She sounded confident. That was good, because without a weapon in her hand she was feeling anything but. Any other Jedi might disable her, shoving her back with the Force or trying a mind trick, but she’d seen what this guy had done with the sky-island. It had been a long time since Ty had stepped foot inside a Jedi temple, but she remembered enough of the teachings to know the difference between light and dark. What he’d just pulled was definitely dark.

Ty pushed forward, kicking out, aiming for the chest she’d attempted to run through the night before. He feinted back, avoiding the kick and the punch that followed it.

“Don’t,” he warned.

“I have to.”

“Very well.”

The Jedi raised the mace across his chest and … threw it away.

She peered at him, unsure how to respond, especially when he reached inside his robe to produce her lightsaber.

“Here.”

Ty blinked.

“What?”

The Jedi took a step forward, the hilt held out toward her. “You want your saber? You can have your saber.”

“Just like that.”

“Just like that, although I need something in return.”

Ha! Now, wasn’t that just typical? The world was going to hell around them and this joker was trying to make a deal.

“What the hell would you need from me?”

He opened his hand, and the lightsaber floated toward her.

“Your help. Whoever you are, you were trained as a Jedi. That much is obvious. I don’t know what happened to turn you away from the Order, but I know this is how you can make amends.”

She snorted, the lightsaber still hovering between them. This had to be a trick. “You don’t know what happened to turn me away? Says the guy who did that.” She jabbed a finger toward the space where the sky-island had been. “What’s next, eh?”

“Next, I’m going to make amends.” The Jedi pushed the lightsaber closer to her, challenging her to take it. “Look, the sky-island is why I can’t be alone. I need someone … to keep me on the right path.”

She laughed. “Me?”

The Jedi shrugged, his hand still outstretched, the lightsaber shaking slightly in the air. “You’re the only one here, and people are dying. They need me, which means I need you. The Force knows it, I know it, and I think, deep in your heart, you know it, too. Will you help me? Please.”

Ty stared at him, studying his face, trying to work out if this was all a trick. He looked sincere enough, but wasn’t that always the way. As a last resort, she reached out with her feelings the way she had been taught so long ago and felt a mass of doubts and regrets, and an overwhelming resolve to put things right.