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He paused to let this sink in. “If you do not comply with this request, which is binding by all laws you claim to adhere to, there will be consequences. If you trust nothing else, trust my word on that. I will accept nothing less than seeing Turi Altamik and Sothais Saar coming out of the Temple. You have thirty-six hours to comply.”

The voice was cold, almost dead, and Hamner felt his danger sense prickling. All around him, he sensed that the other Masters shared his unease.

Saba Sebatyne grunted. “This one is not Daala’s pet,” she said. “This Belok Rhal meanz what he says.”

“I believe he does,” said Hamner. He turned back to the Master. “Master Katarn, report.”

“The news isn’t good. As we all knew, the vehicles and weaponry he has assembled could deal a terrible amount of damage to the Temple,” said Kyle Katarn. “What’s worse is, we’ve sent apprentices to all the exits of the Temple, even the ones we’ve thought hidden, and there’s a Mando presence at every one of them.”

“That is impossible,” said Saba. “There are many secret passagewayz.”

“It’s not impossible if someone talked,” Kyp said.

“Perhaps Reeqo and Melari,” mused Hamner. The two apprentices had quit some time ago, frightened by the thought of being the target of Daala’s wrath. It was not outside the realm of possibility that they had been taken in and told everything they knew. Too, technology properly targeted could reveal hollowed areas beneath the ground and where tunnels so revealed might lead.

“Then we find other exits,” Octa Ramis said calmly, arms folded across her chest. “The Temple has been destroyed and rebuilt more than once. It’s possible, even likely, that something’s been overlooked, or forgotten, or has caved in. Kenth, the apprentices are under a lot of strain right now. They’re worried and are looking for something to do to keep busy and to feel like they’re helping. I suggest that each of us and every available Knight should take a few of them and start searching for any way out. Seha and I will coordinate this. She’s used to finding her way around underground.”

“That’s a fine idea, Master Ramis,” Hamner said.

“We must find some way to get out soon—or at least to get supplies in,” said Cilghal. “We are dangerously low on sedatives strong enough to keep the ill Jedi restrained. And of course, we cannot use the Force in any way to aid them.” Hamner nodded at her to indicate he understood.

“I think there will be some way to get what we need. Once we are resupplied, we have the advantage—we could sit and wait this, and Daala, out for a very long time indeed.”

But Kyle Katarn was shaking his head. “Theoretically, yes, we would have enough supplies to do so. There are other, more pressing reasons not to wait. But I’m concerned about the effect such a large gathering of Mandos will have on the populace. It’s one thing when they’re targeting us and engaged in active fighting. These are beings of action. If there’s any civilian protests, things could get very ugly very quickly. The longer this goes on, the more likely that will happen. Innocent people could get harmed while we sit here quietly playing the waiting game.”

“Well, Jaina’s out there, and neither she nor her family are the sort to sit around killing time. She’d left to go get some kind of help. Any word from her?” asked Kyp.

Hamner grimaced. He wasn’t sure whether to count it a blessing that none of the Solo clan had been present during the onset of the siege. Jaina was resourceful and intelligent, and Katarn raised a good point about civilians, but this was still a balancing act. Daala had the upper hand—again.

“We’ll use codes to get word out about what we need,” he said, deciding to ignore Kyp and Katarn for the moment and focus on Cilghal’s request. “If we can find some way out of the Temple, even one too small for a Jedi or an apprentice to pass through, we can get supplies in and—”

“Sir?” It was Kani, Hamner’s assistant. Her pretty face registered dismay. “Security reports the Mandos