Chapter 24

This really is a good job, thought Gollar Kriz. Good pay, great benefits, and little effort. He sat back in his chair, looking at each of the numbers, graphs, and diagrams shown neatly on the holographic display above his desk. They all showed that everything was functioning normally. And why should they not be? The capital planet of the Galactic Alliance had the most advanced and well-maintained infrastructure systems in the galaxy. Any deviation from normal usually corrected itself. All Gollar had to do was watch and record. After all, this was a water monitoring station.

All of the water for this sector of Coruscant went through the same treatment plant before being distributed throughout the city. Before the water mains branched off, they went through a monitoring station that scanned the water to ensure it was safe to drink, wash, and bathe with before sending it to the individual buildings that required it. These stations constantly measured everything from pH levels to hardness to concentration of foreign deposits.

Gollar worked in one such station, watching the measurements and the equipment to ensure everything was functioning correctly. Whenever problems arose, it was his responsibility to deal with them. But nothing major had ever happened in the three years he had worked there, and he hoped nothing ever would.

Out of the corner of his eye, a blinking red light caught Gollar's attention. It was coming from one of the meters on his display, measuring foreign deposits in the water. The alarm indicated an unknown chemical at a concentration of fifty parts per million and rising quickly. That can't be right, Gollar thought. He typed a series of commands into his keyboard, double-checking the alarm. He confirmed that the alarm was legitimate and cursed softly. This is really going to ruin my day.

It was normal for small amounts of contamination to appear in domestic water. The treatment process was not one hundred percent effective, and such low concentration was generally harmless to beings. If the concentration of any substance rose above a specified threshold, it took only a series of easy steps to correct the issue without raising any concern. But this situation was unique. The fact that the system could not recognize the contaminant meant that the substance was almost never found in domestic water. Without knowing what it was, there was no way of knowing how dangerous it was or how to remove it from the water.

Fortunately, Gollar Kriz had been trained to handle a situation like this. First, he sent out an alert over the HoloNet, urging people not to use water served through this station. Then he alerted the other monitoring stations as well as the treatment plant to let them know of the contamination. Then he sent a command to have water samples taken for analysis. At this point, there was not much more he could do. Shutting off the flow of water would cause a backup in the distribution system, which could cause damage to the equipment. He could not take that risk until he knew whether there was actually any danger. No, until the contaminant and its source were both identified, all he could do was wait and hope that a catastrophe was not happening on his watch.

Ben Skywalker watched as two Jedi Knights placed binders on Vestara Khai's wrists and led her out of his quarters. The young woman craned her neck around and offered him what appeared to be an apologetic frown, as though trying to make him believe that she was sorry for what she had done. It made Ben's blood boil. Vestara was a Sith, and Sith did not know how to feel remorse.

Vestara is a Sith. No matter how many times Ben repeated that sentence in his head, he still could not believe it. She had always seemed so kind, so innocent. But it had all been a front to disguise her villainy. He thought back to all of the time they had spent together, wondering if there had been any signs he had missed. Surely, her reaction when he talked about Dromund Kaas must have given something away. She had seemed truly shocked and upset upon hearing about it. Even now, Ben almost believed that it had been genuine. Had she been that good at disguising herself, or was he such an idiot that he could not see through her?

He certainly felt like an idiot. He should have at least been able to sense the dark side within her. He had brought her into the Jedi Temple – and had sex with her! He felt both disgusted and ashamed, not to mention violated. It was not just because she had fooled him; he had actually developed feelings for her, and she had betrayed him.

But that was the least of Ben's problems at the moment. Now, he had to contend with Ahsoka Tano, who was glaring at him with fire in her eyes. He already knew what she was going to say: that he had been wrong, and she had been right; that she had warned him about Vestara, and he had not listened to her; that he had disobeyed her orders and let a Sith into the Jedi Temple. So, he was content to just stand there and let her vent at him.

Ahsoka crossed her arms in front of her chest and slowly paced back and forth, not once taking her eyes off Ben. "I don't even know where to begin. At the beginning, I suppose. You went to a nightclub to drink, met a pretty girl, and got attached to her instantly. If you had been thinking clearly, you would have sensed something wrong with her. I even warned you about her, and you ignored me. I told you to stay away from her, but you went out with her anyway. I told you not to bring her to the temple, and you snuck her in anyway." She paused her pacing as she added, "But that wasn't enough for you, was it? You had to take it a leap further."

Was Ahsoka suggesting that Ben had sex with Vestara out of spite? That was so far from the truth that Ben felt compelled to speak up in his defense. "I didn't plan for—"

"Do not interrupt me," Ahsoka interjected sternly, raising a finger. "I don't—"

"Excuse me," Ben cut in, "but don't I get a chance to defend my—"

"No!" Ahsoka shouted. "I do not want to hear any more excuses out of you! Ever since Dromund Kaas, you've been—"

Ben groaned. "Enough with Dromund Kaas already! Did it ever occur to you that maybe that's not the problem? That you're just being paranoid because of what happened to my grandpa and Jacen?"

"Don't deflect—"

"I'm trying to help us win this war, but you won't let me!"

"Ben, you're not listening to—"

"You're the one who's not listening to me!" Ben bellowed. "I was on Dromund Kaas for two months! I observed the Sith firsthand! I have more knowledge and experience than any other Jedi! We could have won this war already—"

"This isn't about the war—"

"—if you didn't keep pushing me down!"

"—this is about you!"

"You never would have found out about Dromund Kaas if it wasn't for me! I'm the one who brought down the Sith base! I killed Darth Volatis!"

"And you used the dark side to do it!"

"And how did I get rewarded for it? A meaningless promotion—"

"Meaningless?" Ahsoka repeated indignantly.

"—and a bunch of meaningless jobs while everyone else is out fighting the Sith!"

"You can't even be grateful—"

"Well, I'm tired of being left behind! I'm tired of not being trusted! I'm going to stand up for myself, whether you like it or—"

"You let a Sith into the Jedi Temple!" Ahsoka had to yell to be heard.

"I didn't know she was a—"

"You let a wartime enemy of the Galactic Alliance into a secure Alliance facility! Do you know what that's called?"

Ben paused as he began to process Ahsoka's statement. Just as the meaning hit him, Ahsoka answered her own question.

"Treason, Ben! You've committed treason!"

Treason. The full weight of the word crashed down upon Ben, and his head began to swim. Treason was punishable by death. He could be executed for this. Hoping to avoid such a punishment, he meekly explained, "It was a mistake. I didn't know she was a Sith."

Ahsoka shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Ben. You still broke the rules about letting people into the temple, and those rules exist to prevent incidents like this."

There was no denying that point, Ben knew. "What's going to happen to me?"

For a while, Ahsoka did not answer. She turned away from Ben and put a hand to her forehead. Ben took that as a sign that she was conflicted and hoped that she would decide not to punish him. After all, it had been an honest mistake. Plus, his dad was Ahsoka's best friend. Maybe she would be lenient out of respect for him. On that note, if the son of Luke Skywalker was arrested for treason, it would tarnish not only his reputation, but that of the Jedi Order as a whole. Surely, Ahsoka could see that.

She must have, for she finally turned back to face Ben and answered, "I don't know, Ben. First, I need to find out how much damage Vestara's done. Then I need to talk to your father." Ben winced at the thought of having to confront his father about this. "Until then, you're confined to quarters."

Ben opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it. Being confined to his quarters was better than being confined to a holding cell. Admitting defeat, he nodded his head in understanding.

"Good," Ahsoka said. She looked around the apartment, which had been trashed during the recent duel. "I suggest you start cleaning this place up before your father comes home." Narrowing her eyes, she added, "You've already left him with enough of a mess." Before Ben could even think of a retort, Ahsoka turned around and strode into the hallway. After she was out of sight, Ben heard her say, "Stand guard in front of the door. Don't let him leave until Master Skywalker or myself say otherwise."

Ben knew at once that she was talking to the last of the Jedi Knights she had summoned for security. Great, he thought, now I have a babysitter. Grumpily, he began picking up pieces of broken dishes. Could this day get any worse?

Mek Dain looked at his wrist chrono for what felt like the dozenth time since boarding the Reliant. He still had several minutes before he had to get off the ship. He could not leave too early, or else he would raise suspicion. He also could not leave too late, or he would go down with the ship. He hated being in such a delicate and dangerous position. Of course, he reminded himself, I would not be here if Father hadn't forced me. I don't even know why I need to be here.

"Do you have someplace you need to be, sir?" asked Admiral Mo'Ari.

Mek's head swiveled in the officer's direction, eyestalks erect. Had he unintentionally raised suspicion already? "Why do you ask?"

Mo'Ari nodded towards Mek's wrist. "You keep checking your chrono."

Relaxing, the Gran replied, "I am very busy. And to be honest, Admiral, I do not believe I need to be here."

"I appreciate your faith in me, sir. The loss at Gederon was jarring, but I assure you, my mind is sound."

"I'm sure it is," Mek responded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He was not interested in hearing Mo'Ari – or anyone else, for that matter – speak. He just wanted to get off this ship.

The two officers were standing side-by-side on the bridge of the Reliant. In the pits to either side of them, officers were busy at their consoles, monitoring the Star Destroyer's operations and scanning the space around Coruscant. Through the forward viewport, technicians and engineers in space suits were performing repairs on the triangular hull of the massive ship. Most of the damage sustained during the Battle of Gederon had been repaired, with many systems upgraded in the process.

The ship was in good condition, as was its commander. That was clear enough to Mek. There was no reason for him to continue his assessment. He wanted to return to his shuttle, take off, write up a quick report affirming Mo'Ari's competency, and send it to his father. That way, he can get off the ship and still say that he performed his duty, albeit not as thoroughly as his father wanted. But, again, he could not risk raising suspicion. If it were discovered that the new Supreme Chancellor fled a battle minutes before it began, his reign would end before it could even begin.

Mek checked his chrono once more. Only five minutes until the entire galaxy changed. Hopefully, he would survive to see it.

Vestara stared at her reflection in the two-way mirror across from the interrogation table, barely recognizing herself. She no longer saw the deadly, ambitious Sith Tyro who had caught the attention of Darth Volatis. Instead, she saw a weak, emotional girl who had fallen in love with the enemy and gotten herself captured. Now she sat waiting for the Jedi to decide her fate.

At least she had made it into the Jedi Temple. Had things gone to plan, she could have possibly learned valuable information that she could have conveyed to the Sith. But, after being smuggled in by Ben, nothing had gone according to plan. She had not expected to kiss him. She had not expected him to kiss her back. She certainly had not expected what had happened after that. And she had not expected to feel such a meaningful connection to him while they performed the act.

When it was over, she had realized that she truly loved Ben and wanted to be with him forever. But when she saw the scars on his back, she had been brought crashing back down to reality. She was reminded of the atrocities committed by the Sith on Dromund Kaas and of how Volatis had tricked Vestara into exacting revenge on her behalf. All of her conflicting feelings bubbled back to the surface and finally overflowed. And that was when her fate had been sealed.

In that moment, she had decided to confess to Ben. She knew he would probably hate her for it. She knew she would probably be arrested. She could have said nothing and carried her secret to her grave, but she felt that it would eat eventually eat her alive. Plus, she loved him too much to continue lying to him. And with innocent lives at stake, Vestara believed that it was her duty to try and save them by warning the Alliance of the attack. Had Ahsoka not interfered, the Jedi might have been able to respond to the threat in time to stop it.

Vestara had tried to do good, and she had failed – just as she had failed at being a Sith. Now, she was nothing.

The door to the interrogation room slid open, stealing Vestara's attention away from her reflection. Ahsoka entered the room and moved to stand at the opposite end of the table. With her arms crossed in front of her chest, she fixed her prisoner with an appraising stare. Hoping to salvage what little dignity she had left, Vestara returned her gaze and tried hard not to break eye contact. She did not want to give the impression that she was scared or weak.

After a minute, Ahsoka finally asked her first question. "What is your name?"

Vestara frowned slightly in confusion. Ahsoka already knew her name. "Vestara Khai," she answered.

"Is that your real name?"

"Yes." Judging by the look Ahsoka gave her, Vestara was not sure if she believed her.

"And where are you really from?"

There was no point in lying, Vestara knew. "Kesh."

"So, you're with the Lost Tribe of the Sith?"

"Yes." For a moment, Ahsoka said nothing, leading Vestara to wonder if the Jedi Master had already jumped to judgment without even hearing an explanation. So, she decided to take the initiative. "I know you have no reason to trust me, but—"

"Trust you?" Ahsoka interrupted. "You're a Sith. You lied to Jedi Skywalker about who you are and what you're doing on Coruscant. You broke into the Jedi Temple, which is a major crime itself. And you tried to murder Ben. You don't deserve my trust."

"I know," responded Vestara, "But you need to listen to me anyway. The Sith are about to launch an attack on Coruscant any minute now."

Ahsoka did not seem the least bit fazed by this. "And I assume you know what this attack entails?"

Vestara's confidence plummeted as she realized that she had been told nothing about the attack, aside from when it would take place. Her sole objective had been Ben. She did not know what kind of attack it would be or what would be involved. She had no choice but to reveal the only piece of information she did know. "The plans were kept top-secret. All I know is that Sith operatives have been working on something in Coruscant's underworld. I arrived with a group of Sith who had been sent to reinforce them."

"The Underworld," Ahsoka repeated. "A good choice. Your Sith friends would be hard for us to find down there. Very convenient."

"I'm not lying!" Vestara exclaimed, abandoning her calm. "They're down there right now, getting ready to attack!"

It was finally time. After months of planning and preparation, the moment that General Vonar Dykes had eagerly awaited had finally arrived. No more hiding in the decrepit sewers of Coruscant. No more laboring away mining jurquinnium from the lowest levels. No more studying the planet's infrastructure and tinkering with the water distribution system. Now was the time for action. Now was the time for the Sith to strike back.

Dykes watched as two other Sith lifted the lids off of two crates and began to distribute armor and blaster rifles to their comrades. He knew that, throughout the city, there were other Sith and allies ready to charge into battle at the exact same time. The pitiful Galactic Alliance and the ignorant Jedi would not expect an attack from their own planet. All of the Sith on Coruscant, including Dykes, knew that their chances of surviving the battle were low. But they accepted those odds, knowing that their deaths would be for the glory of the Sith.

There was something mesmerizing about traveling through hyperspace. It was at once chaotic and peaceful watching the rapid swirl of blue and white spiral past. One could get lost in one's own thoughts if they stared out a viewport at the hyperspace tunnel surrounding one's ship. Darth Hatus was no exception. He stood on the bridge of the Leviathan, staring out the panoramic forward viewport as the monstrous warship travelled to its destination. Not even the voices in his head could distract him from the view before him and the anticipation he felt.

He had spent the better part of a year planning this operation, down to the most minute details. But he had dreamt of this day ever since Demood Elppirc was arrested near the end of the Clone Wars. That had been the summit of everything that had gone wrong with his life. There was a time, almost beyond remembering, when he had been happy. He had found his purpose in the Jedi Order, and everything had been going his way.

But he had been betrayed, his worldview shattered. The Jedi had revealed themselves to be less than noble, and Elppirc had paid the price with his legs, his sanity, and almost his life. The Jedi had paid the price, too, but not until after Elppirc had. He dearly wished he could have seen justice served, but the Jedi had denied him that chance.

Then Elppirc had returned, reborn as Darth Hatus, as well as the Jedi. The Force had granted him a second chance to not only see justice done, but to carry it out himself. And it was not just the Jedi who would pay; everyone who had contributed to his downfall would suffer. He had already wiped out the Zygerrian slavers, and it had given him the greatest feeling he had ever had. Now, he was about to complete his revenge, and he could hardly imagine how wonderful he would feel by the day's end.

"Lord Hatus? Lord Hatus?" The voice was so faint that, for a moment, Hatus thought it was one of the voices in his head. Then it repeated itself, much louder this time. "Lord Hatus!" He realized then that one of the Sith bridge officers was trying to get his attention. Snapped out of his reverie, he turned away from the hyperspace swirl to face the officer, who reported, "All groups have reported in. They are ready to begin the attack."

Hatus nodded in acknowledgement. "Good. How is our ETA?"

"Unchanged, My Lord. All groups are still synchronized, so the attack will begin precisely when we arrive."

"Excellent. Thank you." He turned back around to continue staring out the viewport, allowing a malicious smile to spread across his face. Two minutes, he thought. Only two minutes until I exact my revenge.

Ahsoka planted her palms on the interrogation table and leaned over Vestara. "You say there's going to be an attack, but you don't know anything about it, except that it will happen any moment now. If you're trying to bargain for your release, you're doing a poor job of it."

Vestara tried to stand up so that her eyeline was level with her interrogator's, but the binders enclosing her wrists were also bound to the table, so she could only manage a crouch. Enunciating, she said, "I'm not trying to bargain; I'm trying to save lives."

"Why now? If the attack is happening as soon as you say, why didn't you say something sooner?"

"I tried to! I was about to tell Ben everything, but then he sensed you coming and cut me off!"

"So, it's my fault?" Ahsoka asked in an even tone. If she was affronted, she hid it well.

Vestara paused briefly to formulate a response. "No, it's mine. I've had my doubts about the attack since Ben told me what the Sith did on Dromund Kaas. I wanted to tell him many times, but I was too afraid to betray the Lost Tribe – to betray my family. It wasn't until… earlier today… that I realized that I love Ben, and I knew then what I had to do."

Ahsoka stood up straight so that her eye level was once again above Vestara's. "You expect me to believe you've had a change of heart? You've seen the error of your ways? Sith don't do that."

"Darth Vader did," Vestara countered, drawing from history relayed to the Lost Tribe by Ship.

A sudden change crossed Ahsoka's face, transforming from stern to surprised to… doubtful? Wistful? Both? Vestara had not expected to elicit that kind of reaction from her. And then she remembered; Ahsoka had been Anakin Skywalker's apprentice before he became Darth Vader. Had the mention of her former master upset Ahsoka? Or had it gotten through to her? Vestara may have just helped her case… or hurt it.

The analysis of the water samples came back surprisingly quick. Gollar Kriz was pleased with that. It proved that Coruscant's infrastructure was a well-oiled machine. Now, he could find out what the contaminant was and figure out how to resume service to the city's residents. He opened the file sent to him by the lab and read the results. He read the document carefully, including the date, time, location, and reason for analysis. The sample had small amounts of the usual contaminants, well within safety limits. But there was one substance he was unfamiliar with: jurquinnium.

A quick search on the HoloNet yielded everything Gollar needed to know. Jurquinnium was a substance that was found in the crusts of only a few worlds, including Coruscant. When extracted from rock, it presented as a water-soluble purplish-gray powder. In the concentrations found in the samples taken from the contaminated lines, it was not toxic, so there was no risk of people getting sick from drinking it. It was also noncorrosive and nonabrasive, so there was no risk of damage to the distribution pipes or any other equipment the contaminated water would go through.

Gollar let out a sigh of relief upon reading this. Excellent, he thought. This will make my job much easier. Once we discover how it got into the system, we may just be able to leave it alone. I can submit my report and be home in time for dinner with Alixta and the kids.

Out of curiosity, he decided to continue reading about jurquinnium. Apparently, it was once a very popular refrigerant used in heating and cooling systems. When dissolved in water, it had a unique property; it could absorb tremendous amounts of heat when exposed to a small electric current. When the current stopped, all of the absorbed heat was released quickly. The process was cheaper and more efficient than conventional refrigeration cycles.

However, the use of jurquinnium had been discontinued over a hundred years ago due to a fatal flaw. If the refrigerant was exposed to too much current or for too long a time, it would continue to absorb heat until it reached its capacity. At that point, it would detonate. Entire buildings had been destroyed by mishandled jurquinnium.

A disturbing thought crossed Gollar's mind. If this jurquinnium had been dissolved in the water supply, and it had already been distributed to every building in the system, it could cause a terrible accident if someone were careless with one of their electronics. He knew he had to warn someone about this. He could not let an explosion happen, however unlikely it was.

Less than a kilometer upstream of the monitoring station, beneath the surface of Coruscant, a pair of workers made a disturbing find. There was a large hole in the top of the water main, exposing the water rushing through the pipe. This was not natural wear, however; it was deliberately cut by a tool. Someone had made this hole on purpose. Whoever it was, they were long gone, but they had left a purplish-gray powder behind.

And a few blocks downstream of the monitoring station, unseen by anyone, a series of cables ran from a set of portable generators into various points on the water distribution line. All at once, they received a signal to switch on and begin transferring power through the cables.

Nysilla Zabeth smiled as a pair of male Twi'leks approached her reception desk. "Welcome to Obsidian Towers," she greeted. "How may I help you?"

One of the Twi'leks answered, "We'd like a room for three nights. One bed."

"Certainly," Nysilla replied. As she began typing in her datapad, she asked, "May I ask what brings you here?"

The second Twi'lek beamed as he answered, "We're adopting a child tomorrow."

Nysilla's face lit up. "Congratulations!" Returning her attention to her datapad, she continued, "Let me see what we can do for you."

"Pardon me," said the first Twi'lek, "but it feels rather cold in here."

Nysilla paused and looked up. Sure enough, she could feel the temperature in the room beginning to drop. Other people in the hotel lobby appeared to be feeling it, too, judging by the expressions on their faces. "There may be an issue with the climate control," she said. "I will call maintenance now to make sure they are aware of it." She pressed the button on her desk comlink.

And then there was only blinding light, deafening noise, and searing heat.

Ben Skywalker froze in place as he felt a strong disturbance in the Force. A horrible sinking feeling overcame his stomach, prompting him to double over and reach out to support himself against the wall. He was not sure what had happened, but he knew that it had been to someone he loved.

Ahsoka and Vestara continued to stare each other down, neither one refusing to give any ground to the other. Their confrontation was abruptly cut off when Ahsoka felt a wave of terror and anguish wash over her. It was so strong that she stumbled forward and only just managed to catch herself on the interrogation table. She clutched one hand over her heart and breathed heavily as a torrent of fear, pain, and death buffeted her senses. After a moment, the wave subsided, but the feelings associated with it remained.

She looked at Vestara and, to her surprise, saw that the girl appeared just as stricken as Ahsoka felt. Evidently, she had felt the same disturbance. It occurred to Ahsoka that it could have been caused by the attack Vestara had claimed was coming. Was her shocked reaction genuine, or was she putting on an act to try to throw Ahsoka off? She honestly could not make heads or tails of the girl.

But now was not the time to figure her out. Right now, Ahsoka needed to respond to whatever crisis she was sure had just come up. Standing up straight, she glared down at Vestara and said, "This conversation isn't over." She turned to leave the room, then stopped and added, "If you had anything to do with this, there will be consequences." She stayed for a moment to gauge Vestara's reaction. All the girl did was raise her eyebrows, adding to her concerned expression.

That was how Ahsoka knew that Vestara was afraid.

Don Dain slowly sipped his tea as he read a report on his computer screen. Suddenly, a HoloNet news alert popped up, demanding his attention. As he read the alert, his eyes widened in shock. Slowly, with trembling hands, he set the teacup down on his desk.

A few seconds later, his secretary burst through the office doors, her face contorted in panic. "Chancellor!" she cried, "You have to see this!"

"I see it," Dain replied calmly. Sure enough, images and footage were coming in of the carnage at Obsidian Towers. An explosion had torn through not just the hotel, but nearly every building in a four-block radius. None of them had been substantially destroyed, but all were engulfed in flames and smoke. Already, the news outlets were speculating about the death toll.

The question was, was this a terrible accident… or a deliberate act of violence?

Han Solo practically jumped out of his chair upon hearing a loud, panicked gasp emanating from his daughter's hospital bed. Jaina Solo's eyes had suddenly popped open, and she was breathing heavily, as though making up for the breaths she had missed while in her coma. Han ran over to her and held her hand. "Jaina!" he cried in relief, "It's okay. You're okay." He wrapped his arms around her and said, "We thought we'd lost you."

A moment later, Leia and Allana Solo rushed into the room, both with shocked emotions on their faces. Han figured that they had sensed Jaina's awakening through the Force and had hurried to see her. He was thrown, then, when Leia did a double-take and gasped, "Jaina! You're awake!" as though she had not already sensed it. That left him wondering why his wife and granddaughter had burst in looking terrified.

And then, in a shuddering voice, Jaina spoke her first words since waking up. "Something terrible's happened."

Across the galaxy, on isolated Latru, Luke Skywalker stumbled mid-step and probably would have fallen had Mara Quidden not caught him by the arm. Immediately, she expressed her concern by asking, "What's wrong?"

When he recovered from the shock of what he had felt, Luke answered, "I felt a disturbance in the Force. Something bad has happened."

"What?" asked Mara. "What's happened?"

Luke shook his head. "I don't know. But I know the Jedi Order needs me now." He fixed Mara with an apologetic gaze and said, "I have to go back to Coruscant as soon as possible."

For a moment, Mara said nothing. She simply returned Luke's gaze with one of sad surprise, which then morphed into resigned acceptance. She nodded and said, "I understand."

Luke returned her nod and turned away to look for Cresta Joisür. He would have to tell the King what was going on and arrange for a ride back to the royal palace to collect his things. Then he would return to the Jade Shadow and take off. He paused as it occurred to him that, once he left, he would likely never return to Latru - nor see Mara again. With that in mind, he decided that he should take some time to say good-bye to her. He turned back to face her and saw that she was still staring at him. A small smile stretched his lips and he began to speak.

But he was interrupted by a low rumbling. It sounded like thunder, except it was constant and growing steadily louder. Mara evidently heard it, too, for she began to look around for the source of the noise. Luke noticed that the other denizens of Latru were also looking around and murmuring in concern. No matter which way they looked, there was no discernable source, and the rumbling was still increasing in volume.

Then, people started to point at the sky, and Luke followed their gaze to see the silhouette of a massive object slowly descending through the heavy cloud cover. Some of the Latruans began to scream at the sight of what appeared to be a humongous tentacled monster. But Luke knew instantly that it was something far more terrifying. He recognized it from a hologram he had seen shortly before departing for Latru.

It was the Leviathan, the Sith warship that had ravaged the Alliance forces at Gederon and nearly killed Luke's niece. And now, it was hovering above Gratbür.

Before he could utter the words "Oh no," turbolaserfire rained down on the city.

Thank you for reading this chapter! If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages. I have an important announcement regarding my writing future, which I will make at the bottom of my profile page.