Bell jumped, catching Loden in midair. He twisted as they slammed into the ground, absorbing the impact, not that Loden seemed to weigh anything anymore. He had been so big, so imposing, and yet now was little more than skin and bones and … Bell drew a sharp breath as he saw what had happened to Loden’s lekku. They were gone, leaving nothing but cauterized stumps.

“Look what they’ve done to you,” Bell said, overcome with emotion. “What they’ve taken.”

“They took nothing,” Loden told him. “Nothing that matters. The important thing is what they couldn’t touch. What they could never erase. You and me, Bell. The way it’s supposed to be.”

Loden held out a skeletal hand. Nearby something jerked on the ground. Bell looked up to see Loden’s lightsaber skidding toward them from where it had fallen, its hilt finding Loden’s waiting palm. The Twi’lek pushed himself up and ignited the weapon, smiling wickedly in the light of the blade. “Now point me in the direction of trouble.”

CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

The Coruscant Dawn, hyperspace

The Coruscant Dawn was on its way back to the Core, Kip’s mother sitting up in the medbed she’d had installed in her office.

Kip had only left her side once since arriving at the Temple Outpost, to say goodbye to Jom at the spaceport. Jom had slipped Kip the digits of a private frequency, and Kip had pulled him close, giving the handsome young Valon a long, lingering kiss. The cam droids had recorded the entire embrace, but Kip didn’t care. He’d never care about the cams again.

Stellan Gios’s face was projected against the wall, as were the rest of his drift: Nib Assek, the Wookiee Burryaga, and two others Kip didn’t know, a green-skinned girl and a human boy. Rhil Dairo’s cam droid was recording everything, his mom having given the reporter exclusive access for as long as she wanted (subject to senatorial clearance, of course), and Kip wondered how far these images would be seen. He thought of the people who had survived the Innovator, Nwo, Leesa, and the rest. Then there was Madam Conserra and the poor Krantian woman who had lost everything but her son. Larep Reza had made sure they were looked after, securing them passage to wherever they wanted. Kip wondered if they were glued to the holonews or whether they wanted to hide away from the news as long as possible? He couldn’t blame them if it was the latter, not after everything they’d been through.

But like it or not, history was being made here. The Nihil had struck a terrible blow, but the Jedi were striking right back.

“You’re coming up to the Nihil base?” his mother asked.

“Preparing to drop out of hyperspace, ma’am,” Stellan reported.