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“Look but don’t touch,” a soft female voice whispered in his ear.

Set snapped his hand back and whirled around, his lightsaber springing to life as he slashed at the empty air behind him.

Just out of range of his attack stood an Iktotchi in a black cloak. Her hood was thrown back to reveal the long curved horns that curled down along her neck and under her chin. Black tattoos marked her lower lip, and her small, pointed teeth were bared in an eager grin.

Set wasn’t normally one to shy away from a fight, not if he thought he could win. But there was something unsettling about this red-skinned opponent. It was practically impossible to sneak up on a Jedi, yet Set hadn’t felt her presence until she’d spoken.

Careful. That probably isn’t the only trick up her sleeve.

“Nice ship,” he said, extinguishing his lightsaber and letting his hand fall casually to his side. “How many credits did that set you back?”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth he pounced toward her, his reignited lightsaber carving a deadly figure-eight pattern meant to disembowel his unsuspecting foe even as she answered his question.

The Iktotchi wasn’t fooled. Instead of replying to his query, she took a quick step back and to the side, nimbly avoiding his attack.

“Too slow,” she admonished.

The two adversaries turned to face each other again, and Set paused to consider the situation. He had Andeddu’s Holocron; all he needed now was a ship and he was home free. But standing between him and escape was an unknown, though obviously skilled, opponent. She didn’t appear to be armed, but she could easily have blades, blasters, or any number of other weapons hidden in the folds of her cloak. He decided it might be a good idea to try to talk his way out of the situation.

“My name is Medd Tandar,” he lied, trying to project an air of noble self-importance into his voice. “I’m here on behalf of the Council of First Knowledge. Step aside in the name of the Jedi Order.”

“You’re no Jedi,” she replied.

“Not anymore,” Set confessed. “But I used to be.”

He sliced the air half a dozen times with his lightsaber. He spun around, the humming blade dancing and twirling, before ending the demonstration with a backflip.

The Iktotchi was obviously unimpressed by his display of martial prowess, and Set realized he wasn’t going to intimidate her into backing down.

“The Jedi teach you any useful tricks?”

“A few,” Set replied, thrusting out with the Force.

A wave of raw energy rippled out toward his enemy, but Set knew instantly something was very wrong. Instead of the exhilarating rush of power he normally felt, there was a cramping ache in the pit of his stomach that caused him to double over.

The concussive wave that should have sent the Iktotchi flying twenty meters was reduced to nothing more than a hard shove. It hit her full in the chest, but she simply absorbed the impact by falling into a backward roll that ended with her still on her feet.

A pair of short vibroblades appeared in her hands while Set staggered backward, clutching at his stomach and trying not to throw up.

With horror, he realized she was disrupting his ability to draw on the Force. He’d seen this talent mentioned in a number of ancient texts, but he’d never encountered it himself … and he didn’t know how to counter it. His only option was to try to fight through.

Gritting his teeth, he stood up straight. Feeding on the pain and his mounting anger, he tried once more to summon up the power of the dark side. He felt a small surge in response to his efforts, but it was a thin trickle rather than the flood he had been hoping for. Still, it was better than nothing.

The Iktotchi lunged in with her twin blades, and Set staggered awkwardly out of the way, barely avoiding her attack. She moved faster than any opponent he had ever faced. Or maybe her ability to interfere with the Force was just making him slower than he’d ever been. In either case, the outcome was the same … and it wasn