Chapter 5

The specially designed implosion shot hit the right ion engine, completely destroying it. The left engine still burned brightly though, causing the A-Wing to begin a slow spiral downward. When it hit, it dug a deep trench in the dirt about a mile away.

Kam retracted and concealed his weapon and began to make his way toward the downed ship. He stopped after he had barely walked ten feet. Kam turned at a sound behind him. He did not know her name, but Kam recognized the Bothan girl that had been assigned to stand watch over Cordell. She was running as fast as she could toward the hangar where the A-Wing had been. The Bothan dove behind a stack of crates, and Kam could hear the impact from her blow.

Nayanll had not been fooled by the charade. Cordell had used the Force to pilot the A-Wing in a way that made it seem as though he was actually flying it. He had anticipated something going wrong, and thus attempted to create a distraction while he escaped in another ship. What Cordell had not expected, was Nayanll's sudden appearance, and he was now stumbling backward from the punch she had just delivered to his jaw.

Cordell righted himself as Nayanll ignited her pink lightsaber and brought it down on him. His acid-yellow blade was up in the blink of an eye to deflect the Bothan girl's attack. Nayanll knew there was no way she was going to be able to beat him with strength alone. She began to dash and dodge in every direction, making use of her great speed; but instead of trying to keep up with her, Cordell merely stood in the same spot facing the same direction, not even turning his head.

Nayanll was not waiting any longer. She lunged at him and never even saw it coming.

Cordell, faster than the naked eye could ever perceive, executed a perfect spinning kick, connecting solidly with Nayanll's midsection. She hit the ground and rolled backward, her lightsaber flying from her grasp.

He sensed it coming, so he protected himself with a Force bubble. The implosion shot ricocheted off of it and into a nearby wall.

Kam stood in disbelief, as Cordell turned, unscathed, to face him. Before Kam could even blink, Cordell was standing next to him. With one quick motion, Cordell sliced off the barrel of Kam's weapon with his lightsaber. Kam stumbled away from him in fear, but Cordell no longer considered Kam a threat.

Cordell strode past the stunned and gasping Nayanll, turning off his lightsaber as he did. He did not give the unconscious Lowbacca or Krison Glynt a second glance. He merely made his way to a hangar farther down the way, where he actually climbed into the cockpit of another A-Wing just as he had originally planned, despite a few … complications.

As Cordell pulled away from the spaceport, he noted the fact that Tahiri had finally arrived. He could feel her frustration; and, oddly enough, her worry.

He piloted his way past the planetary defense platforms and punched in a short hyperspace jump into his computer. Cordell was being drawn to a particular planet. He did not know why, but decided not to question the feeling. Cordell sighed with a feeling of satisfaction as the A-Wing made the jump into hyperspace.

Rubble. That was what most of the small settlement had been reduced to. Zeek had piloted their speeder into the middle of the ghost town and set it down. There could not have been much here to begin with, but now there was nothing.

Sadness filled the two Jedi as they surveyed the damage. They sensed no life in the destruction. They decided to bury any bodies not already buried by collapsed buildings and other structures. But after searching the entire settlement, they found nothing. It was as if the inhabitants had simply vanished.

However, the settlement was not completely empty. In one alleyway, Zeek had discovered the rotting corpse of one of the hideous creatures they were supposed to be hunting. The dead vort was horribly mutilated, and because the smell was so unbearable, there was only a rudimentary examination.

Aside from the decaying portions of the creature's body, there were several evident battle wounds that were unmistakably familiar.

"Are those what I think they are?" Zeek asked Din as he held his nose to try and dampen the stench.

Din's slender hand covered his entire face below his eyes, so his response was muffled when he nodded and said, "Lightsaber wounds."

Tay Norat'k was exhausted. She still could not believe how much had happened within the last several hours. Besides her getting three new patients at the same time (all of which would make a full recovery), being told that Kam and Tahiri had taken off in the Twilight Trekker to go see Master Luke about Cordell, and hearing of Todan's sacrifice, was too much for her.

She could not believe someone had died at Cordell's hands; or at least that's what everyone says. Tay had heard from Nayanll, while she treated her for three broken ribs, that Todan had jumped in front of her to take the full attack but was unable to repel it. The Bothan girl had felt Todan's life slipping from him like water through a sieve. Even as she ran to the spaceport, Nayanll knew that there was no way he would recover. And yet … no body had been found. The spot where Nayanll had left him was vacant. It was possible that he had dissolved directly into the Force, but he was so inexperienced, that it did not seem likely. And if that were true, then what did happen to him?

Tay shook her head. She was going to give herself a migraine if she kept dwelling on it. Tay rose to go check on Krison Glynt. He would be the first to leave, with only minor bumps and bruises. Tay sighed when she thought of Lowbacca. "He's going to be spending quite a few weeks in that bacta tank."

The rented speeder sped away from the deserted village, aimed at the next settlement.

Zeek and Din were both quiet as they crossed the desolate wasteland that was most of Duro. Each lost in his own thoughts. Why would there be a Jedi here doing the very thing they had been sent here to do? They had not been notified. Din turned to Zeek who was focused on their destination. "We should report this as soon as we return to the ship."

Zeek nodded. I'd like to know who our vort hunter is.

Cordell's confiscated A-Wing took up an orbit over his destination planet. He knew this was where he was being pulled to, but why? He picked up a familiar Force sense and thought, No, that can't be it. It's too obvious. He shrugged to himself. I guess I'll just have to go down and see.

Cordell fired the A-Wing's thrusters and angled the nose toward the desolate, wasteland planet below him. What else could be down there, I have no idea.