Star Wars_ Darth Bane 03_ Dynasty of Evil - Drew Karpyshyn [93]
Two of the ships were unremarkable: shuttles owned by the mercenaries the princess had hired to staff the station. The third was the princess’s personal vessel: newer than the others, it bore the blue and yellow symbol of House Doan on either side. And then there was her own vessel, the Stalker. Smaller than any of the other ships, its shining black hull and blood-red trim still made it stand out.
After a moment she made her way slowly down the stairs, but when she reached the ground below she didn’t board her ship. Instead, she began to wander slowly up and down the aisles between the vessels, idly running her hand across their hulls.
She felt compelled to wait a little while longer. Something important was about to happen, something more than the spectacular implosion of the Stone Prison. She could feel it coming on the currents of the Force. She couldn’t quite grasp what the event was—sometimes the future could be as slippery as a fleek eel. But she knew it had something to do with her visions, and she intended to wait around long enough to see this through.
Her destiny depended on it.
Zannah knew she was getting close. The part of her journey through the Stone Prison’s maze of rooms and halls had been conducted in near total darkness. Only the pale green light of her glow stick had guided her—that, and the Force.
She could feel her Master’s presence deep inside the complex, drawing her forward. Even so, she made several wrong turns and came across a number of dead ends as she moved silently through the darkness. The layout of the dungeon was intentionally confusing to thwart any efforts to rescue those held captive within its walls.
Yet Zannah had persevered, never giving in to frustration or anger even when she was forced to turn around and go back the way she had come. Eventually, she knew, she would reach her destination.
Up ahead she saw a faint glimmer of light spilling from around a corner, and she knew her patience had been rewarded. Moving forward, she found herself traveling through an illuminated corridor. She had reached the section of the facility that had been reopened; Bane had to be nearby.
Tossing her glow lamp aside, she proceeded forward cautiously, keeping her awareness open to warn her before she ran across any guards even as she continued to home in on the cell where they were holding her Master.
She had gone less than a hundred meters when she felt a sudden and powerful disturbance in the Force. An instant later alarm bells rang out, and Zannah knew what had happened—Bane had escaped!
Her lightsaber ignited with a buzzing hum, and she picked up her pace. She was no longer trying to sense any guards who might be ahead: with Bane on the loose she needed to focus on him. Her Master would be on the move, and she had come too far to lose him now.
The alarms continued to ring out. Zannah ignored them, focusing instead on the flashes of power she felt through the Force, each one a beacon bringing her ever closer to Bane.
She darted down a hall and around a corner. Up ahead she saw a door swinging freely on its hinges.
He’s there. In that room or one just beyond it. She could sense his presence, his unmistakable power.
Creeping along the wall she approached the edge of the door, then ducked into a roll and somersaulted through into the room beyond.
The scene inside gave testament to the fact that Bane had been here. The mangled bodies of guards littered the room. A durasteel door hung askew on its hinges, revealing a steep staircase leading down to another room below.
The dark side had been unleashed here only a few minutes ago. She could still feel its lingering power.
She approached the staircase carefully, probing with her mind into the room below. Again, she felt the unmistakable power of