side of the room. He hit a chin toggle inside his helmet, intending to warn his dad about the ambusher, then saw the intruder's boots charging into the control room and realized his father was already moving.

Holding the gas canister in one hand and his lightsaber in the other, Ben rolled from his hiding place. A line of eight intruders was descending toward the diversionary hole in the viewport, all of them in a hurry. Like the Skywalkers, they were wearing full combat-rated vac suits and carrying lightsabers. Some also carried blasters, and most wore equipment belts with two sheaths, one for a slender gla.s.s-handled dagger and one for a curved, heavy-bladed parang.

Ben's father was already sliding onto the top of an equipment console, so intent on capturing a prisoner that he did not sense the rear guard coming through the hatch behind him. The intruder's faceplate was raised, revealing a lavender face with fine features and a long nose, slightly more slender than a human's. In her gloved hand, she was holding one of the dark parangs. Instead of leaping into a melee attack as Ben had expected, she stopped and raised the parang.

"Dad!" Ben commed. "Roll, now!"

The parang flew, and Luke rolled, disappearing over a row of equipment cabinets just as the weapon spun past centimeters above his helmet. Unable to hear the commed message, the woman grimaced and extended her hand, using the Force to call the weapon back-and presenting her back to Ben as she moved to put the row of equipment cabinets between herself and Luke.

Ben did not give her a chance to catch the parang. He simply Force-leapt across the last three meters between them, pointing his lightsaber at her heart and thumbing the activation switch. To his relief, both his weapon and his body felt fully powered-though, in the latter case, it was impossible to say whether the fuel was the hydrade he had quaffed earlier or his desperation to save his father.

The woman must have had her own danger sense. Even before Ben's blade extended, she was spinning away, still reaching for her parang with one hand, igniting her own lightsaber with her other, and snapping a vicious heel kick at Ben's groin with her near foot.

It was too fancy, too much. Ben merely stepped back and gave her empty hand a Force tug. Instead of returning to her grasp ready to throw again, the parang sliced her hand off at the wrist. The woman cried out, and her heel kick glanced off the canister he was holding.

She attempted a trailing lightsaber slash at Ben's neck. He leaned away, then used the Force to pull her, center ma.s.s, onto his own blade.

In the next instant, Ben's entire body was tingling with danger sense, and he was spinning and slas.h.i.+ng, his blade weaving a basket of protection as the woman's companions came charging toward him behind a wall of blasterfire.

He retreated toward the hatch, at the same time comming his father. "Hey, Dad, about that prisoner-"

"Go!" Luke came rolling over the bank of equipment cabinets, pouring blasterfire into the intruder he had been attempting to capture, then hit the floor and began to scramble toward the hatchway. "And cover me!"

"Sure thing," Ben said.

As he slipped through the hatch, Ben deliberately slammed the neck of the hand torch on the jamb. The head flew away on a jet of pressurized gas, and a rime of frost formed instantly on the cooling canister. He tossed it back into the control room. It began to fly about in the weightless environment, spewing explosive azetal fumes and bouncing off smoking equipment consoles.

Ben took cover behind the jamb and drew his blaster. He began to fire around the corner, fully opening himself to the Force so he could sense his father's location. He felt a wave of terror as the anonymous enemy realized what would happen when the concentration of azetal grew high enough to ignite, and then his father came flying through the hatchway feetfirst, low to the floor and pouring bolts back into the control room.

Two heartbeats later, the enemy fire trailed off to nothing. Ben grabbed his father's ankle and sprinted down the corridor, dragging him along while he continued to cover the hatchway behind them. As Ben moved, he had to be careful to keep one foot on the floor so that he would continue to be affected by the station's primitive form of artificial gravity.

Twenty steps later they were at the other end of the corridor, and no one was following. Ben stopped and released the ankle.

"That was some shooting!" Ben cried. "Did you get them all all?"

Luke shook his head. "Just three. The others were Force-leaping through that bolt-hole I cut." He righted himself, then extended a hand toward the far end of the corridor and used the Force to lift the fallen hatch back into its place. "Whoever those guys are, they're no idiots. They know what's going to happen when the azetal gas gets dense enough."

VESTARA'S ORDERS WERE SIMPLE: SHE WAS TO WAIT IN HIDING AT THE bowl-shaped junction chamber that connected the station's central sphere to its cylindrical wing. If the Skywalkers entered this area alive, she would arm the grenades she had been given and toss them into the chamber. With a little luck, she would be able to pull her hatch closed before the Skywalkers sent the grenades flying back into her corridor. With a lot of luck, there would be enough left of the pair to present to Lord Vol when they returned to Kesh without s.h.i.+p. bowl-shaped junction chamber that connected the station's central sphere to its cylindrical wing. If the Skywalkers entered this area alive, she would arm the grenades she had been given and toss them into the chamber. With a little luck, she would be able to pull her hatch closed before the Skywalkers sent the grenades flying back into her corridor. With a lot of luck, there would be enough left of the pair to present to Lord Vol when they returned to Kesh without s.h.i.+p.

But, as with any Sith plan, there were layers of treachery and intrigue to consider, and so Vestara had a second a.s.signment. After leaving the air lock through which s.h.i.+p had inserted them onto the station, the first thing Lady Rhea had done was to free the surviving members of her crew from Abeloth's thrall-just as Vestara had freed her her.

The second thing Lady Rhea had done was to change the team's mission from capturing the Skywalkers to killing them. That had been the strike force's original purpose, and that was what Lady Rhea ordered them to do. Even had she not still been their commander, it would have taken little effort to win the small group over. Returning s.h.i.+p to Kesh was clearly beyond their capabilities, but Lady Rhea felt confident that the death of the Skywalkers and the news of Abeloth's strange power would be enough to win the Circle's forgiveness. And even if she was wrong, the entire crew had agreed-returning to Abeloth and her strange planet was out of the question.

To the surprise of everyone except Lady Rhea, even Yuvar Xal had readily embraced this plan. In fact, he had proclaimed that all all of the survivors would be bathed in glory when the Circle learned of Abeloth's power. His enthusiasm had aroused suspicions, of course-due in large part to the fact that earlier, when the crew had stopped at the of the survivors would be bathed in glory when the Circle learned of Abeloth's power. His enthusiasm had aroused suspicions, of course-due in large part to the fact that earlier, when the crew had stopped at the Eternal Crusader Eternal Crusader to retrieve vac suits and weapons, s.h.i.+p had allowed only Xal and Ahri to board the frigate. to retrieve vac suits and weapons, s.h.i.+p had allowed only Xal and Ahri to board the frigate.

So, along with Baad Walusari, Vestara had been a.s.signed to keep watch over Xal and Ahri. If the pair attempted to depart their a.s.signed station, they were to be murdered. If they attempted to capture the Skywalkers themselves, they were to be murdered. If they attempted to contact s.h.i.+p, or even looked looked like they were thinking about disobeying Lady Rhea, they were to be murdered. like they were thinking about disobeying Lady Rhea, they were to be murdered.

In short, neither Lady Rhea nor anyone else expected Xal and Ahri to survive the mission. Of course, Vestara hoped Ahri would prove them wrong, which was one of the reasons she had been happy to accept the a.s.signment. If anyone was going to give him the benefit of the doubt, it would be her. She might even be able to give him a second chance, if no one was looking.

Ahri's voice came over her helmet speaker. "Hey, Ves?"

"Yes?"

"Something's been troubling me about this whole Skywalker mission," he said. "Why?" "Why?"

Vestara grimaced, immediately suspicious of his motivations. "Ahri, don't." She peered through the crack of her open hatch, looking across the chamber toward the partially open hatch where Ahri was hiding. "Lady Rhea gave us our orders."

"Yeah, and those those orders make sense," Ahri returned. His helmet appeared in the sliver of open s.p.a.ce behind his hatch, the faceplate raised so she could see one pale eye. "What I don't get is why does orders make sense," Ahri returned. His helmet appeared in the sliver of open s.p.a.ce behind his hatch, the faceplate raised so she could see one pale eye. "What I don't get is why does Abeloth Abeloth want the Skywalkers?" want the Skywalkers?"

"I really haven't thought about it," Vestara lied. The fact of the matter was that she and Lady Rhea had thought about the problem plenty, and still they couldn't see why Abeloth would risk losing all her Sith pets in exchange for just two Jedi. There was only one reason that made even a little sense-and Vestara was loath to believe it. "Maybe Abeloth thinks they're stronger than we are and can survive longer?"

"Yeah, right," right," Ahri scoffed. "Two Jedi are stronger than fifteen Sith. That-" Ahri scoffed. "Two Jedi are stronger than fifteen Sith. That-"

His voice was overridden by a burst of connection static. For an instant Vestara hoped it was Xal, ordering them to be quiet. Because maybe then, Ahri's questions wouldn't be what she feared they were: the opening gambit in some backstabbing ploy of Xal's.

But when the static cleared, it was Lady Rhea's voice that Vestara heard. "Coming your way," she commed. "Be care-"

The transmission was interrupted by an eruption of blast static, and the deck jumped so hard that Vestara thought the station was about to come apart.

"-are very very good," Lady Rhea finished. good," Lady Rhea finished.

"Acknowledged," Vestara said. "And thank you-"

Xal's sharp voice cut her off, ordering, "Silence! You have your orders!"

Vestara acknowledged the reprimand with a comm click. Xal's tone-and her own intuition-told her that Lady Rhea had been entirely right about the Master's treachery. She took a pair of special grenades off her equipment harness and removed the safety locks, then crouched at the hatch, peering through the crack she had left open and waiting for the Skywalkers to show. She did not need to comm Baad Walusari to know the grenades in his hands would be identical to hers; Lady Rhea had made clear to them both that they were not to take any chances, that they were to use the special grenades first if they sensed even the slightest whiff of betrayal from Xal.

A few breaths later a hatch about a third of the way around the circle opened. A pair of dark figures came shooting into the chamber, using the Force to pull themselves up toward the strange membrane air lock at the top of the chamber. Their helmet faceplates were closed, so it was impossible to be certain certain these were Luke and Ben Skywalker, whose faces she had seen so many times in training briefings. But the two were wearing the same formfitting Jedi vac suits she had seen in those briefings, and in their hands they held lightsabers as well as blasters. these were Luke and Ben Skywalker, whose faces she had seen so many times in training briefings. But the two were wearing the same formfitting Jedi vac suits she had seen in those briefings, and in their hands they held lightsabers as well as blasters.

"Fools," Xal hissed over the comm. Xal hissed over the comm.

Vestara had to agree. They were moving fast, which was always wise when traversing a potential ambush site. But Force-users had so many other tools available that there was no excuse for the kind of risks they were taking-except maybe arrogance. Perhaps the Skywalkers were just so accustomed to having the sole advantage of the Force that they no longer bothered with the most basic of tactical precautions. If these these were the best in the Jedi had to offer, the Jedi deserved what would befall them when the Tribe began its expansion. were the best in the Jedi had to offer, the Jedi deserved what would befall them when the Tribe began its expansion.

The Skywalkers were about two-thirds of the way to the membrane-far enough so they would not see the hatches swinging open behind them-when Xal gave his command.

"Now!"

Vestara opened her hatch and sent the two special grenades she had selected sailing up toward the Skywalkers. As she started to pull the hatch shut to protect herself, she saw Baad Walusari's grenades reverse course and go flying back into his hiding place. Time seemed to slow. In the next nanosecond she caught Ahri looking in her direction. Her own grenades reversed course and came sailing into her corridor with her, and the last thing she saw-just before her hatch closed-was Ahri tossing his his grenades up toward the Skywalkers. grenades up toward the Skywalkers.

Vestara dropped to her haunches, her stomach sinking and going hollow as she watched the special grenades-the ones with no detonators-bounce harmlessly down the corridor. Foreseeing that Xal would attempt to kill Vestara and Baad with their own grenades, Lady Rhea had provided them each with a harmless pair to throw first. Now, with evidence of her Master's wisdom rolling down the floor behind her, Vestara found herself filled with both rage and disappointment. It wasn't Ahri's betrayal that disheartened her. They were on opposite sides of a conflict, so that that was to be expected-even respected. It was the was to be expected-even respected. It was the stupidity stupidity she found sickening. Did he really believe Abeloth intended to accompany Xal back to Kesh with s.h.i.+p and the Skywalkers as prizes? Or was he just so much of a coward that he would rather die on Abeloth's planet than betray his Master and strike a deal with Lady Rhea? she found sickening. Did he really believe Abeloth intended to accompany Xal back to Kesh with s.h.i.+p and the Skywalkers as prizes? Or was he just so much of a coward that he would rather die on Abeloth's planet than betray his Master and strike a deal with Lady Rhea?

The thin bang of a pair of stun grenades sounded from the chamber outside, and Vestara knew the time had come to put Ahri out of his weakness. She pulled two more grenades from her equipment harness-both frag models, both fully lethal. Then she went back to the hatch and pushed it open a crack.

There was only one Skywalker in sight, floating overhead, up near the strange membrane. For a moment, Vestara thought Xal and Ahri had muddled not only their double cross but the ambush itself. Steeling herself to report the escape of one Skywalker, she removed the safety locks on the two fragmentation grenades and waited as Xal and Ahri emerged from their hiding places, already opening the shock shackles with which they intended to restrain their captive.

But instead of going toward the prisoner-to-be together, Xal broke off and started in Vestara's direction. She began to fear that he had sensed her survival-then she noticed that his gaze was fixed on the wall just above her hatch. The stun grenades had sent one of the Skywalkers drifting toward her, she realized.

Deciding that she had earned the right to a little selfish indulgence, Vestara used the Force to pull the s.h.i.+kkar from her equipment belt. Valued on Kesh as an art piece as much as a weapon, the thin gla.s.s dagger was designed to break off inside the target's body, killing him with as much anguish as possible. She sent it flying straight into Xal's abdomen.

The attack took Xal completely by surprise, the blade sinking a full ten centimeters into his solar plexus before it reached the hilt guards and stopped. Again using the Force, she snapped off the handle, leaving the gla.s.s blade buried inside his body.

Had Xal shown his apprentice the courtesy of dying in silence, Vestara might have been able to save her friend Ahri. But the Master bellowed his surprise and anguish like the coward he was. And that drew Ahri's attention away from the unconscious Skywalker he was preparing to restrain.

In the next second a lightsaber sizzled to life, and Ahri came apart along the length of his spine.

Vestara suffered only a heartbeat of surprise before she realized that the Skywalkers had completely escaped the stun grenade attack. Even then, she was a heartbeat slower than Baad Walusari, whose long arm was shooting out from behind his hatch, a pair of armed fragmentation grenades grasped in one hand.

The Skywalker beside Ahri was already extending his free hand in Walusari's direction. As soon as the Kes.h.i.+ri's hand opened, the grenades flew back back into the corridor and vanished from sight. Half a gasp later the hatch slammed shut on Walusari's arm, folding the limb in a direction no arm was meant to bend. into the corridor and vanished from sight. Half a gasp later the hatch slammed shut on Walusari's arm, folding the limb in a direction no arm was meant to bend.

It was already too late for Vestara to learn from Walusari's mistake. Though she managed to avoid releasing her grenades, a dark-gloved hand clamped down on her wrist and jerked her from her hiding place. A second hand s.n.a.t.c.hed the grenades from her hand and tossed them back into the corridor behind her. Then the hatch sc.r.a.ped past her and closed, leaving her to stare up into an open faceplate, where she found the pale blue eyes of Luke Skywalker.

He quickly slid her faceplate open so he could look into her eyes, then grasped her free hand with his.

"You should know," he said in Basic, "that Jedi can resist stun grenades."

"Fool!" she replied in Kes.h.i.+ri. she replied in Kes.h.i.+ri.

Even with both hands trapped, Vestara was far from helpless. Using the Force, she drew her parang from its sheath and brought the blade slas.h.i.+ng up toward Luke's face.

Skywalker reacted with incredible swiftness, throwing his head back and to one side. But even a Jedi Grand Master was no match for the speed of the dark side. The blade took him across the cheek and nose, opening a deep cut that sprayed Vestara's face with hot blood that burned like acid.

Skywalker released her hand. She glimpsed four large, black-gloved knuckles flying through her open faceplate, and when they landed, everything went dark.

LUKE WAS ALMOST THERE ... AS LONG AS THERE THERE WAS THE NEXT SECTION WAS THE NEXT SECTION of equipment-littered corridor, the next panel of self-lighting wall, the next doorway they pa.s.sed, the next "whatever" his son chose for him. He was sustaining himself only through the strength of the Force. It was pouring into him from all sides, filling him with a blazing furnace of pain, devouring him even as it empowered him, burning him alive even as it saved him. of equipment-littered corridor, the next panel of self-lighting wall, the next doorway they pa.s.sed, the next "whatever" his son chose for him. He was sustaining himself only through the strength of the Force. It was pouring into him from all sides, filling him with a blazing furnace of pain, devouring him even as it empowered him, burning him alive even as it saved him.

Luke would have liked to think he had never been quite this tired, to believe he would never again find himself in circ.u.mstances quite this desperate. But the truth was, he had been here many times before-in the wampa cave on Hoth, during the Battle of Mindor, on the approach to Qoribu in the Gyuel system in the Unknown Regions. And Luke had no doubt that he would be here many times again. In the years and the decades to come, there would be a hundred occasions when he thought he was dying and a dozen times when others believed he already had. Yet for Ben's sake, and for myriad reasons that seemed far less important right now, he had to keep going.

"Come on, Dad!" Ben's voice came over the helmet speaker. They had fled the ambush in the junction chamber just half a minute earlier, and now they were fleeing through the depressurized part of the station. "We're almost back to that detention center with the Killik carapaces!"

Luke didn't have the energy-or the heart-to tell Ben that the steady stream of encouragement was more irritating than helpful. He knew Ben was alarmed to see the blood from his slashed cheek pooling at the bottom of his faceplate, but the wound wasn't as serious as it looked. He had been careful not to let the girl cut too deeply, and it was a small enough price to pay for his prisoner.

Ben had insisted on being the one who pulled her along, and Luke was just as glad. Even though she was floating, it took effort to keep her from drifting away as the deck slowly rotated under her, and Luke needed to keep his concentration focused on all that Force energy he was pulling into himself.

Another section of wall illuminated, this time in a rich yellow, and the corridor behind them fell dark. If Luke remembered correctly, as they advanced toward the end of the pa.s.sage-about three hundred meters distant-the panel color would deepen to green. That was where they would find the entrance to their hangar, and then it should be a simple matter to board the Shadow Shadow and depart with their prisoner. and depart with their prisoner.