The mind touch was a tool of the light, Avar knew, but she preferred indirect approaches to such a focused intervention in another person’s path. Elzar had his reservations as well, but viewed the technique as a way to open people to the truth, to provide clarity, to allow them to feel the will of the Force. To put it another way—he was a problem solver, and the mind touch certainly solved problems.

Avar sent an impulse of her own across their link, one he would recognize immediately, simple and straightforward.

No.

Elzar turned and looked at her, his face expressionless but easy for her to read. His mouth quirked up into a quick little smile—okay, you got me—and then he looked back at the San Tekkas.

“Are you absolutely certain a collision is impossible, Vellis?” Avar asked. “Perhaps a derelict ship, or an asteroid…? Surely there must be a way for an object to be left adrift in the hyperspace lanes.”

Vellis shook his head. “Hyperspace is not like realspace. Once a ship—or anything else—enters it, there’s no way to encounter anything. You’re in a bubble of space–time that nothing else can interact with, because each lane is, as far as we can tell, its own distinct plane of existence.”

Avar knew she would remember those words every time she traveled in hyperspace for the rest of her life. A jump to lightspeed had become such a routine event, but each time it happened was a step away from everything familiar, a journey into a new universe, some new realm. The song of the Force was beautiful, but sometimes its indescribable vastness left her feeling insignificant, despite all her focus, all her training. It could leave her reeling.

Another impulse from Elzar: Lying, and again, from her: No.

“Be that as it may,” Avar said, “the Legacy Run died, along with many people aboard it, and millions have died since in the Emergences. Your family has spent more time studying hyperspace than anyone in the galaxy. Have you ever encountered anything like this?”

“No,” Marlowe said flatly, and this time there was no signal of falsehood from Elzar.

“So you don’t think it’s a problem with hyperspace?” Elzar said.

“We’ll look at your data,” Vellis said, holding up the datachip, “but as of now, it’s hard to imagine something like that. I don’t think you have to worry about another Legacy Run. Our guess, based on more than a century of experience out there in the lanes…”

“…this was a onetime event,” Marlowe finished.

Avar stood up, and Elzar, masking his surprise, did the same.

“Thank you,” she said. “We can’t tell you how much we appreciate your sending your people to help Keven Tarr in Hetzal. We’re going to move on to our next appointment—but if we think of additional questions, can we reach out?”