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Tadar’Ro bowed to both Skywalkers. “Travel safely. May you learn what you must.”

“May the Force be with you,” Luke said.

Amusement bathed them. “It is always with everyone,” Tadar’Ro said, nodded to them, and turned to go.

Less than an hour later, they were ready to depart. Ben had even had a chance to grab a sanisteam and a nerf steak. He slipped into the chair beside his father, moving quietly as Luke was recording a message.

“ … and based on all this, we’ve decided to head to the Maw,” Luke was saying. “I’m not sure when we’ll be out of the Rift and you’ll be able to receive this, but I thought you should know as soon as possible. Ben and I will get to work on the riddle, but if any of the Masters figures it out before we do, I promise I won’t be insulted. I hope to talk to you soon, and I hope all is well back home.”

He punched a button and sent the message, then turned to Ben. “Ready to talk to these Mind Drinkers who supposedly dwell in the Maw?”

“Sure,” Ben said, lifting the Vor’cha stick. “I think we can handle them.”

KESH

LADY RHEA HAD SPOKEN WITH LORD VOL, AND THE ETERNAL CRUSADER had been summoned back to Kesh. As they entered orbit, Vestara realized that the whole armada had been recalled. Currently in orbit around a world that, two years earlier, had never even seen an operational space-faring craft were more than two dozen star ships.

Vestara, Lady Rhea, and a few other crew took a small transport to Tahv. The sharp delight Vestara took in the fact that she was no longer on the outside, wistfully looking in, but almost always brought in on every major decision and planning session had not faded over the last two years. She was aware of the responsibilities of such an honor, and never took it for granted.

She recalled the first time she had stood in these Council Chambers, frightened but resolute. How naïve she had been then. She smiled a little and shifted position, then stilled as Lord Vol began speaking.

“A short time ago, many of us felt a very strong rippling in the Force. We sensed a presence that we immediately realized would be a threat to us. Ship was able to identify that presence as the current Grand Master of the Jedi—Luke Skywalker.”

A soft murmur went through the room. Lord Vol held up his hand for silence. “The information Ship has given us on this Skywalker is sobering. He is, however, far from his home base. We do not know to what end. Still, I am not about to overlook an opportunity when one drops as perfectly into our hands as ripe fruit. Skywalker is several light-years away, but still within our ability to reach. Over the last day, I have been in contact with Lady Rhea.” He nodded to Vestara’s Master, who stepped forward.

“When Ship came to us with the news of the near extinction of the Sith,” she said, her voice clear and strong, “we did not fall victim to despair. We acted. Vessel by vessel, we are assembling a fleet with which we will eventually take back the galaxy from the Jedi, who spread like vermin throughout system after system. Such is our goal.

“Some will say, one man cannot hold a whole galaxy together. True. But one man can lead and inspire. If the head is cut off, the body will follow. Luke Skywalker has done much to fight the Sith, the dark side. He was at one point the last Jedi, and now he has re-created the Order with hundreds of them.” She was so disgusted by this she was almost spitting the words. “And now, somehow, he has broadcast his presence into the Force. And we can take him down.

“Lord Vol and I have handpicked a single strike team to bring against this Skywalker. He—”

“A moment,” said Yuvar Xal, Ahri’s Master. “The Grand Master of the Jedi cannot possibly be simply wandering off alone. He must be on a mission of great importance, and it is logical to believe that he has many vessels under his command. A single strike force would do nothing against that.”

“There was something about his presence—I do not think so. For whatever reason, my instincts are telling me that he is, if not