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Force Exile VI: Prodigal/Part 2

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Jaina Solo’s eyes shot wide open. She tried to get up, but soon realized she was unable to move. Looking down, she saw that her feet were bound together while her arms were held above and behind her in an iron grip. She was in a dirty and tattered pilot’s flight suit, replete with fresh cuts and bruises. Then, she managed to look up and saw what was restraining her arms. A pair of enormous Yuuzhan Vong warriors was flanking her, each one gripping an arm. She heard a voice call something in the harsh Yuuzhan Vong tongue and the warriors started forward, dragging her along the ground. She was surrounded by throngs of shouting Yuuzhan Vong as she was roughly hauled up some kind of ramp. Looking at the horizon, she saw shattered buildings, a skyline that looked vaguely familiar. She was on Cor

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Jaina Solo’s eyes shot wide open. She tried to get up, but soon realized she was unable to move. Looking down, she saw that her feet were bound together while her arms were held above and behind her in an iron grip. She was in a dirty and tattered pilot’s flight suit, replete with fresh cuts and bruises. Then, she managed to look up and saw what was restraining her arms. A pair of enormous Yuuzhan Vong warriors was flanking her, each one gripping an arm. She heard a voice call something in the harsh Yuuzhan Vong tongue and the warriors started forward, dragging her along the ground. She was surrounded by throngs of shouting Yuuzhan Vong as she was roughly hauled up some kind of ramp. Looking at the horizon, she saw shattered buildings, a skyline that looked vaguely familiar. She was on Coruscant, Coruscant during the Yuuzhan Vong War, when it had fallen to the alien invaders and renamed Yuuzhan’tar. After Anakin had died. There was a robed figure, a bit smaller than the other Yuuzhan Vong, walking behind her. She tried to struggle, but the vise-like grips of the warriors held her fast. When the warriors reached the top of the ramp, they came to a halt, as Tsavong Lah, the grotesque warmaster of the Yuuzhan Vong armada, strutted forward triumphantly. With one clawed hand, he grabbed her chin and turned her head, showing her off to the triumphant crowd. Jaina got a good look at the massive courtyard packed with Yuuzhan Vong from her view at the top of some kind of platform. Then, Lah raised his other hand and shouted triumphantly. “Behold! The infidel who would call herself Yun-Harla, the trickster!” The Yuuzhan Vong quieted down. Another Yuuzhan Vong whom she recognized as Harrar the priest came up and began doing some kind of ritual on her, sprinkling her with some kind of substance and muttering. Her eyes widened in fear. She was about to be sacrificed to the bloody pantheon of Yuuzhan Vong deities. “The twin sacrifice!” cackled Lah victoriously. “Yun-Yammka and Yun-Harla! I give this victory to you!” Suddenly, the robed figure’s cloak was pulled away to reveal his identity. It was Jacen! The sight of her twin, however gaunt and scarred his bare upper body was, filled her with hope and elation. They had gotten out of worse situations before! Surely he had a plan-his set jaw and stern expression told her as much. She looked at him for a signal, but he didn’t return her gaze. In fact, his face looked rather alien. The warriors hauled her to her feet as Jacen walked around behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see that her back was up against a sizable altar. Then, she was hauled to her feet and dumped onto the altar. To her surprise, Jacen was already lying on it and she was tossed right on top of him. Her head was lying on his chest, and he spoke calmly into her ear. “It’s okay, sis. Everything’s going to be just fine,” he said, and his voice, the same one he’d used to reassure her when they were kids, calmed her. She relaxed involuntarily, though she was still aware that they were still on a sacrificial altar. Jacen wrapped one arm around her, pulling her close to him in a protective embrace. He did have a plan after all. They were about to escape! She craned her head up to look at him for some kind of signal. However, the look she got was a cruel smile from an alien mutation of Jacen. He leered at her, his eyes yellowed and his face somehow changed. This was not the face of her brother. A cold feeling swept through her, nestling in the pit of her stomach as she realized that Jacen was now a complete stranger to her. “It’s going to be just fine!” he said fiercely, but it was not his voice she heard. Then, with his left arm, he jerked her flight suit open while his right arm lifted a writhing amphistaff high and plunged it straight through both of them. Jaina gasped in pain and shock as the weapon was rammed through her body. Blood spurted out of the wound and the agony was incredible. “Jacen . . . it hurts . . .” she wheezed. “So die already,” Jacen whispered fiercely in her ear. Then blackness took her. Cruiser Knightfall “All is going according to plan, Mistress,” a sibilant voice told her as she strode into her darkened sanctum, her private room on the ship. Ariada said nothing in response, walking over to a locker and retrieving a medkit to treat her injured nose. The Thisspiassian who had addressed her slithered across the floor to follow her. The serpentine alien was her trusted right hand and had provided considerable guidance before, but even having saved her life years before did not make him immune to her wrath. Having finished applying the bandage, Ariada whirled on him, eyes glinting angrily. “Don’t patronize me, Aspra Serpaddis,” she warned him, traces of the fury displayed at the detention center leaking through the iron emotional control she normally exhibited. “If all was according to plan, Cal Omas would be dead and we would the Jedi over Belsavis, because the Yanibar Guard would not have appeared!” “All of our primary objectives were still met,” Aspra Serpaddis told her patiently. “Manaan was a success. Belsavis was a partial success—with Jaina Solo slain, the survival of the other pilot and Yanibar Guard intervention is irrelevant. Coruscant was a success aside from Omas’ survival, and he was a secondary target anyway.” “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Ariada said. “Omas needs to die in order to throw the Galactic Alliance into true chaos. Then we can strike at the Jedi. Also, nobody confirmed Jaina Solo’s death.” “She was shot down and her fighter crashed into a glacier. We did not sense or detect any life forms on the planet.” “Need I remind you that a little trauma and an inhospitable icefield can be overcome by a skilled and determined woman?” Ariada answered scathingly. She herself had surmounted such odds years earlier, escaping from a Yanibar prison designed to hold Force-sensitives. “I do not want to deal with one of the Skywalker bloodline in open combat,” she told him. “Particularly not the twins. Tsavong Lah and Shimmra learned that fatal lesson too late.” “Garnet hasn’t detected any craft leaving or departing Belsavis since we left. It is a dead world.” Ariada ignored him, stalking over to the command console and transmitting a series of orders. “Set a course for Belsavis,” she said. “We’ll delay the next phase and tie up some loose ends. Are Diamond and Durindfire ready for the other Solo?” “They are,” the Thisspiassian assured her. “The other six await your commands—and if I may add—your commendation for their skilled performance today at the extraction.” “They deserve it,” Ariada replied, taking a seat in the expansive chair that dominated one end of the room, a throne-like piece of furniture largely obscured by shadows. “I will visit them later to bestow on them my thanks. Despite the setbacks, today was a glorious first strike against the corruption of the Jedi.” “Yes, Mistress,” Aspra Serpaddis intoned. “There is one other thing.” “What is it?” she asked. “We have located a ship that might be of some interest to you.” The Thisspiassian called up a display and a wireframe holo of a small light freighter shimmered into existence above the armrest of her throne. “The Hawk-bat,” she breathed. “It is here, on Coruscant,” Aspra Serpaddis told her. “And you know what that means.” Ariada sank back into her chair. “They’ve followed us here,” she whispered. “I suspected as much, but not this soon.” “We do not know how many of them there are,” Aspra Serpaddis said. “We only know the location of the ship.” “If the Hawk-bat is here, you can bet at least either Selu or Milya Kraen is here,” Ariada replied. “And probably Morgedh too. You remember Morgedh?” The Thisspiassian shuddered. He and Ariada, along with two other Dark Jedi, had run afoul of the Noghri warrior ten years earlier. Morgedh had easily slain the other two Dark Jedi and Ariada and Aspra Serpaddis had only barely escaped him. “All too well,” the Thisspiassian answered darkly. “Then you know we must deal with this quickly,” Ariada said. “We can’t have the Yanibar Guard nipping at our heels the whole way through. It’s time for a change of plans.” “We could have the six join us and attack,” Aspra Serpaddis suggested. She shook her head. The Force-using young women she had raised and trained as assassins were capable and skilled, but they were no match for Jedi Masters or Elite Guardians in a straight fight—and neither was Ariada herself. Instead, they prided themselves on striking from the shadows, hitting unsuspecting and vulnerable targets. Stealth and deception were their tools, terror their ally, and mystery their strength. “Morgedh alone could deal with three of ours, and he won’t be alone,” she replied. “I have something more discreet in mind. They need to realize that just as they can find us, we can find them.” “As you wish, Mistress,” he replied obediently. “Now leave me,” Ariada instructed. “I must rest before we can deal with the Yanibar Guard.” The serpentine alien bowed and left, leaving Ariada alone in her dark sanctum, a fairly small chamber lit only by a faint blue glow emanating from the corners of the floors and ceilings. She perused the desks loaded with laboratory equipment, banks of computers, and displays that showed rotating wire-frame holos of ships and planets. All of it represented the culmination of years and planning that was now being unleashed on an unsuspecting galaxy. A cruel smile spread across her face as she contemplated the results of today’s work. A ripple of shock had traveled through the weighty Galactic Alliance, and who knew how many more its structure could take before it collapsed under its own ineffectual bulk? Soon, she would have the government destabilized, the Jedi spread thin, and then, they would be vulnerable. Once they were out of the way, their defunct organization could be replaced with a more responsible group of Force-users, who both knew their strength and embraced it, for the good of the galaxy. And then there would be peace and justice. Her peace. Her justice. Her way. Jedi Temple Selu Kraen slowly returned to consciousness, blinking back waves of pain. His vision blurred at first, the haze gradually resolving into a view of ceiling tiles and overhead glowpanels. A darker object—perhaps a face—swam into a view, and he felt the sensation of being touched. Realization swept over him and his eyes jolted open from the drowsy half-closed state they’d been in just a second before. He looked around to find himself lying in a bed with a female Mon Calamari looking down on him, with a small Chadra-Fan by her side. “Hello there,” she croaked. “I am Master Cilghal. I am a healer.” By now, Selu recalled the urgency of his mission and realized that he had fallen unconscious before he could deliver his message. He sat up quickly, gasping in agony as pain exploded through his body. His vision swam as the Mon Calamari steadied him. “Relax,” Cilghal said. “You have been severely injured. You must rest and let your body recover.” “No time for that,” Selu persisted, struggling to sit back up again. “I must warn the Jedi.” Cilghal blinked, then let out the burbling Mon Calamari imitation of a sigh. “Tekli,” she addressed the Chadra-Fan, “please let Master Skywalker know that our patient is awake.” “Wait,” Selu told her. “There was another—a woman who helped me when I was hit.” “That would be Jedi Knight Tyria Sarkin Tainer,” Cilghal informed him. “Really?” Selu asked, smiling in surprise. “I’m glad to hear that. Can you send her as well?” “Certainly,” the Jedi healer said. “And one more thing,” Selu told her with firm determination. “I’d like my clothes and equipment back. I am getting out of this bed.” Twenty minutes later, Selu was fully-dressed and cleaned up. He was wearing a set of Jedi robes provided by the Jedi Temple—his previous garments had been ruined when the healers had snipped them away to treat his wound. However, all of his other personal effects had been delivered by an unhappy-looking Tekli, who was quite displeased for his insistence on being up and about. He slowly walked over to a table in one of the healing wards and eased himself into one of the chairs there, trying not to aggravate the wound in his side any more than necessary. It hurt to breathe, much less move, and despite his control over the Force and modern medicine, Selu knew that a wound that deep couldn’t simply be ignored, particularly for a man of his age. Finally, the doors to the healing ward slid open, admitting four Jedi. Cilghal entered first, followed by Master Luke Skywalker, his wife Mara Jade Skywalker, and the Jedi Knight who had saved him, Tyria Sarkin Tainer. Selu gestured at the other three chairs and the others sat. “Welcome,” Luke told him. “We’re glad to see you up and about.” “Over my objections,” Cilghal put in. “I owe my life to your care, and to Jedi Tainer,” Selu said humbly, his gaze coming to rest on Luke. “I have an urgent warning for you.” Luke’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Selu. The man looked familiar—they had met before, many years earlier. They were both older now and it showed in the crow’s feet, the graying hair, the deep creases and additional scars, but Luke knew that this wasn’t their first encounter. “We’ve met before, haven’t we?” “Yes. On Coruscant, nearly seventeen years ago, at the Galactic Games, though I was using an alias at the time.” Luke nodded sagely. “At the time, you said you were part of the Zeison Sha, but now you come claiming to be a Jedi Knight?” “I am both,” Selu said simply. Luke leaned in closer, placing his hands on the table. “Tell me.” Selu took a deep breath. He was violating a number of Yanibar’s most sacred precepts—including a vow never to reveal the true nature of their refuge to an outsider without permission of the Ruling Council. He had not spoken to a member of the Jedi Order in over ten years, much less their leader. For years, Selu had long been suspicious of Skywalker and his dangerous lineage. Yet now, here he was, about to reveal the truth to the Jedi Master. “My name is Selusda Kraen. I was a Jedi Knight of the Republic,” Selu told him slowly. “I grew up in the Jedi Temple. My master was a Kel Dor named Plo Koon.” “We’ve heard of him,” Luke said, prompting Mara to lay a hand on his arm, signaling to let Selu continue. “I served in the Clone Wars, when the entire Jedi Order was duped into fighting a three-year distraction while the real enemy prepared to stab us in the back. I was here when it happened.” Selu’s memory shot back to that fateful day, when thousands of white-armored clones had marched on the Jedi Temple, led by a furious demon in human form, a traitor from within. He remembered the smell of blood and burned flesh intermingled with ozone, the sound of children screaming amid blasterfire. In his mind’s eye, Selu watched Skip, one of his childhood friends, gunned down by blasterfire. He recalled cradling the lifeless body of Serra Keto, a fellow Knight, slain by Vader, who had died in his arms after telling him she loved him. In that instant, all those memories flashed before his eyes in perfect clarity. The ruthlessness and horror, the sacrifice and slaughter of that day all played out in front of him were too much. A single tear rolled unbidden from one eye. Selu’s gaze dropped to the table and he took a deep breath, trying to maintain control and get the words out. “I was there when the Jedi Temple was attacked,” he said, trying to blank out the images of the burning structure floating through his mind. He looked up to stare directly at Luke Skywalker. “I was there when your father betrayed the Jedi Order and massacred the Jedi at the head of a clone legion.” Luke blanched, and the other Jedi were similarly ashen. “What happened?” the Jedi Master asked quietly. “They took us by surprise,” Selu told him. “If the Jedi Council knew it was coming, they didn’t tell the rest of us. We couldn’t have beaten them anyway. Anakin was our best Knight, a war hero and an example for all the other Jedi—until that day. Until he cut down every Jedi in his path, even the younglings.” “I’m sorry,” Luke said, folding his hands, clearly distraught. He shook his head. “I never knew my father did those things,” he answered. “I knew he betrayed the Jedi Order and attacked my mother and Obi-Wan Kenobi . . . but the Jedi Temple . . . the specifics were hushed up. I never met anyone who was there . . . until today.” “Luke also isn’t his father,” Mara pointed out. “He saved him, brought him back to the light at the end. You can’t blame him for the horrible things Vader did.” Selu nodded slowly. “And I don’t,” he answered, “but he should know the truth about his father. “I made my peace with my father a long time ago,” Luke informed him. “What happened to you?” Selu shook his head ruefully. “For some reason, I escaped. I don’t know why the Force chose me over all of the friends I lost that day, but it did. My biological brother found me and took me in. We left Coruscant as crewmembers on a light freighter, escaping the Mistryl Shadow Guard who were after him, and spent the next three years—,” “Wait,” Mara said. “That timeline doesn’t make sense. The Mistryl were nearly wiped out a year after the Empire rose.” “Yes,” Selu admitted. “I unknowingly delivered the death blow to their world.” “You? How?” Mara asked. “The Car’das Syndicate tricked me into smuggling a fission bomb into their headquarters, disabling the shield relays and destroying much of the city,” Selu admitted. “I had no idea it was a bomb. If my crewmembers hadn’t come for me, I would have died in the blast. Instead, thousands perished out of my desire to protect the family I had just met.” Selu looked back at Luke. “Your father was not the only one to carry a dark secret,” Selu said. “My hands are stained with the blood of innocents as well.” “It was war,” Mara pointed out. “A convenient excuse, but morally bankrupt,” Selu answered bitterly. “While we were roaming the spacelanes, we made a blind jump to escape Imperial pursuit and ended up in a remote world in Wild Space, where the ghosts of ancient Jedi gave us a new mission, infusing my friends and I with the Force power to accomplish it.” “What was that?” Luke asked. “To hide and preserve the Jedi Order and any other Force-sensitives in exile until the dark time had passed,” Selu replied. “And for that, I owe you my thanks—for defeating Vader and the Emperor when I couldn’t.” “It seems you saved many lives by your actions,” Cilghal answered. “Nobody could fault you for that.” “True. The Zeison Sha, the Jal Shey, the Matukai . . . even a few Jedi, they all came to our refuge and found safety,” Selu said. “And yet I made a choice that prevented me from ever taking an active stand against the Empire.” “What was that?” Luke asked. Selu gave him a wan smile. “Attachment,” he said. “I married the most beautiful woman in the galaxy, and on the day I did, I knew I couldn’t risk her life, or the lives of my family, in a struggle that would demand exactly that.” “So you sat out the war,” Tyria remarked. “For the most part, yes,” Selu confessed. “We funneled some supplies to the Rebellion and built up our defenses, but for the most part, we watched, and we waited. A disastrous attack by Tyber Zann nearly overwhelmed us.” “Tyber Zann? The crime lord?” Mara inquired. “We lost track of him after he helped raid Kuat.” “It’s a long story,” Selu responded. “Suffice to say he met his end over Yanibar.” Luke shook his head. “It’s hard to believe that were so many Force-users still alive during the time of the Empire,” he said. “We were carefully hidden,” Selu replied. “Survival and preservation were our number one goals. Occasionally, we found a few from the outside galaxy that we brought in to help and shelter. Some of them left again, their memories altered to forget about the refuge of the Force exiles. You knew one of them.” Luke was startled. “Who?” “Her name was Callista,” Selu answered. That name jolted Luke’s eyes wide open. “Callista? You knew her?” “She came to us in need of help. We helped restore her connection to the Force, and then she left suddenly.” Selu smiled thinly. “She broke my nephew’s heart in the process.” “Seems like a recurring trend,” Mara put in acidly. “She was not the only one we helped,” Selu said, his eyes shifting to Tyria. The younger Jedi looked startled. “What are you looking at me for? Wait . . . you don’t mean?” Tyria sucked in her next breath in surprise. “Yes,” Selu said. “You were on Yanibar for three years.” “I don’t remember any of that,” she told him, her eyes narrowing. “How about this?” Selu asked her, holding up a smooth metal coin. Her eyes widened in recognition. “A token,” she said. “I got one . . . back when I was in the Wraiths. It was important.” “It helped you find Yanibar,” Selu told her. “It helped you complete your training as a Jedi. And a good thing for me, too—you saved my life today.” “Actually, it wasn’t today,” Cilghal put in. “It’s been three days since you were brought here.” “Three days?!” Selu exclaimed, jumping up. “No, that can’t be!” “It’s true.” Selu’s eyes darted around as pain flooded through his body from the sudden motion. He gasped, clutching at his side. “That’s too much time,” he exclaimed in a hoarse whisper. “It might be too late.” Cilghal rose and helped him back to his seat. Opening his cloak, she peeled back his hand and saw the dark stain beginning to spread across his tunic. “You’ve re-opened your wound,” she told him. “I need to treat this.” “Just stop the bleeding and patch it back up later,” Selu instructed her. “Master Skywalker needs to hear the rest of this.” “Fine, but quickly,” Cilghal said. “You need to rest and heal.” She knelt down at his side, pulling open his tunic and working on the dressing while Selu continued. “Anyway,” he managed while grimacing as Cilghal probed the injury. “I owe you my life—thank you.” “You’re welcome,” Tyria said uncertainly. “Though it feels very strange not remembering so much time.” “Maybe we can help you remember it—later,” Selu said. “As for the rest of our story, the next chapter begins in the Yuuzhan Vong War.” “On Rishi,” Mara put in. “You were the leader of the ‘Guard’ that showed up to defend the planet from the Yuuzhan Vong. I recognize you now from Master Katarn’s report, the secret one.” “That was us,” Selu admitted, “and while we held off the Yuuzhan Vong and saved the Rishi Maze from invasion, that was our undoing.” “What happened?” Luke asked. Selu groaned as Cilghal touched a particularly tender part of the wound, then shook his head to clear the pain and continued. “One of our own fell to the dark side and escaped Yanibar,” Selu said. “She lured the Yuuzhan Vong to Yanibar and doomed our world to a slow death. We thought she had disappeared during the later stages of the war, but now she’s resurfaced. Her name is Ariada Cerulaen, and I think you’re probably familiar with some of her handiwork by now.” Selu brought out his compact datapad and activated the holoprojector, showing a holo of Ariada. Mara gasped. “Luke, that’s the woman who bombed the convention center and then escaped from the Isard Detention Center.” “She did what?” Selu exclaimed. “We knew about the bombing, but the rest?” “She surrendered, was taken into custody, and then promptly escaped from the most secure facility on Coruscant that’s not the Jedi Temple,” Mara told him. “It was about three days ago.” Selu winced. “That’s sounds like something she would do,” Selu said. “But I doubt that was all. We believe she was behind biological attacks on Manaan and Belsavis as well.” “What about the assassination attempt on Chief of State Omas?” Mara asked. “Someone fired on us while I was in a meeting with him.” “It’s possible,” Selu admitted. “And I doubt she’s done.” “Belsavis?” Luke asked. “I sent two Jedi to investigate there a few days ago.” “Have you heard back from them?” Selu asked. “No,” Luke admitted. “I was getting ready to send another team after them.” “I sent some of my Elite Guardians there as well,” Selu responded. “I’ve been out of it the last few days—they should have reported in by now. If I can borrow a transceiver, I’d like to get in touch with some other associates of mine who are on the planet.” “Certainly,” Luke said. “Jedi Tainer, would you have one brought for us?” Tyria nodded and slipped out. “I came here to warn you, but the time I spent recovering has delayed me,” Selu said remorsefully as Cilghal finished with his wound and sat back down. “You might have been able to secure her if I hadn’t been unconscious.” “You did the best you could,” Luke said. “She’s still at large, so your help in tracking her could be vital.” “We’ve been trying to track her for ten years, without much success,” Selu replied disconsolately. “As for my help, my associates and I are here without permission. Yanibar is in the midst of an evacuation effort to leave before our planet is completely devastated and we’re here against the will of our Council. We will help you as we can, but we won’t have the full resources of the Yanibar Guard.” “We’ll make do. The Jedi have resources of our own,” Luke told him. “What can you tell us about her?” Selu paused, gathering his thoughts. Ariada was a complicated subject. She had fallen to the dark side, betraying her people and committing multiple atrocities in the process, only to resurface as a terrorist. Yet, Selu had also raised her like a daughter, had helped train her, and had watched her romance with his son Ryion. “She’s a highly-trained Force-user,” he said at last. “Very intelligent, skilled, creative, and driven.” “A little more detail might be helpful,” Mara suggested drily. “She’s a rationalist,” Selu admitted. “Like many darksiders, she believes the ends justify the means. She’s able to plan strategically and tactically on multiple levels, and a cunning planner. She’s technically savvy, specializing in computers and biology. She’s also well-trained in infiltration, stealth, and psychological warfare.” “Where is she getting the resources to pull off major attacks?” Mara asked. “We don’t know,” Selu answered. “We know she was in the company of several Dark Jedi with considerable financial assets when we last encountered her ten years ago. We don’t know how many operatives she has working for her. We don’t know what kind of resources she has at her disposal, or what her plans or objectives are.” “Master Kraen,” Mara put in. “What you’re telling me is that you don’t have much of anything on Ariada Cerulaen other than she’s out there with malicious intent.” “That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” Selu answered ominously. “And apparently, she has the resources and skill to simultaneously launch attacks of considerable impact.” “Very well,” Mara replied. “Between us, Selu, it might have been nice of you to warn us about a brilliant, deranged, Force-using darksider with infiltration, technical, and psychological skills before she decides to go rampaging through the galaxy on a calculated terror spree.” “To be fair, we’ve been fairly distracted with the evacuation to set up an embassy with an order we have no formal relations with,” Selu said. “Besides, we didn’t know what her intentions were. We didn’t know her motives or her targets.” “We still don’t,” Mara replied. “And that puts her a step ahead of us.” “Maybe more,” Luke said. “She was able to anticipate you coming here and send an assassin after you on top of her other activities.” “Yes,” Selu answered, glancing down at his side. “But she didn’t succeed in that.” “She nearly did,” Cilghal replied as Tyria walked back in with a transceiver for Selu’s comlink. “The slug that hit you shredded through your liver before puncturing a lung and doing considerable internal damage on its way through you. If Jedi Tainer hadn’t intervened . . .” “I know,” Selu said. “And I’m grateful. Hopefully my wi—my associates will be able to shed some light on what she’s been doing.” He clipped the transceiver to his comlink and activated the secure channel. The response was nothing but static. Selu frowned and tried again. Still nothing. He switched to the backup channel, but still to no avail. Now he reached out with the Force, trying to sense Milya, Morgedh, and Cassi. To his alarm, he sensed nothing. Selu sat back in his chair, jaw dropping in shock. “Something very bad has happened,” he said. “What is it?” Luke asked, sensing his alarm. “They’re gone,” Selu answered frantically. “I’ve got to find them!” “Hold on,” Cilghal said. “You mentioned that you were able to hide from the Empire for years—presumably by masking your presence in the Force. Is that right?” “Yes,” Selu admitted. “We know ways of doing so.” “Then maybe they are in hiding,” she suggested. “This feels different,” Selu countered. “I know something’s wrong, and I need to look into it now.” “Not so fast,” Cilghal said. “You’ll be lucky to make it out the door without collapsing.” “Master Cilghal is right,” Mara agreed. “Master Kraen, you need to rest.” “It’s not that simple,” Selu argued. “My wife is out there.” Luke took a deep breath. “I know what you’re going through,” he said, his mind going back to the horrors of Dantooine back in the Yuuzhan Vong War, when his beloved Mara had been sick and hunted without him there to protect her. “Can your wife and her associates defend themselves against Ariada?” “Of course,” Selu said. “The last time Ariada ran into one of the people I have out there, she was lucky to escape with her life. She wouldn’t stand a chance against them in a straight fight.” “Then the matter might not be so urgent,” Cilghal suggested. “You should trust your wife and friends.” “You don’t understand, Master Cilghal,” Selu told her gravely. “Ariada specializes in creating unfair fights.” Suddenly, Luke’s comlink chirped. “Master Skywalker, this is Master Katarn.” “What is it?” Luke answered the Jedi Master who was “on watch” at this hour. “We just received a signal from Jedi Knight Zekk. He’s coming into the Coruscant system. His communications and engines are damaged, so he’ll be here in eight hours. He also has . . . guests.” “Understood,” Luke said. “What about Jedi Solo?” “We did not receive her signal,” Katarn answered somberly. “Thank you, Master Katarn,” Luke said. “And stop by the infirmary in eight hours. I think there’s someone you’ll want to see.” “I’ll see what I can do. Katarn out.” Luke returned the comlink to his belt. “That might be important to you,” he said to Selu. “Why?” Selu replied, confused and still worried about Milya. “Zekk is one of the Jedi I sent to Belsavis,” Luke answered. “The other one is missing.” “Can you sense him?” Selu asked. “I can’t sense her,” Luke answered. “But I didn’t feel her death.” “Solo . . . we’re talking about Jaina Solo then,” Selu realized aloud. “That’s right,” Mara answered. “And you better hope nothing happened to her.” “My son and his team went to Belsavis,” Selu told her. “I can’t sense him either. I do sense two of the others.” Luke’s face paled. “We need to get more people there,” he said. “I’ll contact Chief Omas. Mara, can you put together a team for Belsavis?” “On it,” she replied, slipping out the door. “Master Skywalker, you might want some escorts to meet up with the incoming party from Belsavis,” Selu suggested. “If Ariada attacked them, she could try again here.” “Good idea,” Master Skywalker agreed. “Jedi Tainer, recruit some pilots and take StealthXs up to meet them. See if Master Horn or Master Durron is around to help.” “Yes, Master,” she said, heading out the door briskly, comlink already in hand. Selu looked at Luke. “I know there’s still a lot to talk about between us, but I’ve done you a disservice for so many years. I was afraid of you—afraid of what you represented and what you might do. I couldn’t bring myself to trust you. Too many things happened in those early years, and then there was the memory of your father and . . . what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry, Master Skywalker. Our two peoples could’ve lived in peace years earlier if I hadn’t been so stubborn.” “You went through a lot, hiding the Jedi for so many years during the Empire,” Luke said. “You had good reason to be suspicious and distrustful—and not all of my actions represented the ideals of the Jedi well. Consider any misdeeds towards me or the Jedi Order forgiven.” Selu felt a wave of relief wash over him. He offered his hand to Master Skywalker, who shook it. “Thank you,” he said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find my wife.” “Not so fast,” Jedi Master Cilghal interrupted. “I spent several hours closing up gaping holes in you. I’m not about to have all that hard work undone so you can go chasing around Coruscant.” “There isn’t time,” Selu persisted. “This situation is time-sensitive. Master Skywalker, tell her.” Luke shook his head. “Is your bandage supposed to be soaked red like that?” “It’ll be fine,” Selu persisted, trying to rise. “I appreciate your efforts, Master Cilghal, but I don’t answer to you.” “You do in my infirmary,” Cilghal protested. “You need to be in a healing trance now, for at least ten hours.” “When I find the people I’m looking for, I will rest all you want,” Selu told her as he rose. “That is your choice,” Cilghal fumed, turning to Master Skywalker for support. “What’s your wife’s name?” Luke asked him. “Milya,” Selu said. The image of her face in his mind and the thought that she might be in danger spurred him to greater haste and he began walking to the door. “We’ll use her name to wake you up then,” Cilghal told him. “In eight hours, once the pilots are back, after a healing trance.” “Don’t be ridiculous,” Selu snapped, striding past her stiffly. The Mon Calamari Jedi sighed, then slapped his wounded side with one of her webbed hands. Selu’s eyes bulged as overwhelming waves of pain exploded through his body. His knees buckled, and while he tried to augment himself with the Force, he had already been drawing on his reserves just to keep walking. His vision began to swim as he sank towards the floor. Selu tried to protest as he felt the blackness of unconsciousness approach, tried to stay awake, but his body wasn’t strong enough to keep him on his feet and resist the calming Force sensation that Cilghal was applying. “I hope he will forgive me for that,” Cilghal said. She extended a hand and Selu floated up from the ground towards the bed. “In time, Master Cilghal,” Luke told her. “I just hope we have enough left.”