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According to the bounty hunter's code of ethics, Zekk was now free to capture the man and bring him in for the reward. Zekk's conscience and his personal sense of ethics, however, would not allow it.

It seemed so unfair to Zekk that the code of honor in his chosen profession would force him to make one decision while his newly regained personal honor dictated a completely different course. And then there was his friendship with Jaina, her brother Jacen, and--though he hated to admit it--even Raynar. He could not betray them.

Zekk eased back in his pilot's seat. The dingy cockpit was familiar and felt like home. He liked being alone and self-sufficient, with no one to remember his past. He let his thoughts wander, thinking of Jaina Solo, especially the last time they had said goodbye when he'd left Mechis III.

Jaina wanted badly for him to come back to the Jedi academy, and deep in his heart Zekk wanted the same thing--but he still bore the tremendous guilt of having led the Dark Jedi of the Second Imperium in their attack on Luke Skywalker's Jedi training center. Zekk had been the darkest knight at the Shadow Academy, and he took personal responsibility for all of the death and destruction.

Honor and friendship, Zekk mused. He had given up both when he'd fought for the Shadow Academy. He shook his head.

Never again.

Despite Master Luke Skywalker's assurances, Zekk couldn't just walk back in and believe he would be welcomed without reservations. He had to rebuild his confidence first, to decide in his own mind that he truly wanted to be a Jedi Knight after all. And that he was worthy of trust and friendship.

Still, it would be very nice to be back with Jaina... and with Jacen, of course.

Just then one of his numerous sensors triggered an alarm that brought him to full awareness.

Thrusting aside all thoughts of Jaina and Yavin 4, he focused his attention down to a laser-sharp point, quickly scanned the control panels, and flicked on the corem system.

The intercepted transmissions were doused with static, warbling and fading as if snatched from a vast distance. The power levels in one of the ships seemed to be rapidly fading. It was a distress signal, but encoded. Why would anyone encrypt a distress signal?

Then he recognized the code--he could not translate it, but he recognized its origin from when he had sent similar signals in the name of Bornan Thul. That was the special encryption used by the Bornaryn fleet!

Zekk knew the identity of the sender even without translating the words.

Who else would send a distress beacon directly to the Bornaryn fleet but the man Zekk had seen in disguise on Borgo Prime?

The answer was obvious: "Master Wary," who had hired him to go save his brother Tyko.

Now it seemed Bornan Thul was in need of rescue himself.

The second transmission was a gruff warning.

"This is Dengar. I claim bounty hunter's right. Bornan Thul is my quarry.

I will tolerate no interference."

Previously, Zekk had led Dengar on a merry chase by sending his tracker buoy high out of the galaxy in a fast message pod. The sallow-faced, bandaged human should have gone on a long and fruitless pursuit to nowhere... but Dengar apparently hadn't been fooled for long. The cyberuetically enhanced bounty hunter thought fast, reacted fast, and proved entirely relentless on the hunt..

He had already found Bornan Thul.

Zekk didn't bother to ponder the bounty hunter's threat.

Instead, he punched in coordinates after tracing the sigual to its source, powered up his engines, and launched the Lightning Rod on a brief hyperspace jump. His instincts had brought him close to Bornan Thul, but not close enough.

Dengar, with his cadaverous face and sunken eyes, had fired upon Zekk without warning on the abandoned ice planet of Ziost. And again, he had destroyed everything in sight on Mechis III--emotionless, relentless, blasting anything in his way.

Zekk's lips formed a thin, cold smile. Dengar needed to be taught a lesson, all right--and he was just the one to