The Trandoshan had flown back, striking the walker’s ladder with such force that the metal steps had toppled over, clattering into the ground. Norel Quo was lying where he’d fallen, his eyes screwed up, not from the sting of the gas, but from the agony of the leg he had broken. Stellan pressed a hand over Quo’s forehead to send waves of serenity into his mind, telling the Koorivar there was no pain when there obviously was. A simple enough trick, and one that wouldn’t last, but Stellan had other concerns. He looked up, throwing up an arm to part the smoke, and saw Lina Soh dangling from the side of the walker.

“I can reach her,” Elarec Yovet cried, making a lunge for the chancellor as Krantian infant and Mon Calamari diva engaged in a competition to see who could scream the loudest.

The regasa found Soh’s hand a second too late. Unable to hold on, the chancellor tumbled away from the ledge, her arms spinning.

“All will be well,” Stellan croaked, raising both his hands. At any other time, catching a falling woman would’ve been simple, if it wasn’t for two things; first was that Stellan was tired to the bone, while the second was the sudden appearance of the enraged Trandoshan charging out of the smoke to slam Stellan’s face into the walker’s leg.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

The Innovator

Ember bared her teeth, sparks dancing across her dark tongue. The water was gushing down from the ceiling now, Denis spluttering as it splashed over his face, unable to move, the heap of metal only kept in place by Bell’s connection to the Force.

The scrabbling feet from above finally reached the edge of the yawning gap.

Bell ignited his lightsaber.

A head appeared, followed by another, two sets of compound eyes reflecting the glow of Bell’s blade. Bell relaxed, snapping the lightsaber off as the Cyclorrian engineers clambered down into the corridor, their bare hands and feet sticking to the walls. Both knew not to touch the precarious pile of debris, wary of causing more damage.

Senza let out a yelp of alarm as the nearest insectoid jumped down into the water to scamper to Denis, its antennae twitching in readiness.

“It’s okay,” Bell assured her. “They’re friends.”

Extremely able friends for that matter. The pair had already gone to work, buzzing busily to each other as they pulled laser-welders and gravity jacks from their belts. Bell watched without question as they slipped the jacks into gaps in the wreckage, activating repulsors designed to lift delicate machinery so repairs could be made. Now they were stabilizing the detritus so they could cut Denis free.