Reath’s journey through another tunnel was shorter, or at least the part he took alone. It was darker down there, so much so that his glow rod seemed weaker—an optical illusion, surely, but a disquieting one. Every one of his footsteps sounded unnaturally loud as he ducked his head under the curved arches of the tunnel’s beams.

If plant life has taken over almost every other part of this station, Reath wondered, why did it never come down here? Was that energy field meant to protect what lies down here—or protect us from it?

His passage and Dez’s intertwined after only a few meters, with nothing but a handful of storage lockers and some scribbles on the wall to mark the significance of the spot.

“Looks like we share the same destination,” Dez said. “C’mon. Let’s check it out.”

He felt a quiver of pride. What would his friends say, the ones who so idolized Dez Rydan? There they were, on a mission together! Partners!

Okay, Dez was possibly too excited about plunging into the dark unknown, but it was like Dez had said earlier: if some people disliked adventure, some others had to love it.

“Look at this,” Dez said. He was gesturing at a circular door ahead. Its hinges were at top and bottom center, suggesting that it rotated to open.

“That’s weird. Why build it that way?”

“Could mean something. Could mean nothing.” Dez readjusted the planter cradled against his chest, making sure not to crease any of the leaves. “Come on, let’s see if anything interesting is on the other side.”

Reath reached out with the Force, knowing Dez was doing the same. He sensed no sentience on the other side, no echoes of darkness. “Nothing alive, anyway.”

“So it would seem.” Dez walked ahead quickly, leaving Reath several paces behind. “Now, is this locked, or—”

The door flipped around, rotating on its central axis hinges so fast that it knocked Dez off his feet, spinning him around to the other side. Reath blinked, suddenly alone. “Whoa. Dez, turn that around.” It had actually looked pretty funny; Dez had enough of a sense of humor to appreciate that.

But Dez wasn’t laughing. He wasn’t speaking. The door didn’t flip again.

Vibrations began to shudder through the floor, the walls. Through the thin slits of the doorway, stark white light beamed out so strong that Reath winced and lifted one hand to shield his eyes. “Dez?”

A strange grinding sound—like engines, or some other vast machinery—began. Whatever was happening didn’t sound good, and Dez Rydan was trapped in the middle of it.

Dez shouted wordlessly, a sound that betrayed pain. Reath ran toward the door, ignoring the blinding light, and tried to force it open. But the hinges that had swung so easily before refused to budge.