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She was once again convinced that she had not befriended Jacen, Jaina, and their associates. She was merely using them to get to Han Solo.

Well, perhaps she had slipped a bit and begun to think that their silly belief in the Force might actually give them some advantage, some power that she didn't possess. But the sentiment had been short-lived.

Everything seemed so much clearer to her now. She was completely self-sufficient. Anja Gallandro needed nothing and no one except Anja Gallandro. She had her wits, her intuition, her reflexes. And that made her every bit as good as a Jedi Knight.

As these comforting thoughts filled her mind, a heavy knock sounded on the door to her quarters. She hurriedly swept all of her private belongings off the sleeping pad and back into the satchel from which they had come hours earlier, including the empty spice vial. She stepped to the refresher unit and stuffed the satchel into a corner before answering the knock.

She waved her hand over the OPEN switch, and the door slid aside with a hiss. Lowbacca, Tenel Ka, and Em Teedee practically fell into the room.

Em Teedee's casing had been badly scratched, Tenel Ka's arm seeped blood from several deep wounds, and Lowie's ginger fur stuck out wildly in all directions.

Startling as it was to see them in this bedraggled condition, Anja was determined not to lose her composure again. She raised her eyebrows and tried for some humor. "I see you've come to appreciate my opinion of Ugnaughts."

"You were right not to come with us," Tenel Ka said in a weak voice.

Her eyelids drooped, and Anja could now see that the Wookiee was supporting most of the warrior girl's weight. Blood dripped from Tenel Ka's wounds to the floor.

"It was a trap," Em Teedee cried. "Curse my foolish circuits, I should have seen it earlier."

Lowie growled. "Oh, yes!" Em Teedee translated. "And Mistress Tenel Ka requires immediate medical assistance-immediate!"

"Trap," Tenel Ka echoed. Her face was pale, her breathing ragged.

Lowie picked up the warrior girl and gently deposited her on the sleeping pallet.

Anja pushed a button on the comm unit beside the door. "Emergency medical team to room 0914."

"Request acknowledged," a droid voice replied. "Estimated arrival: two point four minutes."

Anja nodded and turned back toward the two Jedi. "So where's Jacen?" she asked. "Torturing the Ugnaughts by telling them jokes?"

Lowie leaned back against the wall and crooned a strange note that Anja had never before heard from a Wookiee. Tenel Ka did not reply, but tears appeared from beneath,her eyelids. Anja guessed that her pain must be terrible, because she had never seen the warrior girl betray any emotion whatsoever.

The Wookiee crooning grew louder. The miniaturized translating droid spoke in an oddly hushed voice. "If Master Lowbacca were capable of making any reply, he would regretfully inform you that Master Jacen... is dead." With that, the little droid fell silent and hovered fretfully between the Wookiee and the warrior girl, as if trying to comfort them.

Ridiculous! Anja thought. Jacen could not be dead. She had seen him only a few hours ago. This had to be somebody's idea of a joke.

But Lowie's eerie crooning and Tenel Ka's tears convinced her that something terrible had indeed occurred-more surely than any words could have.

In subdued tones, the translating droid explained what had taken place.

Anja was not prepared for the storm of conflicting emotions that swept through her. Anger, guilt, hopelessness, loss, despair. Jacen had not deserved to die. He had befriended Anja, amused her, taught her, defended her, learned from her, saved her life. He had been there for Anja. That's what friends are for, he had said.

But she had not been there for him.

An even worse thought now occur-red to her: she might actually have caused Jacen's death... just as she had always told Czethros she would do someday, given the chance. It had been a lie. She hadn't meant to.

Not really.

But Anja herself had told Czethros of the young Jedi Knights' arrival on