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“Yes, of course.”

“Thanks. Tell the Grand Admiral we’re going to see what’s going on with Alpha. As soon as we know something, we’ll report back directly to him.”

“Yes, sir. Captain Solo?”

“Yes?”

“If Alpha is fighting without backup, things may be pretty hot there. May I send an escort with you? I could spare a few TIE defenders.”

“I don’t—”

“Han,” Leia said. “He’s right. And if we get stuck, one of the TIEs might be able to slip out with a report.”

Han nodded reluctantly. “As long as they don’t get in my way,” he said. He opened the channel. “Thanks—the help is appreciated.”

“It’s easily given. I’ve been following your career since I was five years old, sir.”

“Well, let’s hope there’s plenty more for you to follow,” Han replied.

“I’ll see to it,” Devis said.

A few moments later, three TIE defenders came streaking their way.

“Hi, fellows,” Han told them. “I’m sending jump coordinates. Try to keep up with us.”

“We’ll do our best, sir,” the flight leader replied.

Han wrinkled his brow. “Devis?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Since when does the captain of an interdictor trade down for a starfighter?”

“Since interdiction duty is boring, sir. I’ll sort it out with the Grand Admiral later. Easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission, as they say.”

“Okay,” Han said. “Looks like the interdiction field is down. Let’s go do this.”

TWENTY

A shock ran through Nen Yim as she stepped onto the leaf-littered soil of Zonama Sekot. It went from her toes to the tips of her tendril headdress and left her gaping. She remembered the first time she had set foot on a real planet of stone and soil and biosphere—it had been the moon of Yavin 4, just before her elevation to adept. She had been filled with wonder, fascination, and trepidation. To appearances, Zonama Sekot was not much different from Yavin—vegetation towered in a high canopy above her, and strange sounds of insects and animals created a steady drone. And yet—yet it was different. Yavin 4 had been utterly alien to everything she had ever known, and even Yuuzhan’tar, now bioformed with plants and animals from the lost homeworld, felt wrong.

But this place felt right, as even the worldship she had grown up on never had. It was as if a piece of her had been cut off and, until it was replaced, she hadn’t even known to miss it.

She realized her mouth was open and closed it. She glanced at her companions, all of whom had come out of the ruined Sekotan ship by now. Harrar and the Prophet looked stunned, as she must. The two Jeedai looked curious, but the planet clearly hadn’t had the impact on them that it had on her. Of course, she found human faces difficult to read, despite their similarity in structure.

She tried to shake the feeling off so she could observe objectively. Could there be some sort of pollen in the air, some microbe that affected Yuuzhan Vong but not humans?

Possibly. Something that lulled the thinking mind and created feelings of belonging. Such drugs had been used on the worldships in the deeps of space to keep the population from going mad in the long dark.

“I must begin immediately,” she said.

“This is the place,” the Prophet asserted. Oddly enough, he sounded surprised. Harrar said nothing, but the look he shot the Prophet could only have been described as respect.

Suddenly annoyed, Nen Yim went back into the ship to get some of her tools. After a moment, she realized Yu’shaa was following her.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“I would like to assist you.”

“I need no assistance from—” She didn’t finish.

The Prophet pulled himself up before her. “A Shamed One?” he said. “Come, Nen Yim. You are a thinker, and, I think, a heretic of a sort. Can’t you see past my disfigurements and understand that you and I are here for the same purpose?”

A hot, unfamiliar feeling passed through her, and her tendrils twitched in consternation.

“Very well,” she said. “This ship is no longer suitable to function as a laboratory. I wish to move my apparati outside and contrive some sort of shelter. You may help with that, if you wish.”

“You