Luke nodded. "I come from nowhere. I am no one."

"What do you remember of your past? Think hard."

Luke shook his head. "Nothing."

"Very good." Soresh patted him on the shoulder again. This had gone even better than he'd expected. Perhaps there was something about the Jedi that made their minds particularly weak. Or perhaps this one was just eager to give up. "Lie down again, relax, sleep. Soon you'll be ready for another treatment, and we'll begin again."

CHAPTER NINE.

Luke's lightsaber sliced the air, a blur of motion. He whirled and spun, slas.h.i.+ng at anything that moved. Training droids bobbed awkwardly through the training room, trying to dodge the glowing blade. But it was useless. Luke was everywhere at once. Severed mechanical limbs, joint couplings, servomotors, and broken antennas flew across the room, dislodged by the whirling lightsaber. It was as if the blade was the living thing, and Luke its servant.

The blade danced with deadly grace, and one droid after another clattered to the floor.

Still, Luke pushed on, hacking, slicing, killing.

Exactly as he'd been ordered to do.

"Enough!" Soresh shouted.

Abruptly, Luke froze. His arm dropped to his side, deactivating the lightsaber.

"Return your weapon to me," Soresh ordered.

Luke surrendered it without hesitation.

Soresh surveyed the broken droids strewn across the training room, and the Jedi standing in the middle, seemingly unaware of the destruction he'd wrought.

My Jedi, Soresh thought, pleased. He had been slightly worried that his control over Luke would interfere with the Jedi's ability to use the Force. But so far, there had been no such problems. After several days of testing, Luke hadn't failed to complete a single challenge. Soresh had never had a new subject this obedient-or this powerful. A ring of armed guards surrounded him at all times, ready to step in if the prisoner got out of control. But Luke never got out of control. Control Control was the only thing his empty mind had left. was the only thing his empty mind had left.

"I believe you're ready for your final test," Soresh told Luke. "Would you like that?" It often entertained him to treat the subjects as if they could still form opinions of their own.

"Does it please you?" Luke asked. There was no curiosity in his voice, or any emotion at all.

"It does." It was true. Once he ensured Luke's absolute obedience and loyalty, he could move forward with the final phase of his plan.

"Then it pleases me," Luke said flatly.

"Good." Soresh turned to his guards. "We'll meet you on the surface," he ordered them. "Bring the prisoners."

"This can't be good," Leia muttered, as the guards shackled the prisoners together with heavy chains and marched them out of the cell.

"Cheer up, Princess," Han said. "Maybe they've seen the errors of their ways and they're taking us back to our s.h.i.+p."

But she didn't smile at the weak joke, and neither did he. Durasteel shackles seemed an odd way of saying, "Sorry for locking you in a dungeon for two weeks."

"Where do you think they're taking us, Han?" Leia asked.

He detected only the faintest quiver of fear in her voice. But it was enough to make him lie. "No idea, Princess. Your guess is as good as mine."

In fact, he had a pretty good guess. His gut was telling him that once they left this cell, they wouldn't be coming back. In fact, he was beginning to think they wouldn't be going much of anywhere, unless it was in a box. He reached forward and squeezed Leia's hand, just once.

The surface was even more arid and empty than Han remembered. But it felt good to feel the wind on his face again-even if it would be for the last time.

Chewbacca let out a mournful roar.

"Silence!" the guard shouted.

"I know, buddy," Han said softly. "Me, too."

Two figures stood a few meters from the doorway, waiting. Leia gasped. "Luke!" she cried.

He was standing beside Soresh, arms hanging loosely at his sides. As far as Han could tell, he wasn't in chains or cuffs or any kind of restraints. And yet he just stood there, staring blankly ahead.

"Luke!" Leia screamed, as the guards marched them right past Luke and Soresh.

"Who are they?" Han heard Luke ask.

"Miscreants," Soresh said. "And it's their time to die."

He handed Luke a blaster. The guards shoved Han, Leia, and Chewbacca against the side of a small shed.

I can take them, Han thought. If he could just distract them for a second- "Don't," Leia murmured, catching his eye. "Not yet. Luke has a plan. He must."

"Luke? You mean the guy standing by Soresh, holding the blaster? The one acting like he's never seen us before?"

"Luke would never hurt us," Leia said with determination. "You know that."

Luke raised the blaster and took aim.

"I know that, Princess, but..." But how could Han tell her about the look he'd seen in Luke's eyes, the look that reminded him so much of X-7? She was right, Luke Luke would never hurt them. But Han wasn't so sure Luke was in there anymore. would never hurt them. But Han wasn't so sure Luke was in there anymore.

Chewbacca growled, and glanced meaningfully at the nearest guard's blaster. He was holding it loosely, keeping his eyes on Soresh-and paying a dangerously small amount of attention to the angry Wookiee standing a couple meters away.

"On three," Han murmured under his breath, steeling himself to make a move.

"One...two..."

"Now!" Soresh shouted.

Luke fired.

CHAPTER TEN.

The shot went wild, slamming into the wall half a meter above Han's ear. At the same moment, a deafening burst of music exploded behind them. Traditional Aridinian folk music-famous across the galaxy for its ability to make human ears bleed after just a few notes. The guards' attention flickered toward the source of the torturous noise. It was exactly the opportunity Han and Chewbacca needed, and they leapt into action.

Chewbacca knocked his guard over with a single sweep of his ma.s.sive paw, seizing the man's blaster in the same motion. Han and his guard collapsed to the ground, rolling through the dirt, their fists flying.

A lumbering speeder truck rolled out from behind a nearby building, heading straight toward them. A golden protocol droid was at the controls, while behind him, a small silver-and-blue astromech blasted folk music from his internal speakers. And neither the speeder nor the music showed any sign of braking. Guards and prisoners alike scattered out of its way.

"Nice job, for tin cans," Han muttered, launching himself at the two guards holding Leia in place. He wrapped an arm around each of their necks, choking the life out of them.

Leia darted in to grab their weapons, tossing one to Han. He dropped the guards and s.n.a.t.c.hed the blaster, ready for a fight.

Soresh had scuttled away somewhere like a Rylothean schutta. Luke was nowhere to be seen. But there was little time to search for either: The area was crawling with guards and the air was already thick with smoke. Laserfire streaked across the camp. The speeder truck wheeled in circles. C-3PO had found himself a blaster, and was peppering laserbolts in every direction with little chance of hitting anything. Han ran for cover, blasting enemies in his wake. "Behind you, Chewie!" he shouted, as the Wookiee whirled around and took out three guards with one blow of his ma.s.sive forearms. Han ducked behind a low shed, peeking around the edge to fire an occasional shot. He spotted Chewbacca and Leia slipping into a similar hiding place about fifty meters away.

Han checked his remaining ammunition, then prepared to make a run for it. Beyond the small complex there was nothing but wide-open s.p.a.ce, dotted with gigantic boulders, rocky outcrops, and no sign of civilization. They had less than a kilometer of ground to cover, and they'd be safe. Or at least, safer.

"Here goes nothing," Han muttered-and then froze.

The telltale pressure of a blaster muzzle jutted into the back of his head. "Don't move," a flat voice behind him said. Then: "On your knees!"

"Make up your mind," Han grumbled. But he lowered himself to his knees. And then steeled himself for what came next. "Takes a real man to shoot someone in the back," he muttered.

But as he'd expected, the guard didn't react. Apparently brainwas.h.i.+ng didn't improve small talk skills.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" he snapped. If this was going to be the end, there was no point in stalling. He readied himself to strike, even if there was little chance of success. There was no way he was ending up back in one of those cells, waiting for an execution. He'd fight till his last breath before he ended up down there again.

Before Han could act, there was an explosive burst of laserfire...but no pain.

And he was still kneeling. The blaster at his head fell away. Han turned around to find a guard lying in the dirt, dead. Luke was standing over him, blaster in hand. A thin trail of smoke drifted up from its muzzle.

"You okay?" Luke asked, grasping Han's hand and pulling him to his feet.

"Luke?" Han said, unsure whether to be alarmed or relieved. "You know who I am?"

"Of course I know who, you are," Luke said, dragging Han farther out of sight behind the buildings. Leia and Chewbacca were firing constantly as they backed toward safety.

The guards all cowered behind buildings and boulders of their own, firing sporadically.

Han was very relieved to see Luke acting like Luke again. Almost as relieved as he was not to be dead. "So before...?"

"An act," Luke confirmed. "I have to let Soresh think he's won. It's the only way to find out what he's up to."

"I think we found out," Han said. "He's up to killing us. So how about we make a break before he tries again." The Falcon Falcon was docked nearby, and Han was certain they could take out the guards and get themselves off this rock. was docked nearby, and Han was certain they could take out the guards and get themselves off this rock. All All of them. of them.

But Luke shook his head.

"It's not just us," Luke said. "Some of the things I've heard-Soresh is plotting something against the Rebel fleet. I'm sure of it."

Han had suspected the same thing. "All the more reason to get out of here, kid. Fly away, save the day, be home for dinner."

"I have to stay," Luke said, with quiet intensity. "I just...I feel like this is where I need to be. That staying could be the only way to save them."

"This more of your Jedi mumbo jumbo?" Han grumbled.

"This is my gut," Luke said.

And Han couldn't argue with that. He pressed a comlink into Luke's hands. "You call us when you need us," he said gruffly, trying not to reveal how worried he was. The kid was taking a big burden upon himself, and Han wasn't sure he could handle it. He wasn't sure anyone could. "We'll be waiting."

"Thanks," Luke said. "Now, I need one more thing."

"Anything, kid."

Luke hesitated. "You trust me?"

Han didn't like the sound of that. "About as much as I trust anyone," he allowed.

Which wasn't saying much. "What do you need?"

Luke gave him a thin smile. "I need you to shoot me."

Luke lay on the ground, a gaping blaster wound in his left shoulder. He barely felt the pain. Instead, there was only joy and relief in the knowledge that his friends were alive.

And not just alive-free. Knowing that made what he had to do so much easier to bear.

Now that he knew they were safe, he could play Soresh's game, he could pretend to be a blank and obedient slave for as long as it took. There was hope after all-for his friends, for the Rebel fleet, and for himself.

He heard footsteps approach, and closed his eyes.

Moments later, a booted toe dug into his side. "Huh?" he said weakly, pretending to be waking from unconsciousness. Soresh stood over him, eyes fiery with rage. Two guards stood behind him.

"He escaped," Luke admitted, then moaned.

"Not before giving you a little parting gift, I see," Soresh said, gesturing to the wound.

"Nice friends you have there."

"Friends?" Luke asked, careful to sound confused, but not curious.

"Never mind." Soresh cleared his throat. "I'll admit this didn't work out as I'd hoped, but at least you've proved your loyalty. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," Luke said.

"Of course, you failed to accomplish your mission," Soresh said sternly. "And for that, you must be punished."