was commanding those muscles and nerves?
The remotes broke off their attack and floated quietly in front of the pillar. Luke looked around the courtyard, faintly startled. The sun had passed directly overhead and was now descending
from its zenith in the sky.
“How long…how long since I was last hit?” he asked.
“Three standard hours, eleven minutes, and forty-three seconds,” Threepiosaid. “Perhaps you ought to rest, Master Luke. You must be perilously low on charge.”
“I feel great,” Luke said with a smile, wanting nothing more than to sink back into the Force and lose himself in it.
The pikhrons began to snuffle and snort, tossing their heads. The matriarch brought her front feet off the ground and slammed them down, calling urgently to the rest of the group.
“Now what’s gotten into those peculiar creatures?” Threepio wondered.
“I think they sense something,” Luke said. “They’re acting like banthas did back home when a krayt dragon was on the hunt.”
Then he could feel it, too—new ripples in the Force, advancing like waves to crash into the gentle ebb and flow of life in the glade.
He raised his lightsaber, and the remotes rose up to facehim.
“No,” Luke said. “We’re not training now. Something else is happening.”
He lowered his weapon, and the remotes backed away—which was when the laser blast knocked him off his feet.
T HE STORMTROOPERS clambered over the rubble of the ruined outbuildings with their blasters raised.
“Oh no, I’ll be captured!” yelped Threepio, throwing his hands in the air.
The pikhrons huddled together in terror, bellowing.
Luke scrambled to his feet. He glanced quickly at his gun belt, but it was on the other side of the fountain. He’d never reach it in time.
“Surrender,rebel,” said the lead trooper.
“Come get me,” Luke said, his feet automatically assuming the ready position as he raised his lightsaber.
The stormtrooper adjusted his rifle’s controls, no doubt setting it for stun.
I can’t let them capture me,
Luke thought.
They’ll figure out who I am and make a symbol out of me. The destroyer of the Death Star, brought to justice. And then manyworlds that might have joined the Alliance will retreat in fear instead.
The lead trooper fired at him, blaster emitting rings of concentric blue. Luke barely intercepted them with his blade, the energy dancing along it and vanishing.
And of course if they capture me I’ll be executed,
Luke thought.
I’d rather avoid that, too.
The stormtrooper paused, then nodded at his fellows. Thesquad began to spread out, advancing across the glade toward him.
Let the Force guide you,
Luke thought. But he turned uncertainly one way and then the other as the troopers executed a flanking maneuver.
There’s too many of them,
shrilled the voice of doubt in his head.
Three remotes isn’t anything like eight living adversaries.
Behind the troopers came a slim man wearing the olive-greenuniform of an Imperial officer, dragging along a smaller figure. It was Farnay. Their eyes met and Luke saw the anger in her
gaze—anger and fear.
“Drop your weapon,” the officer said, inclining his chin at the girl in his grip. “Otherwise someone could get hurt.”
Luke took a step back. He was outnumbered nine to one, and the Imperials had Farnay. He sighed and held his finger over thelightsaber’s activation stud.
Then a hum reached his ears, followed by a surprised beep from Artoo.
Luke risked a glance backward. Sarco was striding through the archway that led into the Temple of Eedit. He was carrying a staff whose ends were crowned with cycling purple sparks. The weapon
howled and crackled in his hands, and Luke found himself thinking that this was not the Sarcohe’d met in the jungle—the being crossing the courtyard radiated both confidence and
malice.
“Hyperspace scout,” Sarco said. “Historian. Farm boy. And yet here you are with a Jedi laser sword in your hand, like you mean to
The remotes broke off their attack and floated quietly in front of the pillar. Luke looked around the courtyard, faintly startled. The sun had passed directly overhead and was now descending
from its zenith in the sky.
“How long…how long since I was last hit?” he asked.
“Three standard hours, eleven minutes, and forty-three seconds,” Threepiosaid. “Perhaps you ought to rest, Master Luke. You must be perilously low on charge.”
“I feel great,” Luke said with a smile, wanting nothing more than to sink back into the Force and lose himself in it.
The pikhrons began to snuffle and snort, tossing their heads. The matriarch brought her front feet off the ground and slammed them down, calling urgently to the rest of the group.
“Now what’s gotten into those peculiar creatures?” Threepio wondered.
“I think they sense something,” Luke said. “They’re acting like banthas did back home when a krayt dragon was on the hunt.”
Then he could feel it, too—new ripples in the Force, advancing like waves to crash into the gentle ebb and flow of life in the glade.
He raised his lightsaber, and the remotes rose up to facehim.
“No,” Luke said. “We’re not training now. Something else is happening.”
He lowered his weapon, and the remotes backed away—which was when the laser blast knocked him off his feet.
T HE STORMTROOPERS clambered over the rubble of the ruined outbuildings with their blasters raised.
“Oh no, I’ll be captured!” yelped Threepio, throwing his hands in the air.
The pikhrons huddled together in terror, bellowing.
Luke scrambled to his feet. He glanced quickly at his gun belt, but it was on the other side of the fountain. He’d never reach it in time.
“Surrender,rebel,” said the lead trooper.
“Come get me,” Luke said, his feet automatically assuming the ready position as he raised his lightsaber.
The stormtrooper adjusted his rifle’s controls, no doubt setting it for stun.
I can’t let them capture me,
Luke thought.
They’ll figure out who I am and make a symbol out of me. The destroyer of the Death Star, brought to justice. And then manyworlds that might have joined the Alliance will retreat in fear instead.
The lead trooper fired at him, blaster emitting rings of concentric blue. Luke barely intercepted them with his blade, the energy dancing along it and vanishing.
And of course if they capture me I’ll be executed,
Luke thought.
I’d rather avoid that, too.
The stormtrooper paused, then nodded at his fellows. Thesquad began to spread out, advancing across the glade toward him.
Let the Force guide you,
Luke thought. But he turned uncertainly one way and then the other as the troopers executed a flanking maneuver.
There’s too many of them,
shrilled the voice of doubt in his head.
Three remotes isn’t anything like eight living adversaries.
Behind the troopers came a slim man wearing the olive-greenuniform of an Imperial officer, dragging along a smaller figure. It was Farnay. Their eyes met and Luke saw the anger in her
gaze—anger and fear.
“Drop your weapon,” the officer said, inclining his chin at the girl in his grip. “Otherwise someone could get hurt.”
Luke took a step back. He was outnumbered nine to one, and the Imperials had Farnay. He sighed and held his finger over thelightsaber’s activation stud.
Then a hum reached his ears, followed by a surprised beep from Artoo.
Luke risked a glance backward. Sarco was striding through the archway that led into the Temple of Eedit. He was carrying a staff whose ends were crowned with cycling purple sparks. The weapon
howled and crackled in his hands, and Luke found himself thinking that this was not the Sarcohe’d met in the jungle—the being crossing the courtyard radiated both confidence and
malice.
“Hyperspace scout,” Sarco said. “Historian. Farm boy. And yet here you are with a Jedi laser sword in your hand, like you mean to
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