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“They’re gaining.”

“As soon as we’re out of the interdictor’s mass shadow, I’m going to lightspeed.”

Jacen considered. “They’ll catch us before that. I’m going down.”

“Jacen—”

He left his father’s protest behind him.

C-3PO was just returning to the safe, enclosed ship when the acceleration slapped him against the side of the waste chute. The last missile, which he had been pushing ahead of him back into the ship, suddenly tripled its weight and, as the vector of the force changed, went hurtling out into open space. It banged against C-3PO as it went by, and with a soundless cry of terror he realized he was going to follow it. Clawing desperately, he managed a handhold on the lock mechanism, but his golden legs dangled out into open space. Looking between them, he saw the stars churn around his feet.

“Artoo!” he broadcast frantically.

His digits were slipping.

Well, he thought to himself. This hasn’t turned out to be a good day at all. If only I had stayed on Coruscant with Master Luke.

EIGHT

Mara had slipped into unconsciousness by the time the island’s MD-10 medical droid had been activated. Luke gripped her hand as she lay on the grass near their table. Around them the cool air was fragrant with night perfumes and the gentle music of insects. Kenth Hamner stood by, restless but silent.

Luke summoned Master Yoda’s voice. A Jedi knows not fear.

It helped, a little, but the fear didn’t lurk far under the skin. He couldn’t lose Mara, not now. Not ever.

He tried to push that away, as well. There was danger in thoughts like that. And yet the harder he tried, the more difficult it was, and all of his Jedi training seemed suddenly pale before the force of unfamiliar emotions.

Hang in there, Mara. I love you.

He felt her stir. She was in pain, but the Force told him she was still strong. And yet beneath that vitality was the undeniable feeling of wrongness. Not like when she had been so terribly ill with her Yuuzhan Vong–created disease, exactly. Could the organism have mutated again? Had her long, hopeful remission ended?

He watched, taut, as the medical droid dispassionately checked her vitals, using sensors to probe into his wife’s body.

In the midst of it, her eyes fluttered open again, and he saw his own helpless fear reflected there.

“It’s okay,” he said. “It’ll be okay. What happened?”

“It’s the baby,” she said. “It’s our baby. Luke, I can’t—”

“And you won’t,” he promised firmly. “It’s going to be fine.”

The MD droid reached a diagnosis a moment later.

“Toxic shock reaction in the placenta,” it burred. “Indicates four cc’s of cardinex.”

“Do it,” Luke commanded.

He watched as the hypo delivered the dosage. Within seconds, Mara’s breathing calmed and her color began to return.

“What caused it?” Luke demanded of the droid.

“Unknown chemical agent.”

“Poison?”

“Negative. Placental reaction unusual. The substance is not otherwise toxic. Substance is complex saline compound, partial analysis …” It listed a sequence of chemicals.

“Vergere’s tears,” Mara said softly. She tried to sit up.

“Just hang on. Stay down for a minute.”

“I’m feeling better. Let me up, Skywalker.”

“Tears?” Kenth Hamner said, confused.

“The Yuuzhan Vong infected me with some sort of biotic weapon,” Mara explained. “It tried pretty hard to kill me. It would have, too, except that that creature with the Yuuzhan Vong assassin—”

“The one who pretended to defect?”

“Elan. Yes. She had a sort of pet or familiar who gave Han a vial of her tears—or at least that’s what she said they were. She told him I should take them, and it felt right to me, so I did. My disease went into remission.”

Hamner’s long face looked thoughtful. “And you think the tears caused what just happened to you?”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Luke protested.

“I ran out of the tears a few months ago,” Mara said. “I’ve been taking a synthesized version. Luke, it’s killing our son.”

“You can’t know that,” Luke said. “The MD droid isn’t equipped to do the kind of analysis that would