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The black-robed one stretched out her arms. Her musicians started their ugly, throbbing tune again.

The room spun faster. Stand firm, Jacen, he heard.

He could not fight this darkness. Not without the light of the Force. And the darkness must be fought!

Jacen reached inward and outward for the devastating, ravishing energy that was too large to comprehend, too mighty to use without being changed forever. He balanced himself around his glimmering blade—and charged.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Mara sprinted back up the crowded Port Duggan shipyard arm. Wuht had committed to scrambling the DDF, but plainly, something had gone terribly wrong planetside. Leia’s agony made the Force ring, like gaffi sticks crushing Mara’s knees and calves.

At the end of her own dock, a CorDuro group barred the way. Mara considered her blaster, unhooked her lightsaber instead, and tipped it up against her right wrist. A flick of her hand would drop it into her grip.

“Excuse me,” she said, shouldering into the group of guards.

“Whoa, there,” the nearest, a squint-eyed human, said. “This docking arm has been closed. Off limits.”

“My ship is docked there,” she said. “And I’m leaving.” This time, she threaded her words with a hint of subliminal command. “Let me through.”

“All ships on this arm have been co-opted by Duro Defense.” A Duros stalked forward. “Sorry. You’ll have to find another ride.”

“You’ll have to find another ship,” Mara said blandly. “You’re not having any luck getting mine open, are you?”

“Oh,” the Duro said. “Slip 16-F? We just monitored an X-wing snubfighter launching out of your main bay.”

“Right,” Mara said. “And the hatch’s lock is rather unconventional, for good reason. If I’m going to claim diplomatic status, you probably want to see my papers.” It was an old dodge, and she really didn’t expect it to work.

The Duros extended a knobby hand.

“They’re on board,” Mara said. “Come with me.”

He walked her up to the slip. Unfortunately, he brought his goons. Mara frowned. She didn’t have time to make this a pleasant farewell.

She touched her in-port lock’s corners in rapid order, then pressed her thumb to the center—but that was just for show. Luke had embedded a second locking mechanism under the plating, inaccessible to any non-Jedi. She levitated the hidden mechanical catch, and the hatch swung open.

A voice behind her said, “Now freeze.”

Utterly unsurprised, Mara spun left. With one motion, she bent her knees slightly and dropped the lightsaber into her palm. Before the next heartbeat, she’d ignited it. “Don’t make me—”

A uniformed Duros stood just behind the near human, pointing a blaster at her. Mara’s left leg straightened, sweeping the human off balance. Her blue blade followed around as the Duros fired. Mara deflected the shot, leapt backward into the Shadow, and then shut the hatch.

Clanging noises reverberated from the outside. She dropped into her seat, secured herself, and signaled the docking cables to release.

They didn’t, of course.

“If that’s the way you want it,” she muttered. She brought up the repulsors and hit the transmitter. “Docking authority,” she said crisply, “this is Jade Shadow in 16-F. If you don’t want your slip torn apart, I’d release the cables.”

Someone babbled at her. By then, her engine lights had turned green. Keeping one hand on the braking lever, she twitched her throttle rods once, twice, in warning.

Then she cut the brake and roared out of dock, trailing the cables and a good-sized chunk of the dock’s exterior bulkhead. Metal banged against her port-side hull, and she winced at every crash and crunch. Her external sensors confirmed electromagnetic locks on each of the three trailing cables. She couldn’t do much to those.

Besides, an X-wing streaked skyward like a shining dart. “Anakin,” she exclaimed, “I’m coming at you. Got some unwanted debris along my port side.”

“I see it,” her nephew’s voice came. “Put your shields up, and I’ll—”

“Shields are already up.” She steered away from Bburru, into open space. “At minimum extension.