As soon as his feet had hit the deck, before the fire could blaze back, the airlock spiraled shut. “You took your own sweet time,” Leox drawled over the comm. “Hang on!”

There was no time to make it to the safety harnesses. Reath simply gripped the furry child in his arms and ducked to the floor.

The Vessel banked sharply left, sending him rolling into the nearest wall. Although the Wookiee child howled in protest, it didn’t relax its grip as their ship accelerated and flew away. Only seconds later, the shock wave of the explosion rolled through them, making the whole ship tremble—but they were safe.

Orla appeared in the doorway. “And who have we here?”

Despite her sharp features and forbiddingly pristine appearance, Orla must have somehow come across as maternal to the baby, who immediately crawled to her and clamped its arms around her leg. She reached low to scratch its head as Reath got to his feet. “Too young to speak,” he said. “We’ll have to hope the Journeyman’s manifest can be found.”

“I’ll take care of him for a bit,” Orla promised. Reath was more than halfway to the bridge before he heard her say to the Wookiee, “What do you have in your mouth?”

When he walked onto the bridge, he was able to view the full scene for himself. Where the Journeyman had once been was just a blackened, skeletal ruin. At least that wreckage was haloed by a ring of escape pods, each blinking a signal for pickup. “Do we need to retrieve them?” Reath asked.

Leox shook his head. “A Republic transport’s already signaled they’re on the way to tow ’em to Coruscant. Oughta be here within the hour. They’ll be a lot better equipped to handle that number of people. No way they’d all fit aboard, unless we agreed to get a whole lot closer than I, personally, am comfortable with. Probably not even then.”

Affie looked up at Reath and laughed. “You need a shower. Or a polishing. Something.”

“Bet I’ve got soot all over me,” Reath said, realizing his robes were completely ash-stained, except for a clear baby-Wookiee shape on his chest. How had Orla also boarded the ship and remained immaculate? Someday he’d learn her secret. “I can’t wait to get to Coruscant. Specifically, to the Temple baths.”

Over comms came Master Cohmac’s voice. “We have two parents here—they were separated from their very young child—”

“Are they Wookiees?” Reath asked.

Master Cohmac responded, “Yes. Their child has mottled-gray fur.”

“Then you can tell them the baby’s safe and sound on the Vessel.” Reath allowed himself a grin.

“Thank the Force,” said Master Cohmac. “We’ve seen enough of death.”

Reath’s smile faded as he thought again of Dez, lost in a flash, forever.