“Well, that I can do. There are two Jedi on your base. They smuggled themselves on board the transport. A Master and her apprentice. How’s that?”

“Find them,” Dee yelled, bringing up her gun as the Talpini clambered into his powersuit. “Find them now!”

Indeera sighed and drew her lightsaber. Elzar needed to arrive now.

The Vector slammed into orbit over Grizal, Elzar immediately jettisoning the hyperframe so they could drop unhampered into the planetoid’s atmosphere.

“Do you think they know we’re here?” Ty asked.

Laser bolts streaked up at them from the jungle.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He used the Force to flick open a comm channel, keeping his hands on the yoke. “Command, this is Laserbird One. We have engaged the Nihil. Location confirmed. Transmitting now.”

Elzar’s voice crackled over the comm, coordinates scrolling down Stellan’s screen.

“Received and understood, Laserbird.”

Stellan breathed a sigh of relief. Having Elzar and Ty confirm the location of the Nihil base was his idea. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Indeera, but rather that he wanted to be absolutely sure before committing the rest of the drift. Beacons could be scrambled or deceived. Elzar Mann couldn’t.

He changed frequency, turning his attention back to the battle. “Porter, we have contact. Can you handle things here?”

“I’m insulted you even have to ask. Go!”

Stellan transferred the coordinates to his hyperframe’s navidroid.

“Red Group, you’re with me. Follow my lead.”

“Are we going far?” Nib asked.

“Farther than expected. Are you ready?”

Burryaga growled a reply, and Stellan’s contingent peeled away from the battle.

He just hoped they’d arrive in time.

“Ro, we’re under attack.”

Loden heard the report as clearly as if it had been beamed to his own comlink. He jumped forward, bolstered by his connection to Bell. Ro lunged with the lightsaber, but it was a clumsy move, the hack of a barbarian as opposed to the graceful line of a Jedi who had trained his entire life. Loden feinted back, the tip of the stolen lightsaber burning into the deck. Ro snarled in frustration, but he had already lost the battle. He just didn’t know it yet. Loden threw out an emaciated arm and grabbed at Ro’s chest plate, not with shaking fingers but with something infinitely powerful. Without pausing he pulled back, the wasted muscles in his chest crying out in agony, but that was nothing compared with the pain Ro felt as he was plucked from his feet. The Nihil leader whizzed past Loden as if caught on a line, the lightsaber tumbling from his grip. The weapon never even hit the floor. Loden caught it as it tumbled, feeling the coolness of the hilt, feeling like he had come home. Ro, on the other hand, flew through the smashed window to slam into the very equipment that had kept the Jedi bound for so long.