Star Wars

Dark Lord : The Rise of Darth Vader

by James Luceno
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PART I
T! "#T!R RI$ SI!%!S
&
$#R'A(A) *I(AL "#RS "* T! +L"(! WARS
Dro,,in- into s.ir/in- c/ouds con0ured by $urkhana1s .eather stations2 Roan Shryne .as
reminded of meditation sessions his former $aster had -uided him throu-h) (o matter ho. fi3ed
Shryne had been on touchin- the *orce2 his mind1s eye had offered /itt/e more than an eddyin-
.hiteness) 4ears /ater2 .hen he had become more ade,t at si/encin- thou-ht and immersin- himse/f
in the /i-ht2 5isua/ fra-ments .ou/d emer-e from that co/or/ess 5oid6,ieces to a ,u77/e that .ou/d
-radua//y assemb/e themse/5es and reso/5e) (ot in any conscious .ay2 thou-h fre8uent/y assurin-
him that his actions in the .or/d .ere in accord .ith the .i// of the *orce)
*re8uent/y but not a/.ays)
When he 5eered from the course on .hich the *orce had set him2 the fami/iar .hite .ou/d once
a-ain be stirred by ,o.erfu/ currents9 sometimes shot throu-h .ith red2 as if he .ere /iftin- his
c/osed eyes to the -/are of a midday sun)
Red6mott/ed .hite .as .hat he sa. as he fe// dee,er into $urkhana1s atmos,here) Scored to
re5erberatin- thunder9 the rush of the .ind9 a .e/ter of muff/ed 5oices)))
e .as standin- c/osest to the s/idin- door that norma//y sea/ed the troo, bay of a Re,ub/ic
-unshi,2 /aunched moments ear/ier from the for.ard ho/d of the %a//ant6a Victory6c/ass Star
Destroyer2 harried by 5u/ture and droid tri6fi-hters and a.aitin- i-h +ommand1s .ord to
commence its o.n descent throu-h $urkhana1s artificia/ cei/in-) :eside and behind Shryne stood a
,/atoon of c/one troo,ers2 he/mets fittin- snu-/y o5er their heads2 b/asters crad/ed in their arms2
uti/ity be/ts s/un- .ith ammo ma-a7ines2 ta/kin- amon- themse/5es the .ay seasoned .arriors
often did before batt/e) A//e5iatin- mis-i5in-s .ith inside 0okes9 references Shryne cou/dn1t be-in to
understand2 beyond the fact that they .ere -rim)
The -unshi,1s inertia/ com,ensators a//o.ed them to stand in the bay .ithout bein- 0o/ted by f/arin-
anti6aircraft e3,/osions or 0ost/ed by the -unshi, ,i/ots1 e5asi5e maneu5erin- throu-h corkscre.in-
missi/es and storms of .hite6hot shra,ne/) $issi/es2 because the same Se,aratists .ho had
manufactured the c/ouds had misted $urkhana1s air .ith anti6/aser aeroso/s)
Acrid odors infi/trated the cram,ed s,ace2 a/on- .ith the roar of the aft en-ines2 the starboard one
stutterin- some.hat2 the -unshi, as battered as the troo,ers and cre. it carried into conf/ict)
!5en at an a/titude of on/y four hundred meters abo5e sea /e5e/ the c/oud co5er remained dense)
The fact that Shryne cou/d bare/y see his hand in front of his face didn1t sur,rise him) This .as sti//
the .ar2 after a//2 and he had -ro.n accustomed these ,ast three years to not seein- .here he .as
-oin-)
(at6Sem2 his former $aster2 used to te// him that the -oa/ of the meditati5e e3ercises .as to see
c/ear throu-h the s.ir/in- .hiteness to the other side9 that .hat Shryne sa. .as on/y the shado.y
e3,anse se,aratin- him from fu// contact .ith the *orce) Shryne had to /earn to i-nore the c/ouds2
as it .ere) When he had /earned to do that2 to /ook throu-h them to the radiant e3,anse beyond2 he
.ou/d be a $aster)
Pessimistic by nature2 Shryne1s reaction had been: (ot in this /ifetime)
Thou-h he had ne5er said as much to (at6Sem2 the Jedi $aster had seen throu-h him as easi/y as he
sa. throu-h the c/ouds)
Shryne fe/t that the c/one troo,ers had a better 5ie. of the .ar than he had2 and that the 5ie. had
/itt/e to do .ith their he/met ima-in- systems2 the fi/ters that muted the shar, scent of the air2 the
ear,hones that dam,ened the sounds of e3,/osions) %ro.n for .arfare2 they ,robab/y thou-ht the
Jedi .ere mad to -o into batt/e as they did2 attired in tunics and hooded robes2 a /i-htsaber their
on/y .ea,on) $any of them .ere astute enou-h to see com,arisons bet.een the *orce and their
o.n .hite ,/astoid she//s9 but fe. of them cou/d discern bet.een armored and unarmored Jedi6
those .ho .ere a//ied .ith the *orce2 and those .ho for one reason or another had s/i,,ed from its
sustainin- embrace)
$urkhana1s /athered c/ouds fina//y be-an to thin2 unti/ they mere/y 5ei/ed the ,/anet1s .rink/ed
/andsca,e and frothin- sea) A sudden burst of bri//iant /i-ht dre. Shryne1s attention to the sky) What
he took for an e3,/odin- -unshi, mi-ht ha5e been a ne.born star9 and for a moment the .or/d
ti,,ed out of ba/ance2 then ri-hted itse/f 0ust as abru,t/y) A circ/e of c/arity o,ened in the c/ouds2 a
,erforation in the 5ei/2 and Shryne -a7ed on 5erdant forest so ,rofound/y -reen he cou/d a/most
taste it) Va/iant combatants scurried throu-h the underbrush and s/eek shi,s soared throu-h the
cano,y) In the midst of it a// a /one fi-ure stretched out his hand2 tearin- aside a curtain b/ack as
ni-ht)))
Shryne kne. he had ste,,ed out of time2 into some truth beyond reckonin-)
A 5ision of the end of the .ar2 ,erha,s2 or of time itse/f)
Whiche5er2 the effect of it comforted him that he .as indeed .here he .as su,,osed to be) That
des,ite the de,th to .hich the .ar had caused him to become fi3ed on death and destruction2 he
.as sti// tethered to the *orce2 and ser5in- it in his o.n /imited .ay)
Then2 as if intent on foi/in- him2 the thin c/ouds 8uick/y cons,ired to concea/ .hat had been
re5ea/ed2 c/osin- the ,orta/ an errant current had o,ened) And Shryne .as back .here he started2
.ith -usts of su,erheated air tu--in- at the s/ee5es and co./ of his bro.n robe)
;The 'oori5ar ha5e done a -ood 0ob .ith their .eather machines2; a s,eaker6enhanced 5oice said
into his /eft ear) ;Whi,,ed u, one brute of a sky) We used the same tactic on Paarin $inor) Dre. the
Se,s into fabricated c/ouds and b/e. them to the back of beyond);
Shryne /au-hed .ithout merriment) ;%ood to see you can sti// a,,reciate the /itt/e thin-s2
+ommander);
;What e/se is there2 %enera/<;
Shryne cou/dn1t make out the e3,ression on the face behind the tinted T65isor2 but he kne. that
shared face as .e// as anyone e/se .ho fou-ht in the .ar) +ommander of the Thirty6second air
combat .in-2 the c/one officer had some.here a/on- the /ine ac8uired the name Sa/5o2 and the
sobri8uet fit him /ike a -aunt/et)
The hi-h6traction so/es of his 0um, boots -a5e him 0ust enou-h added hei-ht to stand shou/der6to6
shou/der .ith Shryne2 and .here his armor .asn1t din-ed and scored it .as emb/a7oned .ith rust6
bro.n markin-s) "n his hi,s he .ore ho/stered hand b/asters and2 for reasons Shryne cou/dn1t
fathom2 a 5ersion of the ca,e/ike command skirt that had become a// the ra-e in the .ar1s third year)
The /eft side of his shra,ne/6,itted he/met .as /aser6etched .ith the motto LIV! T" S!RV!=
Torso markin-s attested to Sa/5o1s ,artici,ation in cam,ai-ns on many .or/ds2 and .hi/e he .asn1t
an AR+6an Ad5anced Reconnaissance +ommando6he had the rou-h ed-es of an AR+2 and of their
c/one tem,/ate2 Jan-o *ett2 .hose head/ess body Shryne had seen in a %eonosian arena short/y
before $aster (at6Sem had fa//en to enemy fire)
;A//iance .ea,ons shou/d ha5e us in tar-et /ock by no.2; Sa/5o said as the -unshi, continued to
descend)
"ther assau/t shi,s .ere a/so ,unchin- throu-h the c/oud co5er2 on/y to be -reeted by f/ocks of
incomin- missi/es) Struck by direct hits2 t.o2 four2 then fi5e craft .ere b/o.n a,art2 f/amin-
fuse/a-es and man-/ed troo,ers ,/ummetin- into the churnin- scar/et .a5es of $urkhana :ay)
*rom the nose of one -unshi, f/e. a ban-6out ca,su/e that carried the ,i/ot and co,i/ot to .ithin
meters of the .ater before it .as ri,,ed o,en by a reso/ute heat seeker)
In one of the fifty6odd -unshi,s that .ere racin- do.n the .e//2 three other Jedi .ere -oin- into
batt/e2 $aster Saras Loorne amon- them) Stretchin- out .ith the *orce2 Shryne found them2 faint
echoes confirmin- that a// three .ere sti// a/i5e)
e c/am,ed his ri-ht hand on one of the s/ide door1s 5ie. s/ots as the ,i/ots thre. their un.ie/dy
char-e into a hard bank2 narro./y e5adin- a ,air of hai/fire missi/es) %unners ensconced in the
-unshi,1s armature6mounted turrets o,ened u, .ith b/asters as f/i-hts of $ank5im Interce,tors
s.armed u, to en-a-e the Re,ub/ic force) The anti6/aser aeroso/s scattered the b/aster beams2 but
do7ens of the Se,aratist craft succumbed to missi/es s,e.ed from the -unshi,s1 to,6mounted mass6
dri5e /aunchers)
;i-h +ommand shou/d ha5e -ranted our re8uest to bombard from orbit2; Sa/5o said in an
am,/ified 5oice)
;The idea is to take the city2 +ommander2 not 5a,ori7e it2; Shryne said /oud/y) $urkhana had
a/ready been -ranted .eeks to surrender2 but the Re,ub/ic u/timatum had e3,ired) ;Pa/,atine1s
,o/icy for .innin- the hearts and minds of Se,aratist ,o,u/ations mi-ht not make -ood mi/itary
sense2 but it makes -ood ,o/itica/ sense);
Sa/5o stared at him from behind his 5isor) ;We1re not interested in ,o/itics);
Shryne /au-hed short/y) ;(either .ere the Jedi);
;Why fi-ht if you .eren1t bred for it<;
;To ser5e .hat remains of the Re,ub/ic); Shryne1s brief -reen 5ision of the .ar1s end returned2 and
he ado,ted a ruefu/ -rin) ;Dooku1s dead) %rie5ous is bein- hunted do.n) If it means anythin-2 I
sus,ect it1// be o5er soon);
;The .ar2 or our standin- shou/der6to6shou/der<;
;The .ar2 +ommander);
;What becomes of the Jedi then<;
;We1// do .hat .e ha5e a/.ays done: fo//o. the *orce);
;And the %rand Army<;
Shryne re-arded him) ;e/, us ,reser5e the ,eace);
>
$urkhana +ity .as 5isib/e no.2 c/imbin- into stee, hi//s that rose from a /on- crescent of
shore/ine2 the sheen of o5er/a,,in- ,artic/e shie/ds du//ed by the -ray underbe//y of the c/ouds)
Shryne cau-ht a f/eetin- -/im,se of the Ar-ente To.er before the -unshi, dro,,ed to the crests of
the frothin- .a5es and a/tered course2 ,ointin- its b/unt nose to.ard the stacked sky/ine and
s/a/omin- throu-h .arheads fired from .ea,ons em,/acements that /ined the shore)
In a c/ass .ith $y-ccto2 $uuni/inst2 and (eimoidia2 $urkhana .as not a con8uered ,/anet but a
host .or/d6home to former Senator and Se,aratist +ounci/ member Passe/ Ar-ente2 and
head8uarters of the +or,orate A//iance) $urkhana1s dea/ makers and /iti-ators2 tended to by armies
of househo/d droids and ,ri5ate security -uards2 had fashioned a hedonistic domain of to.erin-
office bui/din-s2 /u3urious a,artment com,/e3es2 e3c/usi5e medcenters2 and s.ank sho,,in- ma//s2
casinos2 and ni-htc/ubs) "n/y the most e3,ensi5e s,eeders ne-otiated a 5ertica/ citysca,e of
-racefu/2 s,ira/in- structures that /ooked as if they had been -ro.n of ocean cora/ rather than
constructed)
$urkhana a/so housed the finest communications faci/ity in that ,art of the "uter Rim2 and .as a
,rimary source of the ;shado.feeds; that s,read Se,aratist ,ro,a-anda amon- Re,ub/ic and
+onfederacy .or/ds)
Arran-ed /ike the s,okes of a .hee/2 four ten6ki/ometer6/on- brid-es /inked the city to an enormous
offshore /andin- ,/atform) e3a-ona/ in sha,e and su,,orted on thick co/umns anchored in the
seabed2 the ,/atform .as the ,ri7e the Re,ub/ic needed to secure before a fu// assau/t cou/d be
mounted) *or that to ha,,en2 the %rand Army needed to ,enetrate the defensi5e umbre//as and take
out the -enerators that sustained them) :ut .ith near/y a// roofto, and re,u/sor/ift /andin- ,/atforms
shie/ded2 $urkhana1s arc of b/ack6sand beach .as the on/y ,/ace .here the -unshi,s cou/d insert
their ,ay/oads of c/one troo,ers and Jedi)
Shryne .as -a7in- at the /andin- ,/atform .hen he fe/t someone be-in to ed-e bet.een him and
+ommander Sa/5o2 set on -ettin- a better /ook throu-h the o,en hatch) !5en before he sa. the
headfu/ of /on- b/ack cur/s2 he kne. it .as "/ee Star6stone) P/antin- his /eft hand firm/y on the to,
of her head2 he ,ro,e//ed her back into the troo, bay
;If you1re determined to make yourse/f a tar-et2 Pada.an2 at /east .ait unti/ .e hit the beach);
Rubbin- her head2 the ,etite2 b/ue6eyed youn- .oman -/anced o5er her shou/der at the ta// fema/e
Jedi standin- behind her) ;4ou see2 $aster) e does care);
;Des,ite a// e5idence to the contrary2; the fema/e Jedi said)
;I on/y meant that it1// be easier for me to bury you in the sand2; Shryne said)
Starstone sco./ed2 fo/ded her arms across her chest2 and s.un- a.ay from both of them)
:o/ +hatak thre. Shryne a /ook of mi/d re,rimand) The raised co./ of her b/ack robe hid her short
5esti-ia/ horns) An Iridonian ?abrak2 she .as nothin- if not to/erant2 and had ne5er taken Shryne to
task for his irascib/e beha5ior or interfered .ith his teasin- re/ationshi, .ith her Pada.an2 .ho had
0oined +hatak in the $urkhana system on/y a standard .eek ear/ier2 arri5in- .ith $aster Loorne
and t.o Jedi 'ni-hts) The demands of the "uter Rim Sie-es had dra.n so many Jedi from
+oruscant that the Tem,/e .as ,ractica//y deserted)
#nti/ recent/y2 Shryne2 too2 had had a Pada.an /earner))) *or the Jedi1s benefit2 the -unshi, ,i/ot
announced that they .ere c/osin- on the 0um, site)
;Wea,ons check=; Sa/5o said to the ,/atoon) ;%as and ,acks=;
As the troo, bay fi//ed .ith the sound of acti5atin- .ea,ons2
+hatak ,/aced her hand on Starstone1s 8ui5erin- shou/der) ;#se your unease to shar,en your senses2
Pada.an);
;I .i//2 $aster);
;The *orce .i// be With you);
;We1re a// dyin-2; Sa/5o to/d the troo,ers) ;Promise yourse/5es you1// be the /ast to -o=;
Access ,ane/s o,ened in the cei/in-2 dro,,in- more than a do7en ,o/y,/ast cab/es to .ithin reach of
the troo,ers)
;Secure to /ines=; Sa/5o said) ;Room for three more2 %enera/2; he added .hi/e armored2 body6
-/o5ed hands took ti-ht ho/d of the cab/es)
+a/cu/atin- that the 0um, .ou/dn1t e3ceed ten meters2 Shryne shook his head at Sa/5o) ;(o need)
We1// see you be/o.);
#ne3,ected/y2 the -unshi, -ained a/titude as it a,,roached the shore/ine2 then ,u//ed u, short of the
beach2 as if bein- reined in) Re,u/sor/ifts en-a-ed2 the -unshi, ho5ered) At the same time2 hundreds
of Se,aratist batt/e droids marched onto the beach2 firin- their b/asters in unison)
The intercom s8ua.ked2 and the ,i/ot said2 ;Droid buster a.ay=;
A concussion6feedback .ea,on2 the droid buster detonated at fi5e meters abo5e -round 7ero2
f/attenin- e5ery droid .ithin a radius of fifty meters) Simi/ar e3,/osions underscored the in-ress of
a do7en other -unshi,s)
;Where .ere these .ea,ons three years a-o<; one of the troo,ers asked Sa/5o)
;Pro-ress2; the commander said) ;A// of a sudden .e1re .innin- the .ar in a .eek);
The -unshi, ho5ered /o.er2 and Shryne /ea,t into the air) #sin- the *orce to o5ersee his fa//2 he
/anded in a crouch on the com,acted sand2 as did +hatak and Starstone2 if /ess e3,ert/y)
Sa/5o and the c/one troo,ers fo//o.ed2 descendin- one6handed on indi5idua/ cab/es2 tri--erin- their
rif/es as they s/id to the beach) When the fina/ troo,er .as on the -round2 the -unshi, /ifted its nose
and be-an to 5eer a.ay from shore) #, and do.n the beach the same scenario .as ,/ayin- out)
Se5era/ -unshi,s fai/ed to esca,e arti//ery fire and crashed in f/ames before they had turned about)
"thers .ere b/o.n a,art before they had e5en off6/oaded)
With ,ro0ecti/es and b/aster bo/ts .hi77in- ,ast their heads2 the Jedi and troo,ers scurried for.ard2
hunkerin- do.n behind a bu/khead that braced a ribbon of hi-h.ay coursin- bet.een the beach and
the near65ertica/ c/iffs beyond) Sa/5o1s communications s,ecia/ist com/inked for aeria/ su,,ort
a-ainst the batteries res,onsib/e for the .orst of the fire)
Throu-h an o,enin- in the bu/khead hastened the four members of a commando team2 .ith a
ca,ti5e in to.) #n/ike the troo,ers2 the commandos .ore -ray she//s of 'atarn6c/ass armor and
carried heftier .ea,ons) ardened a-ainst ma-netic ,u/ses2 their suits a//o.ed them to ,enetrate
defensi5e shie/ds)
The enemy combatant they had ca,tured .ore a /on- robe and tasse/ed headc/oth but /acked the
sa//o. com,/e3ion2 hori7onta/ facia/ markin-s2 and crania/ horns characteristic of the 'oori5ar)
Like their fe//o. Se,aratists the (eimoidians2 Passe/
Ar-ente1s s,ecies had no taste for .arfare2 but fe/t no com,unction about em,/oyin- the best
mercenaries credits cou/d buy)
The bur/y commando s8uad /eader .ent immediate/y to Sa/5o)
;Ion Team2 +ommander2 attached to the T.enty6second out of :o7 Pity); Turnin- s/i-ht/y in
Shryne1s direction2 the commando nodded his he/meted head)
;We/come to $urkhana2 %enera/ Shryne);
Shryne1s dark bro.s beet/ed) ;The 5oice is fami/iar)))2; he be-an)
;The face e5en more so2; the commando com,/eted)
The 0oke .as a/most three years o/d but sti// in use amon- the c/one troo,ers2 and bet.een them and
the Jedi)
;+/imber2; the commando said2 ,ro5idin- his sobri8uet) ;We fou-ht to-ether on Deko (eimoidia);
Shryne c/a,,ed the commando on the shou/der) ;%ood to see you a-ain2 +/imber6e5en here);
;As I to/d you2; +hatak said to Starstone2 ;$aster Shryne has friends a// o5er);
;Perha,s they don1t kno. him as .e// as I do2 $aster2; Star6stone -rumb/ed)
+/imber /ifted his he/met face,/ate to the -ray sky) ;A -ood day for fi-htin-2 %enera/);
;I1// take your .ord for it2; Shryne said)
;$ake your re,ort2 s8uad /eader2; Sa/5o interru,ted)
+/imber turned to the commander) ;The 'oori5arr are e5acuatin- the city2 but takin- their s.eet
time about it) They15e a /ot more faith in these ener-y shie/ds than they shou/d ha5e); e beckoned
the ca,ti5e for.ard and s,un him rou-h/y to face Sa/5o) ;$eet Idis6human under the 'oori5ar
tra,,in-s) Distin-uished member of the Vibrob/ade :ri-ade);
;A mercenary band2; :o/ +hatak e3,/ained to Starstone) ;We cau-ht him)
)) .ith his trousers do.n2; +/imber continued2 ;and ,ersuaded him to share .hat he kno.s about
the shore/ine defenses) e .as kind enou-h to ,ro5ide the /ocation of the /andin- ,/atform shie/d
-enerator); The commando indicated a ta//2 ta,ered edifice farther do.n the beach) ;Just north of
the first brid-e2 near the marina) The -enerator1s insta//ed t.o f/oors be/o. -round /e5e/) We may
ha5e to take out the .ho/e bui/din- to -et to it);
Sa/5o si-na/ed to his com/ink s,ecia/ist) ;Re/ay the bui/din- coordinates to %a//ant -unnery6;
;Wait on that2; Shryne said 8uick/y) ;Tar-etin- the bui/din- ,oses too -reat a risk to the brid-es) We
need them intact if .e1re -oin- to mo5e 5ehic/es into the city);
Sa/5o considered it brief/y) ;A sur-ica/ strike2 then);
Shryne shook his head no) ;There1s another reason for discretion) That bui/din- is a medcenter) "r
at /east it .as the /ast time I .as here);
Sa/5o /ooked to +/imber for confirmation)
;The -enera/1s correct2 +ommander) It1s sti// a medcenter); Sa/5o shifted his -a7e to Shryne) ;An
enemy medcenter2 %enera/)
Shryne com,ressed his /i,s and nodded) ;!5en at this ,oint in the .ar2 ,atients are considered
noncombatants) Remember .hat I said about hearts and minds2 +ommander); e -/anced at the
mercenary) ;Is the shie/d -enerator accessib/e from street /e5e/<;
;De,ends on ho. ski//ed you are);
Shryne /ooked at +/imber)
;(ot a ,rob/em2; the commando said)
Sa/5o made a sound of distaste) ;4ou1d trust the .ord of a merc<;
+/imber ,ressed the mu77/e of his D+6&@ rif/e into the sma// of the mercenary1s back) ;Idis is on our
side no.2 aren1t you<;
The mercenary1s head bobbed) ;*ree of char-e);
Shryne /ooked at +/imber a-ain) ;Is your team carryin- enou-h therma/ detonators to do the 0ob<;
;4es2 sir);
Sa/5o sti// didn1t /ike it) ;I stron-/y recommend that .e /ea5e this to the %a//ant);
Shryne re-arded him) ;What1s the matter2 +ommander2 .e1re not ki//in- the Se,aratists in sufficient
numbers<;
;In sufficient numbers2 %enera/) Just not 8uick/y enou-h);
;The %a//ant is sti// ho/din- at fifty ki/ometers2; +hatak said in a conci/iatory tone) ;There1s time to
recon the bui/din-);
Sa/5o demonstrated his dis,/easure .ith a shru- of indifference) ;It1s your funera/ if you1re .ron-);
;That1s neither here nor there2; Shryne said) ;We1// rende75ous .ith you at ra//y ,oint Aurek6:acta)
If .e don1t turn u, by the time the %a//ant arri5es2 feed them the bui/din-1s coordinates);
;4ou can count on it2 sir);
A
$urkhana had been a dan-erous .or/d /on- before it had become a treacherous one) $a-istrate
Passe/ Ar-ente had been content to a//o. crime to f/ourish2 under the condition that the +or,orate
A//iance and its ,rinci,a/ subsidiary2 Lethe $erchandisin-2 recei5ed their fair share of the action)
:y the time Ar-ente had 0oined +ount Dooku1s secessionist mo5ement and dra.n $urkhana into
the +onfederacy of Inde,endent Systems there .as a/most no distin-uishin- the +or,orate
A//iance1s thu- tactics from those of :/ack Sun and simi/ar -an-ster syndicates2 sa5e for the fact
that the A//iance .as more interested in cor,orate ac8uisitions than it .as in -amb/in-2
racketeerin-2 and the trade in i//e-a/ s,ice)
Where ,ersuasion fai/ed2 the +or,orate A//iance re/ied on the tank droid to con5ince com,any
o.ners of the .isdom of accedin- to offers of cor,orate takeo5er2 and scores of those treaded .ar
machines had taken u, ,ositions on the stee, streets of $urkhana +ity to th.art Re,ub/ic
occu,ation)
Shryne kne. the ,/ace about as .e// as anyone2 but he /et the commandos take the ,oint) Dod-in-
b/asterfire from batt/edroids and ro5in- bands of mercenaries2 and trustin- that the ca,ti5e fi-hter
had kno.n better than to steer them .ron-2 the three Jedi fo//o.ed the four s,ecia/ o,s troo,ers on
a circuitous course throu-h the s.itchbacked streets) i-h o5erhead2 /aser and ion bo/ts s,/ashed
a-ainst the con5e3 ener-y shie/ds2 a/on- .ith droid craft and starfi-hters cri,,/ed in the furious
do-fi-hts takin- ,/ace in the c/ouds)
Short/y the a//ied team reached the a,,roach a5enues of the southernmost of the 8uartet of brid-es
that 0oined the city and the /andin- ,/atform) !ncounterin- no resistance at the medcenter2 they
infi/trated the bui/din-1s soarin- atrium) Wan /i-ht streamed throu-h ta// ,erma,/e3 .indo.s9 dust
and debris .afted do.n to a mosaic f/oor as the bui/din- tremb/ed in concert .ith the intensifyin-
Re,ub/ic bombardment)
The ,artic/e6fi//ed air bu77ed .ith current from the shie/d -enerator2 raisin- the hairs on the back of
Shryne1s neck) The ,/ace /ooked and fe/t deserted2 but Shryne sent +hatak2 Starstone2 and t.o of the
commandos to reconnoiter the u,,er f/oors2 0ust in case) Sti// trustin- to the ca,ti5e1s inte//i-ence2
Shryne2 +/imber2 and Ion Team1s e3,/osi5es s,ecia/ist ne-otiated a .arren of faint/y /i-hted
corridors that /ed to a turbo/ift the ca,ti5e had ,romised .ou/d dro, them into the shie/d -enerator
room)
;Sir2 I didn1t .ant to say anythin- in front of %enera/ +hatak2; +/imber said as they .ere
descendin-2 ;but it1s not often you find a Jedi and a commander at odds about tactics);
Shryne kne. that to be true) ;+ommander Sa/5o has -ood instincts) What he /acks is ,atience); e
turned fu//y to the he/meted commando) ;The .ar1s chan-ed some of us2 +/imber) :ut the Jedi
mandate has a/.ays been to kee, the ,eace .ithout ki//in- e5eryone .ho stands in the .ay);
+/imber nodded in understandin-) ;I kno. of a fe. commanders .ho .ere returned to 'amino for
remedia/ trainin-);
;And I kno. a fe. Jedi .ho cou/d use as much2; Shryne said) ;:ecause a// of us .ant this .ar o5er
and done .ith); e touched +/imber on the arm as the turbo/ift .as comin- to a ha/t) ;A,o/o-ies u,
front if this mission turns out to be a .aste of time);
;(ot a ,rob/em2 sir) We1// consider it /ea5e);
"utside the anti-ra5 shaft2 the deafenin- hum of the -enerator made it a/most im,ossib/e to
communicate .ithout re/yin- on com/inks) Pri7in- his from a ,ouch on his uti/ity be/t2 Shryne set it
to the fre8uency +/imber and his s,ec6three used to communicate .ith each other throu-h their
he/met /inks)
Wari/y2 the three of them made their .ay do.n an un/i-hted ha//.ay and u/timate/y onto a shaky
-antry that o5er/ooked the -enerator room) $ost of the ca5ernous s,ace .as occu,ied by the
truncated durastee/ ,yramid that fed ,o.er to the /andin- ,/atform1s 5eritab/e forest of dish6sha,ed
shie/d ,ro0ectors)
$acrobinocu/ars /o.ered o5er his tinted 5isor2 +/imber scanned the area)
;I count t.e/5e sentries2; he to/d Shryne throu-h the corn6/ink)
;Add three 'oori5ar technicians on the far side of the -enerator2; the s,ec6three said from his
,osition)
!5en .ithout macrobinocu/ars2 Shryne cou/d sec that the ma0ority of the -uards .ere mercenaries2
humans and humanoids2 armed .ith b/aster rif/es and 5ibrob/ades2 the bri-ade1s si-nature .ea,on)
+rania/ horns6a symbo/ of status2 es,ecia//y amon- members of $urkhana1s e/ite6identified the
'oori5ar amon- the -rou,) Three Trade *ederation batt/e droids com,/eted the contin-ent)
;%enerator1s too .e// ,rotected for us to be co5ert2; +/imber said) ;!3cuse me for sayin- so2 but
maybe +ommander Sa/5o .as ri-ht about /ettin- the %a//ant hand/e this);
;As I said2 he has -ood instincts);
;Sir2 0ust because the -uards aren1t here for medica/ care doesn1t mean .e can1t make ,atients of
them);
;%ood thinkin-2; Shryne said) ;:ut .e1re three a-ainst t.e/5e);
;4ou1re -ood for at /east si3 of them2 aren1t you2 sir<; Shryne sho.ed the commando a narro.6eyed
-rin) ;"n a -ood day);
;In the end you and Sa/5o both -et to be ri-ht) !5en better2 .e1// be sa5in- the %a//ant a cou,/e of
/aser bo/ts);
Shryne snorted a /au-h) ;Since you ,ut it that .ay2 +/imber);
+/imber f/ashed a series of hand -estures at his munitions e3,ert9 then the three of them be-an to
.ork their .ay do.n to the -reasy f/oor)
Surrenderin- thou-ht and emotion2 Shryne sett/ed into the *orce) e trusted that the *orce .ou/d
o5ersee his actions so /on- as he e3ecuted them .ith determination rather than in an-er)
Takin- out the -uards .as mere/y somethin- that needed to be done)
At +/imber1s si-na/ he and the s,ec6three dro,,ed four of the sentries .ith ,recise/y aimed b/aster
bo/ts2 then 0uked into return fire to dea/ .ith those .ho .ere sti// standin-)
As tenuous as his contact .ith the *orce sometimes .as2 Shryne .as sti// a master .ith a s.ord2
and a/most thirty years of trainin- had honed his instincts and turned his body into an instrument of
tremendous s,eed and ,o.er) The *orce -uided him to areas of -reatest threat2 the b/ue b/ade of his
/i-htsaber c/ea5in- the thick air2 def/ectin- fire2 se5erin- /imbs) $oments e3,anded2 a//o.in- him
to ,ercei5e each indi5idua/ ener-y bo/t2 each f/ick of a 5ibrob/ade) #nfa/terin- intention -a5e him
am,/e time to see to e5ery dan-er2 and to carry out his task)
is o,,onents fe// to his c/ean s/ashes2 e5en one of the droids2 .hose me/ted circuitry raised an
o7one reek) "ne mercenary .him,ered as he fe// back.ard2 air ras,in- throu-h a ho/e in his chest2
b/ood /eakin- from 5esse/s that hadn1t been cauteri7ed by the b/ade1s ,assin-)
Another2 Shryne .as forced to deca,itate)
e sensed +/imber and the s,ec6three to either side of him2 meetin- .ith simi/ar success2 the
sibi/ant sound of their .ea,ons ,unctuatin- the shie/d -enerator1s cease/ess hum)
A droid burst a,art2 f/in-in- shra,ne/)
Shryne e5aded a .hir/in- storm of hot a//oy that cau-ht a 'oori5ar fu//6on2 ,e,,erin- his sa//o.
face and robed torso)
Tumb/in- out of the reach of a tossed 5ibrob/ade2 he noticed t.o of the technicians f/eein- for their
/i5es) e .as .i//in- to /et them -o2 but the s,ec6three sa. them2 as .e//2 and sho.ed them no
8uarter2 cuttin- both of them do.n before they had reached the safety of the room1s ,rimary
turbo/ift)
With that2 the fi-ht be-an to .ind do.n)
Shryne1s breathin- and heartbeat .ere /oud in his ears but under contro/) Thou-ht2 ho.e5er2
intruded on his 5i-i/ance2 and he /o.ered his -uard before he shou/d ha5e)
The shi5erin- b/ade of a mercenary1s knife bare/y missed him) S,innin- on his hee/2 he s.e,t his
attacker1s feet out from under him2 and in so doin- rid the human of his /eft foot) The mere ho./ed2
his eyes -oin- .ide at the si-ht2 and he /ashed out .ith both hands2 inad5ertent/y knockin- the
/i-htsaber from Shryne1s -ri, and sendin- it skitterin- across the f/oor)
Some distance a.ay2 +/imber had been set u,on by a batt/e droid and t.o mercenaries) The droid
had been taken out2 but its s,arkin- she// had co//a,sed on to, of +/imber2 ,innin- his ri-ht hand
and b/aster rif/e2 and the ,air of mercs .ere ,re,arin- to finish him off)
+/imber mana-ed to ho/d one of his .ou/d6be ki//ers at bay .ith .e//6,/aced kicks2 e5en .hi/e he
dod-ed a b/aster bo/t that ricocheted from the f/oor and the canted face of the shie/d -enerator)
Rushin- onto the scene2 the s,ec6three .ent hand6to6hand .ith the mere +/imber had booted aside2
but +/imber .as out of tricks for dea/in- .ith his second assai/ant)
Vibrob/ade c/as,ed in t.o hands2 the enemy fi-hter /ea,t)
Shryne mo5ed in a b/ur6not for +/imber2 because he kne. that he cou/d ne5er reach him in time6but
for the sti//6s,innin- /i-htsaber hi/t2 .hich he toed direct/y into +/imber1s -/o5ed and outstretched
/eft hand) In the same instant the mere .as /eanin- o5er +/imber to de/i5er .hat .ou/d ha5e been a
fata/ b/o.2 the commando1s thumb hit the /i-htsaber1s acti5ation stud) A co/umn of b/ue ener-y
sur-ed from the hi/t2 and throu-h the Se,aratist1s chest2 im,a/in- him)
Shryne hurried to +/imber1s side .hi/e the s,ec6three .as mo5in- throu-h the room2 makin- certain
no further sur,rises a.aited them)
4oda or 0ust about any other Jedi $aster .ou/d ha5e been ab/e to rid +/imber of the batt/e droid
.ith a *orce ,ush2 but Shryne needed +/imber1s he/, to mo5e the s,arkin- carcass aside) 4ears
back2 he .ou/d ha5e been ab/e to mana-e it a/one2 but no /on-er) e .asn1t sure if the .eakness
.as in him or if2 .ith the death of e5ery Jedi2 the .ar .as /eachin- some of the *orce out the
uni5erse)
+/imber ro//ed the mercenary1s body to one side and sat u,) ;Thanks for the sa5e2 %enera/);
;Just didn1t .ant you to end u, /ike your tem,/ate); +/imber stared at him)
;ead/ess2 I mean);
+/imber nodded) ;I thou-ht you meant ki//ed by a Jedi);
Shryne he/d out his hand out for the /i-htsaber2 .hich +/imber .as re-ardin- as if noticin- it for the
first time) Then2 fee/in- Shryne1s -a7e on him2 he said2 ;Sorry2 sir2; and s/a,,ed the hi/t into
Shryne1s hand)
Shryne hooked the /i-htsaber to his be/t and yanked +/imber to his feet2 his eyes fa//in- on +hatak2
Starstone2 and Ion Team1s other t.o commandos2 .ho had rushed into the room .ith .ea,ons
dra.n)
Shryne -estured to them that e5erythin- .as under contro/) ;*ind any ,atients<; he asked +hatak
.hen she .as .ithin earshot)
;(one2; she said) ;:ut .e hadn1t checked out the entire bui/din- .hen .e heard the b/asterfire);
Shryne turned to +/imber) ;Set your therma/ char-es) Then contact +ommander Sa/5o) Te// him to
a/ert airborne command that the /andin- ,/atform ener-y shie/d .i// be dro,,in-2 but that someone
is sti// -oin- to ha5e to take out the shore batteries on the brid-e a,,roaches before troo,s and
arti//ery can be inserted) %enera/ +hatak and I .i// finish s.ee,in- the bui/din- and catch u, .ith
you at the ra//y ,oint);
;Affirmati5e2 sir);
Shryne started off2 then sto,,ed in his tracks) ;+/imber);
;%enera/<;
;Te// +ommander Sa/5o for me that .e ,robab/y cou/d ha5e done thin-s his .ay);
;4ou certain you .ant me to do that<;
;Why not<;
;*or one thin-2 sir2 it1s on/y -oin- to encoura-e him);
B
Ras says you made a ki// .ith %enera/ Shryne1s /i-htsaber2; one of the commandos .ho had
accom,anied :o/ +hatak said to +/imber .hi/e a// four members of Ion Team .ere s/a5in- therma/
detonators to the shie/d -enerator1s contro/ ,ane/s)
;That1s ri-ht) And kno.in- that you1d .ant to see it2 I had my he/met cam sna, a ho/o);
+/imber1s sarcasm .as /ost on the sma//6arms e3,ert2 a s,ec6t.o .ho .ent by the name Trace)
;o.1d it hand/e<;
+/imber sat sti// for a moment) ;$ore /ike a too/ than a .ea,on);
;%ood too/ for o,enin- u, mercenaries2; Ras said from nearby)
+/imber nodded) ;(o ar-ument) :ut -i5e me a se5enteen any day);
;Shryne1s a// ri-ht2; Trace said after they had -one back to ,/acin- the char-es)
;I1// take him o5er Sa/5o in a firefi-ht2; +/imber said2 ;but not on a batt/efie/d) Shryne1s too
concerned about co//atera/ dama-e);
+om,/etin- his task2 he .a/ked .ith ,ur,ose throu-h the contro/ room2 assessin- e5eryone1s .ork)
Ion Team1s com/ink s,ecia/ist hurried o5er .hi/e +/imber .as ad0ustin- the ,/acement of one of the
detonators)
;as +ommander Sa/5o been u,dated<; +/imber asked) ;The commander is on the fre8 no.2; the
s,ec6one said) ;Wants to s,eak to you ,ersona//y);
+/imber distanced himse/f from the rest of the team and chinned the he/met com/ink stud to an
encry,ted fre8uency ;S,ec67ero +/imber secure2 +ommander);
;Are the Jedi .ith you<; Sa/5o said abru,t/y)
;(o2 sir) They1re s.ee,in- the rest of the bui/din- in case .e o5er/ooked anyone);
;What1s your situation2 s8uad /eader<;
;We1re out of here as soon as the rest of the therma/s are set) T6 fi5e2 at most);
;Retain a cou,/e of those therma/s) 4our team is to re0oin us soonest) We ha5e a re5ised ,riority);
;Re5ised2 ho.<;
;The Jedi are to be ki//ed);
+/imber fe// si/ent for a /on- moment) ;Say a-ain2 +ommander);
;We1re takin- out the Jedi);
;"n .hose orders<;
;Are you 8uestionin- my authority<;
;(o2 sir) Just doin- my 0ob);
;4our 0ob is to obey your su,eriors);
+/imber reca//ed Shryne1s actions in the -enerator room9 his s,eed and accuracy2 his ski// .ith the
/i-htsaber)
;4es2 sir) I1m 0ust not too keen about -oin- u, a-ainst three Jedi);
;(one of us is2 +/imber) That1s .hy .e need your team here) I .ant to set u, an ambush short of the
ra//y ,oint);
;#nderstood2 +ommander) Wi// com,/y) "ut);
+/imber re0oined his three teammates2 a// of .hom .ere .atchin- him c/ose/y)
;What .as a// that about<; Trace asked)
+/imber sat on his haunches) ;We15e been ordered to s,rin- an ambush on the Jedi);
Ras -runted) ;"dd time for a /i5e6fire e3ercise2 isn1t it<;
+/imber turned to him) ;It1s not an e3ercise);
Ras didn1t mo5e a musc/e) ;I thou-ht the Jedi .ere on our side);
+/imber nodded) ;So did I);
;So .hat1d they do<; Trace asked)
+/imber shook his head) ;Sa/5o didn1t say) And it1s not a 8uestion .e1re su,,osed to ask2 are .e
c/ear on that<; The three s,ecs re-arded one another)
;o. do you .ant to hand/e it<; Ras said fina//y
;The commander .ants us to b/o. an ambush2; +/imber said in a determined 5oice) ;I say .e -i5e
him .hat he .ants);
C
*rom the sheer hei-hts abo5e the medcenter2 Shryne2 +hatak2 and Starstone .atched the to.erin-
bui/din- tremb/e as the shie/d -enerator buried at its base e3,/oded) +/ouds of smoke bi//o.ed into
the chaotic sky2 and the structure s.ayed ,recarious/y) *ortunate/y it didn1t co//a,se2 as Shryne
feared it mi-ht2 so the brid-es that s,anned the bay suffered no dama-e) Ten ki/ometers a.ay2 the
shimmerin- ener-y shie/d that umbre//aed the /andin- ,/atform .inked out and fai/ed2 /ea5in- the
hu-e he3a-on o,en to attack)
(ot a moment ,assed before s8uadrons of Re,ub/ic V6.in- starfi-hters and AR+6&@D bombers fe//
from the scuddin- c/ouds2 cannons b/a7in-) In defense2 anti6aircraft batteries on the /andin- fie/d
and brid-es o,ened u,2 fi//in- the sky .ith hy,hens of ra. ener-y)
*ar to the south the %a//ant hun- motion/ess2 fi5e hundred meters abo5e the turbu/ent .aters of the
bay) +om,/etin- 8uick6turn burns2 Re,ub/ic -unshi,s .ere streakin- from the Star Destroyer1s
dockin- bays and racin- shore.ard throu-h storms of intense fire)
;(o. it be-ins in earnest2; Shryne said)
The three Jedi struck .est2 mo5in- dee,er into the city2 then south2 an-/in- for the rende75ous
,oint) They a5oided en-a-ements .ith batt/e droids and mercenaries .hen they cou/d2 and .on
their skirmishes .hen e5asion .asn1t an o,tion) Shryne .as re/ie5ed to see that +hatak1s cur/y6
haired Pada.an demonstrated remarkab/e coura-e2 and .as as deft at hand/in- a /i-htsaber as many
fu//6f/ed-ed Jedi 'ni-hts) e sus,ected that she had a stron-er connection .ith the *orce than he
had had e5en durin- his most sta/.art years as an ea-er /earner)
When he .asn1t seekin- .ays to a5oid confrontation2 Shryne .as obsessin- o5er his .ron- ca//
re-ardin- the medcenter)
;A sur-ica/ strike .ou/d ha5e been ,referab/e2; he confessed to +hatak as they .ere hurryin-
throu-h a -/oomy a//ey Shryne kne. from ,re5ious 5isits to $urkhana)
;!ase u, on yourse/f2 Roan2; she to/d him) ;The -enerator .as there ,recise/y because the
+or,orate A//iance kne. that .e .ou/d sho. the medcenter mercy) What1s more2 +ommander
Sa/5o1s o,inion of you hard/y matters in the scheme of thin-s) If both of you .eren1t so hooked on
mi/itary strate-y2 you cou/d be off some.here sharin- shots of brandy);
;If either of us drank);
;(e5er too /ate to start2 Roan);
Starstone /oosed a /oud si-h) ;This is the .isdom you im,art to your Pada.an6that it1s ne5er too
/ate to start drinkin-<;
;Did I hear a 5oice<; Shryne said2 -/ancin- around in theatrica/ concern)
;(ot an im,ortant one2; +hatak assured him)
Starstone .as shakin- her head back and forth) ;This is not the a,,renticeshi, I e3,ected);
Shryne thre. her a /ook) ;When .e -et back to +oruscant2 I1// be sure to s/i, a note into the
Tem,/e1s su--estion bo3 that
"/ee Starstone has e3,ressed disa,,ointment .ith the .ay she1s bein- trained);
Starstone -rimaced) ;I .as at /east under the im,ression that the ha7in- .ou/d sto, once I became a
Pada.an);
;That1s .hen the ha7in- be-ins2; +hatak said2 su,,ressin- a smi/e) ;Wait ti// you see .hat you ha5e
to endure at the tria/s);
;I didn1t rea/i7e the tria/s .ou/d inc/ude ,sycho/o-ica/ torture);
+hatak -/anced at her) ;In the end2 Pada.an2 it a// comes do.n to that);
;The .ar is tria/ enou-h for anyone2; Shryne said o5er his shou/der) ;I say that a// Pada.ans
automatica//y be ,romoted to Jedi 'ni-hts);
;4ou .on1t mind if I 8uote you to 4oda<; Starstone said) ;That1s $aster 4oda to you2 Pada.an2;
+hatak admonished)
;I a,o/o-i7e2 $aster);
;!5en if 4oda and the rest of the i-h +ounci/ members ha5e their heads in the c/ouds2; Shryne
muttered)
Starstone bit her /i,) ;I1// ,retend I1m not hearin- this);
;4ou1d better hear it2; Shryne said2 turnin- to her) They he/d to their south.ester/y course)
The fi-htin- a/on- the shore/ine .as becomin- ferocious) Starfi-hters and droid craft f/yin- .e//
be/o. o,timum a/titudes .ere disa,,earin- in ba//s of f/ame) "5er.he/med by ran-ed ion cannon
fire from the %a//ant2 ener-y shie/ds throu-hout the city .ere be-innin- to fai/ and a mass e3odus
.as under .ay2 .ith ,anicked cro.ds of 'oori5ar f/eein- she/ters2 homes2 and ,/aces of business)
$ercenary bri-ades2 reinforced by batt/e droids and tanks2 .ere fortifyin- their ,ositions in the
hi//s) Shryne surmised that the fi-ht to occu,y $urkhana .as -oin- to be /on- and bruta/2 ,erha,s
at an un,recedented cost in /i5es)
T.o hundred meters shy of the rende75ous2 he .as shaken by a sudden resti5eness that had nothin-
to do .ith the o5erarchin- batt/e) *ee/in- as if he had un.ittin-/y /ed his fe//o. Jedi into the si-hts
of enemy sni,ers2 he motioned +hatak and Star6stone to a ha/t2 then -uided them .ithout
e3,/anation to the refu-e of a deserted storefront)
;I thou-ht I .as the on/y one sensin- it2; +hatak said 8uiet/y)
Shryne .asn1t sur,rised) Like Starstone2 the ?abrak Jedi had a dee, and abidin- connection to the
*orce)
;+an you -et to the heart of it<; he asked)
She shook her head no) ;(ot .ith any c/arity);
Starstone cut her eyes from one Jedi to the other) ;What1s .ron-< I don1t sense anythin-);
;!3act/y2; Shryne said)
;We1re c/ose to the rende75ous2 Pada.an2; +hatak said in her best mentor1s 5oice) ;So .here is
e5eryone< Why ha5en1t the troo,ers set u, a ,erimeter<;
Starstone mu//ed it o5er) ;$aybe they1re 0ust .aitin- for us to arri5e);
The youn- .oman1s offhand remark .ent to the core of .hat Shryne and +hatak .ere fee/in-)
Tradin- a/ert -/ances2 they unc/i,,ed their /i-htsabers and acti5ated the b/ades)
;:e mindfu/2 Pada.an2; +hatak cautioned as they .ere /ea5in- the she/ter of the storefront)
;Stretch out .ith your fee/in-s);
*arther on2 at a conf/uence of t.istin- streets2 Shryne ,ercei5ed +ommander Sa/5o and a ,/atoon of
troo,ers dis,ersed in a ti-ht semicirc/e) (ot2 ho.e5er2 to ,ro5ide the Jedi .ith co5er fire in case
they .ere bein- ,ursued) Shryne1s ear/ier sense of mis-i5in- b/ossomed into a/arm2 and he shouted
for +hatak and Starstone to dro, to the -round)
They no sooner did .hen a series of concussi5e detonations shook the street) :ut the b/asts had
been sha,ed to b/o. at Sa/5o1s ,osition rather than at the Jedi)
Shryne -ras,ed instant/y that the f/ame/ess e3,/osions had been ,roduced by !+Ds6e/ectrostatic
char-e detonators) #sed to disab/e droids2 an !+D .as a tactica/ 5ersion of the ma-netic6,u/se
.ea,on the -unshi,s had re/eased on reachin- the beach) +au-ht in the detonators1 indiscriminate
b/ast radius2 Sa/5o and his troo,ers ye//ed in sur,rise as their he/met ima-in- systems and .ea,ons
res,onded to the sur-e by -oin- off/ine) $omentari/y b/inded by /i-ht6f/are from heads6u, dis,/ays2
the troo,ers stru--/ed to remo5e their he/mets and simu/taneous/y reach for the combat kni5es
stra,,ed to their be/ts)
:y then2 thou-h2 +a,tain +/imber and the rest of Ion Team had rushed into the o,en from .here
they had been hidin-2 t.o of the commandos a/ready racin- to.ard the tem,orari/y b/inded
troo,ers)
;%ather .ea,ons=; +/imber instructed) ;(o firin-=;
:/aster in hand and he/met under one arm2 +/imber ad5anced s/o./y on the three Jedi) ;(o mind
tricks2 %enera/2; he .arned)
Shryne .asn1t certain that the Jedi techni8ue .as e5en inc/uded in his re,ertoire any /on-er2 but he
ke,t that to himse/f)
;$y s,ecs ha5e their .hite6noise hard.are enab/ed2; +/imber .ent on) ;If they hear me re,eat so
much as a ,hrase of .hat you say to me2 they ha5e orders to .aste you) #nderstood<;
Shryne didn1t deacti5ate his /i-htsaber2 but a//o.ed it to dro, from his ri-ht shou/der to ,oint at the
-round) +hatak and Star6stone fo//o.ed suit2 but remained in defensi5e stances)
;What1s this about2 +/imber<;
;We recei5ed orders to ki// you);
Shryne stared at him in disbe/ief ;Who issued the order<;
+/imber -a5e his 0a. a f/ick2 as if to indicate somethin- behind him) ;4ou1// ha5e to ask
+ommander Sa/5o2 sir);
;+/imber2 .here are you<; Sa/5o shouted as +/imber1s s,ec6t.o .as escortin- the commander
for.ard) The commander1s he/met .as off and he had his -/o5ed hands ,ressed to his eyes) ;4ou
b/e. those !+Ds<;
;We did2 sir) To -et to the bottom of this);
Sensin- Shryne1s a,,roach2 Sa/5o raised his armored fists) ;At ease2 +ommander2; Shryne to/d him)
Sa/5o re/a3ed some.hat) ;Are .e your ,risoners2 then<;
;4ou -a5e the order to ki// us<;
;I .on1t ans.er that2; Sa/5o said)
;+ommander2 if this has anythin- to do .ith our ear/ier head6buttin-6;
;Don1t f/atter yourse/f2 %enera/) This is beyond both of us); Shryne .as confused) ;Then the order
didn1t ori-inate .ith you) Did you ask for 5erification<;
Sa/5o shook his head no) ;That .asn1t necessary);
;+/imber<; Shryne said)
;I don1t kno. any more than you kno.2 %enera/) And I doubt that +ommander Sa/5o .i// be as
easi/y ,ersuaded to ,art .ith information as our ca,ti5e mere .as);
;%enera/ Shryne2; the s,ec6one interru,ted2 ta,,in- his forefin-er a-ainst the side of his he/met)
;+om/ink from for.ard o,erations) Additiona/ ,/atoons are on their .ay to Aurek6:acta to
reinforce);
+/imber /ooked Shryne in the eye) ;Sir2 .e1re not -oin- to be ab/e to sto, a// of them2 and if it
comes to a fi-ht2 .e1re not -oin- to be ab/e to he/, you any more than .e ha5e) We don1t ki// our
o.n);
;I understand2 +/imber);
;This has to be a mistake2 sir);
;I a-ree);
;*or o/d times1 sake2 I1m -i5in- you a chance to esca,e) :ut orders are orders) If .e find you2 .e
.i// en-a-e); +/imber he/d Shryne1s -a7e) ;"f course2 sir2 you cou/d ki// a// of us no.2 and increase
your odds of sur5i5in-);
Sa/5o and the s,ec6t.o made ner5ous mo5ements)
;As you ,ut it2; Shryne said2 ;.e don1t fire on our o.n);
+/imber nodded in re/ief) ;!3act/y .hat I .ou/d ha5e e3,ected you to say2 %enera/) $akes me fee/
a// ri-ht about disobeyin- a direct order2 and acce,tin- .hate5er f/ak f/ies our .ay as a resu/t);
;Let1s ho,e it doesn1t come to that2 +/imber);
;o,e is not somethin- .e store in our kit2 %enera/); Shryne touched him on the u,,er arm) ;"ne
day you may ha5e to);
;4es2 sir) (o. -et a mo5e on before you1re forced to ,ut those /i-htsabers to the test);
E
A chorus of ready tones announced that he/met ima-in- systems2 heads6u, dis,/ays2 and .ea,ons
had reco5ered from the ma-netic6,u/se effects of the !+Ds and .ere back on/ine)
The troo,ers2 a/so reco5ered2 didn1t .aste a moment in armin- their rif/es and /e5e/in- them at the
four commandos2 .ho had their D+6&@s raised in antici,ation of 0ust such a standoff)
Arms outstretched2 +ommander Sa/5o rushed to ,osition himse/f bet.een the t.o -rou,s before a
b/aster bo/t cou/d be fired)
;Stand do.n2 a// of you=; he sna,,ed) ;That1s an order=; e -/anced menacin-/y at +/imber) ;4ou
had better com,/y this time);
Whi/e .ea,ons .ere bein- /o.ered a// around and the first of the reinforcement ,/atoons .as
arri5in-6the troo,ers ,/ain/y confused by the scene unfo/din- in front of them6Sa/5o motioned the
s8uad /eader off to one side)
;as your ,ro-rammin- been .i,ed<; Sa/5o asked) ;"ur orders came do.n from the to, of the
command chain);
;I thou-ht the Jedi .ere the to, of the chain);
;*rom the +ommander in +hief2 +/imber) Do you co,y<;
;Su,reme +hance//or Pa/,atine<;
Sa/5o nodded) ;!5ident/y you and your team need remindin- that .e ser5e the +hance//or2 not the
Jedi);
+/imber considered it) ;Were you a,,rised of .hat the Jedi ha5e done to ,rom,t an order of
e3ecution<;
Sa/5o1s u,,er /i, cur/ed) ;That doesn1t concern me2 +/imber2 and it shou/dn1t concern you);
;4ou1re ri-ht2 +ommander) I must ha5e been mis,ro-rammed) A// this time I15e acce,ted that the
%rand Army and the Jedi 'ni-hts ser5ed the Re,ub/ic) (o one said anythin- to me about ser5in-
Pa/,atine first and foremost);
;Pa/,atine is the Re,ub/ic2 +/imber);
;Pa/,atine issued the orders ,ersona//y<;
;is command .as to e3ecute an order that has been in ,/ace since before the start of the .ar);
+/imber took a moment to consider it) ;ere1s my take on it2 +ommander) It a// comes do.n to
ser5in- the ones .ho are fi-htin- a/on-side you2 .atchin- your back2 ,uttin- a .ea,on in your
hand .hen you need it most);
Sa/5o shar,ened his tone) ;We1re not -oin- to ar-ue this no.) :ut I ,romise you this much: if .e
don1t catch them2 you1// ,ay for your treason6you and your entire team);
+/imber nodded) ;We kne. that -oin- in);
Sa/5o took a breath and -a5e his head a ruefu/ shake) ;4ou shou/dn1t be thinkin- for yourse/f2
brother) It1s more dan-erous than you kno.);
e s.un- to the members of his ,/atoon and the recent arri5a/s)
;P/atoon /eaders2 s.itch your com/inks to encry,ted command fre8uency 7ero67ero6four) a5e your
troo,ers fan out) %rid search) !5ery bui/din-2 e5ery nook and cranny) 4ou kno. .hat you1re u,
a-ainst2 so kee, your .its about you);
;!5er see a Jedi run2 +ommander<; a ,/atoon /eader asked) ;$y -uess is they1re a/ready ten c/icks
from here);
Sa/5o turned to his com/ink s,ecia/ist) ;+ontact the %a//ant) Inform command that .e ha5e a
situation2 and that .e1re -oin- to need .hate5er seeker droids and :AR+ detachments can be
s,ared);
;+ommander2; the same ,/atoon /eader said2 ;un/ess the Se,s are in on this hunt2 .e1re -oin- to
ha5e our hands fu//) Are .e here to take $urkhana or the Jedi<;
+/imber smirked) ;Don1t make matters .orse by tryin- to confuse him2 Lieutenant);
%esturin- .ith his forefin-er2 Sa/5o said: ;Worse for you if they esca,e);
Shryne kne. $urkhana +ity by heart)
;This .ay))) Do.n here))) #, there2; he instructed as they made their esca,e2 usin- the s,eed
-ranted by the *orce to ,ut ki/ometers bet.een themse/5es and their ne. enemy)
The city .as .ide o,en to bombardment no.) The ener-y shie/ds .ere do.n and the anti6/aser
aeroso/s had diffused) T.o additiona/ Star Destroyers hun- o5er the bay2 but Re,ub/ic forces .ere
continuin- to sho. restraint) $ost of the intense fi-htin- .as sti// occurrin- around the /andin-
,/atform2 a/thou-h the he3a-ona/ fie/d itse/f .as not bein- tar-eted2 as it and the three brid-es that
remained .ere essentia/ for mo5in- troo,ers and materie/ into the city) Shryne fi-ured that once the
/andin- ,/atform .as taken2 the Se,aratists .ou/d ,robab/y b/o. the rest of the brid-es2 if on/y to
s/o. the ine5itab/e occu,ation2 .hi/e residents continued to f/ee for their /i5es)
In the streets2 firefi-hts .ere under-oin- a cons,icuous chan-e no. that the c/one troo,ers had
been issued a ne. ,riority) Se,aratist mercenaries and batt/e droids .ere makin- the most of the
confusion) Shryne2 +hatak2 and Starstone had .itnessed se5era/ instances .hen ,/atoons of c/ones
disen-a-ed from fi-htin-2 ,resumab/y to continue the hunt for the Jedi)
When Shryne fe/t that the three of them had a moment to s,are he /ed them into a deserted bui/din-
and ,u//ed his com/ink from his be/t)
;The troo,ers ha5e chan-ed fre8uencies to ,re5ent our ea5esdro,,in- on them2; he said)
;That doesn1t affect our kno.in- their methods for conductin- a search2; +hatak said)
;We can a5oid them for ho.e5er /on- it takes to c/ear this u,) If it comes do.n to .orst cases2 I
ha5e contacts in the city .ho mi-ht be ab/e to he/, us esca,e);
;Whose /i5es are .e ,rotectin- here2; Starstone asked in an ed-y 5oice2 ;ours or the troo,ers1< I
mean2 aren1t .e the ones .ho had them -ro.n<;
Shryne and +hatak traded secret -/ances)
;I1m not -oin- to start ki//in- troo,ers2; Shryne said em,hatica//y)
+hatak -/anced at her Pada.an) ;That1s .hat batt/e droids .ere created for);
Starstone -na.ed at her /o.er /i,) ;What about $aster Loorne and the others<;
Shryne made ad0ustments to his com/ink) ;Sti// no res,onse from any of them) And not because of
si-na/ 0ammin-); 'no.in- that +hatak .as doin- the same2 he stretched out .ith the *orce2 but no
re5erberations attended his ca//) +hatak1s shou/ders s/um,ed) ;They15e been ki//ed); Starstone
si-hed and hun- her head)
;Dra. on your trainin-2 Pada.an2; +hatak said 8uick/y) ;They1re .ith the *orce);
They1re dead2 Shryne thou-ht) Starstone /ooked u, at him) ;Why ha5e they turned on us<;
;Sa/5o im,/ied that the order came from hi-h u,);
;That can on/y mean the "ffice of the Su,reme +hance//or2; +hatak said)
Shryne shook his head) ;That doesn1t make sense) Pa/,atine o.es his /ife to Sky.a/ker and $aster
'enobi);
;Then this has to be a miscommunication2; Starstone chimed in) ;*or a// .e kno.2 the +or,orate
A//iance broke the i-h +ommand code and issued counterfeit orders to our com,any
commanders);
;Ri-ht about no. that .ou/d be a best6case scenario2; Shryne said) ;If our com/inks .ere ,o.erfu/
enou-h to contact the Tem,/e)));
;:ut the Tem,/e can contact us2; Starstone said)
;And it mi-ht yet2; +hatak said)
;$aybe Passe/ Ar-ente cut a dea/ .ith the Su,reme +hance//or to s,are $urkhana2; Starstone said)
Shryne -/anced at her) ;o. many more theories are you ,/annin- to offer<; he said2 more harsh/y
than he meant to) ;I1m sorry2 $aster);
;Patience2 Pada.an2; +hatak said in a comfortin- 5oice)
Shryne s/i,,ed the com/ink back into its ,ouch) ;We need to a5oid further en-a-ements .ith droids
or mercenaries) Li-htsaber .ounds are easy to identify) We don1t .ant to /ea5e a trai/)
!3itin- the bui/din-2 they resumed their carefu/ c/imb into the hi//s)
!5ery.here they turned2 the streets .ere cro.ded .ith c/one troo,ers2 batt/e droids2 and masses of
f/eein- 'oori5ar) :efore they had -one e5en a ki/ometer2 Shryne brou-ht them to a ha/t once more)
;We1re -ettin- no.here fast) If .e ditch our robes2 .e mi-ht ha5e better /uck at b/endin- in);
+hatak re-arded him dubious/y) ;What do you ha5e in mind2 Roan<;
;We find a cou,/e of mercenaries and take their robes and headc/oths); e -a7ed at +hatak and
Starstone in turn) ;If the troo,ers can s.itch sides2 then so can .e);
@
Sa/5o ended his he/met com/ink communication .ith $urkhana1s theater commanders and 0oined
+/imber at .hat had become the troo,ers1 for.ard command base) The other three commandos
.ere searchin- for the esca,ed Jedi2 but Sa/5o didn1t .ant the s8uad /eader out of his si-ht)
;%enera/ Loorne and the t.o Jedi 'ni-hts he arri5ed .ith .ere ambushed and ki//ed2; Sa/5o shared
.ith +/imber) ;A,,arent/y no troo,ers amon- the T.enty6second staked a c/aim to the mora/ hi-h
-round);
+/imber /et the remark -o) ;Did you re,ort our actions to i-h +ommand<;
Sa/5o shook his head) ;:ut don1t think I .on1t) Like I to/d you2 it de,ends on .hether .e1re ab/e to
ki// them) Just no. I don1t .ant your actions ref/ectin- ne-ati5e/y on my command);
;Did you /earn anythin- about .hat ,rom,ted the e3ecution order<;
Sa/5o s,ent a moment ar-uin- .ith himse/f about .hat he shou/d and shou/d not re5ea/) ;Theater
command re,orts that four Jedi $asters attem,ted to assassinate Su,reme +hance//or Pa/,atine in
his chambers on +oruscant) The reason is unc/ear2 but it a,,ears that the Jedi ha5e been an-/in-
from the start to assume contro/ of the Re,ub/ic2 and that the .ar may ha5e been en-ineered to he/,
brin- that about);
+/imber .as stunned) ;So Pa&,atine1s order .as ,ut in ,/ace because he antici,ated that the Jedi
mi-ht try somethin-<;
;It1s not unusua/ to ha5e a contin-ency ,/an2 +/imber) 4ou shou/d kno. that better than anyone);
+/imber thou-ht hard about it) ;o. does it make you fee/2 +ommander6about .hat the Jedi did2 I
mean<;
Sa/5o took a moment to res,ond) ;As far as I1m concerned2 their treachery 0ust adds more enemies
to the /ist) "ther than that2 I don1t fee/ one .ay or another about it);
+/imber studied Sa/5o) ;4ou kno.2 .ord amon- some of the troo,ers is that the Jedi had a hand in
orderin- the creation of the %rand Army) Were they fi-urin- .e1d side .ith them .hen they
-rabbed contro/2 or .ou/d they ha5e turned on us e5entua//y<;
;(o .ay to kno.);
;!3ce,t they made their mo5e too soon);
Sa/5o nodded) ;!5en no.2 troo,ers and Jedi are batt/in- it out inside the Tem,/e on +oruscant)
Thousands are be/ie5ed dead);
;I15e ne5er been to +oruscant2; +/imber said2 breakin- a brief si/ence) ;+/osest I e5er came .as
trainin- on one of the inner .or/ds of that system) 4ou15e been there<;
;"nce) :efore the start of the "uter Rim Sie-es);
;Who .ou/d you rather be ser5in-2 +ommander6Pa/,atine or the Jedi<;
;That1s outside the sco,e of the ,art .e .ere created to ,/ay2 +/imber) When this .ar ends2 .e1// be
sittin- ,retty) I .ou/dn1t ha5e thou-ht so e5en t.e/5e hours a-o2 but no.2 .ith the Jedi out of the
,icture2 I sus,ect .e1re in for a ,romotion);
+/imber -/anced at the sky) ;%oin- to be dark soon) Puts our search teams at hi-h risk of bein-
ambushed by Se,s);
Sa/5o shru--ed) ;$ore than a hundred seeker droids ha5e been de,/oyed) Shou/dn1t be hard to find
three Jedi);
+/imber b/e. his breath out in derision) ;4ou kno. as .e// as I do that they1re too smart to be
cau-ht);
;%ranted2; Sa/5o said) ;:y no.2 they1re ,robab/y .earin- bodysuits and armor);
F
!at2; Shryne said2 forcin- some of the rations he had taken from his uti/ity be/t on a distracted "/ee
Starstone) ;We don1t kno. .hen .e1// ha5e another chance);
Se5era/ hours had ,assed since they had f/ed the ambush site2 and they1d tra5e/ed c/ear across the
city to an em,ty .arehouse c/ose to the access ram,s of the northernmost of the /andin- ,/atform
brid-es) It .as midni-ht2 and they .ere attired in the -arb of three mercenaries they had taken by
sur,rise behind the Ar-ente To.er)
Shryne continued) ;There may come a ,oint .hen .e1// ha5e to -et rid of our com/inks2 beacon
transcei5ers2 and /i-htsabers) :ein- taken ,risoner cou/d be our .ay off $urkhana);
;Shou/d .e use *orce inf/uence<; Starstone said)
;That mi-ht .ork on a cou,/e of troo,ers at a time2; Shryne said2 ;but not an entire ,/atoon2 much
/ess a fu// com,any);
+hatak eyed her Pada.an .ith c/ear intent) ;It1s a matter of sur5i5in- unti/ the Re,ub/ic is
5ictorious);
Shryne had a ration ,ack /ifted to his mouth .hen his beacon transcei5er be-an to 5ibrate) e fished
the de5ice from the dee, ,ocket of the 'oori5ar robe and re-arded it in si/ence)
;+ou/d be troo,ers2 ta,,in- into our fre8uencies2; +hatak said)
Shryne studied the beacon1s sma// dis,/ay screen) ;It1s a coded burst6transmission from the Tem,/e);
+hatak hurried to his side to ,eer o5er his shou/der) ;+an you deci,her it<;
;It1s not a sim,/e (ine Thirteen2; Shryne said2 referrin- to the code the Jedi used to /ocate one
another in emer-ency situations) ;%i5e me a moment); When the burst transmission be-an to
recyc/e2 he turned to +hatak in stark incredu/ity) ;The i-h +ounci/ is orderin- a// Jedi back to
+oruscant);
+hatak .as dumbfounded)
;(o e3,/anation2; Shryne said)
+hatak stood u, and ,aced a.ay from him) ;What cou/d ha5e ha,,ened<;
e thou-ht about it) ;A fo//o.6u, attack on +oruscant by %rie5ous<;
;Perha,s2; +hatak said) ;:ut that doesn1t account for the c/one troo,ers1 dis/oya/ty);
;$aybe there1s been a uni5ersa/ c/one troo,er re5o/t2; Star6stone su--ested) ;The 'aminoans cou/d
ha5e betrayed us) A// these years2 they cou/d ha5e been in /ea-ue .ith +ount Dooku) They cou/d
ha5e ,ro-rammed the troo,ers to re5o/t at a ,redetermined time);
Shryne .as -/ancin- at +hatak) ;Does she e5er sto,<;
;I ha5en1t been ab/e to find the off s.itch);
Shryne mo5ed to the nearest .indo. and .atched the ni-ht sky)
;Re,ub/ic starfi-hters .i// be settin- do.n on the /andin- ,/atform by /ate mornin-2; he said)
+hatak 0oined him at the .indo.) ;Then $urkhana is .on);
Shryne turned to face her) ;We ha5e to reach the ,/atform) The troo,ers ha5e their orders2 and no.
.e ha5e ours) If .e can sei7e a trans,ort or starfi-hters2 .e may yet be ab/e to return to +oruscant);
Throu-hout the /on- ni-ht and mornin-2 e3,/osi5e /i-ht strobed throu-h the .arehouse1s arched
.indo.s as Re,ub/ic and Se,aratist forces c/ashed at sea and in the air) The batt/e for the /andin-
,/atform ra-ed .e// into the afternoon) :ut no. the Se,aratist forces .ere in fu// retreat2 streamin-
across the t.o intact brid-es2 /ea5in- the ,/atform1s defense to hornin- s,ider droids2 hai/fire
.ea,ons ,/atforms2 and tanks)
:y the time the Jedi mana-ed to reach the more northern of the ,air of brid-es2 the .ide a5enue .as
so c/ose/y ,acked .ith f/eein- mercenaries and other Se,aratist fi-hters they cou/d scarce/y make
any head.ay a-ainst the f/o.) A crossin- that shou/d ha5e taken an hour re8uired more than three2
and the sun .as /o. on the hori7on .hen they reached the end of the brid-e)
They .ere 0ust short of the ,/atform itse/f .hen a succession of ,o.erfu/ e3,/osions took out the
fina/ hundred meters of the s,an and s,/it the massi5e he3a-on into thirds2 sendin- hundreds of
c/one troo,ers2 mercenaries2 and Se,aratist droids ,/ummetin- into the churnin- .ater)
Shryne kne. that the Se,aratists .ere res,onsib/e for the e3,/osions) :efore too /on-2 munitions
,/anted under the fina/ brid-e .ou/d be detonated2 as .e//) :y then2 thou-h2 there .ou/d be no
sto,,in- the Re,ub/ic ons/au-ht)
Whi/e mercenaries shou/dered ,ast him in a fren7y2 Shryne sur5eyed the forest of brid-e ,y/ons /eft
e3,osed by the e3,/osions2 ca/cu/atin- their distance from one another and the odds of
accom,/ishin- .hat he had in mind)
*ina//y he said: ;!ither .e fro-6/ea, for the ,/atform or .e head back into the city); e /ooked at
Starstone) ;4ou decide);
er b/ue eyes s,ark/ed and she ,ut on a bra5e face) ;(ot a ,rob/em2 $aster) We /ea, for it);
Shryne a/most -rinned) ;Ri-ht) "ne at a time);
+hatak ,ut her arm around her Pada.an1s shou/der) ;Let1s 0ust ho,e no c/one troo,ers are
.atchin-);
Shryne -estured to his ,i/fered outfit of robe and head6c/oth) ;We1re 0ust a bunch of 5ery a-i/e
mercs);
+hatak took the /ead2 .ith Starstone ri-ht on her hee/s) Shryne .aited unti/ they .ere ha/f.ay
a/on- before fo//o.in-) The first fe. /ea,s .ere easy2 but the c/oser he -ot to the ,/atform2 the
-reater the distance bet.een the ,y/ons2 many of .hich had been /eft .ith 0a--ed to,s) "n his
,enu/timate 0um,2 he near/y /ost his ba/ance2 and on his fina/ /ea, for the ed-e of the ,/atform his
hands arri5ed .e// in front of his feet)
A /ast6moment -rab from Starstone .as a// that sa5ed him from a ,/un-e into the .a5es)
;Remind me to mention this to the +ounci/2 Pada.an2; he to/d her)
The ,/atform .as bein- hammered2 but not ,ast the ,oint of uti/ity) "n one fractured section
-unshi,s .ere be-innin- to /and2 a/on- .ith a 5an-uard f/i-ht of troo, trans,orts) !/se.here2 batt/e
droids .ere bein- f/attened by ma-,u/se busters2 then ,icked off before they had a chance to
reacti5ate by V6.in-s and AR+6&@Ds ,erformin- /i-htnin-6fast strafin- runs)
With ni-ht fa//in-2 the Jedi .o5e throu-h firefi-hts and fountainin- e3,/osions2 usin- their ca,tured
b/asters rather than their /i-htsabers to defend themse/5es a-ainst teams of c/one troo,ers and
commandos2 thou-h .ithout ki//in- any)
They came to a ha/t at a ruined stretch of ,ermacrete2 at the far end of .hich a s8uadron of
starfi-hters .as touchin- do.n)
;+an you ,i/ot a shi,<; Shryne asked Starstone in a rush)
;"n/y an interce,tor2 $aster) :ut .ithout an astromech droid I doubt I cou/d f/y one to +oruscant)
And I15e ne5er e5en seen the cock,it of a V6 .in-);
Shryne considered it) ;Then it1// ha5e to be an AR+6one6se5enty); e ,ointed to a bomber that .as
0ust /andin-2 ,robab/y to refue/) ;That1s our shi,) It1s our best bet2 any.ay) !nou-h chairs for the
three of us2 and hy,ers,ace6ca,ab/e);
+hatak .atched the cre. for a moment) ;We may ha5e to stun the co,i/ot and tai/ -unner);
Shryne .as on the 5er-e of mo5in- .hen he fe/t the beacon transcei5er 5ibrate a-ain2 and he ,a.ed
it from the dee, ,ocket of the robe)
;What is it2 Roan<; +hatak asked .hi/e he .as starin- in stu,efaction at the de5ice) ;What<; she
re,eated)
;Another coded burst from the beacon2; he said .ithout mo5in- his -a7e from the screen)
;Same order<;
;The o,,osite); !yes .ide2 he /ooked u, at +hatak and Star6stone) ;A// Jedi are ordered to a5oid
+oruscant at a// costs) We1re to abandon .hate5er missions .e1re in5o/5ed in2 and -o into hidin-);
+hatak1s mouth fe// o,en)
Shryne made his /i,s a thin /ine) ;We sti// need to -et off $urkhana);
They doub/e6checked their b/asters and a-ain .ere on the 5er-e of settin- out for the starfi-hter
.hen e5ery Se,aratist droid and .ar machine on the /andin- ,/atform abru,t/y be-an to ,o.er
do.n) At first Shryne thou-ht that another droid buster had been de/i5ered .ithout his bein- a.are
of it) Then he rea/i7ed his mistake)
This .as somethin- different)
The droids hadn1t sim,/y been da77/ed) They had been deacti5ated2 e5en the hai/fires and tanks) Red
,hotorece,tors /ost their -/o.2 a//oy /imbs and antennas re/a3ed2 e5ery so/dier and .ar machine
stood motion/ess)
At once2 a fu// .in- of -unshi,s dro,,ed out of the noon sky2 re/easin- a/most a thousand c/one
troo,ers2 ridin- ,o/y,/ast cab/es to the ,/atform1s ruined surface)
Shryne2 +hatak2 and Starstone .atched he/,/ess/y as they .ere a/most instant/y surrounded)
;+a,ture is infinite/y ,referab/e to e3ecution2; Shryne said) ;It cou/d sti// be our .ay out);
+/osest to the ra--ed ed-e of the ,/atform2 he a//o.ed his b/aster2 com/ink2 beacon transcei5er2 and
/i-htsaber to s/i, from his hands into the dark .aters far be/o.)
PART II
T! !$P!R"R1S !$ISSAR4
G
The Star Destroyer !3actor2 second in a /ine of ne./y minted Im,erator6c/ass na5a/ 5esse/s2
emer-ed from hy,ers,ace and inserted into orbit2 its s,iked bo. aimed at the former Se,aratist
.or/d of $urkhana) At si3teen hundred meters in /en-th2 the !3actor2 un/ike its Venator6c/ass
,redecessors2 .as a ,roduct of 'uat Dri5e 4ards2 and featured -a,in- 5entra/ /aunchin- bays rather
than a dorsa/ f/i-ht deck)
$o5ed by -ra5ity rather than by their ion dri5es2 the carcasses of :ankin- +/an and +ommerce
%ui/d .arshi,s .ere -rim reminders of the Re,ub/ic in5asion that had been /aunched in the
conc/udin- .eeks of the .ar) $urkhana2 ho.e5er2 had fared far better than some contested .or/ds2
and the +or,orate A//iance e/ite had decam,ed for remote systems in the -a/a3y1s Tin-e/ Arm2
takin- much of the ,/anet1s .ea/th .ith it)
In his 8uarters aboard the ca,ita/ shi, no. under his ,ersona/ command2 Darth Vader2 -/o5ed and
artificia/ ri-ht hand c/am,ed on the hi/t of his ne. /i-htsaber2 kne/t before a /ar-er6than6/ife
ho/o-ram of !m,eror Pa/,atine) "n/y four standard .eeks had e/a,sed since the .ar had ended and
Pa/,atine had ,roc/aimed himse/f !m,eror of the former Re,ub/ic2 to the adu/ation of the /eaders of
count/ess .or/ds that had been dra.n into the ,rotracted conf/ict2 and to the sustained acc/aim of
near/y the entire Senate)
Pa/,atine .ore a 5o/uminous embroidered robe of rich .ea5e2 the co./ of .hich .as raised2
concea/in- in shado. the scars he had suffered at the hands of the four treasonous Jedi $asters .ho
had attem,ted to arrest him in his chambers in the Senate "ffice :ui/din-2 as .e// as other
deformations resu/tin- from his fierce batt/e .ith $aster 4oda in the Rotunda of the Senate itse/f)
;This is an im,ortant time for you2 Lord Vader2; Pa/,atine .as sayin-) ;4ou are fina//y free to make
fu// use of your ,o.ers) If not for us2 the -a/a3y .ou/d ne5er ha5e been restored to order) (o. you
must embrace the sacrifices you made to brin- this about2 and re5e/ in the fact that you ha5e
fu/fi//ed your destiny) It can a// be yours2 my youn- a,,rentice2 anythin- you .ish) 4ou need on/y
ha5e the determination to take it2 at .hate5er cost to those .ho stand in your .ay);
Pa/,atine1s disfi-urements .ere rea//y nothin- ne.9 nor .as his de/iberate2 5a-ue/y contem,tuous
5oice) The !m,eror had used the same 5oice to ,rocure his first a,,rentice9 to ensnare Trade
*ederation Viceroy (ute %unray in faci/itatin- his dark desi-ns9 to ,ersuade +ount Dooku to
un/eash a .ar9 and fina//y to seduce Vader6former Jedi 'ni-ht Anakin Sky.a/ker6to the dark side2
.ith the ,romise that he cou/d kee, Anakin1s .ife from dyin-)
*e. amon- the -a/a3y1s tri//ions .ere a.are that Pa/,atine .as a/so a Sith Lord2 kno.n by the tit/e
Darth Sidious2 or that he had mani,u/ated the .ar in order to brin- do.n the Re,ub/ic2 crush the
Jedi2 and ,/ace the entire -a/a3y under his fu// contro/) *e.er sti// kne. of the crucia/ ro/e Sidious1s
current a,,rentice had ,/ayed in those e5ents2 ha5in- he/,ed Sidious defend himse/f a-ainst the Jedi
.ho had sou-ht his arrest9 ha5in- /ed the assau/t on the Jedi Tem,/e on +oruscant9 ha5in- ki//ed in
co/d b/ood the ha/f do7en members of the Se,aratist +ounci/ in their hidden fortress on 5o/canic
$ustafar)
And .ho there had suffered e5en more -ra5e/y than Pa/,atine)
Do.n on one knee2 his b/ack6masked face raised to the ho/o-ram2 ta//2 fearsome Vader .as .earin-
the bodysuit and armor2 he/met2 boots2 and c/oak that both camouf/a-ed the e5idence of his
transformation and sustained his /ife)
Without re5ea/in- his distress at bein- unab/e to maintain the knee/in- ,osture2 Vader said: ;What
are your orders2 $aster<;
And asked himse/f: Is this ,oor/y desi-ned suit the source of my distress2 or is somethin- e/se at
.ork<
;Do you reca// .hat I to/d you about the re/ationshi, bet.een ,o.er and understandin-2 Lord
Vader<;
;4es2 $aster) Where the Jedi -ained ,o.er throu-h understandin-2 the Sith -ain understandin-
throu-h ,o.er);
Pa/,atine smi/ed faint/y) ;This .i// become c/earer to you as you continue your trainin-2 Lord
Vader) And to that end I .i// ,ro5ide you .ith the means to increase your ,o.er2 and broaden your
understandin-) In due time2 ,o.er .i// fi// the 5acuum created by the decisions you made2 the acts
you carried out) $arried to the order of the Sith2 you .i// need no other com,anion than the dark
side of the *orce)));
The remark stirred somethin- .ithin Vader2 but he .as unab/e to make fu// sense of the fee/in-s that
.ashed throu-h him: a commin-/in- of an-er and disa,,ointment2 of -rief and re-ret)))
The e5ents of Anakin Sky.a/ker1s /ife mi-ht ha5e occurred a /ifetime a-o2 or to someone e/se
entire/y2 and yet some residue of Anakin continued to ,/a-ue Vader2 /ike ,ain from a ,hantom /imb)
;Word has reached me2; Pa/,atine .as sayin-2 ;that a -rou, of c/one troo,ers on $urkhana may
ha5e de/iberate/y refused to com,/y .ith "rder Si3ty6Si3);
Vader ti-htened his ho/d on the /i-htsaber) ;I had not heard2 $aster);
e kne. that "rder Si3ty6Si3 had not been hard.ired into the c/ones by the 'aminoans .ho had
-ro.n them) Rather2 the troo,ers6the commanders2 es,ecia//y6had been ,ro-rammed to demonstrate
unfai/in- /oya/ty to the Su,reme +hance//or2 in his ro/e as +ommander in +hief of the %rand Army
of the Re,ub/ic) And so .hen the Jedi had re5ea/ed their seditious ,/ans2 they had become a threat
to Pa/,atine2 and had been sentenced to death)
"n myriad .or/ds "rder EE had been e3ecuted .ithout misfortune6on $y-eeto2 Sa/eucami2 *e/ucia2
and many others) Taken by sur,rise2 thousands of Jedi had been assassinated by troo,ers .ho had
for three years ans.ered a/most e3c/usi5e/y to them) A fe. Jedi .ere kno.n to ha5e esca,ed death
by dint of su,erior ski// or accident) :ut on $urkhana2 a,,arent/y uni8ue e5ents had ,/ayed out9
e5ents that .ere ,otentia//y more dan-erous to the !m,ire than the fe. Jedi .ho had sur5i5ed)
;What .as the cause of the troo,ers1 insubordination2 $aster<; Vader asked)
;+onta-ion); Pa/,atine sneered) ;+onta-ion brou-ht about by fi-htin- a/on-side the Jedi for so
many years) +/one or other.ise2 there is on/y so much a bein- can be ,ro-rammed to do) Sooner or
/ater e5en a /o./y troo,er .i// become the sum of his e3,eriences);
Li-ht6years distant in his inner sanctum2 Pa/,atine /eaned to.ard the ho/otranscei5er1s cam)
;:ut you .i// demonstrate to them the ,eri/ of inde,endent thinkin-2 Lord Vader2 the refusa/ to obey
orders);
;To obey you2 $aster);
;To obey us2 my a,,rentice) Remember that);
;4es2 my $aster); Vader ,aused .ith ,ur,ose) ;It1s ,ossib/e2 then2 that some Jedi may ha5e
sur5i5ed<;
Pa/,atine ado,ted a /ook of consummate dis,/easure) ;I am not .orried about your ,athetic former
friends2 Lord Vader) I .ant those c/one troo,ers ,unished2 as a reminder to a// of them that for the
rest of their abbre5iated /i5es they .ou/d do .e// to understand .hom they tru/y ser5e); Retractin-
his face into the hood of his robe2 he said in a seethin- tone: ;It is time that you .ere re5ea/ed as my
authority) I /ea5e it to you to dri5e the ,oint home);
;And the esca,ed Jedi2 $aster<;
Pa/,atine fe// si/ent for a moment2 as if choosin- his .ords carefu//y) ;The esca,ed Jedi))) yes) 4ou
may ki// any you come across durin- the course of your mission);
&D
Vader didn1t rise unti/ the !m,eror1s ho/oima-e had dere77ed entire/y) Then he stood for a /on-
moment .ith his sheathed arms dan-/in- at his sides2 his head mournfu//y bo.ed) *ina//y he turned
and mo5ed for the hatch that o,ened onto the !3actor1s ready room)
To the -a/a3y at /ar-e2 Jedi 'ni-ht Anakin Sky .a/ker6,osterboy for the .ar effort2 the ;ero .ith
(o *ear2; the +hosen "ne6had died on +oruscant durin- the sie-e of the Jedi Tem,/e)
And to some e3tent that .as true)
Anakin is dead2 Vader to/d himse/f)
And yet2 if not for e5ents on $ustafar2 Anakin .ou/d sit no. on the +oruscant throne2 his .ife by
his side2 their chi/d in her arms))) Instead2 Pa/,atine1s ,/an cou/d not ha5e been more f/a./ess/y
e3ecuted) e had .on it a//: the .ar2 the Re,ub/ic2 the fea/ty of the one Jedi 'ni-ht in .hom the
entire Jedi order had ,/aced its ho,e) The re5en-e of the se/f6e3i/ed Sith had been com,/ete2 and
Darth Vader .as mere/y a minion2 an errand boy2 a//e-ed/y an a,,rentice2 the ,ub/ic face of the dark
side of the *orce)
Whi/e he retained his kno./ed-e of the Jedi arts2 he fe/t uncertain about his ,/ace in the *orce9 and
.hi/e he had taken his first ste,s to.ard a.akenin- the ,o.er of the dark side2 he fe/t uncertain
about his abi/ity to sustain that ,o.er) o. far he mi-ht ha5e been no. had fate not inter5ened to
stri, him of a/most e5erythin- he ,ossessed2 as a means of remakin- him=
"r of humb/in- him2 as Darths $au/ and Tyranus had been humb/ed before him9 as indeed the Jedi
order itse/f had been humb/ed)
Where Darth Sidious had -ained e5erythin-2 Vader had /ost e5erythin-2 inc/udin-6for the moment2
at /east6the se/f6confidence and unbrid/ed ski// he had demonstrated as Anakin Sky.a/ker)
Vader turned and mo5ed for the hatch)
:ut this is not .a/kin-2 he thou-ht)
Lon- accustomed to bui/din- and rebui/din- droids2 su,erchar-in- the en-ines of /ands,eeders and
starfi-hters2 u,-radin- the mechanisms that contro//ed the first of his artificia/ /imbs2 he .as
dismayed by the incom,etence of the medica/ droids res,onsib/e for his resurrection in Sidious1s
/ofty /aboratory on +oruscant)
is a//oy /o.er /e-s .ere bu/ked by stri,s of armor simi/ar to those that fi//ed and -a5e form to the
/on- -/o5e Anakin had .orn o5er his ri-ht6arm ,rosthesis) What remained of his rea/ /imbs ended in
bu/bs of -rafted f/esh2 inserted into machines that tri--ered mo5ement throu-h the use of modu/es
that interfaced .ith his dama-ed ner5e endin-s) :ut instead of usin- durastee/2 the medica/ droids
had substituted an inferior a//oy2 and had fai/ed to ins,ect the stri,s that ,rotected the e/ectromoti5e
/ines) As a resu/t2 the inner /inin- of the ,ressuri7ed bodysuit .as continua//y sna--in- on ,/aces
.here the stri,s .ere anchored to knee and ank/e 0oints)
The ta// boots .ere a ,oor fit for his artificia/ feet2 .hose c/a.6/ike toes /acked the e/ectrostatic
sensiti5ity of his e8ua//y fa/se fin-erti,s) Raised in the hee/2 the cumbersome foot-ear canted him
s/i-ht/y for.ard2 forcin- him to mo5e .ith e3a--erated caution /est he stumb/e or to,,/e o5er)
Worse2 they .ere so hea5y that he often fe/t rooted to the -round2 or as if he .ere mo5in- in hi-h
-ra5ity)
What -ood .as motion of this sort2 if he .as -oin- to ha5e to ca// on the *orce e5en to .a/k from
,/ace to ,/ace= e may as .e// ha5e resi-ned himse/f to usin- a re,u/sor chair and abandoned any
ho,e of mo5ement)
The defects in his ,rosthetic arms mirrored those of his /e-s)
"n/y the ri-ht one fe/t natura/ to him6thou-h it2 too2 .as artificia/6and the ,neumatic mechanisms
that su,,/ied articu/ation and su,,ort .ere sometimes s/o. to res,ond) The .ei-hty c/oak and
,ectora/ ,/atin- so restricted his mo5ement that he cou/d scarce/y /ift his arms o5er his head2 and he
had a/ready been forced to ada,t his /i-htsaber techni8ue to com,ensate)
e cou/d ,robab/y ad0ust the ser5odri5ers and ,istons in his forearms to ,ro5ide his hands .ith
stren-th enou-h to crush the hi/t of his ne. /i-htsaber) With the ,o.er of his arms a/one2 he had the
abi/ity to /ift an adu/t bein- off the -round) :ut the *orce had a/.ays -i5en him the abi/ity to do
that2 es,ecia//y in moments of ra-e2 as he had demonstrated on Tatooine and e/se.here) What1s
more2 the s/ee5es of the bodysuit didn1t hu- the ,rostheses as they shou/d2 and the e/bo.6/en-th
-/o5es sa--ed and bunched at his .rists)
%a7in- at the -/o5es no.2 he thou-ht: This is not seein-)
The ,ressuri7ed mask .as -o--/e6eyed2 fish6mouthed2 short6snouted2 and need/ess/y an-u/ar o5er
the cheekbones) +ou,/ed .ith a f/arin- dome of he/met2 the mask -a5e him the forbiddin-
a,,earance of an ancient Sith .ar droid) The dark hemis,heres that co5ered his eyes fi/tered out
/i-ht that mi-ht ha5e caused further in0ury to his dama-ed corneas and retinas2 but in enhanced
mode the ha/f -/obes reddened the /i-ht and ,re5ented him from bein- ab/e to see the toes of his
boots .ithout inc/inin- his head a/most ninety de-rees)
Listenin- to the ser5omotors that dro5e his /imbs2 he thou-ht: This is not hearin-)
The med droids rebui/t the carti/a-e of his outer ears2 but his eardrums2 ha5in- me/ted in $ustafar1s
heat2 had been beyond re,air) Sound .a5es no. had to be transmitted direct/y to im,/ants in his
inner ear2 and sounds re-istered as if issuin- from under.ater) Worse2 the im,/anted sensors /acked
sufficient discrimination2 so that too many ambient sounds .ere ,icked u,2 and their distance and
direction .ere difficu/t to determine) Sometimes the sensors need/ed him .ith feedback2 or attached
echo or 5ibrato effects to e5en the faintest noise)
A//o.in- his /un-s to fi// .ith air2 he thou-ht: This is not breathin-)
ere the med droids had tru/y fai/ed him)
*rom a contro/ bo3 he .ore stra,,ed to his chest2 a thick cab/e entered his torso2 /inked to a
breathin- a,,aratus and heartbeat re-u/ator) The 5enti/ator .as im,/anted in his hideous/y scarred
chest2 a/on- .ith tubes that ran direct/y into his dama-ed /un-s2 and others that entered his throat2
so that shou/d the chest ,/ate or be/t contro/ ,ane/s de5e/o, a -/itch2 he cou/d breathe unassisted fir
a /imited time)
:ut the monitorin- ,ane/ bee,ed fre8uent/y and for no reason2 and the conste//ation of /i-hts ser5ed
on/y as steady reminders of his 5u/nerabi/ity)
The incessant ras, of his breathin- interfered .ith his abi/ity to rest2 /et a/one s/ee,) And s/ee,2 in
the rare moments it came to him2 .as a ni-htmarish 0umb/e of t.isted2 recurrent memories that
unfo/ded to e3cruciatin- sounds)
The med droids had at /east inserted the redundant breathin- tubes /o. enou-h so that2 .ith the aid
of an enunciator2 his scorched 5oca/ cords cou/d sti// form sounds and .ords) :ut absent the
enunciator2 .hich im,arted a synthetic bass tone2 his o.n 5oice .as /itt/e more than a .his,er)
e cou/d take food throu-h his mouth2 as .e//2 but on/y .hen he .as inside a hy,erbaric chamber2
since he had to remo5e the trian-u/ar res,iratory 5ent that .as the mask1s ,rominent feature) So it
.as easier to recei5e nourishment throu-h /i8uids2 intra5enous and other.ise2 and to re/y on
catheters2 co//ection ,ouches2 and recyc/ers to dea/ .ith /i8uid and so/id .aste)
:ut a// those de5ices made it e5en more difficu/t for him to mo5e .ith ease2 much /ess .ith any
-race) The ,ectora/ armor that ,rotected the artificia/ /un- .ei-hed him do.n2 as did the e/ectrode6
studded co//ar that su,,orted the outsi7e he/met2 necessary to safe-uard the cybernetic de5ices that
re,/aced the u,,ermost of his 5ertebrae2 the de/icate systems of the mask2 and the ra--ed scars in
his hair/ess head2 .hich o.ed as much to .hat he had endured on $ustafar as to attem,ts at
emer-ency tre,hination durin- the tri, back to +oruscant aboard Sidious1s shutt/e)
The synthskin that substituted for .hat .as seared from his bones itched incessant/y2 and his body
needed to be ,eriodica//y c/eansed and scrubbed of necrotic f/esh)
A/ready he had e3,erienced moments of c/austro,hobia6moments of des,eration to he rid of the
suit2 to emer-e from the she//) e needed to bui/d2 or ha5e bui/t2 a chamber in .hich he cou/d fee/
human a-ain)))
If ,ossib/e)
A// in a//2 he thou-ht: This is not /i5in-)
This .as so/itary confinement) Prison of the .orst sort) +ontinua/ torture) e .as nothin- more
than .recka-e) Po.er .ithout c/ear ,ur,ose))
A me/ancho/y si-h esca,ed the mouth -ri//e)
+o//ectin- himse/f2 he ste,,ed throu-h the hatch)
+ommander A,,o .as .aitin- in the ready room2 the s,ecia/ o,s officer .ho had /ed the CD&st
Le-ion a-ainst the Jedi Tem,/e)
;4our shutt/e is ,re,ared2 Lord Vader2; A,,o said)
*or reasons that .ent beyond the armor and he/mets2 the ima-in- systems and boots2 Vader fe/t
more at home amon- the troo,ers than he did around other f/esh6and6b/oods)
And A,,o and the rest of Vader1s cadre of stormtroo,ers seemed to be at ease .ith their ne.
su,erior) To them it .as on/y reasonab/e that Vader .ore a bodysuit and armor) Some had a/.ays
.ondered .hy the Jedi /eft themse/5es e3,osed2 as if they had had somethin- to ,ro5e by it)
Vader /ooked do.n at A,,o and nodded) ;+ome .ith me2 +ommander) The !m,eror has business
for us on $urkhana);
&&
Shryne s8uinted a-ainst the -o/den .ash of $urkhana1s ,rimary2 .hich had 0ust c/imbed from
behind the thick/y forested hi//s that .a//ed $urkhana +ity to the east) :y his reckonin- he had
s,ent c/ose to four .eeks confined .ith hundreds of other ca,ti5es to a .indo./ess .arehouse
some.here in the city) ours ear/ier a// of them had been marched throu-h the dark to a red6c/ay
/andin- fie/d that had been notched into one of the hi//s and .as current/y s.armin- .ith Re,ub/ic
troo,s)
"n its hardstand sat a mi/itary trans,ort Shryne surmised .ou/d de/i5er e5eryone to a ,ro,er ,rison
on or in orbit around some for/orn "uter Rim .or/d) Thus far2 thou-h2 none of the ,risoners had
been ordered to board the trans,ort) Instead2 a head count .as bein- conducted) $ore im,ortant2 the
c/one troo,ers .ere ob5ious/y .aitin- for someone or somethin- to arri5e)
When his eyes had ad0usted fu//y to the /i-ht2 Shryne scanned the ,risoners to a// sides of him2
re/ie5ed to find :o/ +hatak and her Pada.an standin- some fifty meters a.ay2 amon- a mi3ed
-rou, of indi-enous 'oori5ar fi-hters and an assortment of Se,aratist mercenaries) e ca//ed to
them throu-h the *orce2 fi-urin- that +hatak .ou/d be first to res,ond2 but it .as Starstone .ho
turned s/i-ht/y in his direction and smi/ed faint/y) Then +hatak /ooked his .ay2 offerin- a 8uick
nod)
"n their ca,ture at the /andin- ,/atform2 the three of them had been se,arated) The fact that +hatak
had mana-ed to retain her headc/oth ,erha,s e3,/ained .hy her short crania/ horns hadn1t sin-/ed
her out as ?abrak and raised an a/ert amon- her ca,tors)
Assumin- that the conditions of her ca,ti5ity had been simi/ar to his2 +hatak1s bein- o5er/ooked
made ,erfect sense to Shryne) Rounded u, .ith hundreds of enemy fi-hters fo//o.in- the sti//6
,u77/in- deacti5ation of $urkhana1s batt/e droids and other .ar machines2 Shryne had been
searched2 rou-hed u,2 and marched into the dark bui/din- that .ou/d become his home for the ne3t
four .eeks6a s,ecia/ torment reser5ed for mercenaries) Any .ho hadn1t .i//in-/y surrendered their
.ea,ons had been e3ecuted2 and do7ens more had died in fierce fi-hts that had broken out for the
fe. scra,s of food that had been ,ro5ided)
It hadn1t taken /on- for Shryne to -ras, that .innin- the hearts and minds of Se,aratist fi-hters .as
no /on-er to,s on +hance//or Pa/,atine1s /ist)
It a/so hadn1t taken /on- for him to -i5e u, .orryin- about bein- found out2 since he had been
,/aced in the custody of /o.6rankin- c/one troo,ers .hose armor b/a7es identified them as members
of com,anies other than +ommander Sa/5o1s) The troo,ers had rare/y s,oken to any of the
,risoners2 so there had been no ne.s of the .ar or of e5ents that mi-ht ha5e ,rom,ted the i-h
+ounci/ to order the Jedi to -o into hidin-) Shryne kne. on/y that the fi-htin- on $urkhana had
sto,,ed2 and that the Re,ub/ic had trium,hed)
e .as considerin- the ad5anta-e of ed-in- himse/f c/oser to .here +hatak and Starstone stood
.hen a con5oy of mi/itary s,eeders and bi-6.hee/ed 0u--ernauts arri5ed on the scene) +ommander
Sa/5o and some of his chief officers ste,,ed from one of the /ands,eeders9 from the hatch of one of
the 0u--ernauts emer-ed commando s8uad /eader +/imber2 and the rest of Ion Team)
Shryne .ondered about the timin- of the commander1s arri5a/) Perha,s Sa/5o .as determined to
ha5e a c/ose /ook at each and e5ery ,risoner before any .ere /oaded into the trans,ort) That Shryne
.as farther back from the /eadin- ed-e of the cro.d than +hatak and Starstone .ere meant nothin-)
%i5en the amount of time they had s,ent .ith Sa/5o2 he .ou/d ha5e no troub/e identifyin- a// of
them)
"dd/y2 thou-h2 the commander .asn1t ,ayin- much attention to the ,risoners) is T65isor -a7e .as
fi3ed instead on a Re,ub/ic shutt/e that .as descendin- to.ard the /andin- fie/d)
;Theta6c/ass2; one of the ,risoners said 8uiet/y to the mercenary standin- a/on-side him)
;4ou don1t see many of those2; the second human said) ;$ust be one of Pa/,atine1s re-iona/
-o5ernors);
The first man sniffed) ;When they care enou-h to send the 5ery best))) ;
The shutt/e had commenced its /andin- se8uence) With ion dri5e ,o.erin- do.n and re,u/sor/ift
en-a-ed2 the craft fo/ded its /on- .in-s u,.ard to ,ro5ide access to the main ho/d2 then sett/ed
-ent/y to the -round) (o sooner had the boardin- ram, e3tended than a s8uad of e/ite troo,ers fi/ed
out2 the red markin-s on their armor identifyin- them as +oruscant shock troo,ers)
A much ta//er fi-ure fo//o.ed2 attired head6to6foot in b/ack) ;What in the moons of :o-den6;
;(e. breed of troo,er<;
;"n/y if someone furnished the c/oners .ith a donor a /ot ta//er than the ori-ina/);
Sa/5o and his officers hastened o5er to the fi-ure in b/ack) ;We/come2 Lord Vader);
;Vader<; the mere c/osest to Shryne said)
Lord2 Shryne thou-ht)
;That1s no c/one2; the first human said)
Shryne didn1t kno. .hat to make of Vader2 a/thou-h it .as e5ident from the reaction of Sa/5o and
his officers that they had been to/d to e3,ect someone of hi-h rank) With his /ar-e he/met and
f/o.in- b/ack ca,e2 Vader /ooked /ike somethin- borro.ed from the Se,aratists6a -rotes8ue2
%rie5ous6/ike marria-e of humanoid and machine)
;Lord Vader2; Shryne re,eated under his breath)
Like +ount Dooku<
Sa/5o .as -esturin- to +/imber and the other commandos2 .ho had remained at the 0u--ernaut)
*rom inside the enormous 5ehic/e f/oated a /ar-e anti-ra5 ca,su/e .ith a trans,arent /id2 .hich t.o
of the commandos be-an to -uide to.ard Vader1s shutt/e) As the ca,su/e ,assed c/ose to Shryne2 he
cau-ht a -/im,se of bro.n robes2 and his stomach /urched into his throat)
When the ca,su/e fina//y reached Sa/5o2 the commander o,ened an access ,ane/ in its base and
remo5ed three -/eamin- cy/inders2 .hich he ,roffered to Vader)
Li-htsabers)
Vader nodded for the commander of his shock troo,ers to acce,t them2 then2 in a dee,2 synthesi7ed
5oice2 said to Sa/5o: ;What .ere you sa5in- the bodies for2 +ommander6,osterity<;
Sa/5o shook his head) ;We .eren1t issued any instructions6;
Vader1s -/o5ed ri-ht hand .a5ed him si/ent) ;Dis,ose of them in any fashion you see fit);
Sa/5o .as motionin- +/imber to remo5e the anti-ra5 coffin .hen Vader sto,,ed him)
;a5e you for-otten anyone2 +ommander<; Vader asked) Sa/5o re-arded him) ;*or-otten2 Lord
Vader<;
Vader fo/ded his arms across his massi5e chest) ;Si3 Jedi .ere assi-ned to $urkhana2 not three);
Shryne traded brief -/ances .ith +hatak2 .ho .as a/so c/ose enou-h to Vader to hear the remark)
;I1m sorry to re,ort2 Lord Vader2 that the other three e5aded ca,ture2 ; Sa/5o said)
Vader nodded) ;I a/ready kno. that2 +ommander) And I ha5en1t come ha/f.ay across the -a/a3y to
chase them do.n); e dre. himse/f erect .ith a hau-hty air) ;I15e come to dea/ .ith the ones .ho
a//o.ed them to esca,e);
+/imber immediate/y ste,,ed for.ard) ;That .ou/d be me);
;And us2; the rest of Ion Team announced in unison)
Vader stared do.n at the commandos) ;4ou disobeyed a direct order from i-h +ommand);
;The order made no sense at the time2; +/imber ans.ered for e5eryone) ;We thou-ht it mi-ht be a
Se,aratist trick);
;What you 1thou-ht1 has no bearin- on this2; Vader said2 ,ointin- at +/imber) ;4ou are e3,ected to
fo//o. orders);
;And .e fo//o. any reasonab/e ones) 'i//in- our o.n didn1t 8ua/ify);
Vader continued to ,oint his forefin-er at +/imber1s chest) ;They .eren1t your a//ies2 s8uad /eader)
They .ere traitors2 and you sided .ith them);
+/imber stood his -round) ;Traitors ho.< :ecause a fe. of them tried to arrest Pa/,atine< I sti//
don1t see ho. that .arrants a death ,ena/ty for the /ot of them);
;I1// be sure to notify the !m,eror of your concerns2; Vader said)
;4ou do that);
Shryne c/osed his mouth and s.a//o.ed hard) Jedi had tried to arrest Pa/,atine) The Re,ub/ic no.
had an !m,eror=
;#nfortunate/y2; Vader .as sayin-2 ;you .on1t be a/i5e to /earn of his res,onse);
In one s.ift motion he dre. aside his c/oak and ,u//ed a /i-htsaber from his be/t) I-nitin- .ith a
sna,6hiss2 the hi/t ,ro0ected a crimson b/ade)
If Shryne had been confused ear/ier2 he .as no. o5er.he/med)
A Sith b/ade<
The four commandos fe// back2 raisin- their .ea,ons)
;We1// acce,t e3ecution for our actions2; +/imber said) ;:ut not from some /a,do- of the !m,eror);
Huick/y Sa/5o and his officers ste,,ed for.ard2 but Vader on/y sho.ed them the ,a/m of his hand)
;(o2 +ommander) Lea5e this to me);
With that he mo5ed on the commandos)
S,readin- out2 they fired2 but not a sin-/e bo/t made it ,ast Vader1s b/ade) Def/ected bo/ts .ent
strai-ht throu-h the he/met 5isors of t.o of the commandos2 and in t.o furious s.ee,s Vader
o,ened the ,air from shou/der to hi,2 as if they .ere f/imsy ration containers) +/imber and the third
commando took ad5anta-e of the moment to break for the nearby tree /ine2 firin- as they f/ed) A
def/ection shot from Vader cau-ht +/imber in the /eft /e-2 but the bo/t didn1t so much as s/o. him
do.n)
Vader tracked them2 then motioned to his cadre of troo,ers) ;I .ant them a/i5e2 +ommander A,,o);
;4es2 Lord Vader);
A,,o1s shock troo,ers raced off in ,ursuit of the commandos) (ot one of Sa/5o1s officers had fired a
.ea,on2 but no. a// of them .ere re-ardin- Vader .ith 5i-i/ant uncertainty2 their rif/es ha/f raised)
;Don1t /et my .ea,on foo/ you2; Vader to/d them2 as if readin- their thou-hts) ;I am not a Jedi);
*rom off to Shryne1s /eft2 a fami/iar 5oice shouted) ;:ut I am=;
:o/ +hatak had un.ound her headc/oth2 re5ea/in- her 5esti-ia/ horns2 and had i-nited the /i-htsaber
Shryne thou-ht she1d had sense enou-h to ditch .hen they .ere ca,tured)
Vader .hir/ed2 .atchin- +hatak as she be-an to sta/k him2 ,risoners and troo,ers a/ike -i5in- her
.ide berth)
;So much the better that one of you sur5i5ed2; he said2 .a5in- his /i-htsaber back and forth in front
of him) ;The commandos sa5ed your /ife2 and no. you ho,e to sa5e theirs2 is that it<;
+hatak he/d her b/ue b/ade at shou/der hei-ht) ;$y on/y intent is to take you out of the hunt);
Vader1s an-/ed his b/ade to ,oint to.ard the -round) ;4ou .on1t be the first Jedi I15e ki//ed);
Their b/ades met .ith an e3,/osion of /i-ht)
*earin- that the ,risoners .ou/d use the distraction to scatter2 Sa/5o1s men hurried in to form a
cordon around them) Pressed in amon- e5eryone2 Shryne /ost si-ht of +hatak and Vader2 but he
cou/d te// from the an-ry c/ashes of their b/ades that the due/ .as fast and furious) $omentari/y
immobi/i7ed2 he a//o.ed himse/f to be s.e,t u, in the sur-e of the cro.d2 so that he mi-ht be
raised u, o5er the heads of those in front of him)
*or a moment he .as)
Just /on- enou-h to -/im,se +hatak2 a// -race and s,eed2 .orkin- her .ay into her o,,onent1s
s,ace) er mo5es .ere broad and circu/ar2 and the /i-htsaber seemed an e3tension of her) Vader2 by
contrast2 .as c/umsy2 and his strikes .ere most/y 5ertica/) e .as2 ho.e5er2 a fu// head ta//er than
+hatak and incredib/y ,o.erfu/) At 5arious times his stances and techni8ues mimicked those of
Ataro and Soresu2 but Vader a,,eared to /ack a sty/e of his o.n2 and e3ecuted his mo5es stiff/y)
With a .hir/in- motion +hatak -ot far enou-h inside Vader1s /on- reach to inf/ict a forearm .ound)
:ut Vader scarce/y reacted to the hit2 and instead of seein- cauteri7ed f/esh
Shryne sa. s,arks and smoke fountain throu-h Vader1s s/ashed -/o5e)
Then he /ost si-ht of them a-ain)
Wed-ed into the cro.d2 he .ondered if he cou/d use the *orce to ca// one of the troo,er1s b/aster
rif/es into his -ri,) At the same time he ho,ed that Starstone had abandoned her /i-htsaber at the
/andin- ,/atform2 and .ou/dn1t attem,t to 0oin her $aster a-ainst Vader)
We need to /earn .hat ha,,ened to the Jedi2 he tried to send to her) "ur time for dea/in- .ith Vader
.i// come) :e ,atient)
e .ondered if he .as ri-ht) $aybe he shou/d attem,t to reach +hatak2 .ea,on or no) $aybe his
/ife .as meant to end here2 on $urkhana)
e /ooked to the *orce for -uidance2 and the *orce restrained him)
A ,ained cry cut throu-h the chaos2 and the cro.d of ,risoners ,arted 0ust /on- enou-h for Shryne
to see +hatak do.n on her knees in front of Vader2 her s.ord arm am,utated at the e/bo.) Vader
had sim,/y beaten her into submission2 and no.2 .ith a f/ick of his b/oodshine b/ade2 he deca,itated
her)
Sorro. /anced Shryne1s heart)
#nreadab/e behind his mask2 Vader -a7ed do.n at +hatak1s s/ack body)
The c/one troo,ers re/a3ed the cordon some.hat2 a//o.in- the ,risoners to s,read out) And the
moment they did2 Vader be-an to scan faces in the cro.d)
There .ere techni8ues for concea/in- one1s *orce abi/ities2 and Shryne em,/oyed them) e a/so
,re,ared for the ,ossibi/ity that he cou/d be found out) :ut Vader1s b/ack -a7e mo5ed ri-ht ,ast him)
Instead2 it a,,eared to focus on I/ee Starstone)
Vader took a ste, in her direction)
(o. I ha5e no choice2 Shryne thou-ht)
e .as ready to /un-e .hen a shock troo,er ca//ed to Vader2 re,ortin- that the commandos had
been ca,tured) Vader sto,,ed in his tracks2 -/ancin- in Starstone1s direction before turnin- to Sa/5o)
;+ommander2 see to it that the ,risoners are /oaded into the trans,ort); A-ain2 Vader scanned the
cro.d) ;A /ess accommodatin- dun-eon a.aits them on A-on (ine);
&>
Vader had no sooner turned his back to the ,risoners than Shryne .as in motion2 ed-in-2 e/bo.in-2
shou/derin- his .ay throu-h the cro.d to Starstone2 .hose narro. shou/ders hea5ed as she
attem,ted to su,,ress her -rief at her $aster1s death) Rea/i7in- Shryne .as at her side2 she turned
into his comfortin- but brief embrace)
;4our $aster is .ith the *orce2; he to/d her) ;Re0oice for that);
She narro.ed her eyes at him) ;Why didn1t you he/, her<;
;I thou-ht .e1d a-reed to abandon our /i-htsabers);
She nodded) ;I abandoned mine) :ut you cou/d ha5e done somethin-);
;4ou1re ri-ht) $aybe I shou/d ha5e cha//en-ed 1Lord Vader1 to a fistfi-ht); Shryne1s nostri/s f/ared)
;4our $aster reacted in an-er and in 5en-eance) She .ou/d ha5e been more use to us a/i5e);
Starstone reacted as if she had been s/a,,ed) ;That1s a heart/ess remark);
;Don1t confuse emotion .ith truth) !5en if :o/ +hatak had defeated Vader2 she .ou/d ha5e been
ki//ed);
Starstone -estured 5a-ue/y in Vader1s direction) ;:ut that monster .ou/d be dead);
Shryne he/d her accusin- -a7e) ;Ven-eance isn1t becomin- in a Jedi2 Pada.an) 4our $aster died for
nothin-);
The ,risoners .ere on the mo5e no.2 troo,ers herdin- them to.ard the boardin- ram, of the
mi/itary trans,ort)
;*a// back2; Shryne said into Starstone1s ear)
The t.o of them s/o.ed do.n2 a//o.in- other ca,ti5es to maneu5er around them)
;Who is Vader<; Starstone asked after a moment)
Shryne shook his head in i-norance) ;That1s somethin- .e mi-ht be ab/e to /earn if .e can remain
a/i5e);
Starstone took her /o.er /i, bet.een her teeth) ;I1m sorry about .hat I said2 $aster);
;Don1t .orry about that) Te// me ho. :o/ +hatak .as ab/e to kee, the /i-htsaber hidden from the
-uards);
;*orce ,ersuasion2; Starstone said 8uiet/y) ;At first .e thou-ht .e mi-ht he ab/e to esca,e2 but my
$aster .anted to .ait unti/ she kne. .hat had ha,,ened to you) We .ere /ocked a.ay in a
bui/din- and /eft to fend for ourse/5es) Very /itt/e food2 and troo,ers e5ery.here) !5en if my $aster
had used her /i-htsaber then2 I don1t kno. ho. far .e .ou/d ha5e -otten before troo,ers .ere a//
o5er us);
;Did you use *orce ,ersuasion at any time<;
She nodded) ;That1s ho. I .as ab/e to ho/d on to my $aster1s beacon transcei5er);
Shryne eyed her in sur,rise) ;4ou ha5e it .ith you<;
;$aster +hatak to/d me to kee, it);
;*oo/ish2; he said2 then asked: ;Were you ab/e to /earn anythin- about the .ar<;
;(othin-); Starstone /et her mis-i5in- sho.) ;Did you hear Vader say that he .ou/d te// the
1!m,eror1<;
;I heard him);
;+ou/d the Senate ha5e named Pa/,atine !m,eror<;
;Seems /ike somethin- the Senate .ou/d do);
;:ut !m,eror of .hat !m,ire<;
;I15e been askin- myse/f that); e -/anced at her) ;I think the .ar has ended);
She thou-ht about it for a moment) ;Then .hy .ere the troo,ers ordered to ki// us<;
;Jedi on +oruscant may ha5e attem,ted to arrest Pa/,atine before he .as ,romoted6or cro.ned2 I
su,,ose I shou/d say);
;That1s .hy .e .ere ordered into hidin-);
;%ood theory6for a chan-e);
They .ere c/osin- on the /i, of the boardin- ram, no.2 a/most at the end of the /ine) Acce,tin- of
the ine5itab/e2 most of the ,risoners .ere demonstratin- remarkab/e disci,/ine2 and many of the
troo,ers .ere driftin- a.ay as a resu/t) T.o troo,ers .ere stationed at the to, of the ram,2 one to
either side of the rectan-u/ar hatch2 and three more .ere mo5in- more or /ess a/on-side the t.o
Jedi)
;Vader is a Sith2 $aster2; Starstone said)
Shryne sho.ed her a /on-6sufferin- /ook) ;What do you kno. of the Sith<;
;:efore $aster +hatak chose me as her Pada.an2 I trained under $aster Jocasta (u in the Tem,/e
archi5es) *or my re5ie.2 I e/ected to be tested in Sith history);
;+on-ratu/ations) Then I don1t need to remind you that a crimson b/ade doesn1t -uarantee that the
.ie/der is a Sith2 any more than e5ery ,erson stron- in the *orce is a Jedi) Asa00 Ventress .as a
mere a,,rentice to Dooku2 not a true Sith) A crimson b/ade can o.e to nothin- more than a
synthetic ,o.er crysta/) Then crimson is sim,/y a co/or2 /ike $aster Windu1s amethyst b/ade);
;4es2 but Jedi norma//y don1t .ie/d crimson b/ades2; Star6stone ar-ued2 ;if on/y because of their
association .ith the Sith) So e5en if Vader .as nothin- more than another a,,rentice of +ount
Dooku2 .hy is he no. ser5in- Pa/,atine6!m,eror Pa/,atine6as an e3ecutioner<;
;4ou1re assumin- too much2; Shryne said) ;!5en if you1re ri-ht2 .hy is that so hard to be/ie5e2
.hen Dooku did 0ust the o,,osite6.ent from ser5in- the Jedi order to ser5in- the Sith<;
Starstone shook her head) ;I su,,ose it shou/dn1t be hard to be/ie5e2 $aster) :ut it is);
e /ooked at her) ;ere is .hat matters: Vader sus,ects that t.o Jedi are -oin- to be aboard the
,rison trans,ort) !5entua//y he1// identify us and .e1// be ki//ed2 un/ess .e take our chances2 here
and no.);
;o.2 $aster<;
;Dro, back .ith me to the end of the /ine) I1m -oin- to try somethin-2 and I ho,e the *orce is .ith
me) If I fai/2 .e board as instructed) #nderstood<;
;#nderstood);
The /ast of the ca,ti5e mercenaries and 'oori5ar mo5ed ,ast the t.o re/uctant Jedi2 u, the shi,1s
ram, and throu-h the hatch) At the to, Shryne made a ,assin- motion .ith his hand to one of the
troo,ers)
;There1s no reason to detain us2; he said)
The troo,er -a7ed at him from inside the he/met) ;There1s no reason to detain them2; he to/d his
comrades)
;We1re free to return to our homes);
;They1re free to return to their homes);
;!5erythin-1s fine) It1s time for you to board the shi,);
;!5erythin-1s fine) It1s time for us to board the shi,);
Shryne and Starstone .aited unti/ the fina/ troo,er had fi/ed inside9 then they /ea,t from the ram,
onto the c/ay fie/d and concea/ed themse/5es behind one of the /andin- -ear ,ods)
When an o,,ortunity ,resented itse/f2 they hurried from beneath the shi, and esca,ed into the thick
5e-etation2 headin- for .hat remained of $urkhana +ity)
&A
In his ,ersona/ 8uarters aboard the !3actor2 Vader e3amined the dama-e the ?abrak /i-htsaber had
done to his /eft forearm) After assurin- himse/f that the ,ressure suit had se/f6sea/ed abo5e the burn2
he had ,ee/ed off the /on- -/o5e and used a fine6,oint /aser cutter to remo5e f/a,s of armor.ea5e
fabric that had been fused to the a//oy beneath) The Jedi1s /i-htsaber had s/iced throu-h the shie/din-
that bu/ked the -/o5e and had me/ted some of the artificia/ /i-aments that a//o.ed the hand to
,ronate) Permanent re,airs .ou/d ha5e to .ait unti/ he returned to +oruscant) In the meantime he
.ou/d ha5e to entrust his arm to the care of one of the Star Destroyer1s med droids)
is o.n /i-htsaber rested .ithin reach2 but the /on-er he -a7ed at it2 and at the b/ackened furro. in
the a//oy2 the more disheartened he became) ad the hand been f/esh and b/ood it .ou/d be shakin-
no.) "n/y Dooku2 Asa00 Ventress2 and "bi6Wan had been -ood enou-h .ith a b/ade to in0ure him2
so ho. had an undistin-uished Jedi 'ni-ht been ab/e to do so<
With the /oss of my /imbs2 ha5e I a/so /ost stren-th in the *orce<
Vader reco-ni7ed the 5oice of the one .ho ,osed the 8uestion as the s,ecter of Anakin) Anakin
te//in- him that he .as not as ,o.erfu/ as he thou-ht he .as) The /itt/e s/a5e boy2 co.erin- because
/ie .as not the master of his fate) A mere accessory in the .or/d2 o.ned by another2 ,assed o5er)
And no. ne./y ens/a5ed=
e /ifted his masked face to the cabin1s cei/in- and -ro./ed in torment) Sidious1s ine,t med droids
had done this to him= S/o.ed his ref/e3es2 burdened him .ith armor and ,addin-) e re/ished
ha5in- destroyed them)
"r))) had Sidious de/iberate/y en-ineered this ,rison< A-ain2 it .as Anakin .ho asked2 that sma//
node of fear in Vader1s heart)
Was this ,unishment for ha5in- fai/ed at $ustafar< "r had $ustafar mere/y ,ro5ided Sidious .ith
an e3cuse to .eaken him< Perha,s a// a/on- the ,romise of a,,renticeshi, had been nothin- more
than a ,/oy2 .hen2 in fact2 Sidious mere/y needed someone to command his army of stormtroo,ers)
Another %rie5ous2 .hi/e Sidious rea,ed the rea/ re.ards of ,o.er2 confident that his ne.est minion
,osed no threat to his ru/e)
Vader d.e//ed on it2 fearin- he .ou/d dri5e himse/f mad2 and at /ast reached an e5en more
disheartenin- conc/usion) %rie5ous .as du,ed into ser5in- the Sith) :ut Sidious had sent Anakin to
$ustafar for one reason on/y: to ki// the members of the Se,aratist +ounci/)
Padme and "bi6Wan .ere the ones .ho had sentenced him to his b/ack6suit ,rison)
Sentenced by his .ife and his a//e-ed best friend2 their /o5e for him .ar,ed by .hat they had
,ercei5ed as betraya/) "bi6Wan2 too brain.ashed by the Jedi to reco-ni7e the ,o.er of the dark
side9 and Padme2 too ens/a5ed to the Re,ub/ic to understand that Pa/,atine1s machinations and
Anakin1s defection to the Sith had been essentia/ to brin-in- ,eace to the -a/a3y= !ssentia/ to
,/acin- ,o.er in the hands of those resourcefu/ enou-h to use it ,ro,er/y2 in order to sa5e the
-a/a3y1s myriad s,ecies from themse/5es9 to end the incom,etence of the Senate9 to disso/5e the
b/oated2 entit/ed Jedi order2 .hose $asters .ere b/ind to the decay they had fostered)
And yet their +hosen "ne had seen it9 so .hy hadn1t they fo//o.ed his /ead by embracin- the dark
side<
:ecause they .ere too set in their .ays9 too inf/e3ib/e to ada,t)
Vader mused)
Anakin Sky.a/ker had died on +oruscant)
:ut the +hosen "ne had died on $ustafar)
:/isterin- ra-e2 as seethin- as $ustafar1s /a5a f/o.s2 .e//ed u, in him2 /i8uefyin- se/f6,ity) This
.as .hat he sa. behind the mask1s 5isua/ enhancers: bubb/in- /a5a2 red heat2 scorched f/esh
e had on/y .anted to sa5e them= Padme2 from death9 "bi6Wan2 from i-norance) And in the end
they had fai/ed to reco-ni7e his ,o.er9 to sim,/y accede to him9 to acce,t on faith that he kne.
.hat .as best for them2 for e5eryone=
Instead Padme .as dead and "bi6Wan .as runnin- for his /ife2 as stri,,ed of e5erythin- as Vader
.as) Without friends2 fami/y2 ,ur,ose)))
+/enchin- his ri-ht hand2 he cursed the *orce) What had it e5er ,ro5ided him but ,ain< Torturin-
him .ith foresi-ht2 .ith 5isions he .as unab/e to ,re5ent) Leadin- him to be/ie5e that he had -reat
,o.er .hen he .as /itt/e more than its ser5ant)
:ut no /on-er2 Vader ,romised himse/f) The ,o.er of the dark side .ou/d render the *orce
subser5ient2 minion rather than a//y)
!3tendin- his ri-ht arm2 he took ho/d of the /i-htsaber and turned it about in his hand) Just three
standard .eeks o/d2 assemb/ed6as Sidious had .ished6in the shado. of the moon/et6si7e terror
.ea,on he .as ha5in- constructed2 it had no. tasted first b/ood)
Sidious had ,ro5ided the synthcrysta/ res,onsib/e for the crimson b/ade2 a/on- .ith his o.n
/i-htsaber to ser5e as a mode/) Vader2 thou-h2 had no fondness for anti8ues2 and .hi/e he cou/d
a,,reciate the handi.ork that had -one into fashionin- the in/aid2 -ent/y cur5ed hi/t of Sidious1s
/i-htsaber2 he ,refered a .ea,on .ith more ba//ast) Determined to ,/ease his $aster2 /ie had tried to
create somethin- no5e/2 but had ended u, fashionin- a b/ack 5ersion of the /i-htsaber he had
.ie/ded for more than a decade2 .ith a thick2 rid-ed hand-ri,2 hi-h6out,ut diatium ,o.er ce//2 dua/6
,hase focusin- crysta/2 and for.ard6mounted ad0ustment knobs) Do.n to the be5e/ed emitter
shroud2 the hi/t mimicked Anakin1s)
:ut there .as a ,rob/em)
is ne. hands .ere too /ar-e to du,/icate the /oose -ri, Anakin had fa5ored2 ri-ht hand .ra,,ed
not on the -ri, but around the crysta/6housin- cy/inder2 c/ose to the b/ade itse/f) Vader1s hands
re8uired that the -ri, be thicker and /on-er2 and the resu/t .as an ine/e-ant .ea,on2 5er-in- on
un-ain/y)
Another cause of the in0ury to his /eft arm)
The Sith -re. ,ast the use of /i-htsabers2 Sidious had to/d him) :ut .e continue to use them2 if on/y
to humi/iate the Jedi)
Vader yearned for the time .hen memories of Anakin .ou/d fade2 /ike /i-ht absorbed by a b/ack
ho/e) #nti/ that ha,,ened2 his /ife6sustainin- suit .ou/d be an i// fit) !5en if it .as .e// suited to the
darkness in his in5u/nerab/e heart)))
The com/ink chimed)
;What is it2 +ommander A,,o<;
;Lord Vader2 I15e been informed of a discre,ancy in the ,risoner count) A//o.in- for the Jedi you
ki//ed on $urkhana2 t.o ,risoners are unaccounted for);
;The others .ho sur5i5ed "rder Si3ty6Si32; Vader said) ;Sha// I instruct +ommander Sa/5o to
initiate a search<;
;(ot this time2 +ommander) I .i// hand/e it myse/f);
&B
Do.n there<; Starstone said2 ha/tin- at the head of a cree,y stair.ay Shryne .as a/ready
descendin-) The stairs /ed to the basement of a ramb/in- bui/din- that had been /eft unscathed by
the batt/e2 and .as ty,ica/ of those that cro.ned the 5erdant hi//s south of $urkhana +ity) :ut she
had a bad fee/in- about the stair.ay)
;Don1t .orry) This is on/y +ash1s .ay of kee,in- out the riffraff);
;Doesn1t a,,ear to be s/o.in- you do.n any2; she said2 fo//o.in- him into the stair.ay1s dark .e//)
;%/ad to see that your sense of humor has returned) 4ou must ha5e been the /ife of the dun-eon);
And Shryne meant it2 because he didn1t .ant her d.e//in- on :o/ +hatak1s death) In the /on- hours
it had taken them to -et from the /andin- fie/d to +ash %arru/an1s head8uarters Starstone seemed to
ha5e made ,eace .ith .hat had ha,,ened)
;o. is it you kno. this ,erson<; she asked o5er his shou/der)
;%arru/an1s the reason the +ounci/ first sent me to $urkhana) e1s a former :/ack Sun 5i-o) I came
here to ,ut him out of business2 but he turned out to be one of our best sources of inte//i-ence on
Se,aratist acti5ities in this 8uadrant) 4ears before %eonosis2 %arru/an .as .arnin- us about the
e3tent of Dooku1s mi/itary bui/du,2 but no one on the +ounci/ or in the Senate seemed to take the
threat serious/y);
;And in return for the inte//i-ence you a//o.ed %arru/an to remain in business);
;e1s not a utt) e dea/s in2 .e//2 .ho/esa/e commodities);
;So not on/y are .e on the run2 .e1re turnin- to -an-sters for he/,);
;$aybe you ha5e a better idea<;
;(o2 $aster2 I don1t);
;I didn1t think so) And sto, ca//in- me 1$aster)1 Someone .i// either make the Jedi connection or -et
the im,ression you1re my ser5ant);
;*orce forbid2; Starstone muttered)
;I1m Roan) P/ain and sim,/e);
;I1// try to remember that6Roan); She /au-hed at the sound of it) ;I1m sorry2 it 0ust doesn1t rin- true);
;4ou1// -et used to it);
At the foot of the stairs .as an unadorned door) Shryne ra,,ed his knuck/es on the 0amb2 and to the
droid eyeba// that ,oked throu-h a circu/ar ,orta/ in res,onse said somethin- in .hat Starstone
surmised .as 'oori5ar) A moment /ater the door s/id into its housin- to re5ea/ a muscu/ar and
e3tensi5e/y tattooed human ma/e2 crad/in- a D+6&@ b/aster rif/e) Smi/in- at Shryne2 he ushered
them into a sur,risin-/y o,u/ent foyer)
;Sti// sneakin- u, on ,eo,/e2 huh2 Shryne<;
;"/d habits);
The man nodded sa-e/y2 then -a5e Shryne and Starstone the once6o5er) ;What1s .ith the -etu,s<
4ou /ook /ike you15e s,ent a month in a trash com,actor);
;That .ou/d ha5e been a ste, u,2; Starstone said)
Shryne ,eered into the back room) ;Is he here2 Ja//y<;
;e1s here2 but not for /on-) Just ,ackin- u, .hat .e cou/dn1t mo5e before the in5asion) I1// te//
him6;
;Let1s make it a sur,rise);
Ja//y /au-hed short/y ;"h2 he1// be sur,rised2 a// ri-ht);
Shryne motioned for Starstone to fo//o. him) "n the far side of a beaded6curtain entry.ay a mi3ed
-rou, of humans2 a/iens2 and /abor droids .ere hau/in- ,ackin- crates into a s,acious turbo/ift)
!5en more .e// a,,ointed than the foyer2 the room .as c/uttered .ith furniture2 infostora-e and
communications de5ices2 .ea,ons2 and more) The humanoid standin- in the midst of it and
dis,ensin- orders to his under/in-s .as a T.i1/ek .ith fatty /ekku and a ,rominent ,aunch) Sensin-
someone behind him2 he turned and stared o,enmouthed at Shryne)
;I heard you1d been ki//ed);
;Wishfu/ thinkin-2; Shryne said)
+ash %arru/an mo5ed his head from side to side) ;Perha,s); e e3tended his fat arms and shook
both of Shryne1s hands2 then -estured to Shryne1s fi/thy robe) ;I /o5e the ne. /ook);
;I -ot tired of .earin- bro.n);
is -a7ed shifted) ;Who1s your ne. friend2 Roan<;
;"/ee2; Shryne said .ithout e/aboration) e aimed a -/ance at the ,ackin- crates) ;+/earance sa/e2
+ash<;
;Let1s 0ust say that ,eace has been bad for business);
;Then it is o5er<; Shryne asked so/emn/y)
%arru/an inc/ined his /ar-e head) ;4ou hadn1t heard< It .as a// o5er the o/o(et2 Roan);
;"/ee and I ha5e been out of touch);
;A,,arent/y so); The T.i1/ek turned to bark instructions at t.o of his em,/oyees2 then motioned
Shryne and Starstone into a sma// and tidy office2 .here %arru/an and Shryne sat do.n)
;Are you t.o in the market for b/asters<; %arru/an asked) ;I15e -ot :/asTechs2 $err6Sonns2 Ten/oss
DJs2 you name it) And I1// /et you ha5e them chea,); When Shryne shook his head no2 %arru/an
said: ;What about com/inks< Vibrob/ades< Tatooine hand.o5en car,ets6;
;*i// us in on ho. the .ar ended);
;o. it ended<; %arru/an sna,,ed his fat fin-ers) ;Just /ike that) "ne moment +hance//or Pa/,atine
has been kidna,,ed by %enera/ %rie5ous9 the ne3t2 Dooku and %rie5ous are dead2 the Jedi are
traitors2 the batt/e droids shut do.n2 and .e1re one bi- ha,,y -a/a3y a-ain2 more united than before6
an !m,ire2 no /ess) (o forma/ surrender by the +onfederacy of Inde,endent Systems2 no bo--ed6
do.n Senate2 no trade embar-oes) And .hate5er the !m,eror .ants2 the !m,eror -ets);
;Any comments from the members of the Se,aratist +ounci/<;
;(ot a ,ee,) A/thou-h rumors abound) The !m,eror had them ,ut to death) They1re sti// on the run)
They1re ho/ed u, in the Tin-e1 Arm2 in the com,any of Passe/ Ar-ente1s cronies)));
Shryne e3tended his arm to ,re5ent Starstone from ,acin-) ;Sit do.n2; he said) ;And sto, che.in-
on your /i,);
;4es2 $as6Roan);
;I ha5e to say2; %arru/an .ent on2 ;I ne5er .ou/d ha5e -uessed that the Jedi .ou/d be he/d
accountab/e);
;*or attem,tin- to arrest Pa/,atine2 you mean2; Shryne said)
;(o6for the .ar; %arru/an stared at Shryne for a /on- moment) ;4ou rea//y don1t kno. .hat1s
ha,,ened2 do you< $aybe you t.o shou/d ha5e a drink);
%arru/an .as ha/f.ay to his feet .hen Shryne said: ;(o drinks) Just te// us);
The T.i1/ek /ooked -enuine/y dismayed) ;I hate to be the bearer of bad ne.s2 Roan6es,ecia//y to
you2 of a// ,eo,/e6but the .ar has been /aid at the feet of the Jedi) 4ou mani,u/ated the .ho/e
charade: 5at6-ro.n troo,ers on one side2 $aster Dooku on the other2 a// in an attem,t to o5erthro.
the Re,ub/ic and ,/ace yourse/5es in char-e) That1s .hy Pa/,atine ordered your e3ecution2 and .hy
the Jedi Tem,/e .as sacked);
Shryne and Starstone traded /ooks of dread)
Readin- their e3,ressions2 the crime boss ado,ted a somber tone) ;*rom .hat I understand2 near/y
a// of the Jedi .ere ki//ed6in the Tem,/e2 or on one .or/d or another);
Shryne ,ut his arm around Starstone1s 8uakin- shou/ders) ;Steady2 kid2 ; he said2 as much to himse/f
as to "/ee)
The second beacon transmission2 orderin- a// Jedi to -o to -round2 sudden/y made sense) The
Tem,/e2 defense/ess in the absence of so many Jedi 'ni-hts2 had been attacked and ,/undered9
teachers and youn-/in-s s/au-htered by +oruscant1s shock troo,ers6stormtroo,ers2 as they .ere no.
bein- ca//ed) o. many Jedi had returned to the +ore2 Shryne .ondered2 on/y to be ki//ed on
arri5a/<
The order .as finished) (ot on/y .as there nothin- for Shryne and Starstone on +oruscant2 there
.as nothin- for them any.here)
;*or .hat it1s .orth2; %arru/an said2 ;I don1t be/ie5e a .ord of it) Pa/,atine is behind this) e has
been from the start);
Starstone .as shakin- her head back and forth in disbe/ief) ;It1s not ,ossib/e that e5ery Jedi has
been ki//ed); She turned to Shryne) ;Some Jedi .eren1t e5en .ith c/one troo,ers2 $aster) "ther
commanders may ha5e refused to obey i-h +ommand1s e3ecution orders);
;4ou1re ri-ht2; Shryne said2 tryin- to sound comfortin-) ;We1// find other sur5i5ors);
;Sure .e .i//);
;The order .i// rebui/d itse/f;
;Abso/ute/y;
%arru/an .aited for them to fa// si/ent before sayin-: ;A /ot of others ha5e had the car,et yanked
out from under them6e5en those of us at the bottom of the food chain); e /au-hed re-retfu//y) ;War
has a/.ays been better for us than ,eace) At /east the +or,orate A//iance .as .i//in- to to/erate us
for a share of the ,rofits) :ut the re-iona/ -o5ernors the !m,eror insta//ed are out to cast us as the
ne. enemy) And bet.een you and me2 I1d sooner dea/ .ith the utts);
Shryne studied him) ;Where1s that /ea5e you2 +ash<;
;(ot on $urkhana2 that much is certain) $y 'oori5ar com,etitors in crime ha5e my b/essin-s2 and
my sym,athy); %arru/an returned Shryne1s /ook) ;What about you2 Roan< Any ideas<;
;(ot ri-ht no.2; Shryne said)
;Perha,s you shou/d consider .orkin- for me) I cou/d use ,eo,/e .ith your s,ecia/ ta/ents2
es,ecia//y no.) I o.e you a fa5or2 in any case);
Starstone -/ared at him) ;We ha5en1t fa//en so /o. as to6; she started to say .hen Shryne c/am,ed
his hand o5er her mouth)
;$aybe I .i// consider it) :ut first you15e -ot to -et us off $urkhana);
%arru/an sho.ed Shryne the ,a/ms of his hands) ;I don1t o.e you that much);
;$ake it ha,,en2 and I1// o.e you);
Starstone /ooked from Shryne to %arru/an and back a-ain) ;Is this the .ay you .ere before the
.ar< +uttin- dea/s .ith anyone you ,/eased<;
;Don1t mind her2; Shryne said) ;What about it2 +ash<;
%arru/an sat back in his o5ersi7e chair) ;Shou/dn1t be too hard to e8ui, you .ith fa/se identities and
out.it the /oca/ -arrison troo,ers);
;(orma//y2 I1d a-ree2; Shryne cut in) ;:ut someone ne. has been added to the mi3) A Lord Vader);
When %arru/an didn1t react to the name2 he continued) ;A sort of b/ack6armored 5ersion of
%rie5ous2 on/y more dan-erous2 and a,,arent/y in char-e of doin- Pa/,atine1s dirty .ork);
;Rea//y2; %arru/an said2 c/ear/y interested) ;I ha5en1t heard anythin- about him);
;4ou .i//2; Shryne said) ;And he cou/d ,resent a ,rob/em to our -ettin- off this rock);
%arru/an stroked his /ekku) ;We//2 then2 I may ha5e to rethink my offer6in the interest of a5oidin-
Im,eria/ com,/ications) "r .e may sim,/y need to take additiona/ ,recautions);
&C
:/ack armor.ea5e and feats of stren-th .eren1t the on/y thin-s that distin-uished) Darth Vader from
Anakin Sky.a/ker) Where Anakin had had /imited access to the Jedi Tem,/e data room2 Vader6e5en
/i-ht6years from +oruscant6cou/d ,eruse any data he .ished2 inc/udin- archi5a/ records2 ancient
te3ts2 and ho/ocrons fashioned by ,ast $asters) Thus .as he ab/e to /earn the identities of the si3
Jedi .ho had been assi-ned to $urkhana at the end of the .ar9 the four .ho had been ki//ed6
$asters Loorne and :o/ +hatak2 and t.o Jedi 'ni-hts6and the t.o .ho remained at /ar-e: Roan
Shryne and +hatak1s Pada.an2 "/ee Starstone2 no. ,resumab/y in the care of the o/der and more
e3,erienced Shryne)
A ,etite youn- .oman .ith dark cur/y hair and an en-a-in- smi/e2 Starstone unti/ recent/y had
seemed destined to become a Tem,/e aco/yte2 ha5in- been se/ected by $aster Joscasta (u to ser5e
as her a,,rentice in the archi5es room) Short/y before the start of the .ar2 and in the interest of
broadenin- her understandin- of the rest of the -a/a3y2 Starstone had asked to be a//o.ed to do
fie/d.ork2 and it .as durin- a brief 5isit to !riadu that she had attracted the attention of :o/ +hatak)
+hatak hadn1t acce,ted her as a /earner2 ho.e5er2 unti/ the .ar1s second year2 and on/y then at the
behest of the i-h +ounci/) With so many Jedi 'ni-hts ,artici,atin- in mi/itary cam,ai-ns on far6
f/un- .or/ds2 the Tem,/e .as no ,/ace for an ab/e6bodied youn- Jedi .ho cou/d be of -reater
ser5ice to the Re,ub/ic as a .arrior than as a /ibrarian)
:y a// accounts Starstone had sho.n -reat ,romise) +andid2 smart as a 5ibro6.hi,2 and a bri//iant
researcher2 she shou/d ,robab/y ha5e ne5er been a//o.ed to /ea5e the Tem,/e) A/thou-h she .ou/d
ha5e died there2 a 5ictim of Darth Vader1s b/ade or the b/aster bo/ts of +ommander A,,o1s shock
troo,ers)
Roan Shryne .as another matter2 and it .as Shryne1s ho/o6ima-e Vader .as circ/in-2 as data about
the /on-6haired ro-ue Jedi 'ni-ht scro//ed in a se,arate ho/o,ro0ector fie/d)
Shryne had ori-ina//y been encountered on the "uter Rim .or/d of Weytta2 .hich ha,,ened to be in
the same -a/actic nei-hborhood as $urkhana) is fi/e contained ,assin- references to an ;incident;
that had attended his ,rocurement2 but Vader hadn1t been ab/e to /ocate a detai/ed account of .hat
had occurred)
At the Tem,/e he had demonstrated an ear/y ta/ent for bein- ab/e to sense the ,resence of the *orce
in others2 and so had been encoura-ed to ,ursue a course that .ou/d ha5e /anded him in the
Tem,/e1s Ac8uisition Di5ision) When he .as o/d enou-h to understand .hat ac8uisition entai/ed2
ho.e5er2 he had steadfast/y refused further tute/a-e2 for reasons the records a/so didn1t make c/ear)
The matter .as brou-ht before the i-h +ounci/2 .hich u/timate/y decided that Shryne shou/d be
a//o.ed to find his o.n ,ath rather than be ,ressed into ser5ice) The ,ath Shryne e5entua//y
fo//o.ed .as the study of .ea,ons of .ar2 both ancient and modern2 from .hich had -ro.n an
interest in the ro/e ,/ayed by crime syndicates in the s,read of i//e-a/ arms)
Shryne1s condemnation of the /oo,ho/es in Re,ub/ic /a.s that had a//o.ed the Trade *ederation and
simi/ar -rou,s to amass droid armies .as .hat had brou-ht him initia//y to $urkhana2 short/y
before the outbreak of the .ar) There he had had dea/in-s .ith a crime boss of /oca/ re,ute2 .ho
had -radua//y become Shryne1s informant on the Se,aratist mi/itary bui/du,) As a resu/t2 Shryne had
made fre8uent 0ourneys to $urkhana2 e5en durin- the .ar2 both as an underco5er sin-/eton and
.ith a Pada.an /earner)
A cou,/e of years o/der than "bi6Wan 'enobi2 Shryne2 /ike "bi6Wan2 had been a ,eri,hera/
member of .hat some Jedi had referred to as the ;"/d %uard;6a se/ect -rou, that had inc/uded
Dooku2 Hui6%on Jinn2 Sifo6Dyas2 $ace Windu2 and others2 many of .hom had been or .ou/d be
named to sit on the i-h +ounci/) :ut un/ike "bi6Wan2 Shryne had ne5er been ,ri5y to +ounci/
discussions or decisions)
Interestin-/y2 Shryne had been amon- those Jedi sent to %eonosis on the rescue mission that had
.ound u, becomin- the s,ark that i-nited the .ar) Durin- the batt/e there2 his former $aster2 (at6
Sem2 had been ki//ed2 a/on- .ith Shryne1s first Pada.an)
Then2 t.o and a ha/f years into the .ar2 Shryne /ost a second /earner at the :att/e of $anari)
It .as noted in the records that Shryne1s fe//o. Jedi be-an to see a chan-e in him after $anari2 not
on/y .ith re-ard to the .ar2 but a/so .ith re-ard to the ro/e the Jedi had been constrained to ,/ay6
mani,u/ated to ,/ay2 Vader no. understood6and many Jedi had e3,ected him to /ea5e the order2 as
se5era/ other Jedi 'ni-hts had done2 either findin- their .ay to the Se,aratist side or sim,/y
5anishin- from si-ht)
+ontinuin- to study the -host/y ima-e of Shryne2 Vader acti5ated the cabin comm)
;What ha5e you /earned<; he asked)
;Sti// no si-n of either Jedi2 Lord Vader2; A,,o said) ;:ut the T.i1/ek crime boss has been /ocated);
;%ood .ork2 +ommander) e .i// ,ro5e to be a// the /ead .e need);
+ash %arru/an .as tryin- to fi-ure out ho. he cou/d un/oad ei-ht hundred ,airs of knockoff (euro6
Saa5 e/ectrobinocu/ars in a hurry .hen Ja//y burst into his office to dra. his attention to the
security monitors)
In mountin- annoyance2 %arru/an .atched t.enty c/one troo,ers c/imb from a .hee/ed trans,ort
and take u, ,ositions around the a-ed2 s,ra./in- structure that .as his head8uarters)
;Stormtroo,ers2 no /ess2; %arru/an said) ;Probab/y sent by the re-iona/ -o5ernor to -rab .hate5er
they can before .e de,art); Pushin- himse/f u,ri-ht2 he s.e,t a stack of data cards from his desk
into an o,en attachK case) ;%i5e the troo,ers our munitions o5erstock) Don1t make a stand2
.hate5er you do) If thin-s -et rou-h2 offer them more6the e/ectrobinocu/ars2 for instance); e
-rabbed his c/oak and thre. it o5er his shou/ders) ;I2 ho.e5er2 am not about to suffer the indi-nity
of an arrest) I1// take the back stairs and meet you at the dockin- bay);
;%ood choice) We1// hand/e the c/ones);
urryin- out of his office and throu-h the stockroom2 he ,ressed the re/ease for the back door2 on/y
to find a to.erin- fi-ure fi//in- the entry.ay) Dressed in b/ack from outsi7e he/met to knee6hi-h
boots2 the masked fi-ure had his -/o5ed fists ,/anted on his hi,s in a .ay that s,read his c/oak .ide)
;%oin- some.here2 Vi-o<;
The s/i-ht/y bass 5oice .as enhanced by a 5ocoder of some sort and underscored by dee,2
rhythmica/ breathin-2 ob5ious/y re-u/ated by the contro/ bo3 stra,,ed to the fi-ure1s broad and
armored chest)
Vader9 %arru/an to/d himse/f The %rie5ous6/ike monstrosity Shryne said had been ;added to the
mi3);
;$ay I in8uire .ho .ishes to kno.<;
;4ou1re free to ask2; Vader said2 but /eft it at that)
%arru/an tried to com,ose his thou-hts) Vader and his storm6troo,ers hadn1t come for handouts)
They .ere hot on Shryne1s trai/) Sti//2 he thou-ht there mi-ht be a .ay to .in Vader o5er)
;I1m not and ne5er ha5e been a Se,aratist) I 0ust ha,,en to be /i5in- on a Se, .or/d);
;4our former a//e-iances don1t concern me2; Vader said)
Stretchin- out his ri-ht hand2 Vader yanked %arru/an off his feet and carried him throu-h the foyer
and into the office2 .here he de,osited him in a castered chair2 .hich ro//ed back.ard and struck
the .a//)
;$ake yourse/f comfortab/e2; Vader said)
%arru/an rubbed the)back of his head) ;It1s -oin- to be /ike that2 is it<;
;4es) Like that);
%arru/an forced a breath) ;We//2 I1d offer you a chair2 as .e//2 but I don1t think I ha5e another one
/ar-e enou-h);
The commander of Vader1s troo,ers entered from the front room .hi/e Vader .as takin- in the
office1s /a5ish a,,ointments) ;4ou15e done .e// for yourse/f2 Vi-o);
;I -et by2; %arru/an said)
Vader stood o5er him) ;I1m searchin- for t.o Jedi .ho esca,ed a trans,ort that .as to ha5e
de/i5ered them to A-on (ine);
;!nchantin- s,ot) :ut .hat makes you think6;
;:efore you say another .ord2; Vader cut him off2 ;be ad5ised that I kno. that you and one of the
Jedi -o back a /on- .ay);
%arru/an immediate/y re5ised his ,/ans) ;4ou1re ta/kin- about Roan Shryne and the -ir/);
;Then they did come here);
%arru/an nodded) ;They asked for my he/, in /ea5in- $urkhana);
;What arran-ements did you make<;
;Arran-ements<; %arru/an -estured broad/y to the room) ;I didn1t come by a// this by accident) I
.as sur,rised e5en to see Shryne a/i5e) I to/d them that I don1t he/, traitors) In fact2 I re,orted their
5isit to /oca/ authorities);
Vader turned to the stormtroo,er commander2 .ho nodded his head and mo5ed into the ,ackin-
room)
;4ou .ou/dn1t /ie to me2 Vi-o); Vader didn1t make it a 8uestion)
;(ot unti/ I -et to kno. you better);
The commander returned) ;e did contact the /oca/ -arrison commander2 Lord Vader);
It .as im,ossib/e to determine if Vader .as at a// satisfied) At /ast2 Vader said: ;Do you kno. .here
Shryne .as headed from here<;
%arru/an shook his head) ;e didn1t say) :ut he kno.s $urkhana .e//2 and I1m on/y one of his /oca/
contacts) :ut2 of course2 you a/ready kno. that);
;I .anted to hear it from you2; Vader said)
%arru/an smi/ed to himse/f) Vader had taken the bait) ;a,,y to ob/i-e))) Lord Vader);
;If you .ere Shryne2 .hat .ou/d be your ne3t mo5e<;
;We//2 no. .e1re s,ecu/atin-2 aren1t .e2; %arru/an said2 re/a3in- some.hat) ;I mean2 you a,,ear to
be askin- my ,rofessiona/ o,inion on the matter);
;And if I am<;
;I on/y thou-ht there mi-ht be somethin- in it for me);
;What is it you .ant2 Vi-o< 4ou a/ready a,,ear to ha5e more than you need);
%arru/an ado,ted a more serious tone) ;$ateria/ thin-s2; he said in a dismissi5e manner) ;I need
you to ,ut in a -ood .ord for me .ith the re-iona/ -o5ernor);
Vader nodded) ;That can be arran-ed6,ro5idin- that your ,rofessiona/ o,inion amounts to
anythin-);
%arru/an /eaned for.ard) ;There1s this 'oori5ar by the name of :ioto) Dabb/es in smu--/in- and
other 5entures) ".ns a 5ery fast shi, ca//ed the Dead Rin-er); e ,aused .hi/e the commander
disa,,eared once more2 undoubted/y to communicate .ith S,ace Traffic +ontro/) ;If I .ere in a
hurry to -et off.or/d .ith the /east amount of ,rob/ems2 :ioto1s the one I1d turn to);
;Lord Vader2; the commander said sudden/y2 ;ST+ re,orts that the Dead Rin-er recent/y /aunched
from $urkhana Landin-) We ha5e the ,ro0ected f/i-ht ,ath);
Vader turned2 his c/oak s.ir/in-) ;+ontact the !3actor2 +ommander) "rder that the shi, be mo5ed
into a ,osition to interce,t); Without further .ord he mo5ed into the front room2 on/y to sto, short
after a fe. /on- strides) ;4ou1re 5ery c/e5er2 Vi-o2; he said2 turnin- ,art.ay to %arru/an) ;I .on1t
for-et this);
%arru/an inc/ined his head in a bo. of res,ect) ;(or .i// I2 Lord Vader);
A moment after Vader e3ited2 Ja//y returned2 b/o.in- out his breath in re/ief
;(ot someone I1d fee/ -ood about crossin-2 boss);
;e does ha5e a .ay2; %arru/an said2 -ettin- to his feet) ;*or-et the rest of this 0unk) a5e our shi,
readied for /aunch) We1re done .ith $urkhana);
&E
Win-s fo/ded abo5e its fuse/a-e and runnin- /i-hts ,o.erin- do.n2 Vader1s shutt/e entered the
!3actor1s main dockin- bay and a/i-hted on the /ustrous deck) (earby2 and surrounded by c/one
troo,ers2 sat the Dead Rin-er2 a some.hat bo3y car-o trans,ort2 hea5i/y armed .ith turbo/aser
cannons and outfitted .ith a state6of6the6art hy,erdri5e) A/so under -uard2 the trans,ort1s most/y
'oori5ar cre. of se5en stood .ith their hands c/as,ed ato, their horned heads .hi/e troo,ers
com,/eted a search of the shi,) A/ready off6/oaded car-o containers .ere stacked outside the Dead
Rin-er1s starboard dockin- rin-2 a.aitin- scans)
Vader and A,,o descended the shutt/e1s boardin- ram, and strode o5er to .here the cre. had been
-athered) A troo,er indicated the ca,tain2 and Vader a,,roached him)
;What is your car-o2 +a,tain<;
The 'oori5ar -/o.ered u, at him) ;I demand to s,eak to the officer in char-e);
;4ou are s,eakin- to him);
The ca,tain b/inked in sur,rise2 but mana-ed to ho/d on to his an-ry tone) ;I don1t kno. .ho you
are2 but be fore.arned that if my shi, suffered any dama-e as a resu/t of bein- tar-eted by your
tractor beam2 I .i// /od-e a forma/ com,/aint .ith the re-iona/ -o5ernor);
;Du/y noted2 +a,tain2; Vader said) ;And I1m certain that the re-iona/ -o5ernor .i// take a keen
interest in you once he /earns that you are trans,ortin- ,roscribed .ea,ons); e s.un- to the
officer in char-e of the troo,ers) ;!scort them to the bri-=;
;Lord Vader2; A,,o said .hi/e the cre. .as bein- .hisked a.ay2 ;security re,orts that t.o humans
ha5e been found in a secret com,artment beneath the shi,1s -a//ey;
Vader turned in the direction of the trans,ort) ;Interestin-) Let1s see .hat security has unco5ered);
:y the time Vader and A,,o had mo5ed around to the trans,ort1s ,ort side2 a detai/ of troo,ers .as
emer-in- from the shi,2 .ith t.o humans in custody) The man .as ta// and /on-haired2 and 5ery
,rotecti5e of the youn- .oman by his side) The ,air .ere dressed a/ike in robes and headc/oths
ty,ica/ of the mercenary bri-ade that had fou-ht for the Se,aratists on $urkhana)
Their eyes .idened on seein- Vader)
;They are unarmed2 Lord Vader2; one of the troo,ers announced)
;We sto.ed a.ay .ithout the ca,tain1s kno./ed-e2; the man said) ;We1re on/y tryin- to -et to "rd
$ante//);
;4ou1re not sto.a.ays2; Vader said) ;The ca,tain .as .e// ,aid to take you aboard his shi,2 and
you ha5e been ,romised ,ayment2 as .e//);
The -ir/ be-an to 8uake in fear) ;We didn1t kno. .e .ere doin- anythin- i//e-a/= We1re not
smu--/ers or crimina/s) I1m te//in- you the truth) We did it on/y for the credits=;
Vader a,,raised her) ;I .i// consider s,arin- your /i5es if you te// me .ho hired you to carry out
this dece,tion);
The man firmed his /i,s2 then s.a//o.ed hard and s,oke) ;Some of +ash %arru/an1s -oons);
Vader nodded) ;Just as I sus,ected); e s.un- to A,,o) ;+ommander2 ha5e the !3actor1s scanners
detected anythin- yet<;
;(othin- yet);
;They .i//2 soon enou-h);
Vader turned to the head of the troo,er detai/) ;Lock these t.o a.ay .ith the cre.);
A// co/or drained from the -ir/1s face) ;:ut you said6;
;That I .ou/d consider s,arin- you2; Vader cut her off)
;Lord Vader2 our sensors may ha5e found somethin-2; A,,o said sudden/y) ;The craft is on/y a
+/oakSha,e that /aunched from the outskirts of $urkhana +ity) :ut it is ,ursuin- a course that .i//
take it c/ose to the !3actor1s ,re5ious ,osition2 and it is attem,tin- to e5ade our scans);
;The Jedi are aboard that craft) +an .e interdict from our ,resent ,osition2 +ommander<;
;(o) The +/oakSha,e is out of the ran-e of our tractor beam);
Vader -ro./ed in dis,/easure) ;We .i// need to remedy that) Is my starfi-hter ,re,ared<;
;It1s .aitin- in /aunchin- bay three);
;Assi-n t.o ,i/ots to ser5e as my .in-mates) Te// them to rende75ous .ith me in the /aunchin-
bay); Vader shru--ed his c/oak behind his shou/ders) ;And2 +ommander2 the 5i-o .i// be attem,tin-
to f/ee $urkhana) Don1t bother ca,turin- him) Tar-et his 5esse/2 and make certain that e5eryone on
board is ki//ed);
The +/oakSha,e2 a broad6.in-ed craft .ith a trans5erse maneu5erin- fin2 had been modified for
s,acef/i-ht) The cock,it had been en/ar-ed to accommodate ,i/ot and co,i/ot2 and a rear#facin-
-unner1s chair had been insta//ed in the tai/ section) Shryne .as for.ard9 Starstone2 aft9 and in the
,i/ot1s seat .as :rudi %ayn2 a free/ancer .ho made occasiona/ runs for +ash %arru/an) A ran-y2
dark6haired human a fe. years o/der than Shryne2 he s,oke :asic .ith a stron- "uter Rim accent)
Shryne had a/ready decided that %ayn .as the most casua/ ,i/ot he had e5er f/o.n .ith) Any farther
from the instrument ,ane/ and his chair .ou/d ha5e been ad0acent to Starstone1s) is ho/d on the
yoke .as ne-/i-ent) 4et he hand/ed the craft masterfu//y2 and didn1t miss a trick)
;We//2 they15e -ot a -ood fi3 on us2; he to/d Shryne and Starstone throu-h their he/met com/inks)
;Definite/y -oin- to ha5e to u,-rade our countermeasures at some ,oint);
an-in- far to starboard2 Vader1s massi5e .arshi, .as 0ust 5isib/e throu-h the +/oakSha,e1s
trian-/e of trans,aristee/ 5ie.6,ort)
;I hate the /ook of these ne. mass6,roduced Im,erator6c/ass Destroyers2; %ayn continued) ;(one
of the artistry that .ent into the o/d Acc/amators and Venators6e5en the Victory T.os); e shook
his head in disa,,ointment) ;So -oes e/e-ance);
;Wars1// do that2; Shryne said into his he/met comm)
The conso/e issued an a/ert chime2 and %ayn /eaned for.ard a bit to study one of the dis,/ay
screens)
;Three bandits c/osin- on our tai/) Si-natures I// them as t.o V6.in-s and .hat mi-ht be a modified
Jedi Interce,tor) This Vader character<;
;%ood bet);
;%uess the !m,ire isn1t any more choosy about commandeerin- Jedi hard.are than it is Se, -ear);
;"b5ious/y2 .e1re sti// ser5in- Pa/,atine in our o.n .ay);
;Are you t.o a.are that three starfi-hters are chasin- us<; Starstone broke in)
;Thanks for the heads6u,2 s.eetheart2 but .e1re on it2; %ayn said)
;ere1s another heads6u, for you2 f/yboy) They1re -ainin- on us) +an1t you coa3 any more s,eed out
of this 0unker< It1s about as /ethar-ic as you arc);
%ayn /au-hed short/y) ;I su,,ose I cou/d try 0ettisonin- the tai/ -unner) That ou-ht to /i-hten us u,);
;*irst you mi-ht try /ettin- some of the hot air out of yourse/f2; Starstone fired back)
;"uch2; %ayn said) ;Is she a/.ays /ike this2 Shryne<;
;She .as a /ibrarian) 4ou kno. ho. they can be);
;A /ibrarian .ith the *orce))) Very dan-erous combination); e chuck/ed to himse/f2 then asked:
;What ha,,ens to the *orce no.< Without the Jedi order2 I mean<;
;I don1t kno.2; Shryne said) ;$aybe it -oes into hibernation);
%ayn rocked his head from side to side) ;We//2 here1s a /itt/e somethin- to sho. you that the *orce
isn1t the on/y -ame in to.n);
%a7in- in the direction indicated by :rudi %ayn1s -/o5ed ri-ht hand2 Shryne sa. a s.ift s,ace skiff
a,,roachin- the +/oak6Sha,e on an interce,t course)
;o,e it1s on our side);
%ayn /au-hed a-ain) ;It1s our ticket out of here);
A// but .ed-ed into the cock,it of his b/ack interce,tor2 Vader .as in fu// command of the situation)
e had the starfi-hter1s inertia/ com,ensator dia/ed do.n2 and fe/t re5ita/i7ed by the e3,erience of
near .ei-ht/essness) In another /ife he had f/o.n .ithout he/met or f/i-ht suit2 but those necessary
accoutrements not.ithstandin-2 he fe/t unburdened2 re/eased from -ra5ity1s rei-n)
This .as not the craft Anakin Sky.a/ker had ,i/oted to $ustafar2 and the starfi-hter1s socketed
astromech droid had a b/ack dome) (or .as this the craft he .ou/d ha5e chosen to f/y) :ut the
interce,tor .ou/d do2 at /east unti/ Sienar */eet Systems com,/eted the starfi-hter that .as bein-
bui/t to his s,ecifications)
After a//2 des,ite the manifo/d /osses he had endured2 he remained the -a/a3y1s best ,i/ot)
The +/oakSha,e1s /ead e5a,orated as he made ad0ustments and ,oured on s,eed) The Jedi1s choice
of esca,e 5ehic/es .as a ref/ection of their des,eration2 since the +/oakSha,e /acked a hy,erdri5e
of any sort) :ut Vader sa. .hat they had in mind) They ho,ed to rende75ous .ith the Sorosuub
skiff that e5en no. .as an-/in- to.ard them) The ,/an .ou/d ha5e .orked2 ho.e5er2 on/y if Vader
had taken the T.i1/ek crime boss at his .ord) And because he hadn1t2 the Jedi .ou/dn1t ha5e enou-h
time to transfer to the /ar-er shi,) :y then both the +/oakSha,e and the skiff .ou/d be in ,roton
tor,edo ran-e)
;*orm u, on me2; he to/d the c/one ,i/ots in the escort V6.in-s2 ;and fire on my command) There1s
no need to take them a/i5e);
;Lord Vader2 .e ha5e identified the Sorosuub2; one of the ,i/ots returned) ;The re-istry is
$urkhana) The o.ner is +ash %arru/an);
;So2; Vader said2 most/y to himse/f) ;It a// ends here);
;:ut there is somethin- e/se2 Lord Vader) The +/oakSha,e a,,ears to be fitted .ith e3terna/
booster6rin- ada,ters);
%/ancin- at the dis,/ay screen in .hich the +/oakSha,e .as centered2 Vader issued a command to
the astromech droid to dis,/ay the skiff on a secondary screen)
Instant/y he understood)
;A// s,eed2; he ordered the c/one ,i/ots) ;This is not a rende75ous) *ire ,roton tor,edoes the
moment our tar-ets are in ran-e);
It .as -oin- to be c/ose2 Vader rea/i7ed)
e enab/ed the interce,tor1s /aser cannon) The +/oakSha,e2 too2 .as tra5e/in- f/at6out2 and .as
faster than he .ou/d ha5e thou-ht ,ossib/e) The ,i/ot .as ski//ed and artfu/) At this distance it
.ou/d be difficu/t to kee, him in /aser /ock)
The astromech sent an u,date to the cock,it data screen2 and at the same time the 5oice of one of
the escort ,i/ots issued throu-h the conso/e com/ink)
;Lord Vader2 the skiff is ,ositionin- a hy,erdri5e booster in the +/oakSha,e1s f/i-ht ,ath);
The 5ision enhancers bui/t into Vader1s mask de/i5ered a c/ose6u, of the red6and6.hite hy,ermatter
rin-) Huick/y he thumbed the tri--ers on the steerin- yoke2 and a hai/ of crimson bo/ts streaked
from the interce,tor1s /on-6barre/ed /aser cannons) :ut it .as un/ike/y that the bo/ts .ou/d e5er
reach their tar-ets2 because the tar-ets .ou/d be /on- -one)
Sti// ca//in- a// ,o.er from the ion dri5e2 Vader .atched the +/oakSha,e s/i, neat/y into the
,recise/y ,ositioned booster rin- and make the 0um, to /i-hts,eed) A s,/it second /ater +ash
%arru/an1s skiff en-a-ed its hy,erdri5e and disa,,eared)
A//o.in- the interce,tor to ,o.er do.n2 Vader -a7ed in defeat at the distant starfie/d)
e had much to do to make himse/f .ho/e once more)
"ne of the V6.in- ,i/ots hai/ed him) ;!sca,e 5ectors are bein- ,/otted2 Lord Vader);
;De/ete the ca/cu/ations2 ,i/ot2; he said) ;If the Jedi are so determined to disa,,ear2 then /et them);
PART III
I$P!RIAL +!(T!R
&@
4ou ha5e my fu// assurance that I .i// not disband the Senate2; the !m,eror to/d the sma// audience
he had summoned to his ne. chambers) ;*urthermore2 I don1t .ant you to think of yourse/5es as
mere accessories2 ratifyin- /e-is/ation and faci/itatin- the business of -o5ernin-) I .i// seek your
counse/ in enactin- /a.s that .i// ser5e the -ro.th and inte-rity of our !m,ire);
e fe// si/ent for a moment2 then de/i5ered his bombshe//)
;The difference no. is that .hen I ha5e taken into account your contributions and those of my
ad5isers2 my 0ud-ment .i// be fina/) There .i// be no debates2 no citations of constitutiona/
,recedent2 no ,o.er of 5eto2 no court ,roceedin-s or deferra/s) $y decrees .i// be issued
simu/taneous/y to our constituent .or/ds2 and they .i// take effect immediate/y);
The !m,eror /eaned for.ard in the hi-h6backed chair that .as his tem,orary throne2 but not so far
for.ard that his disfi-ured face .as ,/aced in the /i-ht)
;#nderstand this: you no /on-er re,resent your home.or/ds so/e/y) +oruscant2 A/deraan2
+handri/a))) A// these and tens of thousands of .or/ds far remo5ed from the +ore are ce//s of the
!m,ire2 and .hat affects one2 affects us a//) (o disturbances .i// be to/erated) Inter,/anetary
s8uabb/es or threats of secession .i// meet .ith harsh re,risa/s) I ha5e not /ed us throu-h three
years of -a/actic .arfare to a//o. a resur-ence of the o/d .ays) The Re,ub/ic is e3tinct);
:ai/ "r-ana bare/y mana-ed to kee, from s8uirmin- in his chair2 as some of the !m,eror1s other
in5ited -uests .ere doin-6Senators $on $othma and %arm :e/ Ib/is es,ecia//y2 in .hat a/most
amounted to o5ert defiance) :ut if the !m,eror .as takin- notes2 he .as doin- so .ithout most of
his -uests bein- a.are of it)
The !m,eror1s ne. chambers6the throne room2 for a// intents and ,ur,oses6occu,ied an u,,er f/oor
of +oruscant1s ta//est bui/din- and2 in desi-n2 more c/ose/y resemb/ed .hat had been Pa/,atine1s
ho/din- office be/o. the Senate Rotunda than his former 8uarters in the Senate "ffice :ui/din-)
Di5ided into t.o /e5e/s by a short but .ide staircase2 the saniti7ed room .as /on-er than it .as
.ide2 .ith /ar-e ,erma,/as .indo.s surroundin- the u,,er tier) */ankin- the burnished staircase
.ere a ,air of cu,6sha,ed duty stations2 in each of .hich stood a Red %uard6an Im,eria/ %uard6
.ith the !m,eror1s ad5isers seated behind them) The center of the -/eamin- dais .as occu,ied by
the throne2 the back of .hich arched o5er Pa/,atine1s head2 ,/acin- him in ,er,etua/ shado.2 as the
co./ of his c/oak did his sa//o. and dee,/y /ined face) Recessed into the .ide arms of the chair
.ere modest contro/ ,ads into .hich his s/ender fin-ers .ou/d enter occasiona/ in,ut)
The corridors of the Senate .ere rife .ith rumors that the !m,eror had a second and more ,ri5ate
suite2 a/on- .ith some sort of medica/ faci/ity2 in the 5ery cro.n of the bui/din-)
;4our $a0esty2 if I may2; the human Senator from +ommenor said in a suitab/y deferentia/ tone)
;Perha,s you cou/d shed some /i-ht on the matter of .hy the Jedi betrayed us) As you are
undoubted/y a.are2 the o/o(et seems re/uctant to ,ro5ide detai/s);
We// beyond the need to em,/oy di,/omacy or dece,tion to achie5e his ends2 the !m,eror made a
derisi5e sound)
;The "rder deser5ed a// that it recei5ed for de/udin- us into be/ie5in- that they ser5ed me in ser5in-
you) The com,/e3ity of their nefarious ,/an continues to astound me) Why they didn1t attem,t to ki//
me three years a-o is somethin- I .i// ne5er understand) As if I cou/d ha5e stood a-ainst them) If it
.ere not for the recent actions of my -uards and our troo,ers2 I .ou/d be dead);
Pa/,atine1s off6co/or eyes c/ouded .ith hatred)
;In fact2 the Jedi be/ie5ed that they cou/d o5ersee the -a/a3y better than .e cou/d2 and they .ere
.i//in- to ,er,etuate a .ar sim,/y to /ea5e us defense/ess and susce,tib/e to their treason) Their
5aunted Tem,/e .as a fort2 their base of o,erations) They came to me .ith ta/es of ha5in- ki//ed
%enera/ %rie5ous6a cybor-2 no /ess6and sou-ht to arrest me because I refused to take them at their
.ord that the fi-htin- .as sudden/y o5er2 the Se,aratists defeated)
;When I dis,atched a /e-ion of troo,ers to reason .ith them2 they dre. their /i-htsabers and the
batt/e .as met) We ha5e the %rand Army to thank for our 5ictory) "ur nob/e commanders
reco-ni7ed the truth of the Jedi1s treachery2 and they e3ecuted my commands .ith 5i-or) The 5ery
fact that they did so2 .ithout 8uestion2 .ithout hesitation2 su--ests to me that our troo,ers had some
ink/in- a// a/on- that the Jedi .ere mani,u/atin- e5ents)
;After a// these .eeks2 .e sti// /ack confirmation that Viceroy %unray and his ,o.erfu/ a//ies are
dead) That their batt/e droids and .ar machines stand motion/ess on hundreds of .or/ds .e can take
as a si-n of their surrender) At the same time2 ho.e5er2 .e must focus our attention on so/idifyin-
the !m,ire .or/d by .or/d);
Pa/,atine sat back in his chair)
;The Jedi order is a /esson to us that .e cannot ,ermit any a-ency to become ,o.erfu/ enou-h to
,ose a threat to our desi-ns2 or to the freedoms .e en0oy) That is .hy it is essentia/ .e increase and
centra/i7e our mi/itary2 both to ,reser5e the ,eace and to ,rotect the !m,ire a-ainst ine5itab/e
attem,ts at insurrection) To that end I ha5e a/ready ordered the ,roduction of ne. c/asses of ca,ita/
shi,s and starfi-hters2 suitab/e for command by nonc/one officers and cre.2 .ho themse/5es .i// be
the ,roduct of Im,eria/ academies2 made u, of candidates dra.n from e3istin- star system f/i-ht
schoo/s)
;(o /ess im,ortant2 our ,resent army of c/one troo,ers is a-in- at an acce/erated rate2 and .i// need
to be su,,/emented2 -radua//y re,/aced2 by ne. batches of c/ones) I sus,ect that the Jedi had a hand
in creatin- a short6/i5ed army in fu// confidence that there .ou/d be no need for troo,ers once they
had o5erthro.n the Re,ub/ic and instituted their theocracy based on the *orce)
;:ut that is no /on-er a concern)
;:y brin-in- the kno.n .or/ds of the -a/a3y under one /a.2 one /an-ua-e2 the en/i-htened
-uidance of one indi5idua/2 corru,tion of the sort that ,/a-ued the former Re,ub/ic .i// ne5er be
ab/e to take root2 and the re-iona/ -o5ernors I ha5e insta//ed .i// ,re5ent the -ro.th of another
Se,aratist mo5ement);
When e5eryone in the room .as satisfied that Pa/,atine .as finished2 the Senator from Rodia said:
;Then s,ecies other than human need not fear discrimination or ,artia/ity<;
Pa/,atine s,read his crooked2 /on-6nai/ed hands in a ,/acatin- -esture) ;When ha5e I e5er sho.n
myse/f to be into/erant of s,ecies differences< 4es2 our army is human2 I am human2 and most of my
ad5isers and mi/itary officers are human) :ut that is mere/y the resu/t of circumstance);
;The .ar continues2; $on $othma said to :ai/)
+onfident that they .ere beyond the reach of the bui/din-1s assortment of ea5esdro,,in- de5ices
and far enou-h from anyone .ho mi-ht be an Interna/ Security :ureau s,y2 :ai/ said: ;Pa/,atine
.i// use his disfi-urement to distance himse/f further from the Senate) We may ne5er -et that c/ose
to him a-ain);
$on $othma /o.ered her head in sadness as they continued to .a/k)
+oruscant .as a/ready be-innin- to ada,t to its ne. tit/e of Im,eria/ +enter) Red6,atched
stormtroo,ers .ere more ,resent than they had been at the hei-ht of the .ar2 and unfami/iar faces
and uniformed ,ersonne/ cro.ded the corridors of the bui/din-) $i/itary officers2 re-iona/
-o5ernors2 security a-ents))) the !m,eror1s ne. minions)
;When I /ook at that hideous face or sur5ey the dama-e done to the Rotunda2 I can1t he/, thinkin-2
this is .hat1s become of the Re,ub/ic and the +onstitution2; $on $othma said)
;e maintains he has no ,/ans for disbandin- the Senate or ,unishin- the 5arious hi5e s,ecies that
su,,orted the +onfederacy6; :ai/ started)
;*or the moment2; $on $othma interru,ted) ;:esides2 the home.or/ds of those s,ecies ha5e
a/ready been ,unished) They are disaster areas);
;e can1t afford to mo5e a-ainst anyone 0ust no.2; :ai/ .ent on) ;Too many .or/ds are sti// too
.e// armed) 4es2 ne. c/one troo,ers are bein- -ro.n and ne. ca,ita/ shi,s are comin- off the /ine2
but not fast enou-h for him to risk becomin- enmeshed in another .ar);
She /ooked at him ske,tica//y) ;4ou1re 5ery confident a// of a sudden2 :ai/) "r is that
circums,ection I hear<;
:ai/ asked himse/f the same 8uestion)
In the throne room2 he had tried to ,u77/e out .hich amon- the !m,eror1s caba/ of ad5isers2 human
or other.ise2 .ere a.are that Pa/,atine .as a Sith Lord .ho had mani,u/ated the entire .ar and
eradicated his s.orn enemies2 the Jedi2 as ,art of a ,/an to assume abso/ute ,o.er o5er the -a/a3y)
+ertain/y $as Amedda kne.2 a/on- .ith Sate Pesta-e2 and ,ossib/y S/y $oore) :ai/ doubted that
Armand Isard or any of Pa/,atine1s mi/itary ad5isers kne.) o. .ou/d their kno.in- chan-e
thin-s2 in any case< To the fe. bein-s .ho kne. or cared2 the Sith .ere nothin- more than a 8uasi6
re/i-ious sect that had disa,,eared a mi//ennium a-o) What mattered .as that Pa/,atine .as no.
!m,eror Pa/,atine2 and that he en0oyed the staunch su,,ort of most of the Senate and the
un.a5erin- a//e-iance of the %rand Army)
"n/y Pa/,atine kne. the fu// story of the .ar and its abru,t conc/usion) :ut :ai/ kne. a fe. thin-s
that Pa/,atine didn1t9 ,rimari/y2 that Anakin Sky.a/ker and Padme Amida/a1s t.in chi/dren had not
died .ith her on the asteroid kno.n as Po/is $assa9 and that in the t.ins Jedi $asters "bi6Wan
'enobi and 4oda .ere ,/acin- their trust for the e5entua/ defeat of the dark side) !5en no. infant
Luke .as on Tatooine2 in the care of his aunt and unc/e2 and bein- .atched o5er by "bi6Wan) And
infant Leia6:ai/ -rinned 0ust thinkin- about her6infant Leia .as on A/deraan2 ,robab/y in the arms
of :ai/1s .ife2 :reha)
Durin- Pa/,atine1s brief abduction by %enera/ %rie5ous2 :ai/ had ,romised Padme that shou/d
anythin- unto.ard ha,,en to her2 he .ou/d do a// he cou/d to ,rotect those c/ose to her) The fact
that Padme .as ,re-nant had been somethin- of an o,en secret2 but at the time :ai/ had been
referrin- to Anakin2 ne5er rea/i7in- that e5ents .ou/d dra. him into a cons,iracy .ith "bi6Wan
and 4oda that .ou/d end .ith his assumin- custody of Leia)
It had taken on/y days for :ai/ and :reha to come to /o5e the chi/d2 thou-h initia//y :ai/ had
.orried that they may ha5e been entrusted .ith too -reat a cha//en-e) %i5en their ,arenta-e2
chances .ere hi-h that the Sky.a/ker t.ins .ou/d be ,o.erfu/ in the *orce) What if Leia shou/d
sho. ear/y si-ns of fo//o.in- in the dark footste,s of her father< :ai/ had .ondered)
4oda had eased his mind)
Anakin hadn1t been born to the dark side2 but had arri5ed there because of .hat he had e3,erienced
in his short /ife2 instances of sufferin-2 fear2 an-er2 and hatred) ad Anakin been disco5ered ear/y
enou-h by the Jedi2 those emotiona/ states .ou/d ne5er ha5e surfaced) $ore im,ortant2 4oda
a,,eared to ha5e had a chan-e of heart re-ardin- the Tem,/e as ,ro5idin- the best crucib/e for
*orce6sensiti5e bein-s) The steadfast embrace of a /o5in- fami/y .ou/d ,ro5e as -ood2 if not better)
:ut the ado,tion of Leia .as on/y one of :ai/1s concerns)
*or .eeks fo//o.in- Pa/,atine1s decree that the Re,ub/ic .ou/d henceforth be an !m,ire2 he had
been concerned for his6indeed2 A/deraan1s6safety) is name .as ,rominent on the Petition of the
T.o Thousand2 .hich had ca//ed for Pa/,atine to abro-ate some of the emer-ency ,o.ers the
Senate had -ranted him) Worse2 :ai/ had been the first to arri5e at the Jedi Tem,/e after the
s/au-hter there9 and he had rescued 4oda from the Senate fo//o.in- the Jedi $aster1s fierce batt/e
.ith Sidious in the Rotunda)
o/ocams at the Tem,/e or in the former Re,ub/ic P/a7a mi-ht easi/y ha5e ca,tured his s,eeder2
and those ima-es cou/d ha5e found their .ay to Pa/,atine or his security ad5isers) Word mi-ht ha5e
/eaked that :ai/ .as the ,erson .ho had arran-ed for Padme to be de/i5ered to (aboo for the
funera/) If Pa/,atine had been a,,rised of that fact2 he mi-ht be-in to .onder if "bi6Wan2 ha5in-
carried Padme from distant $ustafar2 had informed :ai/ about Pa/,atine1s secret identity2 or about
the horrors committed on +oruscant by Anakin2 renamed Darth Vader by the Sith Lord2 .hom "bi6
Wan had /eft for dead on the 5o/canic .or/d)
And then Pa/,atine mi-ht be-in to .onder if Padme1s chi/d2 or chi/dren2 had in fact died .ith her)))
:ai/ and $on $othma hadn1t seen each other since Padme1s funera/2 and $on $othma kne.
nothin- of the ro/e :ai/ had ,/ayed in the fina/ days of the .ar) o.e5er2 she had heard that :ai/
and :reha had ado,ted a baby -ir/2 and .as ea-er to meet baby Leia)
The ,rob/em .as2 $on $othma .as a/so ea-er to continue efforts to undermine Pa/,atine)
;There1s ta/k in the Senate about bui/din- a ,a/ace to house Pa/,atine2 his ad5isers2 and the Im,eria/
%uard2; she said as they .ere nearin- one of the re,u/sor/ift /andin- ,/atforms attached to .hat had
become Pa/,atine1s bui/din-)
:ai/ had heard the ta/k) ;And statues2; he said)
;:ai/2 the fact that Pa/,atine doesn1t ha5e fu// faith in his (e. "rder makes him a// the more
dan-erous); She came to a sudden ha/t .hen they reached the .a/k.ay to the /andin- ,/atform and
turned to him) ;!5ery si-natory of the Petition of the T.o Thousand is sus,ect) Do you kno. that
*an- Tar has f/ed +oruscant<;
;I do2; :ai/ said2 0ust mana-in- to ho/d $on $othma1s -a7e)
;+/one army or no2 :ai/2 I1m not -oin- to abandon the fi-ht) We ha5e to act .hi/e .e sti// can6.hi/e
Sern Prime2 !nisca2 'ashyyyk2 and other .or/ds are ,re,ared to 0oin us);
:ai/ .orked his 0a. ;It1s too soon to act) We ha5e to bide our time2; he said2 re,eatin- .hat Padme
had to/d him in the Senate Rotunda on the day of Pa/,atine1s historica/ announcement) ;We ha5e to
,/ace our trust in the future2 and in the *orce);
$on $othma ado,ted a ske,tica/ /ook) ;Ri-ht no. there are members of the mi/itary .ho .i// side
.ith us2 .ho kno. that the Jedi ne5er betrayed the Re,ub/ic);
;What counts is that the c/one troo,ers be/ie5e that the Jedi did betray the Re,ub/ic2; :ai/ said9 then
he /o.ered his 5oice to add: ;We risk e5erythin- by ,/acin- ourse/5es in Pa/,atine1s si-hts 0ust
no.;
e ke,t to himse/f his concerns for Leia)
$on $othma didn1t say another .ord unti/ they ste,,ed onto the /andin- ,/atform2 .here
stormtroo,ers and a ta//2 start/in- fi-ure in b/ack .ere stridin- do.n the boardin- ram, of a Theta6
c/ass shutt/e that had 0ust set do.n)
;Some Jedi must ha5e sur5i5ed the e3ecution order2; $on $othma said at /ast)
*or reasons he cou/dn1t fu//y understand2 :ai/1s attention .as ri5eted on the masked fi-ure2 .ho
a,,eared to be in command of the c/ones2 and .ho a/so a,,eared to -/ance .ith c/ear ,ur,ose in
:ai/1s direction) The -rou, ,assed c/ose enou-h to :ai/ for him to hear one of the stormtroo,ers say:
;The !m,eror is .aitin- for you in the faci/ity2 Lord Vader);
:ai/ fe/t as if someone had /et the air out of him)
is /e-s be-an to shake and he -rabbed ho/d of the ,/atform rai/in- for su,,ort2 someho. mana-in-
to kee, a,,rehension from his 5oice .hen he said to $on $othma: ;4ou1re ri-ht) Some Jedi did
sur5i5e);
&F
In the ca,ab/e hands of -an-/y :rudi %ayn2 the modified +/oakSha,e and the booster rin- that had
a//o.ed it to enter hy,ers,ace com,/eted three short 0um,s in as many hours2 emer-in- in a remote
area of the Tion +/uster2 far from any inhabited .or/ds) Waitin- there2 ho.e5er2 .as a t.enty6year6
o/d +ore//ian frei-hter as /ar-e as a Tanti5e6c/ass cor5ette2 but .ith a circu/ar command modu/e)
Shryne counted fi5e -un turrets9 he a/ready kne. from :rudi that the Drunk Dancer boasted
sub/i-hts and a hy,erdri5e better suited to a shi, t.ice its si7e)
:rudi disen-a-ed from the booster rin- .hi/e they .ere sti// some distance from the frei-hter2 then
in his o.n -ood time maneu5ered the +/oakSha,e throu-h a ma-netic containment shie/d in the
Drunk Dancer1s starboard side2 and into a s,acious dockin- bay) "n their /andin- disks sat a sma//
dro, shi, and a s.ift2 s,/it6.in-ed Incom Re/ay2 not much bi--er than the +/oakSha,e)
:rudi ,o,,ed the cano,y2 and Shryne and Starstone c/imbed do.n to the deck2 s/i,,in- out of their
he/mets and f/i-ht suits at the bottom of the /adder) The t.o Jedi .ere .earin- the sim,/e s,acer
-arments that +ash %arru/an had ,ro5ided) Lon- accustomed to e3ecutin- underco5er missions2
Shryne didn1t fee/ out of ,/ace .ithout a tunic and robe2 e5en .ithout a /i-htsaber) e kne. better
than to con5ince himse/f that2 ha5in- esca,ed $urkhana2 they .ere sudden/y in the c/ear) :efore
and durin- the .ar he had had his share of c/ose ca//s and times .hen he had been chased2 but
-oin- into hidin- .as entire/y ne.
!5en ne.er to "/ee Starstone2 .ho /ooked as if the e5ents of the ,ast cou,/e of .eeks2 the ,ast
thirty6si3 hours es,ecia//y2 .ere fina//y be-innin- to catch u, to her) e cou/d te// from her
uncertain -estures that Starstone2 .ho had ,robab/y ne5er .orn anythin- but Tem,/e robes or fie/d
outfits2 .as sti// ad0ustin- to their ne. circumstances)
Shryne resisted the tem,tation to conso/e her) Their future .as c/oudier than the -unshi, dro, into
$urkhana +ity had been2 and the sooner Starstone /earned to take res,onsibi/ity for herse/f2 the
better)
A/erted to the +/oakSha,e1s arri5a/2 se5era/ members of the Drunk Dancer1s cre. .ere .aitin- in
the dockin- bay) Shryne had encountered their ty,e before2 ,rimari/y in those out/yin- systems that
had drifted into +ount Dooku1s embrace before the Se,aratist mo5ement had been forma/i7ed as the
+onfederacy of Inde,endent Systems) Just from the /ook of them Shryne cou/d see that they /acked
the disci,/ine of cre.s be/on-in- to :/ack Sun or the utt syndicates2 des,ite :rudi1s disc/osure
that the Drunk Dancer acce,ted occasiona/ contracts from a 5ariety of crime carte/s)
Dressed in bits and ,ieces of a,,are/ they had ob5ious/y obtained on do7ens of .or/ds2 they .ere a
ra-ta- band of free/ance smu--/ers2 .ithout star system or ,o/itica/ affi/iation2 or bones to ,ick .ith
anyone) Determined to maintain their autonomy2 they had /earned that smu--/ers didn1t -et rich by
.orkin- for others)
In the dockin- bay Shryne and Starstone .ere introduced to the Drunk Dancer1s first mate2 Skeck
Dra--/e2 and the frei-hter1s security chief2 Archyr :ei/) :oth .ere humanoids as /on-6/imbed as
:rudi %ayn2 .ith si36fin-ered hands and se5ere facia/ features that be/ied cheerfu/ dis,ositions)
In the shi,1s main cabin s,ace the t.o Jedi met *i//i :itters2 a to.headed human s/icer .ho took an
immediate interest in Starstone2 and the Drunk Dancer1s communications e3,ert2 !y/ Di32 .hose
hair/ess dark -reen head hosted t.o ,air of cur/in- antennae2 in addition to a ,air of shar,6ti,,ed
ears)
:efore /on- e5eryone2 inc/udin- a cou,/e of in8uisiti5e droids2 had -athered in the main cabin to
hear Shryne and Star6stone1s account of their narro. esca,e from $urkhana) The fact that no one
mentioned anythin- about the hunt for Jedi made Shryne uneasy2 but not uneasy enou-h to ,ursue
the ,oint6at /east not unti/ he had a c/earer sense of 0ust .here he and Star6stone stood in the eyes of
the smu--/ers)
;+ash asked that .e brin- you to $ossak2; Skeck Dra--/e said after the Jedi had entertained
e5eryone .ith detai/s of the darin- f/i-ht) ;$ossak1s 0ust the other side of *e/ucia2 and a decent hub
for 0um,s into the Tin-e/ Arm or 0ust about any.here u, and do.n the Per/emian Trade Route); e
/ooked direct/y at Shryne) ;We2 ah2 norma//y don1t offer free trans,ort) :ut seein- ho. it .as +ash
.ho asked2 and2 uh2 kno.in- .hat you fo/k ha5e had to endure2 .e1// co5er the costs);
;We a,,reciate that2; Shryne said2 sensin- the shar,6featured Skeck had /eft somethin- unstated)
;The T.i1/ek fi3 you .ith ne. identichi,s<; Archyr asked2 in .hat seemed to be actua/ concern)
Shryne nodded) ;%ood enou-h to foo/ a-ents at $urkhana ST+2 any.ay);
;Then they1// ,ass muster on $ossak2 as .e//2; the /anky security chief said) ;4ou shou/dn1t ha5e
too much troub/e findin- tem,orary .ork2 if that1s your ,/an); Archyr re-arded Shryne) ;4ou ha5e
any contacts you can trust<;
Shryne1s eyebro.s bobbed) ;%ood 8uestion);
When the assemb/ed cre. members fe// into a se,arate con5ersation2 Starstone mo5ed c/ose to
Shryne) ;Just .hat is our ,/an2 $as6;
Shryne1s /ifted fin-er sto,,ed her midsentence) ;(o order9 no ranks);
;4ou don1t kno. that2; she said2 echoin- his 8uiet tone) ;4ou a-reed that other Jedi ,robab/y
sur5i5ed);
;Listen2 kid2; he said2 -a7in- at her for em,hasis2 ;the +/imbers of this -a/a3y are fe. and fir
bet.een);
;Jedi cou/d ha5e sur5i5ed by other means) It1s our duty to /ocate them);
;"ur duty<;
;To ourse/5es) To the *orce);
Shryne took a dee, breath) ;o. do you ,ro,ose .e do that<;
She -na.ed at her /o.er /i, .hi/e she considered it2 then /ooked at him ,ointed/y) ;We ha5e $aster
+hatak1s beacon transcei5er) If .e cou/d ,atch it into the Drunk Dancer1s communications suite2 .e
cou/d issue a (ine Thirteen code on encry,ted fre8uencies);
Shryne /au-hed in s,ite of himse/f) ;4ou kno.2 that cou/d actua//y .ork); e -/anced at the cre.
members) ;Sti//2 I .ou/dn1t -et my ho,es u, if I .ere you);
She returned the smi/e) ;:ut you1re not me);
When Shryne turned back to the cre.2 he found Skeck -a7in- at him) ;So I -uess your scheme
fai/ed2 huh<;
;Which scheme .ou/d that be2 chief<;
Skeck -/anced at his cre.mates before ans.erin-) ;'nockin- Pa/,atine off his ,erch) *i-htin- the
.ar the .ay it ,robab/y shou/d ha5e been fou-ht a// a/on-);
;4ou15e been misinformed2; Shryne said f/at/y)
Skeck sat back in fei-ned noncha/ance) ;Rea//y< We15e a// heard the recordin-s of .hat .ent on in
Pa/,atine1s chambers);
The other cre. members nodded somber/y)
;Don1t -et me .ron-2; the first mate continued before Shryne cou/d res,ond) ;I15e nothin- a-ainst
any of you ,ersona//y) :ut you ha5e to admit2 the .ay some of your ,eo,/e conducted themse/5es
.hen Re,ub/ic interests .ere at stake))) The ,resti-e you en0oyed) The .ea/th you amassed);
;I -i5e the Jedi credit for tryin-2; the s/icer2 *i//i :itters2 chimed in) ;:ut you shou/d ne5er ha5e /eft
yourse/5es so shorthanded on +oruscant) (ot .ith so many troo,ers -arrisoned there);
Shryne /au-hed cheer/ess/y) ;We .ere needed in the "uter Rim Sie-es2 you see);
;Don1t you -et it<; !y/ Di3 said) ;The Jedi .ere ,/ayed); When she shru--ed her narro. shou/ders2
her t.in antennae bobbed) ;That1s .hat +ash thinks2 any.ay);
Skeck /au-hed in derision) ;*rom .here I sit2 -ettin- ,/ayed is .orse than /osin-);
;4ou1// be safe from Im,eria/ reach on $ossak2; :itters said 8uick/y2 in an ob5ious attem,t to be
cheerfu/)
Sudden si/ence to/d Shryne that none of the Drunk Dancer1s cre. .as buyin- the s/icer1s o,timism)
;I rea/i7e that .e1re a/ready in your debt2; he said at /ast2 ;but .e15e a ,ro,osition for you);
Skeck1s -reen eyes .idened in interest) ;Lay it out) Let1s see ho. it /ooks);
Shryne turned to Starstone) ;Te// them);
She -estured to herse/f) ;$e<;
;It .as your idea2 kid);
;"kay2; Starstone be-an uncertain/y) ;Sure); She c/eared her 5oice) ;We1re ho,in- to make contact
.ith other Jedi .ho sur5i5ed Pa/,atine1s e3ecution orders) We ha5e a transcei5er ca,ab/e of
transmittin- on encry,ted fre8uencies) Any Jedi .ho sur5i5ed .i// be doin- the same thin-2 or
/istenin- for s,ecia/ transmissions) The thin- is2 .e1d need to use the Drunk Dancer1s
communications suite);
;That1s a /itt/e /ike .hist/in- in the ste//ar .ind2 isn1t it<; Di3 said) ;*rom .hat .e hear2 the c/ones
-ot the dro, on a// of you);
;A/most a// of us2; Starstone said)
:itters .as rockin- his head back and forth in uncertainty2 but Shryne cou/d te// that the .hite6
haired com,uter e3,ert .as e3cited by the idea6and ,erha,s -ratefu/ for a chance to .in ,oints .ith
"/ee) Re-ard/ess2 *i//i said: ;+ou/d be dan-erous) The !m,ire mi-ht be on to those fre8uencies by
no.);
;(ot if as many of us are dead as a// of you seem to think2; Shryne countered)
:itters2 Di32 and Archyr .aited for Skeck to s,eak)
;We//2 of course2 .e1d ha5e to -et the ca,tain to a-ree2; he said at /ast) ;Any.ay2 I1m sti// .aitin- to
hear the rest of the ,ro,osition6the ,art that makes it .orth our .hi/e); !5eryone /ooked at Shryne)
;The Jedi ha5e means of accessin- emer-ency funds2; he said2 .ith a co5ert motion of his hand)
;4ou don1t ha5e to .orry about bein- ,aid for your ser5ices);
Skeck nodded2 satisfied) ;Then .e don1t ha5e to .orry about bein- ,aid for our ser5ices);
Whi/e Starstone .as starin- at Shryne in a,,a//ed disbe/ief and the cre. members .ere ta/kin-
amon- themse/5es about ho. best to s/a5e the Jedi beacon transcei5er to the communications suite2
:rudi %ayn and a ta// human .oman entered the cabin s,ace from the direction of the Drunk
Dancer1s bu/bous cock,it) The .oman1s b/ack hair .as shot throu-h .ith -ray2 and her a-e sho.ed
there and in her face more than in the .ay she mo5ed)
;+a,tain2; Skeck said2 comin- to his feet2 but she i-nored him2 her -ray eyes fi3ed on Shryne)
;Roan Shryne<; she said)
Shryne /ooked u, at her) ;Last time I checked);
She forced an e3ha/e and shook her head in incredu/ity ;Stars1 end2 it rea//y is you); She sat do.n
o,,osite Shryne2 .ithout once takin- her eyes off him) ;4ou1re the ima-e of Jen);
:aff/ed2 Shryne said: ;Do I kno. you<;
She nodded and /au-hed) ;"n a ce//u/ar /e5e/2 at any rate); She touched herse/f on the chest) ;I -a5e
birth to you) I1m your mother2 Jedi);
&G
The !m,eror1s medica/ rehabi/itation /aboratory occu,ied the cro.n of +oruscant1s ta//est bui/din-)
A room of modest si7e2 the /aboratory1s antechamber c/ose/y resemb/ed his former chambers in the
Senate "ffice :ui/din-2 and featured a semicirc/e of ,added couch2 three s.i5e/ chairs .ith she//6
sha,ed backs2 and a trio of s8uat ho/o,ro0ectors sha,ed /ike truncated cones)
Pa/,atine sat in the center chair2 his hands on his knees2 the /i-hts of +oruscant b/a7in- behind him
throu-h a /on- arc of fi3ed .indo.s) The co./ of his hea5y robe .as /o.ered2 and the b/inkin-
te//ta/es of an array of de5ices and contro/ ,ane/s /it his dee,/y creased face2 the face he ke,t
concea/ed from his ad5isers and Senatoria/ -uests)
*or here he .as not sim,/y !m,eror Pa/,atine2 he .as Darth Sidious2 Dark Lord of the Sith)
"n the far side of thick ,ane/s of trans,aristee/ that se,arated the antechamber from a rib6.a//ed
o,eratin- theater2 Vader sat on the ed-e of the sur-ica/ tab/e on .hich he had been reca//ed to /ife
and transformed) is f/arin- b/ack he/met had been /ifted from his head by ser5os that e3tended
from the /aboratory1s cei/in-2 re5ea/in- the ,asty com,/e3ion of his synthf/esh face and the raised
.ounds on his head that mi-ht ne5er fu//y hea/)
The medica/ droids res,onsib/e for re,airin- .hat had remained of Vader1s am,utated /imbs and
incinerated body2 some of .hich had obser5ed and ,artici,ated in the cybor- transformation of
%enera/ %rie5ous on %eonosis a decade ear/ier2 had been reduced to scra, by a scream that had torn
from Vader1s scorched throat on his /earnin- of his .ife1s death) (o. a >6&: droid res,ondin- to
Vader1s 5oiced instruction .as tendin- to an in0ury to Vader1s /eft6arm ,rosthesis2 the cause of .hich
he had yet to e3,/ain)
;The /ast time you .ere in this faci/ity2 you .ere in no condition to su,er5ise your o.n
con5a/escence2 Lord Vader2; Sidious said2 his .ords transmitted to the ,ressuri7ed /aboratory by the
antechamber1s sensiti5e enunciators)
;And I .i// remain .ard of myse/f from this ,oint for.ard2; Vader said throu-h the intercom
system)
;Ward of yourse/f2; Sidious re,eated in an e3actin- tone)
;When it comes to o5erseein- modifications of this))) she//2 $aster2; Vader c/arified)
;Ah) As it shou/d be);
The humaniform >6&: .as in the midst of e3ecutin- Vader1s instructions .hen s,arks -eysered
from Vader1s /eft forearm2 and b/ue e/ectricity be-an to -ambo/ across his chest) With an infuriated
-ro./2 Vader /ifted the in0ured arm2 hur/in- the med droid ha/f.ay across the /aboratory)
;#se/ess machine=; he shouted) ;#se/ess= #se/ess=;
Sidious .atched his a,,rentice .ith risin- concern)
;What is troub/in- you2 my son< I1m a.are of the suit1s /imitations2 and of the e3as,eration you
must be e3,eriencin-) :ut an-er is .asted on the droid) 4ou must reser5e your ra-e for times .hen
you can ,rofit from it); e a,,raised Vader a-ain) ;I think I be-in to understand the cause of your
frustration)))
4our ra-e o.es /itt/e to the suit or the droid1s ine,titude) Somethin- disturbin- occurred on
$urkhana) Some occurrence you ha5e e/ected to kee, from me) *or your -ood or mine< I .onder);
Vader took a /on- moment to re,/y) ;$aster2 I found the three Jedi .ho esca,ed "rder Si3ty6Si3);
;What of it<;
;The dama-e to my arm .as done by one of them2 thou-h she is no. dead2 by my b/ade);
;And the other t.o<;
;They e/uded me); Vader /ifted his scarred face to re-ard Sidious) ;:ut they .ou/dn1t ha5e if this
suit didn1t restrict me to the ,oint of immobi/ity= If the Star Destroyer you ,/aced at my command
.as ,ro,er/y e8ui,,ed= If Sienar had com,/eted .ork on the starfi-hter I desi-ned=;
Sidious .aited unti/ Vader .as finished2 then stood u, and .a/ked to .ithin a meter of the room1s
trans,arent ,ane/s) ;So2 my youn- a,,rentice2 t.o Jedi s/i, throu-h your -ras, and you scatter the
b/ame /ike /ea5es b/o.n about by a storm);
;$aster2 if you had been there6;
;'ee, sti//2; Sidious interru,ted2 ;before you dama-e yourse/f a// the more); e -a5e Vader a
moment to com,ose himse/f) ;*irst2 /et me reiterate that the Jedi mean nothin- to us) In ha5in-
sur5i5ed2 4oda and "bi6Wan aren1t e3ce,tions to the ru/e) I1m certain that do7ens of Jedi esca,ed
.ith their /i5es2 and in due time you .i// ha5e the ,/easure of ki//in- many of them) :ut of -reater
im,ort is the fact that their order has been crushed) *inished2 Lord Vader) Do I make myse/f c/ear<;
;4es2 $aster2; Vader muttered)
;In buryin- their heads in the sands and sno.s of remote .or/ds2 the sur5i5in- Jedi humb/e
themse/5es before the Sith) So /et them: /et them atone for one thousand years of arro-ance and se/f6
absor,tion);
Sidious .atched Vader2 dis,/eased)
;"nce more your thou-hts betray you) I see that you are not yet fu//y con5inced);
%/ancin- at him2 Vader -estured to his face and b/ack6c/oaked body2 then -estured in simi/ar fashion
to Sidious) ;Look at us) Are these the faces of 5ictory<;
Sidious .as carefu/ to kee, himse/f from becomin- too an-ry2 or too sickened by his ,u,i/1s se/f6
,ity
;We are not this crude stuff2 Lord Vader) a5e you not heard that before<;
;4es2; Vader said) ;4es2 I15e heard it before) Too often);
;:ut from me you .i// /earn the truth of it);
Vader /ifted his face) ;In the same .ay you to/d me the truth about bein- ab/e to sa5e Padme<;
Sidious .as not taken aback) *or the ,ast month he had been e3,ectin- to hear 0ust such an
accusation from Vader) ;I had nothin- to do .ith Padme Amida/a1s death) She died as a resu/t of
your an-er at her betraya/2 my youn- a,,rentice);
Vader /ooked at the f/oor) ;4ou1re ri-ht2 $aster) I brou-ht about the 5ery thin- I feared for her) I1m
to b/ame);
Sidious ado,ted a more com,assionate tone) ;Sometimes the *orce has other ,/ans for us2 my son)
*ortunate/y I arri5ed at $ustafar in time to sa5e you);
;Sa5e me2; Vader said .ithout emotion) ;4es2 yes2 of course you did2 $aster) And I su,,ose I
shou/d be -ratefu/); e -ot u, from the tab/e and .a/ked to the ,ane/ to ,/ace himse/f o,,osite
Sidious) ;:ut .hat -ood is ,o.er .ithout re.ard< What -ood is ,o.er .ithout 0oy<;
Sidious didn1t mo5e) ;!5entua//y you .i// come to see that ,o.er is 0oy) The ,ath to the dark side is
not .ithout terrib/e risk2 but it is the on/y ,ath .orth fo//o.in-) It matters not ho. .e a,,ear2 in
any case2 or .ho is sacrificed a/on- the .ay) We ha5e .on2 and the -a/a3y is ours);
Vader1s eyes searched Sidious1s face) ;Did you ,romise as much to +ount Dooku<;
Sidious bared his teeth2 but on/y brief/y) ;Darth Tyranus kne. .hat he risked2 Lord Vader) If he had
been stron-er in the dark side2 you .ou/d be dead2 and he .ou/d be my ri-ht hand);
;And if you shou/d encounter someone stron-er than I am<;
Sidious a/most smi/ed) ;There is none2 my son2 e5en thou-h your body has been cri,,/ed) This is
your destiny) We ha5e seen to that) To-ether .e are uncon8uerab/e);
;I .asn1t stron- enou-h to defeat "bi6Wan2; Vader said) Sidious had had enou-h)
;(o2 you .eren1t2; he said) ;So 0ust ima-ine .hat 4oda mi-ht ha5e done to you); e f/un- his
.ords .ith bruta/ honesty) ;"bi6Wan trium,hed because he .ent to $ustafar .ith a sin-/e intention
in mind: to ki// Darth Vader) If the 0edi order had sho.ed such reso/ute intention2 if it had remained
focused on .hat needed to be done rather than on fears of the dark side2 it mi-ht ha5e ,ro5ed more
difficu/t to to,,/e and eradicate) 4ou and I mi-ht ha5e /ost e5erythin-) Do you understand<;
Vader /ooked at him2 breathin- dee,/y) ;Then I su,,ose I shou/d be -ratefu/ for .hat /itt/e I ha5e
been ab/e to ho/d on to);
;4es2; Sidious said curt/y) ;4ou shou/d);
>D
The cre. of the Drunk Dancer .as e5ery bit as sur,rised by their ca,tain1s re5e/ations as Shryne
.as) *or most of them2 thou-h2 the disc/osure on/y e3,/ained .hy they had come to ,/ace so much
trust in Ju/a1s 0ud-ment and intuition)
Shryne and the .oman .ho c/aimed to be his mother .ere sittin- in a dark a/co5e off the main
cabin2 untouched mea/s bet.een them and b/ue6tinted ho/oima-es to one side2 a//e-ed/y sho.in- a
nine6month6o/d Roan takin- his first ste,s outside the modest d.e//in- that had been his home for
0ust o5er three years) e had ne5er en0oyed seein- /ikenesses of himse/f2 and the ima-es mere/y
ser5ed to increase his embarrassment o5er the entire situation)
$aster (at6Sem had once to/d him that 5anity .as the cause of such uneasiness2 and had ordered
Shryne to s,end a fu// .eek starin- at his o.n ref/ection in a mirror2 in an effort to teach Shryne
that .hat he sa. .as no more .ho he .as than a ma, of a ,/ace cou/d be considered the territory
itse/f)
+/ear across the cabin2 !y/ Di32 *i//i :itters2 and Starstone .ere hudd/ed around the shi,1s
communications suite2 into .hich *i//i had mana-ed to ,atch :o/ +hatak1s beacon transcei5er2 and
the Drunk Dancer .as no. transmittin- on fre8uencies Jedi .ou/d scan in case of troub/e2 or if
attem,tin- to estab/ish contact .ith other Jedi) The ta/ented youn- s/icer2 .hose face .as near/y as
co/or/ess as his short s,iked hair2 .as sti// tryin- his best to en-a-e Starstone1s interest2 but she .as
either i-norin- his attem,ts or sim,/y too focused on a.aitin- a return si-na/ to be a.are of them)
With her dark com,/e3ion and b/ack cur/s2 and :itters1s to.headed bri//iance2 they made for an
interestin-6/ookin- cou,/e2 and Shryne .ondered if ,erha,s Starstone hadn1t un.ittin-/y stumb/ed
on a ne. ,ath to fo//o.)
!/se.here in the main cabin2 :rudi2 Archyr2 and Skeck .ere ,/ayin- cards at a circu/ar tab/e2 /abor
droids .hirrin- in to c/ean u, their dro,,ed snacks and s,i//ed drinks) A// in a// it .as a ,/easant
setu,2 Shryne decided) A/most /ike a fami/y /i5in- room2 .ith the kids ,/ayin- -ames2 the adu/ts
.atchin- com,etition s,orts on the o/o(et2 and the hired he/, in the kitchen ,re,arin- a bi- /unch
for e5eryone)
As a Jedi2 he had scant fami/iarity .ith any of it) The Tem,/e had been more /ike a hu-e dormitory2
and one .as constant/y a.are of bein- in ser5ice to a cause -reater than one1s fami/y or onese/f)
*re8uent/y there .ere c/asses or briefin-s to attend2 chores that needed com,/etin- as ,art of one1s
trainin-2 and /on- meditati5e or /i-htsaber combat sessions .ith $asters or ,eers2 e3ce,t for those
rare days .hen one .as a//o.ed to .ander about +oruscant2 sam,/in- bits of a different rea/ity)
In some .ays the Jedi had /ed a /ife of roya/ty)
The order had been .ea/thy2 ,ri5i/e-ed2 entit/ed)
And that .as .hy .e didn1t see it comin-2 Shryne thou-ht)
Why so many of the Jedi had turned a b/ind eye to the tra, Pa/,atine had been settin-) :ecause they
had refused to acce,t that such entit/ement cou/d e5er come to an end6cou/d a// come crashin- do.n
around them) And yet e5en those .ho hadn1t denied the ,ossibi/ity .ou/d ne5er ha5e be/ie5ed that
thousands of Jedi cou/d be ki//ed in one fe// s.oo,2 or that the order cou/d be ended .ith one bo/d
stroke2 as if ,ierced throu-h the heart)
We .ere ,/ayed2 he to/d himse/f)
And Skeck .as ri-ht: kno.in- that you had been ,/ayed .as .orse than /osin-)
:ut Roan Shryne6by a 8uirk of fate2 circumstance2 the .i// of the *orce6had sur5i5ed2 been brou-ht
face6to6face .ith his mother2 and .as no. at a /oss as to .hat to make of it)
e had seen his share of mothers interactin- .ith their chi/dren2 and he understood .hat a chi/d .as
su,,osed to fee/2 ho. he or she .as su,,osed to beha5e) :ut a// he fe/t to.ard the .oman o,,osite
him .as an uns,ecific connection in the *orce)
Shryne .asn1t the first Jedi to ha5e inad5ertent/y encountered a b/ood re/ati5e) "5er the years he
had heard stories about Pada.ans2 Jedi 'ni-hts2 e5en $asters runnin- into ,arents2 sib/in-s2
cousins)))
#nfortunate/y2 he had ne5er heard ho. any of the stories ended)
;I ne5er .anted you to be found2; Ju/a said .hen she had deacti5ated the ho/o,ro0ector) ;To this
day I don1t understand ho. your father cou/d hand you o5er to the Jedi) When I /earned he had
contacted the Tem,/e2 and that Jedi a-ents .ere comin- for you2 I tried to ta/k your father into
hidin- you);
;That rare/y ha,,ens2; Shryne said) ;$ost *orce6sensiti5e infants .ere 5o/untari/y surrendered to
the Tem,/e);
;Rea//y< We//2 it ha,,ened to me);
Shryne re-arded her .ith his eyes2 and throu-h the *orce) ;Who do you think you inherited your
abi/ities from<; Ju/a asked)
;A.areness does not a/.ays run in fami/ies); e smi/ed /i-ht/y) ;:ut I sensed the *orce in you the
moment you entered the cabin);
;And I kne. you did);
Shryne e3ha/ed and sat back in the chair) ;So your o.n ,arents chose to kee, you from 0oinin- the
order);
She nodded) ;And I1m -ratefu/ they did) I .ou/d ne5er ha5e been ab/e to abide by the ru/es) And I
ne5er .anted you to ha5e to abide by them2 Roan); She considered somethin-) ;I ha5e a confession
to make: a// my /ife I15e kno.n that I .ou/d meet you some.here a/on- the .ay) I think that1s
,art/y the reason I took u, ,i/otin- after your father and I se,arated) In the ho,e of2 .e//2 bum,in-
into you) It1s because of our *orce connection that I brou-ht the Dancer to this sector) I sensed you2
Roan);
*or many Jedi2 /uck and coincidence didn1t e3ist2 but Shryne .asn1t one of them) ;What ha,,ened
bet.een you and your husband<; he asked fina//y)
Ju/a /au-hed short/y) ;4ou2 rea//y) Jen2 your father2 sim,/y didn1t a-ree .ith me about the need to
,rotect you6to hide you2 I mean) We ar-ued bitter/y about it2 but he .as a true be/ie5er) e fe/t that I
shou/d ne5er ha5e been hidden9 that I1d basica//y turned my back on .hat .ou/d u/timate/y ha5e
been a more fu/fi//in- /ife) And2 of course2 that you .ou/d ,rofit from bein- raised in the Tem,/e)
;Jen had the stren-th6I -uess you cou/d ca// it stren-th6to for-et about you after he handed you o5er
to the Jedi) (o2 that1s too harsh) e had confidence enou-h in his decision to be/ie5e that he had
made the ri-ht choice2 and that you .ere doin- .e//); Ju/a shook her head) ;I cou/d ne5er -et there)
I missed you) It broke my heart to see you /ea5e2 and kno. that I mi-ht ne5er see you a-ain) That1s
.hat e5entua//y ruined us);
Shryne mu//ed it o5er) ;Jen sounds /ike he .as Jedi .ithout the tit/e) ;
;o. so<;
;:ecause he understood that you ha5e to acce,t .hat destiny sets in front of you) That you ha5e to
,ick and choose your batt/es);
er -ray eyes searched his face) ;What does that make me2 Roan<;
;A 5ictim of attachment);
She smi/ed .eak/y) ;4ou kno. .hat< I can /i5e .ith that);
Shryne -/anced a.ay2 catchin- Starstone1s /ook before she 8uick/y turned back to the
communications conso/e) She .as ea5esdro,,in- on their con5ersation2 .orryin- that the efforts
she had made to kee, Shryne on the ,ro,er ,ath .ere sudden/y bein- undermined) Shryne cou/d
fee/ her .antin- to tear herse/f a.ay from the communications suite before it .as too /ate2 and
Shryne .as /ost to the cause)
e /ooked at Ju/a once more) ;I1// ,ro5ide a confession in e3chan-e for yours: I refused an
assi-nment in the Tem,/e1s Ac8uisition Di5ision) I1m sti// not sure .hy2 e3ce,t that I1d ,ersuaded
myse/f on some /e5e/ that I didn1t /ike the idea of kids bein- se,arated from their fami/ies); e
,aused brief/y) ;:ut that .as a /on- time a-o);
She took his meanin-) ;Lon- a-o in years2 maybe) :ut I1m -uessin- you sti// fee/ /ike you missed
out);
;"n .hat<;
;Life2 Roan) Desire2 romance2 /o5e2 /au-hter2 for a6a// the thin-s you15e been denied) And chi/dren)
o. about that< A *orce6sensiti5e chi/d you cou/d nurture and /earn from);
e made his eyes du//) ;I1m not sure ho. *orce6sensiti5e a chi/d of mine .ou/d be);
;Why is that<;
e -a5e his head a shar, shake) ;(othin-);
Ju/a .as .i//in- to /et the ,oint dro,2 but she had more to say)
;Roan2 0ust hear me out) *rom e5erythin- I15e heard2 the Jedi order has been 5an8uished) Probab/y
ninety6nine ,ercent of the Jedi are dead) So it1s not /ike you ha5e a choice) Like it or not2 you1re in
the rea/ .or/d) Which means you cou/d -et to meet and kno. your father2 your unc/es and aunts) A//
of them sti// ta/k about you) a5in- a Jedi in the fami/y is a ,retty bi- dea/ in some ,/aces) "r at
/east it .as); She fe// brief/y si/ent) ;When I heard .hat ha,,ened2 I thou-ht for a moment))); She
/au-hed to ,ush some memory aside) ;I don1t .ant to -et into a// that) Someday you can te// me the
truth about .hat ha,,ened on +oruscant2 and .hy Pa/,atine betrayed you);
Shryne narro.ed his eyes) ;If .e e5er /earn the truth);
*rom the comm suite came a cheer of e3citement2 and a moment /ater Starstone .as hurryin- across
the cabin to.ard them)
;Roan2 .e -ot a hit= *rom a -rou, of Jedi on the run); She turned to Ju/a) ;+a,tain2 .ith your
,ermission .e1d /ike to arran-e a rende75ous .ith their shi,);
*i//i a,,eared at Starstone1s side to e/aborate) ;We1d ha5e to di5ert from our course to $ossak) :ut
the rende75ous .ou/dn1t take us too far out of the .ay);
Shryne fe/t Ju/a1s eyes on him) ;I .on1t try to con5ince you2; he said) ;It1s your shi,2 and I1m sure
you ha5e im,ortant business e/se.here);
Ju/a took a /on- moment to res,ond) ;I1// te// you .hy I1m -oin- to do it: 0ust to ha5e more time
.ith you) With /uck2 enou-h time to ,ersuade you to -et to kno. us2 and u/timate/y to stay .ith us);
She cut her eyes to Starstone) ;There1s room for you2 too2 "/ee);
Starstone b/inked in indi-nation) ;Room for me< I1m not about to abandon my Jedi oath to -o
-a//i5antin- around the -a/a3y .ith a band of smu--/ers) !s,ecia//y no. that I kno. that other Jedi
sur5i5ed); She /ooked hard at Shryne) ;We ha5e contact2 Roan) 4ou can1t be takin- her offer
serious/y<;
Shryne /au-hed out /oud) ;(orma//y Pada.ans don1t ta/k /ike this to $asters2; he said to Ju/a) ;4ou
can see ho. fast thin-s ha5e chan-ed);
Starstone fo/ded her arms across her chest) ;4ou said I shou/dn1t ca// you 1$aster)1 ;
;That doesn1t mean you shou/dn1t res,ect your e/ders);
;I do res,ect you2; she said) ;It1s your decisions I don1t res,ect)
;$any Jedi ha5e /eft the Tem,/e to /ead re-u/ar /i5es2; Ju/a thou-ht to ,oint out) ;Some ha5e -otten
married and had chi/dren);
;(o2; Starstone said2 shakin- her head back and forth) ;$aybe a,,rentices2 but not Jedi 'ni-hts);
;That can1t be true2; Ju/a said)
;It is true2; Starstone said firm/y2 before Shryne cou/d say a .ord) ;"n/y t.enty Jedi ha5e e5er /eft
the order);
;Don1t try to ar-ue .ith her2; Shryne ad5ised Ju/a) ;She s,ent ha/f her /ife in the Tem,/e /ibrary
,o/ishin- the busts of those Lost T.enty);
Starstone shot him a -im/et /ook) ;Don1t e5en think about bein- number t.enty6one);
Shryne /et his sudden seriousness sho.) ;Des,ite your c/aims for me2 I1m not a $aster2 and there is
no order) o. many times are you -oin- to ha5e to hear it before you acce,t the truth<;
She com,ressed her /i,s) ;That has no bearin- on bein- a Jedi) And you can1t be a Jedi and ser5e the
*orce if your attention is di5ided or if you1re emotiona//y in5o/5ed .ith others) Lo5e /eads to
attachment9 attachment to -reed);
So much for "/ee and *i//i :itters2 Shryne thou-ht)
At the same time2 Ju/a .as re-ardin- Starstone as if the youn- Jedi had /ost her mind) ;They
certain/y did a ban-6u, 0ob on you2 didn1t they); She he/d Starstone1s -a7e) ;"/ee2 /o5e is about a//
.e ha5e /eft);
Instead of reactin- to the remark2 Starstone said: ;Are you -oin- to he/, us or not<;
;I a/ready said I .ou/d); Standin- u,2 Ju/a -a5e Shryne a /ook) ;:ut 0ust so .e understand each
other2 Roan< 4ou and I both kno. that you don1t ha5e access to any 1secret funds)1 4ou make one
more attem,t at usin- *orce ,ersuasion on any members of my cre.2 and I may for-et that I1m your
mother);
>&
Darth Sidious had had most of his be/o5ed Sith statues and ancient bas6re/iefs remo5ed from his
ruined chambers in the Senate "ffice :ui/din-2 .here four Jedi had /ost their /i5es and one had been
con5erted to the dark side) Re/ocated to the throne room2 the statues had been ,/aced on the dais2
the scu/,tures mounted on the /on- .a//s)
S.i5e/in- his throne2 Sidious -a7ed at them no.)
As some Jedi had feared from the start2 Anakin had been ri,e for con5ersion .hen Hui6%on Jinn
had first brou-ht him to the Tem,/e2 and for .e// o5er a decade a// of Sidious1s ,/ans for the boy had
unfo/ded .ithout incident) :ut e5en Sidious hadn1t foreseen Anakin1s defeat by "bi6Wan 'enobi on
$ustafar) Anakin had sti// been bet.een .or/ds then2 and 5u/nerab/e) The fai/ure to defeat his
former $aster had .orked to ,ro/on- that 5u/nerabi/ity)
Sidious reca//ed the des,erate return tri, to +oruscant9 reca//ed usin- a// his ,o.ers2 and a// the
,otions and de5ices contained in his medkit2 to minister to Anakin1s ho,e/ess/y b/istered body and
truncated /imbs)
e reca//ed thinkin-: What if Anakin shou/d die<
o. many years .ou/d he ha5e had to search for an a,,rentice e5en ha/f as ,o.erfu/ in the *orce2
/et a/one one created by the *orce itse/f to restore ba/ance2 by a//o.in- the dark side to ,erco/ate
fu//y to the surface after a mi//ennium of bein- stif/ed<
(one .ou/d he found)
Sidious .ou/d ha5e had to disco5er a .ay to com,e/ midich/orians to do his biddin-2 and brin- into
bein- one as ,o.erfu/ as Anakin) As it .as2 Sidious and a host of medica/ droids had mere/y
restored Anakin to /ife2 .hich6.hi/e no sma// feat6.as a far cry from returnin- someone from death)
*or thousands of years2 the abi/ity to sur5i5e death had been ,ursued by Sith and Jedi a/ike2 and no
one had been successfu/ at disco5erin- the secret) :ein-s had been sa5ed from dyin-2 but no one
had cheated death) The most ,o.erfu/ of the ancient Sith Lords had kno.n the secret2 but it had
been /ost or2 rather2 mis,/aced) (o. that the -a/a3y .as his to ru/e2 there .as nothin- to ,re5ent
Sidious2 too2 from un/ockin- that mystery)
Then he and his cri,,/ed a,,rentice mi-ht ho/d s.ay o5er the -a/a3y for ten thousand years2 and
/i5e eterna//y)
If they didn1t ki// each other first)
In /ar-e ,art because Padme Amida/a had died)
Sidious had de/iberate/y brou-ht her and Anakin to-ether three years ear/ier2 both to rid the Senate
of her 5ote a-ainst the $i/itary +reation Act and to ,ut tem,tation in Anakin1s ,ath) *o//o.in- the
murder of Anakin1s mother2 Anakin had secret/y married Padme) When he had /earned of the
marria-e2 Sidious kne. for certain that Anakin1s ,atho/o-ica/ attachment to her .ou/d e5entua//y
su,,/y the means for com,/etin- his con5ersion to the dark side)
Anakin1s fears for her2 in actua/ity and in 5isions6and es,ecia//y after Padme had become ,re-nant6
had been hei-htened by kee,in- him far from her) Then it sim,/y had been a matter of unmaskin-
the Jedi for the hy,ocrites that they .ere2 sacrificin- Dooku to Anakin1s ra-e2 and ,romisin- Anakin
that Padme cou/d be sa5ed from death)))
The /atter2 an e3a--eration necessary for Anakin1s turn from .hat the Jedi ca//ed ri-ht thinkin-9 for
o,enin- his eyes to his true ca//in-) :ut such .as the .ay of the *orce) It ,ro5ided o,,ortunities2
and one needed on/y to be ready to sei7e them)
(ot for the first time Sidious .ondered .hat mi-ht ha5e ha,,ened had Anakin not ki//ed Padme on
$ustafar) *or a// she /o5ed him2 she ne5er .ou/d ha5e understood or for-i5en Anakin1s action at the
Jedi Tem,/e) In fact2 that .as one of the reasons Sidious had sent him there) +/one troo,ers cou/d
ha5e dea/t .ith the instructors and youn-/in-s2 but Anakin1s ,resence .as essentia/ in order to
cement his a//e-iance to the Sith2 and2 more im,ortant2 to sea/ Padme1s fate) !5en if she had
sur5i5ed $ustafar2 their /o5e .ou/d ha5e died6Padme mi-ht e5en ha5e /ost the .i// to /i5e6and their
chi/d .ou/d ha5e become Sidious1s and Vader1s to raise)
$i-ht that chi/d ha5e been the first member of a ne. Sith order of thousands or mi//ions< ard/y)
The idea of a Sith order .as a corru,tion of the intent of the ancient Dark Lords) *ortunate/y2 Darth
:ane had understood that2 and had insisted that on/y in rare instances shou/d there e3ist more than
t.o /ords2 $aster and a,,rentice2 at any -i5en time)
:ut t.o .ere necessary for the ,er,etuation of the Sith order)
And so it fe// to Sidious to com,/ete Vader1s con5a/escence)
As !m,eror Pa/,atine2 he had no need to re5ea/ his Sith trainin- and mastery to anyone2 and for the
moment Vader .as his crimson b/ade) Let the -a/a3y think .hat it .ou/d of Vader: fa//en Jedi2
surfaced Sith2 ,o/itica/ enforcer))) It scarce/y mattered2 since fear .ou/d u/timate/y brin- and kee,
e5eryone in /ine)
4es2 Vader .as not ,recise/y .hat he had bar-ained for) Vader1s /e-s and arms .ere artificia/2 and
he .ou/d ne5er be ab/e to summon /i-htnin- or /ea, about /ike the Jedi had been fond of doin-) is
dark side trainin- .as 0ust be-innin-) :ut Sith ,o.er resided not in the f/esh but in the .i//) Se/f6
restraint .as ,raised by the Jedi on/y because they didn1t kno. the ,o.er of the dark side) Vader1s
rea/ .eaknesses .ere ,sycho/o-ica/ rather than ,hysica/2 and for Vader to o5ercome them he .ou/d
need to be dri5en dee,er into himse/f2 to confront a// his choices and his disa,,ointments)
Po.ered by treachery2 the Sith $aster6a,,rentice re/ationshi, .as a/.ays a dan-erous -ame) Trust
.as encoura-ed e5en .hi/e bein- sabota-ed9 /oya/ty .as demanded e5en .hi/e betraya/ .as ,ri7ed9
sus,icion .as nourished e5en .hi/e honesty .as ,raised)
In some sense2 it .as sur5i5a/ of the fittest)
*undamenta/ to Vader1s -ro.th .as the desire to o5erthro. his $aster)
ad Vader ki//ed "bi6Wan on $ustafar2 he mi-ht ha5e attem,ted to ki// Sidious2 as .e//) In fact2
Sidious .ou/d ha5e been sur,rised if Anakin hadn1t made an attem,t) (o.2 ho.e5er2 inca,ab/e of
so much as breathin- on his o.n2 Vader cou/d not rise to the cha//en-e2 and Sidious understood that
he .ou/d need to do e5erythin- in his ,o.er to shake Vader out of his des,air2 and rea.aken the
incredib/e ,o.er .ithin him)
!5en at Sidious1s o.n ,eri/)))
A/ert to a mi/d disturbance in the *orce2 he s.un- to.ard the throne room ho/o,ro0ector a moment
before a ha/f6/ife6si7e ima-e of $as Amedda reso/5ed from thin air)
;$y /ord2 I a,o/o-i7e for intrudin- on your meditation2; the +ha-rian said2 ;but an encry,ted Jedi
code transmission has been ,icked u, and is bein- monitored in the Tian +/uster);
;$ore sur5i5ors of "rder Si3ty6Si32; Sidious said)
;A,,arent/y so2 my Lord) Sha// I summon Lord Vader<;
Sidious considered it) Wou/d additiona/ Jedi deaths be enou-h to hea/ Vader1s .ounds< Perha,s2
,erha,s not) :ut not yet2 in any case)
;(o2; he said fina//y) ;I ha5e need of Lord Vader on +oruscant);
>>
Ri-ht))) no.2; Shryne o5erheard *i//i te// Starstone)
The communications suite chimed and *i//i2 Starstone2 and !y/ Di3 /eaned in to study a dis,/ay
screen) ;The Jedi shi, has re5erted to rea/s,ace2; Di3 said2 a/most in a.e2 antennae t.itchin-)
*i//i stood to his fu// hei-ht2 stretchin- his arms o5er his head in theatrica/ noncha/ance and
beamin-) ;I /o5e it .hen I1m ri-ht);
Starstone -/anced u, at him) ;I can te// that about you); is fro.ned dramatica//y) ;(o ,ut6do.ns
in the main cabin);
;It1s not a criticism2; Starstone .as 8uick to e3,/ain) ;What I mean is that I .as the same .ay at the
Jedi Tem,/e /ibrary) Someone .ou/d come in /ookin- for data2 and I .ou/d a/most a/.ays be ab/e to
direct them ri-ht to the fi/es they needed) I 0ust had a sense for it); er 5oice broke momentari/y9
then she continued in a confident tone) ;I think you shou/d be ,roud of doin- .hat you do best2
instead of hidin- behind fa/se humi/ity2 or;6she -a5e Shryne a furti5e -/ance6;/ettin- disi//usion
con5ince you that you need a ne. /ife);
Shryne -ot out of his seat) ;I1// take that as my cue to /ea5e);
A droid directed him to the corridor that /ed to the Drunk Dancer1s am,/e cock,it2 .here Ju/a and
:rudi %ayn sat in ad0acent chairs behind a shimmerin- s.ee, of instrument conso/e) A crescent of
red ,/anet hun- in the for.ard 5ie.,ort2 and /oca/ s,ace .as stre.n .ith batt/e debris)
Shryne ra,,ed his knuck/es a-ainst the cock,it1s retracted hatch) ;Permission to enter2 +a,tain<;
Ju/a -/anced at him o5er her shou/der) ;"n/y if you ,romise not to te// me ho. to ,i/ot);
;I1// kee, my mouth shut);
She ,atted the cushion of the acce/eration chair behind hers) ;Then take a /oad off);
:rudi -estured to a ,oint of ref/ected /i-ht far to ,ort) ;That1s them) "n schedu/e);
Shryne studied the conso/e1s friend6or6foe dis,/ay screen2 in .hich a schematic of a shar,6nosed2
broad6.in-ed shi, .as rotatin-) ;Re,ub/ic SJ troo, trans,ort2; he said) ;Wonder ho. they -ot a
ho/d of that);
;I1m sure there1s a story2; :rudi said)
Shryne /ifted his eyes to the 5ie.,orts2 and to the .recka-e beyond) ;What ha,,ened here<;
;Se,s used this system as a sta-in- area for reinforcin- *e/ucia2; Ju/a said) ;Re,ub/ic cau-ht them
na,,in- and dusted them); She -estured to .hat Shryne had initia//y taken for marker buoys)
;$ines) +ommand6detonated2 but sti// a ,otentia/ ha7ard) :etter .arn the trans,ort to steer c/ear of
them2 :rudi);
e s.i5e/ed his chair to the comm unit) ;I1m on it);
Shryne continued to -a7e at the debris) ;That1s a dockin- arm of a Trade*ed Lucrehu/k) What1s /eft
of it2 any.ay);
When Ju/a fina//y s,oke2 she said: ;Somethin-1s not ri-ht);
:rudi turned s/i-ht/y in her direction) ;Trans,ort1s re-isterin- the si-nature they transmitted before
rende75ous);
She shook her head in uncertainty) ;I kno.2 but)));
;There are Jedi aboard the trans,ort2; Shryne said)
She -/anced at him out of the corner of her eye) ;!5en I kno. that much) (o2 it1s somethin- e/se6;
A tone from the threat board cut her off2 and :rudi s.i5e/ed a-ain)
;+ount si32 make that ei-ht bandits emer-in- from hy,ers,ace2; he said terse/y) ;Dead on the
trans,ort1s 5ector);
Shryne .atched the I** trans,onder) ;AR+6one6se5enties);
;Affirmati5e2; :rudi said) ;A--ressi5e Reconnaissance starfi-hters);
Visua/ scanners cau-ht the craft as their trans5erse .in-s .ere unfo/din-2 s,/ayin- for batt/e and
increased therma/ stabi/ity) Ju/a1s /eft hand made ad0ustments to the instruments .hi/e her ri-ht he/d
ti-ht to the yoke)
;Is the trans,ort a.are of them<;
;I1d say so2; Shryne said) ;It1s -oin- e5asi5e);
:rudi ,ressed his headset ti-hter to his ear) ;The trans,ort1s .arnin- us a.ay);
;$akes me /ike them a/ready2; Ju/a said) ;Scramb/e our si-nature before the AR+s can -et a /ock
on us);
;4ou may not be ab/e to 0am them2; Shryne said) ;They1re not /ike V6 .in-s) And they ,unch harder2
too);
;Try any.ay2 :rudi2; Ju/a said) ;Last thin- I .ant is the !m,ire chasin- us a// o5er the -a/a3y) And
I am not about to -et a ne. shi,); She f/i,,ed an intercom s.itch) ;Skeck2 Archyr2 are you there<;
Skeck1s 5oice issued throu-h the cock,it s,eaker) ;Wea,ons are ,o.erin- u,2 +a,tain) Just say
.hen);
Ju/a /ooked at Shryne) ;Any ideas2 Jedi<;
Shryne s.e,t his eyes o5er the dis,/ay screens) ;The AR+S are maintainin- a .ed-e formation)
They1// .ait unti/ they1re .ithin firin- ran-e of the trans,ort2 then they1// break formation and
attem,t to outf/ank it);
;Skeck2; Ju/a said to.ard the audio ,icku,2 ;do you co,y<;
;Loud and c/ear);
;Are the AR+s .ithin ran-e of your turbo/asers<; Shryne asked)
;A/most2; Skeck said)
;Antici,ate the formation break) Lead them2 and o,en u,);
:rudi ran a fast ca/cu/ation on the rate at .hich the Im,eria/ starfi-hters .ere -ainin- on the
trans,ort) ;4ou1re -ood to -o2; he said)
;*irin-=; Skeck announced)
Dense ,ackets of scar/et /i-ht tore from the Drunk Dancer1s for.ard batteries2 con5er-in- on their
distant tar-ets) A 8uartet of fiery b/ossoms /i-hted /oca/ s,ace)
Archyr .hoo,ed) ;Pursuit s8uadron reduced by ha/f=;
;(ice2; Ju/a said2 -rinnin- at Shryne) ;What other tricks do you ha5e u, your s/ee5e<;
Shryne didn1t ans.er her) "n $urkhana2 and des,ite e5erythin- that had ha,,ened2 he had tried to
a5oid ki//in- any c/one troo,ers) (o. here he .as2 /inin- them u, to be b/o.n to ,ieces)
;Roan2; Ju/a said shar,/y)
;The remainin- AR+s .i// re-rou,2 formin- u, behind the s8uadron /eader2; he said at /ast) Ta,,in-
:rudi on the shou/der2 he added: ;Instruct the trans,ort to nose u, o5er the ec/i,tic) When the AR+s
fo//o. suit2 Skeck and Archyr shou/d ha5e a c/ear shot at their be//ies);
;+o,y that2; :rudi said)
Ju/a .as studyin- one of the dis,/ay screens) ;Trans,ort is out.ard bound) AR+s are u, and a.ay);
;*irin-=; Skeck re,orted)
A fifth e3,/osion b/ossomed o5er the red ,/anet1s north ,o/e) "ther /aser beams .ent .ide of their
marks)
;They15e fi-ured us out2; Shryne said) ;They1// scatter no.);
;Trans,ort is an-/in- for the mines2; :rudi u,dated)
;Just .hat I1d do2; Ju/a said)
The threat board /oosed another a/ert tone)
:rudi ta,,ed his fin-er on the /on-6distance scanner array screen) ;Si3 more starfi-hters ha5e
emer-ed from hy,ers,ace);
Ju/a forced a short e3ha/e) ;Te// .hoe5er1s ,i/otin- the trans,ort to -o to fu// thrott/e) e may not
e5en be a.are of the ne. ,/ayers);
;e .on1t miss this2; :rudi said somber/y)
Shryne eased out of his seat to ,eer o5er :rudi1s shou/der) ;What<;
;Re,ub/ic /i-ht cruiser2; Ju/a said) ;:ut don1t .orry2 .e can outrun it);
"n the conso/e1s centra/ screen2 the scanners assemb/ed a facsimi/e of the hour-/ass6sha,ed
.arshi,2 hi-h/i-htin- its do7ens of turbo/aser and ion cannons)
;4ou .on1t outrun those -uns2; Shryne said)
Ju/a considered it) ;:rudi2 di5ert ,o.er to the for.ard def/ectors) I1m -oin- to try to take us behind
that Lucrehu/k arm); She took a moment to -/ance at Shryne) ;%uess the Jedi are more im,ortant
than I thou-ht2 if the !m,ire1s sendin- cruisers after you);
;+ruiser1s turbos arc firin-2; Skeck said o5er the s,eaker) ;o/d ti-ht2; Ju/a .arned)
:/indin- /i-ht s,/ashed a-ainst the 5ie.,orts) Jo/ted2 the Drunk Dancer /ost ,o.er momentari/y2
then returned to /ife)
;We1re okay2; :rudi confirmed2 ;but the trans,ort1s in troub/e);
;Instruct them to raise their aft shie/ds and rende75ous .ith us behind the Lucrehu/k arm2; Ju/a
said) ;Te// them .e1// ho/d off the cruiser and AR+s .hi/e they make a run for it);
:rudi re/ayed the instructions and .aited for a res,onse) ;They1// try) :ut the trans,ort1s shie/ds are
hea5i/y dama-ed) "ne more hit from the cruiser and they1re dead in s,ace);
Ju/a muttered a curse) The Drunk Dancer .as 0ust dro,,in- behind the cur5ed fra-ment of dockin-
arm .hen she said: ;I1m -oin- to brin- us back in the o,en) Ri- for ion cannon fire) Let1s see if .e
can sur,rise them);
The smu--/ers1 shi, sustained t.o ,o.erfu/ strikes as it .as emer-in- from co5er2 but not enou-h
to inca,acitate it)
;Ion sur,rise2; Archyr said)
;Laser chaser2; Skeck chimed in)
White /i-ht f/ared in the distance2 and b/ue current coruscated o5er the cruiser1s dark hu//)
:rudi bent to one of the screens) ;So/id hit) And they definite/y didn1t see it comin-) Their shie/ds
are da7ed);
;Takin- us back into co5er2; Ju/a said) ;Where1s the trans,ort<;
:rudi s,oke to it) ;Wea5in- throu-h the /ast of the mines);
;Archyr2 -et those AR+s off the trans,ort1s tai/=;
;Wi// do2 +a,tain);
Pu/sed /i-ht streaked from the shi, once more2 and Shryne .atched another starfi-hter come a,art)
:ut the remainin- AR+s .ere -ainin- ra,id/y on the trans,ort)
;Pro0ected rende75ous in fi5e6,oint6fi5e2; :rudi said) ;+ruiser has come to2 and is returnin- fire);
Ju/a firmed her /i,s) ;We1re not dee, enou-h into co5er) This is -oin- to be a bad one);
Shryne hun- on to the arms of the chair) Takin- the brunt of the ca,ita/ shi,1s enfi/ade2 the dockin-
arm 5a,ori7ed) Tossed back by the b/ast2 the Drunk Dancer /i5ed u, to its name) '/a3ons b/ared
dee, .ithin the shi,2 and the instrument conso/e ho./ed in a/arm)
;Shutt/e is sti// c/osin-2; :rudi said .hen he cou/d)
Ju/a s/ammed her hand do.n on the intercom stud) ;Pre, the bay for emer-ency dockin-=; She
s.i5e/ed to face :rudi) ;Te// the trans,ort .e1re done s.a,,in- ,unches .ith that cruiser) !ither
they make their mo5e no.2 or .e1re bo.in- out); To Skeck2 she said: ;A// ,o.er to the for.ard
batteries) *ire at .i//) ;
The shi, rumb/ed as coherent /i-ht raced from the cannon turrets)
;Trans,ort is /ined u, for its a,,roach2; :rudi said)
Ju/a1s ri-ht hand entered data into the na5icom,uter) ;+a/cu/atin- the 0um, to /i-hts,eed);
!3,/osi5e /i-ht f/ashed outside the 5ie.,orts2 the Drunk Dancer 8uakin- as enemy fire ran-ed
c/oser)
:rudi si-hed in disa,,ointment) ;The trans,ort fumb/ed its first a,,roach) They1re reorientin- for
another try);
;+oordinates for the 0um, are in2; Ju/a to/d him) ;+ountdo.n commencin-); She s.un- around to
face Shryne) ;I1m sorry2 Roan);
e nodded in understandin-) ;4ou did .hat you cou/d); The shi, shook a-ain)
;Trans,ort is aboard2; :rudi said sudden/y)
Ju/a c/am,ed her hands on the yoke) ;Di5ert ,o.er to the sub/i-hts) %i5e us a// the distance you
can);
;We1re -oin- to -et our stern burned2; :rudi .arned) ;Sma// ,rice to ,ay);
;y,ers,ace en-ines en-a-ed);
Ju/a reached for the contro/ stick) ;(o.=;
And the distant stars became streaks of /i-ht)
>A
:rudi hadn1t said that the trans,ort .as safe/y aboard2 and Shryne kne. .hy the moment he and
Starstone reached the dockin- bay) The .ed-e6sha,ed shi, had skidded in on its ,ort side2 -ou-in-
the deck2 destroyin- arrays of /andin- /i-hts2 reducin- t.o /abor droids to s,are ,arts2 and
u/timate/y f/attenin- its ,ointed bo. a-ainst an interior bu/khead)
(o one inside .as in0ured in the crash2 ho.e5er)
Any more than they .ere a/ready in0ured)
The si3 bedra--/ed Jedi .ho /itera//y sta--ered do.n the trans,ort1s crum,/ed boardin- ram, .ere
a mi3 of a/ien2 human2 and humanoid) (either Shryne nor Starstone kne. any of them by si-ht2
name2 or re,utation) *ace and arms burned by b/aster6fire2 Siadem *orte .as a short2 thick6bodied
human2 o/der than Shryne but sti// a 'ni-ht) is Pada.an .as a youn- To-ruta named Derai/
(a/ua/2 .ho had been b/inded durin- the same firefi-ht in .hich *orte had been .ounded) '/ossi
Anno2 a +ha/actan2 .as a/so a /earner2 her $aster ha5in- died sa5in- her /ife9 .here e3act/y the
o,,osite had ha,,ened to I.o 'u/ka2 a bruised and /im,in- o1Din 'ni-ht) #nranked human Jedi
Jambe Luand (am Poorf .ere a-ricu/tura/ s,ecia/ists .ho had been returnin- to +oruscant from a
mission on :onadan)
"n board .as a se5enth Jedi2 .ho had died durin- the trans,ort1s hy,ers,ace 0um, to the
rende75ous)
$ed droids tended to the .ounds of ne. arri5a/s) Then2 after the Jedi had rested and been fed2
e5eryone -athered in the main cabin2 .here Shryne2 Starstone2 and a fe. of the smu--/ers /istened
to accounts of sa5a-e en-a-ements and c/ose esca,es on ha/f a do7en .or/ds)
As Shryne had -uessed2 no other c/one troo,ers .ere kno.n to ha5e refused to obey the Jedi
e3ecution order Pa/,atine .as be/ie5ed to ha5e issued) T.o of the Jedi had mana-ed to ki// the
troo,ers .ho had turned on them) Another had esca,ed and sur5i5ed by donnin- c/one armor) The
,air of Jedi from the A-ricu/tura/ +or,s hadn1t been in the com,any of troo,ers2 but had been fired
on and ,ursued .hen a shutt/e they .ere aboard had arri5ed at a Re,ub/ic orbita/ faci/ity)
"ri-ina//y ten in number2 they had -athered on De//a/t after recei5in- a G&A code transmitted by
*orte2 the e/dest amon- them) It .as on De//a/t that they had commandeered the trans,ort2 durin- a
batt/e in .hich t.o of the Jedi had been ki//ed and many of the others .ounded6and seemin-/y from
De//a/t that the /i-ht cruiser and AR+6&@Ds had ,ursued them)
:y the time a// the stories had been to/d and end/ess/y discussed2 the Drunk Dancer had emer-ed
from hy,ers,ace in a remote system of barren ,/anets that had /on- ser5ed Ju/a and her cre. as a
hideout of sorts) Re/ie5ed of her ,i/ot duties2 she entered the main cabin and sat do.n ne3t to
Shryne 0ust as ta/k .as turnin- to o/o(et accounts of .hat had occurred on +oruscant fo//o.in-
Pa/,atine1s decree that the %rand Army had been 5ictorious2 and that the Re,ub/ic .as no. an
!m,ire)
;Some of the information re/eased has to be fa/se or e3a--erated2; the a-ronomist Jambe Lu said)
;o/oima-es .e15e seen thus far sho. that the Tem,/e .as certain/y attacked) :ut I refuse to acce,t
that e5eryone .as ki//ed) Sure/y Pa/,atine .ou/d ha5e ordered the troo,ers to s,are the youn-/in-s)
Perha,s some instructors and administrators2 as .e//);
;I a-ree2; Lu1s ,artner2 (am Poorf2 said) ;If !m,eror Pa/,atine had .anted for some reason to
e3terminate the entire Jedi order2 he cou/d ha5e done so at the start of the .ar);
*orte ridicu/ed the idea) ;And .ho .ou/d ha5e /ed the %rand Army6Senators< What1s more2 e5en if
you1re correct about the Tem,/e2 the best .e can ho,e is that an unto/d number of Jedi are
im,risoned some.here) What .e kno. to be true is that $asters Windu2 Tiin2 *isto2 and 'o/ar died
in the attem,t to arrest Pa/,atine9 and that 'i6Adi6$undi2 P/o 'oon2 and other i-h +ounci/
members are re,orted to ha5e been assassinated on Se,aratist .or/ds);
;Any .ord on 4oda or "bi6Wan<; Shryne asked *orte) ;(othin- more than o/o(et s,ecu/ation);
;About Sky.a/ker2 as .e//2; (am Poorf said) ;A/thou-h .e heard rumors on De//a/t that he died on
+oruscant);
The o1Din Jedi 'ni-ht -/anced meanin-fu//y at Shryne) ;If Sky.a/ker is dead2 does that mean that
the ,ro,hecy died .ith him<;
;What ,ro,hecy<; *orte1s si-ht/ess To-ruta Pada.an asked) A-ain2 I.o 'u/ka /ooked at Shryne) ;I
see no reason for secrecy no.2 Roan Shryne);
;An ancient ,ro,hecy2; Shryne e3,/ained for the benefit of (a/ua/2 '/ossi Anno2 and the t.o
a-ronomists2 ;that a +hosen "ne .ou/d be born in the dark times to restore ba/ance to the *orce);
;And Anakin Sky.a/ker .as thou-ht to ha5e been this +hosen "ne<; Lu said in astonishment)
;Some members of the i-h +ounci/ be/ie5ed there .as 0ustification for thinkin- so); Shryne
/ooked at I.o 'u/ka) ;So in ans.er to your 8uestion2 I don1t kno. .here the ,ro,hecy fits into a//
that1s ha,,ened) *orete//in- .as ne5er my area of e3,ertise);
It came out more b/unt/y than Shryne had intended) :ut he .as e3as,erated by the fact that
e5eryone .as ta/kin- around the rea/ issues: that the Jedi .ere sudden/y home/ess and rudder/ess2
and that im,ortant decisions had to made)
;What matters2; he said into the si/ence that fo//o.ed his sarcasm2 ;is that .e6that a// Jedi6are ,rey)
Pa/,atine1s initia/ actions mi-ht not ha5e been ,remeditated) We1// /ea5e that for the historians to
determine) :ut he1s intent on e/iminatin- us no.2 and .e1re ,robab/y ,/acin- ourse/5es at -reater
risk by -rou,in- to-ether);
;:ut that1s e3act/y .hat .e ha5e to do2; Starstone ar-ued) ;!5erythin- that has 0ust been said is
reason enou-h to remain to-ether) Jedi bein- he/d ,risoner) The youn-/in-s) The unkno.n fates of
$asters 4oda and 'enobi)
;To .hat end2 Pada.an<; *orte said)
;If nothin- e/se2 to ,re5ent the Jedi f/ame from bein- e3tin-uished); Starstone -/anced around2 in
search of a sym,athetic face) That she cou/dn1t find one didn1t ,re5ent her from continuin-) ;This
isn1t the first time the Jedi order has been brou-ht to the brink of e3tinction) *i5e thousand years a-o
the Sith thou-ht that they cou/d destroy the Jedi2 but a// their attem,ts fai/ed2 and the Sith Lords
on/y ended u, destroyin- one another) Pa/,atine mi-ht not be a Sith2 but2 in time2 his -reed and /ust
for ,o.er .i// be his undoin-);
;That1s a 5ery ho,efu/ attitude to take2; *orte said) ;:ut I don1t see ho. it he/,s us no.);
;4our best chance of sur5i5in- is in the Tin-e/ Arm2; Ju/a said sudden/y2 ;.hi/e Pa/,atine1s fu//
contro/ is sti// /imited to the inner systems);
;Su,,ose .e do -o there2; Starstone said .hi/e se,arate discussions .ere breakin- out) ;Sure2 .e
can assume ne. identities and find remote .or/ds to hide on) We can mask our *orce abi/ities from
others2 e5en from other *orcefu/ indi5idua/s) :ut is that .hat you .ant to do< Is that .hat the *orce
.ants for us<;
Whi/e the Jedi .ere considerin- it2 Shryne said: ;a5e any of you heard the name Lord Vader<;
;Who is Vader<; Lu asked for a// of them)
;The Sith .ho ki//ed my $aster on $urkhana2; Starstone said before Shryne cou/d s,eak)
I.o 'u/ka /ooked hard at Shryne) ;A Sith<;
Shryne /ifted his eyes to the cei/in-2 then /ooked at Starstone) ;I thou-ht .e a-reed6;
;Vader fou-ht .ith a crimson /i-htsaber2; she interru,ted)
Shryne took a ca/min- breath and be-an a-ain) ;Vader assured the troo,ers on $urkhana that he
.asn1t a Jedi) And I1m not sure .hat he is) Possib/y humanoid2 but not fu//y or-anic);
;Like %rie5ous2; *orte assumed)
;A-ain6,ossib/e) The b/ack suit he .ears a,,ears to kee, him a/i5e) :eyond that2 I don1t kno. ho.
much of Vader is cybor-);
Poorf .as shakin- his head in confusion) ;I don1t understand) Is this Vader an Im,eria/
commander<;
;e1s su,erior to the commanders) The troo,ers sho.ed him the sort of res,ect they1d reser5e for
someone of 5ery hi-h rank or status) $y -uess is that he ans.ers direct/y to Pa/,atine); Shryne fe/t
e3as,eration surfacin- once more) ;What I1m -ettin- at is that Vader is the one .e need to .orry
about) e .i// track us do.n);
;What if .e -et to him first<; *orte said)
Shryne -estured broad/y) ;We1re ei-ht a-ainst someone .ho may be Sith2 and one of the /ar-est
armies e5er amassed) What does that te// you<;
;We .ou/dn1t -o after him immediate/y2; Starstone said2 8uick/y ,ickin- u, on *orte1s 8uestion)
;Pa/,atine isn1t embraced by e5eryone); She /ooked at Ju/a) ;4ou yourse/f said that his reach is
/imited to the inner systems) Which means .e cou/d .ork co5ert/y to ,ersuade "uter Rim Senators
and mi/itary /eaders to 0oin our cause);
;4ou1re ne-/ectin- the fact that most s,ecies are no. con5inced that .e had a hand in startin- and
,er,etuatin- the .ar2; Shryne said stron-/y) ;!5en those .ho aren1t con5inced .ou/d risk too much
by he/,in- us2 e5en by ,ro5idin- sanctuary);
Starstone .as not deterred) ;We .ere t.o yesterday2 and .e1re ei-ht today) Tomorro. .e cou/d be
t.enty or e5en fifty) We can kee, transmittin-6;
;I can1t a//o. that2; Ju/a cut her off) ;(ot from my shi,2 any.ay); She /ooked at *orte and the
others) ;4ou say you .ere tracked from De//a/t) :ut 0ust su,,ose the !m,ire is a/so monitorin- Jedi
fre8uencies for (ine Thirteen transmissions< A// Pa/,atine .ou/d ha5e to do is .ait unti/ you .ere
a// in one ,/ace2 then send in the c/ones) "r this Vader character);
Starstone1s si/ence /asted on/y a moment) ;There1s another .ay) If .e cou/d /earn .hich .or/ds Jedi
.ere assi-ned to2 .e cou/d acti5e/y search for sur5i5ors);
Lu thou-ht about it for a moment) ;The on/y .ay to /earn that .ou/d be by accessin- the Tem,/e1s
data banks);
;(ot from the Drunk Dancer2 you .on1t2; Ju/a said)
;+ou/dn1t ha,,en any.ay2 +a,tain2; !y/ Di3 said) ;Accessin- the data banks .ou/d re8uire a much
more ,o.erfu/ hy,er6.a5e transcei5er than .e ha5e2 and one that .ou/d be 5ery hard to come by);
Di3 -/anced at *i//i for corroboration)
;!y/1s ri-ht2; *i//i said) Then2 around a formin- -rin2 he added: ;:ut I kno. 0ust .here .e can find
one);
>B
Rain .as rare on .eather6contro//ed +oruscant2 but e5ery so often microc/imatic storms .ou/d
bui/d in the bust/in- sky and s.ee, across the technosca,e) Today1s had b/o.n in from The Works
and mo5ed east .ith -reat s,eed2 /ashin- the abandoned Jedi Tem,/e .ith un,recedented force)
Vader1s enhanced hearin- cou/d ,ick u, the sound of fat2 .ind6dri5en raindro,s s,atterin- a-ainst
the Tem,/e1s e/e-ant s,ires and f/at roof2 an eerie counter,oint to the sound of his boot hee/s strikin-
the adamantine f/oor and echoin- in the darkened2 deserted corridors) Sidious had sent him here on
a mission2 ostensib/y to search the archi5es for certain Sith ho/ocrons /on- rumored to ha5e been
brou-ht to the Tem,/e centuries ear/ier)
:ut Vader kne. the truth)
Sidious .ants to rub my masked face in the aftermath of the s/au-hter I s,earheaded)
Thou-h the cor,ses had been remo5ed by stormtroo,ers and droids2 most of the s,i//ed b/ood
.ashed a.ay2 scorch marks on the .a//s and cei/in- attested to the sur,rise attack) +o/umns /ay
to,,/ed2 herita-e ta,estries hun- in shreds2 rooms reeked of carna-e)
:ut e5idence of a /ess tan-ib/e sort a/so e3isted)
The Tem,/e teemed .ith -hosts)
What mi-ht ha5e been the .ind .endin- into ho/ed ha//.ays ne5er before ,enetrated sounded /ike
the funerea/ keenin- of s,irits .aitin- to be a5en-ed) What mi-ht ha5e been the resonance of the
footfa//s of +ommander A,,o1s stormtroo,ers sounded /ike the beat of distant .ar drums) What
mi-ht ha5e been smoke from fires that shou/d ha5e -one out .eeks ear/ier seemed more /ike
.raiths .rithin- in torment)
!m,eror Pa/,atine had yet to announce his ,/ans for that sad she// of a ,/ace) Whether it .as to be
ra7ed2 con5erted into his ,a/ace2 deeded to Vader as some sort of crue/ 0oke2 or ,erha,s /eft as a
mauso/eum for a// of +oruscant to -a7e on2 a reminder of .hat .ou/d befa// those .ho kind/ed
Pa/,atine1s disfa5or)
$ost of Vader1s Anakin memories -re. fainter by the day2 but not Anakin1s memories of .hat had
ha,,ened here) They .ere as fresh as this mornin-1s sunrise2 -/im,sed from the roofto, chamber in
.hich Vader rested) True s/ee, continued to /ie 0ust out of reach2 an ob0ect ,ursued in 5ain in an
unsett/in- dream) e no /on-er had 5isions2 either) That abi/ity2 that doub/e6ed-ed abi/ity2 seemin-/y
had been burned out of him on $ustafar)
:ut Vader remembered)
Remembered bein- in thra// of .hat he had done in Pa/,atine1s office) Watchin- the o/d man ,/ead
for his /ife9 /istenin- to the o/d man ,romisin- that on/y he had the ,o.er to sa5e Padme9 rushin- to
his defense) Sith /i-htnin- hur/in- an astonished $ace Windu throu-h .hat had been a .indo.))
)
Anakin knee/in- before Sidious and bein- dubbed Vader)
%o to the Jedi Tem,/e2 Sidious had said) We .i// catch them off ba/ance) Do .hat must be done2
Lord Vader Do not hesitate) Sho. no mercy) "n/y then .i// you be stron- enou-h .ith the dark side
to sa5e Padme)
And so he had -one to the Tem,/e)
Instrument of the same reso/ute intent that had carried "bi6Wan to $ustafar .ith one -oa/ in mind:
death to the enemy)
In his mind1s eye Vader sa. his and the CD&st1s march to the Tem,/e -ates2 their .rathfu/ attack2 the
mad moments of b/ood/ust2 the dark side un/eashed in a// its crimson fury) Some moments he
remembered more c/ear/y than others: ,ittin- his b/ade a-ainst that of s.ordmaster +in Dra//i-2
beheadin- some of the 5ery $asters .ho had instructed him in the .ays of the *orce2 and2 of
course2 his co/d e3termination of the youn-/in-s2 and .ith them the future of the Jedi order)
e had .ondered beforehand: cou/d he do it< Sti// ne. to the dark side2 .ou/d he be ab/e to ca// on
its ,o.er to -uide his hand and /i-htsaber< In ans.er2 the dark side had .his,ered: They are
or,hans) They are .ithout fami/y or friends) There is nothin- that can be done .ith them) They are
better off dead)
:ut this reca//in-2 .eeks /ater2 curd/ed his b/ood)
This ,/ace shou/d ne5er ha5e been bui/t=
In fact2 he hadn1t ki//ed the Jedi to ser5e Sidious2 thou-h Sidious .as meant to be/ie5e 0ust that) In
his arro-ance Sidious .as una.are that Anakin had seen throu-h him) ad the Sith Lord thou-ht he
.ou/d sim,/y shru- off the fact that2 from the start2 Sidious had been mani,u/atin- Anakin and the
.ar<
(o2 he hadn1t ki//ed the Jedi in ser5ice to Sidious2 or2 for that matter2 to demonstrate his a//e-iance
to the order of the Sith)
e had e3ecuted Sidious1s command because the Jedi .ou/d ne5er ha5e understood Anakin1s
decision to sacrifice $ace and the rest in order that Padme mi-ht sur5i5e the tra-ic death she
suffered in Anakin1s 5isions) $ore im,ortant2 the Jedi .ou/d ha5e attem,ted to stand in the .ay of
the decisions he and Padme .ou/d ha5e needed to make re-ardin- the fate of the -a/a3y)
:e-innin- .ith the assassination of Sidious)
"h2 but on $ustafar she had .orked herse/f into a state o5er .hat he had done at the Tem,/e2 so
much so that she hadn1t heard a .ord he .as sayin-) Instead she had made u, her mind that he had
come to care more about ,o.er than he cared for her)
As if one matters .ithout the other=
And then cursed "bi6Wan had sho.n himse/f2 interru,tin- before Anakin cou/d e3,/ain fu//y that
e5erythin- he had done2 in Pa/,atine1s office and at the Tem,/e2 had a// been for her sake2 and for
the sake of their unborn chi/d) ad "bi6Wan not arri5ed he .ou/d ha5e ,ersuaded her to
understand6he .ou/d ha5e made her understand6and2 to-ether2 they .ou/d ha5e mo5ed a-ainst the
Sith Lord)))
The ras, of Vader1s breathin- became more audib/e)
*/e3in- his artificia/ hands did nothin- to .ay/ay his ra-e2 so he hunched his broad shou/ders under
the armor ,ectora/ and hea5y c/oak2 shudderin-)
Why didn1t she /isten to me< Why didn1t any of them /isten to me<
is an-er continued to bui/d as he neared the Tem,/e1s archi5es room2 .here he ,arted com,any
.ith +ommander A,,o and his stormtroo,ers2 as .e// as .ith the members of the Interna/ Security
:ureau .ho2 Vader .as -i5en to understand2 had their se,arate mission to ,erform)
e ,aused at the entrance to the /ibrary1s 5ast and to.erin- main ha//2 shaken not by memory but by
memory1s effect on his sti//6hea/in- heart and /un-s) The mask1s o,tica/ hemis,heres im,arted a
murkiness to the norma//y .e//6/i-hted ha//2 .hich had once boasted ro. after ro. of neat/y
arran-ed and cata/o-ed ho/obooks and stora-e disks)
:/ood /eft here sti// sho.ed in maroon conste//ations that marred /ar-e areas of the f/oor and
s,eck/ed some of the fe. sti//6standin- scu/,ture6to,,ed ,/inths that /ined both sides of the /on-
ha//.ay)
!5en if he had ki//ed Sidious2 e5en if he had .on the .ar sin-/e6handed/y for the Re,ub/ic2 the Jedi
.ou/d ha5e fou-ht him to the bitter end) They mi-ht e5en ha5e insisted on takin- custody of his and
Padme1s chi/d2 for their offs,rin- .ou/d ha5e been ,o.erfu/ in the *orce indeed) Perha,s beyond
measure= If on/y the i-h +ounci/ $asters hadn1t been so set in their .ays2 so decei5ed by their
o.n ,ride2 they .ou/d ha5e -ras,ed that the Jedi needed to be brou-ht do.n) Like the Re,ub/ic
itse/f2 their order had -ro.n sta/e2 se/f6ser5in-2 corru,t)
And yet2 if the i-h +ounci/ had seen fit to reco-ni7e his ,o.er2 had -ranted him the status of
$aster2 ,erha,s he cou/d ha5e abided their continued e3istence) :ut to ca// him the +hosen "ne
on/y to ho/d him back9 to /ie to him and e3,ect him to /ie for them))) What had they ima-ined the
outcome .ou/d be<
"/d foo/s)
e understood no. .hy they had discoura-ed use of the dark side) :ecause they had feared /osin-
the ,o.er base they en0oyed2 e5en thou-h ens/a5ement to attachment .as .hat had he/,ed ,u//
do.n the Sith= The Jedi had been cons,irators in their o.n do.nfa//2 com,/icit in the reemer-ence
of the dark side2 and as im,ortant to its 5ictory as Sidious had been)
Sidious6their a//y)
Attachment to ,o.er .as the do.nfa// of a// orders2 because most bein-s .ere inca,ab/e of
contro//in- ,o.er2 and ,o.er ended u, contro//in- them) That2 too2 had been the cause of the
-a/a3y1s ti, into disorder9 the reason for Sidious1s effort/ess rise to the to,)
Vader1s heart ,ounded in his chest2 and the res,irator fed his heart1s needs .ith ra,id breaths) *or his
o.n hea/th and sanity2 he rea/i7ed that he .ou/d ha5e to a5oid ,/aces that .hi,,ed his an-er into
such a fren7y)
The reco-nition that he .ou/d ,robab/y ne5er be ab/e to set foot on (aboo or Tatooine tore an
an-uished moan from him that to,,/ed the rest of the ,/inths as if they .ere dominoes2 /ea5in- their
cro.nin- bron7ium busts s/idin- and s,innin- across the ,o/ished2 b/ood6f/ecked f/oor)
o//o.ed by the mournfu/ out,ourin-2 he su,,orted himse/f a-ainst a broken co/umn for .hat
seemed an eternity)
The chir,in- of the com/ink on his be/t returned him to the ,resent2 and after a /on- moment he
acti5ated it)
*rom the de5ice1s sma// s,eaker issued the ur-ent 5oice of the Interna/ Security :ureau chief2
Armand Isard2 communicatin- from the Tem,/e1s data room)
Someone2 Isard re,orted2 .as attem,tin- remote access of the Jedi beacon databanks)
>C
In the dim/y /i-hted corridor of a for/orn Se,aratist faci/ity far across the stars2 Shryne sto,,ed to
-a7e at one of the niched statues that /ined both .a//s)
Si3 meters hi-h and e38uisite/y car5ed in the round2 the statue .as e8ua/ ,arts humanoid and
.in-ed beast) Whi/e it mi-ht ha5e been mode/ed on an actua/ creature2 the de/iberate 5a-ueness of
its facia/ features su--ested some mythica/ creature from anti8uity) The indistinct 5isa-e .as ,art/y
concea/ed by a hooded robe that fe// to ta/oned feet) Identica/ statues stood in identica/ recesses for
as far as Shryne cou/d see in the .an /i-ht)
The com,/e3 of ancient2 -eometric structures the Se,aratists had con5erted into a communications
faci/ity had certain/y stood on Ja-uada1s moon for thousands of standard years9 ,erha,s tens of
thousands of years) Scanners c/assified the meta/ used in the construction as ;unidentifiab/e2; and
/i-htnin- fissures in the foundations of the /ar-est bui/din-s indicated that the com,/e3 had suffered
the effect of the sma// sate//ite1s e5ery tectonic shift and meteor im,act)
The /i-ht of Shryne1s /uma re5ea/ed detai/s of the statue1s intricate/y rendered .in-s) Loca//y
8uarried2 the .orked stone matched the striated rock of the sheer c/iffs that .a//ed the com,/e3 on
t.o sides2 from .hich had been car5ed statues thirty meters ta//2 the -a7e of their time6dim,/ed
faces directed not do.n the narro. 5a//ey o5er .hich they stood si/ent -uard2 but to.ard the
moon1s eastern hori7on)
:ased on simi/arities to ho/oima-es she had seen of statuary on ?iost and 'orriban2 Starstone
be/ie5ed that the site cou/d date to the time of the ancient Sith2 and that the Se,aratists1 reoccu,ation
of the com,/e3 .as in kee,in- .ith the fact that +ount Dooku had become a Sith Lord)
The moon .as arid Ja-uada1s so/e com,anion in a deso/ate system s/a5ed to a dyin- star2 far from
ma0or hy,er/anes) The fact that remote Ja-uada shou/d host a -arrison of c/one troo,ers in the
desert ,/anet1s modest ,o,u/ation center struck Shryne as somethin- of a mystery) :ut the troo,ers1
,resence cou/d o.e to ,/ans to sa/5a-e the Se,aratist .ar machines that had been /eft abandoned on
the moon2 as troo,ers .ere kno.n to be doin- in numerous "uter Rim systems)
This .asn1t the first time Ju/a and her band of smu--/ers had 5isited the moon2 but the secrecy that
had attended the recent arri5a/ had /ess to do .ith ,rior kno./ed-e of the terrain than to the Drunk
Dancer1s 0ammin- ca,abi/ities) The shi, had inserted into stationary orbit on the moon1s far side
.ithout bein- detected by the Im,eria/ troo,s on Ja-uada2 /ea5in- Shryne2 Star6stone2 and Ju/a2
a/on- .ith some of the cre. members and Jedi2 to ride do.n the .e// in the dro, shi,2 s/i,,in- into
the moon1s thin atmos,here /ike a sabacc card u, a -amb/er1s s/ee5e)
ea,ed .ith .indb/o.n sand2 the faci/ity1s retrofitted /andin- ,/atform a,,eared not to ha5e seen
use in se5era/ years) Shryne1s estimate .as borne out by the fact that the hundreds of deacti5ated
droids that .e/comed the dro, shi, ,arty .ere ear/y6-eneration Trade *ederation infantry droids2 of
the sort contro//ed by centra/i7ed com,uters rather than su,er batt/e droids e8ui,,ed .ith
autonomous droid brains) As if the surfeit of si/ent .ar machines didn1t render the ,/ace -host/y
enou-h2 there .ere the fan-ed car5in-s affi3ed to each door.ay /inte/2 and the ki/ometers of
,arched corridors studded .ith -ruesome statuary)
Access to the structure that housed the communications center hadn1t been a ,rob/em2 since
.hate5er remote transmissions deacti5ated the droids had si/enced the faci/ity2 as .e//) The ,o.er
-enerators2 ho.e5er2 .ere sti// functiona/2 and *i//i :itters and !y/ Di3 had been ab/e to o5erride
the deacti5ation codes and brin- some of the interna/ i//uminators to /ife2 a/on- .ith the hy,er.a5e
transcei5er the Jedi .ere intent on usin- to s/ice into the Tem,/e beacon database)
Shryne had /eft the s/icers2 Starstone2 and some of the other Jedi to .hat he re-arded as their
business2 and had been .anderin- the a-ed corridors e5er since2 thinkin- throu-h his di/emma)
!5en this dee, into the com,/e32 the ceramacrete f/oors .ere co5ered .ith sand and bits of other
inor-anic debris carried in by the moon1s constant2 ner5e6rackin- .inds) To Shryne2 the
combination of .ind and -/oom cou/dn1t ha5e been more a,ro,os to ,u77/in- out .hether his
comin- to Ja-uada .as in accord .ith the .i// of the *orce2 or mere/y sym,tomatic of a dee, denia/
of the truth) 4et another attem,t to con5ince himse/f that his actions had some im,ort)
Perha,s if he hadn1t reco-ni7ed in Starstone and the other Jedi a ,o.erfu/ need to be/ie5e6a need to
ho/d on to somethin- in the .ake of a// that had been snatched from them6he mi-ht ha5e tried
harder to discoura-e them) :ut their need .asn1t enou-h to kee, him from askin- himse/f .hether
this .as the .ay he .anted to s,end the rest of his days2 han-in- on to a dream that the Jedi order
cou/d be reassemb/ed9 that a handfu/ of Jedi cou/d mount an insur-ency a-ainst as formidab/e an
enemy as !m,eror Pa/,atine) e cou/dn1t esca,e the fee/in- that the *orce had thro.n him a
curious cur5e once a-ain) Just .hen he thou-ht he .as throu-h .ith Jedi business2 and that the
*orce had deserted him2 he .as in dee,er than e5er)
Roan Shryne2 .ho had /ost not one but t.o /earners to the .ar)
Ju/a1s .ords about reconnectin- .ith fami/y ke,t re,/ayin- themse/5es) Perha,s he .asn1t so far
-one that he cou/dn1t actua//y benefit from attachment2 if on/y as a means of makin- himse/f more
human) :ut ne5er to use the *orce a-ain))) that .as the bi--er issue) is abi/ity to sense the *orce
in others .as so much a ,art of his nature that he doubted he .ou/d sim,/y be ab/e to set it aside2
a/on- .ith his robes and /i-htsaber)
e sus,ected that he .ou/d a/.ays fee/ /ike a freak amon- norma/ humans2 and the idea of e3i/in-
himse/f amon- a/iens .ith simi/ar ta/ents for te/e,athy he/d /itt/e a,,ea/)
*or the time bein- he2 .as .i//in- to remain .ith Starstone2 if not mentor her) That .as an entire/y
different ,rob/em: Star6stone and the others .ere /ookin- to him for /eadershi, he sim,/y cou/dn1t
,ro5ide2 in ,art because /eadershi, had ne5er been his stren-th2 but more because the .ar had
eroded .hate5er measure of se/f6confidence he had once ,ossessed) With any /uck the attem,ts at
/ocatin- sur5i5in- Jedi .ou/d /ead e5entua//y to a Jedi of -reater $astery than Shryne2 to .hom he
cou/d surrender the /ead and -racefu//y bo. out)
"r ,erha,s there .ou/d be no returns from the Tem,/e beacon database)
Archi5ed o/o(et ima-es he had accessed .hi/e aboard the Drunk Dancer had sho.ed smoke
,ourin- from the Jedi Tem,/e in the aftermath of the troo,ers1 attack) So it .as certain/y
concei5ab/e that the beacon had been dama-ed or destroyed2 or that the databases had been
ho,e/ess/y corru,ted)
Which .ou/d cause an abru,t end to the search)
And to the dreamin-2 as .e//)
e had be-un to mo5e dee,er into the corridor .hen Ju/a a,,eared out of the -/oom2 a /uma in
hand2 and fe// into ste, beside him)
;Where are the -uides .hen you need them<; she said) ;Just .hat I .as thinkin-);
She had her 0acket fo/ded o5er her arm2 a b/aster ho/stered on her hi,) Shryne .ondered for a
moment .hat her /ife mi-ht ha5e been /ike had he remained in her care) Wou/d her marria-e to
Shryne1s father ha5e endured2 or .ou/d .hat seemed an un8uenchab/e thirst for ad5enture ha5e
,/aced Ju/a 0ust .here she .as no.< Sa5e .ith Roan at her side2 ,art of her cre.2 her ,artner in
crime)
;o. are they doin- back there<; he asked2 noddin- .ith his chin to.ard the communications
room)
;We//2 *i//i1s a/ready s/iced into the beacon) (o sur,rises there) (o. I su,,ose it1s a matter of
.ormin- into the database itse/f); She re-arded Shryne .hi/e they .a/ked) ;4ou1re not interested in
bein- there .hen they start do.n/oadin- the names and ,ossib/e .hereabouts of your scattered
confederates<;
Shryne shook his head) ;Starstone and *orte can see to that) $y credits aren1t on their succeedin-2
any.ay);
Ju/a /au-hed) ;Then you .on1t -et any side action from me); She /ooked at him askance) ;"/ee and
*i//i are t.o of a kind2 don1t you think<;
;I did for a .hi/e) :ut I fi-ure she1s a/ready found her /ife ,artner) ;
;The *orce2 you mean); Ju/a forced an e3ha/e) ;That1s dedication of a scary sort);
Shryne sto,,ed .a/kin- and turned to her) ;Why1d you say yes to takin- us here2 Ju/a<;
She smi/ed /i-ht/y) ;I thou-ht I1d made myse/f c/ear) I1m sti// ho,in- to con5ince you to 0oin us);
Scannin- his face for c/ues2 she asked: ;Any mo5ement at a// on that front<;
;I don1t kno. .hat I1m thinkin-);
;:ut you1// kee, me u,dated<;
;Sure I .i//);
Short/y they reached the end of the corridor of .in-ed statues and turned the corner into an
intersectin- corridor /ined .ith sma//er car5in-s)
In the bobbin- /i-ht of the /umas2 Shryne said: ;o. did *i//i kno. about this ,/ace<;
;We made a cou,/e of runs here si3 or so years back) +ommunications hard.are for the hy,er.a5e
transcei5er) And before you -o a// ,atriotic on me2 Roan2 .e didn1t rea/i7e that the faci/ity .ou/d
e5entua//y be used to ea5esdro, on Re,ub/ic transmissions);
;That .ou/d ha5e sto,,ed you6kno.in- that a .ar a-ainst the Re,ub/ic .as bre.in-<;
;It mi-ht ha5e) :ut you ha5e to understand2 .e .ere hun-ry2 /ike a /ot of other free/ancers in the
out/yin- systems) It sti// ama7es me that +oruscant remained in the dark about .hat .as -oin- on
out here after Dooku formed the Se,aratist mo5ement) Wea,ons bui/du,2 :aktoid Armor Worksho,
insta//in- foundries on do7ens of .or/ds))) :ack then2 there .as a /ot to be said for free and
unrestricted trade);
;I .ou/d ha5e fi-ured that .ou/d be bad for business);
;4es and no) *ree trade in5ited com,etition2 but it a/so meant .e didn1t ha5e to .orry about bein-
chased by /oca/ system defense forces or 0edi 'ni-hts);
;Who hired you to brin- in the comet hard.are<;
;Someone named Tyranus2 a/thou-h none of us e5er met him face6to6face) ;
;Tyranus2; Shryne re,eated2 in uncertain reco//ection)
;Rin- a be//<;
;$aybe) I1// ha5e to run it by the /ibrarian6"/ee) So .hen did the Se,aratists ,u// u, stakes<;
;Short/y after the :att/e of %eonosis6;
Shryne came to a sudden ha/t in front of a ta//2 c/oaked statue .earin- a -o--/e6eyed mask)
;%ruesome2; Ju/a started9 then the corridor1s re-u/ar/y ,/aced i//uminators sudden/y f/ooded the area
.ith /i-ht) S8uintin-2 she said2 ;I thou-ht the idea .as to a5oid dra.in- too much attention to
ourse/5es);
Distant rumb/in-s o5er,o.ered Shryne1s res,onse) In one s.ift action2 he dre. and i-nited the
/i-htsaber c/i,,ed to his be/t)
Ju/a raised her bro.s in sur,rise) ;Where1d you come by that<;
;It be/on-ed to the $aster of one of the Pada.ans); S,innin- on his hee/2 he be-an to race back
to.ard the communications contro/ room2 Ju/a ri-ht behind him)
Shryne rea/i7ed that the rumb/in- sounds .ere bein- made by doors and hatch.ays o,enin- and
c/osin-) e hastened his ,ace2 .ea5in- throu-h stands of deacti5ated batt/e droids)
In the contro/ room *i//i2 his s,iked hair matted to his sku//2 .as doin- furious in,ut at a conso/e2
.hi/e !y/ Di3 and Starstone ,aced behind him2 "/ee -na.in- a.ay at her /o.er /i,) A fe. meters
a.ay Jedi 'ni-hts *orte and I.o 'u/ka /ooked as if they .ere ha5in- second thou-hts about .hat
they had set in motion)
;*i//i2 .hat1s -oin- on<; Tu/a shouted)
The s/icer1s ri-ht hand ,ointed to Starstone2 .hi/e his /eft continued to f/y across the keys of a
contro/ ,ad) ;She to/d me to do it=;
;Do .hat<; Shryne said2 /ookin- from Starstone to *i//i and back a-ain)
;:oost the transcei5er .ith a burst from the ,o.er -enerator2; Di3 ans.ered for *i//i)
;We didn1t ha5e enou-h 0uice to do.n/oad from the database2; Starstone said) ;I thou-ht it .ou/d be
fine);
Shryne1s forehead .rink/ed in confusion) ;So .hat1s the ,rob/em<;
;The -enerator .ants to reacti5ate the entire faci/ity2; *i//i said in a rush of .ords) ;I can1t -et it to
shut do.n=;
S/ammin-2 hissin- sounds be-an to re,/ace the rumb/e of s/idin- doors)
Ju/a /ooked shar,/y at Shryne) ;This entire ,/ace is sea/in- u,);
A series of determined c/icks and ready tones ,unctuated the din raised by descendin- hatches) A//
at once e5ery batt/e droid in the contro/ room ,o.ered u,)
S.in-in- its thin head to.ard him and raisin- its b/aster rif/e2 the batt/e droid standin- c/osest to
Shryne said: ;Intruders);
>E
:ehind Armand Isard and the t.o Interna/ Security :ureau technicians seated at the Tem,/e beacon
contro/ conso/e2 Vader stood .ith his arms fo/ded across his chest2 +ommander A,,o at his ri-ht
hand)
;I .ant to kno. ho. the beacon .as accessed2; Vader said)
;:y means of a Jedi transcei5er2 Lord Vader2; the tech c/osest to Armand said)
;+ross6check the transcei5er code .ith the identity database2; the IS: chief said2 antici,atin- Vader)
;The name shou/d be comin- u, in a moment2; the other tech said2 eyes -/ued to ra,id/y scro//in-
te3t on one of the dis,/ay screens) ;+hatak2; he added a moment /ater) ;:o/ +hatak);
The sound of Vader1s breathin- fi//ed the ensuin- si/ence)
Shryne and Starstone2 he thou-ht) "b5ious/y they had been in ,ossession of +hatak1s beacon
transcei5er .hen they had e5aded him at $urkhana) (o. they .ere attem,tin- to determine the
/ocation of other Jedi .hen "rder Si3ty6Si3 had been issued) +ertain/y they .ere ho,in- to
estab/ish contact .ith sur5i5ors2 ho,in- to ,ick u, the ,ieces of their shattered order)
And))) .hat<
De5ise their re5en-e< #n/ike/y2 since that .ou/d entai/ ca//in- on the dark side) *ormu/ate a ,/an to
ki// the !m,eror< Perha,s) A/thou-h2 i-norant of the fact that Pa/,atine .as a Sith2 they .ou/d not
,/ot an assassination) So ,erha,s they .ere contem,/atin- an attack on the !m,eror1s enforcer<
Vader considered reachin- out to Shryne throu-h the *orce2 but re0ected the idea)
;What is the source of the transmission<; he asked fina//y)
;The Ja-uada system2 Lord Vader2; the first technician said) ;$ore ,recise/y2 the moon of the
system1s on/y inhabited .or/d);
A /ar-e ho/oma, of the -a/a3y emer-ed from the conso/e1s ho/o,ro0ector) Linked to myriad
databases throu-hout the Tem,/e2 the ma, made use of a ,a/ette of co/ors to indicate troub/e s,ots)
Just no.2 in ,reser5ation of the moment "rder Si3ty6Si3 had been e3ecuted2 more than t.o hundred
.or/ds -/o.ed b/ood red)
Perha,s this e3,/ained .hy Sidious hadn1t had the Tem,/e dismant/ed2 Vader thou-ht) So he cou/d
re-ard it from his /ofty ne. throne room and -/oat)
The ho/oma, be-an to c/ose ti-hter and ti-hter on a remote area of the "uter Rim) When2 fina//y2
the Ja-uada system hun- in midair2 Vader strode into its midst)
;This moon2; he said2 -esturin- .ith the forefin-er of his b/ack6-/o5ed hand)
;4es2 Lord Vader2; the tech said)
Vader -/anced at A,,o2 .ho had a/ready com/inked +entra/ ",erations on +oruscant)
;The moon is the site of an abandoned Se,aratist communications faci/ity2; A,,o said) ;Whoe5er is
in ,ossession of the Jedi transcei5er must ha5e brou-ht the faci/ity1s hy,ers,ace communications
net.ork on/ine);
;Do .e ha5e any 5esse/s in that sector2 +ommander<;
;(o 5esse/s2 Lord Vader2; A,,o said) ;:ut there is a sma// Im,eria/ -arrison on Ja-uada);
;Instruct the -arrison commander to scramb/e his troo,ers immediate/y) ;
;+a,ture or ki//2 Lord Vader<;
;!ither .ou/d ,/ease me);
;I understand);
Vader cu,,ed the ho/oima-e of the tiny moon in his hand) ;I ha5e you no.2; he said 8uiet/y2 and
made a fist)
The /i-htsaber '/ossi Anno had -i5en Shryne fe/t forei-n in his hand2 but it .as fine/y .rou-ht2 and
its dense b/ue b/ade .as ,erfect for def/ectin- the hai/ of b/aster bo/ts the batt/e droids had
un/eashed) :eside him Ju/a .as firin- steadi/y and .ith im,ressi5e accuracy2 dro,,in- those droids
Shryne1s ,arried bo/ts didn1t) +rouched behind the contro/ conso/e2 *i//i and Dy3 .ere someho.
mana-in- to continue enterin- commands on the keyboards .hi/e the f/ashin- /i-htsabers of
Starstone2 *orte2 and 'u/ka ,ro5ided co5er)
In the contro/ room and e/se.here in the faci/ity2 a/ert sirens .ere .arb/in-2 /i-hts .ere f/ashin-2
and hatch.ays .ere sea/in-)
;Whate5er you did2 undo it=; Shryne said to *i//i .ithout missin- a b/aster bo/t) ;Deacti5ate the
droids=;
A -/ance at dis,/ay screens that had been s/ee,in- moments ear/ier sho.ed that scores of infantry
droids and droidekas .ere hurryin- to.ard the contro/ center from a// areas of the com,/e3)
;*i//i2 hurry=; Ju/a added for em,hasis) ;$ore are headed this .ay=;
Shryne took a moment to /ook around the contro/ room) The door.ay throu-h .hich he and Ju/a
had entered .as one of three2 ,ositioned &>D de-rees from one another)
;*i//i2 can you sea/ us in here<; he shouted)
;Probab/y2; the s/icer ye//ed back) ;:ut .e may ha5e bi--er troub/es);
;We can hand/e the droidekas2; *orte assured him)
*i//i raised his head abo5e the conso/e and shook it ne-ati5e/y) ;Someone at the Tem,/e kno.s that
.e15e s/iced in=; Starstone .hir/ed on him) ;o. do you6;
;We1re -ettin- an echo from the beacon2; !y/ Di3 e3,/ained)
Redirectin- a f/urry of bo/ts2 Shryne reduced si3 droids to shra,ne/) ;o. /on- before the Tem,/e
ascertains our /ocation<;
;De,ends on .ho1s at the other end2; *i//i said)
;Then cance/ the /ink=; Ju/a said)
;We1re sti// do.n/oadin-2; Starstone said) ;We need a// the data .e can -et);
Shryne -/o.ered at her) ;What -ood is a// the data in the Tem,/e if .e1re not around to ,ut it to
use<;
She narro.ed her eyes) ;I kne. you1d say that) Do it2 *i//i2; she said o5er her shou/der) ;?ero the
/ink); %/ancin- a,o/o-etica//y at *orte and 'u/ka2 she added: ;We1// make the best of .hat .e
ha5e);
;Done2; *i//i announced)
Shryne1s def/ection shot dismant/ed another droid) ;(o. shut the ,o.er do.n before .e1re shot to
death or entombed in here=;
A moment /ater the droids returned to their inert status2 and the contro/ room .as ,/un-ed into
darkness) *i5e /umas ,ro5ided 0ust enou-h /i-ht to see by)
;I trust that someone kno.s the .ay out of here2; *orte said)
;I do2; Di3 said2 her antennae standin- strai-ht u,) ;Then /et1s ho,e the e3it1s sti// o,en2; Shryne
said)
*i//i nodded) ;It is) I -ot a /ook at the security screen before .e cut the ,o.er);
;%ood 0ob2; Shryne started to say2 .hen b/asterfire eru,ted from some.here outside the contro/
room)
;4ou said you 7eroed it2 *i//i2; Ju/a sna,,ed)
e s,read his hands in confusion) ;I did=;
Shryne /istened c/ose/y to the distant dischar-es) ;Those aren1t droid b/asters2; he said after a
moment) ;Those are D+6fifteens);
Starstone stared at him) ;Stormtroo,ers< ere<;
Ju/a1s com/ink chimed and she -rabbed for it) ;Archyr2; she said for e5eryone1s benefit)
;+a,tain2 .e15e -ot com,any2; Archyr said from the dro, shi,) ;Troo,ers from the Ja-uada
-arrison);
Shryne traded /ooks .ith Starstone)
;Whoe5er1s at the Tem,/e didn1t .aste any time2; she said) Shryne nodded) ;They must ha5e been
monitorin- us from the start);
;o. many troo,ers<; Ju/a .as askin- Archyr)
;A cou,/e of s8uads2; he said) ;Skeck and I are ,inned do.n on the /andin- ,/atform) :ut most of
the troo,ers ha5e headed inside);
;I can try to sea/ the entrances))); *i//i said)
;(o2 don1t2; Shryne cut him off) ;4ou think you can you ri- a de/ay to the ,o.er -enerator<;
is /uma -ras,ed in his teeth2 *i//i be-an to riff/e throu-h his too/ kit) ;I1m sure I can cobb/e
somethin- to-ether2; he said)
Shryne turned to Ju/a) ;o. /on- .i// it take us to reach the front entrance2 c/osest to the c/iffs<;
She thre. him a 8uestionin- /ook) ;That1// dum, us .ay do.n 5a//ey2 Roan) A -ood ki/ometer from
the dro, shi,);
e nodded) ;:ut .e a5oid en-a-in- troo,ers on the .ay out)
er bro. continued to furro.) ;Then .hy do you .ant *i//i to6; She -rinned in sudden re5e/ation
and turned to *i//i) ;Set it to ,o.er u, in a standard 8uarter2 *i//i);
;That1s cuttin- thin-s ,retty c/ose2 +a,tain);
;The c/oser2 the better2; she said)
:y the time a ho/otransmission from the commander of the Ja-uada -arrison reached the Tem,/e
beacon room2 Vader a/ready kne. that somethin- had -one .ron-)
;I1m sorry2 Lord Vader2; the he/meted stormtroo,er .as sayin-2 ;but .e1re tra,,ed inside the faci/ity
.ith se5era/ hundred reacti5ated infantry and destroyer droids); The commander dod-ed b/aster
bo/ts and returned fire at somethin- distant from the ho/ocam1s transmission -rid) ;A// accesses
sea/ed .hen the faci/ity ,o.ered u,);
;Where are the Jedi<; Vader asked)
;They /eft before the faci/ity .ent on/ine) We1re tra,,ed in here unti/ .e find a .ay to b/o. one of
the doors);
;Did you destroy the shi, the Jedi arri5ed in<;
;(e-ati5e2; the commander said as bo/ts /anced the air around him) ;The smu--/ers detonated a
ma-,u/se .hi/e the second s8uad .as ad5ancin-) $y troo,ers .ere e3,ectin- it2 but in the time it
took our hard.are to reboot2 the Jedi -ot their shi, airborne);
"ff cam a troo,er said: ;*a//back ,ositions t.o and three ha5e been o5errun2 +ommander) We1//
ha5e to make a stand here);
;There1s 0ust too many of them=; the commander said as dia-ona/ /ines of noise be-an to interfere
.ith the transmission) Abru,t/y2 it dere77ed com,/ete/y)
Armand Isard and the IS: technicians busied themse/5es at the beacon contro/s2 if on/y to a5oid
ha5in- to /ook at Vader)
;Lord Vader2; A,,o said2 ;Ja-uada base re,orts that 0um, ,oints are /imited in that system2 and that
they are scannin- for 5a-rant traces of the Jedi shi,) They may be ab/e to ca/cu/ate ,ossib/e esca,e
5ectors);
Vader nodded)
Infuriated2 he turned and stormed from the beacon room2 .ishin- he had the ,o.er to sim,/y reach
out and ,/uck the Jedi from the sky)
+onc/ude their e3termination)
Sidious .as .ron-2 he to/d himse/f as he hurried throu-h the em,ty ha//.ays)
They are a threat)
>@
The Drunk Dancer tore throu-h mott/ed hy,ers,ace2 /ea5in- deso/ate Ja-uada /i-ht6years behind)
Skeck had sustained a nasty b/aster burn to his ri-ht arm durin- the troo,ers1 attem,t to disab/e the
dro, shi,2 but no one e/se had been hurt) !mer-in- from the faci/ity moments before *i//i1s time
de/ay initiated the ,o.er -enerator2 Shryne and the others had raced u,5a//ey to the /andin-
,/atform and had arri5ed in time to catch a s8uad of Im,eria/s in a crossfire)
Sea/ed inside the faci/ity2 the remainin- s8uads .ere u, to their T6 5isors in reacti5ated batt/e
droids)
After Skeck1s .ound had been banda-ed2 Shryne had retired to the dormitory cabin s,ace Ju/a had
,ro5ided for the Jedi) e had a/.ays had a fondness for hy,ers,ace tra5e/6more2 the sense of bein-
outside time6and .as knee/in- in meditation .hen he sensed Starstone a,,roachin- the cabin)
Simu/taneous .ith her e3cited entry he rose to his feet2 eyes on the sheaf of f/imsi,/ast ,rintouts she
.as ho/din-)
;We ha5e data on hundreds of Jedi2; she said2 ratt/in- the ,rintouts) ;We kno. .here more than
se5enty $asters .ere at the end of the .ar6.hen the c/one commanders recei5ed their orders);
Acce,tin- the ,roffered f/imsies2 Shryne thumbed throu-h them2 then -/anced at Starstone) ;o.
many of these hundreds do you think mi-ht actua//y ha5e sur5i5ed the attacks<;
She -a5e her head a 8uick shake) ;I1m not e5en -oin- to try to -uess) We can be-in our search .ith
systems c/osest to $ossak2 and fan out from there to.ard $y-eeto2 Sa/eucami2 and 'ashyyyk);
Shryne shook the f/imsies) ;as it occurred to you that if .e ha5e this information2 then so does the
!m,ire< What do you think our ad5ersaries .ere doin- in the Tem,/e beacon room2 ,/ayin- hide6
and6seek<;
Starstone .inced at the harshness of his tone2 but on/y brief/y ;as it occurred to you that our
ad5ersaries2 as you ca// them2 .ere there ,recise/y because a -ood many Jedi sur5i5ed< It1s crucia/
that .e reach those sur5i5ors before they1re hunted do.n) "r are you ,ro,osin- that .e /ea5e them
to the !m,ire6to Vader and his stormtroo,ers<;
Shryne made a start at re,/yin-2 then bit back his .ords and motioned to the ed-e of the nearest cot)
;Sit do.n2 and try for a moment to sto, thinkin- /ike a o/o(et hero);
When Starstone u/timate/y /o.ered herse/f to the cot2 Shryne sat o,,osite her)
;Don1t misunderstand me2; he be-an) ;4our -oa/ cou/dn1t be more nob/e) And for a// I kno. there
are fi5e hundred Jedi scattered throu-hout the Rim in need of rescue) $y2 ,oint is2 I don1t .ant to
see your name added to the casua/ty /ist) What ha,,ened at Ja-uada is on/y a foretaste of .hat1s in
store for us if .e continue to band to-ether);
Shryne sto,,ed her before she cou/d -o on) ;Think about the fina/ beacon messa-e .e recei5ed at
$urkhana) The messa-e didn1t te// us to -ather to-ether and coordinate a strike on +oruscant2 or on
Pa/,atine2 or e5en on the troo,ers) It instructed us2 each of us .ho recei5ed it2 to hide) 4oda or
.hoe5er ordered the transmission kne. that the Jedi .ere in a fi-ht .e cou/dn1t .in) The messa-e
.as a .ay of sayin- 0ust that6that the order is o5er and done .ith) That the Jedi are finished);
e hid his ruefu/ness) ;Does that mean that you ha5e to sto, honorin- the *orce< "f course not) A//
of us .i// /i5e out our /i5es honorin- the *orce) :ut not .ith /i-htsabers in hand2 "/ee) With ri-ht
action2 and ri-ht thinkin-);
;I1d rather die honorin- the *orce .ith my /i-htsaber2; she said)
e had e3,ected as much) ;o. is dyin- honorin- the *orce2 .hen you cou/d be out doin- -ood
.orks2 ,assin- on to others a// that you15e /earned about the *orce<;
;Is that .hat you ,/an to do6de5ote yourse/f to -ood .orks<;
Shryne smi/ed) ;Ri-ht no. I on/y kno. .hat I1m not -oin- to do2 and that1s he/, rush you into a
-ra5e on some remote .or/d); e he/d her -a7e) ;I1m sorry) :ut I15e a/ready /ost t.o Pada.ans to
this rotten .ar2 and I don1t .ant to /ose you to it);
;!5en thou-h I1m not your /earner<;
e nodded) ;!5en thou-h);
She si-hed .ith ,ur,ose) ;I a,,reciate your concern for me2 $aster6and I .i// ca// you that because
ri-ht no. you1re the on/y $aster .e ha5e) :ut the *orce te//s me that .e can make a difference2 and
I can1t turn my back on that) $aster +hatak insti//ed in me e5ery day that I shou/d fo//o. the *orce1s
/ead2 and that1s e3act/y .hat I1m -oin- to do);
She ado,ted an e5en more serious /ook) ;Ju/a be/ie5es that you can turn your back) The *orce is
.ith her2 but she1s not a Jedi2 $aster) 4ou can1t un/earn o5erni-ht the teachin-s and ,ractices of
decades) !5en if you shou/d succeed2 you1// re-ret it);
Shryne firmed his /i,s and nodded a-ain) ;Then you and I .i// be ,artin- .ays at $ossak);
Sadness ,u//ed do.n the corners of her mouth) ;I .ish it didn1t ha5e to be this .ay2 $aster);
;That doesn1t be-in to say ho. I fee/ about it);
They stood2 and he hu--ed her tender/y)
;4ou1// te// the others<; he said .hi/e she .as -atherin- u, the f/imsies)
;They a/ready kno.);
Shryne didn1t .atch her /ea5e) :ut no sooner did she e3it the cabin than Ju/a entered)
;Jedi business<;
Shryne /ooked at her) ;4ou can ,robab/y fi-ure it out);
Ju/a a5erted her -a7e) ;"/ee1s a fine youn- .oman6they1re a// decent bein-s) :ut they1re de/uded2
Roan) It1s o5er) They ha5e to rea/i7e that and -et on .ith their /i5es) 4ou to/d me that attachment is
the root of many of our ,rob/ems) We//2 that inc/udes bein- so attached to the Jedi order that you
can1t /ea5e it behind) If bein- a Jedi means bein- ab/e to acce,t .hat has ha,,ened and mo5e on2
then they honor the order best by /ettin- -o);
She /ooked at him no.) ;*or some of them it1s a// about the /oss of ,resti-e2 and the ,o.er to decide
.hat1s ri-ht or .ron-) To be/ie5e that e5erythin- you do is moti5ated by the *orce2 and that you
a/.ays ha5e the *orce on your side) :ut that1s not a/.ays the .ay it .orks) I15e no /o5e for the
order2 you kno. that) Sometimes the Jedi caused as many ,rob/ems as they so/5ed) (o.2 for
.hate5er reason2 .hether it1s Pa/,atine or the fact that the Jedi cou/dn1t acce,t the idea of takin-
second ,/ace to the Re,ub/ic6the *orce isn1t necessari/y your best a//y);
She reached for his hands) ;They took you from me once2 Roan) I .on1t /et you -o a second time
.ithout a fi-ht); She /au-hed /i-ht/y) ;And that2 /adies and -ent/emen2 conc/udes my /itt/e s,eech);
%a7in- at him2 she said: ;Join us);
;In crime2 you mean);
A fire came into her e5es) ;We1re not crimina/s) A// ri-ht2 .e15e done some 8uestionab/e thin-s2 but
so ha5e you2 and that .as in the ,ast) If you come aboard2 I ,romise .e1// stick to takin- contracts
that .i// a//o. you to kee, on doin- -ood deeds2 if that1s .hat it1s -oin- to take);
;Such as<; Shryne said)
;We//2 .e a/ready ha,,en to ha5e a -ood deed on deck) A contract to trans,ort a former Senator
from the +ore to his home system);
Shryne a//o.ed his ske,ticism to sho. ;Why .ou/d a former Senator ha5e to be smu--/ed to his
home system<;
;I don1t ha5e a// the detai/s) :ut my -uess< The Senator doesn1t share the idea/s of the ne. re-ime);
;Is this a +ash %arru/an contract<;
Ju/a nodded) ;And maybe that1s another reason for you to say yes to acce,tin- the offer) :ecause
you o.e him for arran-in- for your esca,e from $urkhana);
Shryne ,retended scorn) ;I don1t o.e +ash any fa5ors);
;"kay) Then you1// do it to honor his memory);
Shryne stared at her)
;Im,eria/ troo,ers cau-ht u, .ith him soon after a// of you /eft $urkhana) +ash is dead);
>F
*rom the hi-h6backed chair that .as his seat of ,o.er2 Sidious .atched Darth Vader turn and march
from the throne room2 /on- b/ack c/oak .hooshin-2 b/ack he/met burnished by the /i-hts2 an-er
,a/,ab/e)
Ato, a ,edesta/ a/on-side the chair sat the ho/ocrons Sidious had asked his a,,rentice to search out
and retrie5e from the Jedi archi5es room) Pyramida/ in sha,e2 as o,,osed to the -eodesic Jedi
5ersion2 the ho/ocrons .ere re,ositories of recorded kno./ed-e2 accessib/e on/y to those .ho .ere
hi-h/y e5o/5ed in the use of the *orce) Arcane .ritin- inscribed on the ho/ocrons Vader had fetched
to/d Sidious that they had been recorded by Sith durin- the era of Darth :ane2 some one thousand
standard years ear/ier) Sidious didn1t ha5e to ima-ine the content of the de5ices2 because his o.n
$aster2 Darth P/a-ueis2 had once a//o.ed him access to the actua/ ho/ocrons) The ones stored in the
Tem,/e archi5es room .ere nothin- more than c/e5er for-eries6Sith disinformation of a sort)
Vader didn1t rea/i7e that they .ere for-eries2 of course2 a/thou-h he .as certain/y smart enou-h to
ha5e ,u77/ed out that the ho/ocrons .ere hard/y the reason Sidious had ordered him to return to the
Tem,/e) :ut Vader1s ob5ious an-er hinted that somethin- une3,ected had occurred) Instead of
he/,in- Vader come to terms .ith his choices2 the s,ecious mission had mudd/ed his emotions2 and
,erha,s made matters .orse)
What is to be done .ith him< Sidious thou-ht)
Perha,s I .i// ha5e to send him back to $ustafar2 as .e//)
e mused on a strate-y for a moment9 then2 de,ressin- a button on the contro/ ,ane/ set into the
arm of the chair2 he summoned $as Amedda into the room)
The ta//6horned +ha-rian2 no. the !m,eror1s interface .ith sundry utter/y dis,ensab/e Senatoria/
-rou,s2 mo5ed cautious/y bet.een the Im,eria/ %uards .ho f/anked the door2 inc/inin- his head in
a bo. of res,ect as he a,,roached Sidious)
Throu-h the o,en door to the .aitin- room2 Sidious -/im,sed a fami/iar face) ;Is that Isard
outside<;
;4es2 my /ord);
;Why is he here<;
;e asked that I inform you of an incident that occurred .hi/e he and Lord Vader .ere in the
Tem,/e);
;Indeed<;
;I1m -i5en to understand that unkno.n ,arties accessed certain databases2 by means of the beacon);
;Jedi2; Sidious said2 dra.in- out the .ord)
;(one other2 my /ord);
;And Lord Vader .as on hand to .itness this remote infi/tration<;
;e .as2 my /ord) "nce the source of the transmission .as /ocated2 Lord Vader ordered a /oca/
-arrison of troo,ers to descend on the Jedi res,onsib/e);
;The troo,ers fai/ed2; Sidious said2 /eanin- for.ard in interest)
$as Amedda nodded -ra5e/y)
$ore of his fu-iti5e Jedi2 Sidious thou-ht) e has not a//o.ed himse/f to be done .ith them)
;(o matter2; he said at /ast) ;What business ori-ina//y brou-ht you here<;
;Senator *an- ?ar2 my /ord);
Sidious inter/ocked the fin-ers of his fat hands and sat back in the chair) ;"ne of the more 5oca/ of
the i//ustrious t.o thousand .ho .ished to see me remo5ed from office) as he had a sudden
chan-e of heart<;
;"f a sort) 4ou .i// reca//2 my /ord2 that fo//o.in- your announcement that the .ar had been .on2
*an- ?ar and se5era/ other si-natories of the Petition of the T.o Thousand .ere brief/y detained for
8uestionin- by Interna/ Security :ureau officers);
;+ome to the ,oint2; Sidious sna,,ed)
;*an- ?ar .as instructed not to /ea5e +oruscant2 and yet he did2 mana-in- to reach A/deraan2 .here
he has been in residence at the A/dera Pa/ace e5er since) (o.2 ho.e5er2 the conf/ict that en-u/fed
his home system has come to an end2 and *an- ?ar is a,,arent/y determined to return to Sern Prime
.ithout attractin- the notice of the IS: or anyone e/se);
Sidious considered it) ;+ontinue);
$as Amedda s,read his hu-e b/ue hands) ;"ur on/y concern is that his sudden return to Sem Prime
mi-ht ,rom,t dissension in certain out/yin- systems);
Sidious smi/ed to/erant/y) ;Some dissension shou/d be encoura-ed) :etter they rant and ra5e in the
o,en than ,/ot behind my back) :ut te// me2 does Senator "r-ana kno. that ?ar .as 8uestioned
before he f/ed +oruscant<;
;Perha,s he does no.2 thou-h it is un/ike/y he kne. .hen he -ranted refu-ee status to *an- ?ar);
Sidious -re. interested once more) ;o. is ?ar ,/annin- to reach Sem Prime .ithout2 as you say2
attractin- attention<;
;We kno. that he made contact .ith a crime /ord on $urkhana6;
;$urkhana<;
;4es2 my /ord) Perha,s he .ishes to a5oid in5o/5in- Senator "r-ana in his ,redicament);
Sidious fe// si/ent for a /on- moment2 attuned to the currents of the *orce) +urrents /inkin- Vader
and $urkhana2 and no. ?ar and $urkhana) And ,erha,s fu-iti5e Jedi and $urkhana))
Into his thou-hts came the .ords of Darth P/a-ueis)
Te// me .hat you re-ard as your -reatest stren-th2 so I .i// kno. ho. best to undermine you9 te//
me of your -reatest fear2 so I .i// kno. .hich I must force you to face2) te// me .hat you cherish
most2 so I .i// kno. .hat to take from you9 and te// me .hat you cra5e2 so that I mi-ht deny you)))
;Perha,s it .ou/d be more ,rudent for *an- ?ar to remain on A/deraan a.hi/e /on-er2; he said
fina//y)
$as Amedda bo.ed his head) ;Sha// I inform Senator "r-ana of your .ish<;
;(o) Lord Vader shou/d dea/ .ith the situation);
;To def/ect his hun-er for the Jedi2; the +ha-rian risked sayin-)
Sidious shot him a /ook) ;To shar,en it);
>G
Perha,s it .as because A/deraan ,resented such a ,/easant ,icture from dee, s,ace that it had
en0oyed such a /on- history of ,eace2 ,ros,erity2 and to/erance)
!5en dee,er into its into3icatin- atmos,here2 c/oser to its monta-e of a/abaster c/ouds2 b/ue seas2
and -reen ,/ains2 the ,icture he/d) +oruscant1s nei-hbor in the +ore .as a -em of a .or/d)
The ,acific im,ression didn1t be-in to diminish unti/ one reached street /e5e/ on the is/and6city of
A/dera2 and on/y then as a resu/t of the day1s acti5ities2 .hich demonstrated that for to/erance to
endure2 5oice had to be -ranted to a//2 e5en .hen free e3,ression cha//en-ed the ,er,etuation of
,eace)
:ai/ "r-ana understood this2 as had his ,redecessors in the %a/actic Senate) :ut :ai/1s com,assion
for those .ho had taken to A/dera1s narro. streets .as not a case of nob/esse ob/i-e2 for he shared
the concerns of the demonstrators and had dee, sym,athy for their cause) As many said of :ai/2
.ere it not for -enetics2 he mi-ht ha5e been a Jedi) And indeed for most of his adu/t /ife he had been
a 5a/ued friend of the order)
e stood in ,/ain si-ht of the cro.ds2 on a ba/cony of the Roya/ Pa/ace2 in the heart of A/dera2
.hich itse/f /ay in the embrace of -reen mountains2 their -ent/e summits s,ark/in- .ith fresh/y
fa//en sno.) :e/o. him marched hundreds of thousands of demonstrators6refu-ees re,resentin-
scores of s,ecies dis,/aced by the .ar2 bund/ed u, in co/orfu/ c/othin- a-ainst the mountains1 fri-id
do.ndrafts) $any of the refu-ees had been on A/deraan since the ear/iest days of the Se,aratist
mo5ement2 /i5in- in housin- A/deraan had ,ro5ided9 many more .ere recent/y arri5ed on,/anet2 to
sho. their su,,ort) (o. that the .ar had ended2 a/most a// of them .ere ea-er to return to their
home systems2 ,ick u, the ,ieces of their shattered /i5es2 and reunite .ith members of their .ide/y
dis,ersed fami/ies)
:ut the !m,ire .as attem,tin- to th.art them)
P/acards f/ashed and ho/oima-es s,ran- from hand 6 and f/i,,er 6 and tentac/e6he/d de5ices as the
thron- mo5ed ,ast :ai/1s /ofty ,erch in the north to.er2 behind the ,a/ace1s hi-h .hite .a//s and the
arcs of ref/ectin- ,oo/s that had /on- a-o ser5ed as defensi5e moats)
PALPATI(!1S P#PP!T= one of the ho/os/o-ans read)
R!P!AL T! TAJ= read another)
R!SIST I$P!RIALI?ATI"(= a third)
The first .as a reference to the re-iona/ -o5ernor !m,eror Pa/,atine had insta//ed in that ,art of the
+ore2 .ho had decreed that a// refu-ees of former +onfederacy .or/ds .ere re8uired to submit to
ri-orous identity checks before bein- issued documents of transit)
The ;ta3; referred to the to// that had been /e5ied on anyone seekin- tra5e/ to out/yin- systems)
A/ready a catch,hrase2 the third s/o-an .as aimed at any .ho feared the !m,eror1s attem,ts to bind
a// ,/anetary systems2 autonomous or other.ise2 to +oruscant1s ru/e)
Whi/e /itt/e of the an-ry chantin- .as directed at A/deraan1s -o5ernment or Hueen :reha6:ai/1s
.ife6many in the cro.d .ere /ookin- to :ai/ to intercede .ith Pa/,atine on their beha/f) A/deraan
.as mere/y their -atherin- ,/ace2 after the demonstration1s or-ani7ers had decided a-ainst ho/din-
the march on +oruscant2 under the .atchfu/ -a7e of stormtroo,ers2 and .ith the memory of .hat
had ha,,ened at the Jedi Tem,/e fresh in e5eryone1s mind)
Demonstrations .ere nothin- ne.2 in any case) A/deraanians .ere kno.n throu-hout the -a/a3y for
their missions of mercy and their unstintin- su,,ort of o,,ressed -rou,s) $ore im,ortant2 A/deraan
had been a hotbed of ,o/itica/ dissent throu-hout the .ar2 .ith A/dera #ni5ersity1s Students of
+o//us6named for a ce/ebrated A/deraanian ,hi/oso,her6/eadin- the mo5ement)
With his home.or/d thorou-h/y ,o/itici7ed2 :ai/ had been forced to ,/ay a carefu/ -ame in the
-a/actic ca,ita/2 .here he .as at once an ad5ocate for refu-ee ,o,u/ations and a ,rinci,a/ member
of the Loya/ist +ommittee9 that is2 /oya/ to the +onstitution2 and to the Re,ub/ic for .hich it stood)
A reasonab/e man2 one of a 1/andfi// of rank/ed de/e-ates .ho had found themse/5es cau-ht bet.een
su,,ort for Pa/,atine and outri-ht contention2 :ai/ had understood that ,o/itica/ .ran-/in- .as the
on/y .ay to introduce chan-e) As a resu/t2 he and Pa/,atine had en-a-ed in numerous dis,utes2
o,en/y in the Rotunda as .e// as in ,ri5ate2 on issues re/atin- to Pa/,atine1s ra,id rise to
incontestab/e ,o.er2 and the subse8uent s/o. but steady erosion of ,ersona/ /iberties)
"n/y .ith the .ar1s sudden and shockin- end had :ai/ come to understand that .hat had seemed
,o/itica/ maneu5erin- on Pa/,atine1s ,art had been nothin- /ess than ins,ired machination6the
unfo/din- of a diabo/ica/ scheme to ,ro/on- the .ar2 and to so frustrate the Jedi that .hen they
fina//y sou-ht to ho/d him accountab/e for refusin- to ,roc/aim the .ar conc/uded .ith the deaths
of +ount Dooku and %enera/ %rie5ous2 Pa/,atine cou/d not on/y dec/are them traitors to the
Re,ub/ic2 but a/so ,ronounce them -ui/ty of ha5in- fomented the .ar to ser5e their o.n ends2 and
therefore deser5in- of e3ecution)
!5er since2 :ai/ had been forced to ,/ay an e5en more treacherous -ame on +oruscant6Im,eria/
+enter6for he no. kne. Pa/,atine to be a more dan-erous o,,onent than anyone sus,ected9 indeed
a more dan-erous foe than most cou/d e5en be-in to -uess) Whi/e Senators such as $on $othma
and %arm :e/ Ib/is .ere e3,ectin- :ai/ to 0oin in their attem,ts to mount a secret rebe//ion2
circumstance com,e//ed him to maintain a /o. ,rofi/e2 and to demonstrate -reater a//e-iance to
Pa/,atine than he e5er had)
That circumstance .as Leia) And :ai/1s fears for her safety had on/y increased since his c/ose
encounter .ith Darth Vader on +oruscant)
e had s,oken of the encounter on/y to Raymus Anti//es2 ca,tain of the consu/ar shi, Tanti5e IV)
Anti//es had been -i5en custody of Anakin1s ,rotoco/ and astromech droids2 +6APD and R>6D>) The
former had under-one a memory .i,e to safe-uard the truth for as /on- as necessary2 and to assure
the continued ,rotection of the Sky.a/ker t.ins)
+ou/d Vader actua//y be Anakin Sky.a/ker< the t.o men .ondered)
:ased on "bi6Wan1s account of .hat had occurred on $ustafar2 Anakin1s sur5i5a/ didn1t seem
,ossib/e) :ut ,erha,s "bi6Wan had underestimated Anakin) Perha,s Anakin1s ,eer/ess stren-th in
the *orce had a//o.ed him to sur5i5e)
Was :ai/2 then2 raisin- the chi/d of a man .ho .as sti// a/i5e<
What a/ternati5e .as there< That Pa/,atine6that Sidious had dubbed some other a,,rentice Darth
Vader< That the b/ack monstrosity :ai/ had seen on the /andin- ,/atform .as mere/y a droid 5ersion
of Anakin2 as %enera/ %rie5ous had been a cybor- 5ersion of his former se/f<
If that .as true2 .ou/d stormtroo,ers /ike A,,o a//o. themse/5es to be commanded by a such a
bein-2 e5en if ordered to by Sidious<
The 8uestions had -na.ed at :ai/ .ithout ans.er2 and e5ents such as the refu-ee march on/y ser5ed
to ,/ace him at -reater risk on +oruscant and hei-hten his concerns for Leia)
#naided2 Pa/,atine .as ca,ab/e of crushin- any .ho o,,osed him) And yet he continued to a//o.
others to do his dirty .ork2 to ,reser5e his ima-e as a bene5o/ent dictator) Pa/,atine used his
re-iona/ -o5ernors to issue the harshest of his decrees2 and his stormtroo,ers to enforce them)
The march1s or-ani7ers had ,romised :ai/ that it .ou/d be a ,eacefu/ demonstration2 but :ai/
sus,ected that Pa/,atine had infi/trated s,ies and ,rofessiona/ a-itators into the cro.ds) Riots cou/d
be used as an e3cuse by the re-iona/ -o5ernor to arrest dissidents and ,ercei5ed troub/emakers2 and
to announce ne. edicts that .ou/d make tra5e/ e5en more difficu/t and e3,ensi5e for the refu-ees)
With so many shi,s arri5in- from nearby .or/ds2 it had been im,ossib/e to screen for Im,eria/
a-ents or saboteurs) !5en if there had been some .ay to identify them2 :ai/ .ou/d on/y ha5e ,/ayed
into Pa/,atine1s hands by issuin- restrictions2 thus a/ienatin- refu-ees and their ardent su,,orters
a/ike2 .ho 5ie.ed A/deraan as one of the /ast bastions of freedom)
Thus far2 A/deraanian /a. enforcement units .ere doin- a -ood 0ob of confinin- the marchers to
their ,reassi-ned circuit of the Roya/ Pa/ace) +ontin-ents of Roya/ %uards surrounded the ,a/ace2
and the sky .as fi//ed .ith ,o/ice skimmers and sur5ei//ance craft to ensure that the situation
remained under contro/) "n :ai/1s orders2 acti5e measures cou/d on/y be used as a /ast resort)
Standin- at the ed-e of the ba/cony2 the ob0ect of shouts2 a,,ea/s2 chants2 and f/urries of raised fists2
:ai/ ran his hand o5er his mouth2 ho,in- that the *orce .as .ith him)
;Senator=; someone ca//ed from behind him)
:ai/ turned and sa. +a,tain Anti//es hurryin- to.ard him from the direction of the ,a/ace1s %rand
Rece,tion Room) Accom,anyin- Anti//es .ere t.o of :ai/1s aides2 She/tray Retrac and +e/ana
A/drete)
Anti//es directed :ai/1s attention to a nearby ho/o,ro0ector) ;4ou1re not -oin- to be ,/eased2; the
starshi, ca,tain said by .ay of .arnin-)
The ho/oima-e of an enormous .arshi, reso/5ed in the ,ro0ector1s b/ue fie/d)
:ai/1s bro. .rink/ed in confoundment)
;Im,erator6c/ass Star Destroyer2; Anti//es e3,/ained) ;ot off the /ine) And no. ,arked in stationary
orbit abo5e A/dera);
;This is outra-eous2; +e/ana A/drete said) ;!5en Pa/,atine .ou/dn1t be so bo/d as to interfere in our
affairs);
;Don1t foo/ yourse/f2; :ai/ said) ;e .ou/d and he has); e s.un- to Anti//es) ;+omm the 5esse/2;
he ordered as A/dera1s 5i7ier and other ad5isers .ere hastenin- onto the ba/cony to -a.k at the
,ro0ected ho/oima-e)
:efore Anti//es cou/d acti5ate his com/ink2 the ho/o,ro0ector ima-e faded and .as re,/aced by the
,inched2 c/ean6sha5en face of Pa/,atine1s chief henchman2 Sate Pesta-e)
;Senator "r-ana2; Pesta-e said) ;I trust you are recei5in- me);
"f a// of Pa/,atine1s ad5isers2 Pesta-e came c/osest to bein- :ai/1s archnemesis) A thu-2 .ith no
understandin- of the /e-is/ati5e ,rocess2 Pesta-e had no business bein- in a ,osition of authority)
:ut he had been one of Pa/,atine1s chief ad5isers since Pa/,atine1s arri5a/ on +oruscant from
(aboo2 as that .or/d1s Senator)
:ai/ ,ositioned himse/f on the ,ro0ector1s transmission -rid and si-na/ed for Anti//es to o,en a /ink
to Pesta-e)
;There you are2; Pesta-e said after a moment) ;Wi// you -rant ,ermission for our shutt/e to /and2
Senator<;
;o. un/ike you to e3tend us the courtesy of a .arnin-2 Sate) What brin-s you to this ,art of the
+ore2 in a Star Destroyer2 no /ess<;
Pesta-e smi/ed .ithout sho.in- his teeth) ;I1m mere/y a ,assen-er aboard the !3actor2 Senator) As
to our business here))) We//2 /et me say first ho. much I15e en0oyed .atchin- o/o(et feeds of
your))) ,o/itica/ ra//y);
;It1s a ,eacefu/ -atherin-2 Sate2; :ai/ fired back) ;And it1s /ike/y to remain so un/ess your a-itators
succeed in doin- .hat they do best);
Pesta-e ado,ted a sur,rised /ook) ;$y a-itators< 4ou can1t be serious) ;
;I1m 5ery serious) :ut su,,ose you -et back to te//in- me .hy you are here);
Pesta-e tu--ed at his /o.er /i,) ;(o. that I think about it2 Senator2 it mi-ht be more ,rudent for me
to /ea5e the e3,/anation to the !m,eror1s emissary);
:ai/ stood akimbo) ;That has a/.ays been your ,osition2 Sate);
;(o /on-er2 Senator2; Pesta-e said) ;I no. ans.er to a su,erior);
;Who are you ta/kin- about<;
;Someone you15e not yet had the ,/easure of meetin-) Darth Vader);
:ai/ fro7e2 but on/y on the inside) e mana-ed to kee, from -/ancin- at Anti//es2 and his 5oice
be/ied none of his sudden dread .hen he said: ;Darth Vader< What sort of name is that<;
Pesta-e smi/ed a-ain) ;We//2 actua//y it1s somethin- of a tit/e and a name); The smi/e co//a,sed)
;:ut make no mistake2 Senator2 Lord Vader s,eaks for the !m,eror) 4ou .ou/d do .e// to bear that
in mind);
;And this Darth Vader is comin- here<; :ai/ said in a com,osed 5oice) ;"ur shutt/e shou/d be
settin- do.n momentari/y2 assumin-2 of course2 that .e ha5e your ,ermission to /and);
:ai/ nodded for the ho/ocam) ;I1// see to it that you recei5e a,,roach and /andin- coordinates);
Pesta-e1s ho/oima-e had no sooner dereso/5ed than :ai/ snatched his com/ink from his be/t and
ta,,ed a code into the key,ad) To the fema/e 5oice that ans.ered2 he said2 ;Where are :reha and
Leia<;
;I be/ie5e they1re a/ready on their .ay to 0oin you2 sir2; the Hueen1s attendant said)
;Do you kno. if :reha has her com/ink .ith her<;
;I don1t be/ie5e she does2 sir);
;Thank you); :ai/ si/enced the com/ink and turned to his aides) ;*ind the Hueen) She must be
some.here in the main residence) Te// her that she is not to /ea5e the residence under any
circumstances2 and that she is to contact me as soon as ,ossib/e) Is that understood<;
Retrac and A/drete nodded2 s,un on their hee/s2 and hurried off)
:ai/ s.un- to Anti//es2 eyes bu/-in- in concern) ;Are the droids on the Tanti5e IV or do.nside<;
;ere2; Anti//es said2 e3ha/in-) ;Some.here in the ,a/ace or on the -rounds);
:ai/ ti-htened his /i,s) ;They ha5e to be /ocated and ke,t out of si-ht);
AD
(e5er .as one for cro.ds2 myse/f2; Skeck said as he2 Archyr2 and Shryne .ere ne-otiatin- A/dera1s
thron- of demonstrators)
;Is that .hat first took you to the "uter Rim<; Shryne asked)
Skeck mocked the idea .ith a motion of dismissa/) ;I 0ust han- there for the food);
In addition to kee,in- out the co/d2 their /on- coats2 hats2 and hi-h boots su,,/ied hidin- ,/aces for
b/asters and other too/s of the smu--/in- trade) Ju/a2 :rudi2 and !y/ Di3 had remained .ith the dro,
shi,2 .hich .as docked in a circu/ar bay a cou,/e of ki/ometers .est of the ,a/ace)
It .as Shryne1s first 5isit to A/deraan) *rom .hat /itt/e he had seen2 the ,/anet /i5ed u, to its
re,utation as both a beautifu/ .or/d and an arena for ,o/itica/ dissent2 not.ithstandin- A/deraan1s
a//e-ed/y ,acifist 5ie.s) The mood of the enormous cro.d2 made u, of .ar refu-ees and those .ho
had arri5ed from count/ess .or/ds to demonstrate their so/idarity2 seemed to be in kee,in- .ith
those 5ie.s) :ut Shryne had a/ready 7eroed in on scores of bein-s .ho c/ear/y ho,ed to ,ro5oke
the marchers to 5io/ence2 ,erha,s as a means of bein- assured e3tensi5e o/o(et co5era-e2 and
thus makin- their ,oint .ith Pa/,atine)
"r maybe2 0ust maybe2 A/deraan had the !m,eror himse/f to thank for the rabb/e6rousers)
Jud-in- by the .ay in .hich A/dera1s ,o/ice units .ere de,/oyed2 they had no interest in
confrontation2 and ,erha,s had been ordered to e3ercise restraint at a// costs) The mere fact that the
marchers .ere bein- a//o.ed to 5oice their ,rotests and dis,/ay their ho/os/o-ans in such c/ose
,ro3imity to the Roya/ Pa/ace2 and that Senator :ai/ "r-ana himse/f .ou/d occasiona//y ,/ant
himse/f in fu// 5ie. of the cro.d2 sho.ed that the restraint .as -enuine)
A/deraan rea//y did care about the /itt/e -uy)
*or Shryne2 the ,resence of such a hu-e cro.d a/so su--ested that Senator *an- ?ar .as more than
a c/e5er ,o/itician) Whi/e s,iritin- him off A/deraan .ou/d ne5er ha5e ,osed an insurmountab/e
cha//en-e2 the mi//in- cro.ds combined .ith A/deraan1s de/iberate/y /a3 ,o/icy to.ard orbita/
insertions and e3its .as -oin- to make the ,icku, as easy as one2 t.o2 three)
(ot bad for Shryne1s first mission)
There mi-ht e5en be a sma// amount of -ood attached to it6,articu/ar/y if the rumors he had heard
about ?ar o5er the years .ere true)
(o. it boi/ed do.n to kee,in- the a,,ointment .ith him)
Shryne2 Skeck2 and Archyr had a/ready circ/ed the ,a/ace t.ice2 ,rimari/y to sco,e out ,otentia/
,rob/ems at the south -ate entrance2 .here the ,rearran-ed meet .as su,,osed to take ,/ace)
Shryne found it interestin- that ?ar1s ostensib/e reason for makin- a /o.6key de,arture .as to kee,
from in5o/5in- "r-ana in his ,rob/ems2 but Shryne .asn1t c/ear on 0ust .hat those ,rob/ems .ere)
:oth ?ar and "r-ana had been outs,oken members of the Loya/ist +ommittee2 so .hat cou/d ?ar
ha5e done to cause ,rob/ems for himse/f that didn1t a/ready in5o/5e "r-ana<
Was he in a fi3 .ith Pa/,atine<
Shryne tried to con5ince himse/f that ?ar1s troub/es .ere none of his business9 that the sooner he
accustomed himse/f to sim,/y e3ecutin- a 0ob2 the better6for him and for Ju/a) This2 as o,,osed to
thinkin- /ike a Jedi2 .hich in5o/5ed /ookin- to the *orce as a means of -au-in- ,ossib/e
re,ercussions and ramifications of his actions)
In that sense2 the A/deraan mission .as the first day of the rest of his /ife)
"/ee Starstone .as the on/y other issue he had to c/ear from his mind) is fee/in-s for her didn1t
s,rin- from attachment of the sort she .ou/d be the first to ridicu/e) In ,/ain fact2 he .as .orried
about her to the ,oint of distraction)
In res,onse to Shryne1s decision to fo//o. his o.n ,ath2 she .as about as an-ry as a Jedi .as
a//o.ed to be2 thou-h some of the other Jedi had said that they understood)
A// se5en had taken the battered trans,ort and -one in search of sur5i5in- Jedi) Shryne feared that it
.ou/d 0ust be a matter of time before they -ot themse/5es in serious troub/e2 but he .asn1t about to
ser5e as their .atchdo-) $ore to the ,oint2 they had seen the risks they .ere takin- as f/o.in- from
the .i// of the *orce)
We//2 .ho kne. for sure<
Shryne .asn1t omniscient) $aybe they .ou/d succeed a-ainst a// odds) $aybe the Jedi2 in /ea-ue
.ith ,o/itica/ ,rotestors and sym,athetic mi/itary commanders2 cou/d brin- Pa/,atine to 0ustice for
.hat he had done)
#n/ike/y) :ut a ,ossibi/ity2 ne5erthe/ess)
Ju/a had been -enerous enou-h to /oan *i//i to the Jedi2 out.ard/y to he/, them sort throu-h the data
they had do.n/oaded from the beacon databases) Shryne sus,ected2 ho.e5er2 that Ju/a1s rea/ intent
.as to disab/e Starstone1s reck/ess determination) The c/oser Starstone and *i//i -re.2 the more the
youn- Jedi .ou/d be forced to take a hard /ook at her choices) With time2 *i//i mi-ht e5en be ab/e to
/ure her out of her attachment to the ,erished Jedi order2 0ust as Ju/a had Shryne)
:ut then2 Shryne had been ha/f.ay a/on- before his mother had e5en entered the ,icture)
is mother
e .as sti// -ettin- used to that de5e/o,ment: that he .as the son of this ,articu/ar .oman) Perha,s
the .ay some of the troo,ers had had to ad0ust to the fact that they .ere a// c/ones of one man)
Throu-h his com/ink1s .ire/ess ear,iece2 Shryne heard Ju/a1s 5oice)
;I 0ust heard from our bund/e2; she said) ;e1s in motion);
;We1re .orkin- our .ay around to him no.2; Shryne said into the audio ,icku, fastened to the
synthfur co//ar of his coat)
;4ou sure you1re -oin- to be ab/e to reco-ni7e him from the ho/oima-es<;
;Reco-ni7in- him .on1t be a ,rob/em) :ut findin- him in this cro.d cou/d be);
;I1m -uessin- he didn1t e3,ect this bi- a turnout);
;I1m -uessin- no one did);
;Does that say somethin- for the !m,eror1s days bein- numbered<;
;Someone1s days2 any.ay); Shryne ,aused2 then said: ;o/d for a moment);
The ,a/ace1s south -ate entrance .as .ithin si-ht no.2 but in the time it had taken Shryne2 Skeck2
and Archyr to com,/ete their third circuit2 a mob had formed) Three human s,eakers standin- ato,
re,u/sor/ift ,/atforms .ere ur-in- e5eryone to ,ress throu-h the ta// -ates and onto the ,a/ace
-rounds) Antici,atin- troub/e2 a -rou, of forty or so roya/ troo,s dressed in ceremonia/ armor and
s/ack hats had de,/oyed themse/5es outside the -ates2 armed .ith an array of non6/etha/ cro.d
contro/ de5ices2 inc/udin- sonic de5ices2 shock batons2 and stun nets)
;Roan2 .hat1s -oin- on<; Ju/a asked)
;Thin-s are -ettin- ro.dy) !5eryone1s bein- .arned a.ay from the south -ate entrance);
The cro.d sur-ed2 and Shryne fe/t himse/f /ifted from his feet and carried to.ard the ,a/ace) The
cordon of troo,s issued a fina/ .arnin-) When the cro.d sur-ed a-ain2 t.o front6/ine -uards
s,ortin- back,ack ri-s be-an to coat the cobb/estone ,/a7a .ith a thick /ayer of re,e//ent foam) The
cro.d sur-ed back in res,onse2 but do7ens of demonstrators c/osest to the front fai/ed to ste, back
in time and .ere immediate/y immobi/i7ed in the ra,id/y s,readin- -oo) A fe. of them .ere ab/e to
retreat by surrenderin- their foot-ear2 but the rest .ere stuck fast) The trio of ho5erin- a-itators
took ad5anta-e of the situation2 accusin- A/deraan1s Hueen and 5i7ier of attem,tin- to hinder the
marchers1 ri-hts to free assemb/y2 and of ko.to.in- to the !m,eror)
The sur-es -re. more ,o.erfu/2 .ith demonstrators tra,,ed in the center of the cro.d takin- the
brunt of a// the ,ushin- and sho5in-) Shryne be-an to ed-e to.ard the ,erimeter2 .ith Skeck and
Archyr to either side of him) When he cou/d2 he enab/ed his com/ink)
;Ju/a2 .e1re not -oin- to be ab/e to -et to the -ate);
;Which a/so means that our bund/e .on1t be ab/e to e3it the -rounds that .ay);
;Do .e ha5e a substitute rende75ous<;
;Roan2 I15e /ost 5oice contact .ith him);
;Probab/y tem,orary) When you hear from him2 0ust te// him to stay ,ut2 .here5er he is);
;Where .i// you be<;
Shryne studied the ,a/ace1s cur5ed south .a//) ;Don1t .orry2 .e1// find a .ay in);
A&
Those ,oor bein-s2 tra,,ed in that terrib/e foam2; +6APD said as he and R>6D> hastened for a
narro. access door in the ,a/ace1s south .a//)
+/ose to the ,a/ace1s under-round droid6maintenance faci/ity2 .here both droids had en0oyed an oi/
bath2 the door .as the same one they had used to e3it the ,a/ace -rounds ear/ier that day2 .hen the
,rotestors .ere 0ust be-innin- their march)
;I think .e1// be much better off inside the ,a/ace);
R>6D> chittered a res,onse)
+6APD ti/ted his head in baff/ement) ;What do you mean .e15e been ordered inside any.ay<;
The astromech chir,ed and f/uted)
;"rdered to concea/ ourse/5es<; +6APD said) ;:y .hom<; e .aited for an ans.er) ;+a,tain
Anti//es< o. thou-htfu/ of him to sho. concern for our .e//6bein- in the midst of this confusion=;
R>6D> 7ithered2 then bu77ed)
;Somethin- e/se<; +6APD .aited for R>6D> to finish) ;Don1t te// me you can1t say) It1s sim,/y that
you refuse to say) I15e e5ery ri-ht to kno.2 you secreti5e /itt/e machinist);
+6APD fe// brief/y si/ent as the shado. of a /o.6f/yin- craft ,assed o5er them)
is sin-/e ,hotorece,tor trackin- the f/i-ht of a midni-ht6b/ack Im,eria/ shutt/e2 R>6D> be-an to
.hist/e and hoot in ob5ious a/arm)
;What is it no.<;
The astromech /oosed a chorus of .arb/es and shri// ,ee,s) +6APD fi3ed his ,hotorece,tors on him
in incredu/ity)
;*ind Hueen :reha< What are you -oin- on about< A moment a-o you said that +a,tain Anti//es
had ordered us into hidin-=; Arms crooked2 a/most akimbo2 +6APD cou/dn1t be/ie5e .hat he .as
hearin-)
;4ou chan-ed your mind) Since .hen do you -et to decide .hat1s im,ortant and .hat isn1t< "h2
you1re intent on -ettin- us in troub/e) I kno. it=;
:y then they had reached the access door in the .a//) R>6D> e3tended a s/ender interface arm from
one of the com,artments in his s8uat2 cy/indrica/ torso and .as in the ,rocess of insertin- it into a
com,uter contro/ termina/ a/on-side the door.ay .hen the 5oice of a f/esh6and6b/ood said:
;$is,/ace your starfi-hter2 droid<;
Turnin- com,/ete/y about2 +6APD found himse/f /ookin- at a human and t.o si36fin-ered
humanoids .earin- /on- coats and ta// boots) The human1s /eft hand .as ,attin- R>6D>1s dome of a
head)
;"h= Who are you<;
;(e5er mind that2; one of the humanoids said) Partin- his coat2 he re5ea/ed a b/aster .ed-ed into
the .ide be/t that cinched his ,ants) ;Do you kno. .hat this is<;
R>6D> me./ed in distress)
+6AP"1s ,hotorece,tors refocused) ;Why2 yes2 it1s a DL6Thirteen ion b/aster);
The humanoid smi/ed nasti/y) ;4ou1re 5ery /earned);
;Sir2 it is my fondest .ish that my master reco-ni7e as much) Workin- .ith other droids has
become so tiresome6;
;!5er see .hat an ioni7er on fu// ,o.er can do to a droid<; the humanoid interru,ted)
;(o2 but I can .e// ima-ine);
;%ood2; the human said) ;Then here1s the .ay it1s -oin- to .ork: you1re -oin- to /ead us into the
,a/ace /ike .e1re a// the best of friends) ;
Whi/e +6APD .as tryin- to make sense of it2 the man added: ;"f course2 if you ha5e a ,rob/em .ith
that2 my friend here;6he -estured to the other humanoid6;.ho ha,,ens to be 5ery kno./ed-eab/e
about droids2 .i// 0ust ta, into this one1s memory and retrie5e the entry code) And then both of you
.i// -et to en0oy the effects of an ioni7er firsthand);
+6APD .as too stunned to res,ond2 but R>6D> made u, for the sudden si/ence by fi//in- it .ith
bee,s and 7ithers)
;$y counter,art says2; +6AP" started to inter,ret2 then sto,,ed himse/f) ;4ou certain/y .i// not do
as he says2 you co.ard= These bein-s are not our masters= 4ou shou/d be .i//in- to be disassemb/ed
rather than offer them the s/i-htest he/,=;
:ut +6AP"1s admonitions fe// on deaf auditory sensors) R>6D> .as a/ready un/ockin- the door)
;This is most unbecomin-2; +6APD said sad/y) ;$ost unbecomin-);
;%ood droid); The /on-6haired human ,atted the astromech1s dome a-ain2 then thre. +6APD a
narro.6eyed -a7e) ;Any attem,ts to communicate .ith anyone and you1// .ish you1d ne5er been
bui/t);
;Sir2 you don1t kno. ho. many times I15e a/ready .ished that 5ery thin-2; +6AP" said as he
fo//o.ed R>6D> and the three armed or-anics throu-h the door and onto the ,a/ace -rounds)
Vader stood at the foot of the shutt/e1s boardin- ram,2 -a7in- at the .hite s,ires of the Roya/
Pa/ace) +ommander A,,o and si3 of his stormtroo,ers s,read out to f/ank him as :ai/ "r-ana and
se5era/ others emer-ed from the ornate bui/din-) *or a moment neither -rou, mo5ed9 then "r-ana1s
contin-ent .a/ked onto the /andin- ,/atform and a,,roached the shutt/e)
;4ou are Lord Vader<; "r-ana asked)
;Senator2; Vader said2 inc/inin- his head s/i-ht/y
;I demand to kno. .hy you15e come to A/deraan);
;Senator2 you are in no ,osition to demand anythin-);
The 5ocoder bui/t into his mask added menace to the remark) :ut2 in fact2 for ,erha,s the first time
Vader fe/t as if he .ere .earin- a dis-uise6a macabre costume2 as o,,osed to a suit of /ife6
sustainin- de5ices and durastee/ armor)
As Anakin2 Vader hadn1t kno.n :ai/ "r-ana .e//2 e5en thou-h he had been in his com,any on
numerous occasions2 in the Jedi Tem,/e2 the corridors of the Senate2 and in Pa/,atine1s former
office) Padme had s,oken of him hi-h/y and often2 and Vader sus,ected that it .as "r-ana2 a/on-
.ith $on $othma2 *an- ?ar2 and a fe. others2 .ho had ,ersuaded Padme to .ithdra. her su,,ort
of Pa/,atine ,rior to the .ar1s finish) That2 ho.e5er2 didn1t troub/e Vader as much as the fact that
"r-ana2 accordin- to stormtroo,ers of the CD&st2 had been the first outsider to turn u, at the Tem,/e
fo//o.in- the massacre2 and .as /ucky to ha5e esca,ed .ith his /ife)
Vader .ondered if "r-ana had had a hand in he/,in- 4oda2 and ,resumab/y "bi6Wan2 reca/ibrate
the Tem,/e beacon to cance/ the messa-e Vader had transmitted2 .hich shou/d ha5e ca//ed a// the
Jedi back to +oruscant)
Aristocratic "r-ana .as Anakin1s hei-ht2 dark6haired and handsome2 and a/.ays meticu/ous/y
dressed in the sty/e of the Re,ub/ic1s +/assic era2 /ike the (aboo2 rather than in the ostentatious
fashion of +oruscant) :ut .here Padme had earned her status by bein- e/ected Hueen2 "r-ana had
been born into .ea/th and ,ri5i/e-e2 on ,icture6,erfect A/deraan)
$ercy missions or no2 Vader .ondered .hether "r-ana had any rea/ sense of .hat it meant to /i5e
in the out/yin- systems2 on .or/ds /ike sand6s.e,t Tatooine2 ,/a-ued by Tusken Raiders and /orded
o5er by utts)
e fe/t a sudden ur-e to ,ut "r-ana in his ,/ace) Pinch off his breath .ith a narro.in- of his thumb
and forefin-er9 crush him in his fist))) :ut the situation didn1t ca// for that6yet) :esides2 Vader cou/d
see in "r-ana1s ner5ous -estures that he understood .ho .as in char-e)
Po.er)
e had ,o.er o5er "r-ana2 and o5er a// /ike him)
And it .as Sky.a/ker2 not Vader2 .ho had /i5ed on Tatooine) Vader1s /ife .as 0ust be-innin-)
"r-ana introduced him to his aides and ad5isers2 as .e// as to +a,tain Anti//es2 .ho commanded
A/deraan1s +ore//ian6made consu/ar shi,2 and .ho tried but fai/ed to concea/ an e3,ression of
,rofound hosti/ity to.ard Vader)
If Anti//es on/y kne. .ho he .as dea/in- .ith)))
*rom beyond the ,a/ace1s .a//s came the sound of an-ry 5oices and chantin-) Vader surmised that
at /east some of the turbu/ence o.ed to the ,resence of an Im,eria/ shutt/e on A/deraan) The thou-ht
entertained him)
Like the Jedi2 the demonstrators .ere another -rou, of de/uded2 se/f6im,ortant bein-s con5inced
that their ,etty /i5es had actua/ meanin-9 that their ,rotests2 their dreams2 their accom,/ishments
amounted to anythin-) They .ere i-norant of the fact that the uni5erse .as chan-ed not by
indi5idua/s or by mobs2 but by .hat occurred in the *orce) In rea/ity2 a// e/se .as unim,ortant)
#n/ess one .as in communication .ith the *orce2 /ife .as on/y e3istence in the .or/d of i//usion2
born as a conse8uence of the eterna/ stru--/e bet.een /i-ht and dark)
Vader /istened to the sounds of the cro.d for a moment more2 then turned to re-ard "r-ana)
;Why do you ,ermit this<; he asked)
"r-ana1s rest/ess eyes searched for somethin-2 ,erha,s a ,eek at the man behind the mask) ;Are
such demonstrations no /on-er ,ermitted on +oruscant<;
;armony is the idea/ of the (e. "rder2 Senator2 not dissension);
;When harmony becomes the standard for a//2 then ,rotests .i// cease) What1s more2 by a//o.in-
5oices to be heard here2 A/deraan sa5es +oruscant any unmerited embarrassment);
;There may be some truth to that) :ut in due time2 ,rotests .i// cease2 one .ay or another);
Vader reco-ni7ed that "r-ana .as in a 8uandary about somethin-) +/ear/y he resented bein-
cha//en-ed on his o.n .or/d2 but his tone of 5oice .as a/most con5ersationa/)
;I trust that the !m,eror kno.s better than to end them by fear2; he .as sayin-)
Vader had no ,atience for 5erba/ fencin-2 and ha5in- to match .its .ith 0udicious men /ike "r-ana
on/y reinforced his -ro.in- distaste at bein- the !m,eror1s errand boy) When .ou/d his actua/ Sith
trainin- fina//y commence< Try as he mi-ht to con5ince himse/f2 his .as not rea/ ,o.er2 but mere/y
the e3ecution of ,o.er) e .asn1t the s.ordmaster so much as the .ea,on9 and .ea,ons .ere
easi/y re,/aceab/e)
;The !m,eror .ou/d not be ,/eased by your /ack of faith2 Senator2; he said carefu//y) ;"r by your
.i//in-ness to a//o. others to dis,/ay their distrust) :ut I ha5en1t come to discuss your /itt/e march);
"r-ana fin-ered his short beard) ;What does brin- you here<;
;*ormer Senator *an- ?ar);
"r-ana seemed -enuine/y sur,rised) ;What of him<;
;Then you don1t deny that he1s here<;
;"f course not) e has been a -uest of the ,a/ace for se5era/ .eeks);
;Are you a.are that he f/ed +oruscant<;
"r-ana fro.ned in uncertainty ;It sounds as if you1re su--estin- that he .asn1t ,ermitted to /ea5e of
his o.n free .i//) Was he under arrest<;
;(ot arrest2 Senator) Interna/ Security had 8uestions for him2 some of .hich .ere /eft unans.ered)
IS: re8uested that he remain in Im,eria/ +enter unti/ matters .ere reso/5ed);
"r-ana shook his head once) ;I kne. nothin- of this);
;(o one is 8uestionin- your decision to house him2 Senator2; Vader said2 -a7in- do.n at him) ;I
sim,/y .ant your assurance that you .on1t interfere .ith my escortin- him back to +oruscant);
;:ack to6; "r-ana /eft the rest of it unfinished and be-an a-ain) ;I .on1t interfere) !3ce,t in one
instance);
Vader .aited)
;If Senator ?ar re8uests di,/omatic immunity2 A/deraan .i// -rant it);
Vader fo/ded his arms across his chest) ;I1m not certain that ,ri5i/e-e sti// e3ists) !5en if it does2 you
may find that refusin- the !m,eror1s re8uest is hard/y in your best interest);
A-ain2 "r-ana1s conf/iction .as ob5ious) What is he hidin-< ;Is that a threat2 Lord Vader<; he said
fina//y)
;"n/y a fact) *or too /on- the Senate encoura-ed ,o/itica/ chaos) Those days are ended2 and the
!m,eror .i// not ,ermit them to resurface);
"r-ana sho.ed him a ske,tica/ /ook) ;4ou s,eak of him as if he is a//6,o.erfu/2 Lord Vader);
;e is more ,o.erfu/ than you kno.);
;Is that .hy you15e a-reed to ser5e him<;
Vader took a moment to res,ond) ;$y decisions are my o.n) The o/d system is dead2 Senator) 4ou
.ou/d be .ise to subscribe to the ne. one);
"r-ana e3ha/ed .ith ,ur,ose) ;I1// take my chances that freedom is sti// a/i5e); e fe// si/ent for a
moment2 de/iberatin-) ;I don1t mean to im,u-n your authority2 Lord Vader2 but I .ish to consu/t
.ith the !m,eror ,ersona//y on this matter);
Vader cou/d scarce/y be/ie5e .hat he .as hearin-) Was "r-ana de/iberate/y attem,tin- to obstruct
him9 to make him a,,ear ine,t in the eyes of Sidious< An-er .e//ed u, in him) Why .as he .astin-
his time chasin- fu-iti5e Senators .hen it .as the Jedi .ho ,osed a risk to the (e. "rder<
To the ba/ance of the *orce)
A nearby ho/o,ro0ector chimed2 and from it emer-ed the ho/oima-e of a dark6haired .oman .ith an
infant in her arms)
;:ai/2 I1m sorry I15e been de/ayed2; the .oman said) ;I 0ust .anted to /et you kno. that I1// be there
short/y;
"r-ana /ooked from Vader to the ho/oima-e and back a-ain) As the ima-e faded he said: ;Perha,s
it1s better if you s,oke .ith Senator ?ar in ,erson); e -u/,ed and found his 5oice) ;I1// ha5e him
escorted to the conference room as soon as ,ossib/e);
Vader turned and .a5ed a si-na/ to +ommander A,,o2 .ho nodded) ;Who is the .oman<; Vader
asked "r-ana)
;$y .ife2; "r-ana said ner5ous/y) ;The Hueen);
Vader re-arded "r-ana2 tryin- to read him more c/ear/y) ;Inform Senator ?ar that I1m .aitin-2; he
said at /ast) ;In the meantime2 I .ou/d en0oy meetin- the Hueen);
A>
$ore than se5en centuries o/d2 the ,a/ace .as a ramb/in- and mu/tistoried affair of ram,arts and
turrets2 bedrooms and ba//rooms2 .ith as many -rand stair.ays as it had turbo/ifts) Without a ma,2
its ki/ometers of .indin- corridors .ere near/y im,ossib/e to fo//o.) And so .here .a/kin- from
the droid6maintenance room to the ha//.ay that accessed the south -ate had seemed a sim,/e matter2
it .as in fact akin to ne-otiatin- a ma7e)
;The droid1s more c/e5er than it /ooks2; Archyr said .hen it fina//y da.ned on them that the t.o
machine inte//i-ences had been .a/kin- them in circ/es for the ,ast 8uarter hour) ;I think it1s /eadin-
us on a .i/d -undark chase);
;"h2 he .ou/d ne5er do that2; +6APD said) ;Wou/d you2 Artoo<; When the astromech didn1t ans.er2
+6APD s/ammed his hand do.n on R>6D>1s dome) ;Don1t you e5en think about -i5in- me the si/ent
treatment=;
Skeck tu--ed the ion .ea,on from his be/t and brandished it) ;$aybe it for-ot about this);
;(o need to threaten us further2; +6APD said) ;I1m certain that Artoo isn1t attem,tin- to mis/ead you)
We don1t kno. the ,a/ace 5ery .e//) 4ou see2 .e15e on/y been .ith our ,resent master for t.o /oca/
months2 and .e1re not 5ery .e// ac8uainted .ith the /ayout);
;Where .ere you before t.o months a-o<; Skeck asked) +6APD fe// si/ent for a /on- moment)
;Artoo2 0ust .here .ere .e before that<;
The astromech honked and ra77ed)
;(one of my business< "h2 here .e -o a-ain) This /itt/e droid can be 5ery stubborn sometimes) In
any case2 as to .here .e .ere))) I think I reca// actin- as an interface .ith a -rou, of binary
/oad/ifters);
;Load/ifters<; Archyr said) ;:ut you1re ,ro-rammed for ,rotoco/2 aren1t you<;
+6APD /ooked as distressed as a droid cou/d /ook) ;That1s true= o.e5er2 I can1t ima-ine that I1m
mistaken= I kno. I ha5e been ,ro-rammed for6;
;%et a ho/d of yourse/f2 droid2; Skeck said)
Shryne brou-ht the fi5e of them to an abru,t ha/t) ;This isn1t the .ay to the south entrance) Where
are .e<;
+6APD -a7ed around) ;I be/ie5e that .e ha5e someho. ended u, in the roya/ residence .in-);
Archyr1s ,ointed 0a. dro,,ed) ;What the fri77 are .e doin- here< We1re a hundred and ei-hty
de-rees from .here .e .ant to be=;
Skeck aimed the ioni7er at the astromech1s ,hotorece,tor) ;4ou can na5i-ate a starfi-hter throu-h
hy,ers,ace and you can1t -et us to the south -ate< Any more tricks and .e1re -oin- to fry you);
Shryne ste,,ed a.ay from e5eryone and acti5ated his corn6/ink) ;Ju/a2 any .ord from6;
;Where in the -a/a3y ha5e you three been< I15e been tryin- to reach you for6;
;We -ot turned around2; Shryne said) ;We1// fi3 it) Any .ord from our bund/e<;
;That1s .hat I .anted to te// you) e mo5ed);
;Where to<;
;The east -ate);
Shryne b/e. out his breath) ;A// ri-ht2 .e1// -et there) Just make sure you te// him to remain .here
he is); Si/encin- the com/ink2 he re0oined the others)
;!ast -ate<; Skeck said .hen Shryne re/ayed the bad ne.s) e turned himse/f throu-h a circ/e and
,ointed) ;That .ay2 I think);
The astromech be-an to chitter) Shryne and the others /ooked to +6APD for a trans/ation)
;e says2 sirs2 that the 8uickest route to the east -ate .i// in5o/5e our ascendin- one more /e5e/6;
;We1re su,,osed to be -oin- do.n=; Archyr said in e3as,eration)
;That1s true2; +6A>D continued) ;:ut my counter,art ad5ises that un/ess .e -o u, first2 .e .i// be
forced to detour around the u,,er reaches of the %rand :a//room atrium);
;!nou-h2; Shryne said2 endin- further ar-ument) ;Let1s 0ust -et this o5er .ith);
With the astromech /eadin-2 ro//in- a/on- on its three treads2 the fi5e of them fi/ed into a turbo/ift
and rode it u, one f/oor) (o sooner had they arri5ed than R>6D> made a sudden /eft into the state/y
corridor and hurried off)
;What2 a// of a sudden it1s in a rush<; Archyr said)
;Artoo2 s/o. do.n=; +6APD ca//ed2 stru--/in- to kee, u,) The astromech disa,,eared around a bend
in the corridor) Skeck muttered a curse and dre. the ioni7er a-ain)
;I think it1s tryin- to -et a.ay=;
The three of them be-an to race after their 8uarry2 dashin- around the same corner on/y to narro./y
a5oid co//idin- .ith a re-a//y dressed .oman crad/in- a s/ee,in- baby in her arms)
Sto,,in- sudden/y2 the astromech /oosed an ear6,iercin- screech and e3tended ha/f a do7en of its
interface arms2 .a5in- them about /ike .ea,ons)
+onfronted .ith the si-ht2 the .oman ,u//ed the baby c/oser to her .ith one hand .hi/e the other
reached out to s/a, a security a/arm stud set into the .a//) Rude/y a.akened by the astromech1s
screech and the b/are of a/arms2 the baby took a 8uick /ook at the droid and be-an .ai/in- at the to,
of its /un-s)
!3chan-in- the briefest of ,anicked /ooks2 Shryne2 Archyr2 and Skeck about6faced and ran)
:ai/1s assured ,osture in one of the rece,tion room1s e/e-ant chairs be/ied his sense of ra.
des,eration)
A fe. meters a.ay2 standin- at one of the ta// .indo.s2 Darth Vader -a7ed out on cro.ds of
demonstrators .ho .ere becomin- more turbu/ent .ith e5ery ,assin- moment)
The cadence of his dee, breathin- fi//ed the room)
This is Leia1s father2 :ai/ to/d himse/f2 certain of it no.)
Anakin Sky.a/ker) Rescued someho. on $ustafar2 and returned to /ife2 thou-h no. confined to a
suit that made manifest .hat Sky.a/ker had become at the end of the .ar: betrayer2 butcher of
chi/dren2 a,,rentice of Sidious2 fo//o.er of the dark side of the *orce) And soon Leia .ou/d be in
his ,resence)))
When :reha had com/inked him une3,ected/y2 :ai/ had come c/ose to te//in- her to f/ee2 fu//y
,re,ared to suffer .hate5er conse8uences .ou/d descend on him) To ensure Leia1s safety2 he had
e5en been ready to sacrifice *an- ?ar)
Wou/d Vader reco-ni7e Leia throu-h the *orce as his chi/d< What .ou/d ha,,en if he did< Wou/d
he com,e/ :ai/ to re5ea/ .here "bi6Wan .as9 .here Luke .as<
(o2 :ai/ .ou/d die first)
;What1s takin- Senator ?ar so /on-<; Vader asked)
:ai/ had his mouth o,en to re,/y that the ,a/ace1s -uest .in- .as some distance a.ay .hen
She/tray Retrac entered the rece,tion room2 her e3,ression a/one makin- it c/ear that somethin- .as
.ron-) A,,roachin- :ai/2 she /eaned /o. to say in a 8uiet 5oice2 ;*an- ?ar is not in the residence)
We don1t kno. .here he is);
:efore :ai/ cou/d re,/y Vader s.un- to the t.o of them) ;Was ?ar a/erted of my comin-<;
:ai/ came to his feet 8uick/y) ;(o one .as a,,rised beforehand of the reason for your 5isit);
Vader -/anced at +ommander A,,o) ;*ind him2 +ommander2 and brin- him to me);
The .ords had scarce/y /eft the b/ack -ri//e that concea/ed Vader1s mouth than security a/arms
be-an to sound throu-hout the ,a/ace) +a,tain Anti//es immediate/y mo5ed into the transmission
fie/d of the rece,tion room1s ho/o,ro0ector2 .here a ha/f6/ife6si7e ima-e of a security officer .as
a/ready reso/5in-)
;Sir2 three unidentified bein-s ha5e -ained access to the ,a/ace) Their moti5e is unkno.n2 but they
are armed and .ere /ast seen in the residentia/ .in-2 in the com,any of t.o droids);
T.o droids= :ai/ thou-ht2 rushin- across the room in an effort to beat Vader to the ho/o,ro0ector)
;Do .e ha5e ima-es of the intruders<; Retrac asked before :ai/ cou/d si/ence her)
:ai/1s heart ski,,ed a beat) If it .as +6APD and R>6D>;"n/y of the intruders2; the security officer
said)
;Sho. them2; Anti//es ordered)
The security cam ima-e sho.ed three ma/es2 one human and t.o humanoids2 dashin- do.n one of
the corridors)
;*ree7e the ima-e=; Vader said from a/on-side the hobo6,ro0ector) ;+/ose in on the human);
:ai/ .as as confused as e5eryone e/se) Did Vader kno. the intruders< Were they a-itators
dis,atched by +oruscant to .ork the ,rotestors into a fren7y<
;Jedi2; Vader said2 most/y to himse/f)
:ai/ .asn1t sure he had heard Vader correct/y)
;Jedi< That can1t be ,ossib/e6;
Vader .hir/ed on him) ;They15e come for *an- ?ar); e stared at :ai/ from inside the mask) ;?ar is
attem,tin- to return to Sern Prime) A,,arent/y he ho,ed to kee, from im,/icatin- you in his f/i-ht);
The rece,tion room fe// si/ent2 but on/y for a moment) *rom the ho/o,ro0ector a,,eared an ima-e of
:reha2 ho/din- a distrau-ht Leia in her arms)
;:ai/2 I .on1t be 0oinin- you2 after a//2; she said2 /oud enou-h to be heard o5er the infant1s cryin-)
;We had a disturbin- encounter .ith three tres,assers and a cou,/e of droids2 .ho near/y fri-htened
the baby to death) She1s in no condition to be introduced to com,any) I1m tryin- to ca/m her6;
;That1s ,robab/y best2; :ai/ said in a rush) ;I1// check back .ith you in a moment); Deacti5atin- the
ho/o,ro0ector2 he turned s/o./y to Vader2 arran-in- his features to su--est a mi3 of mi/d
disa,,ointment at his .ife1s messa-e2 and dee, concern for 0ust about e5erythin- e/se that had
occurred)
;I1m certain there1// be another time2 Lord Vader);
;I /ook for.ard to it2; Vader said)
With that2 he turned and marched a.ay)
:ai/ near/y co//a,sed) !3ha/in- in -uarded re/ief2 he dro,,ed back into his chair)
;Jedi<; Anti//es said2 in ob5ious be.i/derment)
:ai/ shook his head from side to side) ;I don1t understand2 either) :ut that is Sky.a/ker); Abru,t/y2
he stood u,) ;We ha5e to find ?ar before he does);
AA
If I e5er run into that astromech a-ain)))2; Skeck said as he2 Archyr2 and Shryne .ere racin- for the
,a/ace1s east entrance)
Archyr nodded in a-reement) ;(e5er a -ood fee/in- .hen you1re tricked by an a,,/iance);
is com/ink enab/ed2 Shryne .as s,eakin- .ith Ju/a)
;We1re a/most there) :ut that1s no -uarantee .e can make it outside .ithout bein- arrested);
;Roan2 I1m -oin- to re,osition the shi,) +/ose to our rende75ous there1s a /andin- ,/atform reser5ed
for o/o(et corres,ondents);
;What makes you think you1// be a//o.ed to set do.n<;
;(o one1s -oin- be ha,,y about it) :ut the -ood thin- about A/deraan is that no one1s -oin- to b/ast
us out of the sky2 either);
;Parkin- ticket2 huh<;
;$aybe not e5en);
;Then .e1// see you there2; Shryne said) ;"ut);
With the ornate east entrance in si-ht2 the three of them s/o.ed do.n to sur5ey the situation) A ,air
of enormous doors o,ened on a broad staircase9 from the /ast ste,2 a ,a5ed foot,ath /ed to an arched
brid-e that s,anned a crescent of ref/ectin- ,oo/) "n the far side of the ,oo/2 the ,ath /ed direct/y to
a -ated access in the hi-h ram,art) Perha,s a hundred meters beyond the .a// .as the media
/andin- ,/atform Ju/a had mentioned)
Shryne scanned the bein-s assemb/ed on the narro. brid-e and the -reen /a.n bet.een it and the
ram,art) #/timate/y his -a7e found a short2 dark6com,/ectioned man .ith a shock of /on-2 .hite
beard)
;That1s ?ar2; he said2 ,ointin- out the Senator to Skeck and Archyr)
;And here comes troub/e2; Skeck said2 indicatin- four Roya/ %uards .ho .ere hurryin- for the
-ate2 rif/es s/un- o5er their shou/ders)
;We need to make our mo5e2; Archyr said) ;:efore any more of them sho. u,);
Skeck ,arted his /on- coat2 reached around to the sma// of his back2 and dre. a b/aster) ;So much
for ,u//in- this off .ithout a hitch);
Shryne ,/aced his ri-ht hand on the .ea,on .hi/e Skeck .as checkin- the ,o.er /e5e/) ;4ou mi-ht
not ha5e to use it) Those /on- rif/es are no match for e5en a hand b/aster2 and the -uards kno. it)
:esides2 they ,robab/y ha5en1t fired a round since the /ast roya/ funera/);
;4eah2 but can I 8uote you on that<; Skeck said)
Shryne took a ste, to.ard the doors2 fro7e2 then retreated2 ,ressin- himse/f to the .a//)
Archyr re-arded him in baff/ement) ;What6;
;Vader2; Shryne mana-ed)
Archyr1s eyes .idened) ;The b/ack stormtroo,er< Let me see6;
Shryne restrained him from mo5in-) ;e1s no stormtroo,er);
Skeck .as starin- at Shryne2 o,enmouthed) ;Why1s he here< *or you<;
Shryne shook his head to c/ear it) ;I don1t kno.) e ans.ers direct/y to the !m,eror); e /ooked at
Skeck) ;e cou/d be here for ?ar);
;Doesn1t rea//y matter2 does it2; Archyr said) ;Point bein-2 he1s here);
Shryne reached under his coat for his b/aster) ;If he is here for ?ar2 he1s -oin- to for-et a// about him
.hen he sees me);
Skeck ,/anted his hands on Shryne1s shou/ders) ;4ou .ant to think this throu-h<;
Shryne 5ouchsafed a thin smi/e) ;I 0ust did);
Vader hunted the ha//.ays of the ,a/ace2 the suit1s array of sensors enhancin- e5ery sound and
sme//2 e5ery stray mo5ement2 his hea5y c/oak hooked around the hi/t of his /i-htsaber)
The !m,eror foresa. that this .ou/d ha,,en2 he to/d himse/f That is .hy he sent me) Des,ite .hat
he says2 he is concerned about the Jedi)
"utside the ,a/ace2 marchers continued to chant and circu/ate9 inside2 -uards and others scurried
about2 sto,,in- on/y to stare and mo5e out of his ,ath) a/f of them .ere certain/y in search of
*an- ?ar2 and a// of them .ere off course) :ut then2 they /acked Vader1s sym,athy for those .ho
.ere ,ushed and ,u//ed and other.ise mani,u/ated by the *orce)
There .as a/so the fact that Vader kne. ho. Jedi thou-ht) Sensin- a subt/e ,resence2 he sto,,ed) At
the same time2 someone behind him shouted:
;Vader=;
I-nitin- his /i-htsaber2 Vader turned com,/ete/y around) ands by his sides2 Shryne stood at the
intersection of t.o corridors2 one of .hich /ed to the ,a/ace1s east ,orta/2 the other to the ba//room)
+/ear/y2 ?ar had been found2 .as ,erha,s bein- mo5ed out of the ,a/ace e5en then2 or Shryne
.ou/d not ha5e sho.n himse/f
;So you1re the bait2; Vader said after a moment) ;It1s an o/d ,/oy2 Shryne) A ,/oy I15e used) And it
.on1t .ork this time);
;I ha5e a backu, ,/an);
Shryne f/ourished the b/aster)
Vader focused on the .ea,on) ;I see that you15e abandoned your /i-htsaber);
;:ut not my commitment to 0ustice); Shryne took a moment to -/ance do.n the ha//.ay that /ed out
of the ,a/ace) ;4ou kno. ho. it is2 Vader) "nce a -ood -uy2 a/.ays a -ood -uy) Then a-ain2 you
,robab/y don1t kno. anythin- about that);
Vader ad5anced on him) ;Don1t be too sure of yourse/f);
;We1re 0ust tryin- to he/, ?ar -et home2; Shryne said2 retreatin- into the corridor) ;Su,,ose .e
/ea5e it at that);
;The !m,eror has his reasons for reca//in- ?ar to +oruscant);
;And you do .hate5er the !m,eror te//s you to do<;
In the intersection no.2 Vader cou/d discern that Shryne .as mere/y .aitin- for a chance to bo/t
throu-h the doors) We// behind Shryne2 on the far side of a footbrid-e that crossed a -ent/e cur5e of
ref/ectin- ,oo/2 one of Shryne1s armed accom,/ices .as ho/din- four Roya/ %uards at bay .hi/e the
other .as a// but dra--in- *an- ?ar to.ard a -ated breach in the ,a/ace1s defensi5e .a//2 beyond
.hich the cons,irators sure/y had a -eta.ay craft .aitin-)
Shryne fired a 8uick burst2 then s,rinted for the door.ay) :ehind him2 his humanoid accom,/ices
.ere a/so in motion2 stunnin- the -uards to unconsciousness and racin- for the o,en -ate)
An-/in- his b/ade2 Vader def/ected the bo/ts .ith intent2 but by 0inkin- and 0a--in- Shryne mana-ed
to e5ade each ,arry)
Vader /ea,t2 his ,o.erfu/ ,rosthetic /e-s carryin- him to the to, of a broad but short f/i-ht of ste,s
in time to see Shryne s,rint across the brid-e at Jedi s,eed2 motionin- to his accom,/ices to mo5e
?ar throu-h the -ate)
Vader /ea,t a-ain2 this time to the brid-e2 and to .ithin on/y a fe. meters of Shryne2 .ho s,un
about2 dro,,in- to one knee and firin- re,eated/y) This time Vader decided to sho. Shryne .hom
he .as dea/in- .ith) o/din- his /i-htsaber to one side2 he raised his ri-ht hand to turn the b/aster
bo/ts)
+/ear/y astonished2 Shryne remained on one knee2 but on/y brief/y) In an instant he had ,assed
throu-h the -ate and .as shou/derin- his .ay throu-h the cro.d outside the .a//)
Vader1s fina/ /ea, /anded him 0ust short of the ram,art) "5er the heads of the mi//in- bein-s2 at the
for.ard ed-e of a /andin- ,/atform2 a .oman .ith -ray6/aced b/ack hair .as -esturin- frantica//y to
Shryne and his cohorts2 .ho .ere a/ready hau/in- *an- ?ar u, the ,/atform ste,s)
A// too easy2 Vader to/d himse/f)
Time to end it)
AB
:ai/ and his t.o aides stood by the rece,tion room ho/o6,ro0ector2 a.aitin- some .ord of *an-
?ar1s .hereabouts) *rom the direction of the residence .in- came Anti//es and the droids)
;%o ahead2 Three,io2 te// him2; Anti//es said .hen the three of them .ere .ithin earshot of :ai/)
;$aster "r-ana2 I hard/y kno. .here to be-in2; +6APD said) ;4ou see2 sir2 my counter,art and I
.ere about to enter the ,a/ace -rounds6;
;Three,io2; Anti//es said shar,/y) ;Sa5e the /on- story for another occasion);
R>6D> communicated somethin- in b/eatin- tones)
+6APD turned to the astromech) ;Verbose< Tiresome< Just you mind your enunciator2 you6;
;See6Three,io=; Anti//es re,eated)
The ,rotoco/ droid fe// si/ent) ;I1m 5ery sorry2 sirs) I1m sim,/y unaccustomed to so much
e3citement);
;That1s a// ri-ht2 See6Three,io2; :ai/ said) ;Take your time);
;Thank you2 $aster "r-ana) I on/y .anted to re,ort that the three intruders .ho he/d us ca,ti5e
.ere a,,arent/y intent on co//ectin- some sort of Lbund/e16that .as the .ord they used6at the
,a/ace1s east -ate);
;Huick/y=; :ai/ said to his aides)
A/drete bent to ad0ust the ho/o,ro0ector1s contro/s) An instant /ater an east -ate security cam
ca,tured a ho/oima-e of *an- ?ar2 sei7ed in the -ri, of t.o humanoids .ho .ere runnin- him
to.ard a /andin- ,/atform that had been desi-nated for o/o(et ,ersonne/)
A second cam found Vader2 crimson6b/aded /i-htsaber in hand2 fendin- off b/asterfire from a /on-6
haired human ma/e .ho .as a/so racin- for the east -ate)
;Sir2; She/tray Retrac said sudden/y)
*o//o.in- Asta1s .orried -a7e2 :ai/ sa. Sate Pesta-e stridin- into the rece,tion room)
;Senator2 I ha5e 0ust /earned that Senator ?ar is at this moment bein- conducted from the ,a/ace2;
Pesta-e said2 in .hat :ai/ sensed .as a/most theatrica/ s,/een) ;If this is your .ay of ,ro5idin-
immunity6;
;We15e on/y 0ust disco5ered his .hereabouts2; :ai/ cut him off2 motionin- to the ho/oima-es) ;In
any case2 it /ooks as if the !m,eror1s 1emissary1 has the situation .e// in hand);
Pesta-e dismissed :ai/1s an-er .ith a su,erf/uous .a5e of his hand) ;Throu-h no he/, of yours2
Senator) I demand that you secure the ,a/ace before it1s too /ate=;
:ai/ -/anced at the ho/oima-es of Vader2 the /on-6haired man2 *an- ?ar)))
;Sea/ it2 I te// you=;
:ai/ took a fina/ -/ance at the ima-es2 then com,/ied)
*irin- on the run2 Shryne made a mad dash for the ram,art -ate) If his retreat struck Skeck2 or
Archyr2 or e5en *an- ?ar2 as co.ard/y2 then so be it) *or it .as c/ear that Vader .asn1t -oin- to be
sto,,ed by b/aster bo/ts2 and Shryne .as a /on- .ay from the nearest /i-htsaber)
Shryne .asn1t sur,rised that Vader kne. him by name9 that he did on/y reinforced the fact that
Vader and the !m,eror had fu// access to the Jedi Tem,/e databases) *or a// Shryne kne.2 Vader had
been at the Tem,/e .hen *i//i :itters had s/iced into the beacon)
"utside the -ate no.2 he be-an to 7i-7a- throu-h the dense/y ,acked cro.d) +atchin- si-ht of his
.ea,on2 many of the marchers hastened to o,en a ,ath for him6an ob5ious berserker in their midst)
Throu-h -a,s in the thron-2 Shryne cou/d see Skeck2 Archyr2 Ju/a2 and ?ar on the /andin- ,/atform2
surrounded by .hat Shryne took to be irate o/o(et corres,ondents2 ye//in- at them and
-esticu/atin- to the dro, shi, that had set do.n .ithout ,ermission)
Jud-in- by her -estures2 Ju/a .as attem,tin- to ,/acate e5eryone2 or at /east assure them that the
shi, .ou/d soon be on its .ay6assumin- that Vader didn1t scutt/e their ,/ans .ith a sin-/e /ea,)
$id.ay u, the stair.ay that /ed to the /andin- ,/atform2 Shryne came to a ha/t2 to take .hat he
ho,ed .ou/d be a /ast /ook at Vader2 .ho .as sti// on the ,a/ace -rounds2 a cou,/e of meters shy of
the ram,art -ate) "f -reater interest to Shryne2 ho.e5er2 .as the fact that an a//oy curtain2 thick as a
b/ast shie/d2 .as descendin- ra,id/y from the head 0amb of the arched entrance)
The ,a/ace .as bein- sea/ed shut2 and Vader .as in risk of not makin- it throu-h the -ate in time=
#nderstandin- as much2 the !m,eror1s e3ecutioner .as mo5in- faster no.) A 0um, carried him to
the ram,art2 0ust short of the /o.erin- shie/d2 .here he did somethin- so une3,ected that it took
Shryne a moment to make sense of .hat .as ha,,enin-)
Vader hur/ed his i-nited /i-htsaber throu-h the air)
*or a s,/it second Shryne thou-ht that he had done so in an-er) Then2 in a.e2 he -ras,ed that Vader
had aimed)
S,innin- out from under the /o.erin- security -rate2 the crimson b/ade sai/ed hi-h o5er the cro.d2
fo//o.in- a tra0ectory that took it north of the /andin- ,/atform9 then2 on reachin- the dista/ end of
its arc2 it be-an to boomeran- back)
Shryne f/e. for the to, of the stair.ay2 his -a7e fri//y en-a-ed on the t.ir/in- b/ade2 his heart
hammerin- in his chest) +a//in- on the *orce2 he tried to inf/uence the course of the /i-htsaber2 but
either the *orce .asn1t .ith him or Vader1s *orce abi/ities .ere o5er,o.erin- his)
The b/ade .as .hi,,in- to.ard the /andin- ,/atform no.2 c/ose enou-h for Shryne to hear it .hine
throu-h the air2 and s,innin- so s.ift/y it mi-ht ha5e been a b/ood6red disk)
Passin- .ithin a meter of Shryne1s outstretched hands2 the /i-htsaber struck *an- ?ar first2 ri,,in- a
dee, -ou-e across his u,,er chest and near/y deca,itatin- him9 then2 continuin- on2 it struck an
unsus,ectin- Ju/a across the back before com,/etin- its s.ift and /etha/ circ/e and s/ammin- into
the u,,er reaches of the fu//y /o.ered ram,art -ate2 .here it s.itched off and ,/ummeted to the
,a5in- stones .ith a meta//ic c/an-or)
"n the /andin- ,/atform2 Skeck .as bent /o. o5er *an- ?ar9 Archyr2 o5er Ju/a)
Rooted in ,/ace Shryne cou/d sense Vader on the far side of the -ate2 a b/ack ho/e of ra-e)
Shryne commenced a stiff6/e--ed descent of the stair.ay2 deaf to a// sound2 b/ind to co/or2 scarce/y
in ,ossession of his se/f
e didn1t come to his senses unti/ he reached the foot of the stairs2 .here he turned and ran to he/,
-et his mother and ?ar aboard the dro, shi,)
AC
"ne by one Pa/,atine1s mi/itary ad5isers a,,eared before him2 standin- in ,ostures of obeisance
be/o. the throne room1s dais2 their eyes narro.ed a-ainst the oran-e b/a7e of +oruscant1s settin-
sun2 de/i5erin- their re,orts and a,,raisa/s2 their e3,ert assessments of the state of his !m,ire)
Roya/ %uards stood to both sides of the hi-h6backed chair9 behind them sat $as Amedda2 S/y
$oore2 and other members of Pa/,atine1s inner circ/e)
e /istened to e5eryone .ithout comment)
In some out/yin- systems2 arsena/s of Se,aratist .ea,ons2 in some cases entire f/oti//as of droid6
,i/oted .arshi,s2 had been commandeered by ro-ue ,arami/itary -rou,s before Im,eria/ forces
cou/d reach them)
In utt s,ace2 smu--/ers2 ,irates2 and other scoundre/s .ere takin- ad5anta-e of the !m,eror1s need
to conso/idate ,o.er by b/a7in- ne. routes for the mo5ement of s,ice and other ,roscribed -oods)
"n many former +IS .or/ds2 bounty hunters .ere trackin- do.n former Se,aratist co//uders)
In the $id Rim2 Im,eria/ academies .ere fi//in- .ith recruits obtained from f/i-ht schoo/s
throu-hout the -a/a3y)
In the "uter Rim2 three ne. batches of stormtroo,ers .ere bein- -ro.n)
+/oser to the +ore2 ca,ita/ shi,s .ere bein- turned out by Sienar2 'uat Dri5e2 and other yards)
And yet at ,resent there .ere sim,/y too fe. batt/e -rou,s or stormtroo,ers to de,/oy at e5ery
,otentia/ troub/e s,ot)
$assi5e ,rotests had been he/d on A/deraan2 +ore//ia2 and +ommenor)
Pro-ress .as /a--in- on se5era/ of the !m,eror1s most cherished ,ro0ects2 o.in- to a /ack of
construction .orkers)))
When the /ast of his ad5isers had come and -one2 Pa/,atine dismissed e5eryone2 inc/udin- the
members of his inner circ/e2 and sat -a7in- o5er the .estern citysca,e as it came to bri//iant /i-ht in
the dee,enin- dusk)
#nder the ru/e of the ancient Sith2 the future of the -a/a3y had been in the ab/e hands of many dark
so5erei-ns) (o. res,onsibi/ity for maintainin- order rested on/y .ith Darth Sidious)
*or the moment it .as enou-h that his ad5isers and minions res,ected him6for reestab/ishin- ,eace2
for e/iminatin- the -rou, that had ,osed the -reatest threat to continued stabi/ity6but e5entua//y
those same ad5isers .ou/d need to fear him) To understand the -reat ,o.er he .ie/ded2 as both
!m,eror and Dark Lord of the Sith) And to that end2 Sidious needed Vader)
*or if someone as ,otent as Vader ans.ered to the !m,eror2 then ho. ,o.erfu/ must the !m,eror
be=
After he had s,ent se5era/ hours driftin- on the currents of ,ossib/e futures2 Pa/,atine summoned
Sate Pesta-e) S.i5e/in- his chair from the 5ie. of +oruscant .hen the most trusted of his ad5isers
entered the throne room2 Pa/,atine ordered Pesta-e to take a seat and a,,raised him)
;!5ents unfo/ded as you assured they .ou/d2; Pesta-e said .hen Pa/,atine nodded for him to
s,eak) ;"r-ana .as 5ery ,redictab/e) $y inter5ention .as minima/);
;Senator "r-ana .as .i//in- to a//o. *an- ?ar to esca,e2 you mean);
;It certain/y seemed that .ay);
Pa/,atine considered it) ;e may bear .atchin- in the future) :ut at ,resent .e .on1t make an issue
of it) And Senator ?ar<;
Pesta-e si-hed .ith meanin-) ;%ra5e/y .ounded) Perha,s dead);
;Pity) Does "r-ana kno.<;
;4es) e .as 5ery troub/ed by the outcome);
;And Lord Vader<;
;!5en more troub/ed by the outcome);
Pa/,atine a//o.ed a -rin of satisfaction) ;!5en better);
Returned to its astra/ sanctuary2 the Drunk Dancer drifted in s,ace)
*rom the hatch to medbay2 a >6&: droid ho5ered out to re,ort that it had been ab/e to sa5e Ju/a2 but
that *an- ?ar had died on the o,eratin- tab/e)
;Dama-e sustained by ma0or 5esse/s that su,,/y the heart .as too e3tensi5e to re,air2 sir2; the droid
to/d Shryne) ;!5erythin- that cou/d be done2 .as done);
Shryne /ooked in on Ju/a2 .ho .as hea5i/y sedated) ;I dra--ed you ri-ht back into it2; she said
.eak/y)
e ,ushed her hair off her forehead) ;There mi-ht ha5e been other forces at .ork);
;Don1t say that2 Roan) We 0ust need to -et farther a.ay); e smi/ed .ith effort)
;I1// ask Archyr about outfittin- the shi, .ith an inter-a/actic dri5e);
e /et her drift into s/ee, and .ent to his bunk) Whene5er he shut his eyes2 he .ou/d see the
tra0ectory of Vader1s b/ade9 .ou/d see it s/icin- throu-h ?ar2 throu-h Ju/a))) e didn1t need to shut
his eyes to reca// ho. it had fe/t to be o5er.he/med by Vader1s abi/ity to use the *orce)
To use the ,o.er of the dark side)
A Sith)
Shryne .as certain no.)
A Sith in ser5ice to !m,eror Pa/,atine)
That .as the re5e/ation he cou/dn1t banish)
+ount Dooku mi-ht as .e// ha5e .on the .ar2 sa5e for the fact that in ,/ace of inde,endent
systems2 free trade2 and the rest2 the -a/a3y ans.ered to the e3c/usi5e ru/e of Pa/,atine)
:ut ho.< Shryne asked himse/f) o. had it ha,,ened<
ad Pa/,atine1s a//iance .ith Vader been brou-ht about by the death of the +hosen "ne< ad
Vader6Darth Vader6ki//ed Anakin Sky.a/ker< ad he struck a dea/ .ith Pa/,atine beforehand2
,romisin- Pa/,atine un/imited ,o.er in e3chan-e for sanctionin- Vader1s murder of the +hosen
"ne and the e/imination of the Jedi2 thus ti,,in- the -a/a3y fu//y to the dark side<
Was it any .onder2 then2 that bein-s .ere f/eein- for the far6f/un- reaches of kno.n s,ace<
And .as it any .onder that Shryne had /acked the stren-th to a/ter the course of Vader1s /i-htsaber<
e had thou-ht of his diminished abi/ities as a ,ersona/ fai/ure6o.in- to the fact that he had /ost his
faith in the Jedi order2 a//o.ed his t.o Pada.ans to die2 -ro.n thou-ht6bound6.hen2 in fact2 it .as
the *orce as the Jedi had kno.n it that had been defeated)
The f/ame e3tin-uished)
"n the one hand2 it meant that Shryne1s transition into re-u/ar /ife cou/d ,robab/y ,roceed more
smooth/y than he had thou-ht9 by contrast2 that re-u/ar /ife meant e3istin- in a .or/d .here e5i/ had
trium,hed and ru/ed)
In the antechamber of his ,ri5ate retreat2 Sidious2 dressed in a dark b/ue co./ed robe2 ,aced in front
of the cur5ed .indo. .a//) Vader stood ri-id/y at the center of the room2 his -/o5ed hands crossed
in front of him)
;It a,,ears you attended to our /itt/e ,rob/em on A/deraan2 Lord Vader2; Sidious said)
;4es2 $aster) *an- ?ar need no /on-er concern you);
;I kno. I shou/d fee/ some sense of re/ief) :ut in fact2 I1m not entire/y ,/eased .ith the outcome)
?ar1s death cou/d arouse sym,athy in the Senate);
Vader stirred) ;e /eft me no recourse);
Sidious came to a ha/t and turned to.ard Vader) ;(o recourse< Why didn1t you sim,/y a,,rehend
him2 as I asked<;
;e made the mistake of attem,tin- to f/ee);
;:ut you a-ainst someone /ike *an- ?ar< It hard/y seems an e8uitab/e match2 Lord Vader);
;?ar .as not a/one2; Vader said .ith 5enom) ;What1s more2 if you don1t /ike the .ay)));
Sudden/y intri-ued2 Sidious mo5ed c/oser) ;Ah2 .hat1s this< A//o.in- your .ords to trai/ off6as if I
can1t see their destination); An-er sho.ed in his ye//o. eyes) ;As if I can1t see the thou-ht behind
them=;
Vader said nothin-)
;Perha,s you1re not en0oyin- your ne. station in /ife2 is that it< Perha,s you tire a/ready of
e3ecutin- my commands); Sidious stared at him) ;Perha,s you think you1re better suited to occu,y
the throne than I am) Is that it2 Lord Vader< If so2 then admit as much=;
:reathin- dee,/y2 Vader remained si/ent for a moment more) ;I am but an a,,rentice) 4ou are the
$aster);
;Interestin- that you refrain from ca//in- me your $aster);
Vader inc/ined his head to Sidious) ;I meant nothin- by it2 my $aster) ;
Sidious sneered) ;Perha,s you .ish you cou/d strike me do.n2 is that it<;
;(o2 $aster);
;What sto,s you from doin- so< "bi6Wan .as once your $aster2 and you .ere certain/y ,re,ared
to ki// him) !5en if you fai/ed);
Vader c/enched his ri-ht hand) ;"bi6Wan did not understand the ,o.er of the dark side);
;And you do<;
;(o2 $aster) (ot yet) (ot fu//y);
;And that1s .hy you don1t try to strike me do.n< :ecause I ,ossess ,o.ers you /ack<; Sidious
/ifted his arms2 hands de,/oyed /ike c/a.s2 as if to summon and hur/ Sith /i-htnin-) ;:ecause you
kno. that I cou/d easi/y o5er.he/m the de/icate e/ectrica/ systems of your suit);
Vader stood his -round) ;I don1t fear death2 $aster);
Sidious -rinned ma/icious/y) ;Then .hy -o on /i5in-2 my youn- a,,rentice<;
Vader /ooked do.n at him) ;To /earn to become more ,o.erfu/);
Sidious /o.ered his hands) ;Then I ask you one fina/ time2 Lord Vader) Why not strike me do.n<;
;:ecause you are my ,ath to ,o.er2 $aster2; Vader said) ;:ecause I need you);
Sidious narro.ed his eyes and nodded) ;Just /ike I needed my $aster6for a time);
;4es2 $aster2; Vader said fina//y) ;*or a time);
;%ood) Very -ood); Sidious smi/ed in satisfaction) ;And no. you are ready to re/ease your an-er);
Vader e5inced confusion)
;4our fu-iti5e Jedi2 my a,,rentice2; Sidious said) ;They are tra5e/in- to 'ashyyyk); e ti,,ed his
head to one side) ;Perha,s2 Lord Vader2 they ho,e to /ay a tra, for you);
Vader c/enched his hands) ;That .ou/d be my most fer5ent .ish2 my $aster);
Sidious c/am,ed his hands on Vader1s u,,er arms) ;Then -o to them2 Lord Vader) $ake them sorry
they didn1t hide .hi/e they had the chance=;
PART IV
'AS444'
AE
Inside the battered trans,ort that had once be/on-ed to an Im,eria/ -arrison on De//a/t2 "/ee
Starstone and the si3 Jedi .ho had 0oined her crusade .aited to be -ranted c/earance to continue on
to 'ashyyyk s,ace) The commanders of the ha/f do7en Im,eria/ cor5ettes that made u, the
ins,ection6,oint ,icket ans.ered not to distant +oruscant but to the re-iona/ -o5ernor2
head8uartered on :immisaari)
The Jedi had done a// they cou/d to make the shi, /ook the ,art of a mi/itary6sur,/us trans,ort)
Thanks most/y to Ju/a1s cre.2 the dri5es had been t.eaked to ,roduce a ne. si-nature2 the shi,1s
,rofi/e had been a/tered2 the defensi5e shie/ds and countermeasures suite re,aired) To ensure that
.hat remained conformed to Im,eria/ standards2 many of the ad5anced sensors and scanners had
been e/iminated2 a/on- .ith most of the /aser cannons) The Drunk Dancer1s maintenance droids had
-i5en the shi, a 8uick ,aint 0ob and had he/,ed remo5e some of the seats amidshi,s2 to create a
common cabin s,ace)
To Starstone2 the 5esse/1s fresh /ook matched the fa/se identities the Jedi had ado,ted2 as .e// as the
c/othes that made them /ook /ike a mot/ey cre. of stru--/in- s,ace merchants)
The trans,ort1s cock,it .as s,acious enou-h to accommodate Starstone and *i//i :itters2 in addition
to Jambe Lu and (am Poorf2 /ate of the Tem,/e1s A-ricu/tura/ +or,s2 .ho .ere doin- the ,i/otin-2
and sti//6si-ht/ess Derai/ (a/ua/2 .ho .as tucked into the cram,ed communications duty station)
(o one had said a .ord since (a/ua/ had transmitted the shi,1s authori7ation key to the ,icket
array1s cardina/ cor5ette) *i//i .as confident that the trans,ort1s a/tered dri5e si-nature .ou/d ,ass
muster2 but6ne. to for-in- Im,eria/ code6he .as /ess certain about the authori7ation key)
Starstone ,/aced her hand on Jambe1s shou/der2 as a .ay of sayin-: :e ready to make a run for it)
Jambe .as centerin- himse/f behind the steerin- yoke .hen an officious 5oice issued from the
cock,it s,eakers)
;Va-abond Trader2 you are c/eared for a,,roach to 'ashyyyk) +ommerce +ontro/ .i// ,ro5ide you
.ith 5ector coordinates for atmos,heric entry and /andin-);
;#nderstood2; Deran said into the mouth,iece of her headset)
!n-a-in- the trans,ort1s sub/i-ht dri5e2 Jambe and (am be-an to ed-e the trans,ort throu-h the
cordon)
Starstone heard *i//i1s eased e3ha/ation and turned to him) ;4ou a// ri-ht<;
;I am no.2; he said) ;I .as f/yin- b/ind .ith that code);
;I -uess .e1re both that -ood2; Deran said from behind him)
Starstone touched Deran on the arm and smi/ed at *i//i) e smi/ed back) ;%/ad to he/,);
Starstone .as sti// -ettin- used to *i//i1s fre8uent/y a.k.ard attem,ts at f/irtation) :ut then2 she
.asn1t e5en ranked a be-inner) The idea that the to.headed s/icer .as on tem,orary /oan from the
Drunk Dancer .as absurd) Shryne .as mere/y usin- *i//i as a means of kee,in- tabs on the Jedi2
but she refused to /et that bother her) If *i//i1s s/icin- ski//s cou/d he/, /ocate fu-iti5e Jedi2 so much
the better2 e5en if she did ha5e to ,retend to be f/attered by his attention2 as o,,osed to bein-
embarrassed by it) She /iked him more and more2 but she had her ,riorities strai-ht2 and
in5o/5ement .asn1t amon- them)
She .asn1t Shryne)
Initia//y she had been an-ry at him and at his e5er6,ersuasi5e mother2 but in the end she had
rea/i7ed that her an-er .as rooted more in attachment than anythin- e/se) Shryne had his o.n ,ath
to fo//o. in the *orce2 des,ite his be/iefs to the contrary2 and des,ite the fact that she missed him)
The .orst ,art about it .as that she had someho. assumed the mant/e of /eader) (ot.ithstandin-
that both Siadem *orte and the o1Din2 I.o 'u/ka2 .ere Jedi 'ni-hts2 they had re/in8uished their
due as hi-her6rankin- Jedi .ithout the issue e5er bein- raised) *or that matter2 e5en Jambe and (am
outranked her) :ut because1 the search had been her idea2 e5eryone had essentia//y -ranted her tacit
a,,ro5a/ to do most of the thinkin-)
+/ear e5idence of e5eryone1s sense of dis,ossession2 she thou-ht)
"n a mission that .asn1t a Jedi mission2 but .as a// about bein- a Jedi)
And thus far the crusade had come to nothin-)
"n e5ery .or/d they had 5isited bet.een *e/ucia and Sa/eucami it had been the same: the Jedi had
been re5ea/ed as traitors to the Re,ub/ic and had been ki//ed by the c/one troo,ers they had
commanded) (one had sur5i5ed2 Starstone and the others had been to/d) And ,ity any .ho had
sur5i5ed2 for anti6Jedi sentiment .as .ides,read2 es,ecia//y in the "uter Rim2 amon- ,o,u/ations
that had been dra.n into the .ar and no. sa. themse/5es as ha5in- been mere ,erformers in a
-ame the Jedi had been ,/ayin- to assume contro/ of the Re,ub/ic)
Justification for Shryne to say I to/d you so .hen they ne3t met)
!5en in the fe. standard .eeks since the .ar1s end2 a dramatic chan-e had taken ,/ace) With the
ra,id diffusion of the symbo/s of the !m,ire2 fear .as radiatin- from the +ore) "n .or/ds .here
,eace shou/d ha5e brou-ht re/ief2 distrust and sus,icion ,re5ai/ed) The .ar .as o5er2 and yet
bri-ades of stormtroo,ers remained -arrisoned on hundreds of .or/ds2 former/y Se,aratist and
Re,ub/ic a/ike) The .ar .as o5er2 and yet Im,eria/ ins,ection ,oints dotted the ma0or hy,er/anes
and sector 0um, ,oints) The .ar .as o5er2 and yet the ca// .as out for recruits to ser5e in the
Im,eria/ armed forces)
The .ar .as o5er2 and yet the o/o(et addressed /itt/e e/se)
Starstone be/ie5ed she understood .hy: because in the de,ths of his b/ack heart2 the !m,eror kne.
that the ne3t .ar .ou/dn1t be fou-ht from the outside in2 but rather from the inside out) That not a
-eneration .ou/d ,ass2 much /ess the ten thousand years Pa/,atine had ,redicted the !m,ire to
endure2 before the disease that had no. taken root on +oruscant .ou/d infect e5ery system in the
-a/a3y)
!5en so2 as des,erate as the 8uest seemed2 she .as sti// countin- on the Wookiees to ,ro5ide the
Jedi .ith the ho,e they needed to carry on) *rom information -/eaned from the Tem,/e beacon
database2 they kne. that three Jedi had been dis,atched to 'ashyyyk: Huin/an Vos2 Luminara
#ndu/i2 and $aster 4oda himse/f2 .ho2 accordin- to *orte and 'u/ka2 had en0oyed a /on-standin-
re/ationshi, .ith the Wookiees)
If there .as a ,/anet .here Jedi cou/d ha5e sur5i5ed Pa/,atine1s e3ecution order2 'ashyyyk .ou/d
be it)
;Wookiee Wor/d2; (am said as he dro,,ed the bo. of the trans,ort)
The ,/anet rose into 5ie.2 .hiteca,,ed2 other.ise -reen and b/ue) Do7ens of hu-e 5esse/s hun- in
orbit2 inc/udin- the ,erforated hu/ks of se5era/ Se,aratist .arshi,s) *erries and dro, shi,s cou/d be
seen emer-in- from and disa,,earin- into 'ashyyyk1s hi-h6stacked c/ouds)
Jambe indicated a Se,aratist shi,2 ti,,ed o5er on its starboard side2 its underbe//y hea5i/y ,unctured
by turbo/aser bo/ts) #mbi/ica/ed to it .ere a ,air of craft that /ooked more /ike musica/ horns than
s,ace 5esse/s)
;Wookiee shi,s2; Jambe said) ;They1re ,robab/y canniba/i7in- .hate5er1s usefu/);
*i//i /eaned to.ard the 5ie.,orts for a better /ook) ;They take immi-rant techno/o-y and make it a//
their o.n) *or enou-h credits2 they cou/d ,robab/y bui/d us a .ooden starshi,);
Starstone had heard as much) In5enti5e handi.ork .as the ,rimary reason Wookiees fre8uent/y fe//
,rey to s/a5e traders2 es,ecia//y Trandoshans2 their re,ti/ian ,/anetary nei-hbors) Ski//2 ho.e5er2
hadn1t brou-ht the Se,aratists to 'ashyyyk2 or the Trade *ederation before them) The system .as
not on/y c/ose to se5era/ ma0or hy,er/anes2 but a/so an entry ,oint for an entire 8uadrant of s,ace) A
Wookiee -ui/d of carto-ra,hers kno.n as the +/aatu5ac .ere said to ha5e ma,,ed star routes that
didn1t e5en a,,ear on Re,ub/ic or Se,aratist charts)
The communications conso/e chimed a re,eatin- series of tones)
;Vector routin- from +ommerce +ontro/2; Deran said) ;$ake sure they understand .e .ant to set
do.n near 'achirho2; Starstone said)
Deran nodded) ;Transmittin- our re8uest) Re/ayin- course coordinates to na5i-ation);
(am thre. an e3cited /ook o5er his shou/der) ;I15e .anted to 5isit 'ashyyyk for ten years);
;a/f the +ore .ou/d /ike to 5isit 'ashyyyk2; *i//i said) ;:ut the Wookiees don1t cater to tourists);
;What2 no /u3ury accommodations<; Jambe said)
*i//i shook his head) ;They mi-ht be .i//in- to ,ro5ide a tent);
;o. many times ha5e you been here<; Starstone asked him)
e thou-ht about it2 then shru--ed) ;Ten2 t.e/5e) In bet.een re-u/ar 0obs2 .e1d sometimes run
scra, techno/o-y here);
;+an you s,eak the /an-ua-e<; (am asked)
*i//i /au-hed) ;I once met a human .ho cou/d bark a cou,/e of usefu/ ,hrases2 but the best I cou/d
e5er mana-e .as a 1thank you21 and that .orked on/y one out of ten times);
Starstone fro.ned) ;Do .e ha5e a trans/ator droid or some sort of emu/ator<;
;We .on1t need one2; *i//i said) ;The Wookiees em,/oy a mi3ed6s,ecies staff of -o6bet.eens to
he/, out .ith sa/es and trades);
;Who do .e ask for<; Starstone said)
*i//i took a moment) ;Last time I .as here2 there .as a -uy named +ud-e/)));
The Va-abond Trader be-an its descent into 'ashyyyk1s aromatic atmos,here2 /i-ht fadin- as the
shi, dro,,ed be/o. the cano,y of the ,/anet1s three6hundred6meter6ta// .roshyr trees into an area of
ma0estic c/iffs cro.ned .ith 5e-etation) Ad0ustin- course2 Jambe and (am -uided the trans,ort to a
/akeshore /andin- ,/atform made of .ood) To.erin- ma0estica//y o5er the ,/atform and the
a8uamarine /ake rose the city of 'achirho2 .hich consisted of a c/uster of -iant2 tiered .roshyrs)
In his ea-erness to fu/fi// a ten6year dream2 (am near/y botched the /andin-2 but no one .as hurt2
des,ite bein- tossed about) As soon as e5eryone had e3ited the shi,2 *i//i disa,,eared to find
+ud-e/)
Starstone -a7ed at the trees and sheer c/iffs in .onderment) er ho,es for findin- 4oda
not.ithstandin-2 the Wookiee .or/d rendered other ,/anets she had 5isited ,rosaic by com,arison)
The scene at the e3otic /andin- ,/atform a/one .as im,ressi5e2 .ith shi,s comin- and -oin-2 and
-rou,s of Wookiees and their /iaison cre.s ha--/in- .ith bein-s re,resentin- do7ens of different
s,ecies) "utsi7e /o-s and s/abs of fine6-rained hard.oods .ere hea,ed about2 and the air .as rich
.ith the heady sme// of tree sa,2 and /oud .ith the drone of nearby /umber mi//s) Protoco/ and /abor
droids su,er5ised the /oadin- and off/oadin- of car-o2 .hich .as mo5ed by teams of horn/ess
banthas or e38uisite/y crafted ho5ers/eds) A// of the acti5ity shaded and d.arfed by trees that
seemed to reach to the 5ery ed-e of s,ace)))
Starstone had to catch her breath) The -ar-antuan si7e of e5erythin- made her fee/ /ike an insect)
She .as sti// -a,in- /ike a tourist .hen *i//i returned2 accom,anied by a thickset ma/e human
dressed in short trousers and a s/ee5e/ess shirt) If he .asn1t 8uite as hairy as a Wookiee2 it .as not
for .ant of tryin-)
;+ud-e/2; *i//i said2 by .ay of introduction)
+ud-e/ smi/ed at e5eryone in turn2 0ocu/ar but c/ear/y dubious2 and Starstone immediate/y sa. .hy)
Whi/e she and her band of fu-iti5e Jedi cou/d dress the ,art of merchants2 e5en ta/k the ,art2 they
cou/dn1t stand the ,art)
Litera//y)
Strai-ht6backed2 si/ent2 hands c/as,ed in front of them2 they /ooked more /ike a -rou, of
5acationin- meditators2 .hich .as not far from the truth)
;*irst time to 'ashyyyk<; +ud-e/ said)
;4es2; Starstone ans.ered for e5eryone) ;o,efu//y not our /ast);
;We/come2 then); *orcin- a smi/e2 he eyed the trans,ort) ;This is an L t.o hundred2 isn1t it<;
;$i/itary sur,/us2; *i//i said 8uick/y)
+ud-e/ cocked a f/arin- eyebro. ;A/ready< I .as under the im,ression there .asn1t any sur,/us);
:efore *i//i cou/d res,ond2 he continued: ;+an1t be carryin- much in the .ay of trade -oods) Are
you off a frei-hter u, to,< ;
;We1re not here to trade2 e3act/y2; *i//i said) ;$ore in the .ay of a fact6findin- mission);
;We1re in the market for an "e55aor catamaran2; Starstone e3,/ained)
+ud-e/ b/inked in sur,rise) ;Then your shi, had better be fi//ed .ith aurodium credits);
;"ur c/ient is ,re,ared to ,ay a fair ,rice2; Starstone said) +ud-e/ stroked his chest6/en-th beard)
;(ot a 8uestion of ,rice) $ore of a5ai/abi/ity);
;o. bad .ere thin-s here<; *orte asked abru,t/y) ;The batt/e2 I mean< ;
+ud-e/ fo//o.ed the Jedi1s -a7e to the tree6city) ;:ad enou-h) The Wookiees are sti// c/eanin- u,);
;$any ki//ed<; (am asked)
;!5en one1s too many);
;Were any Jedi in5o/5ed<;
Jambe1s 8uestion seemed to sto, +ud-e/ co/d) ;Why do you ask<;
;We 0ust came from Sa/eucami2; Starstone said2 ho,in- to ,ut +ud-e/ at ease) ;We heard that
se5era/ Jedi .ere ki//ed by c/one troo,ers durin- the batt/e);
+ud-e/ a,,raised her) ;I .ou/dn1t kno. about that) I .as in R.ookrrorro durin- most of it); e
,ointed) ;"ther side of the escar,ment);
A short si/ence fe// o5er e5eryone)
;We//2 /et1s see if I can1t find someone .ho kno.s catamarans2; +ud-e/ said at /ast)
Starstone ke,t 8uiet unti/ the hirsute midd/eman had mo5ed off) ;I don1t think that .ent so .e//2;
she said to *orte and the others)
;Shou/dn1t matter2; I.o 'u/ka said) ;'ashyyyk isn1t Sa/eucami or *e/ucia) We1re in Jedi6friend/y
territory);
;That1s .hat you said on :o7 Pity6; Starstone started to say .hen *i//i cut her off)
;+ud-e/1s back);
With four ran-y Wookiees in to.2 Starstone sa.)
;These are the fo/k I to/d you about2; +ud-e/ .as te//in- the Wookiees2 in :asic)
:efore Starstone cou/d o,en her mouth to s,eak2 the Wookiees bared their fan-s and brandished the
most bi7arre6/ookin- hand b/asters she had e5er seen)
A@
The Star Destroyer !3actor and its o/der sib/in-2 !3ecutri32 drifted side by side2 bo.6to6stern2
formin- a ,ara//e/o-ram of armor and armament)
Vader1s b/ack shutt/e na5i-ated the short distance bet.een them)
e sat in the ,assen-er ho/d1s for.ard ro. of seats2 his cadre of stormtroo,ers behind him2 and his
thou-hts focused on .hat a.aited him on 'ashyyyk2 rather than on the imminent meetin-2 .hich
he sus,ected .as /itt/e more than a forma/ity)
is /ast con5ersation .ith Sidious2 .eeks ear/ier but as if on/y yesterday2 had made it c/ear that his
$aster .as mani,u/atin- him no. as much as he had before he had turned) :efore and durin- the
.ar Sidious1s intention had been to entice him into 0oinin- the Sith9 since2 the -oa/ .as to transform
him into a Sith) That .as2 to im,ress u,on Vader that the ,o.er of the dark side did not f/o. from
understandin- but from a,,etite2 ri5a/ry2 a5arice2 and ma/ice) The 5ery 8ua/ities the Jedi considered
base and corru,t)
As a means of kee,in- their ,/ucked ,u,i/s from e3,/orin- the dee,er sides of their nature9 as a
means of reinin- them2 /est they disco5ered for themse/5es the rea/ ,o.er of the *orce)
An-er /eads to fear9 fear to hatred9 hatred to the dark side))) Precise/y2 Vader thou-ht)
At Sidious1s insistence2 he had s,ent the recent .eeks shar,enin- his abi/ity to summon and make
use of his ra-e2 and fe/t ,oised at the ed-e of a si-nificant increase in his abi/ities)
Dee, s,ace .as a,,ro,riate to such fee/in-s2 he to/d himse/f as he -a7ed out the cabin1s 5ie.,ort)
S,ace .as more a,,ro,riate for the Sith than for the Jedi) The in5isib/e ens/a5ement to -ra5ity2 the
contained ,o.er of the stars2 the utter insi-nificance of /ife))) y,ers,ace2 by contrast2 .as more
suitab/e to the Jedi: nebu/ous2 neither here nor there2 incoherent)
When the shutt/e had docked in the !3ecutor1s ho/d2 Vader /ed his contin-ent of stormtroo,ers out
of the 5esse/2 on/y to find that his host hadn1t sho.n him the courtesy of bein- on hand to -reet him)
Waitin-2 instead2 .as his host1s contin-ent of -ray6uniformed cre. members2 commanded by a
human officer named Darcc)
The -ames be-in2 Vader thou-ht2 as he a//o.ed +a,tain Darcc to escort him dee,er into the shi,)
The cabin to .hich he .as u/timate/y /ed .as in the u,,ermost reaches of the Star Destroyer1s
connin- to.er) "n enterin-2 Vader found his host sittin- behind a -/eamin- s/ab of desk2 ,/ain/y
debatin- .hether to remain seated or to stand9 .hether to ,/ace himse/f on e8ua/ footin- .ith
Vader2 or2 by a,,earance2 to continue to su--est su,eriority) 'no.in-2 in any case2 that Vader
,referred to remain on his feet2 his host .as not /ike/y to -esture him to a chair) 'no.in-2 too2 that
Vader .as ca,ab/e of stran-/in- him from c/ear across the cabin mi-ht a/so fi-ure into his decision)
What to do< his host must ha5e been thinkin-)
And then he stood2 a s/ender2 shar,6featured man2 comin- around from behind the desk .ith his
hands c/as,ed behind his back)
;Thank you for detourin- from your course2; Wi/huff Tarkin said)
The e3,ression of -ratitude .as une3,ected) :ut if Tarkin .as intent on ,ro/on-in- the -ame2 then
Vader .ou/d humor him2 since in the end it amounted to nothin- more than estab/ishin- status)
This .as .hat the !m,ire .ou/d be2 he thou-ht) A contest amon- men intent on c/a.in- their .ay
to the to,2 to sit at Sidious1s feet)
;The !m,eror re8uested it2; Vader said fina//y)
Tarkin ,ursed his thin /i,s) ;I su,,ose .e can attribute that to the !m,eror1s astute abi/ity to brin-
/ike6minded bein-s to-ether);
;"r ,it them a-ainst one another);
Tarkin ado,ted a more sober /ook) ;That2 too2 Lord Vader);
With a mind as shar, as his cheekbones2 Tarkin had risen 8uick/y throu-h the ranks of Pa/,atine1s
ne./y formed staff of ,o/itica/ and mi/itary e/ite2 amon- .hom naked ambition .as hi-h/y ,ri7ed)
So much so that a ne. honorific had been created for Tarkin and ambitious men /ike him: $off)
Vader had met him once before2 aboard a Venator6c/ass Star Destroyer2 at the remote /ocation .here
the !m,eror1s secret .ea,on .as under construction) Vader2 sti// ne. to his suit then9 a.k.ard2
uncertain2 bet.een .or/ds)
Tarkin ,erched himse/f on the ed-e of his desk and smi/ed thin/y) ;Perha,s bet.een the t.o of us2
.e can determine the reason the !m,eror arran-ed this rende75ous);
Vader crossed his -/o5ed hands in front of him) ;I sus,ect that you kno. more about the ,ur,ose of
this meetin- than I do2 $off Tarkin);
Tarkin1s smi/e disa,,eared2 and in its ,/ace came a /ook of shar, attenti5eness) ;Sure/y you can
-uess2 my friend);
;'ashyyyk);
;:ra5o);
Tarkin acti5ated a ho/o,/ate that sat ato, his desk) In the cone of b/ue /i-ht that rose from it2 a
bruised trans,ort of mi/itary desi-n cou/d be seen mo5in- throu-h a cordon of Im,eria/ cor5ettes)
;This .as recorded a,,ro3imate/y ten hours a-o2 /oca/2 at the 'ashyyyk system check,oint) As you
may ha5e a/ready -uessed2 the trans,ort be/on-s to the Jedi) It a,,ears to be a ci5i/ian mode/2 but it
isn1t) It .as hi0acked on De//a/t some .eeks a-o2 and .as the ob0ect of a ,ursuit that ended in the
destruction of se5era/ Im,eria/ starfi-hters) We ha5e2 ho.e5er2 been successfu/ at trackin- its
mo5ements e5er since);
;4ou15e been trackin- them2; Vader said in -enuine sur,rise) ;Was the !m,eror a,,rised of this<;
Tarkin smi/ed a-ain) ;Lord Vader2 the !m,eror is a,,rised of e5erythin-);
:ut his a,,rentice isn1t2 Vader thou-ht)
;I ordered our check,oint ,ersonne/ to i-nore the ob5ious fact that the trans,ort1s si-nature has been
a/tered2; Tarkin continued2 ;and to i-nore2 as .e//2 the fact that .hate5er codes the trans,ort
furnished .ere /ike/y to be counterfeit);
;Why .eren1t the Jedi sim,/y taken into custody at the check,oint<;
;We had our reasons2 Lord Vader) "r ,erha,s I shou/d say that the !m,eror had his);
;They are on 'ashyyyk no.<;
Tarkin sto,,ed the ho/oima-e and nodded) ;We thou-ht they mi-ht be refused entry) A,,arent/y2
ho.e5er2 someone aboard the shi, is fami/iar .ith 'ashyyyk1s tradin- ,rotoco/s);
Vader considered it for a moment) ;4ou said that you had your reasons for c/earin- the trans,ort
throu-h the check,oint);
;4es2 I1m comin- to that2; Tarkin said2 standin- to his fu// hei-ht and be-innin- to ,ace in front of
the desk) ;I rea/i7e that you of a// ,eo,/e re8uire no assistance in))) brin-in- the fu-iti5e Jedi to
0ustice) :ut I .ant to /ay out a some.hat broader ,/an for your consideration) Shou/d you acce,t the
,ro,osition2 I1m in a ,osition to ,ro5ide you .ith .hate5er shi,s2 ,ersonne/2 and materie/ you think
necessary);
;What is the ,ro,osition2 $off Tarkin<;
Tarkin came to a sto, and turned fu//y to Vader) ;Sim,/y this) The Jedi are your ,riority2 as they
shou/d be) +ertain/y the !m,ire can1t ,ermit ,otentia/ insur-ents to run around /oose) :ut6; e
raised a bony forefin-er) ;6my ,/an a//o.s for the !m,ire to ,rofit e5en more substantia//y from
your undertakin-);
Reacti5atin- the ho/o,ro0ector2 Tarkin turned his attention to an ima-e of the !m,eror1s moon/et6
si7e secret ,ro0ect2 orbita//y anchored at its dee,6s,ace retreat) Vader had /earned that the !m,eror
had ,/aced Tarkin in char-e of su,er5isin- certain as,ects of construction)
+/ear/y2 thou-h2 Tarkin .as an-/in- for more)
;o. does my hunt for a fe. ro-ue Jedi fi-ure into your scheme re-ardin- the !m,eror1s .ea,on<;
Vader asked)
;$y 1scheme21 ; Tarkin said2 .ith a short /au-h) ;A// ri-ht2 then) ere1s the truth of it) The ,ro0ect is
a/ready far behind schedu/e) It has been beset .ith en-ineerin- ,rob/ems2 de/ays in shi,ments2 the
unre/iabi/ity of contractors2 and2 most im,ortant2 a shorta-e of ski//ed /aborers); e stared at Vader)
;4ou must understand2 Lord Vader2 I .ish nothin- more than to ,/ease the !m,eror);
This is Sidious1s rea/ ,o.er2 Vader thou-ht) The abi/ity to make others .ish nothin- more than to
,/ease him)
;I acce,t that at face 5a/ue2; he said at /ast)
Tarkin studied him) ;4ou .ou/d be .i//in- to he/, me achie5e this -oa/<;
;I see a ,ossibi/ity);
(arro.in- his eyes2 Tarkin nodded in a .ay that came c/ose to bein- a bo. of res,ect) ;Then2 my
friend2 our rea/ ,artnershi, is 0ust be-innin-);
AF
They1re interested in kno.in- .hy you1re so interested in kno.in- .hether any Jedi .ere here
durin- the batt/e2; +ud-e/ e3,/ained to Starstone and the others .hi/e the 8uartet of armed
Wookiees -/ared do.n at them)
;Id/e curiosity2; *i//i said2 .hich on/y succeeded in e/icitin- rumb/in- -ro./s from the four)
;They1re not buyin- it2; +ud-e/ said need/ess/y)
Starstone -a7ed u, into the .ide bron7ium mu77/es of .ea,ons she sus,ected she .ou/d need the
*orce to heft2 /et a/one fire) Peri,hera//y she .as a.are that the confrontation had be-un to dra. the
attention of other /andin- ,arties) umans and a/iens a/ike .ere sudden/y interru,tin- their
transactions .ith /iaison staffers and Wookiees2 and turnin- to.ard the trans,ort)
Huick/y she made u, her mind to risk e5erythin- by sim,/y te//in- the truth)
;We1re Jedi2; she said 0ust /oud enou-h to be heard)
*rom the .ay the Wookiees ti/ted their enormous sha--y heads2 she -ras,ed instant/y that they had
understood her) They ke,t their e3otic .ea,ons enab/ed and raised2 but at the same time their
e3,ressions of .ariness softened some.hat) "ne of them brayed a remark to +ud-e/)
+ud-e/ stroked his /on- beard) ;(o.2 that1s e5en harder to s.a//o. than the id/e6curiosity
e3,/anation2 don1t you think< I mean2 considerin- the fact that the Jedi .ere .i,ed out);
The same Wookiee /o.ed and -obb/ed2 and2 a-ain2 +ud-e/ nodded2 then centered his -a7e on
Starstone)
;$aybe if you1d said that you .ere a Jedi2 then a// of us on the ha,,y side of these b/asters .ou/d
be con5inced) :ut6; e counted heads) ;6you can1t be te//in- me a// ei-ht of you are Jedi) Se5en
any.ay2 1cause I kno. a/most as far from bein- a Jedi as it -ets);
;I meant me2; Starstone said) ;I1m a Jedi);
;So it1s 0ust you2 then<;
;She1s /yin-2; Siadem *orte said before she cou/d res,ond) T.o of the Wookiees snar/ed in ,/ain
dis,/easure)
+ud-e/ /ooked from *orte to Starstone) ;Lyin-< See2 no. you ha5e e5eryone rea//y confused2 1cause
.e a/.ays thou-ht of the Jedi as truth te//ers);
The Wookiees s,oke amon- themse/5es2 then one of them barked an out,ourin- at +ud-e/)
;%uania2 here2 ,oints out that you arri5e in a mi/itary trans,ort) 4ou /ook as thou-h you can hand/e
yourse/5es) 4ou start askin- 8uestions about Jedi))) e1s thinkin- that you mi-ht be bounty hunters);
Starstone shook her head back and forth) ;+heck the trans,ort) #nder the na5icom,uter conso/e2
you1// find si3 /i-htsabers6;
;$eans nothin-2; +ud-e/ cut in) ;4ou cou/d ha5e taken them off your 8uarries2 0ust the .ay
%enera/ %rie5ous did);
;Then ho. do .e ,ro5e it<; Starstone said) ;What do you .ant us to do2 ,erform *orce tricks<;
The Wookiees issued a yode/in- .arnin-)
+ud-e/ /o.ered his 5oice to say: ;In the un/ike/y e5ent that you are Jedi2 that mi-ht not be such a
-ood idea out here in the o,en);
Starstone forced an e3ha/e2 and /ooked u, at the Wookiees) ;We kno. that $asters 4oda2 Luminara
#ndu/i2 and Huin/an Vos .ere here .ith bri-ades of troo,ers); When she sa. in their dee, bro.n
eyes that she had their fu// attention2 she continued) ;We15e risked a /ot to come here) :ut .e kno.
that $aster 4oda had -ood re/ations .ith you2 and .e1re ho,in- that sti// counts for somethin-);
The Wookiees didn1t actua//y /o.er their .ea,ons2 but they did disab/e them) "ne of them /o.ed to
+ud-e/2 .ho said: ;Lachichuk su--ests .e continue this con5ersation in 'achirho);
Starstone asked *i//i and Deran to remain .ith the shi,9 then she2 *orte2 'u/ka2 and the others
be-an to fo//o. +ud-e/ and the Wookiees to.ard the -ar-antuan .roshyr that stood at the center of
'achirho tree6city) (o sooner had they /eft the /andin- ,/atform than +ud-e/1s attitude chan-ed)
;I heard that none of you sur5i5ed2; he said to Starstone as they .a/ked)
;It1s be-innin- to /ook /ike .e1re the on/y ones2; she said sad/y) Puttin- the ed-e of her hand to her
bro.2 she -a7ed u, at the hu-e ba/conies that tiered the tree2 some of .hich sho.ed e5idence of
recent dama-e)
;Do you kno. if any Jedi died here<;
+ud-e/ shook his head) ;The Wookiees ha5en1t to/d me anythin-) *or a .hi/e it /ooked /ike
'ashyyyk .as -oin- to ha5e its o.n -arrison of c/one troo,ers2 but after the Se, droids and .ar
machines shut do.n2 the troo,ers decam,ed) !5er since2 the Wookiees ha5e been makin- -ood use
of e5erythin- that .as /eft behind);
;*or .ea,ons<;
;4ou bet2 for .ea,ons) Se,s or no2 they15e sti// -ot enemies6s,ecies that .ant to e3,/oit them);
+ud-e/ /ed e5eryone into the ho//o.ed base of the tree2 and fina//y to a turbo/ift that accessed
'achirho1s u,,er /e5e/s)
Simi/ar to e5erythin- she had seen since /ea5in- the /andin- ,/atform2 the turbo/ift .as an in-enious
b/end of .ood and a//oy2 the techno/o-y that dro5e it artfu//y concea/ed) And at each tier2 her
astonishment on/y increased) In addition to the e3terior ,/atforms that -re. /ike bur/s from the bo/e2
the tree contained 5ast interior rooms2 .ith shimmerin- ,ar8uet f/oors and cur5ed .a//s inset .ith
.ooden and a//oy mosaics) There didn1t seem to be a strai-ht /ine any.here2 and e5ery.here Star6
stone /ooked she sa. Wookiees en-a-ed in bui/din-2 car5in-2 sandin-))) as de5oted to their .ork as
Jedi had been in fashionin- the Tem,/e) !3ce,t the Wookiees hadn1t ens/a5ed themse/5es to
symmetry or order9 rather2 they a//o.ed their creations to emer-e natura//y from the .ood) In fact2
they seemed to in5ite a certain kind of im,erfection6some detai/ to .hich the eye .ou/d be dra.n2
settin- off an entire .a// ,ane/2 or an e3,anse of f/oor)
+o5ered .a/k.ays and brid-es crisscrossed the tree1s interior shaft2 and irre-u/ar o,enin-s brou-ht
5erdant 'ashyyyk inside) At e5ery turn2 e5ery staircase s,ira/ or turbo/ift sto,2 e3terior 5ie.s of the
/ake2 the forest2 and the sheer c/iffs .ere framed by fine/y .orked a,ertures and c/efts) What
'achirho /acked in co/or2 it made u, for in /uster and dee, ,atina)
*ifty or so meters abo5e the /ake2 the Jedi .ere ushered into a kind of centra/ contro/ room2 .hich
/ooked out o5er the -/intin- .ater and .as ,erha,s the ,urest e3am,/e yet of the Wookiees1 abi/ity
to combine or-anic and hi-h6tech e/ements) +onso/e dis,/ay screens and ho/o,ro0ectors sho.ed
5ie.s of the /andin- ,/atform2 as .e// as /oadin- o,erations in orbit)
There2 their escorts e3chan-ed muted -ro./s and snorts2 snuffs and rumb/es2 .ith t.o others2 one of
.hom .as certain/y the ta//est Wookiee Starstone had seen)
;This is +he.bacca2; +ud-e/ said2 introducin- the shorter of the ,air2 ;and this is one of 'achirho1s
.ar chiefs2 Tarffu/);
Starstone introduced herse/f and the rest of the Jedi2 then /o.ered herse/f onto a beautifu//y car5ed
stoo/ bui/t for human6si7e bein-s) Simi/ar stoo/s .ere rushed into the room2 a/on- .ith soft seat
cushions and ,/ates of food)
Whi/e a// this .as -oin- on2 Tarffu/ and +he.bacca .ere bein- briefed by Lachichuk) :ron7ium
bands -athered the chieftain1s /on- hair into ro,e6thick tasse/s that fe// to his be/ted .aist) The
shou/der stra,s of his ba/dric 0oined at an ornate ,ectora/) +he.bacca2 .hose b/ack fur .as
cinnamon6ti,,ed and no.here near as /on- as Tarffu/1s2 .ore a sim,/e ba/dric Starstone thou-ht
mi-ht doub/e as an ammunition bando/ier)
When e5eryone .as seated and the Wookiees had finished con5ersin-2 +ud-e/ said: ;+hieftain
Tarffu/ understands and a,,/auds the coura-e you15e sho.n in comin- to 'ashyyyk2 but it -rie5es
him to re,ort that he has nothin- but sad tidin-s for you);
;They1re))) dead<; Starstone asked)
;$aster Vos .as ,resumed ki//ed by fire from a tank2; +ud-e/ e3,/ained2 ;$aster #ndu/i by
b/asterfire);
;And $aster 4oda<; she asked 8uiet/y)
Tarffu/ and +he.bacca fe// into a /on- con5ersation6a/most a debate6before e3,ressin- themse/5es
to +ud-e/2 .hose eyebro.s shot u, in sur,rise)
;A,,arent/y2 4oda esca,ed 'ashyyyk in an e5acuation ,od) +he.bacca2 here2 says he carried 4oda
on his shou/ders to the ,od);
Starstone came to her feet2 near/y ti,,in- o5er a ,/atter of food) ;e1s a/i5e<;
;e cou/d be2; +ud-e/ said after a moment) ;After the /ast of the c/one troo,ers /eft2 the Wookiees
searched /oca/ s,ace for the ,od2 but no distress6beacon transmissions .ere ,icked u,);
;Was the ,od hy,ers,ace6ca,ab/e<;
+ud-e/ shook his head)
;:ut it cou/d ha5e been retrie5ed by a ,assin- shi,); The Wookiees con5ersed)
+ud-e/ /istened attenti5e/y) ;There1s a chance it .as);
Starstone /ooked at Tarffu/) ;What makes you think so<;
+ud-e/ ran his hand o5er his mouth) ;Wookiee Senator 4arua re,orted that rumors circu/atin- in the
Senate c/aim 4oda /ed an attack on !m,eror Pa/,atine in the Senate Rotunda itse/f);
;And<;
;Same rumor has it he .as ki//ed);
;$aster 4oda doesn1t /ose2; Siadem *orte said from his stoo/)
+ud-e/ returned a sym,athetic nod) ;Lots of us used to say that about the Jedi);
Starstone broke the si/ence that descended on the contro/ room) ;If $aster 4oda is a/i5e2 then there1s
ho,e for a// of us) e1// find us before .e find him);
She fe/t rene.ed9 ho,efu/ once more)
;Tarffu/ asks .hat you ,/an to do no.2; +ud-e/ said)
;I su,,ose .e1// continue our search2; Starstone said) ;$aster 'enobi .as on #ta,au2 and has yet to
be heard from);
Tarffu/ issued .hat sounded /ike a sustained -roan)
;e is honored to offer you safe ha5en on 'ashyyyk2 if you .ish) The Wookiees can make it a,,ear
that you are 5a/ued customers);
;4ou .ou/d do that for us<; Starstone asked Tarffu/)
is res,onse .as ,/ainti5e)
;The Wookiees o.e the Jedi a -reat debt2; +ud-e/ trans/ated) ;And debts are a/.ays honored);
A si-na/ sounded from one of the conso/es2 and +ud-e/ and the Wookiees -athered around an inset
screen) The human1s e3,ression .as -ra5e .hen he s.un- to the Jedi)
;An Im,eria/ troo, carrier is descendin- to the 'achirho ,/atform);
Starstone1s face /ost co/or) ;We shou/dn1t ha5e come here2; she said sudden/y) ;We15e endan-ered a//
of you=;
AG
:y the time +ud-e/ returned to the /andin- ,/atform the situation .as a/ready 5eerin- out of
contro/) :/aster rif/es raised and faced off .ith more than one hundred 5ery indi-nant Wookiees2
t.o s8uads of stormtroo,ers .ere de,/oyed around the carrier that had de/i5ered them to 'achirho2
,erha,s ha/f a ki/ometer from .here the Jedi trans,ort .as ,arked)
;"r are you -oin- to te// us that your .ea,ons are a// the ,ermission you need<; a human /iaison
staffer .as sayin- to the troo,ers1 commander as +ud-e/ hurried in)
The officer1s armor .as marked .ith -reen2 and he .ore a short cam,ai-n skirt) is sidearm .as
sti// ho/stered2 but his enhanced 5oice .as fi//ed .ith menace) ;Authori7ation .as -ranted by Sector
Three +ommand and +ontro/) If you ha5e any com,/aints2 take them u, .ith the re-iona/
-o5ernor);
;+ommander2; +ud-e/ said in a deferentia/ tone2 ;ho. may I be of ser5ice<;
The officer -estured broad/y to the -athered Wookiees) ;"n/y if you can -et these beasts to ans.er
my 8uestions); i-h6decibe/ snar/s and furious roars rose from the cro.d)
;4ou mi-ht .ant to find a more ,o/itic .ay to refer to 'ashyyyk1s indi-enes2 +ommander);
*rom behind the T65isored he/met2 the troo,er said: ;I1m not here to be di,/omatic) Let them ho./
a// they .ant); e -a7ed at +ud-e/) ;Identify yourse/f);
;I1m kno.n as +ud-e/2 far and .ide);
;What are your duties here<;
;I assist .ith commerce) I can ,robab/y set you u, .ith a nice se/ection of ,roduct2 if you1re
interested);
;What .ou/d .e .ant .ith .ood<;
;What2 you don1t ha5e cam,fires<;
The cro.d .oofed .ith /au-hter)
The commander ,ut his -/o5ed ri-ht hand on his b/aster) ;There1// be fires soon enou-h6+ud-e/)
Ri-ht .here you can see them);
;I1m not sure I take your meanin-2 +ommander);
The officer ad0usted his stance2 readyin- himse/f for action) ;'ashyyyk is harborin- enemies of the
!m,ire);
+ud-e/ shook his head) ;If there are enemies of the !m,ire here2 the Wookiees are una.are of
them);
;There are Jedi here);
;4ou mean you actua//y missed a fe.<;
The commander raised his /eft hand and ,oked +ud-e/ hard in the chest) ;!ither they are
surrendered to us immediate/y2 or .e take this ,/ace a,art2 be-innin- .ith you); At the
commander1s .a5e2 the stormtroo,ers be-an to s,read out) ;Search the /andin- area and the tree6
city= A// non6indi-enes are to be sei7ed and brou-ht here=;
The Wookiees /oosed a chorus of ears,/ittin- yo./s)
+ud-e/ backed out of ran-e of the commander1s armored fist) ;They don1t /ike it .hen ,eo,/e track
dirt in);
Dra.in- his sidearm2 the commander said: ;I1m done .ith you);
:ut the .ords had scarce/y /eft the officer1s he/met enunciator .hen a Wookiee raced for.ard2
knockin- the b/aster from his hand and hur/in- him into the troo, carrier .ith such force that the
commander1s forearm and e/bo. armor remained in the Wookiee1s -ri,)
At the same time2 se5era/ Wookiee c/arions roared in the distance)
The troo,ers turned2 co5erin- one another as the -athered cro.d be-an to ad5ance on them)
A ratchetin- noise fi//ed the .estern sky) T.o -unshi,s dro,,ed from the treeto,s to reinforce the
ad5ance s8uads2 stormtroo,ers descendin- from the o,en bay on ra,,e/ ribbons)
Rushin- onto the /andin- ,/atform2 the ne. arri5a/s sto,,ed short on hearin- the fami/iar sna,6hiss
of i-nitin- /i-htsabers)
+entra/ to ha/f a do7en b/ade6.ie/din- Jedi stood a youn- ra5en6haired .oman2 .ith her .ea,on
,oised o5er her ri-ht shou/der)
;We hear you1re /ookin- for us2; she said)
Standin- on the brid-e of the !3actor2 Vader re-arded distant 'ashyyyk throu-h the for.ard
5ie.,orts) +ommander A,,o a,,roached from one of the duty stations)
;Lord Vader2 the conf/ict has be-un) Theater commanders a.ait your orders);
;Raise them2 +ommander2 and 0oin me in the situation room);
Lea5in- the brid-e2 Vader entered an ad0acent cabin s,ace 0ust as ho/oima-es .ere reso/5in- abo5e
a rin- of se5era/ ho/o6,ro0ectors) A,,o came throu-h the hatch behind him2 .aitin- at the ,erimeter
of the rin-)
$embers of the !m,eror1s ne. admira/ty2 the commanders .ere human2 attired in formfittin-
0ackets and trousers) +ertain/y each of them had been informed that Vader .as to be treated .ith the
same res,ect they sho.ed the !m,eror2 but Vader cou/d see in their -host/y faces that they had yet
to make u, their minds about him) Was he man2 machine2 somethin- in bet.een< Was he c/one2
a,ostate Jedi2 Sith<
'ashyyyk .ou/d te// them a// they needed to kno.2 Vader thou-ht)
I am somethin- to be feared)
;+ommanders2 I .ant you to ,osition your task forces to co5er a// ma0or ,o,u/ation centers); A
ho/oma, eddied from a ho/o,ro0ector outside the rin-2 detai/in- 'ashyyyk and the tree6cites of
'achirho2 R.ookrrorro2 'e,itenochan2 "kikuti2 +henachochan2 and others) ;*urthermore2 I .ant
Interdictor cruisers de,/oyed to ,re5ent any shi,s from 0um,in- to hy,ers,ace);
;Admira/ Vader2; one of the men said) ;The Wookiees ha5e no ran-ed .ea,ons or ,/anetary defense
shie/ds) "rbita/ bombardment .ou/d sim,/ify matters -reat/y);
Vader decided not to make an issue of the mis,/aced honorific) ;Perha,s2 +ommander2; he said2 ;if
this .ere an e3ercise in ob/iteration) :ut since it isn1t2 .e1// adhere to my ,/an);
;I15e had some e3,erience .ith the Wookiees2; another said) ;They .on1t be taken into ca,ti5ity
.ithout a fi-ht);
;I fu//y e3,ect a fi-ht2 +ommander2; Vader said) ;:ut I .ant as many as ,ossib/e taken a/i5e6ma/es2
fema/es2 and youn-/in-s) "rder your troo,s to dri5e them from their tree6cities into o,en s,aces)
Then use .hate5er means are at our dis,osa/ to disarm and subdue them);
;'ashyyyk hosts many merchants2; a third said2 /eadin-/y)
;+asua/ties of .ar2 +ommander);
;Do you intend to occu,y the ,/anet<; the same asked)
;That is not my intention);
;!3cuse me2 sir2 but .hat2 then2 are .e su,,osed to do .ith tens of thousands of Wookiee
ca,ti5es<;
Vader faced the one .ho had cha//en-ed him) ;erd them into containment and kee, them
contained unti/ they ha5e acce,ted their defeat) 4ou .i// then recei5e further orders);
;*rom .hom<; the cha//en-er said)
;*rom me2 +ommander);
The officer fo/ded his arms in mi/d defiance) ;*rom you);
;4ou seem to ha5e a ,rob/em .ith that) Perha,s you .ish to s,eak .ith the !m,eror<;
The officer .as 8uick to ado,t a more mi/itary ,ose) ;(o2 of course not))) Lord Vader);
:etter and better2 Vader thou-ht)
;Where .i// you be2 Lord Vader<; the first asked)
Vader /ooked at a// of them before ans.erin-) ;$y task needn1t concern you) 4ou ha5e your orders)
(o. carry them out);
Try as she mi-ht to con5ince herse/f that her actions .ere 0ustified2 that the c/one army had become
the enemy not on/y of the Jedi but a/so of democracy and freedom2 Starstone cou/dn1t surrender
herse/f fu//y to combat) :rou-ht into bein- to ser5e the Re,ub/ic2 the troo,ers2 /ike the Jedi2 had
fa//en 5ictim to Pa/,atine1s treachery) And no. they .ere dyin- at the hands of those .ho had
he/,ed create them)
This is .ron-2 a// .ron-2 she to/d herse/f)
And yet2 c/ear/y2 the notion of tra-ic irony hadn1t been incor,orated into the c/ones1 ,ro-rammin-)
The troo,ers .ere out to ki// her) "n/y the f/ashin- b/ue b/ade of her /i-htsaber stood bet.een her
and certain death)
The stormtroo,ers .ho had been the first to /and .ere a/ready dead2 from b/aster rounds2 bo.caster
8uarre/s2 /i-htsaber s/ashes2 b/o.s from .ar c/ubs and the occasiona/ -iant2 sha--y fist) :ut more
and more Im,eria/ craft .ere dro,,in- from the .an sky6-unshi,s2 troo, carriers2 scores of t.o6
,erson infantry su,,ort ,/atforms) Worse2 .ord had it that the incursion .asn1t confined to
'achirho2 but .as bein- re,eated in tree6cites .or/d.ide)
If the hearsay .as true2 then the Jedi .eren1t the ,riority) The !m,ire .as mere/y usin- their
,resence to 0ustify a fu//6sca/e in5asion) And the fact that Im,eria/ forces .ere refrainin- from
/aunchin- orbita/ bombardments to/d Starstone that the u/timate -oa/ .as somethin- other than
s,eciecide)
The troo,ers had been ordered not to amass hi-h body counts2 but to return .ith ,risoners)
Starstone he/d herse/f accountab/e) Ine5itab/e or not2 she had furnished the !m,ire .ith -rounds to
in5ade) *orte and 'u/ka .ere .ron- to ha5e deferred to her /ead) She .as not a $aster) She shou/d
ha5e /istened to Shryne)
The surround of to.erin- c/iffs and trees made it difficu/t for /ar-e 5esse/s to ho5er or /and outside
the ,erimeter of the /andin- ,/atform) The /ake that fronted 'achirho .as e3,ansi5e enou-h to
accommodate a Victory6c/ass Star Destroyer2 but a subse8uent offensi5e .ou/d entai/ stormin- the
shore/ine2 as the Se,aratists had attem,ted to do2 and 'achirho2 at a/most four hundred meters in
hei-ht2 ,resented a formidab/e batt/ement)
(atura/ fortresses2 .roshyr trees not on/y def/ected ordinary b/aster bo/ts but a/so ,ro5ided
hundreds of defensi5e ,/atforms) $ore im,ortant2 trees that had endured for thousands of years
.ere not easi/y burned2 /et a/one u,rooted or fe//ed) Without em,/oyin- turbo/asers and resi-nin-
themse/5es to massi5e death to//s2 Im,eria/ forces faced a -rue/in- batt/e)
Jud-in- by the manner in .hich they had de,/oyed the -unshi,s and troo, carriers2 'ashyyyk1s
theater commanders .ere re/yin- on the fact that the Wookiees had no ran-ed .ea,ons and /itt/e in
the .ay of anti6aircraft defense) :ut the Im,eria/s had fai/ed to take into account the thousands of
.ar machines that had been abandoned by Se,aratist and Re,ub/ic forces a/ike fo//o.in- the fierce
en-a-ement on the Wa.aatt Archi,e/a-o6tank droids2 missi/e ,/atforms2 s,ider and crab droids2 A//
Terrain Wa/kers and 0u--ernauts) And 0ust no. the Wookiees .ere ,uttin- a// that they had sa/5a-ed
to -ood use)
Im,eria/ -unshi,s .ere unab/e to descend be/o. treeto, /e5e/ .ithout the risk of bein- b/o.n from
the sky by commandeered arti//ery that had been mo5ed to 'achirho1s /oftiest ,/atforms2 or by
f/uttercraft retrofitted .ith /aser cannons) +/oser to the -round2 those -unshi,s that succeeded in
e5adin- the fire and f/ak found themse/5es set u,on by f/i-hts of catamarans mounted .ith rocket
/aunchers and re,eatin- b/asters)
Troo,ers attem,tin- to ra,,e/ from inca,acitated shi,s .ere ,icked off by hai/s of bo.caster
8uarre/s2 b/aster bo/ts fired from rif/es ta//er than Starstone2 sometimes bands of Wookiees s.in-in-
out from the tree6city ,/atforms on braided 5ines) The fe. troo,ers .ho sur5i5ed the airborne
barra-es and reached the -round faced focused fire from b/aster nests hi-h in the trees2 5o//eys of
-renades2 and sho.ers of red6hot debris si77/in- do.n throu-h the /eafy cano,y)
*i-htin- a/on-side Tarffu/2 +he.bacca2 and hundreds of Wookiee .arriors2 Starstone and the other
Jedi .ere sti// in5o/5ed in the chaotic fray on the /andin- ,/atform) !m,/oyin- car5ed shie/ds and
eccentric b/asters2 Wookiee fema/es fou-ht as ferocious/y as the ma/es2 and many of the off.or/d
merchants .ere ,itchin- in2 reco-ni7in- that the !m,ire had no intention of s,arin- them) Wea,ons
c/e5er/y concea/ed in dro, shi,s and trans,orts .ere tar-etin- anythin- the Wookiees missed2 and
many ferries .ere racin- u, the .e//2 intent on carryin- entire Wookiee fami/ies to safety)
In areas .here there .ere /u//s in the fi-htin-2 many Wookiee fema/es and youn-/in-s .ere fa//in-
back to.ard the tree6city2 or e5acuatin- 'achirho1s /o.er /e5e/s for the refu-e of the hi-h forest)
Starstone .ondered 0ust ho. much the !m,ire .as .i//in- to risk at 'ashyyyk) ad Pa/,atine1s
minions considered that2 faced .ith ca,ti5ity2 the Wookiees mi-ht f/ee their arborea/ cities and
become a rebe/ force the /ikes of .hich the %rand Army had yet to confront<
The thou-ht ,ro5ided her .ith a moment of so/ace)
Then she -/im,sed somethin- that sent her heart racin-)
Sensin- her sudden distraction2 *orte and 'u/ka fo//o.ed her -a7e to mid/e5e/ 'achirho2 .here a
b/ack Im,eria/ shutt/e .as driftin- in for a /andin- on one of the tree6city1s enormous ba/conies)
;It1s Vader2; Starstone said .hen the t.o Jedi 'ni-hts asked) ;Are you certain<; *orte said)
At Starstone1s nod2 'u/ka -estured broad/y to the on-oin- fi-ht) ;This is more about us than the
Wookiees e5en kno.);
Starstone shut her eyes brief/y and forced a determined e3ha/ation) ;Then it1s u, to us to make this
about Vader
BD
Leadin- an e3odus of .omen and youn-/in-s from 'achirho1s /o.est /e5e/s2 +he.bacca thou-ht
about his o.n fami/y in distant R.ookrrorro2 .hich a,,arent/y .as a/so under sie-e) R.ookrrorro
.as days a.ay on foot2 but on/y minutes by shi,) e .ou/d -et there one .ay or another)
"ff to his /eft2 the si3 Jedi .ho had been fi-htin- a/on-side him for the better ,art of a /oca/ hour
.ere sudden/y racin- back to.ard 'achirho1s centra/ .roshyr) Liftin- his eyes2 +he.bacca sa. no
si-nificant threat2 sa5e for a Theta6c/ass shutt/e that .as takin- hea5y fire as it attem,ted to fo/d its
.in-s and sett/e on one of the tree6city ba/conies)
i-her u,2 the sky .as crisscrossed by /aserfire and contrai/s2 and sti// fi//in- .ith -unshi,s2 eeri/y
reminiscent of .hat had ha,,ened on/y .eeks ear/ier2 .hen the Se,aratists had /aunched their
in5asion) Wookiee f/uttercraft and an assortment of traders1 5esse/s .ere en-a-in- the Im,eria/
shi,s2 but the outcome .as c/ear)
The sheer number of descendin- -unshi,s -a5e e5idence of a si7ab/e f/oti//a of ca,ita/ shi,s in
orbit) *or a// the Wookiees1 success in re,e//in- the first .a5e2 it .as sure/y on/y a matter of time
before the Star Destroyers .ou/d o,en fire) And then on/y a matter of time unti/ 'ashyyyk fe//)
Anyone .ho thou-ht that the Jedi .ere res,onsib/e for ha5in- brou-ht the !m,ire do.n on
'ashyyyk had no understandin- of the nature of ,o.er) *rom the moment the troo,ers of
+ommander %ree1s bri-ade had turned on 4oda2 #ndu/i2 and Vos2 +he.bacca2 Tarffu/2 and the
e/ders of 'achirho had -ras,ed the truth: that des,ite a// the rhetoric about ta3ation2 free trade2 and
decentra/i7ation2 there .as no rea/ difference bet.een the +onfederacy and the Re,ub/ic) The .ar
.as nothin- more than a stru--/e bet.een t.o e5i/s2 .ith the 0edi cau-ht in the midd/e2 a// because
of their mis,/aced /oya/ty to a -o5ernment they shou/d ha5e abandoned2 and to a ,/ed-e that had
su,erseded their oath to ser5e the *orce abo5e a//)
If there .as any difference bet.een the Se,aratists and the ne./y born Im,eria/ists2 it .as that the
/atter needed to /e-itimi7e their in5asion and occu,ation2 /est other threatened s,ecies rebe/ .hi/e
they stood a fi-htin- chance)
:ut a ,/anet cou/d fa// .ithout its s,ecies bein- defeated9 a ,/anet cou/d be occu,ied .ithout its
s,ecies bein- im,risoned) That .as .hat se,arated 'ashyyyk from the rest)
:ack 6 and hi,6,acks bu/-in- .ith sur5i5a/ food and rations2 Wookiees .ere streamin- do.n the
city staircases2 racin- across the footbrid-es2 and disa,,earin- into the thick 5e-etation that
surrounded the /ake) :/a7ed as a defense a-ainst sneak attacks by Trandoshan s/a5ers2 hundreds of
.e//6maintained e5acuation routes cached .ith arms and su,,/ies radiated from 'achirho and .o5e
throu-h the iso/ated rock outcro,,in-s to the hi-h forest beyond)
$ore to the ,oint2 Wookiees e5en as youn- as t.e/5e2 fresh from their comin-6of6a-e hrrtayyk
ceremonies2 kne. ho. to construct she/ters from sa,/in-s2 ho. to fashion im,/ements from the
sta/ks of -iant /ea5es2 and ho. to make ro,e) They kne. .hich ,/ants and insects .ere edib/e9 the
/ocation of fresh.ater s,rin-s9 the areas .here dan-erous re,ti/es or ,redatory fe/ines /urked)
Des,ite a// the e/ements of hi-h techno/o-y they had incor,orated into their /i5es2 Wookiees ne5er
considered themse/5es se,arate from 'ashyyyk1s -rand forest2 .hich on its o.n cou/d ,ro5ide them
e5erythin- they needed to sur5i5e2 for as /on- as necessary)
Tar-eted by une3,ected anti6aircraft fire2 Vader1s shutt/e 0inked for the /ar-est of the 'achirho1s
arborea/ ba/conies2 its ,o.erfu/ defensi5e shie/ds raised and its 8uad /asers s,e.in- unre/entin- fire
at a ,air of hai/fire droids the Wookiees had hoisted into their massi5e tree6fortress) :o/ts from the
shutt/e1s for.ard .ea,ons reduced the missi/e ,/atforms to s/a--ed hea,s and che.ed into the
ba/cony1s .ooden co/umns and beams2 fi//in- the air .ith s,/inters hard as nai/s) The e3,/osions
f/un- the bodies of 'achirho1s furry defenders far and .ide) ur/ed c/ear off the tier2 some
,/ummeted to the -round a hundred meters be/o.)
In the cabin s,ace of the shaken shutt/e2 Vader .as bein- addressed by the ho/oima-e of one of the
task force commanders)
;"ur circums,ect attacks are bein- re,u/sed ,/anet.ide2 Lord Vader) As I thou-ht I made c/ear2
Wookiees do not take /i-ht/y to the threat of ca,ti5ity) A/ready they1re abandonin- the tree6cities for
the hi-h forests) If they ,enetrate dee,/y enou-h2 .e .i// need months2 ,erha,s years to find and
root them out) !5en then2 the cost to us .i// be -reat2 in terms of materie/ and /i5es);
Vader muted the ho/o,ro0ector1s audio ,icku, and -/anced across the ais/e to +ommander A,,o)
;Do you concur2 +ommander<;
;As it is .e1re /osin- too many troo,ers2; A,,o said .ithout hesitation) ;%rant ,ermission to the
na5a/ commanders to initiate sur-ica/ bombardment from orbit);
Vader mu//ed it o5er for a moment) e didn1t /ike bein- .ron-2 much /ess admittin- that he had
been .ron-2 but he sa. no .ay out) ;4ou may commence bombardment2 +ommander2 but make
certain you sa5e 'achirho for /ast) I ha5e business to finish u, here);
As the ho/oima-e faded2 Vader turned to the cabin1s sma// ,ortho/e2 meditatin- on the .hereabouts
of his Jedi 8uarries2 and .hat nature of tra, they had set for him) The thou-ht of confrontin- them
stirred his im,atience and his an-er)
Win-s u,/ifted2 the shutt/e made a rou-h /andin- on the tier2 bo/ts from Wookiee b/asters careenin-
from the fuse/a-e) When the boardin- ram, had e3tended2 A,,o and his stormtroo,ers hurried
outside2 Vader ri-ht behind him2 his i-nited b/ade def/ectin- fire from a// sides)
Three troo,ers fe// before they made it t.o meters from the ram,)
The Wookiees .ere du- in2 shootin- from behind makeshift barricades and from crossbeams hi-h
abo5e the ba/cony) Raisin- the shutt/e on re,u/sor/ift ,o.er2 the c/one ,i/ot took the craft throu-h a
&FD6de-ree s.ee,2 drenchin- the area .ith /aserfire) At the same time2 t.o Wookiees .ith satche/
char-es s/un- o5er their shou/ders rushed from co5er and mana-ed to hur/ the e3,/osi5es throu-h
the shutt/e1s o,en hatch) A deafenin- e3,/osion b/e. off one of the .in-s and sent the craft s,innin-
and skiddin- to the 5ery rim of the tier)
+ounterattackin-2 Vader strode throu-h fountainin- f/ames to take the fi-ht to the Wookiees)
+rimson b/ade s/ashin- /eft and ri-ht2 he ,arried b/aster bo/ts and am,utated /imbs and heads)
+ater.au/in- and ho./in-2 sho.in- their fan-s and .a5in- their /on- arms about2 the Wookiees
tried to ho/d their ,ositions2 but they had ne5er faced anythin- /ike him2 e5en in the darkest de,ths
of 'ashyyyk1s ,rime5a/ forest)
As ta// as some of them2 Vader .aded in2 his /i-htsaber c/ea5in- intricate/y car5ed .ar shie/ds2
sendin- b/asters and bo.6casters f/yin-2 settin- fire to sha--y coats2 /ea5in- more than a score of
bodies in his .ake)
e .as .a5in- A,,o and the other troo,ers for.ard .hen f/ashes of refu/-ent b/ue /i-ht cau-ht his
eye2 and he s.un- to the source)
!mer-in- from a co5ered brid-e anchored dista//y to the bo/e of the -iant tree rushed si3 Jedi2
def/ectin- b/aster bo/ts from the stormtroo,ers as they attacked2 doin- to A,,o1s cadre 0ust .hat
Vader had done to the Wookiees)
*or-in- throu-h the offensi5e2 three Jedi raced in to s8uare off .ith Vader)
e reco-ni7ed the ,etite2 b/ack6haired fema/e amon- them2 and ti,,ed his b/ade in sa/ute)
;4ou15e sa5ed me the troub/e of /ookin- for you2 Pada.an Starstone) These others must be the ones
you -athered by accessin- the Tem,/e beacon);
Starstone1s dark eyes bored into him) ;4ou defi/ed the Tem,/e by settin- foot in it);
;$ore than you kno.2; he to/d her)
;Then you1// ,ay for that2 as .e//);
e an-/ed the /i-htsaber in front of him2 ti, ,ointed s/i-ht/y do.n.ard) ;4ou1re 5ery much
mistaken2 Pada.an) It is you .ho .i// ,ay);
B&
:efore Starstone cou/d make a mo5e2 Siadem *orte and I.o 'u/ka ste,,ed in front of her and
attacked Vader)
As .as the case .ith many Jedi 'ni-hts2 the t.o .ere fami/iar .ith accounts of .hat had ha,,ened
on %eonosis .hen "bi6Wan 'enobi and Anakin Sky.a/ker had -one after the Sith Lord2 +ount
Dooku) And so *orte and 'u/ka .ent in as a team2 each of them em,/oyin- a radica//y different
/i-htsaber sty/e2 determined to off6ba/ance Vader)
:ut Vader mere/y stood /ike a statue2 his b/ade an-/ed to.ard the -round unti/ the 5ery instant the
t.o Jedi un/eashed their assau/t)
Then2 as the three b/ades 0oined in scatterin-s of da77/in- /i-ht and -ratin- static sounds2 he mo5ed)
*orte and 'u/ka .ere ski//ed due/ists2 but Vader .as not on/y faster than Starstone remembered him
bein- on $urkhana a-ainst $aster +hatak2 but a/so more a-i/e) e em,/oyed his a.esome ,o.er
to ,ut a 8uick end to the fancy t.ir/in- of his o,,onents2 .ho fe// back a-ainst the hammerin-
b/o.s of Vader1s b/oodshine b/ade)
Time and a-ain the t.o Jedi 'ni-hts attem,ted to a/ter their sty/e2 but Vader had an ans.er for
e5ery /un-e2 ,arry2 and ri,oste) is sty/e borro.ed e/ements from a// techni8ues of combat2 e5en
from the hi-hest2 most dan-erous /e5e/s2 and his mo5es .ere cris, and un,redictab/e) In addition2
his remarkab/e foresi-ht a//o.ed him to antici,ate *orte1s and 'u/ka1s strate-ies and maneu5ers2 his
b/ade a/.ays one ste, ahead of theirs2 not.ithstandin- the t.o6handed -ri, he em,/oyed)
Toyin- .ith the Jedi2 he -ra7ed *orte on the /eft shou/der2 then on the ri-ht thi-h9 'u/ka2 he ,ierced
/i-ht/y in the abdomen2 then sha5ed a.ay the f/esh on the ri-ht side of the o1Din1s face)
Seein- the t.o Jedi 'ni-hts dro, to their knees2 .incin- in ,ain2 Pada.an '/ossi Anno broke from
.here she .as he/,in- Jambe and (am en-a-e the stormtroo,ers and -ot to Vader one ste, ahead
of Starstone)
Sideste,,in-2 Vader s/ashed her across the back2 sendin- her s,ra./in- across the ba/cony9 then he
.hir/ed on *orte and 'u/ka 0ust as they .ere c/amberin- to their feet and deca,itated them) *rom
behind Vader came Jambe and (am2 neither of .hom .as an e3,erienced fi-hter and both of .hom
Vader immediate/y e/iminated from the fi-ht2 am,utatin- Jambe1s ri-ht arm2 and (am1s ri-ht /e-)
To her horror2 Starstone rea/i7ed she .as sudden/y a/one .ith Vader2 .ho immediate/y si-na/ed his
stormtroo,ers to /ea5e her to him2 and to de5ote themse/5es to s/au-hterin- the fe. Wookiees .ho
remained on the tier)
;(o. you2 Pada.an2; he said2 as he be-an to circ/e her)
+a//in- on the *orce2 Starstone fe// on him in a fury2 strikin- .i/d/y and re,eated/y2 and .ith a5er)
$oments into her attack she understood that Vader .as mere/y a//o.in- her to 5ent2 as the Tem,/e1s
s.ordmaster had often done .ith students2 a//o.in- them to be/ie5e that they .ere dri5in- him
back2 .hen in fact he .as sim,/y encoura-in- them to .ear themse/5es out before disarmin- them
in one ra,id motion)
So she retreated2 a/terin- her strate-y and ca/min- herse/f) Vader is so ta//2 so im,osin-))) :ut
,erha,s I can -et under or inside his -uard as $aster +hatak did
;4our thou-hts -i5e you a.ay2 Pada.an2; he said in a f/ash) ;4ou mustn1t take the time to think)
4ou must act on im,u/se) Instead of re,ressin- your an-er2 ca// on it= $ake use of it to defeat me);
Starstone fei-ned an attack2 then sideste,,ed and s/ashed at him)
Shiftin- to a one6handed ho/d on his /i-htsaber2 he ,arried her b/ade and /un-ed for.ard) She
sna,,ed aside in the nick of time2 but he ke,t comin- at her2 ans.erin- her increasin-/y frantic
strikes .ith harsher ones and dri5in- her ine3orab/y to.ard the rim of the ba/cony)
e f/icked his b/ade2 ,recise/y2 economica//y2 forcin- her back and back)))
She fe/t as if she .ere fi-htin- a droid2 a/thou-h a droid ,ro-rammed to counter a// her best
strata-ems) Duckin- out from under a broad s.ee, of the crimson b/ade2 she somersau/ted to safety)
:ut on/y for a moment)
;4ou1re skittish2 Pada.an);
S.eat dri,,ed into her eyes) She tried to center herse/f in the *orce) At the same time she .as
5a-ue/y a.are of a ne. sound in the air2 cuttin- throu-h the chaos of the batt/e be/o.) And 0ust then
a fami/iar shi, s/ammed do.n on the tier a/on-side the cri,,/ed shutt/e2 t.o e8ua//y fami/iar fi-ures
/ea,in- from the hatch e5en .hi/e the shi, .as sti// in motion)
At once2 and seemin-/y of its o.n accord2 the b/ood6smeared hi/t of $aster *orte1s /i-htsaber shot
from the ba/cony f/oor2 .hi77in- ,ast Vader1s masked face to sna, into the hand of one of the
fi-ures and i-nite) A -ur-/ed sound issued from some.here c/ose to the ne./y arri5ed shi, and
somethin- meta//ic hit the f/oor and be-an to ro// for.ard)
is b/ack c/oak unfur/in-2 Vader s,un around to find the he/meted head of +ommander A,,o
comin- to a rocky rest at his feet)
A fe. meters a.ay Roan Shryne stood .ith his /e-s s,read to shou/der .idth2 *orte1s b/ue b/ade
an-/ed hi-h and to one side) A/on-side him2 b/asters in both si36fin-ered hands2 Archyr .as
dro,,in- e5ery stormtroo,er .ho a,,roached)
;%et a.ay from him=; Shryne ye//ed at Starstone)
She -a,ed at him) ;o. did you6;
;*i//i .as kee,in- us u,dated) (o. mo5e a.ay6hurry=;
Vader made no effort to ,re5ent her from s/inkin- ,ast him) ;Very touchin-2 Shryne2; he said after a
moment) ;Treatin- her /ike your ,ersona/ /earner2;
Shryne -estured broad/y) ;"/ee2 -et the .ounded into the dro, shi,=; Ad5ancin- on Vader2 he said:
;I1m the one you .ant2 Vader) So here1s your chance) $e for them);
;Shryne2 no6; Starstone started)
;Take the .ounded=; he cut her off) ;Ju/a1s .aitin-);
;I1m not /ea5in- you=;
;I1// catch u, .ith you .hen I1m done .ith him);
Vader /ooked from Shryne to Starstone) ;Listen to your $aster2 Pada.an) e has a/ready /ost t.o
/earners) I1m certain he doesn1t .ant to /ose a third);
+omin- back to herse/f2 Starstone hurried to he/, Lambe2 '/ossi2 (am2 and some of the Wookiees
-et aboard the dro, shi,) Determined to 8uiet her fears for Shryne2 she forced herse/f not to /ook at
him2 but she cou/d fee/ him reachin- out to her)
e is a Jedi a-ain)
B>
With -unshi,s circ/in- 'achirho /ike insects s,i//ed from an a--ra5ated nest2 Skeck ,o.ered the
dro, shi, o5er the ed-e of the ba/cony and di5ed for the be/ea-uered /andin- ,/atform) Airbursts
from Im,eria/ arti//ery cra./ers raked and scorched the shi,2 inside .hich Starstone sat s/um,ed on
her knees .ith her arm around '/ossi Anno2 .ho .as -oin- in and out of consciousness2 the .ound
on her back /ike a b/ackened trench) Across the cram,ed ,assen-er bay Lambe and (am2 .hite6
faced .ith fear2 .ere nursin- their am,utated /imbs and ca//in- on the *orce to kee, from -oin-
into shock)
Wookiees hudd/ed2 brayin- in an-er or .him,erin- in ,ain) T.o of those Starstone and Archyr had
he/,ed carry aboard .ere dead)
Who .as Vader< she asked herse/f What .as he<
She /ooked a-ain at '/ossi1s .ound2 then at the one in her u,,er arm she hadn1t e5en fe/t herse/f
sustain) Vader1s .ay of markin- them .ith a Sith brand)
+ou/d e5en Shryne defeat him<
;o/d ti-ht=; Archyr ye//ed from the dro, shi,1s co,i/ot1s seat) ;This1// be one to remember=;
Skeck .as takin- the shi, in fast) Whi/e the im,aired re,u/sors .ere mana-in- to kee, it airborne2
the shi, .as ti,,ed acute/y to one side) As a resu/t2 the .in- on that side made first contact .ith the
,/atform2 -ou-in- a ra--ed furro. in the .ooden surface and .hi,,in- the shi, into a s,in that sent
it crashin- into a ,arked ferry in e5en sorrier condition)
Starstone1s head s/ammed a-ainst the bu/khead .ith such force that she sa. stars) Settin- '/ossi
do.n -ent/y2 she checked on Lambe and (am) Then she stumb/ed throu-h the dro, shi, hatch2 .ith
Archyr trai/in- .hi/e Skeck remained at the contro/s)
Day/i-ht .as fadin- and the air .as fi//ed .ith the smoke and -rit of batt/e)
The sky .ai/ed .ith shi,s and ,u/sed .ith strobin- e3,/osions) Wookiees and other bein-s .ere
runnin- e5ery .hich .ay across the /andin- ,/atform) !/se.here2 bands of Wookiees2 inc/udin-
some of those2 the Jedi had met2 .ere carryin- the .ounded to she/ter) $any of the traders1 shi,s
had /ifted off2 but 0ust as many had been sa5a-ed by -unshi, fire or .ere buried under debris that
had fa//en from 'achirho1s u,,ermost /imbs and branches)
Princi,a/ fi-htin- had mo5ed east of the ,/atform2 c/oser to the /ake) There2 se5era/ crashed
-unshi,s .ere in f/ames2 and the -round .as ,i/ed hi-h .ith the bodies of dead Wookiees and c/one
troo,ers) Im,eria/ forces .ere stormin- the tree6city from a// sides2 e5en from the far shore of the
/ake2 arri5in- on s.am,6s,eeders and other .atercraft) Searin- hy,hens of b/asterfire .ere
streamin- from fortified ,ositions hi-h u, the trunk2 but .hat .ith the circ/in- -unshi,s and mobi/e
arti//ery2 the Wookiees .ere s/o./y bein- dri5en to.ard the -round)
er head s.immin-2 Starstone steadied herse/f a-ainst the dro, shi,1s ti,,ed fin)
"ut of bi//o.in- smoke came *i//i2 runnin- in a crouch and /eadin- Deran (a/ua/ by her /eft hand)
+on5er-in- on Star6stone from another direction a,,eared +ud-e/ and a do7en or so Wookiees2
+he.bacca amon- them2 some of them /im,in-2 some .ith b/ood6matted fur)
;Where are the others<; *i//i asked her2 /oud enou-h to be heard abo5e the mae/strom of smoke and
fire)
She motioned to the dro, shi,) ;Skeck2 Lambe2 (am2 and '/ossi are inside);
;*orte<; *i//i said) ;'u/ka)))<;
;Dead);
Deran (a/ua/ hun- her head and c/utched on to *i//i1s arm) ;Shryne<;
Wide6eyed she -a7ed u, at the ba/cony2 as if 0ust reca//in- him) ;#, there);
*i//i1s eyes remained on her) ;The Drunk Dancer1s u,side) 4ou ready to /ea5e<;
She stared at him) ;Lea5e<;
e nodded) ;Try to2 any.ay);
She /ooked around in naked dread) ;We can1t /ea5e them to this= We brou-ht this on=;
*i//i firmed his /i,s) ;What ha,,ened to your idea of ,er,etuatin- the Jedi order<; e reached for
her hands2 but she backed a.ay) ;If you .ant to die a hero here2 then I1// stay and die .ith you2; he
said f/at/y) ;:ut on/y if I1m con5inced that you kno. our deaths aren1t -oin- to affect the outcome);
;*i//i1s ri-ht2; Archyr said from behind her2 shoutin- to be heard) ;Punish yourse/f /ater2 "/ee) If
.e1re -onna sur5i5e this2 the sooner .e1re airborne2 the better);
Starstone s.e,t her eyes o5er the ruined /andin- ,/atform) ;We take as many as .e can .ith us);
"5erhearin- her2 +ud-e/ be-an -esticu/atin- to the Wookiees .ith .hom he had arri5ed)
;+he.bacca2 ,ack the dro, shi, and the trans,ort= %et e5eryone you can inside);
"thers heard her2 as .e//2 and it .asn1t /on- before do7ens of Wookiees be-an to ,ress for.ard)
Short/y the area .as cro.ded .ith more Wookiees and traders than the t.o shi,s cou/d ,ossib/y
accommodate) :ut in the midst of the mad crush for s,ace aboard the craft2 Im,eria/ -unshi,s
abru,t/y be-an to break off their attack on 'achirho)
The reason for the sudden .ithdra.a/ .as soon made c/ear2 as co/ossa/ turbo/aser beams /anced
from the sky2 scorchin- areas of the surroundin- forests into .hich thousands of Wookiees had f/ed)
With -reat boomin- sounds2 -iant /imbs broke from the .roshyrs2 and hot .ind and f/ames s.e,t
o5er the /andin- ,/atform2 settin- fire to near/y e5erythin- f/ammab/e)
With e3,/osi5e sounds rumb/in-2 Wookiees ran screamin- from the forest2 fur sin-ed2 b/ackened2 or
ab/a7e)
It took Starstone a moment to rea/i7e that she .as f/at on her back on the /andin- ,/atform) Pickin-
herse/f u,2 hair b/o.in- in a hot2 fou/6sme//in- .ind2 she stru--/ed to her feet in time to hear
+ud-e/ say: ;"rbita/ barra-e6;
The rest of his .ords .ere subsumed in a thunderous noise that commenced in the u,,er reaches of
'achirho as do7ens of hu-e /imbs fractured and fe//2 ,/ummetin- into the /ake and f/attenin- acres
of shore/ine 5e-etation)
Sudden/y Archyr .as ta,,in- her on the shou/der)
;"/ee2 .e1re as fu// as .e can be and sti// be ab/e to /ift off); She nodded by rote)
*i//i turned and started back to.ard the trans,ort2 on/y to sto,2 s.in- around2 and sho. her an
a/armed /ook) ;Wait= Who1s -oin- to f/y that thin-<;
She -a,ed at him) ;I thou-ht6;
;I1m no ,i/ot= What about Lambe or (am<;
She shook her head back and forth) ;They1re in no sha,e); Scannin- e5eryone2 her -a7e fe// on
+ud-e/) ;+an you ,i/ot the trans,ort<;
e -estured to himse/f in incredu/ity) ;Sure) Pro5idin- you don1t care about bein- shot out of the air
as soon as .e /aunch);
er dread mounted2 the rush of b/ood ,oundin- in her ears) I can1t /ea5e e5eryone here= A// at once
+ud-e/ .as ca//in- to her and motionin- +he.bacca for.ard)
;+he.bacca can ,i/ot the trans,ort=;
She shot the Wookiee a dubious -/ance2 then /ooked to +ud-e/ for assurance) ;+an he e5en fit<;
+he.bacca barked and brayed to +ud-e/)
;e1// do the ,i/otin- in return for your a//o.in- him to take the trans,ort back do.n the .e// to
R.ookrrorro2; +ud-e/ e3,/ained) ;is home 5i//a-e) e has fami/y there);
Starstone .as a/ready noddin-) ;"f course he can);
;!5eryone on board2; Archyr ye//ed) ;Sea/ 1em u,=; S.in-in- to Starstone2 he said: ;Which one are
you -oin- u, in<;
She shook her head) ;I1m not) I1m .aitin- here for Shryne);
;"h2 no2 you1re not2; he said)
;Archyr2 you sa. Vader=;
;And so did Roan);
;:ut6;
;We1// try to -rab him on the .ay u,); Archyr -estured to the trans,ort) ;(o. -et aboard2 and te//
+he.bacca to stick c/ose) Skeck and I .i// ,ro5ide co5er fire);
BA
I .as rather fond of +ommander A,,o2; Vader said2 toein- the am,utated head of the c/one officer
out of his ,ath as he mo5ed c/oser to Shryne)
Shryne ti-htened his -ri, on the hi/t of *orte1s /i-htsaber and sideste,,ed cautious/y to the /eft2
forcin- Vader to ad0ust his course) ;I fe/t the same about :o/ +hatak);
;Te// me2 Shryne2 are you the tra, the others ho,ed to s,rin- on me<;
Shryne continued to circ/e Vader) ;I .asn1t e5en ,art of their ,/an) In fact2 I tried to ta/k them out of
doin- somethin- /ike this);
;:ut in the end you 0ust cou/dn1t stay a.ay) !5en if it meant abandonin- .hat mi-ht ha5e been a
/ucrati5e career as a smu--/er);
;Losin- Senator *an- ?ar .as a b/o. to our re,utation) I fi-ured I1d better e/iminate the
com,etition);
;4es2; Vader said2 raisin- his b/ade some.hat2 ;I am your .orst ri5a/) ;
Li-htsaber -ras,ed in both hands2 Vader took a sin-/e for.ard ste, and ,erformed a /i-htnin-6fast
underhand s.ee, that a/most knocked *orte1s /i-htsaber from Shryne1s -ri,) S,innin-2 Shryne
re-ained his ba/ance and raced for.ard2 feintin- a dia-ona/ s/ash from the /eft2 then t.istin- the
b/ade around to the ri-ht and sur-in- for.ard) The b/ade mi-ht ha5e -otten ,ast Vader1s -uard2 but
instead it -/anced off the back of his u,raised /eft hand2 smoke cur/in- from the b/ack -/o5e) Shryne
countered 8uick/y .ith an u,s.ee, to Vader1s neck2 but Vader s,un to the ri-ht2 his b/ade he/d
strai-ht out in front of him as he com,/eted a circ/e2 near/y cuttin- Shryne in ha/f)
*o/din- himse/f at the .aist2 Shryne skittered back.ard2 ,arryin- a ra,id series of curt but ,o.erfu/
s/ashes) :ackf/i,,in- out of ran-e2 he t.isted his body to the ri-ht2 set the b/ade o5er his ri-ht
shou/der2 and rushed for.ard2 hammerin- a.ay) Vader def/ected the b/o.s .ithout a/terin- his
stance or -i5in- -round2 but in the ,rocess /eft his /o.er trunk and /e-s un,rotected)
In a b/ink Shryne dro,,ed into a crouch and ,i5oted throu-h a turn)
*or an instant it seemed that the b/ade .as -oin- to ,ass c/ear throu-h Vader1s knees2 but Vader
/ea,t hi-h2 ha/f t.istin- in midair and comin- do.n behind Shryne) Shryne ro//ed as Vader1s
crimson shaft struck the f/oor at the s,ot he had 0ust 5acated) Scramb/in- to his feet2 Shryne hur/ed
himse/f for.ard2 catchin- Vader in the ri-ht forearm)
Snar/in-2 Vader took his /eft hand from the /i-htsaber hi/t to dam,en s,arkin- at the site of .hat
shou/d ha5e been a .ound) Astonishment ec/i,sed Shryne1s fo//o.6u, attack)
;I kno. you don1t ha5e a heart2; he said2 takin- sta/kin- ste,s2 ;but I didn1t rea/i7e that you1re a//
droid);
Vader may ha5e been about to re,/y .hen ,ackets of b/indin- /i-ht s,eared throu-h the ba/cony2
o,enin- ho/es ten meters across) The -reat .roshyr shook as if struck by the fri// force of a
/i-htnin- storm2 and branches and /ea5es rained do.n on .hat .as /eft of the deck) With a /oud
s,/ittin- sound2 a /ar-e section of the rim broke a.ay2 takin- Vader1s shutt/e .ith it)
;There -oes your ride home2; Shryne said .hen he cou/d) ;%uess you1re stuck here .ith me);
Vader .as a -ood distance a.ay2 one hand and one knee ,ressed to the f/oor2 his b/ade an-/ed a.ay
from him) S/o./y he stood to his fu// hei-ht2 /ea5es fa//in- around him2 b/ack c/oak f/a,,in- in the
do.ndrafts) Then2 .ith determined strides2 he ad5anced on Shryne2 s.ee,in- his b/ade from side to
side)
;I .ou/dn1t ha5e it any other .ay);
Shryne took a 8uick /ook around)
With most of the tier behind him b/o.n a.ay2 and -a,in- ho/es e/se.here2 he be-an to back to.ard
the ho//o.ed trunk of the tree)
;A/most seems /ike your o.n ,eo,/e are tryin- to ki// you2 Vader2; he said) ;$aybe they don1t /ike
the idea of a Sith inf/uencin- the !m,eror);
Vader continued his reso/ute march) ;Trust me2 Shryne2 the !m,eror cou/dn1t be more ,/eased);
Shryne cast a 8uick -/ance o5er his shou/der) They .ere enterin- an enormous interior s,ace of
.ooden ram,s2 .a/k.ays2 brid-es2 and concourses) ;e doesn1t ha5e enou-h e3,erience .ith your
kind);
;And you do<;
;!nou-h to kno. that you1// turn on him e5entua//y); Vader /oosed .hat cou/d ha5e been a /au-h)
;What makes you think the !m,eror .on1t turn on me first<;
;Like he turned on the Jedi2; Shryne said) ;A/thou-h I sus,ect that .as most/y your doin-);
*i5e meters a.ay2 Vader sto,,ed short) ;$ine<;
;4ou con5inced him that .ith you by his side2 he cou/d -et a.ay .ith 0ust about anythin-);
A-ain2 Vader1s e3ha/ation a,,ro3imated a /au-h) ;It1s thinkin- /ike that that b/inded the Jedi to their
fate); e raised his s.ord) ;(o. it1s time for you to 0oin them);
Vader c/osed the distance bet.een them in a heartbeat2 s/ashin- /eft and ri-ht .ith ,otent 5ertica/
strokes2 narro./y missin- Shryne time and a-ain2 but destroyin- e5erythin- touched by the b/ade)
(o .hir/in- no.9 no .indmi//in- or deft /un-es) e sim,/y used his bu/k and si7e to remain
.edded to the f/oor) It .as an o/d sty/e2 the 5ery o,,osite of .hat .as said to ha5e been Dooku1s
sty/e2 and Shryne had no defense a-ainst it)
If I cou/d see his face2 his eyes2 Shryne found time to think) If he cou/d knock that outsi7e he/met
from Vader1s head)
If he cou/d /ance his /i-htsaber throu-h the contro/ ,ane/ on Vader1s chest
That .as the key= That .as the reason for Vader1s anti8ue sty/e6to ,rotect his center2 as %rie5ous
had been forced to do) If he cou/d on/y -et to that contro/ ,ane/)))
BB
The t.o craft /ifted off into smoke and .itherin- ni-ht2 s,ira/in- u, throu-h resumin- enemy fire
to.ard 'achirho1s mid/e5e/ ba/conies) In the trans,ort1s cram,ed cock,it .ith +ud-e/2 *i//i2 and
+he.bacca6.ed-ed into his seat2 his head -ra7in- the cei/in-6Starstone c/enched her .hite6
knuck/ed hands on the shakin- arms of the acce/eration chair)
She cou/dn1t brin- herse/f to /ift her -a7e to the 5ie.,orts2 for fear of .hat si-hts mi-ht -reet her)
As if readin- her mind2 +ud-e/ said: ;4ou can1t sa5e an entire ,/anet2 kid) And it1s not /ike you
didn1t try);
+he.bacca reinforced the remark .ith a -utsy bass rumb/e2 re,eated/y s/ammin- his hu-e hands
do.n on the trans,ort1s contro/ yoke for em,hasis)
;The Wookiees kne. that their days of freedom .ere numbered2; +ud-e/ trans/ated) ;'ashyyyk
.i// on/y be the first nonhuman .or/d to be ens/a5ed) ;
+he.bacca thre. the .eary trans,ort throu-h a sudden e5asi5e turn2 near/y s,i//in- e5eryone from
their chairs) Throu-h the 5ie.,ort2 Starstone cau-ht a -/im,se of Vader1s b/ack shutt/e2 tumb/in-
to.ard the -round) *ire.a//in- the thrott/e2 +he.bacca c/a.ed for a/titude2 bare/y esca,in- the
f/ames of the crashed shutt/e1s mushroomin- fireba//)
Archyr1s 5oice issued throu-h the cock,it enunciators as the dro, shi, a,,eared in the starboard
,ane/ of the 5ie.,ort) ;+/ose ca//=;
%ro./in- irritab/y2 +he.bacca ran a fast systems check)
;Tai/ sin-ed2; +ud-e/ to/d Archyr throu-h the com/ink) ;:ut e5erythin- e/se is intact);
The dro, shi, remained in 5ie. to starboard)
;a/f the ba/cony fe// .ith the shutt/e2; Archyr continued) ;There isn1t much room to ,ut do.n2
e5en if you1re sti// foo/ enou-h to risk it) Whate5er "/ee has in mind2 she1d better be 8uick about it);
+ud-e/ s.i5e/ed to her) ;4ou -ot that<;
She nodded as the ra5a-ed ba/cony came into 5ie.2 in .orse sha,e than she had feared) $ost of the
rim .as -one2 and the fe. areas that sti// c/un- to the trunk of the .roshyr had been ho/ed and
cris,ed by turbo/aser bo/ts) The bodies of Wookiees and stormtroo,ers s,ra./ed in the s,readin-
f/ames)
;I don1t see any si-n of Shryne or Vader2; Archyr said o5er the com/ink)
;Turbos cou/d ha5e ki//ed them6; +ud-e/ started .hen Starstone cut him off)
;(o) I .ou/d kno.);
+he.bacca directed a yode/in- bray at her)
;e be/ie5es you2; +ud-e/ trans/ated)
Starstone /eaned to.ard +he.bacca) ;4ou think you can set us do.n<;
+he.bacca /o.ed dubious/y2 then nodded) *eatherin- the re,u/sor/ift /e5er2 he be-an to cheat the
trans,ort c/oser to the .roshyr) The craft .as meters from /andin- .hen2 .ithout .arnin-2 .hat
remained of the .ooden tier sheared a.ay from the massi5e trunk2 takin- se5era/ /o.er tiers .ith it
as it disinte-rated and fe//)
Starstone sucked in her breath as +he.bacca ,u//ed the shi, shar,/y a.ay from the bo/e) a/f out
of her chair2 she focused her -a7e on the ca5e6/ike o,enin- to the tree1s dim/y /i-hted interior and
stretched out .ith the *orce)
;They1re inside= I can fee/ them);
*i//i ,u//ed her back into her chair) ;There1s nothin- .e can do);
Archyr1s 5oiced barked throu-h the enunciator) ;%unshi,s a,,roachin-);
+ud-e/ forced her to /ook at him) ;What .ou/d Shryne .ant you to do<;
She didn1t ha5e to think about it) :/o.in- out her breath2 she said: ;+he.bacca2 -et us out of this);
Re/ie5ed si-hs came from *i//i and +ud-e/2 a me/ancho/y rumb/e from the Wookiee2 .ho /ifted the
trans,ort1s nose and acce/erated)
;Steer c/ear of the /ake2; Archyr .arned) A-ain the dro, shi, came a/on-side2 .ardin- off strikes
from inrushin- Im,eria/ -unshi,s) ;We15e on/y -ot a narro. esca,e 5ector2 north6north.est);
Dod-in- fire2 the t.o shi,s raced into a burnt6oran-e sunset and c/imbed for the stars2 min-/in-
.ith scores of esca,in- ferries and car-o hau/ers) Turbo/aser bo/ts rained do.n from shi,s in orbit2
and across the darkenin- cur5e of the ,/anet2 fires ra-ed)
Lo.in- in an-uish and ,oundin- one -iant fist on the instrument ,ane/2 +he.bacca ,ointed to a
bri-ht burnin- in the cano,y)
;R.ookrrorro2; +ud-e/ said) ;+he.bacca1s tree65i//a-e);
The stars .ere 0ust /osin- their shimmer .hen the communications suite toned) *i//i routed the
transmission throu-h the cock,it s,eakers)
;%/ad to see you15e come to your senses2; Ju/a said) ;Is Roan .ith either of you<;
;(e-ati5e2 Ju/a2; *i//i said sad/y)
Sa5e for bursts of static2 the enunciator remained si/ent for a /on- moment9 then Ju/a1s 5oice
returned) ;After A/deraan2 there .as nothin- I cou/d say))); er .ords trai/ed off2 but she .asn1t
finished) ;(one of us is out of this yet2 any.ay) Vader or .hoe5er1s in char-e has Interdictor
cruisers ,arked in orbit) (o shi,s ha5e been ab/e to 0um, to hy,ers,ace);
;Does the Drunk Dancer ha5e enou-h fire,o.er to take on the cruiser<; +ud-e/ asked)
;*i//i2; Ju/a said2 ;inform .hoe5er asked that 8uestion that I1m not about to -o to -uns .ith a
Detainer ++6t.enty6t.o hundred);
As the trans,ort reached the ed-e of 'ashyyyk1s en5e/o,e2 ma-nified 5ie.s of /oca/ s,ace sho.ed
hundreds of shi,s tra,,ed in the artificia/ -ra5ity .e// -enerated by the Interdictor1s ,o.erfu/
,ro0ectors) Inters,ersed amon- the ensnared 5esse/s drifted the b/ackened husks of Se,aratist
.arshi,s that had been there since the end of the .ar)
;Too bad .e can1t start u, one of those Se, destroyers2; +ud-e/ /amented) ;They ha5e -uns enou-h
to dea/ .ith that cruiser);
Starstone and *i//i /ooked at each other)
;We mi-ht kno. a .ay2; he said)
BC
Dn 'ashyyyk2 ra,acious fires he/d ni-ht at bay) The shado.s of runnin- fi-ures crisscrossed the
-round) S,i//ed b/ood shone -/ossy b/ack2 as b/ack as the charred bark of the .roshyr trees)
Safe inside their ,/astoid she//s an occu,yin- force of storm6troo,ers ra,,e//ed into the burnin-
forests2 f/ushin- f/eein- Wookiees back into the o,en2 out onto the debris6stre.n /andin- ,/atform2
the shore of the /ake2 the ,ub/ic s,aces bet.een the tree c/usters that made u, 'achirho)
Im,eria/ .ar machines c/osed in from a// sides9 s,eeders and s.ift boats roarin- u, onto the sandy
banks2 -unshi,s coi/in- do.n from the treeto,s2 Victory6c/ass Destroyers descendin- from the stars2
their .ed-e6sha,ed armored hu//s out/ined by bri-ht runnin- /i-hts)
Dri5en from tree6city and forest2 the Wookiees found themse/5es surrounded by com,anies of
troo,ers) $a/e and fema/e a/ike2 the /ar-est .ere stunned into submission or ki//ed) And yet the
Wookiees continued to fi-ht2 e5en the youn-est amon- them2 and often .ith on/y tooth and nai/2
tearin- scores of troo,ers /imb from /imb before succumbin- to b/asterfire)
(ot a// of 'achirho1s tens of thousands .ere rounded u,2 but more than enou-h to satisfy the
!m,ire1s current needs) Shou/d more be needed2 the troo,ers .ou/d kno. .here to /ook for them)
erded to the center of the /andin- ,/atform .ith count/ess others2 Tarffu/ raised his /on- arms
abo5e his head and /oosed a mournfu/2 stentorian roar at the hea5ens)
'ashyyyk had fa//en)
BE
Shryne1s s/ashin- strike to Vader1s /o.er /eft /e-2 o.in- as much to /uck as to ski//2 re/eased another
sho.er of s,arks)
Vader1s enra-ed res,onse .as Shryne1s on/y assurance that he .as fi-htin- a /i5in- bein-) Whate5er
had ha,,ened to Vader2 by accident or 5o/ition2 he had to be more f/esh6and6b/ood than cybor-2 or
he .ou/dn1t ha5e ra-ed or been ab/e to ca// on the *orce .ith such intensity)
i-h u, in the smoke6fi//ed /attice/ike room2 they stood facin- each other on a sus,ension brid-e
that /inked t.o fu//y enc/osed .a/k.ays2 the -/oom cut by shafts of e3,/osi5e /i-ht from the
continuin- attack on 'achirho)
Shryne1s determination to thrust his /i-htsaber into the contro/ bo3 Vader .ore on his chest had
forced the Sith to ado,t a more defensi5e sty/e that had /eft his /imbs 5u/nerab/e) Throu-hout the
fi-ht that had taken them u, the room1s .ooden ram,s2 Vader had ke,t his crimson b/ade strai-ht
out in front of him2 mani,u/atin- it deft/y .ith .rists on/y2 e/bo.s ,ressed ti-ht/y to his sides) "n/y
.hen Shryne /eft him no choice did he shuff/e his feet or /ea,)
;Artificia/ /imbs and body armor seem a curious choice for a Sith2; Shryne said2 ,oised for Vader1s
ri,oste to his /ucky strike) ;:e/itt/in- to the dark side);
Vader ad0usted his -ri, on the s.ord and ad5anced) ;(o more than thro.in- in .ith smu--/ers
deni-rates the *orce2 Shryne);
;Ah2 but I sa. the /i-ht) $aybe it1s time you did);
;4ou ha5e it back.ard);
Shryne .as stee/in- himse/f for a /un-in- attack .hen2 abru,t/y2 Vader ha/ted and .ithdre. the
b/ade into the /i-htsaber1s hi/t)
:efore Shryne cou/d be-in to make sense of it2 he heard a creakin- sound from be/o.2 and
somethin- f/e. at him from one of the ram,s) "n/y a /ast6instant turn of his s.ord ke,t the ob0ect
from strikin- him in the head)
It .as a ,/ank6ri,,ed from a ram, they had taken to the brid-e)
Shryne -a7ed in a.e at unreadab/e Vader2 then be-an to race to.ard him2 b/ade he/d hi-h o5er his
ri-ht shou/der)
e didn1t make ha/f the distance .hen a storm of simi/ar ,/anks and /en-ths of handrai/ came
.hir/in- at him) Vader .as usin- his dark side abi/ities to dismant/e the ram,s=
Surrenderin- to the -uidance of the *orce2 Shryne s.un- his /i-htsaber in a f/urry of def/ectin-
maneu5ers6side6to6side2 o5erhead2 /o. do.n2 behind his back6but the f/oorboards .ere comin- in
/ar-er and /ar-er ,ieces2 from a// directions2 and faster than he cou/d ,arry them)
The butt end of a board struck him on the outer /eft thi-h) The face of a .ide ,/ank s/ammed him
across the shou/ders) Wooden ,e-s f/e. at his face9 other s,eared into his arms) Then a short
su,,ort ,ost hit him s8uare/y in the forehead2 knockin- the .ind out of him and dro,,in- him to his
knees) :/ood runnin- into his eyes2 he fou-ht to remain conscious2 e3tendin- the /i-htsaber in one
shakin- hand .hi/e c/am,in- the other on the brid-e1s handrai/) *i5e meters a.ay Vader stood2 his
hands crossed in front of him2 /i-htsaber han-in- on his be/t)
Shryne tried to kee, him in focus)
Another board2 .hir/in- end6o5er6end2 came out of no.here2 hittin- him in the kidneys)
Ref/e3i5e/y the hand that .as -ras,in- the rai/in- .ent to the sma// of his back2 and he /ost ba/ance)
Tryin- but fai/in- to catch himse/f2 he fe// throu-h s,ace)
%i5e in the .ooden f/oor sa5ed his /ife2 but at the e3,ense of a// the bones in his /eft arm and
shou/der)
Abo5e him Vader 0um,ed from the brid-e2 dro,,in- to the f/oor .ith a -race he hadn1t dis,/ayed
before and a/i-htin- 0ust meters a.ay)
I-norin- the ,ain in his shattered /imb2 Shryne be-an to ,ro,e/ himse/f in a back.ard cra./ to.ard
the o,enin- throu-h .hich he and Vader had entered the .roshyr1s trunk2 a hot .ind ho./in- at
him2 .hi,,in- his /on- hair about)
The ba/cony .as -one) *a//en)
There .as nothin- bet.een Shryne and the -round but -ritty air fi//ed .ith burnin- /ea5es) *ar
be/o.2 Wookiees .ere bein- herded onto the /andin- ,/atform) The forests .ere in f/ames
Vader a,,roached2 dra.in- and i-nitin- his Sith b/ade)
Shryne b/inked b/ood from his eyes9 /ifted his /i-htsaber hand on/y to rea/i7e that he had /ost the
s.ord durin- his fa//) S/um,in- back2 he /oosed a ra--ed2 resi-ned e3ha/ation)
;I o.e you a debt2; he to/d Vader) ;It took you to brin- me back to the *orce);
;And you to firm my faith in the ,o.er of the dark side2 $aster Shryne);
Shryne s.a//o.ed hard) ;Then te// me) Were you trained by Dooku< :y Sidious<;
Vader came to a ha/t) ;(ot by Dooku) (ot yet by Sidious);
;(ot yet2; Shryne said2 as if to himse/f ;Then you1re his a,,rentice<; is eyes darted ri-ht and /eft2
searchin- for some means of esca,e) ;Is Sidious a/so in /ea-ue .ith !m,eror Pa/,atine<;
Vader fe// si/ent for a moment2 makin- u, his mind about somethin-) ;Lord Sidious is the
!m,eror);
Shryne -a,ed at Vader2 tryin- to make sense of .hat he had said) ;The order to ki// the Jedi6;
;"rder Si3ty6Si32; Vader said)
;Sidious issued it); Pieces to the ,u77/e Shryne had been -ra,,/in- .ith for .eeks assemb/ed
themse/5es) ;The mi/itary bui/du,2 the .ar itse/f)
)) It .as a// ,art of a ,/an to e/iminate the Jedi order);
Vader nodded) ;A// about this); e -estured to Shryne) ;About you and me2 you cou/d say;
Shryne1s stomach con5u/sed2 and he cou-hed b/ood) The fa// hadn1t on/y broken his bones2 but
ru,tured a 5ita/ or-an) e .as dyin-) :ackin- farther out the o,enin-2 he -a7ed into the ni-ht sky2
then at Vader)
;Did Sidious turn you into the monstrosity you15e become<;
;(o2 Shryne2; Vader said in a f/at 5oice) ;I did this to myse/f6.ith some he/, from "bi6Wan
'enobi);
Shryne stared) ;4ou kne. "bi6Wan<;
Vader re-arded him) ;a5en1t you -uessed by no.< I .as a Jedi for a time);
Shryne /et his baff/ement sho.) ;4ou1re one of the Lost T.enty) Like Dooku);
;I am the t.enty6first2 $aster Shryne) Sure/y you15e heard of Anakin Sky.a/ker) The +hosen "ne);
B@
The +ommerce %ui/d shi, Starstone and the others had chosen to infi/trate -re. /ar-er in the
trans,ort1s cock,it 5ie.,orts) Just o5er a thousand meters in /en-th and brist/in- .ith
e/ectroma-netic sensor antennas and ,oint6defense /aser cannons2 the Recusant6c/ass su,,ort
destroyer had taken a turbo/aser bruisin- durin- the :att/e of 'ashyyyk2 but its ,rinci,a/ cannons
and trio of aft thrust no77/es a,,eared to be undama-ed)
!/se.here /oca/ s,ace .as dotted .ith Im,eria/ /anders and troo, trans,orts2 a/on- .ith hundreds
of frei-hters that had f/ed the surface of the tormented ,/anet) +entra/ to the /atter craft2 and a -ood
distance from the su,,ort destroyer2 f/oated the Interdictor cruiser that .as ,re5entin- the traders1
shi,s from 0um,in- to hy,ers,ace)
Those tra,,ed shi,s are the reason I .as s,ared2 Starstone thou-ht)
The reason she had been rescued by Shryne)))
;Any res,onse from the droid brain<; she asked o5er *i//i1s shou/der)
;We//2 .e1re chattin-2; the s/icer said from the cock,it1s comm suite) ;It reco-ni7ed the code .e
used to acti5ate the faci/ity at Ja-uada2 but it refuses to acce,t any remote commands) $y -uess is
that it .as rude/y shut do.n durin- the batt/e2 and .ants to run a systems check before brin-in- the
destroyer fu//y on/ine);
;:e best if .e can kee, from announcin- ourse/5es2; +ud-e/ said from the co,i/ot1s chair) ;4ou
think you can kee, the brain from /i-htin- u, the entire shi,<;
+he.bacca .oofed in a-reement)
;(ot initia//y2; *i//i said) ;The brain .i// ,robab/y restore uni5ersa/ ,o.er -radua//y as ,art of its
dia-nostic ana/ysis) "nce that1s o5er and done .ith2 I can task it to ki// a// the runnin- /i-hts2 e3ce,t
for those around the for.ard dockin- bay);
A sudden -ro./ from +he.bacca ca//ed Starstone1s attention to the for.ard 5ie.,orts)
*ore6to6aft2 the ,od6/ike .arshi, .as comin- to /ife)
+ud-e/ muttered a curse) ;The Interdictor1s scanners are bound to ,ick that u,);
;Just a cou,/e of moments more2; *i//i said)
!5eryone .aited)
;Done=; *i//i announced)
In re5erse order the destroyer1s runnin- /i-hts be-an to b/ink out2 sa5e for an array of i//uminators
that defined the rectan-u/ar entrance to the dockin- bay)
*i//i f/ashed Starstone a -rin) ;The brain1s bein- 5ery coo,erati5e) We1re -ood to dock);
+he.bacca brayed an interro-ati5e)
;Any atmos,here<; +ud-e/ trans/ated)
*i//i did ra,id in,ut at the keyboard)
;The shi, ori-ina//y carried se5era/ s8uadrons of 5u/ture and droid tri6fi-hters2; he said) ;:ut un/ess
the %ossams con5erted it fu//y to droid o,eration I1d e3,ect there be atmos,here and artificia/
-ra5ity in some areas))); is eyes darted to the dis,/ay screen) ;Looks /ike a bit of both: %ossam
and droid cre.);
;:att/e droids<; Starstone said)
*i//i nodded) ; 1*raid so);
;4ou can1t shut them do.n<;
;(ot .ithout shuttin- do.n the command brid-e);
Starstone fro.ned and turned to +ud-e/) ;%ather u, as many b/asters as .e15e -ot aboard) And
.hi/e you1re at it2 you1// find some rebreathers in the main cabin60ust in case there1s no atmos,here);
;4ou .ant a b/aster2; he asked as he stood u,2 ;or are you stickin- .ith a /i-htsaber<;
;This is an occasion that ca//s for both2; she said)
;Archyr2 Skeck2 are you co,yin- a// this<; *i//i said to.ard the audio ,icku,)
;Affirmati5e2; Archyr res,onded from the dro, shi,) ;:ut .e1// ,recede you into the dockin- bay)
We1re better armed and better shie/ded) After that there1s nothin- to do but fi-ht our .ay to the
command brid-e);
*i//i dis,/ayed a schematic of the destroyer on one of the suite1s monitor screens) ;$ost of the
habitab/e areas are amidshi,s2 but the command brid-e is in the outri--er su,erstructure abo5e the
bo.);
;Lucky break for us2; Archyr said) ;It1s c/oser to the bay);
Starstone .as studyin- the destroyer .hen the dro, shi, came a/on-side the trans,ort) Without
ha5in- to be to/d2 +he.bacca dece/erated and fe// in behind the sma//er craft)
Starstone s/i,,ed into the 5acant co,i/ot1s chair to .atch the dro, shi, -/ide into the bay) A/most
immediate/y b/aster bo/ts crisscrossed the darkness) :y the time the trans,ort nosed throu-h the
o,enin-2 batt/e droids .ere dro,,in- /ike tar-ets in a shootin- -a//ery2 and the deck .as stre.n .ith
s,ind/y body ,arts)
Rebreathers stra,,ed to their faces2 /umas to their foreheads2 Starstone2 +ud-e/2 and *i//i .ere
standin- at the boardin- ram, hatch .hen +he.bacca set the trans,ort do.n) Short/y the Wookiee
0oined them there2 the bo.caster he carried o5er his shou/der assemb/ed and -ri,,ed in his hands)
As the trans,ort1s outer hatch s/id o,en2 the harsh sibi/ance of b/asterfire infi/trated the shi,)
Starstone and the others hurried out into the thick of the fi-htin-2 their head/am,s castin- /on-
shado.s a// o5er the bay) Archyr and se5era/ .e//6armed Wookiees .ere off to one side2 c/earin- a
,ath throu-h batt/e droids to.ard a hatch in the bay1s for.ard bu/khead)
*irin- on the run and hurt/in- ,ieces of disinte-rated droids2 Starstone2 *i//i2 +ud-e/2 and
+he.bacca made a des,erate dash for the hatch) The corridor beyond .as cro.ded .ith batt/e
droids marchin- in to reinforce those in the dockin- bay)
!3,/osi5e 8uarre/s from +he.bacca1s bo.caster combined .ith b/asterfire and def/ections from
Starstone1s /i-htsaber dro,,ed a do7en droids at a time) :ut for e5ery do7en destroyed2 another
do7en a,,eared) Archyr and some of the Wookiees brou-ht u, the rear2 u/timate/y a//o.in-
Starstone1s contin-ent to shoot their .ay into a turbo/ift that accessed the destroyer1s outri--er arm)
Pre,ared for the .orst2 the four of them burst onto the command brid-e2 on/y to find a -rou, of
befudd/ed humaniform technica/ droids2 outfitted .ith ,o.er studs at the backs of the heads that
a//o.ed them to be 8uick/y and methodica//y shut do.n)
Rea/i7in- that the brid-e had o3y-en2 e5eryone remo5ed their rebreathers) +he.bacca do--ed the
hatch to the corridor .hi/e *i//i centered himse/f at the shi,1s contro/ conso/e and acti5ated the
brid-e1s emer-ency /i-hts)
;%ossams ha5e /on-er fin-ers than I ha5e2; he said in the scar/et -/o. of the i//uminators) ;This
cou/d take some time);
;We1re runnin- short as it is2; +ud-e/ said) ;Just -et the main cannons enab/ed);
:att/e droids on the far side of the sea/ed hatch .ere a/ready tryin- to ,ound their .ay onto the
brid-e)
*i//i .ent back to .ork2 but a moment /ater said: ;#h6oh); +he.bacca /oosed a tro//in- roar at him)
;#h6oh2 .hat<; Starstone asked)
Abru,t/y the destroyer /urched and be-an to nose about to.ard 'ashyyyk1s crescent of bri-ht side)
;The brain .ants to com,/ete the task it .as in the midd/e of .hen the shi, .as shut do.n2; *i//i
said)
Starstone turned to him) ;What .as the task<;
;It thinks that the Se,aratists are /osin- 'achirho) It1s con5ertin- itse/f into a -iant bomb=;
;+an1t you retask it<;
;I1m tryin-) It .on1t /isten=;
+ud-e/ muttered to himse/f2 and +he.bacca issued a sound that .as some.here bet.een a -ro./
and a -roan)
;*i//i=; Starstone said shar,/y) ;Let the brain think .hat it .ants) Just assi-n it a ne. tar-et);
is b/ank stare yie/ded s/o./y to a -rin of com,rehension) ;+an do);
Starstone returned the smi/e2 then -/anced at +ud-e/) ;+om6/ink the Drunk Dancer to ,re,are to
recei5e -uests);
BF
As soon as Ju/a recei5ed .ord that the dro, shi, and trans,ort had e3ited the +ommerce %ui/d
.arshi,2 she /eft the Drunk Dancer in the ca,ab/e hands of :rudi %ayn and !y/ Di3 and headed for
the dockin- bay) er ea-erness sabota-ed by the /i-htsaber -ash she had suffered on A/deraan2 she
mo5ed s/o./y and carefu//y2 arri5in- 0ust as the t.o craft .ere driftin- throu-h the hatch)
*ore.arned that both .ere carryin- in0ured2 she had ordered the shi,1s med droids to rende75ous
.ith her there)
*ore.arned)
:ut not thorou-h/y enou-h to ,re,are her for the number of .ounded e5acuees .ho hobb/ed from
the shi,s2 Wookiees s8uee7in- out /ike circus ,erformers from an absurd/y cram,ed 5ehic/e2 and
many of them in -ra5e condition)
As for the 0edi2 on/y fi5e of the ori-ina/ se5en had sur5i5ed2 and 0ust bare/y2 from the /ook of them)
Jambe Lu2 (am Poorf2 and '/ossi Anno es,ecia//y .ere in a /ot .orse sha,e than .hen they had
first come aboard the Drunk Dancer2 .eeks ear/ier)
!5en the shi,1s med droids .ere dismayed) ;This may ,ro5e o5er.he/min-2 +a,tain2; one of them
said from behind Ju/a)
;Do a// you can2; she to/d the droid)
It .as an unner5in- si-ht2 ho.e5er2 and she fe/t a bit ,anicked) :ut the tears she had been ho/din-
back since /earnin- of Roan1s sacrifice didn1t -ush forth unti/ she set eyes on *i//i and Starstone)
Seein- her standin- distrau-ht2 cryin- into the ,a/ms of her hands2 Starstone hurried o5er to .ra,
her in a comfortin- embrace)
Ju/a a//o.ed herse/f to be he/d for a /on- moment) :ut .hen she fina//y ste,,ed out of the embrace2
she sa. that Starstone1s checks .ere s/ick .ith tears2 and that on/y -ot her cryin- a-ain) %ent/y she
stroked the youn- .oman1s face)
;What ha,,ened to a5oidin- attachment<; Ju/a said2 sniff/in-)
Starstone backhanded tears from her checks) ;I15e /ost the ski//) It doesn1t seem to fit .e// .ith the
!m,eror1s (e. "rder2 any.ay); She he/d Ju/a1s searchin- -a7e) ;4our son sa5ed our /i5es) We tried
to -o back for him2 but)));
Ju/a a5erted her eyes) ;Someone had to try to sto, Vader);
;I don1t kno. that Vader can be sto,,ed2; Starstone said)
Ju/a nodded) ;$aybe if I1d raised Roan2 he .ou/dn1t ha5e turned out to be so stubborn); She
fro.ned in distress) ;Some ,eo,/e can1t be ta/ked out of bein- a hero);
;"r a 0edi);
Ju/a nodded) ;That1s .hat I meant);
Starstone smi/ed sad/y2 then turned to re-ard a Wookiee and a bearded human .ho .ere standin- at
the foot of the trans,ort1s boardin- ram,2 s,eakin- .ith *i//i2 Archyr2 and Skeck) Takin- Ju/a by the
hand2 Starstone /ed her o5er to the un/ike/y ,air2 .hom she introduced as +he.bacca and +ud-e/)
+/ear/y in distress2 the Wookiee .as /eanin- a-ainst the shi,2 restin- his head on his fo/ded arms2
and s/ammin- his ,a.s a-ainst the hu//)
;We sa. +he.bacca1s tree6city in f/ames2; +ud-e/ e3,/ained) ;There1s no .ay to kno. .hether his
fami/y esca,ed in time);
;I ,romised him the trans,ort2; Starstone to/d Ju/a)
Ju/a /ooked at +ud-e/) ;We1// -et it refue/ed as 8uick/y6;
;(o need2; +ud-e/ cut her off) ;+he.ie kno.s that it1s too /ate) e fi-ures he can do more for his
,eo,/e as a fu-iti5e than he cou/d as a ca,ti5e);
The Wookiee affirmed it .ith a me/ancho/y roar)
;4ou1re s,eakin- for a// of us2 +he.bacca2; Starstone said)
;So2; +ud-e/ continued2 ;.e1re .onderin-2 +he.ie and I2 if .e cou/d ride out of this .ith you);
Ju/a1s com/ink toned .hi/e she .as noddin- yes)
;+a,tain2 .e1re T6ten for the 0um, to hy,ers,ace2; :rudi said from the brid-e2 a/most casua//y)
;Assumin- e5erythin- -oes accordin- to ,/an);
;a5e you been ab/e to notify the other shi,s<; Ju/a asked) ;As best I cou/d) And I1m trustin- that
that Interdictor isn1t ea5esdro,,in- on e5ery com/ink fre8uency);
;See .hat 0um, o,tions the na5icom,uter ,ro5ides2; Ju/a said) ;I1// 0oin you in a moment);
She mo5ed a.ay from Starstone and the others to -a7e at 'ashyyyk1s .anin- crescent of bri-ht
side) Tears streamin- do.n her face2 she said in a 8uiet 5oice: ;I /o5e you2 Roan) I thank the *orce
that I -ot to kno. you for a time) :ut I1// miss you more no. than I e5er did);
In command of the Detainer ,arked abo5e 'achirho2 +a,tain #-an norma//y refused to a//o.
himse/f to be disturbed .hen he .as on the brid-e) :ut !nsi-n (u//i, .as so insistent about seein-
him that he fina//y -ranted ,ermission for the youn- technician to be escorted onto the command
deck)
A s.arthy man .ith b/unt features2 #-an remained seated in his chair2 his dark -a7e shiftin-
bet.een ,ro0ected ho/oima-es of the in5asion on 'ashyyyk and the 5ie.,ort ,anorama of the
,/anet itse/f)
;:e 8uick about it2; he .arned (u//i,)
;4es2 sir2; the ensi-n ,romised) ;It1s sim,/y that .e15e been monitorin- some unusua/ readin-s from
one of the Se,aratist shi,s that .as /eft in orbit after the batt/e here) S,ecifica//y2 a +ommerce %ui/d
Recusant6c/ass su,,ort destroyer) I15e tried re,eated/y to con5ince someone in tactica/ to brin- this
to your attention2 sir2 but6;
#-an cut him off) ;What makes these readin-s 1unusua/21 !nsi-n<;
;They are initiation readin-s2 sir); In res,onse to the ca,tain1s dubious /ook2 (u//i, continued: ;I
kno.2 sir) I .as ,u77/ed2 too) That1s .hy I took it u,on myse/f to check the scanner recordin-s)
$uch to my sur,rise2 sir2 I /earned that the destroyer1s centra/ contro/ com,uter had been remote/y
enab/ed to run a dia-nostic2 and then to brin- se5era/ of the shi,1s systems on/ine);
When #-an1s e3,ression of ,er,/e3ity dee,ened2 (u//i, acti5ated a sma// ho/o,/ate he had ,/aced
on the ,a/m of his ri-ht hand) A -rainy recordin- shone from the de5ice)
;4ou can see t.o craft enterin- the destroyer2 0ust here2 at the for.ard most dockin- bays); (u//i,1s
forefin-er fast6for.arded the recordin-) ;ere2 you can see the craft /ea5in-) We1re sti// tryin- to
determine their destination);
#-an -/anced from the recordin- to (u//i,) ;Sa/5a-ers<;
;That .as my first thou-ht2 sir) :ut2 in fact2 .hen the craft e3ited2 the destroyer itse/f .as in
motion);
#-an stared at him) ;In motion< What1s its headin-<;
;That1s 0ust it2 sir) It1s headin- to.ard us); Turnin- to the for.ard 5ie.,orts2 (u//i, indicated a dark
sha,e mo5in- throu-h the -reater darkness) ;Just there2 you see<;
#-an s.i5e/ed to an officer at the tactica/ duty station) ;A Se,aratist shi, is a,,roachin- our ,ort
side) Scan it2 immediate/y=; Risin- from his chair2 he .a/ked to the 5ie.,ort2 (u//i, a ste, behind
him)
;+a,tain2; the tactica/ officer said2 ;the shi, is a +onfederacy droid6,i/oted su,,ort destroyer6;
;I a/ready kno. that=; #-an said2 .hir/in- around) ;Does it ,ose any risk to us<;
;+heckin-2 sir);
The officer s,ent a moment studyin- the duty station1s array of dis,/ay screens2 then turned to.ard
#-an2 ashen6faced)
;+a,tain2 the destroyer1s main reactor is in critica/ fai/ure) The shi, is effecti5e/y a massi5e bomb=;
BG
Shryne s,ra./ed in the .roshyr1s ca5ernous o,enin-2 the .ind tu--in- at his c/othin-2 b/ood
trick/in- from the corners of his mouth2 c/ear/y stru--/in- .ith the re5e/ation he had been -ranted)
Vader stood o5er him2 his ri-ht hand restin- on the hi/t of the /i-htsaber2 thou-h he had no intention
of dra.in- it from his be/t a-ain) "ne stron- -ust cou/d to,,/e Shryne to his fina/ restin- ,/ace)
It is enou-h to /et him die kno.in- that the order .as betrayed by one of its o.n)
$ore im,ortant2 Vader1s b/ood/ust had been a,,eased9 re,/aced by se/f6,ossession of a sort he had
ne5er before e3,erienced) It .as as if he had crossed some in5isib/e thresho/d to a ne. .or/d) e
cou/d fee/ the ,o.er of the dark side sur-in- throu-h him /ike an icy torrent) e fe/t in5u/nerab/e in
a .ay that had nothin- to do .ith his durastee/ ,rostheses2 his suit of armor and -ad-ets2 .hich no.
seemed /itt/e more than an outfit) And it had taken a Jedi6yet another Jedi6to usher him o5er that
thresho/d)
e -a7ed do.n at Shryne2 emb/ematic of the defeated Jedi order2 as "bi6Wan shou/d ha5e been) e
reca//ed the .ay Dooku had -a7ed do.n at him on %eonosis2 and the .ay Anakin had -a7ed do.n
at Dooku in the %enera/1s 8uarters aboard the In5isib/e and)
Someday he .ou/d -a7e do.n at Sidious in the same .ay) After he took an a,,rentice2 ,erha,s)
Someone .ith the same rebe//ious s,irit that Shryne demonstrated)
Shryne cou-hed .eak/y) ;What are you .aitin- for2 Sky.a/ker< Strike me do.n) 4ou1re on/y
ki//in- a Jedi);
Vader ,/anted his fists on his hi,s) ;Then you do acce,t the truth);
;I acce,t that you and Pa/,atine are a ,erfect match6; Shryne be-an2 .hen .ithout .arnin- an
immense e3,/osion turned a sma// re-ion of the .estern sky bri-ht as day) !c/i,sin- stars2 a roi/in-
ba// of fire b/ossomed hi-h o5er 'ashyyyk2 e3,andin- and e3,andin- unti/ the 5acuum of s,ace
suffocated it)
When Vader /ooked at Shryne a-ain2 the Jedi a,,eared to be -rinnin-)
;Wou/d that be one of your shi,s< 4our Interdictor cruiser2 maybe<; e cou-hed b/ood and a /au-h)
;They15e esca,ed you a-ain2 ha5en1t they ;
;If so2 they .i// be found2 and ki//ed);
Shryne1s e3,ression sudden/y chan-ed2 from smu- to a/most ra,turous)
;I15e seen this2; he uttered2 most/y to himse/f) ;I en5isioned this))) ;
Vader ,ressed c/oser to hear him) ;4our death2 you mean);
;An e3,/osion bri-ht as a star2; Shryne said) ;A forest .or/d2 intre,id defenders2 esca,in- shi,s2
and))) you2 I think2 someho. at the center of it a//); is b/oodstained /i,s formed themse/5es into a
sub/ime smi/e2 and a tear ran from his ri-ht eye) ;Sky.a/ker2 it .on1t matter if you find them) It
.on1t matter if you find and ki// e5ery Jedi .ho sur5i5ed "rder Si3ty6Si3) I understand no.))) the
*orce .i// ne5er die);
Vader .as sti// -a7in- do.n at Shryne1s inert body .hen se5era/ stormtroo,ers emer-ed from one
of the Wookiees1 in-enious turbo/ifts and hurried o5er to him)
;Lord Vader2; the officer amon- them said) ;The Interdictor ,ositioned o5er 'achirho has been
destroyed) As a resu/t2 hundreds of e5acuation shi,s succeeded in 0um,in- to hy,ers,ace);
Vader nodded) ;Inform the -rou, commanders that they are to continue their orbita/ bombardment2;
he said an-ri/y) ;I .ant e5ery Wookiee f/ushed out of hidin-2 e5en if that means burnin- these
forests to the -round=;
!PIL"%#!
TW" T!R! S"#LD :!9 (" $"R! (" L!SS)
"(! T" !$:"D4 P"W!R2 T! "T!R T" +RAV! IT)
6 DART :A(!
CD
A ha/f6/ife6si7e ho/oima-e of Wi/huff Tarkin shone from one of the cone6sha,ed ho/o,ro0ectors that
studded the /ustrous f/oor of the throne room)
;The ,/anet suffered more dama-e that I mi-ht ha5e antici,ated2; the $off .as sayin-2 ;es,ecia//y
-i5en the mi/itary resources I ,/aced at Lord Vader1s dis,osa/) A/thou-h I su,,ose I shou/dn1t be
sur,rised by the Wookiees1 intractabi/ity);
The !m,eror -estured ne-/i-ent/y) ;What is one .or/d2 more or /ess2 .hen the -a/a3y is bein-
reordered<;
Tarkin took a moment to re,/y) ;I .i// bear that in mind2 my /ord);
;What of the Wookiees themse/5es<;
;Some t.o hundred thousand .ere rounded u, and ,/aced in containment cam,s on the Wa.aatt
Archi,e/a-o);
;+an you accommodate that many<;
;We cou/d accommodate t.ice that number);
;I see2; the !m,eror said) ;Then you ha5e my ,ermission to trans,ort the s/a5es to the .ea,on);
;Thank you2 my /ord);
;:e certain to inform the re-iona/ -o5ernor of your acti5ities2 but make no mention of the
Wookiees1 fina/ destination) "h2 and see to it2 $off Tarkin2 that you co5er your tracks .e//)
Huestions are a/ready bein- asked) ; The !m,eror ,aused2 then /eaned for.ard to add: ;I don1t .ant
any ,rob/ems);
Tarkin inc/ined his head in a bo.) ;I a,,reciate the need for utmost secrecy2 my /ord);
;%ood); The !m,eror sat back) ;And2 te// me2 .hat is your o,inion of Lord Vader1s hand/in- of the
occu,ation of 'ashyyyk<;
;e ,ro5ed 5ery ca,ab/e2 my /ord) (o one in5o/5ed in the o,eration .i// soon for-et his))) sense of
commitment2 sha// .e say<;
;Do the f/eet commanders concur .ith your assessment<; Tarkin stroked his hi-h6cheekboned face)
;$ay I s,eak candid/y<;
;I su--est you make it a ,ractice2 $off Tarkin);
;The commanders are not ,/eased) They don1t kno. .ho Lord Vader is under his mask and armor)
They ha5e no ink/in- of the true e3tent of his ,o.er2 or ho. he came to be your /iaison .ith the
re-iona/ -o5ernors and the f/ed-/in- Im,eria/ (a5y) There are rumors2 my /ord);
;+ontinue to s,eak free/y);
;Some are con5inced that Lord Vader is a former Jedi .ho assisted you in your counterstrike
a-ainst the order) "thers be/ie5e that he .as an a,,rentice of the /ate +ount Dooku);
;Who is s,readin- these rumors<;
;*rom .hat I ha5e been ab/e to ascertain2 the rumors be-an amon- the s,ecia/ o,s /e-ions that
attacked and secured the Jedi Tem,/e) If you .ish2 my /ord2 I cou/d ,ursue the matter further);
;(o2 Tarkin2; the !m,eror said) ;Let the rumors ,ersist) And /et the re-iona/ -o5ernors and na5a/
officers think .hat they .i// of Lord Vader) is identity shou/dn1t concern them) I am interested
on/y in their obeyin- his commands2 as they .ou/d mine);
;If nothin- e/se2 my /ord2 they understand that much) Word of .hat ha,,ened at 'ashyyyk is
s,readin- 8uick/y throu-h the ranks);
;As I kne. it .ou/d);
;Tarkin nodded) ;$y /ord2 I .onder if I mi-ht ca// on Lord Vader1s))) e3,ertise from time to time2 if
on/y in the interest of enhancin- his re,utation amon- the f/eet commanders);
;4ou may2 indeed) :oth you and Lord Vader .i// ,rofit from such a ,artnershi,) When the batt/e
station is com,/eted2 your res,onsibi/ities .i// be manifo/d) Lord Vader .i// re/ie5e you of the need
to o5ersee e5ery matter ,ersona//y);
;I /ook for.ard to that day2 my /ord); Tarkin bo.ed once more2 and the ho/oima-e disa,,eared)
Sidious .as ,/eased) Vader had done .e//) e had sensed the chan-e in him2 e5en in the brief
con5ersation they had had fo//o.in- the e5ents on 'ashyyyk) (o. that Vader had be-un to ta,
dee,/y into the ,o.er of the dark side2 his true a,,renticeshi, cou/d be-in) The Jedi .ere incidenta/
to him) e .as co5etous of the ,o.er Sidious .ie/ded2 and be/ie5ed that one day they .ou/d be
e8ua/s)
4ou must be-in by -ainin- ,o.er o5er yourse/f9 then another9 then a -rou,2 an order2 a .or/d2 a
s,ecies2 a -rou, of s,ecies))) fina//y2 the -a/a3y itse/f)
Sidious cou/d sti// hear Darth P/a-ueis /ecturin- him)
!n5y2 hatred2 betraya/))) They .ere essentia/ to masterin- the dark side2 but on/y as a means of
distancin- onese/f from a// common notions of mora/ity in the interest of a hi-her -oa/) "n/y .hen
Sidious had understood this fu//y had he acted on it2 ki//in- his $aster .hi/e he s/e,t)
#n/ike P/a-ueis2 Sidious kne. better than to s/ee,)
$ore im,ortant2 by the time Vader .as ca,ab/e of becomin- a risk to his $astery2 Sidious .ou/d be
fu//y con5ersant .ith the secrets P/a-ueis had s,ent a /ifetime seekin-6the ,o.er of /ife o5er death)
There .ou/d be no need to fear Vader) (o rea/ reason to ha5e an a,,rentice2 e3ce,t to honor the
tradition Darth :ane had resurrected a mi//ennium ear/ier)
The ancient Sith had been utter foo/s to be/ie5e that ,o.er cou/d be shared by thousands)
The ,o.er of the dark side shou/d be shared on/y by t.o9 one to embody it2 the other to cra5e it)
Vader1s transformation meant that Sidious2 too2 .as ab/e to focus once more on im,ortant matters)
With Vader in his ,/ace2 Sidious cou/d no. de5ote himse/f to intensifyin- his authority o5er the
Senate and the out/yin- star systems2 and to rootin- out and 5an8uishin- any .ho ,osed a threat to
the !m,ire)
e had brou-ht ,eace to the -a/a3y) (o. he meant to ru/e it as he sa. fit6.ith a hand as stron- and
durab/e as one of Vader1s ,rostheses) +rushin- any o,,onents .ho rose u,) Insti//in- fear in any
.ho thou-ht to obstruct or th.art him)
Vader .ou/d ,ro5e to be a ,o.erfu/ a,,rentice2 at /east unti/ a more suitab/e one .as found)
And a ,o.erfu/ .ea,on2 as .e//2 at /east unti/ a more ,o.er6fi// one .as readied)))
*or some time2 Sidious sat2 musin- on the future9 then he ca//ed for Sate Pesta-e to 0oin him in the
throne room)
The time had come to -i5e the rest of the -a/a3y a /ook at Darth Vader)
C&
"h2 :ai/2 :reha2 .hat a ,recious chi/d2; $on $othma said .hi/e she rocked Leia in her arms) ;And
such a feisty one=; she added a moment /ater as Leia .orked one arm2 then the other2 out from
under her s.add/in-s2 cur/ed her hands into tiny fists2 and /et out a .ai/ that echoed in the ,a/ace1s
-reat room) ;Ah2 you .ant your mom and dad2 don1t you2 Princess Leia<;
Hueen :reha .as a/ready hurryin- o5er to re/ie5e $on $othma of a no. -esticu/atin- and kickin-
Leia)
;That1s her feed6me cry2; :reha said) ;If you1// e3cuse me2 Senator))) ;
;"f course2 4our $a0esty2; $on $othma said2 risin- to her feet) She .atched :reha /ea5e the
room2 then s.un- to :ai/2 .ho .as seated by the room1s -a,in- fire,/ace) ;I1m so ha,,y for the t.o
of you);
;We cou/dn1t be ha,,ier ourse/5es2; :ai/ said)
e .ished he cou/d te// $on $othma the truth about the chi/d she had 0ust he/d in her arms2 but he
cou/dn1t risk it9 not yet2 ,erha,s ne5er) Particu/ar/y .ith ;Darth Vader; on the /oose)
Pickin- u, on :ai/1s moment of intros,ection2 $on $othma returned to her chair and ado,ted a
more serious /ook)
;I ho,e you understand .hy I cou/dn1t trust this con5ersation to the usua/ means2 :ai/2; she said)
;Are .e secure here<;
;"f course2 I understand) And yes2 .e can s,eak free/y here);
$on $othma c/osed her eyes brief/y and shook her head in dismay) ;$ost of the Senate is actua//y
.i//in- to acce,t that *an- ?ar .as under sus,icion for committin- acts of sedition on +oruscant2
and that he came to A/deraan on/y to ra//y anti6Im,eria/ sentiment);
:ai/ nodded) ;I15e heard the re,orts) There1s no truth to any of them) e .as f/eein- for his /ife);
;as Pa/,atine remarked on the fact that you -ranted him refu-e<;
;I honest/y didn1t kno. that he1d been 8uestioned by Interna/ Security and ordered to remain on
+oruscant) When Pa/,atine1s))) a-ents to/d me as much2 I said I .ou/d -rant him di,/omatic
immunity if he asked for it6thou-h I doubt he .ou/d ha5e asked2 kno.in- that A/deraan .ou/d
suffer the re,ercussions);
;!5en so2 Pa/,atine1s si/ence is curious); She /ooked hard at :ai/) ;Perha,s he1s trustin- that you
.on1t re5ea/ the truth about .hat .ent on here);
:ai/ nodded in a-reement) ;Somethin- /ike that) A/thou-h it cou/d .ork to our /on-6term ad5anta-e
to ha5e him be/ie5e that I1m .i//in- to su,,ort e5en his /ies);
$on $othma com,ressed her /i,s in doubt) ;That1s ,robab/y true) :ut I1m concerned about the
messa-e your si/ence sends to our a//ies in the Senate) Sern Prime is in an u,roar o5er this incident)
The ,resident6e/ect has threatened to reca// the entire de/e-ation from +oruscant) This cou/d ,ro5ide
0ust the im,etus .e need);
:ai/ stood u, and ,aced a.ay from his chair) ;Pa/,atine .anted to make an e3am,/e of *an- ?ar)
e .on1t hesitate to make an e3am,/e of Sem Prime itse/f2 if the ,resident6e/ect isn1t carefu/);
;o. did ?ar die<; $on $othma said2 .atchin- him ,ace)
;Vader2; :ai/ said shar,/y)
$on $othma shook her head in i-norance) ;Who is Vader< "ne of Armand Isard1s a-ents<;
:ai/ fina//y sat do.n2 restin- his e/bo.s on his knees) ;Worse2 far .orse) e1s Pa/,atine1s ri-ht
hand);
$on $othma1s e3,ression of uncertainty intensified) ;+/oser to him than Pesta-e<;
:ai/ nodded) ;+/oser to Pa/,atine than any of them);
;"ut of the b/ue< I mean2 ho. is it that none of us encountered Vader before no.<;
:ai/ -ras,ed for .ords that .ou/d re5ea/ enou-h2 .ithout re5ea/in- too much) ;e))) came to
,rominence durin- the .ar) e .ie/ds a /i-htsaber);
$on $othma1s eyes .idened in sur,rise)
;(o2 he1s not a Jedi2; :ai/ said2 before she cou/d ask) ;is b/ade is crimson);
;What does the co/or ha5e to do .ith anythin-<;
;e1s a Sith) A member of the same ancient order to .hich Dooku s.ore a//e-iance);
$on $othma /oosed a fati-ued e3ha/ation) ;I15e ne5er understood any of this2 about the Siths1
in5o/5ement in the .ar);
;4ou on/y need to understand that Vader is Pa/,atine1s e3ecutioner) e1s ,o.erfu/ a/most beyond
be/ief); :ai/ studied his hands) ;*an- ?ar .as not the first ,erson to fee/ the .rath of Vader1s
b/ade);
;Then Vader is a// the more reason for us to act .hi/e there1s sti// time2; $on $othma said in a
forcefu/ 5oice) ;Pa/,atine1s ,/an to ki// a fe. to insti// fear in the rest is a/ready .orkin-) a/f the
si-natories of the Petition of the T.o Thousand are a// but recantin- the demands .e issued) I
understand that you .ant to honor Padme Amida/a1s ad5ice to you about bidin- our time) :ut .hat
did she kno.2 rea//y< She su,,orted Pa/,atine a/most to the 5ery end)
;:ai/2 he1s assemb/in- a 5ast na5y) a/f the bud-et is -oin- to the ,roduction of these enormous
ne. Star Destroyers) e1s ha5in- ne. stormtroo,ers -ro.n) And that1s not the .orst of it) The
*inance +ommittee can1t e5en account for some of the s,endin-) Rumor has it that Pa/,atine has
some secret ,ro0ect in the .orks);
She fe// si/ent2 then continued in a 8uieter tone) ;Think hack to .hat ha,,ened three years a-o) If it
.asn1t for the secret army the Jedi created2 the Re,ub/ic .ou/dn1t ha5e had a ho,e of defendin-
itse/f a-ainst Dooku1s +onfederacy) %ranted2 Pa/,atine took ad5anta-e of the situation to cro.n
himse/f !m,eror) :ut consider .hat1s ha,,enin- no.) We don1t ha5e an army of insur-ents .aitin-
in the .in-s2 and .e1// ne5er ha5e one if .e don1t be-in to marsha/ su,,ort) Pa/,atine1s mi/itary .i//
ru/e by the s.ord) e1// do as he .ishes2 .hate5er he .ishes2 in the name of kee,in- the !m,ire
intact) Don1t you see<;
The 8uestion hun- in the air2 but on/y for a moment)
Raymus Anti//es a,,eared in the .ide door.ay to say: ;Senators2 there1s somethin- the t.o of you
need to see);
Anti//es hastened to the o/o(et recei5er and s.itched it on)
))) At this moment2 detai/s remain sketchy2; a ce/ebrated commentator .as sayin-2 ;but re/iab/e
sources ha5e stated that the Wookiees .ere a//o.in- a band of ro-ue Jedi to use 'ashyyyk as a base
for rebe/ strikes a-ainst the !m,ire) The ,o/ice action is be/ie5ed to ha5e be-un .ith a demand that
the Jedi be surrendered) Instead2 the Wookiees resisted2 and the resu/t .as a batt/e that /eft tens of
thousands dead2 inc/udin- the Jedi insur-ents2 and ,erha,s hundreds of thousands im,risoned);
:ai/ and $on $othma traded /ooks of astonishment)
;"n +oruscant2; the commentator continued2 ;'ashyyyk Senator 4arua and the members of his
de/e-ation .ere ,/aced under house arrest before any statements cou/d be issued) :ut on the minds
of many 0ust no. is the identity of this ,erson2 ca,tured by ho/ocam on a /andin- ,/atform norma//y
reser5ed for the !m,eror himse/f);
;Vader2; :ai/ said2 on seein- the ta// fi-ure in b/ack2 /eadin- a cadre of stormtroo,ers into the
!m,eror1s bui/din-)
;o/o(et (e.s has /earned that he is kno.n in the hi-hest circ/es as Lord Vader2; the commentator
said) ;:eyond that2 a/most nothin- is kno.n2 sa5e for the fact that he /ed the action on 'ashyyyk)
;Is he human< +/one< The !m,eror1s o.n %enera/ %rie5ous< (o one seems to kno.2 but e5eryone
.ants to6;
;S.itch it off2; :ai/ said to Anti//es)
;'ashyyyk2; $on $othma said in incredu/ity) She ran her hands do.n her face and stared at :ai/)
;We1re too /ate) A dark time has be-un);
:ai/ didn1t res,ond immediate/y) Into the si/ence ste,,ed :reha2 ho/din- Leia a-ainst her shou/der2
and into :ai/1s ratt/ed mind came thou-hts of 4oda2 "bi6Wan2 and Leia1s t.in brother2 Luke)
;A// the more reason to kee, ho,e hidden2; he said soft/y)
C>
The Drunk Dancer .as home2 ,arked in the co/d -/oom2 /i-ht6years from any inhabited systems)
This far from the +ore2 o/o(et broadcasts .ere standard days2 sometimes .eeks2 behind and
a/.ays de-raded2 but c/ear enou-h 0ust no. for Starstone2 Ju/a2 and e5eryone e/se6Jedi and cre.
members a/ike6to identify the bodies of I.o 'u/ka and Siadem *orte)
))) A// the Jedi .ho took ,art in the batt/e .ere ki//ed2; a corres,ondent .as sayin- .hen Starstone
asked *i//i to mute the recorded feed) !5eryone had a/ready seen the ori-ina/ re,orts2 .hich had
since been embe//ished .ith e3a--erations and outri-ht /ies)
%a7in- around the cabin s,ace at Jambe2 (am2 Derai/ (a/ua/2 and '/ossi Anno2 Starstone cou/dn1t
he/, but think that the fi5e of them made u, .hat cou/d be thou-ht of as the fina/ Jedi +ounci/)
With herse/f ha5in- ca//ed for the meetin-2 as master of ceremonies2 .ithout e5er ha5in- ,assed the
tria/s2 /et a/one been dubbed a teacher)
:ut she cou/d remember Shryne sayin- on $urkhana that the .ar .as tria/ enou-h for anyone)
;What I1m about to say .as a/ready said by $aster Shryne2; she be-an at /ast) ;e .arned us that
by -atherin- to-ether .e .ou/d make ourse/5es a /ar-er tar-et for the !m,ire2 and that .e .ou/d
end u, dra.in- others into our ,redicament) We can1t risk fomentin- another 'ashyyyk) The
!m,ire .i// ha5e to come u, .ith 0ustifications that don1t re/y on the ,resence of Jedi)
;:ecause there are no more Jedi)
;That much is c/ear to me no.2 and I1// ne5er for-i5e myse/f for not ha5in- had sense enou-h to
reco-ni7e it sooner) $aybe then I .ou/dn1t ha5e to think of .hat ha,,ened at 'ashyyyk as further
diminishin- the /e-acy of the Jedi amon- those .ho ne5er doubted that Pa/,atine betrayed us) :ut if
.e can1t be Jedi2 .e can at /east continue to honor that /e-acy in our o.n .ay);
Starstone /ooked at +he.bacca) ;Just before .e 0um,ed from 'ashyyyk2 +he.bacca said that he
be/ie5ed he cou/d be of -reater he/, to his ,eo,/e from afar) I fee/ the same2 and I kno. that some
of you do2 as .e//);
She took a breath before continuin-) ;I15e decided to remain aboard the Drunk Dancer .ith Ju/a2
Archyr2 and the rest of this mad cre.); She smi/ed .eak/y) ;+he.bacca and +ud-e/ are a/so -oin-
to remain aboard for a time) "ur ,riority .i// be to /earn .here so many of +he.bacca1s ,eo,/e
.ere taken2 and to he/, /iberate them2 if at a// ,ossib/e) I1m ho,in- that by findin- them2 .e1// a/so
be ab/e to /earn .hy the !m,ire .as so intent on in5adin- 'ashyyyk to be-in .ith)
;A/on- the .ay))); Starstone shru--ed) ;A/on- the .ay .e1re -oin- to kee, our eyes o,en for any
Jedi sur5i5ors .ho surface on their o.n2 or are forced into the o,en by Im,eria/ s,ies) (ot to re,eat
the mistakes .e made at 'ashyyyk2 but to -et them to safety) %radua//y2 other smu--/ers .i//
s,read .ord of .hat .e1re doin-2 and of the safe routes .e1// estab/ish2 and maybe some Jedi .i//
actua//y come /ookin- for us)
;:eyond that2 .e1// undermine the !m,ire at e5ery o,,ortunity2 any .ay that .e can);
;We1re -oin- to kee, my son1s memory a/i5e2; Ju/a said)
The cabin fe// si/ent for a moment)
;I kno. this may sound /ike I15e -one o5er to the enemy2; Jambe Lu said2 ;but I ,/an to si-n u,
.ith a f/i-ht schoo/ some.here2 and try to fina-/e my .ay into one of the Im,eria/ academies) "nce
inside2 I1m -oin- to foster .hate5er dissent I can);
;We ha5e somethin- simi/ar in mind2; (am said2 s,eakin- for himse/f2 '/ossi Anno2 and Deran
(a/ua/) ;:ut by -ettin- ourse/5es attached to Im,eria/ a-ricu/tura/ or construction ,ro0ects2 and
en-ineerin- .hat f/a.s .e can into the !m,ire1s desi-ns);
Starstone1s eyes bri-htened)
;I trust that a// of you understand there can be no contact amon- us6e5er a-ain) That1s -oin- to be
the hardest ,art for me); She si-hed dee,/y) ;I -uess I15e -ro.n attached to a// of you) :ut I1m
certain of this much: Pa/,atine1s !m,ire .i// rot from the inside out2 and e5entua//y someone .i//
cast him from his throne) I on/y ho,e that a// of us are a/i5e to .itness that day);
She dre. her /i-htsaber from her be/t) ;We need to say -ood6bye to these2 as .e//); She i-nited the
b/ade brief/y2 then summoned it back into the hi/t and ,/aced it at her feet on the deck)
Re-ardin- e5eryone2 she said: ;$ay the *orce be .ith a// of us);
CA
Lord Vader2; the -unnery officer said2 noddin- his head in sa/ute as Vader ,assed by his station)
;Lord Vader2; the communications officer said2 sa/utin- in simi/ar fashion)
;Lord Vader2; the !3actor1s ca,tain said2 in cris, ackno./ed-ment)
Vader continued on to the end of brid-e .a/k.ay2 thinkin-: This is ho. I .i// be -reeted from no.
on2 .here5er I set foot)
Standin- at the for.ard 5ie.,orts2 he scanned the stars .ith his reconstructed eyes)
e had -uardianshi, of a// this2 or at /east 0oint custody of it) The Jedi no /on-er mattered9 they
.ere no different from others .ho .ou/d interfere .ith his and Sidious1s rea/m) Their mission .as
to maintain order2 so that the dark side cou/d continue to rei-n su,reme)
Anakin .as -one9 a memory so dee,/y buried he mi-ht ha5e dreamed rather than /i5ed it) The *orce
as Anakin kne. it .as interred .ith him2 and inse,arab/e from him)
Just as Sidious ,romised2 he .as no. married to the order of the Sith2 and needed no other
com,anion than the dark side of the *orce) e embraced a// that he had done to brin- ba/ance to the
*orce2 by dismant/in- the corru,t Re,ub/ic and to,,/in- the Jedi2 and he re5e/ed in his ,o.er) It
cou/d a// be his2 anythin- he .ished) e needed on/y the determination to take it2 at .hate5er cost
to those .ho stood in his .ay)
:ut)))
e .as a/so married to Sidious2 .ho do/ed out ,recious bits of Sith techni8ue as if mere/y /endin-
them60ust enou-h to increase his a,,rentice1s ,o.er2 .ithout makin- him su,reme/y ,o.erfu/)
There .ou/d come a day2 ho.e5er2 .hen they .ou/d be e8ua/s)
e scanned the stars2 /ookin- for.ard to a time .hen he cou/d find an a,,rentice of his o.n and2
to-ether .ith that one2 to,,/e Darth Sidious from his throne)
It -a5e him somethin- to /i5e for)
CB
Another -/ass2 stran-er<; the cantina o.ner asked "bi6Wan 'enobi)
;What .i// it cost me<;
;Ten credits for refi//s);
;That1s as much as a shot of one of your im,orted brandies);
;The ,rice of stayin- hydrated on Tatooine2 my friend) 4es or no<;
"bi6Wan nodded) ;*i// it);
%athered by the cantina1s sin-/e moisture 5a,orator2 the .ater .as some.hat c/oudy and had a
meta//ic taste2 but it .as of a hi-her 8ua/ity than that -athered by "bi6Wan1s o.n 5a,orator) If he
.as to sur5i5e in the ho5e/ he had found2 he .ou/d need to ha5e the 5a,orator re,aired2 or
someho. obtain a ne.er one from the Ja.a traders .ho occasiona//y ,assed throu-h the re-ion he
no. ca//ed home)
If it hadn1t been for the kindness of the maroon6c/oaked creatures2 he .ou/d sti// be .a/kin- to
Anchorhead rather than sittin- in the scant shade of the cantina1s 5eranda2 si,,in- .ater) A .ind6
scoured sett/ement c/ose to Tatooine1s Western Dune Sea2 Anchorhead .as /itt/e more than a tradin-
,ost fre8uented by the moisture farmers .ho made u, the %reat +hott sa/t f/at community2 or by
merchants tra5e/in- bet.een $os !is/ey and Wayfar2 in the south) Anchorhead had a sma// resident
,o,u/ation2 a do7en or so ,ourstone stores2 and t.o sma// cantinas) :ut it .as kno.n main/y for the
,o.er -enerator /ocated at the ed-e of to.n)
(amed for its o.ner2 Tosche Station su,,/ied ener-y to the moisture farms and ser5ed as a rechar-e
de,ot for the farmers1 /ands,eeders and other re,u/sor/ift 5ehic/es) The station a/so boasted a
hy,er.a5e re,eater2 .hich6.hen it functioned6recei5ed o/o(et feeds re/ayed from (aboo2 Rodia2
and2 occasiona//y2 (a/ utta2 in utt s,ace)
Tosche .as .orkin- today2 and The Weary Tra5e/er1s handfu/ of afternoon customers .ere catchin-
u, on ne.s and the outcome of s,orts e5ents that had taken ,/ace standard .eeks ear/ier) "bi6Wan6
kno.n /oca//y as :en6had taken ,ossession of an abandoned home on a b/uff in the Jund/and
Wastes) e -/anced at the o/o(et dis,/ay from time to time2 but the focus of his interest .as a
,ro5isions store across the street from the cantina)
In the months since he had arri5ed on Tatooine his hair and beard had -ro.n 8uick/y2 and his face
and hands had turned nut bro.n) In his soft boots and /on- robe2 its co./ raised o5er his head2 no
one .ou/d ha5e taken him for a former Jedi2 /et a/one a $aster .ho had sat on the i-h +ounci/) In
any case2 Tatooine .asn1t a .or/d .here 8uestions .ere asked) Residents .ondered2 and they
-ossi,ed and theori7ed2 but they rare/y in8uired about the reasons that brou-ht stran-ers to remote
Tatooine) +ou,/ed .ith the fact that the .or/d .as sti// /ar-e/y under the s.ay of the utts2 the
,re5ai/in- frontier eti8uette had made Tatooine a refu-e for crimina/s2 smu--/ers2 and out/a.s from
star systems -a/a3y.ide)
$any of the /oca/s .ere 0ust /earnin- that the former Re,ub/ic .as no. an !m,ire2 and most of
them didn1t care one .ay or another) Tatooine .as on the frin-e2 and frin-e .or/ds mi-ht as .e//
ha5e been in5isib/e to distant +oruscant)
$onths ear/ier2 .hen he and Anakin had been in ,ursuit of c/ues they had ho,ed .ou/d /ead them to
Darth Sidious2 "bi6Wan had to/d Anakin that he cou/d think of far .orse ,/aces to /i5e than
Tatooine2 and he sti// fe/t that .ay) e took in stride the ubi8uitous sand that had so rank/ed Anakin)
Tatooine1s doub/e6sunset skies .ere a/.ays a mar5e/ to beho/d)
And the iso/ation suited him)
A// the more because Anakin had been sub5erted by Pa/,atine and2 for a brief time2 had ser5ed this
ne. !m,eror)
%i5en e5erythin- that had ha,,ened since2 the one ima-e "bi6Wan kne. he .ou/d ne5er be ab/e to
erase from his memory .as that of Anakin6Darth Vader2 as Sidious had dubbed him6knee/in- in
a//e-iance to the Dark Lord2 after ha5in- -one on a murderous s,ree in the Jedi Tem,/e) If there .as
a second ima-e2 it .as of Anakin burnin- on the shore of one of $ustafar1s /a5a f/o.s2 cursin- him)
ad he been .ron- to /et Anakin die there< +ou/d he ha5e been redeemed2 as Padme had be/ie5ed
to the /ast< These .ere 8uestions that ,/a-ued him2 and ,ained him more dee,/y than he .ou/d e5er
ha5e thou-ht ,ossib/e)
And no.2 a// these months /ater2 here he .as on Tatooine2 Anakin1s home.or/d2 .atchin- o5er
Anakin1s infant son2 Luke) "bi6Wan1s reason for /i5in-)
Watchin- from afar2 at any rate) Today .as as c/ose as he had come to the chi/d in .eeks) Just
across the street2 Luke sat in a front carrier .orn by :eru .hi/e she ,urchased su-ar and b/ue mi/k9
neither she nor her husband2 ".en2 .as a.are of "bi6Wan1s ,resence on the cantina 5eranda2 his
5i-i/ant thou-h co5ert -a7e)
As "bi6Wan brou-ht the .ater -/ass to his mouth and si,,ed2 a o/o(et ne.s re,ort cau-ht his ear
and he s.un- to the cantina1s dis,/ay2 simu/taneous .ith a torrent of static that interru,ted the feed)
;What .as she sayin-<; "bi6Wan asked a human seated t.o tab/es a.ay)
;:and of Jedi .ere ki//ed on 'ashyyyk2; the man said) +/ose to "bi6Wan1s a-e2 he .ore uti/ities of
the sort affected by dockin- bay .orkers in $os !is/ey s,ace,ort)
ad the o/o(et re,orter been referrin- to Jedi .ho had been on 'ashyyyk .ith 4oda#
(o2 "bi6Wan rea/i7ed .hen the feed sudden/y returned) The re,orter .as ta/kin- about more recent
e5ents= About Jedi .ho had ob5ious/y sur5i5ed "rder Si3ty6Si3 and been disco5ered on 'ashyyyk=
e continued to /isten2 -ro.in- co/der and co/der inside)
The !m,ire had accused 'ashyyyk of ,/ottin- rebe//ion))) Thousands of Wookiees had died9
hundreds of thousands more had been im,risoned)))
"bi6Wan s8uee7ed his eyes shut in dismay) e and 4oda had reca/ibrated the Tem,/e beacon to
.arn sur5i5in- Jedi a.ay from +oruscant) What cou/d the ones disco5ered on 'ashyyyk ha5e been
thinkin-2 bandin- to-ether /ike that2 dra.in- attention to themse/5es instead of -oin- to -round as
they had been ordered to do< Did they think they cou/d -ather enou-h stren-th to -o after
Pa/,atine<
"f course they did2 "bi6Wan rea/i7ed)
They hadn1t rea/i7ed that Pa/,atine had mani,u/ated the .ar9 that a Sith occu,ied the throne9 that
/ike e5eryone e/se2 the Jedi had fai/ed to -ras, a truth that shou/d ha5e been e5ident years ear/ier:
the Re,ub/ic had ne5er been .orth fi-htin- for)
The idea/s of democracy hadn1t been stam,ed out by Pa/,atine) The Jedi had carried out missions of
dubious merit for any number of Su,reme +hance//ors2 but a/.ays in the name of safe-uardin-
,eace and 0ustice) What they had fai/ed to understand .as that the Senate2 the +oruscanti2 the
citi7ens of count/ess .or/d and star systems2 -ro.n .eary of the o/d system2 had a//o.ed
democracy to die) And in a -a/a3y .here the -oa/ .as sin-/e6minded contro/ from the to,2 and
.herein the end 0ustified the means2 the Jedi had no ,/ace)
That had been the fina/ re5en-e of the Sith)
When "bi6Wan /ifted his -a7e2 the intermittent/y -arb/ed o/o(et .as dis,/ayin- an ima-e of
someone outfitted in .hat a/most seemed a costume of head6to6toe b/ack) uman or humanoid6the
bein-1s s,ecies .asn1t mentioned6the masked Im,eria/ had a,,arent/y ,/ayed a ro/e in trackin-
do.n and e3ecutin- the ;insurrectionist; Jedi2 and ens/a5in- their Wookiee confederates)
The burst of static that accom,anied the re,orter1s mention of the fi-ure1s identity mi-ht ha5e
sur-ed from "bi6Wan1s brain) Sti// chi//ed by the ear/ier announcement about the Jedi2 he .as no.
,ara/y7ed by sudden dread)
e cou/dn1t ha5e heard .hat he thou-ht he heard=
e .hir/ed to the s,ace,ort .orker) ;What did she say< Who is that<;
;Lord Vader2; the man said2 a// but into his -/ass of brandy)
"bi6Wan shook his head) ;(o2 that1s not ,ossib/e=;
;4ou didn1t ask if I thou-ht it .as ,ossib/e2 sand man) 4ou asked me .hat she said);
"bi6Wan stood u, in a da7e2 knockin- o5er his tab/e) ;ey2 take it easy2 friend2; the man said2
risin-)
;Vader2; "bi6Wan muttered) ;Vader1s a/i5e);
The cantina1s other customers turned to re-ard him)
;%et a ho/d of yourse/f2; the man to/d "bi6Wan under his breath) e ca//ed for the cantina o.ner)
;Pour him a drink6a rea/ one) And ,ut it on my tab); Ri-htin- the tab/e2 he ur-ed
"bi6Wan back into his chair and /o.ered himse/f onto an ad0oinin- one)
The cantina o.ner brou-ht the drink and set it do.n in front of "bi6Wan) ;Is he a// ri-ht<;
;e1s fine2; the man from $os !is/ey said) ;Aren1t you2 friend<;
"bi6Wan nodded) ;eatstroke);
The cantina o.ner seemed satisfied) ;I1// brin- you some more .ater);
"bi6Wan1s ne. friend .aited unti/ they .ere a/one to say2 ;4ou rea//y a// ri-ht<;
"bi6Wan nodded a-ain) ;Rea//y);
The man ado,ted a cons,iratoria/ 5oice) ;4ou .ant to remain a// ri-ht2 you1// kee, your 5oice do.n
about Vader2 understand< 4ou1// kee, from askin- 8uestions about him2 too) !5en in this *orce6
forsaken ,/ace);
"bi6Wan studied him) ;What do you kno. about him<;
;Just this: I ha5e a friend2 a trader in hard.oods2 .ho .as on 'ashyyyk .hen the Im,eria/s
/aunched their attack on a ,/ace ca//ed 'achirho) I -uess he .as /ucky to -et his shi, raised and
0um,ed) :ut he c/aims he -ot a -/im,se of this -uy Vader2 ri,,in- into Wookiees /ike they .ere
stuffed toys2 and -oin- to /i-htsabers .ith the Jedi .ho .ere on.or/d) ; The s,ace,ort .orker
-/anced furti5e/y around the cantina) ;This Vader2 he toasted 'ashyyyk2 friend) *rom .hat my
friend says2 it1// be years before a ,iece of .roshyr -oes u, the .e//);
;And the Wookiees<; "bi6Wan said)
The stran-er shru--ed for/orn/y) ;Anyone1s -uess); P/acin- a fe. credits on the tab/e2 he stood u,)
;Take care of yourse/f) These desert .astes aren1t as remote as you may think they are);
When the .ater arri5ed2 "bi6Wan do.ned it in a -u/,2 shou/dered his rucksack2 and /eft the coo/
shade of the 5eranda for the harsh /i-ht of Anchorhead1s ,rinci,a/ street) e mo5ed in a da7e that
had /itt/e to do .ith the -/are or the heat)
As im,ossib/e as it seemed2 Anakin had sur5i5ed $ustafar and had resumed the Sith tit/e of Darth
Vader) o. cou/d "bi6Wan ha5e been so foo/ish as to brin- Luke here2 of a// .or/ds< Anakin1s
home.or/d2 the -ra5e of his mother2 the home of his on/y fami/y members)))
"bi6Wan -ri,,ed the /i-htsaber he carried under his robe) ad he dri5en Anakin dee,er into the
dark side by abandonin- him on $ustafar<
+ou/d he face Anakin a-ain<
+ou/d he ki// him this time<
*rom the far side of the street2 he shado.ed ".en and :eru as they mo5ed from store to store2
stockin- u, on sta,/es) Shou/d he .arn them about Vader< Shou/d he take Luke a.ay from them
and hide him on an e5en more remote .or/d in the "uter Rim<
is fear be-an to mount) is and 4oda1s ho,es for the future2 dashed2 0ust as the +hosen "ne had
dashed the Jedi1s ho,es of brin-in- ba/ance to the *orce)))
"bi6Wan)
e came to an abru,t ha/t) It .as a 5oice he hadn1t heard in years2 s,eakin- to him not throu-h his
ears2 but direct/y into his thou-hts)
;Hui6%on=; he said) ;$aster=; Rea/i7in- that the /oca/s .ere 8uick/y -oin- to brand him a madman
if they heard him ta/kin- to himse/f2 he ducked into the narro. a//ey bet.een t.o stores) ;$aster2 is
Darth Vader Anakin<; he asked after a moment)
4es) A/thou-h the Anakin you and I kne. is im,risoned by the dark side)
;I .as .ron- to /ea5e him on $ustafar) I shou/d ha5e made sure he .as dead);
The *orce .i// determine Anakin1s future) "bi6Wan: Luke must not be to/d that Vader is his father
unti/ the time is ri-ht) ;Shou/d I take further ste,s to hide Luke<;
The core of Anakin that resides in Vader -ras,s that Tatooine is the source of near/y e5erythin- that
causes him ,ain) Vader .i// ne5er set foot on Tatooine2 if on/y out of fear of rea.akenin- Anakin)
"bi6Wan e3ha/ed in re/ief) ;Then my ob/i-ation is unchan-ed) :ut from .hat 4oda to/d me2 I kno.
that I ha5e much to /earn2 $aster);
4ou .ere a/.ays that .ay2 "bi6Wan)
Hui6%on1s 5oice faded2 and "bi6Wan1s fears be-an to dissi,ate2 re,/aced by rene.ed e3,ectation)
Returnin- to the da77/in- /i-ht of Tatooine1s t.in suns2 he cau-ht u, .ith ".en2 :eru2 and Luke2
and ke,t si/ent .atch o5er them for .hat remained of the day)