tapped his palm on the hilt of the lanvarok hewore even on bridge duty. “If these Jedi are a vanguard for a larger force …”
Saes nodded. He could not take the chance. Sadow would be displeased with a delay in the delivery of the Lignan. To the helmsman, he said, “Move us out of the planet’s gravity well and prepare the ship for hyperspace. Plot a route to Primus Goluud and jump as soon as all our ships are back aboard.” To Dor, he said, “You have the bridge.”
Dor nodded. “Yes, sir. What are you going to do?”
Saes put his hand on the hilt of his lightsaber. “I am going to retrieve my mask and find our stowaway. A captured Jedi would make a nice gift to accompany the Lignan for Master Sadow.”
Relin felt the mental fingers of his onetime Padawan and knew that the dead Massassi’s body had been found. Saes was searching for him. Relin resisted the impulse to lower his mental screen and reveal himself. He needed to accomplish his mission, not correct a past wrong.
He hurried through the maze of corridors, using the Force on groups of two or three crew to remove himself from their perception. The crew of
Harbinger
was on alert, searching for him, and Relin found it increasingly taxing to render himself hidden from them.
Ahead, he heard the heavy tread of boots and the booming bass voices of several Massassi. From the sound of it, he put their numbers at six or seven. Given their alert status and attunement to the dark side, he would not be able to use the Force to hide from them. He checked one of the nearby hatches, found it locked, checked another, found that locked, too.
The voices drew closer. He could not make out their words. They were speaking their native language.
He pulled an overrider—an electronic lockpick—from his suit and attached it to the nearest door’s controlpanel. Lights flashed as the equipment interfaced and the overrider tried to find the door’s open code. The Massassi were around the corner. Relin would not get clear in time. He took his lightsaber in hand and ignited it.
The Massassi fell silent. They must have heard him activate his lightsaber.
The overrider flashed green and the door opened with a metallic hiss. Moving quickly, he detached the overrider and slid inside as the Massassi rounded the corner.
A meeting room. A large table surrounded by chairs and dotted with three comp stations sat centermost. A vidscreen, powered down, took up one wall. Transparisteel windows made up the bulkhead, allowing a view of the system outside.
He crouched with his ear to the door, listening to the voices of the Massassi. They sounded like they were right outside, separated from him only by a thin layer of metal, talking in hushed tones. He winced as his comlink activated and Drev spoke.
“The transports are returning to the landing bay and both dreadnoughts are moving, Master.”
Relin heard laserfire in the background of Drev’s transmission, but his mind was on the Massassi in the corridor outside.
“Stand by,” he whispered. “Stand by.”
The voices outside went silent. Had they heard Drev? A human would not have been able to hear the comlink transmission, but Massassi had keener senses than humans. Relin sat behind the door, lightsaber humming in his hand, the calm of the Force in his heart, waiting, waiting …
Nothing.
He glanced back out of the meeting room windows to see the background of stars shifting slightly as the ship moved away from Phaegon III and its gravity well.
“They are preparing to jump,” he said to Drev. He had to get to the hyperdrive, and now.
“Get off that ship, Master, or you’ll go with them.”
“There is still time.” He pushed the button to open the hatch. “I’m near the hyperdrive chamber and—”
He found himself staring at the uniformed chest of a Massassi security officer, who held his lanvarok in one hand. The bone spurs and studs under the Massassi’s red flesh gave it a tumorous appearance.
“Here!”
Saes nodded. He could not take the chance. Sadow would be displeased with a delay in the delivery of the Lignan. To the helmsman, he said, “Move us out of the planet’s gravity well and prepare the ship for hyperspace. Plot a route to Primus Goluud and jump as soon as all our ships are back aboard.” To Dor, he said, “You have the bridge.”
Dor nodded. “Yes, sir. What are you going to do?”
Saes put his hand on the hilt of his lightsaber. “I am going to retrieve my mask and find our stowaway. A captured Jedi would make a nice gift to accompany the Lignan for Master Sadow.”
Relin felt the mental fingers of his onetime Padawan and knew that the dead Massassi’s body had been found. Saes was searching for him. Relin resisted the impulse to lower his mental screen and reveal himself. He needed to accomplish his mission, not correct a past wrong.
He hurried through the maze of corridors, using the Force on groups of two or three crew to remove himself from their perception. The crew of
Harbinger
was on alert, searching for him, and Relin found it increasingly taxing to render himself hidden from them.
Ahead, he heard the heavy tread of boots and the booming bass voices of several Massassi. From the sound of it, he put their numbers at six or seven. Given their alert status and attunement to the dark side, he would not be able to use the Force to hide from them. He checked one of the nearby hatches, found it locked, checked another, found that locked, too.
The voices drew closer. He could not make out their words. They were speaking their native language.
He pulled an overrider—an electronic lockpick—from his suit and attached it to the nearest door’s controlpanel. Lights flashed as the equipment interfaced and the overrider tried to find the door’s open code. The Massassi were around the corner. Relin would not get clear in time. He took his lightsaber in hand and ignited it.
The Massassi fell silent. They must have heard him activate his lightsaber.
The overrider flashed green and the door opened with a metallic hiss. Moving quickly, he detached the overrider and slid inside as the Massassi rounded the corner.
A meeting room. A large table surrounded by chairs and dotted with three comp stations sat centermost. A vidscreen, powered down, took up one wall. Transparisteel windows made up the bulkhead, allowing a view of the system outside.
He crouched with his ear to the door, listening to the voices of the Massassi. They sounded like they were right outside, separated from him only by a thin layer of metal, talking in hushed tones. He winced as his comlink activated and Drev spoke.
“The transports are returning to the landing bay and both dreadnoughts are moving, Master.”
Relin heard laserfire in the background of Drev’s transmission, but his mind was on the Massassi in the corridor outside.
“Stand by,” he whispered. “Stand by.”
The voices outside went silent. Had they heard Drev? A human would not have been able to hear the comlink transmission, but Massassi had keener senses than humans. Relin sat behind the door, lightsaber humming in his hand, the calm of the Force in his heart, waiting, waiting …
Nothing.
He glanced back out of the meeting room windows to see the background of stars shifting slightly as the ship moved away from Phaegon III and its gravity well.
“They are preparing to jump,” he said to Drev. He had to get to the hyperdrive, and now.
“Get off that ship, Master, or you’ll go with them.”
“There is still time.” He pushed the button to open the hatch. “I’m near the hyperdrive chamber and—”
He found himself staring at the uniformed chest of a Massassi security officer, who held his lanvarok in one hand. The bone spurs and studs under the Massassi’s red flesh gave it a tumorous appearance.
“Here!”
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