Vam Targes’s bristled head snapped up from a terminal as Indeera and Bell ran onto the Innovator’s spotless flight deck.

“Jedi?”

“There’s a problem,” Bell blurted out before Indeera could stop him.

Targes’s mandibles chattered in concern. “What kind of problem?”

Bell inwardly cursed himself. “We … don’t know.”

“We felt a disturbance in the Force,” Indeera cut in to spare the young Jedi’s blushes.

“And you can’t be more specific?” the Aqualish asked through his vocoder, before correcting himself. “No, of course you can’t. The Force is hardly empirical, because that would be, you know, useful.”

Both Jedi had gotten used to Vam’s nature. The Aqualish meant no disrespect. He was used to absolutes. Components. Equations. The laws of physics. While much of the galaxy trusted the Force, to those of a scientific mind its vagaries must have been intolerable.

The engineer turned to a nearby Cyclorrian at a bank of analysis consoles. “Run a diagnostic sweep.”

The insectoid chittered a question in a language that Bell had tried, and failed, to pick up since he had been back in the Mid Rim.

“All systems,” Vam snapped in reply. “If the Jedi say something is wrong, then something is wrong, and we need to find it immediately.”

The Cyclorrian’s skin flushed purple as it went to work. While Bell hadn’t mastered their language, he had learned enough about the insectoids to know that the sudden change in color indicated deep stress. He hated causing discomfort to anyone, but the shift in the Force had been so pronounced. He reached out again, visualizing the Force as a raging fire, silently asking Loden to help guide him. As ever, there was no response from his former Master, but there was no mistaking the sudden breeze that fanned the flames he saw in his mind.

“It’s not on the ship,” he muttered under his breath.

“What was that?” Vam asked.

“The threat doesn’t come from within …”

“But without,” Indeera confirmed as a klaxon wailed.

Ember ran at Bell’s feet as they raced to the flight deck’s central control table.

“What is it?” Bell asked.

“The hyperspace proximity alarm,” Vam replied, his clawed hands flicking switches and adjusting controls. “It’s an experimental system I’ve been perfecting that monitors vibrations in realspace to predict the arrival of craft from hyperspace. I was hoping to present it to Chancellor Soh herself at the fair.”

“And?” Bell prompted. “Are there vibrations?”

“There’s a siren, isn’t there?”

“But where are they coming from?” Indeera asked, ignoring the Aqualish’s exasperated tone.

“As I said, I am working to perfect the system. It is still in the experimental stage.”

“So we don’t know,” Bell stated flatly, trying to control his frustration.

Vam flashed him a knowing look. “Annoying, isn’t it?”

“Point taken.”

“Perhaps we can help,” Indeera said. “Do you have a range of coordinates?”