Vision of the future

stop in front of the door. Turning the wheel, Luke squeezed the grips and pulled. The door swung ponderously open, letting in a rush of cool air—

Skies of red blood, Keeper Of Promises muttered in amazement. What place is this?

'Our way out,' Luke told him, feeling a touch of the same awe as he gazed across the view in front of them. Stretching away across the black stone floor, parked close together like troops on parade, were multiple rows of small starships like the pair that had attacked him on his way to the planetary surface.

Beside him, Mara whistled softly. 'The hangar didn't look this big from the outside,' she said.

'It must stretch back farther than its roof indicated,' Luke agreed, wondering how such a closely packed group of ships could ever be properly serviced. A glance upward gave him his answer: the entire area beneath the high ceiling was crammed with service, monitor, and fueling equipment, all held together by metal frames and a network of catwalks. 'There must be a hundred of them here.'

'At least,' Mara agreed... and as she spoke, Luke could sense that secret darkness deepen within her. It was about time he asked her about it—

There was a sudden flicker of sensation from behind him. 'Look out!' Mara snapped, spinning around and firing a pair of quick shots past his shoulder through the open door. Luke turned, too, snatching up his lightsaber and igniting it. A handful of Chiss were in the intersection they'd just left, scrambling reflexively out of the way of Mara's shots. 'Keep firing,' Luke told her, giving the door a quick look. There was no locking wheel on the hangar side, but there was a small hole where one had apparently been removed. Experimentally, he turned the wheel a few degrees; through the hole, the central axle of the locking mechanism could be seen turning. Perfect. He turned the wheel back to full-open again and with a quick slash of his lightsaber sliced it off flush with the door. Ducking under Mara's covering shots, he pushed the door closed. But it is still unlocked, Flier Through Spikes objected. They can use the grip-rocks to open it again.

'Not for long,' Luke assured him. Crouching down, he gazed through the hole at the central axle and stretched out to the Force. Without the wheel's leverage it was much harder to turn, but the thought of armed Chiss descending on the hangar was more than enough incentive. Ten seconds later, the door was securely locked.

'That won't hold them for long,' Mara warned. 'If nothing else, they can head over the roof on foot and come in the other end.'

'I know,' Luke said, craning his neck to peer past the parked ships. She was right: as they'd guessed from their first look at the place, the whole front of the hangar was wide open, with only a slight overhang to protect it from rain or attack. The fortress's designers, he decided, must not have intended for their hangar to be packed this full. 'But it should slow them down long enough for us to borrow a ship and get out of here.'

'Then all we'll have to worry about is whatever they've got in those towers,' Mara said tartly, pushing past him and ducking between two of the ships. 'We'll have to take something from the front,' she called back over her shoulder. 'I'll try to get one started. You make sure that door is secured, then find a way to keep the rest of that front row from taking off after us.'

'Got it,' Luke said. 'Artoo, take Child Of Winds and follow Mara—give her a hand figuring out the flight systems. Splitter Of Stones, you and your people had better head out while you can. Thank you for your help.'

Our part is paid, Master Walker Of Sky, the Qom Jha said, his tone just slightly ominous. It will now be your part to rid us of the Threateners as you promised.

With that, he and the others flapped away over the parked ships. 'We'll do our best,' Luke murmured.

He double-checked the door, then took another moment to stretch his thoughts back into the corridor. It was empty. Apparently, the Chiss knew better than to waste their time with the impenetrable stone.

Particularly with such an obvious alternative available. Thirty seconds later, following the sound of Artoo's wheels across the black stone, he reached the front of the hangar. Artoo and Child Of Winds were there, the latter again scrabbling for balance on top of the droid as the dome swiveled back and forth. Luke looked along the front line of ships, noting a gap in the neat array where one was apparently missing.

Mara, however, was nowhere to be seen. 'Artoo, where's Mara?'

The droid warbled a negative, still looking around. Luke peered out into the dim sunlight and stretched out with the Force—

'What are you waiting for?' Mara demanded as she ran up from behind him. 'We need these ships disabled.'

'We were waiting for you,' Luke told her, frowning. The dark secret still loomed in her mind; but there was something new to the texture now. All tinges of uncertainty or doubt had disappeared, replaced by a heavy cloud of deep and bitter sadness. Something vitally important had just happened...

'Well, don't,' she growled, slapping a release panel on the side of the nearest ship. Above them, a hatchway swung open and a ladder unfolded to the floor.