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A deep sorrow settled across him, sorrow at the tragedy being perpetrated. In Nelani’s myriad futures he could dimly glimpse good and kind acts, love, perhaps family and children. He was about to cut through the connective tissues between Nelani and those futures, and he could feel the pain of that cut. In a way, the sensation was almost comforting, reminding him that he was still possessed of human emotion, of human values.

“Nelani,” he said, “I’m sorry. You’re…a deflector that would send the future spinning into tragedy. And you’re too young, too weak to understand it, to correct it.”

“Jacen—”

He struck, a slash that turned into a twirl binding her blade. The maneuver disarmed her, leaving her arm untouched but spinning her lightsaber off into the darkness.

He struck again, a surgical thrust that entered the precise center of her breastbone, emerged from her spine.

Jacen pulled the lightsaber free. Nelani slumped to the side, and he felt her begin to vanish into the Force.

Until she finished her slow fall and her head lolled against the stone, her eyes did not leave his.

chapter thirty-four

CORELLIAN SPACE, ABOVE TRALUS

Leia watched the status boards as they provided updates on the situation at Rellidir.

Headquarters shields down. Headquarters destroyed. Tralus citizens spilling into the streets, sniping on GA ground occupation forces with hand blasters, hunting blasters.

Corellian capital ships and hyperdrive-equipped starfighters dropping out of hyperspace on the far side of Tralus, joining the furball in the skies above Rellidir, swelling its numbers even as the GA retaliated with more and more starfighter squadron launches.

Covert messages from Han relayed in tight-burst data packets; they arrived from his datapad through a sophisticated comlink currently glued to the bottom of a mouse droid scurrying around somewhere in the vicinity of the bridge. Those messages reported Han alive, Jaina alive, Wedge alive, the Antilles girl alive.

Withdrawal command from Dodonna. The GA squadrons obeyed, disengaging where and when they could, some of them staying behind for last-minute exchanges with the gloating Corellians.

Leia was called back to the bridge, where she rejoined Admiral Limpan on the walkway. Together they watched Dodonna’s complement of surviving starfighters line up for landings in the ship’s hangar bays.

“We could have held on here,” Admiral Limpan said. “By throwing more and more forces into the mix. And yet that would have been counterproductive. Making peace harder to achieve. We didn’t, we won’t…but that makes this conclusion a scripted one. The men and women who died, young and brave, did so for a predestined conclusion.”

Leia nodded in silent agreement.

“It feels not like a victory, or even like a loss. It feels like dancing to someone else’s tune.”

“The GA isn’t playing it,” Leia said.

“Nor the Corellians.” The admiral shrugged. “Perhaps it’s random chance. I believe in randomness; I see it often. But one can never think of it as friendly. It never has our best interests at heart.” She turned her attention to Leia. “Colonel Moyan says your tactical recommendations were very well reasoned, very helpful. Though he was surprised to find them a bit conservative, considering your reputation.”

Leia shrugged. “We get older, perhaps we get more protective of those we lead. If I’m more conservative, that’s why.”

“Of course. Will you be returning to Coruscant or Corellia?”

“Corellia, for now. Where I can conservatively argue for peace while the warmakers are strutting around, crowing about their victory.”

“I’ll arrange for a starfighter escort for your shuttle.”

Leia shook her head. “No one’s going to fire upon an unarmed shuttle. This isn’t like the Yuuzhan Vong war, fought in mindless savagery. Both sides…are us.”

“For now.” Even on the admiral’s Duros features, considered expressionless by human standards, Leia could detect sorrow, pessimism. “In my experience, it doesn’t take long for ‘us’ to become ‘them.’ And when