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His consciousness started to fade, then, the colors of his office leaching into grayness.

He realized numbly that he wouldn’t be able to cleanse his family’s honor. That knowledge hurt even more than the molten venom in his veins.

He managed to shift his eyes, to look at the Nediji before he faded out completely. Kaird gave him a small and slow bow, a final salute that held no mockery.

"Nothing personal," he said.

And the darkness claimed Tarnese Bleyd, forever.

36

The medlifters came at dawn.

Barriss Offee was asleep in her quarters, in the middle of a Force dream. They had not been coming to her as often of late, these subconscious connections with the galactic life-energy field. When she had first felt the Force awaken within her, the dreams had been frequent and powerful, never to be remembered in their entirety upon awakening, but always leaving her with a sense of increased strength and control.

As always, she was momentarily confused upon awakening-then she recognized the sound of the ap-proaching lifters. Hastily donning her jumpsuit, she started for the OT.

She caught a glimpse, through the spore clouds, of the lifters hanging low in the eastern sky, just above the bloated oblate sphere that was Drongar Prime. Other Rimsoo personnel were already running from their cu-bicles and quarters, some still pulling on clothing.

She saw Zan Yant and Jos Vondar heading toward the land-ing area.

Then, suddenly, she stopped.

Something-someone-had called to her.

It had been a cry for help, nonverbal, but no less strong. She had heard it echo in her mind as if its author had been standing right behind her. A cry of rage and despair.

A death cry.

She knew where it had come from-the edge of the Kondrus Sea-and, though she didn’t know who was dying, she knew why. For one unmistakable and merci-fully brief moment, she could see, as clearly as with her own eyes, the killer’s face as he loomed over his victim.

Phow Ji.

Without a moment’s hesitation Barriss turned and ran away from the lifters, away from the Rimsoo, and into the lowlands that sloped toward the sea.

It did not even occur to her to wonder until she was deep in the fetid marshes why she had made the decision to abandon her duty-to turn her back on dozens of Republic soldiers wounded in battle and go seeking out one unknown casualty instead. There could only be one reason, and she was loath to admit it, because it flew in the face of everything Master Unduli had taught her about working for the greater good, not to mention the Jedi Code.

She had let her emotions take over, had let herself be swayed by anger and, yes, a desire to punish.

But even knowing this, even fearing that she was run-ning toward the dark side, she did not stop.

She emerged from the swamp vegetation, pushing through a last clinging cluster of snarlvines, and saw Ji-the only one still standing amid the carnage. Seven men, all wearing Separatist uniforms, lay dead about him. He had a shallow vibroblade wound on his right forearm, and a blistered left cheekbone where a laser beam had narrowly missed.

Other than that, he was unmarked.

He was waiting for her, that sardonic smile she had come to despise on his lips. "A drunken t’landa Til makes less noise than you do," he said. "Nevertheless, it’s always a pleasure to see you, Padawan Offee. To what do I owe the honor of this visit? Have you come to congratulate me on my latest victory for the Republic?" He gestured mockingly at the bodies strewn about his feet.

Her rage threatened to overwhelm her. She felt the de-sire and the will to destroy him. In that moment, Barriss Offee knew exactly what Master Unduli had meant when she had spoken of the dark side’s seductive power. She wanted nothing more than to turn him into a pile of ashes, and, worse yet, she knew that she could. The dark power lived and shouted within her. It wouldn’t even require an effort-all she had to do was release it.

Phow Ji must have seen the truth of this in her face, because his eyes widened in slight