BooksBarbecue
Back The Rising Storm
Chapters (80)
  1. Cover
  2. The Rising Storm
  3. PROLOGUE
  4. CHAPTER ONE
  5. CHAPTER TWO
  6. CHAPTER THREE
  7. CHAPTER FOUR
  8. CHAPTER FIVE
  9. CHAPTER SIX
  10. CHAPTER SEVEN
  11. CHAPTER EIGHT
  12. CHAPTER NINE
  13. CHAPTER TEN
  14. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  15. CHAPTER TWELVE
  16. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  17. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  18. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  19. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  20. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  21. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  22. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  33. CHAPTER THIRTY
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  43. CHAPTER FORTY
  44. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  45. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  53. CHAPTER FIFTY
  54. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  55. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  63. CHAPTER SIXTY
  64. CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
  65. CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
  66. CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
  67. CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
  68. CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
  69. CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
  70. CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
  73. CHAPTER SEVENTY
  74. CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
  75. CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO
  76. CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
  77. CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX
  80. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Norel looked up, the structure disappearing into the smog above them. “How are we supposed to get up there? Climb?”

“I won’t be able to do that,” Conserra spluttered in alarm.

“There was a stairway,” Stellan reminded them, remembering the walker from their earlier tour.

“Stellan’s right,” Soh agreed. “Leading up to the deck.”

“This way,” Maramis said, guiding them beneath the metal belly of the beast, heading toward its head, which had been facing the harbor. It was exactly as they remembered, steps rising up into the fog.

“How do we know it’s safe?” Norel asked, peering up into the murk. “Up there.”

Stellan felt a pressure through the Force, an urge to get everyone up as soon as possible. He turned, sharing a look with Maramis. The guard captain had sensed something too, in the smog. Something was coming toward them, moving fast. Stellan felt the danger even before they heard the clank of armor and the unmistakable hiss of rebreathers.

Stellan’s lightsaber ignited and Maramis lowered his kiavene.

“What is it?” Quo asked as Matari and Voru padded forward to flank the combined forces of Jedi and Togruta guard.

“Not what …” Stellan replied gravely, “Who.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The Elegencia, above Valo

Pan Eyta watched the war-cloud blossom like flowers across the fair. He could almost smell the panic, Republic scum scurrying like ants ready to be crushed beneath his boot. This was how it had been meant to be. People running in fear, knowing that death was upon them, death brought by him. If Ro thought he was taking credit for this, he was sorely mistaken. Pan had been alone since he was eight years old, thrown out of the nest to fend for himself. He’d nearly died that first night on the tundra, mauled by a manatrix. He still bore the scars across his chest where the beast’s talons had cut deep. By all rights he should have bled out on the ice, but he endured, dragging himself to the nearest cavern, enduring the fever that almost took him, surviving on the meat of the eight-legs that hid between the rocks, their juices running down his chin horns as his strength slowly returned. Oh, how he’d savored tracking down the damn manatrix when he was hardy enough, breaking its neck as the north wind blew, roasting its carcass over a spluttering fire in the cave. He’d vowed never to go hungry again, even if that meant getting off Dowut.