Cohmac ran through the smoke-filled corridors of the Journeyman, inhaling only through the breathmask firmly clenched in his mouth. The haze stung his eyes, blurring them, but he relied less on sight than on hearing, and on the guidance of the Force, to find his way to the main loading bay.

When he ran into it, he found—as he had expected—more than two hundred people huddled together, gasping through masks or ventilators, or coughing desperately for breath. Although they were mostly Cereans, he spotted Ogemites, Sarkans, humans, and a handful of Wookiees among the crowd.

Recognition of his golden Jedi robes was immediate. The crowd surged toward Cohmac, surrounding him with a hundred cries: “There’s no way out of here!” “The pod doors aren’t where they’re supposed to be!” “We can’t get to the other launching bay!” “I can’t breathe!” “We’re trapped!” Their frenzy verged dangerously close to panic. When a group of people so large gave way to panic, the result was a mob. No one could save a mob.

Cohmac removed his breathmask to shout above the din. “Take me to the pod doors!”

The crowd parted for him, creating a path that showed the way. He saw instantly that internal blast shielding, intended to bolster the ship against just such disasters, had become stuck in place. If it didn’t lift, no one could reach the escape pods.

With one great leap, Cohmac soared above the throng to pounce on a service platform near the top of the blast shield. It took no time to see the problem: a bent metal beam lodged in the shield’s workings. He ignited his lightsaber and plunged the blade deep into the beam. Almost immediately it began to melt. Waves of heat emanated from it, only kept from scorching Cohmac’s skin through the sheer power of the Force.

“Move clear below!” he shouted. But the crowd had steadied enough to have understood his plan and anticipated the need. Already they were edging back, leaving a wide semicircle of empty space.

Just in time, too. The beam broke in two, falling to the bay floor with a tremendous clang that hurt Cohmac’s ears. Even as the sound echoed, the blast shield began tracking upward, clearing the way to the escape pods.

Cohmac realized he might need to exit via one of the pods himself. Already the corridor he’d arrived through blazed bright with fire. He dropped soundlessly to the floor and joined the evacuating horde, who had already gone from frenzied to steadied by urgent purpose. As he did so, he picked up his comlink. “The main pods will launch soon. Were all other passengers killed in the collision?”

Affie’s voice came through. “A few people were stuck on the higher decks. Orla got most of them out, and Reath’s supposed to be returning to the ship with the last one—if he can make it.”