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Jysella inhaled swiftly. It looked like Cilghal. Whoever had done this had not missed a detail. It even moved like the Mon Calamari healer. And it had certainly acted and sounded like her. But Jysella suddenly and sickly understood exactly what her brother had meant.

The Not-Cilghal turned to regard Jysella, cocking her head curiously. “Jysella? What is it?”

“N-nothing. I … you know what?” She gave a shaky laugh. “I think I may be too upset to help you out much,” she managed. She rose. She had to get away, and fast, before this doppelgänger realized she was on to its deception. But where would she go? Who could she tell? If Valin had been right, then everyone except for her had been taken and replaced by their doubles. How could she not have seen this earlier? Oh, Valin, I’m sorry I didn’t believe you—

The imitation Cilghal looked fully away from the datapad she had been studying and fixed Jysella with one huge, circular eye.

“You’ve held up very well indeed throughout all this, Jysella,” the doppelgänger said gently. “It’s not surprising that you might now be finding you cannot carry it all. Do you wish to talk about this? Speaking one’s worry and fears can be as healing as bacta tanks, in its own way.”

The rough voice was warm and concerned. It only rattled Jysella more. Stang—whoever it was, she was good; she had mastered Cilghal’s voice, her inflections, her movements. No wonder she was succeeding at fooling everyone.

But Valin hadn’t been fooled, although in his confusion he had mistaken his sister and parents for doppelgängers like the one before her now.

Oh, no … what if he’d been right about Mom and—

“I think I had just better go.” One hand dropped casually to her waist, resting on the lightsaber hilt that was fastened there. As a full Jedi Knight, she was authorized to carry the weapon throughout the Temple except in a very few restricted areas. She’d almost forgotten it this morning in her stress over Valin. Now she was tremendously glad she had gone back for it.

Cilghal’s eye followed the gesture, and she got to her feet. She had her own weapon, of course, but made no move to draw it. “Jysella, why don’t you come with me and we’ll—”

Terror shot through Jysella, and a sob escaped her. She stepped back, her hand gripping the lightsaber hilt so hard her knuckles whitened.

“Get away from me!” she screamed, her voice shaking.

“Jysella—” It reached out to her imploringly.

“I said get away!”

Jysella drew the lightsaber in one hand and shoved the other in the false Cilghal’s direction. The males in her family were unable to use telekinesis. Jysella was not so hampered, and she used that ability now. She put all her fear, all her focus, in the gesture, and Not-Cilghal was caught unawares as Jysella Force-shoved her back into a stack of data-pads.

She didn’t pause to watch as Cilghal crashed into the stack. By then Jysella Horn, quite possibly the only real person left on the planet—maybe in the galaxy—except for her brother, was racing down the aisle toward the turbolift as fast as she could go.

CILGHAL RECOVERED QUICKLY, USING THE FORCE TO STEADY THE STACK and prevent it from toppling entirely. A few datapads clattered to the floor as she rose and reached for her comlink with one hand and her lightsaber with the other. She’d been utterly taken by surprise and mentally rebuked herself.

“Temple security, this is Master Cilghal,” she said even as she began racing after the fleeing human. “Jedi Jysella Horn is to be captured and retained. Do not harm her if at all possible. She is not herself. Notify Master Hamner immediately. Tell him—tell him we’ve got another one.”

“Acknowledged,” came a crisp, cool voice. Cilghal clicked the comlink off. Time enough for more details once Jysella was safely apprehended.

It was obvious what had happened. Like her brother, Jysella Horn had lost her reason. But unlike Valin, who had been irrationally angry, Jysella was pouring utter and abject fear into the Force. Whatever her mind might be telling her, it was terrifying her beyond anything