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Gavin had looked down at his father. “What do you mean?”

“Us Darklighters have a point in our lives when we look outside ourselves. We look outside our lives. Some of us, like my father, never do it until the end, and then they regret all the things they didn’t do. Your uncle Huff looked outside once upon a time and chose to ignore what he saw. That’s why he’s become a food magnate here. By building up his little empire here he’s too busy to see what’s out there.”

Gavin could once again feel his father’s rough hand on the back of his neck. “Your cousin, Biggs, had the look at your age. He was determined to go to the Academy and become a hero with his name written big in the stars. He succeeded, better than he ever imagined, I suspect, though I’d have settled for a bit less success and a bit more life for him. And now you, Gavin, my eldest, you have the look.”

“There’s something out there for me, Father.” Gavin had shrugged. “Maybe I’m dreaming, but it feels like my destiny is out there.”

“There’s only one way for you to find out.”

His father’s reply had surprised him. “Do you mean you would let me go off and join the Rebellion?”

The elder Darklighter sighed heavily. “I couldn’t stop you any more than Huff could stop Biggs, but Huff tried. When he saw he couldn’t win, he secured Biggs an appointment to the Academy—that way he was in control of his son’s fate. Biggs went, of course, because that’s what he had to do, but he resented his father’s meddling. There was a rift there, and that eats at Huff every day of his life.

“Well, I’m not going to stand in your way. You’re welcome back here whenever you want to come, and no matter what you do, or don’t do, or run from, you’ll always be welcome here. You’re a Darklighter. Going out there is what you must do, so go with my fondest wishes that the Force will keep you safe and whole.”

Gavin had smiled and continued to stare out into the distance. “I feel as if the whole universe is opening up to me, and that all I have to do is step forward and I can make a difference. The feeling is powerful and exhilarating. Is that how you felt when you looked, Father?”

“I never looked until now, Gavin. I was always too afraid, and what I see now is a lot of pain and hurt.” He smiled up at his son. “And regret I won’t be out there with you. Whatever you do, remember who you are, what you are. A Darklighter’s destiny is waiting for you out there. This Rebellion, it’s been without a Darklighter for too long. It’s time that problem was solved.”

So now I’m with the Rebellion, on a dangerous mission to find the weaknesses of a fortress planet. Whose vision was more accurate, Father, mine of destiny, or yours of pain and regret? He shook his head. At least back there with you I have a safe haven. This mission is part of seeing to it that everyone has a safe haven and the freedom to discover their own destiny. I think you’d probably tell me that with a Darklighter involved, we’ll succeed. I hope you’re right.

Shiel’s hand landed heavily on Gavin’s shoulder. “Time to move, Gavin.”

“I don’t know any Gavin, Shaalir.” Gavin stuffed his clothes into his satchel, tucked the blaster into his belt, and pocketed the identification cards and money. “The name’s Vin Leiger and I’m here to find out what makes this world spin, and then find a way to make it stop.”

17

Wedge Antilles realized that the mission he and Pash Cracken had been given was the most difficult of all to complete. He suspected the other members of Rogue Squadron had been assigned tasks like mapping out power grids or locating shield generation stations. Pinpointing those locations would be vital if any invasion was to succeed, but that data would be useless unless he and Pash succeeded and came away with a positive report.

They had been charged with the duty of assessing the loyalty of the populace on the planet. Iella Wessiri had been able to provide them with her impressions of the general mood of the world’s population, but she freely acknowledged she was more pessimistic than