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R2-D2 beeped again.

"Oh. Yes," C-3PO said. "But that was different, because on Kamino he—"

The astromech trilled, his lights flashing.

"That was different, too," C-3PO insisted. "Who knew he could survive a Podracer explosion? But this, this…Oh dear, Artoo, I just don't know what I'll do if something happens to Master Luke. This is a catastrophe!"

Han snorted. "Look, Princess, you don't get this yet, but maybe someday when you're a little older, a little more experienced—"

" Excuse me?" In principle, Leia believed that physical violence should be used only when all other courses of action had been exhausted. In practice, she was about ready to punch him in the gut.

"—you'll see that someone has to stay calm. Be strong. You can't just run around panicking about every little thing that goes wrong. You should take things like a—" He spotted Chewbacca emerging from the Millennium Falcon. "Well, like a Wookiee." He slapped Chewbacca on his furry back. "Right, pal? Go on, tell her Luke's going to be just fine."

At Luke's name, Chewbacca threw back his giant head and unleashed a mournful roar.

Han looked at Chewie in disgust.

"I don't care what you say," Leia said fiercely, starting toward the ship again. "I don't care what anyone says. I'm going to find Luke."

"Leia!" Han grabbed her arm and, this time, refused to let go. "We have to trust him,"

he said, the mocking tone gone from his voice. "That's the best thing we can do right now.

It's all we can do. We've got to trust him to come back to us."

"But…" She didn't want to admit he was right. She couldn't just sit here and wait. It was too frustrating.

Too terrifying.

"He'll be okay," Han said, still gripping her arm. "He'll be back."

"You really believe that?" Leia peered intently into his eyes. Han was an excellent liar, but he'd never been very good at lying to her.

"I really do," he said. But as he answered, he looked away.

"Please don't," Ferus said mildly as Div snatched the lightsaber from Luke's belt.

Ignoring the older man, Div activated the Jedi weapon. Ferus kept his eyes fixed on the gleaming blue beam. Div kept his eyes fixed on Ferus.

Ferus Olin, after all these years. A fairy-tale hero from his childhood. Ferus, who'd had all the answers.

Ferus, who'd turned his back and walked away.

May the Force be with you, Lune, he had said as Ferus prepared to leave. At the time, Lune was dimly aware that his mother had fallen in love with Clive Flax and that together they would be starting a new life and a new family. But all he really cared about was that he was getting a new brother. Trever, the teenaged orphan from Bellassa who needed a home. Take care of Trever, Ferus told Lune. Trever was like a son to Ferus—yet here he was, leaving the boy behind.

Ferus had said one more thing before saying good-bye forever: You would have made a fine Jedi.

With Garen Muln and Ry-Gaul dead, Ferus was the only person left in the galaxy who could teach Lune the Jedi way. And Ferus was saying good-bye. At the time, Lune had just grinned, thinking that it was a compliment. Not realizing everything he was about to lose.

Ferus hadn't aged well. The lithe, resolute man Div remembered, the proud Jedi with laugh lines creasing his worried face and a defiant gaze that dared the world to cross him, that person was gone. In his place was a prematurely old man with gray hair and a soft, bulging belly. As far as Div could tell, everything about him was soft. Since the last time they'd met, nearly twenty years before, Div had become a warrior. And Ferus had apparently become a Corellian cream puff. Though that cream puff had just put Luke on the ground.

Div would never have imagined that Ferus Olin, of all people, would turn to the dark side. But there he was, flying a TIE fighter. There he was, standing over Luke's unconscious form.

People changed.

"You've grown," Ferus said, a smile creeping across his face. He seemed unconcerned by the lightsaber aimed at his throat.

He still has the Force, Div reminded