"But nobody left who's been so close to the Null ARC troopers and so steeped in Mandalorian nationalism-except you two. Skirata's own."

Niner didn't take the bait. "We're good, sir, but even two of us aren't the army you seem to need."

"The smaller the circle, the lower the risk," Melusar said. "But just as the Intel Force-users can't keep everything secret from us, because they can't avoid contact with common beings, your comrades got to know a fair bit about you. And I think you're as motivated as I am in your own way to reduce reduce the dominance of Force-users in galactic politics." the dominance of Force-users in galactic politics."

He didn't elaborate. Maybe he knew something, and maybe he was fishing, so Niner didn't rush to fill the silence that followed. Neither did Darman. Melusar waited a little longer, then seemed to accept he was dealing with expert stone-wallers.

There might well have been speculation in the ranks about Darman and Etain. But the chances of Melusar knowing about Kad were remote.

Darman stared at him a little longer, then put on his harmless voice. "Your family's from Dromund Kaas, aren't they, sir?"

Melusar seemed caught short for a moment, lips slightly parted. "The Dromund system is just a myth."

"If you say so, sir."

Neither Niner nor Darman knew anything more than where Holy Roly came from, but it was a big card to play. He hadn't a clue how they'd know anything about an obscure Sith world that wasn't even on the Republic charts. The look on his face told Niner that he felt he'd bitten off more than he could chew with Darman. Niner decided it was a good place to park the sabacc game for the time being. Melusar seemed to take the hint, too.

" Beskar Beskar," he said, not so much changing tack as skipping some preamble. "It all hinges on Mandalorian iron. You know all about beskar beskar, don't you? Well, Imperial Procurement's done a deal with the Mandalorians to mine it. Beskar Beskar is overkill given the existing size and punch of the Imperial Army, so this is for dealing with Jedi and other Force-users. Ever seen it in action?" is overkill given the existing size and punch of the Imperial Army, so this is for dealing with Jedi and other Force-users. Ever seen it in action?"

"You mean have I seen beskar'gam beskar'gam deflect a lightsaber blow?" Niner couldn't recall. deflect a lightsaber blow?" Niner couldn't recall.

Skirata swore by it, though, and the Nulls all had genuine beskar beskar armor. "Most of the Mando training sergeants wore it. It beats durasteel and other alloys hands-down." armor. "Most of the Mando training sergeants wore it. It beats durasteel and other alloys hands-down."

" Beskar'gam Beskar'gam," Melusar said.

"Armor. Means iron skin iron skin. Mandos live in their armor."

"Anyone who wanted to put Force-users in their place would do well to have a supply of this stuff, wouldn't they?"

Niner could follow the logic. Melusar wanted to find some edge over Palpatine's dark side Intel operatives. But did he know Palpatine was a Sith too? If he did, he was biting off a lot more than anyone could chew. If he didn't, then it was all the same in the end.

Niner gave Holy Roly a life expectancy of a couple of months.

But isn't that why we're still here, and not on Mandalore right now? Because Dar wants to protect Kad from all this? And our whole clan? Common cause. wants to protect Kad from all this? And our whole clan? Common cause.

"And a supply of Mando ironsmiths who know how to work beskar beskar," Niner said.

"You'd be needing that, too."

Melusar looked as if he hadn't considered that-a quick flash of the brows, a glance to one side for a fraction of a second-and seemed to chew something over. "You can walk away from this and we can forget anything was ever said."

Darman unmeshed his hands. "You can rely on me, sir."

He didn't say for how long. Niner hated these discussions made up of double meanings and inferences. Ordo called it ambiguity. Niner just saw it as being given enough rope to hang himself, but he nodded anyway.

"I don't have any memories of Dromund Kaas, for what it's worth," Melusar said. "I grew up without my father. And one day, you can tell me how you even know the world exists."

"That'll be interesting for both of us, sir."

Melusar paused for a beat. "Dismissed, men."

Niner just took the revelation with a nod, and left with Darman. They walked in silence until the doors to the central lobby closed behind them and they reached the parade ground, as private a place as any. Dar didn't even look at him. They had about two minutes' walk time to deal with the unsaid stuff before they were back within walls that might well have had ears.

"Sergeant Barlex," Niner said, trying to make his peace with Dar. "Second Airborne, Two-hundred-and-twelfth Battalion. Remember him? Miserable di'kut di'kut. He called us born-again Mandos, and his loadmaster said they'd been up against Mandos fighting for the Seps, and he called us-"

"You should have gone gone," Darman said. "Why the shab shab did you come back? What did you actually do? I told you to go." did you come back? What did you actually do? I told you to go."

"It all went belly-up. Stupid bad luck, and I had to finish off a chakaar chakaar who saw a bit too much." who saw a bit too much."

"That's not why you came back, though, is it?"

"No, it's not."

"I don't want this guilt. You can't dump it on me."

"Hey, I'm not being a martyr, okay? My choice wouldn't have had a second's peace on Mandalore worrying what was happening to you here, and now that I know what Melusar's got in mind, I'm glad I stayed."

"Well, dropping the det about his homeworld got his attention, so he's so he's got to live with some uncertainty, too." Darman slowed down. It had been raining. Small puddles had formed on the parade ground, and the night air smelled of damp permacrete. "But I like the guy. Him and got to live with some uncertainty, too." Darman slowed down. It had been raining. Small puddles had formed on the parade ground, and the night air smelled of damp permacrete. "But I like the guy. Him and Kal'buir Kal'buir-shame they're on opposite sides. They're both at war with the Force for the same reasons."

"I think they both just want the Force to leave them alone, actually."

"You know the killer question I forgot to ask?"

"What?"

"Whether Holy Roly thinks Mandalore should be part of the Empire. He does believe in the Empire, you know. Just not its management team."

"Does the garrison at Keldabe scare you? For Kad, I mean."

Dar shook his head. They had ten slow strides to wrap this up. "Not with the whole clan there. No."

"Good."

"I'm going to try to send holovid messages to Kad; so he doesn't forget who I am."

"That's the spirit. Oya Oya."

Darman reached out to tap the security key code to the barracks block door. "And thanks, ner vod ner vod. It would have been hard here without you."

The doors parted, and the evening's dramas were over. Darman was on an even keel again.

Sooner or later, though, the question of when to make a run for it would come up again. All Niner knew now was not yet not yet.

Freighter Cornucopia Cornucopia, inbound for Fradian, Mid Rim, next morning "It'll be good to see Maze again," Jusik said. "He's not a bad sort when you get to know him."

Ruu gazed around the cockpit of the freighter. A quick change of transponder codes had given Ny's ship a new identity for the time being, at Atin's insistence, and Monarch Monarch- class vessels were some of the most common sights around Fradian. Nobody would be looking for a specific one here, not yet, if they were looking for it at all.

"I'm impressed that Ny trusts you with her transport," Ruu said.

"I'm a safe pilot. Goes with the extra midi-chlorians."

Everything living had them in its cells. The more you had, the more able you were to exploit the Force. Nothing special. Just the way I am. Nothing special. Just the way I am. Jusik had always treated it as a knack he happened to have, in much the same way that Jaing had a flair for data technology. The knack used to be labeled Jusik had always treated it as a knack he happened to have, in much the same way that Jaing had a flair for data technology. The knack used to be labeled Jedi Jedi, both explanation and identity. Now Jusik found he had expunged his sense of Jedi-ness simply by changing a word in his head to midi-chlorians midi-chlorians. He was a Mandalorian who simply happened to have more midi-chlorians than other Mando'ade Mando'ade, and had been trained to use them.

I'm still finding out who Bardan Jusik is. Now I've peeled off the label, I can see what's actually in the bottle. what's actually in the bottle.

"Have I got midi-chlorians?" Ruu asked.

"Every living cell has them. The more you have, the more potential you have to use the Force."

"Even animals and trees."

"Yes." A thought struck him. "So what happens if you're a nerf with a high midi-chlorian count?"

"Is this a quiz?" she asked.

Jusik was appalled that he'd never asked that question before. He didn't have an answer, and from that moment he knew he'd always be plagued by the idea. "No, it's me thinking out loud."

"Well, latent Force-user or not, I bet someone ate it. Nobody assessed its potential except for stew and cutlets."

Ruu was an oddball. Jusik couldn't think of her as an older female in the way that he did Ny or Uthan, although being at least ten years older than him should have moved her into the category of folks he expected to know more than he did about life. Instead, she came across as a restless teenager who'd seen too much, too fast. It was the way she switched between utterly open questions and weary cynicism.

"I'm not sure I'm ever going to eat nerf again," he said.

"Or sorris greens. Veggies have midi-chlorians, too."

"Now you're just winding me up."

"No. Illustrating a point about our inability to fence ourselves off completely from causing pain. Being alive has a price."

Ruu scared him sometimes. This was his brand-new sister. He recalled how excited Fi had been to acquire an instant family by adoption rather than blood, and now he understood how important those formalities were to folks.

"So you don't trust Maze," she said. "You didn't give him the coordinates to Kyrimorut."

"Just in case he's compromised. It's nothing to do with trust. Even ARC troopers can be tracked down. We found Sull when he was in hiding, remember?"

"One day, the Empire's going to send a loyal loyal clone to infiltrate." clone to infiltrate."

"Don't you think Kal'buir Kal'buir's thought of that?"

"That still doesn't deal with the problem of what happens when it does."

Jusik felt a brief pang of vague, formless fear, an animal reflex that cramped the muscles in his throat. But that was exactly what Palpatine traded on. Fear kept beings in line. Fear-shadowy things, unspecified things, things that you couldn't actually see and grab hold of-made you mistrust and suspect everyone. It separated folks. Everyone retreated to the sanctuary of their own head, unable to trust even those closest to them.

And divided people didn't form up into groups to rebel.

Fear was a cheap and easy pathogen to unleash on a population, every bit as destructive in its own way as Uthan's viruses.

"We're ready for it," Jusik said. "And until then, it won't stop us helping brothers in need."

Ruu just shrugged and sat back in the copilot's seat, arms folded across her chest.

"Dad's a bit jumpy at the moment. Did he have a fight with Ny or something?"

Jusik had noticed. Something had shifted slightly at the gathering yesterday, and Kal'buir Kal'buir gave off a distinct anxiety in the Force. It could have been the fallout from the aborted rescue, because everyone was struggling to put a brave face on that. But Jusik knew him too well. Something else had upset him, and he was still on edge when they left. gave off a distinct anxiety in the Force. It could have been the fallout from the aborted rescue, because everyone was struggling to put a brave face on that. But Jusik knew him too well. Something else had upset him, and he was still on edge when they left.

"Maybe." Jusik checked the nav computer; half an hour to reentry to realspace. "He might be feeling the pressure from A'den trying to marry them off." Jusik realized that might have been a little insensitive. "Sorry. I forget that you lost your mother."

"It was years ago," Ruu said. "And Dad's more than earned the right to move on."

"Do you miss Corellia?"

"I never miss anywhere. I never fit in."

"Not even in Kyrimorut?"

"That's different. It's Misfit Central."

Jusik didn't ask if she missed her two brothers. If she wanted to discuss that, he had the feeling she'd tell him in no uncertain terms. He activated the holochart and studied the street plans of Fradian's ore terminal.

Maze had carried out Order 66, more or less. Jusik hadn't yet met a clone who had, and for a moment it made him feel odd.

Ordo said Maze had actually arrested General Zey, but that Zey had asked him to finish the job, to spare him whatever Palpatine had lined up. Zey got a blaster bolt to the head, but on his own terms. And Jusik still felt guilty for the unkind thought that never left him: that the Jedi Order had sowed what it had reaped, and that its acceptance of a slave army had set up its own punishment. The Force had balanced the books.

He avoided the discussion with Scout. She was a Jedi. He wasn't. He wondered if he would ever swing back to the middle ground and see his former allegiance more neutrally.

Cornucopia dropped out of hyperspace on schedule, and Jusik landed with all the other ore carriers and supply ships. There were no Imperial troops patrolling the port, just local security, but he decided to change out of his armor. Mandalorians were highly visible. If a security holocam caught them, it might prove to be one more piece in a puzzle that some Imperial agent was putting together. Ruu watched him transfer his comm kit from his helmet to his dropped out of hyperspace on schedule, and Jusik landed with all the other ore carriers and supply ships. There were no Imperial troops patrolling the port, just local security, but he decided to change out of his armor. Mandalorians were highly visible. If a security holocam caught them, it might prove to be one more piece in a puzzle that some Imperial agent was putting together. Ruu watched him transfer his comm kit from his helmet to his aruetyc aruetyc clothes. clothes.

"We could do with some discreet body armor," she said.

Concealed armor was one of the few things that was hard to come by on Mandalore.

Everyone wore beskar'gam beskar'gam, up front and in your face. Hiding it just wasn't in the Mando mind-set.

"I'll acquire some," Jusik said. "But we'll be okay today. Just in and out, and home for dinner."

Ruu checked the power level on her blaster. "That's what I said just before I ended up in a Republic prison camp."

"What did you call us?"

"Carbon-flush, barves, kriffing-"

"I mean how you referred to the Republic. We called you Seps, Separatists, but you called yourselves the Confederation of Independent Systems. What was your nickname for us?"

Ruu looked as if she was running through a long list in her mind's eye. "Jackboots,"

she said.

"Logical."