twisted, slicing it in two.
They could hear the stormtroopers behind them, running now. “They must have picked us up on surveillance,” Solace said.
They had seconds. Ferus hurried Trever through the hole to the turbolift shaft. Solace followed. Blaster fire peppered the lift door as Ferus stood, deflecting it. When he was sure Solace and
Trever were inside the craft, he turned to leap inside the hole.
At that moment, at least fifty more stormtroopers appeared, some of them on AT-RT walkers. If Solace waited for him, they would all be captured or dead.
He looked at Trever, whose eyes were wide, pleading. “I’ll be back!” he yelled.
“I told you not to say that!”
Ferus deactivated his lightsaber and lifted his hand. Solace saw his intention and leaped up momentarily to catch it as it flipped through the air. He would allow himself to be captured, but not
his lightsaber.
“Now go!”
Solace hesitated. He saw how close she was to joining him. He couldn’t let her.
“You’ve got to get him out of here!” Ferus shouted.
As Trever screamed and hammered her back with his fists, Solace pushed the controls, and the ship took off.
It had all taken less than a moment. He knew Malorum would want to take him alive. Ferus turned toward the onslaught, defenseless now, and alone.
He sat in a prison. Somewhere. He hadn’t been taken off Coruscant, he knew that much. He had a bruise on the back of his head where they’d hit him with a stun
baton. His legs still tingled from the blow to the back of his knees.
It was only the beginning, he knew.
He had been in an Imperial prison before and had escaped before they tortured him. He didn’t think he would be that lucky twice. The last time, Malorum had been the head officer.
One thing you really didn’t want, Ferus reflected through his crashing headache, was an Imperial Inquisitor with a grudge.
He lifted his head when the doors swished open. Malorum walked in. Ferus could feel his enjoyment of the situation. Ferus decided then and there that no matter what they did to him, he was going
to give Malorum a hard time.
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this, Malorum,” he said.
“Very amusing.”
“No, I mean it. We really do. You’ve just got to get out of prison. See the galaxy. Have some fun—”
“I’m having fun right now. I’m enjoying this immensely.”
“Wow, me too. At last, we’re bonding.”
“So let’s talk.”
Ferus nodded and stretched out his legs. The pain nearly made him wince, but not quite.
Be a Jedi, Ferus. Be the Jedi you never were, for star’s sake. Accept your fear and find your center.
“Let’s talk about the Jedi. I underestimated you, Ferus. I thought you left them and never looked back. But you’ve been doing nothing else but trying to save them. Who is the
Jedi you were with at the Temple?”
“I was with thousands of Jedi at the Temple. And it was so long ago...”
“You know what I mean. Today. When you broke into Imperial property. What is the name of the Jedi you were with on Bellassa?”
Ferus pretended to frown. “Funny, he never mentioned it.”
“You never caught his name?”
“He never dropped it.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Now there’s the difference between you and me. I find it absolutely believable. If all your friends had been wiped out, do you think you’d be going around telling people your
name? I don’t think so. You’d keep it to yourself, I think.”
“If I was a coward.”
“Ah, in my opinion, cowardice is underrated. It keeps you alive.”
“Is being alive so important to you? That’s a pity.”
“Are you feeling sorry for me now? I didn’t know you cared.”
Malorum laughed. “You think I haven’t seen this before? Bravado in the face of certain death? You’d be surprised how often those about to die put on a show. You aren’t
unique.”
“I don’t care much about being unique. Remember, I was raised a Jedi.”
“Yes, you’re all
They could hear the stormtroopers behind them, running now. “They must have picked us up on surveillance,” Solace said.
They had seconds. Ferus hurried Trever through the hole to the turbolift shaft. Solace followed. Blaster fire peppered the lift door as Ferus stood, deflecting it. When he was sure Solace and
Trever were inside the craft, he turned to leap inside the hole.
At that moment, at least fifty more stormtroopers appeared, some of them on AT-RT walkers. If Solace waited for him, they would all be captured or dead.
He looked at Trever, whose eyes were wide, pleading. “I’ll be back!” he yelled.
“I told you not to say that!”
Ferus deactivated his lightsaber and lifted his hand. Solace saw his intention and leaped up momentarily to catch it as it flipped through the air. He would allow himself to be captured, but not
his lightsaber.
“Now go!”
Solace hesitated. He saw how close she was to joining him. He couldn’t let her.
“You’ve got to get him out of here!” Ferus shouted.
As Trever screamed and hammered her back with his fists, Solace pushed the controls, and the ship took off.
It had all taken less than a moment. He knew Malorum would want to take him alive. Ferus turned toward the onslaught, defenseless now, and alone.
He sat in a prison. Somewhere. He hadn’t been taken off Coruscant, he knew that much. He had a bruise on the back of his head where they’d hit him with a stun
baton. His legs still tingled from the blow to the back of his knees.
It was only the beginning, he knew.
He had been in an Imperial prison before and had escaped before they tortured him. He didn’t think he would be that lucky twice. The last time, Malorum had been the head officer.
One thing you really didn’t want, Ferus reflected through his crashing headache, was an Imperial Inquisitor with a grudge.
He lifted his head when the doors swished open. Malorum walked in. Ferus could feel his enjoyment of the situation. Ferus decided then and there that no matter what they did to him, he was going
to give Malorum a hard time.
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this, Malorum,” he said.
“Very amusing.”
“No, I mean it. We really do. You’ve just got to get out of prison. See the galaxy. Have some fun—”
“I’m having fun right now. I’m enjoying this immensely.”
“Wow, me too. At last, we’re bonding.”
“So let’s talk.”
Ferus nodded and stretched out his legs. The pain nearly made him wince, but not quite.
Be a Jedi, Ferus. Be the Jedi you never were, for star’s sake. Accept your fear and find your center.
“Let’s talk about the Jedi. I underestimated you, Ferus. I thought you left them and never looked back. But you’ve been doing nothing else but trying to save them. Who is the
Jedi you were with at the Temple?”
“I was with thousands of Jedi at the Temple. And it was so long ago...”
“You know what I mean. Today. When you broke into Imperial property. What is the name of the Jedi you were with on Bellassa?”
Ferus pretended to frown. “Funny, he never mentioned it.”
“You never caught his name?”
“He never dropped it.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Now there’s the difference between you and me. I find it absolutely believable. If all your friends had been wiped out, do you think you’d be going around telling people your
name? I don’t think so. You’d keep it to yourself, I think.”
“If I was a coward.”
“Ah, in my opinion, cowardice is underrated. It keeps you alive.”
“Is being alive so important to you? That’s a pity.”
“Are you feeling sorry for me now? I didn’t know you cared.”
Malorum laughed. “You think I haven’t seen this before? Bravado in the face of certain death? You’d be surprised how often those about to die put on a show. You aren’t
unique.”
“I don’t care much about being unique. Remember, I was raised a Jedi.”
“Yes, you’re all
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