The frigate was, indeed, drifting out of their path-and not a moment too soon. The Falcon Falcon pa.s.sed less than a hundred meters behind the vessel, so close that the wash from its big Slayn & Korpil ion drives sent the transport flipping away from the planet in a true out-of-control spin. pa.s.sed less than a hundred meters behind the vessel, so close that the wash from its big Slayn & Korpil ion drives sent the transport flipping away from the planet in a true out-of-control spin.

Allana let out another scream, this one even more convincing than the last, and C-3PO began to preach their doom again. Han merely clenched his teeth. Determined not to let Allana's lessons start becoming too too memorable, he bit back a string of curses as he fought to bring the vessel back under control. memorable, he bit back a string of curses as he fought to bring the vessel back under control.

"It's going to take a few minutes to catch you on your present trajectory," the commander announced. "But you're going to be fine, I promise. We're already preparing to deploy our rescue skiffs."

"Uh, thanks ..."

Han brought the yoke to center and began to ease the vector plates into a neutral position, then glanced over to find Allana settled back into her seat, looking over at him with a big grin on her face. He mouthed the word, Grandma? Grandma? She gave him two big thumbs-up, and Han began to bring the She gave him two big thumbs-up, and Han began to bring the Falcon Falcon out of her corks.c.r.e.w.i.n.g spin. out of her corks.c.r.e.w.i.n.g spin.

"We appreciate the help," Han commed. "But it looks like our damage-control team is bringing things under control."

"Your damage-control ... damage-control ...?"

The commander trailed off, leaving his question to hang.

Han waited a moment for him to continue, then shrugged at his comm unit and began to adjust his jump calculations for the rendezvous with Leia.

A few seconds later, the nav computer beeped its readiness, and the commander said, "Before you go, Captain Solo, I'd like to ask you a question."

"Sure," Han said. He swung the Falcon Falcon around to the proper bearing and began to accelerate toward jump speed. "Ask away." around to the proper bearing and began to accelerate toward jump speed. "Ask away."

"You don't have any of the Jedi patients aboard, do you?"

"With Amelia Amelia aboard?" Han retorted. "You must think I'm crazy." aboard?" Han retorted. "You must think I'm crazy."

"In all honesty, Captain Solo," the commander said, "the thought has has crossed my mind." crossed my mind."

"I'll bet." Han grinned. "But in all honesty, they're not aboard. I'm just taking my daughter for a little joyride."

"She must be quite the thrill seeker," the commander replied. "I trust she's had her fill of excitement for the day?"

Han glanced over at Allana, who gave an emphatic nod. "I think so," he reported. "Listen, I've got to go, but do you mind if I ask you you a question first?" a question first?"

"Feel free to ask." ask."

Han glanced over at Allana and winked. "Who are are you?" you?"

The commander considered the question so long that Han was beginning to think he was stalling, still searching for some way to turn the situation around.

Then, finally, he asked, "Why do you want to know?"

"No big deal," Han said. "I just want to know where to send the thank-you note."

The commander was not amused. "Why don't you wait and give it to me in person?" he replied coldly. "We'll be meeting again soon, Captain Solo. Of that that, I'm quite certain."

The comm speaker fell silent, leaving Han with the impression that he had just added another entry to his long list of enemies. It was kind of a good feeling, knowing that he was still young enough to make them. He shrugged, then looked over at Allana.

"How's your grandmother doing?" he asked.

"She's on her way," Allana reported. "Time to head for Shedu Maad."

Han smiled, then glanced back at R2-D2. "Are those jump coordinates ready?"

The droid answered with an affirmative whistle.

"Good," Han said. He turned back to Allana, then nodded at the controls. "You do the honors, kid."

Allana's eyes grew big, and she leaned forward to push the lever forward. This time, the hyperdrive worked perfectly, and stars stretched into lines.

AHRI R RAAS WOULD HAVE TO DIE, AND IT WAS GOING TO BREAK V VESTARA'S heart to kill him. heart to kill him.

He had been lying next to her all morning, in their usual place on the river beach, and not once had he looked in her direction. Considering what she wasn't wasn't wearing-and how hard he had been trying since yesterday to behave naturally-his att.i.tude told her everything she needed to know. Yuvar Xal was going to make a move against Lady Rhea-and it would be soon. wearing-and how hard he had been trying since yesterday to behave naturally-his att.i.tude told her everything she needed to know. Yuvar Xal was going to make a move against Lady Rhea-and it would be soon.

The battle was going to be a terrible waste, of course. Only fifteen members of the Eternal Crusader's Eternal Crusader's crew remained alive, and even a short power struggle would reduce that number by half. There wouldn't even be enough survivors to crew remained alive, and even a short power struggle would reduce that number by half. There wouldn't even be enough survivors to need need a leader. But the planet's jungle of being-eating plants had devoured Lady Rhea's stature as surely as it had the expedition itself. Xal was finally within reach of deposing her, and when Sith saw a weakness, they pounced. They were like fangflowers that way, always thirsting for a kill. a leader. But the planet's jungle of being-eating plants had devoured Lady Rhea's stature as surely as it had the expedition itself. Xal was finally within reach of deposing her, and when Sith saw a weakness, they pounced. They were like fangflowers that way, always thirsting for a kill.

"Ves, did you ever figure it out?" Ahri asked. His voice sounded a bit m.u.f.fled and distant, as though he were looking in the opposite direction. "Why s.h.i.+p picked you, I mean?"

"I don't know." Vestara's connection with s.h.i.+p was the one factor working against Xal, because there were a handful of survivors who still hoped to escape Abeloth's planet-and to do that, they needed to complete their mission and recover s.h.i.+p. "Because of my girlish beauty, I suppose."

Ahri chuckled. It sounded forced.

Vestara slid her hand toward the weapons belt lying atop her folded clothes. She would use the parang, she decided, because it was relatively silent. Moreover, unlike the s.h.i.+kkar, its use did not signify any disrespect or loathing.

"Seriously, Ves," Ahri said. "Do you think there's any way you can get s.h.i.+p back under control?"

"Sure," Vestara lied. "If you can find s.h.i.+p, I can command him."

Vestara knew why Ahri was pressing. If he could get her to admit that she could not command s.h.i.+p any better than anyone else, then Lady Rhea's last leg of support would be broken. Over the last few weeks, the Eternal Crusader Eternal Crusader's entire crew had slowly been drawn down to the surface through a handful of s.h.i.+p sightings that required effort to pursue. Two of those searches had resulted in the destruction of shuttles, and the second disaster had left the Crusader Crusader in orbit with only one pilot-and only one shuttle. in orbit with only one pilot-and only one shuttle.

That same night, Abeloth had despaired of ever capturing s.h.i.+p and declared the time had come to flee the planet. Lady Rhea had immediately ordered the last pilot to come and retrieve the search party. Unfortunately, the shuttle had put down on the stony crust of an old lava pit. The boarding ramp had barely descended before the ground collapsed. The pilot managed to leap free, but the vessel itself dropped a thousand meters into a well of magma. And now there were no more shuttles.

After a time, Ahri spoke again. "Okay, show me."

"Show you?" you?"

Vestara knew at once that she had seriously underestimated her friend's treachery-and overestimated her own ability to read Force auras. She pulled her parang from its sheath and rolled toward Ahri ...and found him propped casually on an elbow, looking in the other direction. Slowly, he lifted a beautifully shaped arm, so deeply tanned by blue sunlight that it had turned nearly sapphire, and pointed up the river valley.

"Isn't that that s.h.i.+p?" he asked. s.h.i.+p?" he asked.

Vestara had to sit upright before she could see what he was pointing at, and even then she almost brought her parang around before she realized how wrong she had been. Ahri wasn't trying to set her up for his own kill. He was pointing at a distant winged-ball silhouette coming in low over the river, moving so fast that it swelled from the size of a thumbnail to the size of a fist in the blink of an eye.

"Well?" he asked.

Ahri twisted back toward Vestara and caught her holding the parang. His eyes grew instantly wide and frightened, and he was on his feet so quickly she feared he would have to be killed just to prevent him from crying out in surprise and inadvertently touching off the bloodbath.

"Sheesta, Ves!" He stumbled back a couple of steps, his eyes going to his own clothes, and his weapons belt floated into his hand. "Were you just going to kill kill me?" me?"

"No, of course not," Vestara said. She summoned her own belt and returned the parang to its sheath. "I thought I saw a snake vine, that's all. Ever since that siphon reed almost drowned me and Lady Rhea, I haven't trusted Abeloth to keep us safe."

Ahri glanced around the sandy beach. There were no plants of any kind within ten meters.

"uh, right," he said. He stepped back, then summoned his clothes and dressed. "I think we'd better get back to Abeloth and Master Xal. If you you didn't call s.h.i.+p, maybe they-" didn't call s.h.i.+p, maybe they-"

"They didn't, either," Vestara said. "I promise you that." didn't, either," Vestara said. "I promise you that."

She pulled on her own clothes, then started back toward the others, weaving her way around the big drendek lizards that were resting on the beach, taking the sun on their huge green wings. Ahri accompanied her, being careful not to expose his back by leading and not to threaten by following, all the while staying a full three paces away so he would have time to react to an attack. Vestara hoped his caution was more a statement of anger than fear; once his anger subsided, they could probably remain close until the actual killing started. But if Ahri was keeping his distance out of fear, their friends.h.i.+p was over; Vestara was too well trained to allow herself to be alone with any Sith who feared her.

By the time they came into view of Abeloth's customary boulder-top perch, the rest of the crew had already a.s.sembled. Baad Walusari and the other two Kes.h.i.+ri officers stood a little apart with Lady Rhea. Everyone else-including Yuvar Xal-stood at the base of Abeloth's boulder. They were all looking upriver toward s.h.i.+p, their eyes wide with shock and hope.

In Xal's sharp-featured face, Vestara was alarmed to also see resolve. As frustrating as s.h.i.+p's sudden appearance had to be for him at the moment, he was clearly more determined than ever to move against Lady Rhea. Realizing she had only one hope of preventing the attack, Vestara stopped and turned toward the river.

s.h.i.+p was almost on them, a red-veined sphere ten meters in diameter, his delicate-looking wings tipped almost vertical as he slowed for landing. Vestara called to him in the Force, s.h.i.+p, come to me s.h.i.+p, come to me.

s.h.i.+p seemed amused. Have we not had this discussion before? Have we not had this discussion before?

This is different, Vestara insisted. Even if you obey Abeloth, you Even if you obey Abeloth, you serve serve the Sith. Come to me and save us ... or go to Xal and destroy us all the Sith. Come to me and save us ... or go to Xal and destroy us all.

s.h.i.+p slowed, but did not veer toward her, and Vestara felt the weight of a dozen gazes on her back. Wary of a preemptive strike, she pivoted on one foot to keep Xal and Ahri in sight. She found Abeloth's gruesome face turned in her direction, the wide mouth straight and grim, the silver eyes s.h.i.+ning up from the depths of their sockets like tiny cold stars.

Vestara s.h.i.+vered and looked away. The effort to forestall the coming fight, even to survive survive it, hardly seemed worthwhile. Whether the victor was Lady Rhea or Xal, the entire crew was doomed. They were Abeloth's playthings, pets held for her amus.e.m.e.nt for as long as she could keep them alive, no more capable of surviving on this planet without her than a Kes.h.i.+ri canakal bird could survive outside its cage. Vestara, Ahri, even Xal and Lady Rhea-everyone was going to die here, and whether they were devoured by carnivorous plants or impaled on one another's blades hardly made a difference. it, hardly seemed worthwhile. Whether the victor was Lady Rhea or Xal, the entire crew was doomed. They were Abeloth's playthings, pets held for her amus.e.m.e.nt for as long as she could keep them alive, no more capable of surviving on this planet without her than a Kes.h.i.+ri canakal bird could survive outside its cage. Vestara, Ahri, even Xal and Lady Rhea-everyone was going to die here, and whether they were devoured by carnivorous plants or impaled on one another's blades hardly made a difference.

Vestara knew all this, knew that at best her struggles would buy her only a few extra days of suffering and despair. But she refused to surrender. She intended to continue fighting through her last breath and beyond, to drag any enemy she could into the grave behind her, if only for pride ...because the only choice that remained to Vestara Khai was how how she died, and she intended to do it well. she died, and she intended to do it well.

s.h.i.+p had slowed to a crawl now, more or less hovering over the center of the crimson river, caught, perhaps, between obedience and flight. Vestara extended a hand, grabbing for s.h.i.+p in the Force, and ordered, Come. Now Come. Now.

And s.h.i.+p did.

In the flash of a thought, he was there before her, suddenly looming so large that Vestara thought he meant to run her down. Still, she stood her ground and forced herself not to flinch, so she would not die a coward.

But s.h.i.+p could no more kill a Sith than he could disobey a powerful will. He stopped a meter away and hovered before her. His eye-shaped viewport was turned not toward Vestara, but toward Abeloth.

Deciding she had nothing to lose, Vestara ordered, Open Open.

Again, s.h.i.+p seemed amused. As you command As you command.

A horizontal split opened in his side, and he extruded a short boarding ramp. Obviously, this was all far too good to be true. It could only be another of Abeloth's traps, all the more cruel because it promised deliverance from a certain and painful death.

The rest of the survivors were clearly as shocked as Vestara, though perhaps not as suspicious. For what seemed a hundred heartbeats, they stood staring at the lowered ramp, their mouths agape as though they had never before seen one and could not comprehend the salvation it promised.

Lady Rhea, as usual, was the quickest to recover. She turned to Vestara with a stern expression. "It's about time, Vestara. I was beginning to wonder if Master Xal might be right to doubt your special relations.h.i.+p with s.h.i.+p."

She waved Xal's supporters toward the ramp and started forward herself. "Let's not stand on ceremony," Lady Rhea said, now addressing Xal's followers. "You may board ahead of me."

Lady Rhea's would-be attackers did not need to be invited twice to realign themselves with her. They scrambled forward at just shy of a sprint, followed closely by Baad Walusari and the other two Kes.h.i.+ri officers who had remained loyal to Lady Rhea all along. Only Xal and Ahri remained behind, the Master openly glaring at Vestara over his change of fortune, the apprentice looking as though he was expecting the most severe beating of his life.

Lady Rhea gave Master Xal a smirk that promised a private, painful death, then turned to Abeloth. "You'll have to board now, Abeloth." Though her words suggested she was issuing a command, her tone was that of a request. "It's only the short ride to Eternal Crusader Eternal Crusader that will be crowded, I promise." that will be crowded, I promise."

Abeloth responded with a smile so gruesome that Vestara knew it would have drawn a shudder of revulsion from both Xal and Ahri, had they been able to see its true nature-as she herself did.

"I'll be happy to join you aboard the Eternal Crusader," Eternal Crusader," Abeloth said, "as soon as we have captured Luke Skywalker and his son, Ben." Abeloth said, "as soon as we have captured Luke Skywalker and his son, Ben."

The Force churned with astonishment and confusion.

"Luke Skywalker?" Lady Rhea asked. Lady Rhea asked.

Abeloth nodded. "And Ben." She turned toward Xal, then said, "Isn't that who you said said the expedition was originally meant to pursue, Lord Xal?" the expedition was originally meant to pursue, Lord Xal?"

Xal's face paled, for laying false claim to the t.i.tle of Lord was a death sentence. "I never said I was a Lord." He shot a nervous glance in Lady Rhea's direction, no doubt checking to see whether she intended to seize on Abeloth's mistake to eliminate a rival, then said, "I'm not not a Lord." a Lord."

"But you will will be," Abeloth said, stepping to his side. "When you return to Kesh with Luke and Ben Skywalker in chains." be," Abeloth said, stepping to his side. "When you return to Kesh with Luke and Ben Skywalker in chains."

"Our mission would have been to kill kill the Skywalkers, not imprison them," Lady Rhea pointed out. "But that a.s.signment was superseded by the order to recover s.h.i.+p." the Skywalkers, not imprison them," Lady Rhea pointed out. "But that a.s.signment was superseded by the order to recover s.h.i.+p."

Abeloth's eyes blazed white with fury. "And now you have have recovered s.h.i.+p, have you not?" recovered s.h.i.+p, have you not?"

Visibly shaken by Abeloth's anger, Lady Rhea merely nodded.

"Good. Then you have succeeded in your mission." Abeloth's eyes shrank back to silver stars. "And now s.h.i.+p can help you with this new task. Imagine how pleased your Circle of Lords will be when you return with both s.h.i.+p and and the Skywalkers." the Skywalkers."

"a.s.suming you you'll be there to help us control them," Lady Rhea replied. "Otherwise, I fear the Circle of Lords will be anything but but pleased to have a pair of Jedi brought to the last bastion of the Sith Empire." pleased to have a pair of Jedi brought to the last bastion of the Sith Empire."

"Of course I'll be with you," Abeloth replied soothingly. "Do you think I want to be marooned in this h.e.l.l forever?" I'll be with you," Abeloth replied soothingly. "Do you think I want to be marooned in this h.e.l.l forever?"

A triumphant glow came to Lady Rhea's Force aura, and Vestara realized her Master still had no idea she was being tricked. But why should she? Vestara had tried a hundred times to warn Lady Rhea about Abeloth's true nature, always to no avail. Finally, Vestara had been forced to accept that no one else could see their companion for what she truly was.

Abeloth was no castaway, no mere woman marooned here for thirty years. She was much more-a manifestation of an ancient power so dark and hideous it was beyond human comprehension. Against such a being, how could Lady Rhea resist being a thrall? How could anyone? anyone? The only reason Vestara was still alive, she felt certain, was that it amused Abeloth to watch her struggling to remain sane. The only reason Vestara was still alive, she felt certain, was that it amused Abeloth to watch her struggling to remain sane.

Abeloth s.h.i.+fted her gaze to Vestara and sent a sensation like cold fire rus.h.i.+ng through her veins, then draped her tentacles over Xal's shoulder.

"We will talk, Lord Xal." Motioning for Ahri to follow, Abeloth turned Xal away and started toward the other side of s.h.i.+p. When she seemed to sense Lady Rhea's rising tide of fury, she paused, looked back over her shoulder, and asked, "And what is it they will call you you when you sit in the Circle, Lady Rhea? when you sit in the Circle, Lady Rhea? Lady Rhea Lady Rhea, High Lord of the Sith?"

Lady Rhea's fury melted away like ice in the river, and she dipped her head and smiled broadly. "That would be the correct t.i.tle, yes," she said. "If "If I am chosen." I am chosen."

Abeloth's eyes twinkled in rea.s.surance. "You shall shall be, High Lady Rhea. Have no doubt." be, High Lady Rhea. Have no doubt."

With that, Abeloth turned away again and led Xal around s.h.i.+p. Vestara waited until they were out of sight, then caught her Master's eye and tipped her head in the opposite direction. When Lady Rhea nodded, Vestara started to walk and began to Force-whisper, directing her words to her Master's ears alone.

"You do do know that Abeloth is setting another trap for us, right?" know that Abeloth is setting another trap for us, right?"

"I wouldn't say a trap, exactly," Lady Rhea replied. Though her words were barely a whisper, they nevertheless resounded clearly in Vestara's head. "Abeloth is just recruiting Xal to be her spy, to be certain I don't revert to our original orders and content myself with only capturing s.h.i.+p. She wants to arrive at Kesh with an impressive gift: Skywalker slaves."

Vestara shook her head vehemently. "We're not going going to Kesh," she said. "At least, Abeloth isn't. Haven't you noticed? She's done everything in her power to keep us to Kesh," she said. "At least, Abeloth isn't. Haven't you noticed? She's done everything in her power to keep us trapped trapped here." here."

"Because she hadn't lured the Skywalkers into position yet," Lady Rhea insisted. "Now that she has a proper gift-"