The airlock slid open, exposing the arboretum to the emptiness of space. Normally the delay would’ve kept the magnetic containment field in place long enough for anyone present to escape; this time, it flicked out of existence immediately.

Explosive energy grabbed everyone and everything in the center of the station: Nihil, Drengir, droids, plants, debris, heat, air. Shrieks of dismay sounded in the first instant; after that, there wasn’t enough air for sound to travel through. It felt as though he were being buffeted by gale-force winds. Reath clung to the service ladder with all his strength, but it felt as though he were being dragged by his feet, his elbows, his hair, every part of his body. Space wanted to claim him.

Vines streamed out of the arboretum like ribbons. Walls that had been covered with plants for centuries were stripped clean. The bodies of Nihil and Drengir pinwheeled past him—limbs flailing, weapons sometimes still firing—and Reath felt regret at being required to spend so many lives. But they had been determined to take the lives of others; that made them forfeit in combat.

Ice crystals began to form in his hair and on his clothes. Reath kept his chest flat, empty of breath, though the strain made his ribs ache. If he inhaled and took in any of the remaining air, the lack of external pressure would cause the gas to expand, rupturing his lungs. Hang on, he told himself, hang on, hang on—the doors will shut soon—

But not soon enough. The ladder began to shake; the screws holding it to the wall had begun to give. It would tear away at any moment.

Reath was not afraid. Sad, but not afraid. If this was when he became one with the Force again, so be it. At least he had bought his friends some time, and a chance to live. That was more than most deaths earned. He was lucky that his had meaning. Nobody could ask for anything beyond that.

His mind filled with the memory of Master Jora’s kindly face. We’ll unite in the Force soon, he thought.

The ladder gave way. Reath slid across the floor, toward the airlock and open space. He closed his eyes against the void—

And hit something very solid, very hard.

What the— Pain echoed through Reath’s whole body. But whatever barrier he’d hit wasn’t giving way to the vacuum; it was too strong for that. He opened his eyes to discover he could see around the edge of the thing—which showed him the airlock doors finally sliding shut.

The vacuum vanished. Reath tumbled to the ground, gasping for air. It took the station’s environmental controls a few more moments to restore oxygen. In those blurry seconds, he looked for what had saved him.

No, not what. Who.

“Geode?” Reath gasped.