Vision of the future

'Right,' Luke said, stepping back toward the wall and the opening he'd cut.

'Do think about our offer, Mara,' the admiral called after them. 'I think you'll find our struggle out here to be the most vitally important challenge you could ever face.'

'And you think about my warning,' Mara countered. 'Stay away from Bastion.' The admiral shook his head minutely. 'We'll do what we have to.'

'Then so will I,' Mara threatened. 'Don't say I didn't warn you.' Fel smiled at her. 'Take your best shot.'

'Perhaps your fear of what the Empire might do with our information will be an added motivation for you to join us,' Parck added. 'At any rate, I'm certain we'll see you again.'

'Right,' Mara said. 'I'll look forward to it.'

CHAPTER

29

Luke waited until Mara had ducked through the opening before backing out of the room himself.

'I believe this one's yours,' he told her, shutting down her lightsaber and handing it across.

'Thanks,' she said, taking it as she passed his back to him. 'Interesting grip yours has got. I think I like it better than mine.'

'You can keep that in mind when you get around to making your own someday,' Luke said, digging her sleeve blaster out of his jacket and tossing it to her. 'Here's your blaster. Watch out—some of their people come equipped with ysalamir backpacks.'

'I know,' Mara said. She was at the door now, looking carefully out into the corridor. 'Looks clear, but that won't last long. What's the plan? Back to the stairway?'

'Unfortunately, I had the Qom Jha lock it down,' Luke told her, stepping into the doorway beside her as he threw a last glance back at the opening he'd cut. He'd have thought one of the aliens—the Chiss, Mara had called them— might try for a final shot, but they had apparently decided to stay put. Which meant Mara was right. They had something else planned.

He looked down the corridor, stretching out with the Force as well. 'Child Of Winds, stay on top of Artoo,' he told the Qom Qae. 'I don't want you getting lost.'

'Or getting in the way,' Mara added. 'So where are we going?' Before Luke could answer, Artoo rolled out into the corridor, heading confidently off to the left with Child Of Winds balanced precariously atop his dome. 'I guess we're following Artoo,' Luke said, setting off after them. 'He must have been able to download the floor plan like I asked him to.'

'That, or he's looking for a recharger,' Mara muttered as she fell into step beside him. 'How good are you at spotting individual ysalamiri?'

'Not as good as I am with groups of them,' he conceded, stretching out with the Force. He could sense the grim activity all around them as the Chiss mobilized for combat... The small empty space to their right was so subtle that he nearly missed it. 'Watch out!' he snapped to Mara, skidding to a halt and spinning to face that direction. Even as he brought his lightsaber up, a half-meter-square concealed wall panel popped open and a weapon poked out. Behind it in the shadowy alcove he caught a glimpse of glowing red eyes and the glint of a nutrient frame above them—

From behind Luke came the flash of blaster fire; not targeted between the glowing eyes, as he might have expected, but above them. There was a sudden howl in his mind—

And the zone of silence around the gunman abruptly vanished.

There was a flash of blue as the alien weapon spat its fire toward Luke's chest. But too late. With the ysalamir's bubble collapsed, Luke blocked the shot with ease. The gunman got off two more shots, also blocked, before the collapsing blue circles of a stun blast sent him slumping out of sight to the floor of his guard alcove.

'Oh, good,' Mara said, hefting her blaster and working the select switch. 'The stun setting works on them.'

'That could be handy,' Luke agreed, glancing around with eyes and mind. There were no other threats he could detect, at least not in the immediate area. 'Any reason in particular why you didn't kill him?'

'Hey, you're the one who wants me to start acting like a Jedi,' Mara retorted, starting down the corridor again. Artoo had gotten a few meters ahead, and was twittering with nervous impatience as he swung his dome back around to look at them. 'Problem is, the stun setting on this thing has about the range of a thrown bantha. If they're smart enough to keep their distance, you'll have to block their shots while I pick off the ysalamiri.'