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“No apologies,” Corran said. “It was still a good bet. This, on the other hand …”

“But aren’t they our friends now?” Tahiri asked.

Corran snorted. “Friends? No. Allies, yes.” He pushed the engines and went into a series of extemporaneous maneuvers as salvos of coherent green light flashed around them.

“Either way, should they be firing at us?”

“No, and maybe they wouldn’t be if we weren’t in something much more like a Yuuzhan Vong ship than anything else they’ve seen. Or if we could hail them and tell them who we are, but I don’t see a comm in this thing, unless our shaper friend has hidden it like she did the rest of the controls. As it is, we’d better put a little distance between us and that thing.”

“What’s it doing way out here?”

“I’m not even sure where ‘here’ is,” Corran grumbled, “but I’ve got a good idea why they’re here.”

“Why?”

“Can’t say. Top secret.”

Kenth might have told me a bit more about the war plans. I should have figured the push would be in this sector. Bilbringi, maybe? That Interdictor must be part of the Imperial force. But why is it alone? Watching the back door?

Didn’t matter. They couldn’t talk to it and they sure couldn’t fight it, so their only choice was to run like crazy.

“What is wrong?” Nen Yim appeared from aft.

“We’ve just been yanked out of hyperspace by the Imperials.” Such a familiar thing to say, he reflected. Almost comfortable.

What a ridiculous thought. Was he actually nostalgic for the war against the Empire?

“The Imperials?” Nen Yim said. “I’m no tactician, but aren’t they—ah. They think this is a Yuuzhan Vong ship.”

“The lady takes the hand,” Corran said. A laser seared along the vessel’s side, and he fought for control.

“Jump to hyperspace,” Nen Yim said. “I see no nearby planets.”

“I can’t. It’s an interdictor—it’ll pull us right out again and probably fry the engines as well.”

“Not necessarily,” Nen Yim said.

“No, interdictors work just fine on Yuuzhan Vong hyperdrives. It’s simple physics.”

“Yes, but—” She suddenly stopped.

“What?” Corran shouted back over his shoulder. “I seem to remember you were going to jump from the bottom of a gravity well. But if you’ve got something, let me know.”

“You must give me your promise of secrecy,” the shaper said, her spooky hair doing particularly spooky things.

“I can’t do that.” Corran sighed. “Not if you’ve got something that can be used against us.”

“I certainly cannot divulge war secrets to you without your vow of secrecy,” Nen Yim said.

“Why not? Aren’t we trying to end this war? Isn’t that what this mission is about?”

The ship shuddered and bucked as laser fire hammered its hull.

“The war isn’t over yet,” the shaper reminded him.

“Master Yim,” Harrar interjected. “If we die, and our mission fails—”

“What mission?” Nen Yim snapped. “He won’t take us to Zonama Sekot. He’s taking us to Mon Calamari, probably to be imprisoned. I would rather die here, especially if it prevents placing yet another weapon against us in their hands.”

“We are going to Zonama Sekot,” Corran shouted. “We’re on our way there right now. But it’s going to be a mighty short trip if something doesn’t change soon.”

Nen Yim’s brows lowered dangerously. “Is this true?”

Harrar gripped the shaper’s arm. “I do not fear death any more than you do, Nen Yim. But if you would see this planet—”

“It is untested,” she said. “A variant of a shaping one of my apprentices developed. I created it to use against any Yuuzhan Vong ships that might follow us, but now I see it might be used against one of your interdictors.”

“Well, let’s find out!” Corran said. “Because in about ten seconds …”

Nen Yim nodded and slipped on her cognition hood.

A moment later Corran felt something pass through the ship and then—release.

“What did we just do?”

Nen Yim actually smiled. “If this works, the artificial gravitic anomaly should vanish in a moment. I suggest when the moment arrives, you take us into hyperspace.”

“Tahiri, lay in a microjump,” Corran said.

The young woman nodded and bent to the task.

A laser tore through