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Shryne’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “So what’s the problem?”

“The generator wants to reactivate the entire facility,” Filli said in a rush of words. “I can’t get it to shut down!”

Slamming, hissing sounds began to replace the rumble of sliding doors.

Jula looked sharply at Shryne. “This entire place is sealing up.”

A series of determined clicks and ready tones punctuated the din raised by descending hatches. All at once every battle droid in the control room powered up.

Swinging its thin head toward him and raising its blaster rifle, the battle droid standing closest to Shryne said: “Intruders.”

Behind Armand Isard and the two Internal Security Bureau technicians seated at the Temple beacon control console, Vader stood with his arms folded across his chest, Commander Appo at his right hand.

“I want to know how the beacon was accessed,” Vader said.

“By means of a Jedi transceiver, Lord Vader,” the tech closest to Armand said.

“Cross-check the transceiver code with the identity database,” the ISB chief said, anticipating Vader.

“The name should be coming up in a moment,” the other tech said, eyes glued to rapidly scrolling text on one of the display screens. “Chatak,” he added a moment later. “Bol Chatak.”

The sound of Vader’s breathing filled the ensuing silence.

Shryne and Starstone, he thought. Obviously they had been in possession of Chatak’s beacon transceiver when they had evaded him at Murkhana. Now they were attempting to determine the location of other Jedi when Order Sixty-Six had been issued. Certainly they were hoping to establish contact with survivors, hoping to pick up the pieces of their shattered order.

And … what?

Devise their revenge? Unlikely, since that would entail calling on the dark side. Formulate a plan to kill the Emperor? Perhaps. Although, ignorant of the fact that Palpatine was a Sith, they would not plot an assassination. So perhaps they were contemplating an attack on the Emperor’s enforcer?

Vader considered reaching out to Shryne through the Force, but rejected the idea.

“What is the source of the transmission?” he asked finally.

“The Jaguada system, Lord Vader,” the first technician said. “More precisely, the moon of the system’s only inhabited world.”

A large holomap of the galaxy emerged from the console’s holoprojector. Linked to myriad databases throughout the Temple, the map made use of a palette of colors to indicate trouble spots. Just now, in preservation of the moment Order Sixty-Six had been executed, more than two hundred worlds glowed blood red.

Perhaps this explained why Sidious hadn’t had the Temple dismantled, Vader thought. So he could regard it from his lofty new throne room and gloat.

The holomap began to close tighter and tighter on a remote area of the Outer Rim. When, finally, the Jaguada system hung in midair, Vader strode into its midst.

“This moon,” he said, gesturing with the forefinger of his black-gloved hand.

“Yes, Lord Vader,” the tech said.

Vader glanced at Appo, who had already comlinked Central Operations on Coruscant.

“The moon is the site of an abandoned Separatist communications facility,” Appo said. “Whoever is in possession of the Jedi transceiver must have brought the facility’s hyperspace communications network online.”

“Do we have any vessels in that sector, Commander?”

“No vessels, Lord Vader,” Appo said. “But there is a small Imperial garrison on Jaguada.”

“Instruct the garrison commander to scramble his troopers immediately.”

“Capture or kill, Lord Vader?”

“Either would please me.”

“I understand.”

Vader cupped the holoimage of the tiny moon in his hand. “I have you now,” he said quietly, and made a fist.

The lightsaber Klossi Anno had given Shryne felt foreign in his hand, but it was finely wrought, and its dense blue blade was perfect for deflecting the hail of blaster bolts the battle droids had unleashed. Beside him Jula was firing steadily and with impressive accuracy, dropping those droids Shryne’s parried bolts didn’t. Crouched behind the control console,