a knife to trim it without the benefit of a mirror. Her face was every bit as thin as he had seen it: her cheekbones sharp, and her jaw going prominent. The burn scar was there, from one corner of her hardship-thinned mouth to the point of her jaw- But instead of a blindfold, she wore the strip of dirty rag tied around her forehead, concealing the Greater Mark of Illumination.
Or the scar it had left behind.
The Lesser Mark still glinted gold on the bridge of her nose, and though her eyes were bloodshot and pain- haunted, her gaze was clear, and level, and, after all, she was Depa Billaba.
Whatever had happened to her; whatever she had seen, or done.
She was still Depa.
With an effort that nearly broke Mace's heart, she curved her mouth into a smile, and she extended a hand that trembled, just a little, as Mace reached to take it. It felt fragile in his, as though her bones were as hollow as a bird's, but her grip was strong and warm.
'Mace,' she said slowly. A single jewel of a tear welled in one eye. 'Mace. Master Windu.' 'Hello, Depa.' He opened his vest and produced her lightsaber. 'I have kept this safe for you.' As she reached for it her hand trembled even more. 'Thank you, Master,' she said slowly, with exhausted formality. 'I am honored to receive it from your hand.' Her smile turned more genuine. She looked down at her light-saber, turning it over and over in her hand as though she didn't quite remember what it was for. She lowered her head until he could no longer see her eyes. 'Oh, Mace. How could you?' 'Depa?' 'How could you be so arrogant? So stupid? So blind?' Though her words were angry, her voice was only tired. 'I wish. You should have come to me, Mace. Straight to me. Those people-they're not worth this. Not worth you not knowing. You should have asked me-I could have told you-' 'Why innocent children had to die?' Her head hung even lower. 'We all have to die, Mace.' 'I'm not here to argue with you, Depa. I'm here to take you home.' 'Home.' she echoed, and raised her head again. Her eyes were event horizons: infinitely deep, and infinitely dark. 'You use that word as though it means something.' 'It does to me.' 'But it doesn't. Not anymore. Not even to you. You just haven't realized it yet.' She sighed a bleak, bitter chuckle as dark as her eyes and swung her trembling hand at the jungle around them. 'This is home. As much home as any place will ever be. For any of us. For all of us.
That's what I brought you here to learn, Mace. But now you've messed everything up. It's falling apart and flying off in all direc tions. It's all wrong, and it's all too late, and I should have known it would happen like this, I should have known because you're just too blasted arrogant to mind your own business!' Her voice had risen to a screech, and a drop of blood seeped from a crack in her lower lip.
'You are my business here.' 'Exactly. Exactly!' She snatched his wrist and yanked him down toward her with astonishing strength.',' was your business here. Those people had nothing to do with you. Nor you with them. But you can't stop being a Jedi,' she said bitterly. 'No matter what. With the existence of the whole Jedi Order at stake, you had to play HoloNet hero. Now your business here is ruined. Destroyed. Everything is wasted. It's too late. Too late for all of us. You have to leave here, Mace. You have to leave right now, or Kar will kill you.' 'I'm planning on it,' Mace agreed. 'And you're coming with me.' 'Oh,' she said. The fire inside her dwindled, and her strength with it. Her hand went slack on Mace's arm. 'Oh. you think-you think I can just leave.' 'You must leave, Depa. I don't know what you think is holding you here-' 'You don't understand. How could you? You haven't seen-I haven't shown you-You can't possibly understand.' Mace thought of his hallucination at the outpost. 'I understand,' he said slowly, 'all there is to understand. And now I believe it.' 'Do you understand that,' am not in command here?' Mace shrugged. 'Is anyone?' 'Exactly,' she said. 'Exactly. Master Yoda-Master Yoda would say, You see, but you do not see.' 'Depa-' 'You are alive right now because Kar doesn't want to upset me. That's the only reason.
Not because I can order him. To do anything. Because I ashed him. I asked to give you a chance to run away. Because Kar-because Kar likes me-' Mace turned and looked down at the people and akks in the jungle. Twilight was deepening, and glowvines were beginning to pulse to life. The akks stirred uneasily, muttering deep half growls down in their enormous chests. Nick sat on the ground, knees drawn up and wrapped by his arms. He kept his head down, studiously avoiding looking at Vaster. The lor pelek paced back and forth in front of the ankkox's head, stalking like a hungry vine cat, flicking glances up at Mace and Depa and away again, as though he did not want to be caught looking.
'Vaster commands the ULF-?' 'There is no ULF!' Depa hissed. 'The ULF is a name, that's all. I made it up! The Upland Liberation Front is a make-believe bogey on which to blame every raid and ambush and theft and petty sabotage and I don't know what all. The militia's going crazy looking for a pattern to our strikes. Trying to figure out our strategy. Because there is no pattern. No strategy. There is no ULF. There is just this clan, and that family, and one gang here and another there. That's all.
Ragged Korun bandits and murderers.' 'Your reports-' 'Reports.' She looked like she wanted to grab him and shake him, but was just too tired.
'What should I have told you? You've seen a little of Haruun Kal. What could I have said to make you understand?' 'You don't have to make me understand. All you have to do is come with me.' 'Mace, listen to me: I can't.' She sagged, and lowered her face into her hands. 'Kar is willing to let you go only because I am staying. To keep you away from me. If I leave with you. Going through the jungle, Mace: think of it. On foot, on grassers. Even in a steam- crawler. All the way back to Pelek Baw? Haven't you seen enough of him today to know that nowhere in the jungle could you ever be safe?' The weight in Mace's chest lightened, just a bit. He swallowed, and found that his breath came more easily.
She was afraid for him. She had not fallen so far that she no longer cared.
That was his victory right there.
'We won't be going through the jungle,' he said. 'I have a ship on-station with a battalion of troopers. My comm's damaged, or we'd be on our way right now. Nick says you have subspace at the Lorshan Pass caverns. We can be out of the system less than a day after we get there.' She lifted her head again, and there was still no hope in her eyes. 'It'll take two days to get there. If you're still here in two hours, Kar will kill you. Two minutes.' 'Leave Vaster to me.' Mace leaned forward, resting his forearms on the howdah's polished rail. 'I am not leaving without you.' 'You have to.' 'Let me put it another way.' Mace took a deep breath. 'Master Depa Billaba: by my authority as a Senior Member of the Jedi Council, and general of the Grand Army of the Republic, you are hereby relieved of command of Republic forces on Haruun Kal, uniformed and irregular. You are relieved of all duties and responsibilities in the action on this planet. You are suspended from the Jedi Council, pending investigation of your actions on Haruun Kal, and you are ordered to proceed with all due speed to Coruscant, where you will present yourself to the Council for judgment.' Depa shook her head. 'You can't-you can't-' 'Depa,' Mace said sadly, 'you are under arrest.' 'This is ridiculous-' 'Yes. And absolutely serious. You know me, Depa. How many arrests did we make, all those years? You know I will deliver my prisoner, or die in the attempt.' She nodded slowly, and she found a smile once more: a sad, quiet smile, edged with bitter knowledge. 'Will you accept my parole? If I give my word not to. attempt escape?' 'I will always trust you, Depa.' Sudden tears sparkled again in her eyes, and she turned her face away. 'How many times are you going to make me save your life?' 'Just this once more,' he said. 'You can come with me, or you can watch me die. Your choice.' Her shoulders twitched, and shook, and Mace for a moment thought she might be sobbing, but then her soft dry chuckle reached his ears.
