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Callista came to a dreaded realization that perhaps she had been unable to attempt new techniques to regain her powers because she was too close to Luke. He intimidated her with his own abilities, unconsciously emphasizing the fact that she had so little left. Perhaps she needed time by herself, to operate on her own terms, with no expectations, no need to perform for Luke Skywalker, to meet his level of ability. She and Luke were bonded, joined heart and spirit—but perhaps she needed to find her own strength again so that she could join his.

Now, in the midst of the jungle battles, she felt helpless and alone, tagging along like a burden rather than a companion. She didn’t need to prove anything to Luke—but she did need to prove it to herself.

“Here it comes,” Luke said, but his attention was focused on Tionne as the two Jedi Knights prepared to meet the Imperial battle machine. With their attention diverted, Callista formed her own plan.

The Imperial Flying Fortress approached them about four meters off the ground, hovering over an ancient deadfall where several giant Massassi trees had toppled in ancient storms.

Luke recognized the immense vehicle. Tactically, it was like a huge Imperial AT-AT walker but without the legs, merely the armored body loaded with heavy weaponry. It was rectangular with rounded corners and two heavy blaster cannons on a hemispherical turret on the top. A target identification network operated from sensors mounted around its outer hull. The machine hummed as it cruised forward, nosing its way through the thick branches, snapping them off when they refused to yield.

Its outer armor plates were already scarred from weapons fire, scraped from hard branches, and splotched with sticky smears of spilled sap. It cruised forward, heavy blaster cannons moving like rigid tentacles. Receiving signals from the target identification network, they fired deadly bursts upon any hapless forest creatures that happened to flee at the wrong time.

Luke concentrated on the armored monstrosity cruising toward them. He whispered to Tionne. “Together,” he said. “See that sharp tree stump? When the Fortress flies over …”

Tionne nodded, and they waited as the low hum of repulsor lifts drove the Flying Fortress over the ancient deadfall.

Luke focused his blue eyes on the sharpened trunk. “Now!” he cried. Luke and Tionne used the Force together, heaving the stump upward like a wooden stake through the lower hull of the Flying Fortress. The impaled siege vehicle spun about roaring with a burst of engine power. Its blaster cannons fired in all directions, setting trees aflame—but it couldn’t move.

“That tree.” Luke nodded toward another ancient trunk half-collapsed but held up by a net of vines. He and Tionne tugged on the dead tree with the Force, snapping the coiled vines and heaving the massive trunk down like an ax blade, many tons of solid wood slamming the Flying Fortress down into the deadfall, crushing it into an unrecognizable mass of smoldering armor plate.

Luke and Tionne leaped from their hiding place in triumph. They clasped each other’s hands in a celebratory grip.

“See, Callista!” Luke called. “We’ll take care of them, one by one!”

But when he turned to look behind him, he saw no sign of her. “Callista?” he called, glancing around in alarm.

Tionne also looked, but they saw no motion, received no answer in the thick jungle. Callista was completely masked from the Force, and therefore invisible even to their Jedi powers. Luke could not sense her, no matter how hard he tried.

“Callista!” he called again.

But she had vanished by herself into the thick jungle.

HOTH ASTEROID BELT

CHAPTER 52

Qwi Xux leaned forward and pointed just as Wedge began to discern the organized cluster of lights ahead of them. Her indigo eyes were better than his, and she could make out details he hadn’t yet been able to imagine.

“Okay, increase magnification,” he said.

In the viewscreen they