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“Welcome to Yavin 4.” I pointed toward the sky. “The first Death Star died up there before it could destroy this place.”

A hint of pain passed through Wedge’s eyes as I spoke, but Qwi just turned to look up toward where I had pointed. “Most of the debris would have fallen into the gas giant, I would suspect, but some must have impacted here.” She looked at me with open cerulean eyes. “Have you found such debris?”

I shook my head. “Haven’t been looking. There was an Imperial survey team or two here after the Rebellion abandoned the planet, so I would assume they collected what they could for analysis.”

“Pity.”

“Right.” I led the two of them into the Great Temple and took the turbolift to the second level. “Here we have refresher stations and rooms for you, if you wish to catch up on sleep. I can also get you food.”

The doctor smiled. “I would like a quick nap, if that is acceptable.”

Wedge nodded. “I’ll check in with you in an hour, how’s that?”

She nodded. “Good. Nice to meet you, Cor … er, Keiran.”

“Sleep well, Doctor Xux.” I pointed her to the room I’d prepared for her earlier, then steered Wedge toward the room I’d prepped for him.

Inside Wedge appropriated a chair and sat, tilting it back so it rested against the wall and his feet dangled above the floor. “You don’t like her, do you?”

I caught just a hint of pique in Wedge’s voice. “Don’t know her well enough to form an opinion, but her playthings have made quite an impression. Maybe because you helped destroy two of them you have a different perspective on her, but I’d not consider myself a big fan of her work.”

“She really didn’t know what she was getting into, what they were doing with her research.”

“Are you sure? The code names should have told her what was going on. She should have at least asked herself what would happen if by mistake, these things were used on inhabited planets. We have life-sign sensors. How tough would it have been to put a life-sensor interlock on the Death Star so it couldn’t kill Alderaan?” I found anger creeping into my voice and raised both of my hands. “I shouldn’t have said that, sorry.”

Wedge glanced down at his hands. “Don’t be. Nothing I haven’t asked myself a million times since I started acting as her bodyguard. When she’s around, when I speak with her, she’s just so bright and innocent—the antithesis of the Death Star and the World Devastators and the Sun Crusher. I think she thought the Sun Crusher would be used to eliminate beta stars from binary systems to provide system stability or to clear uninhabited systems from navigational routes.”

My eyes narrowed. “Oh, no. You like her.”

Wedge’s head came up. “What?”

I whirled the room’s other chair around and dropped into it, letting my chest press against its back. “You’re supposed to be her bodyguard and you’re falling for her.”

“You’d like her if you’d spend more time around her.”

“Don’t do it, Wedge, don’t do it.”

He glanced over at me, letting a sloppy grin tug at one corner of his mouth. “Why not? Wouldn’t this be a final reconciliation of the Rebels and the Imperials?”

“Wedge, I’m speaking from experience.” I sagged forward against the chair-back. “When I was with CorSec I had several assignments where I was to see to the personal safety of someone important. In fact, I once had to deal with your sister on a visit to Corellia. Didn’t know she was your sister at the time, however.”

“If you’re going to tell me you fell for my sister while guarding her, I don’t want to hear it.”

“Nope, not her. It was the daughter of the shipping magnate who owned Tinta Lines. She was the target of a kidnapper. Of course, when I was guarding someone, we found a hole and crawled in, didn’t gallivant around the galaxy.”

“Moving target is harder to hit.”

“Good point.” I smiled. “Anyway, Siolle Tinta and I got along famously once we discovered we shared similar opinions about art. In close quarters, we reinforced each other’s ideas and it quickly became us against