"Selu led the way through the dark corridors of the Knightfall as they emerged from the turbolift that had brought them from the bottom extension of the ship to its main body, Milya close behind him. They both had their lightsabers in hand but unignited, ready to do battle, though both were also carrying sidearms and vibroblades. The other three followed behind. It was a quiet advance through the shadowy halls of the ship, marked only by emergency lighting and their soft footsteps. \u201CStrange we haven\u2019t seen anyone yet,\u201D Milya whispered to Selu. \u201CWhat\u2019s the plan?\u201D Milya asked. Selu shrugged."@en . . "3"^^ . "Force Exile VI: Prodigal/Part 10"@en . "1"^^ . . . "22"^^ . "Selu led the way through the dark corridors of the Knightfall as they emerged from the turbolift that had brought them from the bottom extension of the ship to its main body, Milya close behind him. They both had their lightsabers in hand but unignited, ready to do battle, though both were also carrying sidearms and vibroblades. The other three followed behind. It was a quiet advance through the shadowy halls of the ship, marked only by emergency lighting and their soft footsteps. \u201CStrange we haven\u2019t seen anyone yet,\u201D Milya whispered to Selu. \u201CThe Knightfall has a small crew,\u201D Novera answered from behind her. \u201CNo more than a hundred, and most of them are likely restoring systems overloaded by your ion missiles.\u201D They had advanced another dozen paces when Selu froze at an intersection of two corridors, holding up a fist. The others halted immediately. He cloaked himself, peered around the corner, and then re-emerged as he turned back to them. \u201CSecurity checkpoint,\u201D he said quietly. \u201CLooks like two guards and three crewmembers, along with a pair of those droids.\u201D \u201CThat\u2019s the entrance to the secured wing,\u201D Novera told him. \u201CThe central core of the ship, where we lived and trained, and where Ariada conducted her experiments. This is one of three entrances to that core.\u201D \u201CWhat\u2019s the plan?\u201D Milya asked. Selu shrugged. \u201CI take the droids, you and Qedai take the rest,\u201D he said. \u201CAkleyn, you and Novera hang back.\u201D They nodded in agreement. Selu closed his eyes for one second, summoning the Force to him, and then turned sharply, striding towards the checkpoint, hiding himself from view once more as he approached. Then, right at the entrance to the security checkpoint, he materialized. Arcs of emerald energy shot out from each hand, directed into two of the hulking assassin droids that Selu was all too familiar with. They convulsed helplessly as the Electric Judgment overloaded their circuits and collapsed, smoldering and lifeless. Simultaneously, Milya and Qedai rushed into view. Qedai\u2019s hurled discblades dropped two of crewmembers while Milya put the other three down with accurate shots from her silenced S-5XS projectile pistol. The small room\u2019s occupants were killed within two seconds, their bodies draped over the consoles or crumpled on the floor. \u201CEasy enough,\u201D Selu said. At the far end of the room was a hefty blast door, sealed shut. \u201CI\u2019m guessing that\u2019s our next destination,\u201D he remarked. \u201CCut through, or slice it?\u201D Milya asked. \u201CWait,\u201D Novera told them, walking over to one of the consoles. \u201CI should be able to open it.\u201D She pulled the body of one of the guards off the console, ignoring the blood spattered on the controls. Milya peered over her shoulder while Selu kept an eye on the door and Qedai watched the entrance they had just used. For his part, Akleyn stood off to the side and tried not to look squeamish at the corpses his relatives had just created with shocking speed and ease. Novera fiddled with the controls for several seconds, then input an authorization code. \u201CGot it,\u201D she said. \u201COpening in three.\u201D Milya flanked the door opposite of Selu, waiting for it to slide open. The release mechanism whined at first, then unsealed, the mechanism pulling the two heavy panels apart. An empty, dark corridor about ten meters along and two meters wide awaited them, with another door at the end. \u201CThat one is unlocked already,\u201D Novera assured them. Selu and Milya exchanged skeptical glances, then advanced into the corridor, alert for any trap. A narrow corridor was an ideal place for an ambush, but it seemed benign enough. The others followed in the same formation as before. Selu halted short of the door. \u201CEnter on my mark,\u201D he said. \u201CI don\u2019t sense anyone inside the room on the other side, but there is danger.\u201D \u201CI sense it too,\u201D Milya added. \u201CDroids?\u201D \u201CNot sure,\u201D Selu replied, stiffening. \u201CLet\u2019s go.\u201D He strode forward, his lightsaber in his right hand and shorter-bladed shoto in his left. Milya was right behind him as they piled into the room, with the other three following closely. In contrast to Selu\u2019s premonition, the room was not empty. A single bed dominated the center of the high-ceilinged room and Ryion was strapped to it, with an array of medical instruments behind him. He was facing them, inclined slightly and looking utterly miserable, spread-eagled due to his restraints. The back wall was covered by a floor-to-ceiling mirror that Selu suspected was a one-way mirror. A stack of shelves was the only other furniture in the otherwise empty room, and only dim emergency glowpanels and two glowing green alcoves mounted near the ceiling on the near wall illuminated the chamber, casting eerie shadows across the dark metal floor. The air smelled of sanitizer and the sour smell of unwashed bodies. However, Ryion\u2019s presence was not the most startling revelation they experienced upon entering the room. None of them could sense the Force anymore\u2014it had been abruptly cut off. The door sealed behind them, an ominous portent. \u201CGet out,\u201D Ryion warned them hoarsely. \u201CIt\u2019s a trap!\u201D Selu scowled. \u201COf course it is,\u201D he said. \u201CBut we\u2019re not leaving you.\u201D \u201CHow touching,\u201D interjected a new voice. The mirrored panel at the back of the room slid aside to reveal Ariada standing there, flanked by a pair of her assassins each armed with a slugthrower pistol and vibroblade that were trained toward them and two of her Mark XII assassin droids. She had a confident smirk on her face. \u201CTo come so far, only to fall short at the last minute. What a tragedy,\u201D she said mockingly. \u201CIf you think we\u2019re helpless without the Force, you\u2019re sorely mistaken,\u201D Selu warned her, setting himself for what would be a desperate combat without any of the benefits of the Force that he normally used. Behind him, Milya and Qedai subtly slipped to either side of him, preparing to spread out and hammer Ariada\u2019s party from multiple angles. Since Ariada\u2019s group was clustered together, the grenades they carried could quickly turn the tide of the combat. \u201CStop right there, Master Kraen,\u201D Ariada warned him. \u201CI know what you\u2019re trying to do.\u201D \u201CAnd if we don\u2019t?\u201D Selu asked even as he prepared to spring forward to divert attention from Milya and Qedai. \u201CThen Akleyn and Ryion die,\u201D Ariada told him. \u201CMight want to look behind you.\u201D Selu risked a glance over his shoulder to see that Novera, even with her restraints, had taken Akleyn\u2019s blaster and was jamming its barrel into his ribs. Her face was stony as she stared past him towards Ariada. \u201CI\u2019m sorry,\u201D Akleyn whispered. \u201CShe moved so fast.\u201D Selu felt anger wash over him at Novera\u2019s casual betrayal. He turned around, struggling to keep his anger hidden under a calm exterior. \u201CLay down your weapons,\u201D Ariada instructed them. Selu gritted his teeth. \u201CThat\u2019s not going to happen.\u201D \u201CI don\u2019t want to kill you,\u201D Ariada told him. \u201CYou were like family to me. But I will if I have to, and it\u2019ll start with Akleyn and Ryion. Are you going to tell Sarth and Cassi that you got their son killed?\u201D Despite his anger, Selu knew that she spoke truthfully. She had the upper hand, as they had not anticipated the ysalamiri cutting off their access to the Force, or Novera\u2019s betrayal. If it had not been for those, Selu was confident that he, Milya, and Qedai could have defeated Ariada and her group, but now, he was only risking their lives needlessly. \u201CI promise, if you surrender, you will not be harmed,\u201D Ariada insisted. Selu looked over at Milya, who had a disgusted look on her face, but she nodded. He took that as a signal and slowly set down his lightsabers. Milya and Qedai likewise lowered their weapons to the ground. \u201CEmerald, get the rest of their weapons,\u201D Ariada ordered as her other two assassins spread out to cover Selu, Milya, and Qedai from a variety of angles. \u201CWith pleasure, Mistress,\u201D Novera said coldly as she plucked the vibroblades, pistols, and grenades from Selu, Milya, and Qedai. \u201CYou\u2019re going to regret this,\u201D Milya told her icily. \u201CI should have known better. Once a traitor, always a traitor.\u201D \u201CYes, you should have,\u201D Novera agreed as she yanked Milya\u2019s prized vibroblade from its sheath. \u201CI am impressed, Emerald,\u201D Ariada said. \u201CI was not expecting you to return in such a manner.\u201D \u201CI had to play a dangerous game, Mistress,\u201D Novera answered obediently. \u201CBut I have brought you a great prize, one which I hope will earn your favor.\u201D \u201CIndeed you have,\u201D Ariada agreed. \u201CWe will talk of this more, once these matters are dealt with.\u201D Novera sauntered towards Ariada with her belt loaded with most of their weapons, though she retained the blaster she had stolen from Akleyn. She brushed by Ryion as she walked over, smirking triumphantly at him, which earned her a hard stare and a clenched fist in return. Once Novera was close to Ariada, she turned and drew a second blaster, so that she had one in each hand, ready to fire on Selu and Milya if they so much as twitched. \u201CAriada, this is a mistake,\u201D Selu told her, figuring that he might as well try diplomacy. \u201CAll of this.\u201D \u201CNo, Master Kraen, your mistake was coming after me,\u201D she said. \u201CYou did not learn from Bespin, or from Yanibar\u2014whatever you do to me, I can repay much worse. You should not have interfered.\u201D \u201CWe had no choice, Ariada,\u201D Selu answered. \u201CWe could not stand by while you killed thousands.\u201D \u201CThey were acceptable losses,\u201D Ariada replied stiffly. \u201CCasualties of war.\u201D \u201CAt least one of your assassins that you sacrificed? Was she an acceptable loss, too?\u201D Milya asked. \u201CI never meant for them to die,\u201D Ariada countered hotly. \u201CI would never have sent them on a suicide mission! They fell in battle, fighting for a cause they believed in.\u201D \u201CWhat cause is that?\u201D Qedai asked. \u201CSeems pretty different from the ones you used to follow.\u201D \u201CAh, my old teammate,\u201D Ariada said, regarding her. \u201COf all people, I had hoped you might understand. You fought on the frontlines of the Yuuzhan Vong War with me. You saw what I did.\u201D \u201CAll I see is that you\u2019ve fallen to the dark side,\u201D Qedai retorted. \u201CAnd that has blinded you. What I have seen is the fall of the galaxy as we know it, consumed by war as the eternal struggle between the light and dark side of the Force conflagrates anew. The current Jedi Order rots from within, and while the rest of the galaxy may sit idly by, I will not.\u201D \u201CWhat are you talking about?\u201D Milya inquired. \u201CI am talking about the future,\u201D Ariada said. \u201CA future that can still be saved, but only if I succeed.\u201D \u201CSucceed in what?\u201D Qedai asked. \u201CKilling thousands of people?\u201D \u201CSucceed in purifying the Jedi Order and setting it apart from the galaxy so it can resist the coming darkness instead of being distracted by trivialities,\u201D Ariada told them fervently. \u201CSucceed in stopping the conflict between light and dark from overtaking the entire galaxy once more. Succeed in creating a new hope to battle against the return of true evil. That is what should have been done, what would have averted the onslaught of the Yuuzhan Vong. And that is what I will see happen.\u201D \u201CIn other words, she\u2019s completely insane,\u201D Ryion interjected. \u201CReject me if you will,\u201D Ariada said defiantly. \u201CI am willing to bear that burden if it means averting the gathering storm.\u201D \u201CI have seen nothing like this in my visions,\u201D Milya replied. \u201CHow can you be sure?\u201D \u201CThe Force has shown me much,\u201D Ariada admitted. \u201CBut I have seen more. In the dark places of the galaxy, evil lurks, Milya Kraen, biding its time. It senses the opportunity to strike drawing near.\u201D \u201CAnd terrorizing the galaxy was the best way to stop this?\u201D Selu demanded. Ariada sneered. \u201CQuestion my methods if you wish. Your foresight and high-minded idealism has betrayed you, just as it did the Jedi Order, who, blinded by their own hubris, were manipulated and sacrificed like pawns by Palpatine. You, like them, fail to gain the proper perspective.\u201D Selu stiffened; the fall of the old Republic and Jedi Order, which he had lived through, was a deeply personal matter. He struggled to maintain his composure, knowing that Ariada sought to goad him with her words. \u201CDoing the wrong thing for the right reasons is still wrong,\u201D he said thickly. \u201CKilling thousands to stop a possible future is a reckless and evil misuse of the Force.\u201D Ariada shook her head. \u201CYou are in no position to pass judgment on me, Master Kraen,\u201D she said. \u201CYour vaunted foresight and skills were insufficient to stop me before and now they\u2019ve only led you right into a trap. You could not even see Emerald working to subvert you. For your own good, you must be imprisoned safely where your misguided altruism can no longer interfere until I have secured the future of the galaxy.\u201D She nodded towards her two assassins. \u201CCollect their lightsabers.\u201D \u201CMistress, a word,\u201D Novera said. \u201CWhat is it?\u201D Ariada asked. \u201CThe future,\u201D she said, \u201Cis in motion.\u201D Raising her blasters high, she fired into both of the ceiling alcoves that overlooked the room, shattering them. The Force returned suddenly to the room as her accurate blasterfire instantly slew both of the ysalamiri that were housed there. Simultaneously, Ryion opened the fist he\u2019d been clenching ever since Novera had brushed by him, rolling the armed concussion grenade she had slipped him back towards Ariada and the pair of droids. Ariada\u2019s eyes widened at the sudden betrayal. She lashed out with a vibroblade that suddenly appeared in her hand, slashing at Novera\u2019s back, but the grenade Ryion rolled back at her forced to leap aside, cursing. Novera fell to the ground while the detonation knocked both droids back and sent Ariada flying. Meanwhile, Selu and Milya had recovered their lightsabers while Qedai summoned her discblades back to her hands. Selu dashed forward with lightsabers lit to interpose himself between Ryion and the droids. They struggled to their feet, but the Jedi Master was too fast. His lightsaber and shoto stabbed into their weak points, shearing through joints and frying their internals. The droids flailed around, trying to batter him, but Selu ducked under their clumsy blows. However, they were resilient and were apparently capable of absorbing multiple lightsaber strikes if not struck in precisely the right areas. Leaping above a vicious backswing, he impaled one through the neck and then pierced the other at the hip. Both collapsed, thoroughly defeated, as Selu took stock of the situation. Meanwhile, Milya\u2019s whirling silver saberstaff was intercepting each of the slugs fired at her by the assassin she faced. Advancing steadily, Milya maintained her steady defense. Realizing the futility of firing on her, the assassin switched to her vibroblade, attacking with a vicious back-handed swing. Youthful speed and dedicated training allowed her to force Milya a step backward as the older woman struggled to bring her larger weapon to bear against a shorter blade at very close quarters. Sensing Milya weaken, the assassin pressed her advantage. Her blade crashed against Milya\u2019s saberstaff repeatedly. The assassin kicked out, catching Milya inside her knee and Milya grunted in pain, falling back further. Buoyed by her success, the assassin drove forward, unleashing a series of quick stabs at Milya, who this close, was unable to fully deflect each one and had to turn and weave to avoid injury. One thrust drew blood, jabbing across her shoulder even as Milya twisted aside. Milya grabbed the assassin and threw her over her hip, allowing the younger woman\u2019s momentum to carry her forward, but the assassin recovered before Milya could bring her saberstaff to bear, blocking Milya\u2019s hasty downward strike high above her back. Riposting, the assassin attempted to push Milya back again with another rapid succession of blows. However, this time, Milya was more familiar with her fighting style\u2014it was the same that Novera had used. She deactivated one of the saberstaff\u2019s blades and gained some distance, allowing her to defend against the vibroblade more effectively. The assassin struck out aggressively and Milya did her best to respond, knowing that she only had two more steps before she was shoved into a wall. The assassin struck low and Milya countered, but the advantage of having youthful strength and speed was that the assassin could slash one-handed while her off hand struck Milya\u2019s temple with enough force to whip her head to the side. Dazed, Milya reflexively threw up a blow that parried the incoming thrust at her midsection as she sought to clear her vision. Milya fell back another step, drawing her opponent in as her lightsaber collided against the reinforced vibroblade at blinding speed. The assassin followed, intent on lethally wounding Milya. However, though she had adjusted for Milya\u2019s now one-bladed defense, she hadn\u2019t expected Milya to suddenly reactivate the second blade and unleash a blazingly fast defensive velocity. One instant, the assassin was driving her blade dangerously close to Milya\u2019s neck with one hand while preparing to smash her other hand open-palmed into Milya\u2019s stomach when the older woman blocked high. The next, she was staring in shock at the stubs of her arms where Milya had severed her hands at the wrist. Milya stared at her foe implacably and her first instinct was to immediately run the assassin through in case she had one last desperate weapon. However, her years of training and devotion to the light side, as well as a mental urge from Selu, who she saw from the corners of her eye had just finished the droids, led her to do otherwise. Deactivating her blades, she cracked the hilt of her saberstaff across the assassin\u2019s head with perhaps more force than was necessary, laying the younger woman out unconscious. Qedai had likewise not been idle. Out of the three, she had been the only one with the angle to see Novera slip Ryion the grenade and was therefore waiting for an opportunity to strike. As soon as the Force had returned to her, she had somersaulted forward, twisting in midair to evade the first two slugs that the assassin closest to her had fired. Recovering with both discblades in hand, Qedai spun away from the next slug, slashing outward. The assassin caught the blow on her vibroblade, but Qedai channeled the Force through her other hand as it came around to face her opponent, hurling her telekinetically back into the wall. The force of the impact cracked ribs and drove the breath from her opponent, but Qedai was just as swift on the follow-up. Reversing the direction of her telekinesis, she jerked the assassin forward. Her opponent managed to partially avert her trajectory, soaring upward over Qedai and striking out as she looked down on Qedai from above. The Twi\u2019lek warrior was unfazed, bringing both her arms across her body up over her head from right to left. The first discblade blocked the vibroblade with a metallic clang as the assassin vaulted over her head, while the second slashed across her mid-section. The grievous wound arrested whatever control the assassin possessed and she collapsed. Qedai whirled around and hurled the first discblade to crash through her opponent\u2019s throat even before she landed, her eyes ablaze with pent-up emotion. The assassin was dead before she hit the ground in a splatter of blood. \u201CEveryone okay?\u201D Selu asked as Milya knocked out her opponent. \u201CI\u2019m fine,\u201D Milya said. \u201CPresent,\u201D Qedai told him. \u201CAmazingly, fine,\u201D Akleyn said from where he had ducked away in the doorway while his relatives had done battle. \u201CRyion?\u201D Selu asked while securing the assassin Milya had maimed and knocked out. \u201CI\u2019m fine, Dad,\u201D Ryion answered. \u201CHell of a plan.\u201D \u201CWasn\u2019t exactly planned,\u201D Milya told him dryly as Selu moved over to cut Ryion loose. \u201CIt was . . . Novera?\u201D The young woman had landed face down on the floor a little ways behind Ryion\u2019s bed. A small dark stain was beginning to pool on the ground around her. \u201CShe\u2019s down!\u201D Milya said, rushing over to her side. \u201CWatch the door,\u201D Selu instructed Qedai. In the dim light, it took Milya a few seconds to find the injury, a vicious vertical slash that had cut Novera open from shoulder blade down to nearly her pelvis. The wound was bleeding profusely. \u201CAkleyn!\u201D she called. \u201CComing,\u201D he said dutifully. His eyes widened as he saw the wound. \u201CKriff,\u201D he said, pulling on a pair of gloves and kneeling down beside her to open his kit. Novera moaned as his fingers probed the gaping slash. Akleyn swore again and began working and Milya knelt down so the young woman could see her. \u201CI\u2019m . . . I\u2019m sorry I deceived you,\u201D Novera told her. \u201CIt was the only way.\u201D \u201CI thought you . . .\u201D Milya said, unable to vocalize her lack of faith to a possibly dying woman. \u201CI know,\u201D Novera whispered hoarsely. \u201CYou had to . . . to sell it.\u201D \u201CIt worked,\u201D Milya told her. \u201CYou saved us all.\u201D \u201CAriada?\u201D Novera asked. Qedai shook her head. \u201CShe got away. For now.\u201D Novera winced. \u201CThen it\u2019s not over.\u201D \u201CWe\u2019ll stop her,\u201D Milya promised. \u201CYou\u2019ve done enough\u2014just lie here and let Akleyn take care of you. He\u2019ll have you patched up soon.\u201D \u201CAre you kidding?\u201D Akleyn asked in disbelief. \u201CI\u2019ve seen nerf sides that were less carved.\u201D One stern glance from Milya was enough to silence him. \u201CThank you,\u201D Novera told Milya hoarsely, \u201Cfor believing me.\u201D \u201CNo, thank you,\u201D Milya replied. \u201CFor saving us all. You fooled her.\u201D Novera smiled thinly. \u201CFinish it,\u201D she said. \u201CFor all our sakes.\u201D \u201CI will,\u201D Milya promised. Meanwhile, Selu freed Ryion and helped him down from the bed. \u201CAre you hurt, son?\u201D Selu asked him. Ryion shook his head. \u201CI am stiff, sore, hungry, thirsty, and I have not seen the inside of a refresher in two weeks, but right now, I could run across Yanibar if that\u2019s what it takes to stop Ariada and rescue Shara and Jaina.\u201D \u201CThey\u2019re both here?\u201D Selu asked. \u201CAriada said so,\u201D Ryion answered. Selu handed him a pair of pick-me-ups and a bottle of water from Akleyn\u2019s kit. \u201CAre you sure you\u2019re okay?\u201D Selu asked worriedly. \u201CYes,\u201D Ryion insisted. \u201CShe didn\u2019t do anything to you?\u201D Ryion scowled as he administered the pick-me-ups. \u201CLet\u2019s not go that far,\u201D he said. \u201CLet\u2019s just say it can be sorted later; I\u2019m fit to fight.\u201D \u201CIn that case, you\u2019ll be wanting these,\u201D Selu replied, handing him a spare lightsaber and the shield that Ryion commonly wore on his left hand in battle. \u201CI\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t bring anything else, but it would have slowed me down.\u201D \u201CIt\u2019s fine, thanks,\u201D Ryion said, accepting the weapons and guzzling the water. \u201CToo bad you didn\u2019t bring a pair of boots.\u201D \u201CThat would be with my other set of battle armor,\u201D Selu remarked dryly as Milya rose from Novera\u2019s side. \u201CHow is she?\u201D \u201CNot good,\u201D Milya admitted. \u201CI thought for a second that she had betrayed us, that we had walked into a trap.\u201D \u201CShe had everyone fooled,\u201D Selu pointed out. \u201CWithout the Force, it would have been impossible for anyone to know her true intentions. She was very clever, and very brave.\u201D \u201CI hope she didn\u2019t pay for it too severely,\u201D Milya said, glancing down to where Akleyn had sedated his patient. \u201CCan anyone help me lift her onto that bed?\u201D Akleyn asked. \u201CIt\u2019d be a crying shame to have all those monitors there not being used.\u201D Selu nodded and floated Novera towards the bed gently while Ryion stripped off the thin blanket from the metal bed and sprayed the frame down with a sanitizer solution from Akleyn\u2019s bag. \u201CThank you,\u201D Akleyn said as Selu floated Novera over the bed while Akleyn connected the monitors. \u201CNow, I suggest you all get moving.\u201D Blood dripped down from the floating woman to spatter on the table and Akleyn worked quickly, signaling Selu to lower her to its surface once he was finished. \u201COne of us should stay here,\u201D Milya said as she rummaged in Akleyn\u2019s bag for a trauma bandage for her slashed shoulder. \u201CCan\u2019t leave you alone and unprotected if Ariada doubles back.\u201D Akleyn waved her off. \u201CGet going,\u201D he said. \u201CThe more mayhem you cause elsewhere, the less likely you are to draw attention back here. And I personally prefer operating without blaster bolts flying past my head.\u201D \u201CAre you sure?\u201D Qedai asked him. \u201CLook, I may not be a fighter, but I\u2019m not a coward,\u201D Akleyn said. \u201CBy the looks of things, you\u2019re going to need every trained Force-user you can get to stop Ariada. So get out there. Go on, Qedai. I\u2019ll be fine. Besides, I won\u2019t be alone.\u201D He jerked a thumb at Novera. \u201CMiss Tricky over here isn\u2019t going anywhere, I don\u2019t think. The other one\u2019s hands are missing and she\u2019s unconscious. I\u2019ll tend to her when I get the chance.\u201D \u201CI love you, Akleyn,\u201D Qedai told him sincerely, her voice laced with worry. \u201CThe feeling\u2019s mutual,\u201D he answered gruffly, burying his affection for her underneath clinical detachment. \u201CThe sooner you get going, the sooner you get to tell me again.\u201D Selu nodded grimly. \u201CAll right then, let\u2019s move. Akleyn, call us on the comlink if you see or sense anything suspicious.\u201D \u201CUnderstood,\u201D Akleyn said as the others headed towards the entrance that Ariada and her party had emerged from. He glanced up at the monitors and swore at the dismal results. \u201CYou should bring a doctor,\u201D he muttered to himself self-deprecatingly. \u201CKriff, Akleyn, you should have told them to bring an entire surgical team.\u201D Selu peered through the chamber that Ariada had come through, an observation booth complete with recording equipment now ruined by the grenade blast. A door at the far side did not respond to Selu\u2019s attempts to open it, so he simply slashed it open with his lightsaber. They emerged from the doorway into a corridor that ran perpendicular to the room. \u201CWhich way?\u201D Qedai asked. \u201CJudging by Novera\u2019s specifications, the other likely prisoner areas are that way,\u201D Selu said, nodding to the left. \u201CThe right leads toward Ariada\u2019s inner sanctum.\u201D \u201CLet\u2019s split up then,\u201D Ryion suggested. \u201CI\u2019ll head for the prisoners, you go for the sanctum.\u201D \u201CWe have another team hitting the sanctum,\u201D Selu pointed out. \u201CNo need to split up.\u201D He pulled out his comlink. \u201CMaster Katarn, come in. What\u2019s your status?\u201D \u201CVery busy!\u201D Kyle\u2019s strained voice came back a second later amidst a background of blasterfire. \u201CTyria\u2019s hurt. Can\u2019t talk!\u201D \u201CMaybe we should go for that sanctum after all,\u201D Selu said grimly. \u201CMe and Qedai, you and Milya?\u201D Ryion answered his father. \u201CAgreed,\u201D Selu echoed. \u201CForce be with us.\u201D With those terse words, they split up, Selu and Milya taking the right-hand turn that led deeper towards the rear of the ship and Ariada\u2019s inner sanctum, while Ryion and Qedai headed left towards what they hoped where the other prisoner-holding areas. Control deck, five minutes earlier \u201CThe bridge is another fifty meters that way,\u201D Kyle told Tyria as they made their way through a deserted corridor along the upper deck. Thus far, they had only met light resistance, and the two Jedi, along with their four YVH droids, had easily dispatched the armed crew that attempted to fight them. However, as they approached the bridge, a chill ran down Kyle\u2019s back. He slowed his pace, indicating that Tyria should do likewise. She slowed also, drawing her lightsaber and holding it ready to ignite. They had been moving through maintenance corridors, hoping to reach the bridge largely unseen, only passing through occupied spaces when they needed to move from one junction to another. \u201CI sense something,\u201D Kyle whispered. Ahead of them, a heavy door sealed shut. A hissing sound filled the corridor as vapor began flooding into the chamber. Another door clanked shut behind them. Kyle felt himself begin to grow light-headed. \u201CFire suppression system,\u201D he said. \u201CThey\u2019re trying to gas us.\u201D He pulled on a rebreather while Tyria did likewise. Kyle was about to start forward again when Tyria caught sight of a faint red light tucked away behind a bulkhead. The Jedi Master felt her grab his shoulder. \u201CLaser mine,\u201D she warned him, pointing to the explosive. \u201CThey mined this corridor.\u201D \u201CCan you disarm it?\u201D \u201CMaybe?\u201D she replied. \u201CDepends on if there are other explosives and how the proximity sensor is set up.\u201D Kyle consulted his datapad. \u201CNever mind. We\u2019ll cut a hole through the floor and drop down a level,\u201D he said. \u201CWe\u2019re not quite above the bridge, but this is close enough. About thirty more meters.\u201D She nodded and took up a position opposite him in the narrow corridor. Drawing their lightsabers, they ignited them and stabbed them into the metal flooring, cutting a circular hole about two meters in diameter. The durasteel disk dropped out with a clang beneath them and Kyle jumped down, Tyria and the four YVH droids following him. They were in a much wider corridor that led to the ship\u2019s bridge, the entrance to which was only about thirty meters away. The fire suppression gas billowed down into the corridor, clouding their vision and Kyle beckoned them forward. Rounding the last corner before a ten-meter straight passage to the bridge, Kyle suddenly sensed danger. Three large silhouettes blocked the entrance and as they advanced forward, he recognized them as the lethal assassin droids that Ariada was fond of employing. They opened fire as he leapt across the corridor to take cover on the other side of the intersection, avoiding a withering barrage of repeating blasterfire that began hammering at the corners and back wall of the junction. \u201CReady?\u201D Kyle called to Tyria. \u201CWhen you are,\u201D she told him, igniting her lightsaber once more. He nodded and emerged from cover with his lightsaber likewise lit and held in a guard stance, Tyria following his lead. They advanced side by side, lightsabers ready to catch the incoming fire. Immediately, the droids homed in on them, cutting loose with their blasters. When the Jedi were merely slowed and not cut down by the repeating blasterfire, the droids shifted tactics, adding grenades to their barrage. Kyle immediately sent a Force wave to knock the explosives back, but as they exploded in clouds of metal splinters he realized they were flechette grenades; effective against unarmored infantry, but useless against armored droids. He gritted his teeth and sent several blaster bolts back to their source, but the droid\u2019s shields absorbed the impacts easily. The droids were now using all of their weapons systems and the two Jedi found themselves being funneled down a corridor filled with blaster bolts, beam lasers, grenades, magnetically accelerated projectiles, and cluster rockets. It was a kill zone, and even Kyle could not advance against such fierce resistance. He sought shelter against the protruding collar of a bulkhead, flattening himself against the wall to take maximum advantage of the half-meter of cover. Across the hall, Tyria did the same on her side. \u201CYVH, advance,\u201D Kyle called back to the corridor behind them. The four skeletal droids advanced in unison, unleashing a furious hail of repeating blasterfire and minirockets. The two waves of combat droids blazed away relentlessly, and the self-healing laminanium YVH droids soon found that their resilience was matched by the energy shields of Ariada\u2019s droids. Kyle grinned as the four Yuuzhan Vong hunter droids advanced despite the punishment they were taking, charging down the corridor until they were just past the two Jedi. The opposing droids continued pounding each other relentlessly, filling the corridor with a dazzling lightshow and the thunderous cacophony of battle. \u201CTime to even the odds,\u201D he told Tyria as he prepared to follow their armored spearhead down the corridor into the bridge where the defenders would be vulnerable to their lightsabers in close quarters. And it was, though not in the way he expected. Tyria had just dashed forward when she sensed the dark presence behind her. She started to turn, but it was too late. Something caught her in the back of her right leg just as most of her weight was on that limb. She cried out and collapsed heavily to the metal deck, clutching her leg as blood began spurting out of a wound that punched completely through her thigh. Kyle whirled around to face the danger, lightsaber ready as he realized that somehow a sniper had wound up behind them. She was standing ready behind them, a rifle with an underslung launcher attached pointed at them. However, he did not realize that the grenade, hidden by the Force, had already been lobbed at them. It exploded with violent force amidst the Yuuzhan Vong Hunter droids, knocking two of them over and damaging the others. Kyle was forced to bring his lightsaber back to defend himself from the droids that were still firing on them. The sniper fired and a heavy slug caught one of the last surviving Yuuzhan Vong Hunter droids at the base of its skull. Sparks flew and it collapsed, twitching, as the round struck its vitals. The sniper switched her aim to the Jedi Master, who was about to be attacked from both sides. However, before she could fire, Tyria locked her lightsaber on and threw it back at the assassin. The whirling blade scythed through the barrel of her sniper rifle, tearing the weapon apart. Kyle wasted no time. Pivoting to the side and keeping his right hand with the lightsaber still batting away blaster bolts, he drew the trusty Bryar pistol he had carried for many years and fired three times. All three of the bolts caught the assassin in the chest, but they bounced off a personal shield. Kyle swore even he was forced to return his attention to defending the fallen Tyria. His comlink chirped. \u201CMaster Katarn, come in. What\u2019s your status?\u201D Selu Kraen asked him. \u201CVery busy!\u201D Kyle managed to shout. \u201CTyria\u2019s hurt. Can\u2019t talk!\u201D However, he was granted a brief reprieve. The last Yuuzhan Vong Hunter droid, seeing its companions fallen, suddenly charged forward. \u201CMaximum efficiency,\u201D its ultra-deep facsimile of Lando Calrissian\u2019s voice uttered. The opposing droids, which had been reduced to two by the steady barrage of the YVH droids, immediately focused on their charging opponent, but they were unable to bring it down in time, even after dousing it with cryospray from their third arms. The last YVH droid threw itself into the midst of its opponents and exploded with violent force. The detonation engulfed both droids and when the blast wave cleared, they were nothing but twisted metal. Kyle turned back to face the sniper, a young woman who was obviously skilled in the Force. She had recovered from the loss of her weapon and had drawn a pair of slugthrower pistols. \u201CNow it\u2019s just you and me,\u201D he said. She blazed away with both pistols, sending a flurry of magnetically-accelerated metallic projectiles at him. Kyle whirled his lightsaber through a defensive velocity that caught each of the slugs on his emerald blade, incinerating and arresting them. He charged forward as the assassin back-flipped away from him. She had emptied both pistols already and when she alighted, she held a sixty-centimeter vibroblade backhanded, waiting for him. \u201CI\u2019ll ask you once to surrender,\u201D Kyle told the assassin. \u201CYou first,\u201D she replied. Kyle gave no reply, but charged forward, lightsaber swinging out in a blow that would split the woman in half. She caught it on her vibroblade and he followed up with a series of strikes that varied the zone of contact, forcing her to expend considerable energy as she parried first high, then low, then high again, then down to her mid-section. Kyle drove her back with ease, but a warning was set off in his mind as she gave more ground, nearly allowing him to push her into the scorched and blasted back wall of the corridor. He narrowly twisted aside to the right as her wrist gauntlets and kneepads fired a barrage of darts at him, throwing his left arm out behind him to add its momentum and hasten his evasion. The desperate maneuver evaded the darts, but left only his right hand gripping the lightsaber and dangerously exposed. The assassin struck out with a fierce blow that knocked the Jedi weapon from his hands. She stabbed forward for a killing strike, but Kyle continued his spin around behind her. Calling Tyria\u2019s thrown lightsaber to his hand, he attempted to slash down at her back, but she reacted in time to parry the blow, unleashing a furious riposte that scored his left bicep. Kyle gasped at the deep cut and she immediately snarled and hacked at his face. Lightsaber clashed against vibroblade, stopping the blow short, mere centimeters from her face. She tried to overpower him, but Kyle was stronger and began forcing her back, muscling their locked blades towards his opponent. Sensing that she could not break out of the steering block, he forced her backward, pressing her into the wall. She tried to kick him, but Kyle anticipated the move and as soon she tried, shoved her further back so she was off-balance. Centimeter by centimeter, the still-locked blades were forced back closer to the assassin. Kyle could tell that the strain of maintaining the backhand grip on her weapon while holding it above shoulder level was wearing on his opponent, while his own strength was greater and his height advantage meant that driving her into the wall with the locked blades was not nearly as uncomfortable. He could see the fear in her eyes as the two weapons were inexorably forced closer and closer to her body despite her best efforts. \u201CForgive me, Mother,\u201D the woman whispered. Her grip on the vibroblade faltered, and that was enough for Kyle. He exerted himself with one final effort and his lightsaber drove the vibroblade back. The keen edge was rammed into her neck with a sickening squelch. The assassin\u2019s eyes widened with shock and she shuddered as her throat was cut open by her own weapon, blood splattering out from the wound even as she tried to grab him. A second later, though, her strength utterly failed, and she collapsed lifeless. Kyle felt Tyria suddenly pull him away with the Force. The Jedi Master flew back just as a laser mine exploded where he had been standing, showering that section of the corridor with a brilliant constellation of light as twenty laser beams lanced out from the mine, leaving dark spots across his vision. He landed easily by Tyria\u2019s side, safely out of the way. \u201CThanks,\u201D he told her. \u201CI didn\u2019t see her plant the mine.\u201D \u201CShe was hiding it in the Force,\u201D Tyria said from where she was still lying on the floor. \u201CAnd you were busy.\u201D Her words bespoke confidence, but her voice sounded weak. Kyle checked the bridge entrance for further resistance and was relieved to find that the explosion of the droids had at least temporarily managed to stem the blasterfire from that end. For now, all was quiet in the corridor. He looked down and saw the pool of blood spreading from Tyria\u2019s leg from a wound that had completely punched through the limb. \u201CShe shot you,\u201D Kyle realized. \u201CYes,\u201D Tyria answered, her voice definitely sounding pained. \u201CGot me pretty good.\u201D Kyle realized with alarm that the rhythmic pulsing of blood gushing from the wound meant that a major artery had been pierced. Quickly, he stripped off his belt and wrapped it high around Tyria\u2019s thigh just below the hip. \u201CThis is going to hurt,\u201D he told her. Without giving her a chance to respond, he cinched it as tightly as he could, slowing the flow of blood to the wound. Tyria gasped in agony, but Kyle was relieved to see the gushing blood reduced to a trickle. \u201CMaster Kraen, come in,\u201D he said, activating his comlink. \u201CHere,\u201D Selu answered. \u201CGo ahead.\u201D \u201CTyria\u2019s down,\u201D Kyle answered. \u201CShe was shot\u2014I think her femoral artery was hit. I\u2019m trying to slow the bleeding down, but it\u2019s serious.\u201D \u201CYou should continue the mission,\u201D Tyria told him weakly. \u201CCoruscant. Think about Coruscant. I\u2019ll be fine. Stop the bombs\u2014that\u2019s what matters.\u201D \u201CBelay that,\u201D Selu interrupted. \u201CMilya and I are heading for the sanctum from the other end, we\u2019ll be there shortly. I\u2019m sending you coordinates to Akleyn\u2019s location. Get Tyria there and he\u2019ll take care of her. He could use someone to look out for him anyway.\u201D Tyria shook her head. \u201CYou hate guard duty,\u201D she quipped. \u201CI\u2019ll put up with it this time,\u201D he said. Kyle picked her up, slinging her over his left shoulder like a sack of grain despite its injury. This way, his right hand would be free to defend them, at least until he could set Tyria down and handle the threat. It was not an optimal arrangement, but the Jedi Master trusted that the Force would warn him of any imminent danger. Gathering his strength, he headed back through the corridors from whence they had come."@en . "19"^^ . "17"^^ . "15"^^ . "13"^^ . "10"^^ . "8"^^ . "5"^^ .