Skirata called it social taxation. Ny tried to work out just how far the Nulls would have to go before she'd find them frightening or repellent. But they were professional killers and saboteurs, however kind to animals and polite to old ladies, unashamedly dangerous men who were bred to be lethal. Ny just happened to be within their defensive circle, not a target beyond that protective boundary.

Would they kill me if they thought I was a threat to Skirata's scheme?

She knew the answer, even if they didn't.

"Bankrupting Palps again?" she said carefully.

"More like searching through his drawers." Jaing smiled. "He keeps a lot in them, or at least his idiot minions do. Every citizen on a database, data shared among departments, clerks who use their pet akk's name for passwords...once you get past the first level of security, you can just wander around stripping whatever you want from the system.

Treasury data, banking, personal details on Imperial employees, procurement plans, government speeder pool schedules...you'd be amazed how this stuff all builds a picture."

"No, I wouldn't, because I was spying on KDY for you lot, remember?" Ny said.

"So you were." Mereel smiled. " Kal'buir Kal'buir likes his ladies a bit likes his ladies a bit risky risky."

Ordo was taking no notice of them, still deep in conversation with Skirata. He seemed to be listening more than talking, eyes shut occasionally as if he was struggling to concentrate. Ny heard him say, "Well...that's a surprise. Okay, Buir Buir. Ordo out."

That was worrying in itself. Ordo had everything nailed down and under control. He was never surprised by anything as far as Ny could tell.

"What's a surprise?" Mereel asked.

Ordo sat down and stretched out his legs. "Guess who's asking for sanctuary? Maze Maze."

Ny couldn't recall meeting Captain Maze. The other clones gave her the impression that he was humorless and lonely, although Fi said he was all right for an Alpha plank, whatever that meant. Ordo seemed to have grudging respect for him. He described him as persistent persistent.

"Really?" said Mereel. "He must be missing you, Ord'ika Ord'ika."

" Kal'buir Kal'buir's working out how to get him to Mandalore. He didn't head straight there.

Odd."

"Maybe he thought it was too obvious a location for Kyrimorut."

"And you, Jaing- Kal'buir Kal'buir wants to know if your program can trawl for Arla's criminal record. He wants the details of the murders. She attacked wants to know if your program can trawl for Arla's criminal record. He wants the details of the murders. She attacked Bard'ika Bard'ika, and the more background they have, the better the chance of rehabilitating her."

Ny was appalled. "Is he okay?"

"Broken nose and a few scratches. He's fine."

Prudii shook his head, clearly dubious about the whole thing. Ny got the feeling that the Nulls accepted Arla because Skirata's word was law, but that left to their own devices they wouldn't have rescued her.

"If she comes after me me with a meat cleaver," Mereel said, "I might forget my manners." with a meat cleaver," Mereel said, "I might forget my manners."

Nobody mentioned Gibad or how Uthan had taken the news. The only question was probably how disabling the shock had been, and whether the scientist was able to get on with her task. The promise of being allowed to return home had been all that was keeping her going.

Prudii suddenly held up a finger for quiet, staring in defocus at the bulkhead as he concentrated on the audio feed.

"Hey, Niner's on the move," he said. "Melusar's called him and Dar into a briefing."

"Just them?" Ordo asked. "Not the others?"

"Sounds like it. Maybe they're the flavor of the month for finishing off Camas. Big prize."

"We've got a few hours yet. Whatever it is, we can wait for them."

Ordo folded his arms and looked relaxed enough to nod off. The Nulls seemed to treat this level of danger as absolutely normal, and Ny envied their cool confidence. Skirata had done a great job of raising them to believe that they could do absolutely anything. The fact that she'd come here with them was proof of that. They made walking into the Emperor's front yard and scamming him in broad daylight seem routine.

Night was the best time to do this kind of op, Ordo said, but Ny had always been a little afraid of the dark. Humans had evolved with that hardwired fear for a reason. The dark was dangerous.

She adjusted her seat so that she could see all the security cam outputs on the bulkhead, expecting a rap on the hatch at any time and the sound of a loudhailer demanding that she exit the freighter, put her hands behind her head, and surrender.

"So what's on the chip, do you reckon?" Mereel said. "Names, places, codes?"

"You'd think they'd memorize things and not record them." Jaing shook his head.

"They never learn."

"Good old Jaster," Prudii murmured. "But one day soon, we're going to need to get him out of here. He's going to get caught."

Ordo glanced out of the viewplate. Cornucopia Cornucopia was too high off the ground for anyone to see into the cockpit, and Ny had made sure the ship was turned away from the security cams. They seemed to be a token gesture. Nobody parked valuable vessels or cargo in this yard. It was too easy to enter. That was why she chose it. was too high off the ground for anyone to see into the cockpit, and Ny had made sure the ship was turned away from the security cams. They seemed to be a token gesture. Nobody parked valuable vessels or cargo in this yard. It was too easy to enter. That was why she chose it.

"Just when you think that all aruteiise aruteiise are the same," Ordo said, "you find another one who puts their life on the line for you." are the same," Ordo said, "you find another one who puts their life on the line for you."

Ny reflected on that, stomach churning, and saw herself from the outside for a few moments: a crazy old widow with a beat-up ship, smuggling enemies of the state, hanging out with a gang of assassins and thieves, trying to outsmart a dictator who killed whole planets to make a point.

At her age, she should have been knitting vests for Kad'ika Kad'ika and telling him stories. and telling him stories.

But terrified or not-crazy or not-it made her feel thirty years younger.

501st Legion Special Unit barracks, Imperial City Commander Melusar's small office had a dead, muffled silence that made Niner feel that his ears had blocked up.

The walls were covered in sheets of flimsi-charts, lists, calendars. A single desk lamp and a holochart projection lit Melusar's face from below and made him look cadaverous. It all felt like a dressing-down session waiting to happen. Reasons in writing with no caf Reasons in writing with no caf, Skirata called it, a terse could-do-better speech from your CO. Niner held his helmet under his arm, systems still active, wondering how much the Nulls would be able to hear.

"Camas was your commanding officer, wasn't he?" said Melusar. He didn't sound in dressing-down mode, though. "Can't have been easy facing him like that."

This had to be a test, then. Niner was determined to pass it long enough to get to the extraction point. Melusar seemed like a nice enough guy, but Niner and Darman had plenty to hide, and so any figure of Imperial authority was a threat until proven otherwise.

Two of our old squad on the run. Our sergeant and everyone we know-all on the death list. Even Zey didn't trust us completely. Why should Melusar? death list. Even Zey didn't trust us completely. Why should Melusar?

"We weren't conscious at the time, sir," Niner said.

Melusar looked up from the holochart. He was moving virtual markers around with a stylus, each green point of light representing the last known whereabouts of an escaped Jedi. The green lights were dwindling in number.

"Sorry?"

"We were put in stasis when we got back from Geonosis, then revived three months into the war," Niner said. "So we didn't see much of Camas. General Zey was our CO for most of the time." And there was something he had to add, because Melusar's observation didn't make sense unless he was stupid-which he clearly wasn't-or trying to entrap them. "Most troops had to take out their own Jedi officers, so it was no harder for us than it was for them. Easier, actually, sir. Camas was firing at us."

Omega hadn't carried out Order 66, of course. They'd been too busy trying to desert.

Niner had a terrible sick feeling in his gut as he was reminded just how close this was becoming to a rerun of that awful night.

"But it's about doing the job, Sergeant." Melusar said. "It's about being a professional.

And you're still here when others aren't."

Only a civvie would have thought of Order 66 in simple terms of either unflinching loyalty or cruel betrayal. It was neither. It was complicated complicated. It was the sort of complicated complicated you could only truly grasp if you were standing there with a rifle in your hands, if all your buddies were dead, if you understood exactly why orders weren't optional. And it was the sort of you could only truly grasp if you were standing there with a rifle in your hands, if all your buddies were dead, if you understood exactly why orders weren't optional. And it was the sort of complicated complicated you just didn't have time to debate and second-guess in the middle of a crisis. you just didn't have time to debate and second-guess in the middle of a crisis.

That was why you drilled. That was why you had orders. It was to make sure situations-and soldiers-didn't fall apart when things got tough.

There were clones who liked their Jedi officers, or hated them, or didn't know them well enough to have an opinion, and there were clones who felt the Jedi had simply used up troopers' lives in their plan to overthrow the government. But most of them carried out the order, and for one reason-lawful orders couldn't be ignored when you felt like it. The army was there to do the bidding of elected governments, not to decide policy for itself.

Orders came from those who had the bigger picture when you didn't.

But we didn't obey.

Nothing to do with some moral stand. Everything to do with wanting to get away, and not wanting to kill two ex-Jedi who gave up everything for us. Our buddy. And Dar's wife. not wanting to kill two ex-Jedi who gave up everything for us. Our buddy. And Dar's wife.

Niner didn't feel good about that. Part of him now wondered if fate was punishing him for letting the other squads down. They'd behaved like pros, whether it had broken their hearts or not, and Omega hadn't.

Darman stood to Niner's right, saying nothing.

"Got a job to do, sir," Niner said noncommittally. He could smell a fresh herb scent like tea and the metallic aroma of ink or copying fluid. "No heroics. Just the job."

"Well, I'm still impressed you got Camas," Melusar said.

"He seemed to want to be got got, sir."

"Oh, he'd have made a run for it if he could have. But Intel's pretty sure that the Ranger escaped, possibly with some Padawans. They've been piecing together ship movements that coincided with your raid. Latest analysis says Kester's shipping escapees from planet to planet and then to a couple of Masters-Altis or Vamilad."

Niner felt the hidden datachip gnawing away at his pocket. He was so used to dealing with Jedi officers that he expected Melusar to be able to sense his deception, but Melusar was a regular guy, and that changed things.

Melusar tapped his stylus on the holochart control. One more green light winked out of existence. "You know why removing Camas was a coup, Niner? Because every Jedi Master we remove lessens the chances of the Order rebuilding itself. Without the Masters, the cult starts to die. They've learned all the tricks. If they can't pass them on, can't organize-it's over. Cut off the head and the body eventually dies."

Niner wasn't sure about that. "But the Knights are pretty smart, too. As long as there's one Jedi out there, they'll know enough of the basics to find Force-sensitives and train them."

"Exactly." Melusar looked at Darman, and then nodded to himself, smiling. "They're all all a risk." a risk."

Niner couldn't work out if Melusar was testing him or leading up to some revelation.

"We'll do whatever we're tasked to do, sir."

"Jedi don't have numbers on their side now, Niner, and they don't have the taxpayer bankrolling ships and arms for them. They'll hide for a while and lick their wounds. But then they have to do two things-contact other Jedi to regroup, and then latch on to mundane beings to mount an insurgency. They need an army to do their dirty work for them. They'll sniff out dissent wherever they can find it, ferment it, and ride it. Nobody who's that used to power can ever give it up."

Niner understood that only too well. On Qiilura, Zey and Etain had trained and organized the locals to fight the Separatist occupation; they called it a resistance resistance. When the Seps did the same thing against the Republic, that was called exporting terror exporting terror. Niner just saw it all as combat by any means available, although he knew whose side he was on at any given time.

They're as bad as each other. And we're always the meat that gets minced between the two. two.

"Sir, I don't understand," he said. "Are these new orders? Are we going to be tracking Jedi by looking for insurgent hot spots?"

"Everything we discuss in this room goes no farther."

"That's a given, sir."

"Not even to your squadmates."

That felt pretty uncomfortable. A squad shared everything. Niner never liked agreeing to anything before he knew what it was, but he was deserting in a few hours, so this was either intel he might be able to make use of in his new life, or something he could forget the moment Ny Vollen's ship left orbit. Darman just watched-probably doing his best not to lose it, Niner supposed. It couldn't have been easy to listen to a casual conversation about Order 66.

Did Melusar know? Did he know about Etain, who she'd been, what had happened to her? Niner racked his brains to think who might have been around and able to gossip. No clones, that was certain, but there'd been a lot of CSF cops around, and however tight-lipped they were under Obrim's command, everyone talked sooner or later.

"Understood, sir," Niner said.

"Sergeant, this office is soundproofed, and I sweep it for surveillance devices every time I open the door." Melusar was a man after Niner's own heart. "This really is between us."

Wow, he's jumpy. Or he's going to shake us down.

"Got it, sir."

"Your squad was very close to General Jusik, wasn't it? Give me your assessment of him."

Niner's gut almost tied itself in a complete knot now. It didn't show on his face, he was sure of that, because clones learned in Tipoca City how to present a bland face to the Kaminoans. For the ordinary troopers, it saved them from being reconditioned. For commandos protected by their ferocious training sergeants, it was just a habit, but a useful one.

"Depends what you mean sir. As a soldier?"

"As a Jedi."

"He left the Order, sir. He was ashamed of it in the end. Argued with the Masters, told Zey they'd lost their moral authority. Didn't want to be a Jedi anymore. If you're wondering if he'd be regrouping survivors-no, not him."

It was true. Niner just hoped he hadn't said it with too much conviction, though.

"Just curious. I'd heard he walked out, and walking away from power is pretty unusual in most species." Melusar seemed to back off. Niner was now on full alert. "Remember that not all Force-users are Jedi, and they're not all on the run. Some of them are right here pretending to be on our side. But I don't buy that. The only side they tend to be on is their own."

Niner just concentrated on the green lights of the holochart so that he didn't blurt out something he'd regret. Does he mean Vader? Does he know about Palpatine? If he does- Does he mean Vader? Does he know about Palpatine? If he does- he's going to be a dead man. Shame. But I can't help him now.

Niner was now painfully aware of the chrono ticking, delaying his escape, but at least the Nulls would know why he and Darman might be running late.

"You're very quiet, you two."

Darman suddenly came to life, scaring the osik osik out of Niner. He had no idea what was going to come out of Dar's mouth next. "We haven't got a lot to say, sir." out of Niner. He had no idea what was going to come out of Dar's mouth next. "We haven't got a lot to say, sir."

"You know why I'm telling you all this?"

"No sir."

"Because I need a few men I can trust in difficult difficult times." Melusar's understatement almost reminded Niner of Vau. "I don't doubt any trooper's loyalty and discipline, but sometimes we'll need to do things without Intel noticing. And from what I've heard over the last year or two-you fit the bill. You had a very times." Melusar's understatement almost reminded Niner of Vau. "I don't doubt any trooper's loyalty and discipline, but sometimes we'll need to do things without Intel noticing. And from what I've heard over the last year or two-you fit the bill. You had a very independent independent sergeant in Skirata. You were completely loyal to him sergeant in Skirata. You were completely loyal to him and and to the Grand Army. By some extraordinary process, all your Republic records, helmet logs, and everything else relating to your service has now disappeared from the Defense mainframe." Melusar paused. "I know enough about you from the war. You didn't desert when you could have with the others, but you haven't betrayed Skirata now, either. That can't be easy." to the Grand Army. By some extraordinary process, all your Republic records, helmet logs, and everything else relating to your service has now disappeared from the Defense mainframe." Melusar paused. "I know enough about you from the war. You didn't desert when you could have with the others, but you haven't betrayed Skirata now, either. That can't be easy."

Melusar had no idea just how not easy not easy that was. Niner felt horribly ashamed as he hovered on the brink of making an excuse to leave. that was. Niner felt horribly ashamed as he hovered on the brink of making an excuse to leave. To desert. To desert. He still couldn't shake the feeling that this was entrapment. But then Melusar was taking a big risk confiding in them that he was planning to sideline Intel. This was his first day as their boss. He obviously didn't believe in hanging around. He still couldn't shake the feeling that this was entrapment. But then Melusar was taking a big risk confiding in them that he was planning to sideline Intel. This was his first day as their boss. He obviously didn't believe in hanging around.

"What do you want from us, sir?" Niner said. He only had to keep this up for an hour or two at most. "Just say the word."