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"Do you understand that,' am not in command here?"

Mace shrugged. "Is anyone?"

"Exactly," she said. "Exactly. Master Yoda-Master Yoda would say, You see, but you do not see."

"Depa-"

"You are alive right now because Kar doesn't want to upset me. That's the only reason. Not because I can order him. To do anything. Because I ashed him. I asked to give you a chance to run away. Because Kar-because Kar likes me-"

Mace turned and looked down at the people and akks in the jungle.

Twilight was deepening, and glowvines were beginning to pulse to life.

The akks stirred uneasily, muttering deep half growls down in their enormous chests. Nick sat on the ground, knees drawn up and wrapped by his arms. He kept his head down, studiously avoiding looking at Vaster.

The lor pelek paced back and forth in front of the ankkox's head, stalking like a hungry vine cat, flicking glances up at Mace and Depa and away again, as though he did not want to be caught looking.

"Vaster commands the ULF-?"

"There is no ULF!" Depa hissed. "The ULF is a name, that's all. I made it up! The Upland Liberation Front is a make-believe bogey on which to blame every raid and ambush and theft and petty sabotage and I don't know what all. The militia's going crazy looking for a pattern to our strikes.

Trying to figure out our strategy. Because there is no pattern. No strategy. There is no ULF. There is just this clan, and that family, and one gang here and another there. That's all. Ragged Korun bandits and murderers." w 'Your reports-"

"Reports." She looked like she wanted to grab him and shake him, but was just too tired. "What should I have told you? You've seen a little of Haruun Kal. What could I have said to make you understand?"

"You don't have to make me understand. All you have to do is come with me."

"Mace, listen to me: I can't." She sagged, and lowered her face into her hands. "Kar is willing to let you go only because I am staying. To keep you away from me. If I leave with you... Going through the jungle, Mace: think of it. On foot, on grassers. Even in a steam-crawler. All the way back to Pelek Baw? Haven't you seen enough of him today to know that nowhere in the jungle could you ever be safe?"

The weight in Mace's chest lightened, just a bit. He swallowed, and found that his breath came more easily.

She was afraid for him. She had not fallen so far that she no longer cared.

That was his victory right there.

"We won't be going through the jungle," he said. "I have a ship onstation with a battalion of troopers. My comm's damaged, or we'd be on our way right now. Nick says you have subspace at the Lorshan Pass caverns. We can be out of the system less than a day after we get there."

She lifted her head again, and there was still no hope in her eyes.

"It'll take two days to get there. If you're still here in two hours, Kar will kill you. Two minutes."

"Leave Vaster to me." Mace leaned forward, resting his forearms on the howdah's polished rail. "I am not leaving without you."

"You have to."

"Let me put it another way."

Mace took a deep breath. "Master Depa Billaba: by my authority as a Senior Member of the Jedi Council, and general of the Grand Army of the Republic, you are hereby relieved of command of Republic forces on Haruun Kal, uniformed and irregular. You are relieved of all duties and responsibilities in the action on this planet. You are suspended from the Jedi Council, pending investigation of your actions on Haruun Kal, and you are ordered to proceed with all due speed to Coruscant, where you will present yourself to the Council for judgment."

Depa shook her head. "You can't-you can't-"

"Depa," Mace said sadly, "you are under arrest."

"This is ridiculous-"

"Yes. And absolutely serious. You know me, Depa. How many arrests did we make, all those years? You know I will deliver my prisoner, or die in the attempt."

She nodded slowly, and she found a smile once more: a sad, quiet smile, edged with bitter knowledge.