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Yoda or just about any other Jedi Master would have been able to rid Climber of the battle droid with a Force push, but Shryne needed Climber’s help to move the sparking carcass aside. Years back, he would have been able to manage it alone, but no longer. He wasn’t sure if the weakness was in him or if, with the death of every Jedi, the war was leaching some of the Force out the universe.

Climber rolled the mercenary’s body to one side and sat up. “Thanks for the save, General.”

“Just didn’t want you to end up like your template.”

Climber stared at him.

“Headless, I mean.”

Climber nodded. “I thought you meant killed by a Jedi.”

Shryne held out his hand out for the lightsaber, which Climber was regarding as if noticing it for the first time. Then, feeling Shryne’s gaze on him, he said, “Sorry, sir,” and slapped the hilt into Shryne’s hand.

Shryne hooked the lightsaber to his belt and yanked Climber to his feet, his eyes falling on Chatak, Starstone, and Ion Team’s other two commandos, who had rushed into the room with weapons drawn.

Shryne gestured to them that everything was under control.

“Find any patients?” he asked Chatak when she was within earshot.

“None,” she said. “But we hadn’t checked out the entire building when we heard the blasterfire.”

Shryne turned to Climber. “Set your thermal charges. Then contact Commander Salvo. Tell him to alert airborne command that the landing platform energy shield will be dropping, but that someone is still going to have to take out the shore batteries on the bridge approaches before troops and artillery can be inserted. General Chatak and I will finish sweeping the building and catch up with you at the rally point.”

“Affirmative, sir.”

Shryne started off, then stopped in his tracks. “Climber.”

“General?”

“Tell Commander Salvo for me that we probably could have done things his way.”

“You certain you want me to do that?”

“Why not?”

“For one thing, sir, it’s only going to encourage him.”

Ras says you made a kill with General Shryne’s lightsaber,” one of the commandos who had accompanied Bol Chatak said to Climber while all four members of Ion Team were slaving thermal detonators to the shield generator’s control panels.

“That’s right. And knowing that you’d want to see it, I had my helmet cam snap a holo.”

Climber’s sarcasm was lost on the small-arms expert, a spec-two who went by the name Trace.

“How’d it handle?”

Climber sat still for a moment. “More like a tool than a weapon.”

“Good tool for opening up mercenaries,” Ras said from nearby.

Climber nodded. “No argument. But give me a seventeen any day.”

“Shryne’s all right,” Trace said after they had gone back to placing the charges.

“I’ll take him over Salvo in a firefight,” Climber said, “but not on a battlefield. Shryne’s too concerned about collateral damage.”

Completing his task, he walked with purpose through the control room, assessing everyone’s work. Ion Team’s comlink specialist hurried over while Climber was adjusting the placement of one of the detonators.

“Has Commander Salvo been updated?” Climber asked.

“The commander is on the freq now,” the spec-one said. “Wants to speak to you personally.”

Climber distanced himself from the rest of the team and chinned the helmet comlink stud to an encrypted frequency. “Spec-zero Climber secure, Commander.”

“Are the Jedi with you?” Salvo said abruptly.

“No, sir. They’re sweeping the rest of the building in case we overlooked anyone.”

“What’s your situation, squad leader?”

“We’re out of here as soon as the rest of the thermals are set. T-five, at most.”

“Retain a couple of those thermals. Your team is to rejoin us soonest. We have a revised priority.”

“Revised, how?”

“The Jedi are to be killed.”

Climber fell silent for a long moment. “Say again, Commander.”

“We’re taking out the Jedi.”

“On whose orders?”

“Are you questioning my authority?”

“No, sir. Just doing my job.”

“Your job is to obey your superiors.”

Climber recalled Shryne