Part 8 (1/2)
Lady Rhea gave him a disappointed shake of her head, then said, ”I'll tell you what I I think.” She was not even bothering to face Xal as she spoke, instead addressing herself directly to the bridge crew. ”I think s.h.i.+p is allowing only Vestara to find it because she is young. Someone older might have a stronger will-a will powerful enough to compel its return.” think.” She was not even bothering to face Xal as she spoke, instead addressing herself directly to the bridge crew. ”I think s.h.i.+p is allowing only Vestara to find it because she is young. Someone older might have a stronger will-a will powerful enough to compel its return.”
A murmur of agreement rustled over the bridge, and several crew members nodded openly. They were all Sith Sabers, mostly humans descended from the s.h.i.+pwrecked crew of the original Omen Omen. But there was also a sizable number of lavender-skinned Kes.h.i.+ri who, like Vestara's friend Ahri, had risen from a disadvantaged social status to become full members of the Sith Tribe. Although there was no separate officers' caste aboard the Crusader Crusader, the three seats of authority on the bridge were all occupied by Kes.h.i.+ri Sabers, for-like all hierarchies in the Tribe-the s.h.i.+p's company was a strict meritocracy, with positions of responsibility awarded only according to ability.
”If s.h.i.+p doesn't want to be forced to return,” a melodious Kes.h.i.+ri voice asked, ”why allow anyone anyone to find it?” to find it?”
Vestara's head snapped around.
”I mean, if it can hide from you,” you,” Ahri continued, ”it can hide from Vestara.” Ahri continued, ”it can hide from Vestara.”
He shot her a frightened glance, and Vestara flashed him an apologetic smile. It wasn't Ahri challenging Lady Rhea, it was Xal, trying to use his apprentice to embarra.s.s her her. The difference was that Lady Rhea had the power to turn his ploy against him. If she decided to punish Ahri herself, Xal was not strong enough to protect his apprentice, and the rest of the crew would take that failure as a further sign of his weakness-which, of course, was the reason that Lady Rhea almost certainly would would kill Ahri. kill Ahri.
But Lady Rhea must have seen a trap that Vestara did not, because instead of punis.h.i.+ng Ahri for daring to challenge her, she turned to smile at him.
”Very good, Apprentice Raas,” she said.
Vestara winced for poor Ahri; now Xal would whip him for sure. Lady Rhea continued, ”I'm happy to see that one one of you is thinking about something other than maneuvering me out of command.” of you is thinking about something other than maneuvering me out of command.”
”Uh, you are?” Ahri asked.
”Certainly. Tell me, why do you you think s.h.i.+p would go to such lengths to make sure we could follow it?” Lady Rhea shot a disparaging glance at Xal. ”Why do you think it would have picked think s.h.i.+p would go to such lengths to make sure we could follow it?” Lady Rhea shot a disparaging glance at Xal. ”Why do you think it would have picked that that place to let us find it again?” place to let us find it again?”
Ahri swallowed, then said, ”Because Vestara's wrong,” he said. ”It is is leading us into a trap.” leading us into a trap.”
”Precisely,” Lady Rhea replied. ”And do you know why?”
Ahri fell into a thoughtful silence, obviously trying to puzzle out the same thing as Vestara. If s.h.i.+p was what the records aboard the Omen Omen indicated he was, he was a servant of the ancient Sith. Everything he had done since finding the Tribe-even the fact that he had researched the Battle of Kirrek and gone to the trouble of tracking them down-certainly supported that a.s.sertion. So why would s.h.i.+p lead the indicated he was, he was a servant of the ancient Sith. Everything he had done since finding the Tribe-even the fact that he had researched the Battle of Kirrek and gone to the trouble of tracking them down-certainly supported that a.s.sertion. So why would s.h.i.+p lead the Eternal Crusader Eternal Crusader into a trap? There simply into a trap? There simply was was no good explanation. no good explanation.
Ahri reached the same conclusion a moment later. ”I'm sorry, Lady Rhea.” His voice quavered as though he expected to be beaten. ”I have no idea.”
”No?” An amused smile came to Lady Rhea's face. ”Pity. I was hoping someone someone might.” might.”
A silence fell over the bridge as nervous Sith began to exchange glances, searching for someone who had the answer Lady Rhea sought.
Lady Rhea let the tension to build a moment, then shook her head in despair. ”Laugh ”Laugh, people,” she ordered. ”It's a jest.” jest.”
A burst of laughter, all the more powerful because of the tension it was releasing, rolled over the bridge. Lady Rhea waited for it to run its course, allowing it to purge all apprehension from the crew so it could function at optimum efficiency again, then finally raised her hand for silence.
”In all seriousness, I have no idea what s.h.i.+p is doing here,” she said. ”But I do do believe Vestara is right about it, and Lord Vol commanded us to return s.h.i.+p to Kesh. So set battle stations and keep alert, everyone. We're going in.” believe Vestara is right about it, and Lord Vol commanded us to return s.h.i.+p to Kesh. So set battle stations and keep alert, everyone. We're going in.”
The bridge bustled back to life, and the tiny crescent ahead quickly swelled to a giant, sickle-shaped abyss. As they drew closer, the blue ember inside brightened into a blue dot, and the dark presence that Vestara had sensed earlier grew steadily more distinct and more powerful. She wondered for a moment if that presence might be s.h.i.+p toying with her, just pretending to be something else. Then she noticed the looks on the crew's faces and realized that if that were so, she was not the only one being toyed with. Some of her fellow Sith looked worried, some looked confused, and two Kes.h.i.+ri even looked enraptured. But no one showed any indication that they recognized the presence they were feeling.
Vestara glanced over and found Lady Rhea frowning in concentration. But her Master's gaze was not fixed on the dark crescent into which the Crusader Crusader was traveling. Instead Lady Rhea's eyes were focused on the two black holes revolving around each other in the binary system. Her expression was wary and alert, though not quite hostile, and Vestara could tell that her Master sensed something there-something she herself had not detected. was traveling. Instead Lady Rhea's eyes were focused on the two black holes revolving around each other in the binary system. Her expression was wary and alert, though not quite hostile, and Vestara could tell that her Master sensed something there-something she herself had not detected.
Vestara s.h.i.+fted her Force awareness toward the binary system and brushed a third third presence. It was vast and cloudy, faintly dark and welcoming, but with a pair of bright seeds that felt almost threatening in their intensity. They seemed somehow more pure than the cloud in which they floated, knots of solidness adrift in an ocean of vapor. presence. It was vast and cloudy, faintly dark and welcoming, but with a pair of bright seeds that felt almost threatening in their intensity. They seemed somehow more pure than the cloud in which they floated, knots of solidness adrift in an ocean of vapor.
Then the color drained from Lady Rhea's face, and she braced herself on the bridge rail, her knuckles whitening as she squeezed.
”Lady Rhea?” Vestara asked. ”What is it?”
Lady Rhea continued to stare toward the binary system. ”I'm not sure. It felt like ...” She let her sentence trail off, then shook her head. ”It's hard to say. I thought for a moment I recognized a presence.”
”Recognized what what presence, Lady Rhea?” Xal asked. ”If Ahri is right about this being a trap-” presence, Lady Rhea?” Xal asked. ”If Ahri is right about this being a trap-”
”It changes nothing,” Lady Rhea interrupted. ”We have our a.s.signment.”
”Only if we know know s.h.i.+p is in there,” Xal reminded her. ”Lord Vol said nothing about throwing our lives away in pursuit of phantoms.” s.h.i.+p is in there,” Xal reminded her. ”Lord Vol said nothing about throwing our lives away in pursuit of phantoms.”
The Force rippled with the crew's growing anxiety, and Vestara knew that Lady Rhea had made a rare mistake by admitting that s.h.i.+p might be leading them into a trap. Everyone aboard could sense the strange presence waiting ahead, and she felt certain that a fair number of them had also sensed the smaller presence near the binary. A persuasive argument from Xal might be enough to make the crew doubt Lady Rhea's judgment. And when Sith began to doubt the judgment of a leader, it was seldom long before they took a new one.
Vestara knew Lady Rhea was strong enough to retain command until the Crusader Crusader was inside. But if they did not find s.h.i.+p quickly, or ran into trouble before they did, Xal might well be in a strong position to challenge her authority. And if he won? There would be no doubts about Vestara's own fate. was inside. But if they did not find s.h.i.+p quickly, or ran into trouble before they did, Xal might well be in a strong position to challenge her authority. And if he won? There would be no doubts about Vestara's own fate.
She focused her attention on the growing abyss ahead. It was practically all she could see now, a vast smile hanging sideways in s.p.a.ce, opening wide to swallow them down, with the tiny blue ball of a distant sun burning bright at the bottom of its belly. Vestara reached out to s.h.i.+p, opening herself to the Force and begging him to answer her call, to reveal himself not just to her but to the rest of the crew as well.
Instead of s.h.i.+p, Vestara felt a dark tentacle of need slithering into the void she had created, cold and lonely and hungry for her. It wanted to draw her close and keep her safe, to protect her from Xal and her jealous rivals back on Kesh, from the crewmembers she fought on pirate raids, and from the Jedi with whom the Tribe was preparing to do battle. It wanted her to come to it inside the abyss, to join it in its ancient hiding place, where it could keep her safe ... forever.
Terrified and confused, Vestara tried to pull away, drawing in on herself and trying to return her focus to the bridge of the Crusader Crusader. It was like trying to pull away from her own intestines. The thing was rooted inside her now, pulling her toward it almost physically-no, not almost almost. She could feel it actually drawing her into the railing, using the Force to drag her deeper into the abyss.
Then a collective gasp went up from the rest of the crew, and Vestara knew they felt it, too.
”WHEN YOU SAID BODIES, LOTS AND LOTS OF BODIES,” BODIES, LOTS AND LOTS OF BODIES,” LUKE COMPLAINED LUKE COMPLAINED through his helmet microphone, ”I sort of expected them to be through his helmet microphone, ”I sort of expected them to be dead dead bodies.” bodies.”
”Who knew?” Ben asked. ”Do they look alive to you? Do they feel feel alive?” alive?”
Luke had to admit they did not. He and Ben were standing just inside the chamber they had seen from the control room, held to the floor by the station's centrifugal force. But they were s.h.i.+ning their helmet lamps ”up” into the chamber's weightless interior, where a gently undulating sea of limbs and torsos was slowly drifting past their heads.
The writhing light they had observed through the control room viewport was still visible, though only as an inconstant purple glow silhouetting the bodies above their heads. Every few seconds, a hand or foot would twitch, or a puff of breath vapor would rise from someone's mouth, providing subtle evidence of life. And that was the only only evidence. Even their Force presences seemed almost nonexistent, so faint and dispersed that they could not be separated from the diffuse aura that permeated this whole part of the Maw. evidence. Even their Force presences seemed almost nonexistent, so faint and dispersed that they could not be separated from the diffuse aura that permeated this whole part of the Maw.
”They don't feel like anything,” anything,” Luke admitted. ”At least not anything I've felt in the Force before.” Luke admitted. ”At least not anything I've felt in the Force before.”
He hit a chin toggle inside his helmet, activating a faceplate display that showed the environmental readings in the chamber. Seeing nothing more troubling than a slightly elevated CO2 reading and a chilly room temperature, he put his life support on standby and reopened his faceplate. reading and a chilly room temperature, he put his life support on standby and reopened his faceplate.
As the seal broke, the ammonia reek of unwashed bodies filled his nostrils. Because human noses were so poor at discerning distinct odors, he struggled to identify individual smells. The strongest was simply the result of too many unwashed bodies in a confined s.p.a.ce. But there was also an undertone of decomposition, and-barely detectable-of desiccated flesh. Not everyone in the chamber was still alive.
Then the odors all combined into a single eye-watering stench, and Luke had to call on the Force to prevent his stomach from rebelling. After a few shallow breaths, he conquered his revulsion and began to feel the bite of cold air on his nose and cheeks. The temperature wasn't quite freezing, but it was cold enough to make him wonder whether someone-or something-was trying to limit the rate of decay in the chamber.
Ben's helmet hissed open, then Ben gasped, ”Bloah! And I thought before that smells couldn't get get any worse.” any worse.”
”Then you haven't spent enough time with Hutts,” Luke observed. ”We'll have to correct that.”
Ben half suppressed a gag, then asked, ”You'd do that to your own son?”
”Consider it continuing education,” Luke said. ”A Jedi Knight should be comfortable in any environment.”
”I'll bet Yoda wasn't this cruel.”
”Yoda lived in a swamp,” Luke reminded his son. ”He made me eat eat stuff that smelled worse than this.” stuff that smelled worse than this.”
”No way.”