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Though normally reluctant to use his Jedi senses, Zekk let the Force tingle through him. It made him self-conscious to use the Force, here in the presence of the Jedi Master, but Zekk knew he was doing the right thing.

The Lightning Rod, its laser cannons powered up to full charge, swooped to the rescue.

"Jaina is sure going to be surprised," he said.

The glaring sun and bright blaster fire had nearly blinded Jaina. She could hardly see anything other than her own lightsaber. Her arms were so weary she could barely raise them, but she sidestepped, deflected, struck. She could not allow herself to slow down. Hovrak had only two henchmen left. She and Raynat still had a chance, though it was a slim one.

Jaina took little note of any sound beyond the exploding blasters, the hum of her lightsaber, and the snarl of the Adjutant Advisor. The roaring that built louder and louder in the air simply did not register.

She continued to fight, trying not to think ahead... though she did feel an unexpected surge of hope through the Force.

"It's a ship! There's a ship coming!" Raynar exclaimed.

Hovrak and his two guards looked up just in time to see the Lightning Rod streak toward the cliff opening. With pinpoint accuracy, the ship fired.

Both guards were blasted off the rockface in the surprise attack. Hovrak stumbled back, flailing in the air. A section of the cliff wall melted behind him. Jaina and Raynar pressed themselves back into the crevice as cherry-red rocks fell smoking and steaming down into the chasm below.

Hovrak managed to throw himself against an outcropping and hold on, roaring in outrage through his cracked helmet.

As the ship hovered in front of the embattled alcove, the cargo door of the Lightning Rod hissed open. Zekk grinned. "I thought it was supposed to be your turn to rescue me this time, Jaina. Need a lift?"

Luke Skywlker sat in the pilot's seat. "Jaina! Raynar! Jump in."

Lusa raced to the cargo bay and held out her hands. Jaina pushed Raynar up onto the unsteady ramp; the young man winced as he touched the hot metal, but he hauled himself aboard.

Jostled by wind currents, the Lightning Rod hovered near the cliff above the blasted chasm.

"Your turn, Jaina!" Zekk said, helping Raynar inside. "We're just about ready!" He gestured to Master Skywalker at the pilot's controls.

Seeing Raynar safe, Jaina clipped her lightsaber to her side. Then she jumped. Once on the ramp, she fell to her knees and pulled herself along.

"I'm on," she shouted.

Back in the cockpit, Zekk and Master Sky-walker began to move the Lightning Rod. But at the last second, Hovrak bunched his muscles and leaped across the widening gap. With one silver-gloved hand he grabbed the piston support of the Lightning Rod's ramp; with his other, he clutched Jaina's foot. ''You can't escape!" he roared.

"Yes we will," Jaina said, struggling against him.

Lusa leaned over, extending her arms to Jaina.

Hovrak glanced up, his wolf eyes slitted. "Lusa!

Another traitor!"

"No. I'm no longer deluded," Lusa said. "That doesn't make me a traitor--it just makes me a bit smarter than you."

Hovrak strained to haul himself aboard the ship as it soared higher into the air... though what the wolfman intended to do, Jaina couldn't guess.

She thrashed and kicked at him, but he would not let go of her foot.

Her skin burned. Her hands were raw from where blisters had popped open.

Luke took the Lightning Rod high into the air, away from the rocky uplift, out into the hotter skies of Ryloth.

"You'd better get inside!" Zekk called back to Jaina. The wind howled through the opening, rippling their clothes. "Stop playing around back there."

"Who's playing?." Jaina said, kicking once again at Hovrak. Her foot struck his helmet, cracking the transparisteel plate all the way open.

The Adjutant Advisor clung tenaciously to her leg. He held on wth both hands, more intent on dragging her down with him than in getting to relative safety aboard the ship.

Jaina's knees slipped on the metal ramp. She scrambled for purchase, but Hovrak's weight dragged her back