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She had meditated for several hours in preparation for her journey to Ambria, calling on the Force while thinking about her destination. In return, she had witnessed scenes plucked from the planet’s history: the Sith sorceress as she was consumed by her failed spell; the Jedi Master’s struggle to trap the dark side in Lake Natth.

But not all her visions were as clear, particularly those dealing with the shifting probabilities of the future. Her arrival and meeting with the princess from Doan had only been revealed in vague impressions. She was confident she wasn’t walking into a trap. More important, she had the sense that somehow this meeting was going to have a profound influence on the rest of her life. For better or for worse she couldn’t say, but she was certain the journey to Ambria would set her on a new path … and the Huntress was never one to shy away from her destiny.

The location for the meeting was a small abandoned camp located deep in the heart of Ambria’s impassable desert. As it drew nearer, the shuttle’s sensors indicated that another ship was already waiting on the ground. Readings indicated a single life-form on board; as promised, the princess had come alone.

The Huntress landed, shut down the engines, and made her way from the climate-controlled comfort of her shuttle out into the dry, suffocating heat of Ambria’s midday sun. The princess was standing at the edge of the camp, facing away from her and lost in thought.

The camp itself wasn’t much to look at; it was nothing but a small, dilapidated hut and an old cooking pot suspended over a ring of stones and charcoal. But despite the modest surroundings, the Huntress could feel this was a place of power: a nexus for both the light and dark sides of the Force. Despite the heat, the Iktotchi shivered. Great and terrible things had happened here; events that would one day shape the course of galactic history.

The princess—Serra, the assassin recalled—turned to face her.

“I’m glad you came” was all she said.

The Huntress sensed something dark and powerful in the other woman, a strength of will and a hatred nurtured over many years.

“Your bodyguard said you wished to hire me?”

The princess nodded. “They say you can track anyone. No matter where they hide, you can find them. They say you can see across time and space.”

The statement wasn’t precisely accurate, but the Huntress saw no need to explain the subtle intricacies of her talent to this woman.

“I have never failed a mission.”

Serra smiled. “There was a man here. Many years ago. I don’t know his name. I don’t know where he is now. But I want you to find him. Can you do this?”

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she closed her eyes and reached out with her mind. She felt the Force gathering; it swirled around her like a rising storm, carrying the dust of memory imprinted on the campsite.

The captured memories encircled her; images flooded her mind. She saw a child, dressed in a frayed and tattered tunic; she saw the child blossom into a young woman; she saw the woman leave Ambria, only to return many years later as a princess.

“You grew up here,” she whispered as she continued to probe even deeper.

Sometimes the history of a place was faint, washed away by the passage of mundane events and insignificant people. Here the memories were strong, preserved by isolation and trapped in the currents of the Force that permeated the camp.

“I see a man. Tall and thin. Dark hair. Brown skin.”

“My father,” Serra explained. “His name was Caleb.”

“He was a healer. Wise. Strong. A man who commanded respect.”

She didn’t say this to please the princess; the Huntress never cared what her clients thought of her as long as they paid.

“There is another man,” Serra told her. “He came to my father for help during the New Sith Wars. Tall and muscular. Bald. He was … evil.”

Evil. Reaching out with the Force required intense focus and deep mental concentration. Even so, the Iktotchi couldn’t help but notice the other woman