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LATER ON, AS the night hung dark around them, Jacen looked up into a sky bristling with sharp pinpoints of stars. The broad band of the galaxy's midsection stretched overhead like a pearly river.

He felt the weight of thousands of years of unchronicled history seeping out of Kuar's ruins, ancient mysteries trying to tell their stories. At their isolated encampment, the tiny crackling fire did little more than emphasize the deep blackness of space lurking overhead.

Jacen could barely even see the blocky outlines of the crumbling buildings in the rains below. Just last night, camping out had seemed fun, despite the adventures that had shown the young Jedi Knights all too dearly what dangers lurked inside the abandoned structures.

Tonight, however, an ominous feeling hung in the air.

Lowbacca sat alone, quietly moaning to himself as he touched the graft bandage that covered the wound on his ribs. But Jacen knew the Wookiee's greater pain came from the deep sadness of losing Raaba again. She had disappeared, taken off in her ship--just as she had done before... At least this time Lowie didn't believe that the young Wookiee woman had been devoured by a carnivorous syren plant.

Raaba was alive but she was still gone.

Before going to bed, Lowie had told Jacen that Raaba had promised to find him again... someday. Jacen hoped it would be soon. He felt the deep pain and grief emanating from his Wookiee friend.

Despite the companions' invitation, Tyko Thul had insisted on sleeping inside his own ship. As he left the others, he was clearly in high spirits. He was delighted to have found some inkling of Bornan Thul though why Raynar's father had come to this isolated place to meet with some scavenger, he could not understand...

Tenel Ka had quickly fallen asleep, using her warrior skills to snatch a moment of rest, storing her energy for whenever she might need it. Jacen could tell by the placement of her supple body, the ever-present tenseness in her limbs, and the rippling muscles beneath her smooth skin that the warrior girl was staying on the edge of full alertness. With only a moment's warning, Tenel Ka would be wide awake again and ready for battle.

Jaina sat next to her twin brother. They both remained silent, comfortable with each other. The glow of the fading campfire splashed around them. Jaina tucked a strand of straight brown hair behind her ear and blew out a long sigh.

Jacen looked into the sky, watching a brief but intense shower of shooting stars.

"Look at that he said,' pointing. "It's a meteor storm."

Jaina nodded. "That happens when a planet's orbit crosses the path of an old comet. The leftover debris burns up in the atmosphere, making all those shooting stars." But then she stiffened, squinting as she stared upward. "Wait! Those aren't shooting stars."

The blazing meteors fell in a perfectly choreographed sequence of parabolic arcs, growing brighter, streaking down across the sky as if under some sort of propulsion system. They left glowing trails in their high-speed descent; sharp deceleration through the atmosphere caused their hulls to glow bright red.

"Those are ships coming in for a landing!"

As soon as Jaina raised her voice to say the words, Tenel Ka snapped out of her slumber. She sprang up from the ground, instinctively landing in her fighting stance.

The brilliant, uninvited ships screamed overhead with shock waves of sonic booms so loud they nearly deafened Jacen.

Jaina covered her ears. Lowie roared in frustration. Jacen wondered if perhaps the ships might be Raabakyysh returning with her friends. These vessels were sleek war-craft, though, heavily armed.

The pilots appeared to be in attack formation and did not seem interested in making any compromises.

Uncle Tyko scuttled out of his brass-colored ship, shaking his head and blinking his bleary eyes. "What is it? Who is it?" he spluttered, looking up into the sky as the dazzling ships whirled about in long thundering arcs and came around for a second pass. The warcraft