Lost Tribe of the Sith#3 PARAGON - Star Wars Universe

L o s t T r i b e o f t h e S i t h 3

P A R A G O N

mill_9780345519405_1p_all_r1qxp8p insert template 12109 35

DL

BALLANTINE BOOKS bull NEW YORK


P A R A G O N

JOHN JACKSON MILLER


Star Wars Lost Tribe of the Sith 3 Paragon is a work of fictionNames places and incidents either are products of the authorrsquos imag-ination or are used fictitiously

2010 Del Rey eBook Edition

Copyright copy 2010 by Lucasfilm Ltd amp reg or trade where indicated AllRights Reserved Used Under Authorization

Excerpt from Star Warsreg Fate of the Jedi Backlash copyright copy2010 by Lucasfilm Ltd amp reg or trade where indicated All RightsReserved Used Under Authorization

Published in the United States by Del Rey an imprint of The RandomHouse Publishing Group a division of Random House Inc NewYork

DEL REY is a registered trademark and the Del Rey colophon is atrademark of Random House Inc

This book contains an excerpt from the forthcoming book StarWarsreg Fate of the Jedi Backlash by Aaron Allston This excerpt hasbeen set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content ofthe forthcoming edition

ISBN 978-0-345-51940-5

Printed in the United States of America

wwwstarwarscomwwwdelreybookscom


4985 BBY

The water was as warm as it was every day streamingfrom the marble slot high on the wall down onto Seelahrsquosbody There had been no refresher no modern conve-niences for the Sith stranded on Kesh for fifteen standardyears But they had learned to live with what they had

The glistening droplets of meltwater clinging to herbrown skin had come from a glacier half a continentaway Keshiri uvak-fliers their beasts laden with mas-sive kegs had ferried the water from that faraway placeto the Sithrsquos mountain retreat Rooftop attendants heat-ed the water to her exact specifications channeling itthrough a system thoroughly cleansed daily for mildewand other pollutants

Below Seelah meticulously raked at her wrist withpumice brought from the foot of the Sessal Spire kilome-ters away Keshiri artists had crafted the stones into pleas-ing shapes for her The natives were more interested inappearance than functionmdashbut in this they had an allySeelah looked with her usual disdain at the stall con-structed for her personal use by her Sith brethren imme-diately after shersquod moved into Commander Korsinrsquoschambers The place was more a temple than a home

Chapter One


John Jackson Mi l le r2

Well she couldnrsquot have everything Not hereFifteen years Thatrsquos what it was by the Keshiri cal-

endar toomdashalthough who could trust that She steppeddripping from the shower wondering where the timehad gone Not to her body she saw in the colossal mir-rormdashworking glass was another thing the Keshiri weregood at Twice a mother and living on food suited forfarm animals back home and yet Seelah looked as fitas she ever had It had taken work But time was onething shersquod had

ldquoI know yoursquore here Tildenrdquo Seelah said TildenKaah her Keshiri attendant always stayed out of sightfrom the mirror never remembering she could sensehim through the Force Now he stood by the doorwayaverting his large opal eyes and presenting a robe in hisshaking hands

Fifteen years hasnrsquot changed him either Seelah thoughtwith a silent chortle as she snatched the robe But whyshouldnrsquot he look All that drab purple skinmdashto call itlavender was flattery And white hairmdashthe color of ageand uselessness If Keshiri had found other Keshiri beau-tiful before it was only because they hadnrsquot yet seen theSith

And besides it was Tildenrsquos job to worship her Oneof the younger high priests of the Keshiri faithmdashwhichrecognized Seelah and her fellow Sith as ancient deitiesfrom the heavensmdashTilden lived to follow her every-where She rather enjoyed torturing him like this in themornings She was the sacrilege that started his day

ldquoYour son is hunting with the riders until tonightrdquohe said ldquoYour daughter is in Tahv with the educatorsyour people sentrdquo

ldquoFine finerdquo she said discarding the gown hersquod setout in favor of a brighter one ldquoGet to somethingimportantrdquo

ldquoMilady is expected in the ward this afternoon for


3Star Wars Lost Tribe of the Sith Paragon

the reviewingrdquo he said looking up from his parch-ment Finding her fully dressed and standing before thegreat window he smiled gently ldquoOtherwise you are atyour leisurerdquo

ldquoAnd the Grand LordrdquoldquoHis Eminence our savior from above has begun his

meetings with his advisers The usual people born onhigh like milady His giant friend is there toordquo Helooked down at his notes ldquoOh and the crimson manhas asked for an audiencerdquo

ldquoCrimson manrdquo Seelahrsquos gaze remained on thefoaming ocean far below ldquoRavilanrdquo

ldquoYes miladyrdquoldquoThen I should gordquo Seelah stretched mightily before

turning abruptly to search for her shoes Tilden hadthem They were the only articles of clothing rescuedfrom the crash of Omen that she continued to use TheKeshiri still hadnrsquot figured out decent footwear

ldquoImdashI didnrsquot mean to turn this into a working day soearlyrdquo Tilden stammered fastening her shoes ldquoForgiveme Were you finished bathing I could have the min-ders recycle the waterrdquo

ldquoRelax TildenmdashI want to go outrdquo she said pinningback her dark hair with a sculpted bone clip a giftfrom some local noble she couldnrsquot remember Shepaused in the polished doorway ldquoBut have the teamstep up the water deliveriesmdashand have them bring it infrom the far side of the mountain range Itrsquos better forthe skin from over thererdquo

Seelah yawned It wasnrsquot even high sun and the dailypantomime was already well under way CommanderYaru Korsin the Keshirirsquos savior from above sat in hisold bridge chair listening just as he used to on the com-mand deck of Omen But now the shattered wreck of thevessel lay behind him sheltered in a part of the sturdy



structure not used for habitation and his battered chairwas incongruously plopped in the middle of a marbledcolonnade stretching out hundreds of meters Herehigh in the open air of the Takara Mountainsmdashrecent-ly renamed for his precious mother wherever in blazesshe wasmdashKorsin held court

The architecture and location made for a good showfor the Keshiri townsfolk who occasionally flew uphere That was according to design But it was also bigenough to accommodate every foolish supplicant thatKorsin wanted to cram into his day Seelah saw Gloydthe gunner Korsinrsquos ldquogiant friendrdquo at the front of theline as usual

The lumpy-headed Houkrsquos jowls quaked as he pre-sented his latest crazed idea using one of the survivingboring lasers that still had a charge to fire signals intospace Boring seemed the right word to SeelahmdashandKorsin didnrsquot appear enthralled either How long mustGloyd have been prattling before she arrived

ldquoItrsquoll work this timerdquo Gloyd said mottled skinsweating ldquoAll wersquove got to do is get the attention of apassing freighter An observatory Anythingrdquo He wipedhis forehead Seelah never thought the genetic lotteryhad been kind to Houks to begin with But now itlooked as if age and sun were causing Gloydrsquos hide tomelt from his skull

ldquoThe intensity will dissipate to the inverse of thesquare of the distance from Keshrdquo came a human voicefrom behind Korsin Parrah Omenrsquos relief navigatorand now their main science adviser stepped forwardldquoItrsquod be just more cosmic background noise Didnrsquotthey teach you anything where you came fromrdquo

Probably not Seelah mused Gloyd had been a cast-away even before he joined the Omen crew Whileother outsiders avoided the Stygian Caldera Gloydrsquosteam of brigands had figured something truly amazing



must be there There was the Sith Empire Few ofGloydrsquos companions had survived the discovery But asgunner and foot soldier hersquod done combat with Jediplenty of times in his earlier life making him useful toNaga Sadow and later to Yaru Korsin

But lately Not so much ldquoI donrsquot think itrsquos going towork old friendrdquo Korsin said spying Seelah out of thecorner of his eye and winking ldquoAnd we just canrsquot runthe risk of burning out any more equipment You knowthe scorerdquo

They all did Even as they built their stone shelter forOmen in the months after the crash the crew hadsteadily brought out equipment Some of it they expect-ed to restore to life with a few fabricated parts the restwas immediately usable And used

That had been a mistake It turned out there wasnrsquotany metal to be found on Kesh The Sith had rippedand clawed at the surface expending most of their sur-viving munitions to no avail Above Kesh was pleasingto the eyemdashbut below it appeared to be little more thana dirtball Much equipment running on internal powersputtered and died Worse something in Keshrsquos electro-magnetic field was playing hob with everything fromradio waves to electrical generation The lightsabersstill workedmdashthank the Lignan crystals for thatmdashbutthe castaways intrepid as they were at cannibalizingwerenrsquot going to be able to reinvent everything Thetools simply werenrsquot here

ldquoI get thatrdquo Gloyd said seeming not so tall as beforeldquoYou know me Irsquom built for battle This peaceful par-adise is getting to memdashrdquo

ldquoI know something you can do battle withrdquo Seelahsaid her caftan shimmering as she stepped up and puther arm around Korsin ldquoI think I saw them preparinglunch back in the main hallrdquo Korsin smiled

Gloyd glared at the couple for a moment before let-



ting loose with a churning laugh ldquoWhat can I sayrdquo hesaid patting his paunch and turning ldquoThe lady knowsmerdquo

Korsin looked past the retreating hulk to see anotherfigure ldquoRavilan Whatrsquos your next grand plan to get usoff this rockrdquo

ldquoNothing along those linesrdquo Ravilan said The crim-son man of Tildenrsquos description stepped forward andregarded his leader civilly ldquoNot todayrdquo

ldquoReally Well wersquore all getting older The mind for-getsrdquo

ldquoNot this one Commanderrdquo Ravilan ran his fingeralong his right cheek tendrilmdashan expression of thought-fulness among the Red Sith It made Seelahrsquos skin crawlShe gripped Korsin tighter Onetime quartermaster forOmenrsquos complement of Massassi warriors Ravilan hadbeen left without a mission after his charges died duringtheir first days on Kesh Since then hersquod held a sequenceof odd jobs More importantly hersquod become the spokes-being for the Fifty-sevenmdashthe surviving crew memberswhose bloodlines to the red-skinned Sith species rantruestmdashand for those who like Gloyd were less interest-ed in living on Kesh than leaving it

But Ravilanrsquos lot had grown increasingly bleak Hispeople hadnrsquot numbered fifty-seven since their arrivalA dozen had fallen due to accident or professionalincompetencemdashand none of the children of Ravilanrsquospeople had lived a day Kesh had not been kind in equalmeasure to all its guests As motives for wanting toleave went his were fairly strong

But they did not bring him before Korsin todayapparently ldquoTherersquos something elserdquo Ravilan said eye-ing Seelah ldquoPeople in the service of your your wifehave been trying to document the ancestries of all ourcrew They have grown quite insistentrdquo he addedcocking an eyebrow-stalk



Feeling Seelahrsquos grip tighten further Korsin roseldquoYour people donrsquot have to worry about that RavHuman crew onlyrdquo

ldquoYes but many of us have at least some humanbloodrdquo Ravilan said walking along the colonnadewith Korsin The crowd parted Seelah walked gingerlybehind ldquoAnd many of your people have some of oursThe merger of the Dark Jedi line with that of my Sithforebears is an article of pride to mymdashto our peopleKorsin To have someone picking it apartmdashrdquo

Korsin continued walking enjoying the view of theocean strands of silver in his hair glistened in the sunSeelah stepped up her pace to get closer ldquoItrsquos still a for-eign planetrdquo Korsin said ldquoWe donrsquot know what killedyour Massassi when we landed We donrsquot know whatrsquosbeen happening tomdashwell you knowrdquo

ldquoI certainly dordquo Ravilan said looking out at theocean without seeming to see it His coloring had fadedto a somber maroon hue in his time on Kesh and hisearrings and other Sithly ornamentation only served tomake the man beneath look more drab ldquoThis is aworld driven by tragedy Korsin For all of us If yoursquodaccept one of my people in the cregraveche as midwife wemight be better able to understandmdashrdquo

ldquoNordquo Seelah said interposing herself between thetwo ldquoTheyrsquore not medical personnel Korsin In condi-tions like these wersquove got to have some controlsrdquo

Ravilan shrank back ldquoIt was not a slight SeelahYour staff have done quite well since our missionturned generational in nature The Sith thriverdquo Hisface wrinkled with age and worry softened ldquoIt shouldbe so for all of the Sithrdquo

Seelah looked urgently at Korsin who waved hishand dismissively Dismissing us both she wonderedldquoWersquoll talk about it laterrdquo Korsin said ldquoWas theresomething elserdquo



Ravilan paused ldquoYesmdashI will be in the south as yourequested visiting the towns of the Ragnos LakesrdquoSeelah knew the project The Keshiri had been harvest-ing some kind of fluorescent algae and Korsin hadassigned Ravilan to check it out for potential use inlighting the Sith structures ldquoThere are eight villages onvarious bodies of water all with different specimens toexaminerdquo

ldquoThatrsquos a lot of territoryrdquo Korsin said ldquoYou alonerdquoldquoAs you requestedrdquo Ravilan said ldquoI start in

Tetsubal farthest awayrdquo Seelah smiled It was just the sort of mindless job that

would drive the quartermaster to madnessldquoTake your whole retinuerdquo Korsin said slapping a

firm hand on Ravilanrsquos shoulder Korsin had grown nomore physically imposing during his exile but he stillwalked like a man Gloydrsquos size ldquoItrsquos importantmdashanditrsquoll go faster if you split up And you could all stand toget off this mountain for a few daysrdquo

He brought Ravilan closer and spoke into his sunkenear ldquoAnd lookmdashnext time Seelah would like you tocall me Grand Lordrdquo

ldquoThatrsquos just a name for the KeshirirdquoldquoAnd there are Keshiri here Itrsquos an order Rav Safe

flightrdquoSeelah watched as Ravilan limped off Hersquod lost an

argument with an uvak in their second year here It wasone of a series of lossesmdashand she wasnrsquot about to lethim win an argument now She took Korsin asideldquoDonrsquot you dare accept any of his people in my wardsrdquo

ldquoYoursquore pretty when yoursquore territorialrdquoldquoKorsinrdquoHe looked at her with piercing eyes ldquoYoursquore not liv-

ing on Rhelg anymore How long before you let go ofthe pastrdquo

Seelah let a smoldering look speak for hermdashbut



Korsin ignored it Spotting something behind her hegrinned and turned to address the waiting crowdldquoSorry to cut this short all of youmdashbut I see my lunchcompanion has arrivedrdquo

Seelah turnedAdari Vaal waited at the edge of the plaza


Chapter Two

The Sith Empire of Seelahrsquos youth was a nest of starsystems linked by common heritage ambition andgreed It was also in a sense a black hole from whichlittle escaped

The Stygian Calderarsquos limiting effects on hyperspacetravel were disproportionate making it far easier forunlucky outsiders to wander into Sith space than forthe Sith Lords to venture out Those who found theirway in seldom returned becoming slaves to oneprinceling or another The arrivals frequently changedhands over the generations forgetting their homescompletely They too were of the Sith now

Some Sith Lords such as Naga Sadow saw value inthe work of the descendants of the original Tapanirefugees Where their tentacle-faced masters with lin-eages back to the Sith species were more interested insorceries Seelahrsquos people excelled at science Whenallowed to practice they did forming the industrialand medical infrastructures for several Lords Someeven resolved problems of lightsaber-crystal fabricationand power generation that had eluded the Jedi of theRepublic Such feats were never heraldedmdashno SithLord would share a new weapon If failure was anorphan success for the Sith was a secret love child



The child Seelah had her own successes serving onRhelg with the rest of her family in the forces of LudoKressh Sadowrsquos greatest rival At thirteen Seelah wasalready a talented healer drawing both on the Forceand the medical knowledge of her forebears Devotionhad already borne fruit

ldquoWe are advancing in this movementrdquo her father hadsaid ldquoYou have done well and it has been rewardedGlory in the honor Seelahmdashit is the greatest that canbefall such as usrdquo

She had been charged with the care of Lord Kresshrsquosfeet

They were out all afternoon again the two of themTilden had told her that and Seelah had other confi-dants who provided regular reports Korsin and theKeshiri woman would stroll the pathways painstaking-ly carved out of the once treacherous mountainsidediscussingmdashwhat Not a blasted lot as far as she couldtell

Their walks dated from the beginning of Seelahrsquos ownrelationship with Korsin Back then there had been aneed The Vaal woman had discovered the Sith on themountain and had acted as intermediary with theKeshiri But as years progressed and the need for a sin-gle ambassador ebbed the walks continued rangingever farther away After the birth of Seelah and Korsinrsquosdaughter Nida the walks had become dailymdashincludingthe occasional uvak-flight

Seelah knew enough from her sources not to suspectinfidelitymdashas if she would caremdashbut the native womanhad taken steps to improve her plain appearance Shersquodrecently begun turning up in vorrsquoshandi face markingsa decoration unheard of for a Keshiri widow of anuvak-rider But eavesdroppers confirmed that the gen-erally mindless substance of their discussions hadnrsquot



changed Where does the sun go at night Korsin Is airpart of the Force Korsin Why are rocks not foodKorsin If she was a spy she was pretty useless at itmdashbut she did have command of a huge chunk of theGrand Lordrsquos time And more

ldquoShersquos really something isnrsquot sherdquo he had askedin an unguarded moment after Adari flew back to Tahvone evening

ldquoI think your standards for playthings have plum-metedrdquo Seelah had responded

ldquoAlong with my shiprdquoAnd my real husband she had not said Seelah

thought back on that moment now as she stood outsidethe ward Fifteen years with her beloved husbandrsquoshated brother Fifteen years with the man who hadprobably orphaned her son Let the old purple wraithhave him she thought The less seen of Yaru Korsinthe better

Korsinrsquos seduction of Seelah had not taken long at allonce shersquod convinced him hersquod be met with somethingother than a dagger It was an acceptable arrangementon both sides By winning her approval the comman-der had solidified his bonds with the restive miners hisship was carryingmdashand stripped away something thathad belonged to his hated sibling She even let himthink it was his idea though she bit her lip to ribbonsthat first year

For her part Seelah won power and influence in thenew ordermdashbenefits going far beyond convenientmorning ablutions Little Jariad would be raised in thebest lodgings wherever they weremdashfirst in the wallednative city of Tahv later in the mountain compound

And she had a job Administration of the Sith sickwards seemed like a worthless sinecure given the rudehealth of the Keshiri-pampered people Certainly noone else wanted the assignment not with a world to



conquer and an interstellar escape to engineer MostSith injured in disagreements never reached a healeranyway

But Seelah got to know more about the Sith whowere stranded on Kesh than anyone including theOmen officer originally responsible for keeping theranks She knew who was born and when and towhommdashand that was the balance of power The otherswerenrsquot even looking Their eyes were still on the skyon getting out Only Korsin seemed to understand thatthey might be settling into a permanent situationmdashthough he clearly worked to prevent anyone but Seelahfrom sensing it She didnrsquot understand why he had beenopen with her about it

Perhaps the wife of Yaru Korsin didnrsquot merit hopeNo matter She didnrsquot need it anyway She saw thefuturemdashhere in the assembly yard behind the ward asshe walked through on her periodic reviews Here theyouth of the Sith reported to see her Or rather to beseen

ldquoThis is Ebya Trsquodell daughter of the miner Nafjanand the bridge cadet Kanikardquo Seelahrsquos willowy aideOrlenda stood behind a stern-faced pink child andread from a parchment ldquoEight years old next month byour counting No ailmentsrdquo

Seelahrsquos hand closed in a V around the young girlrsquoschin Seelah looked left and right inspecting the childlike livestock ldquoHigh cheekbonesrdquo she said mashingher index finger against the younglingrsquos face The childdidnrsquot flinch ldquoI know your parents girl Are you asource of despair to themrdquo

ldquoNo Lady SeelahrdquoldquoThis is good And what is your dutyrdquoldquoTo be like you miladyrdquoldquoNot the answer I had in mind but I wonrsquot arguerdquo

Seelah said releasing the child and turning to Orlenda



her aide ldquoI donrsquot see any flaring of the skull but Irsquomconcerned about her coloringrdquo she said ldquoToo floridCheck the genealogy again She might yet have a fami-ly if we choose properlyrdquo

With a pat on the rear from Orlenda eight-year-oldEbya Trsquodell returned to play in the outer yard momen-tarily safe in the knowledge that her life might not be agenetic dead end

It was an important matter Seelah thought as shewatched the younglings duel with wooden staffs Everychild there had been born since the crash landing Apartfrom the infusion of youth to the Sith population itappeared that very little had changed Every color fromhumanityrsquos spectrum had been represented in the origi-nal Omen crew and that continued to be the caseNone of the casual pairings with Keshiri had producedany offspring whatsoevermdashSeelah thanked the darkside for thatmdashand of course there was the problemwith Ravilanrsquos people The number of relatively pure-blooded humans had been steadily increasing So hadthe purity of that blood

She had seen to thatmdashwith Korsinrsquos full approval Itwas sensible Kesh had killed the Massassi If it had notkilled humans yet then the Sith needed more humansAdapt or die Korsin had said

ldquoThere were several more younglings on the list forthis weekrdquo Orlenda said ldquoDid you want to see themtoday Seelahrdquo

ldquoIrsquom not in the mood Is there anything elserdquoOrlenda rolled up her parchment and shooed the

remaining children to the exercise yard ldquoWellrdquo shesaid ldquowersquoll need a new Keshiri bearer for the ward-roomrdquo

ldquoWhat happened to the last one Orlendardquo Seelahsmirked ldquoDid you finally kill him with your kindnessesrdquo

ldquoNo Hersquos deadrdquo



ldquoThe big one GosemrdquoldquoGoremrdquo Orlenda said with a sigh ldquoYes he died

last week Wersquod loaned him to Ravilanrsquos team breakingdown one of the decks of Omen looking for whateverit is they look for to use Gorem was well you remem-ber so strongmdashrdquo

ldquoGet to itrdquoldquoI guess hersquod been moving heavy plates and itrsquos hot

up there under that roof He keeled over right outsidethe shiprdquo Orlenda clicked her tongue

ldquoHmmrdquo Shersquod thought the Keshiri were made ofstronger stuff Still it was a good chance to rib her lustyfriend ldquoI imagine you wept at the funeral pyrerdquo

ldquoNo they tossed him over the cliffrdquo Orlenda saidstraightening her flaxen hair ldquoIt was that day with thehigh windsrdquo

Just before dusk Seelah found Korsin again on theplaza The Keshiri woman was gone and Korsin waslooking at himselfmdashor rather at a pretty bad replicaCrafters from Tahv had just delivered a four-meter-tallnot-very-likeness of their savior sculpted from an enor-mous slab of glass

ldquoItrsquos a first passrdquo Korsin said sensing her arrivalldquoClearlyrdquo Seelah thought it would befoul the killing

fields of Ashas Ree But her Keshiri aide thought it wasmarvelous At a minimum

ldquoItrsquos positively stupendous miladyrdquo Tilden saidldquoSomething truly worthy of the SkybornmdashI mean theProtectorsrdquo He corrected himself quickly in the pres-ence of the Grand Lord but still seemed to swallowhard at the new word so recently added to the religionof his birth

Ravilanrsquos cousin the cyborg Hestus had worked foryears with other linguists from the Omen to plumb theoral histories of the Keshiri Theyrsquod sought any hint



that anyone had ever happened bymdashanyone who mightreturn to Kesh again to provide them escape Theyhadnrsquot found much The Neshtovar the uvak-riderswho until recently had ruled the planet had layeredtheir religion of the Skyborn and the opposingOtherside over earlier tales of Protectors and DestructorsThe Destructors periodically returned to rain disasterupon Kesh the Protectors were destined to stop themonce and for all Korsin now at the focus of the Keshirifaith had claimed a moment of revelation and decreeda return to the old names

That like much else over the years had been Seelahrsquosidea The Neshtovar had considered themselves theSons of the Skyborn But no living Keshiri could claimkinship to the distant Protectors Whatever status anynative previously enjoyed was gone And now Seelahsaw the Keshiri were showing their respect with bug-eyed slabs of glass

Theyrsquod better learn to get our faces right before theyldquorespectrdquo me Seelah thought ldquoItrsquos not that it looksbadrdquo she said once Tilden had stepped away ldquoItrsquos thatit doesnrsquot look right hererdquo

ldquoThinking again of moving us from the mountainrdquoKorsin smiled wind-cracked wrinkles darkening in theshadows ldquoI think we wore out the Keshirirsquos patiencewhen we stayed in Tahv the first timerdquo

ldquoAnd what difference does that makerdquoldquoNonerdquo He grabbed her hand surprising her

ldquoListen I want to tell you how much I appreciate thework yoursquove been doing at the ward Itrsquos everything Ihopedmdasheverything I knew you were capable ofrdquo

ldquoOh I donrsquot think you know what Irsquom capable ofrdquoKorsin looked away and laughed ldquoWell letrsquos not

pursue that Would dinner interest you insteadrdquo Hiseyes shone Seelah recognized the look The man wascapable as ever of keeping multiple sets of accounts



Before she could answer a shout came from aboveKorsin and Seelah looked to the watchtower Noattacker threatenedmdashthe Sith had purged the range ofpredators years before Instead sentries simply sat inmeditation listening to the Force for messages fromSith traveling in the far-flung reaches of the land

ldquoItrsquos Ravilanrdquo called down a young red-faced sentryonly a child when Omen crashed ldquoSomething has hap-pened in Tetsubal Something badrdquo

Korsin looked up in aggravation He could feel some-thing in the Force toomdashsomething chaoticmdashbut he hadno idea what This was exactly why they shouldnrsquot havepirated their personal communicators in an earlierescape scheme

Seelah looked up at the tower and mouthed ldquoIs is Ravilan dyingrdquo

ldquoNordquo the herald said barely catching her wordsldquoEveryone else isrdquo


Chapter Three

The Sith were about glorification of self and the sub-jugation of others That much made sense as the youngSeelah saw life in Ludo Kresshrsquos palace

What did not make sense was why so many of herpeoplemdashin her own familymdashembraced the Sith teach-ings when they had no hope of advancement Whywould a Sith live as a slave

It wasnrsquot that way for everyone In the grandscheme the Sith Empire had been at rest for manyyears but an empire of Sith is an empire of smallschemes From Kresshrsquos command newly adultSeelah had watched her master rage at the ventures ofNaga Sadow She had seen Sadow at several meetingsin Kresshrsquos company almost all of them ending infury The two leaders differed on everything longbefore the discovery of a space lane into the heart ofthe Republic set them at odds over the future direc-tion of the Sith Empire

Sadow was a visionary He knew permanent isolationwas a practical impossibility in an Empire comprisingso many systems and so many potential hyperspaceroutes the Stygian Caldera was a veil not a wall andhe could see opportunity through it And in Sadowrsquosentourage Seelah had seen many humans and members


of other species with apparent status She even metKorsinrsquos captain father once

For Sadow contact with the new was a thing to bedesiredmdashand outsiders could be as Sith as any born inthe Empire For Kressh who spent his days in battleand his nights toiling on a magical device to protect hisyoung son from all harm there could not be a worsefate than escape from the Sithrsquos cosmic cradle

ldquoDo you know why I do thisrdquo Kressh had asked onenight His drunken rage had touched the entire house-hold Seelah included ldquoI have seen the holocronsmdashIknow what waits beyond My son looks like memdashandso does the future of the Sith

ldquoBut only as long as wersquore here Out thererdquo hersquodspat between bloody punches ldquoout there the futurelooks like yourdquo

Adari Vaal had once told Korsin that the Keshiri didnot have a number large enough to describe their ownpopulation The Omen crew had tried to make esti-mates in their initial years on Kesh only to find evermore villages over the horizon Tetsubal at eighteenthousand Keshiri residents had been one of the lastcities counted before the Sith finally gave up

Now they had given up again The walls of Tetsubalwere filled with corpses making a body count impossi-ble As they arrived on uvak-back that night SeelahKorsin and their companions could see them all fromthe sky littering the dirt roads like branches after astorm Some had collapsed within the doorways oftheir hejarbo-shoot huts It was the same inside theysoon saw

What they didnrsquot see were survivors If any existedthey were hiding well

Eighteen thousand bodies was a good guessWhatever happened had happened suddenly A nurs-

Star Wars Lost Tribe of the Sith Paragon 19


ing woman had fallen locked together with her infantin a fatal embrace Troughs laced through the streetsfed from the aqueduct several Keshiri had fallen in anddrowned right beside their floating wooden pails

Alive and alone here stood Ravilan rattled and cling-ing inside the still-locked city gate He had held hisposition in Tetsubal throughout the evening lookingmuch the worse for it Korsin approached him as soonas he dismounted

ldquoIt started after I met with my contacts hererdquoRavilan said ldquoPeople started collapsing in restaurantsin the markets Then the panic beganrdquo

ldquoAnd where were you during all thisrdquoRavilan pointed to the town circle a plaza with a

large sundial much like the one in Tahv It was thetallest structure in the city apart from the uvak-drivenpulley system that fed the aqueduct ldquoI couldnrsquot find theaide Irsquod brought with me I leapt up there to call forhermdashand to survey what was going onrdquo

ldquoSurveyingrdquo Seelah snarled ldquoReallyrdquoRavilan exhaled angrily ldquoYes I was trying to get

clear Who knows what plague these people might becarrying I was up there for hours watching peopledrop I called for my uvak but it was dead toordquo

ldquoTether ours outside the wallsrdquo Korsin ordered Helooked flustered in the torchlight He pulled a clothfrom his tunic and placed it over his mouth not seem-ing to realize he was the last in the party to do so Helooked at Seelah ldquoBiological agentrdquo

ldquoImdashI canrsquot sayrdquo she said Her work had been withthe Sith never the Keshiri Who knew what they mightbe susceptible to

Korsin tugged at Gloyd ldquoMy daughterrsquos in Tahv Makesure she gets back to the mountainrdquo he said ldquoGordquo

The Houk uncharacteristically shaken bolted for hismount

20 John Jackson Mi l le r


ldquoIt could be airbornerdquo Seelah said walking dazedthrough the corpses That would explain how it had hitso many so quickly ldquoBut we havenrsquot been affectedmdashrdquo

A cry came from up ahead There Seelah saw whattheir scout had found beneath another body Ravilanrsquosmissing assistant The woman was in her forties likeSeelah Humanmdashand dead

Seelah clutched the gauze over her face Fool foolmdashIrsquom a fool Is it already too late

ldquoItrsquos late enoughrdquo Ravilan said catching her un-guarded thought He confronted Korsin ldquoYou knowwhat you have to dordquo

Korsin spoke in a monotone ldquoWersquoll burn the city Ofcourse wersquoll burn itrdquo

ldquoItrsquos not enough Commander We have to shut themoutrdquo

ldquoShut who outrdquo Seelah snappedldquoThe Keshirirdquo Ravilan gestured to the bodies

around them ldquoThere is something killing them and itcan kill us Wersquove got to remove them from our livesonce and for allrdquo

Korsin looked completely taken aback Seelah grabbed his shoulder ldquoDonrsquot listen to this

How will we live without themrdquoldquoLike Sithrdquo Ravilan exclaimed ldquoThis is not our

way Seelah You havemdashwe have become too depen-dent upon these creatures They are not Sithrdquo

ldquoNeither are we by your peoplersquos lightsrdquoldquoDonrsquot get politicalrdquo Ravilan said ldquoLook around

Seelah Whatever this is should have killed us by nowIf it hasnrsquot we should take it for what it is This is awarning from the dark siderdquo

Behind the cloth Seelahrsquos jaw dropped Korsinsnapped back to reality ldquoWaitrdquo he said takingRavilanrsquos arm ldquoLetrsquos talk about this rdquo

Korsin and Ravilan began walking toward the gate



which even now was being opened by their attendantsThe village itself seemed to exhale wretched air pass-ing through the opening Seelah didnrsquot move spell-bound by the bodies around her The dead Keshirilooked all the same to her purple faces and bluetongues faces twisted in choking agony

Her footing faltered and she saw Ravilanrsquos assistantWhat was her name Yilanna Illyana Seelah hadknown the womanrsquos whole family tree the day beforeWhy couldnrsquot she remember her name now when thewoman was on the ground choked on her tonguebloated and bluemdash

Seelah stopped She knelt beside the corpse careful not to touch it

She drew her shikkarmdashthe glass blade the Keshiri hadfashioned for hermdashand carefully worked open thewomanrsquos mouth There it was the tongue a mad azureblood vessels engorged and bursting Shersquod seen itbefore in humans at the edge of her memory

ldquoI need to go backrdquo Seelah said erupting from thevillage gates ldquoI need to go back homemdashto the wardrdquo

Korsin directing his henchmen building a bonfirelooked puzzled ldquoSeelah forget about any survivorsWersquore the survivors We hoperdquo

Ravilan lucklessly trying to calm the collected uvakKorsin had tethered outside the village wall lookedback in alarm ldquoIf you think of bringing this diseaseinto our sanctummdashrdquo

ldquoNordquo she said ldquoIrsquom going alone If we here areinfected nothing matters anywayrdquo She took the bridleof an uvak from Ravilan and flashed him an unenthu-siastic smile ldquoBut if wersquore not infected itrsquos like yousaid Itrsquos a warningrdquo

Korsin watched her leave and turned to the task ofburning the village Seelah didnrsquot look back soaringinto the night There wasnrsquot much time Shersquod need to



meet with her entire staff at the ward her most loyalaides

And shersquod need to see her son

When dawn broke over the Takara MountainsSeelah was not found in the shower by Tilden Kaahmdashas much as she now felt like she needed one Seelahhadnrsquot slept at all With Korsin and Ravilanrsquos return inthe dead of night the retreat had become a crisis cen-ter

Communications were the real problem The deathsof nameless Keshiri had stirred the Force little for thosewho didnrsquot care about them anyway But the aftermathhad stirred such confusion in the minds of the Sith thateven the most experienced heralds were having troublefielding messages Korsin had been careful in calling forthe return of his people from the Keshiri towns and vil-lages so far Tahv and the rest of the major cities hadnot heard of the disaster in Tetsubal and he didnrsquotwant a mass withdrawal putting the natives on theirguard Sith abroad were instructed to casually removethemselves from public contact and make their wayhome

What had befallen Tetsubal had not yet struck themajor citiesmdashbut reconnaissance fliers were still outchecking on the surrounding areas By the time wordcame in from the hinterlands all of the Sith would besafely in their redoubt

Seelah saw Korsin several times in the morning as shepassed through He wanted her staff to set up quaran-tines for reentry to the compound None of the Sithwho had torched Tetsubal were showing any symptomsof distress but the stakes were high Seelah had assign-ments of her own in the ward and in fact few of hermedical staffers appeared in public ldquoWersquore working onthe problemrdquo she had told him



Reentering at noon Seelah saw Ravilan standingwith Korsin monitoring reports Korsin seemed hag-gard from lack of sleepmdashhis little purple fluff wouldnrsquotbe coming for lunch today But Ravilan despite hisharrowing experiences of the day before seemed reju-venated his bald head was a robust magenta

ldquoIt goes better than we feared Korsinrdquo Ravilan saidNo Grand Lord now Seelah noticed Not even Com-mander

Korsin grunted ldquoAll your people are backrdquoldquoI am informed they have all just arrived back at the

stables Not much of a vacationrdquo Ravilan said hisfacial tendrils curling slightly ldquobut then there is muchwork to be done On our new prioritiesrdquo

Seelah looked up It should be about nowldquoRider comingrdquoThe herald sensed the uvakrsquos approach long before it

appeared on the southern horizon Waved directly ontothe colonnade the rider set the beast down and leapt tothe stone surface All eyes were on the new arrival Allsave Seelahrsquos

ldquoGrand Lordrdquo he said short of breath ldquoIt hashappened again in Rabolowrdquo

Seelah heard Korsinrsquos gaspmdashbut she saw Ravilanrsquosyellow eyes bulge It took but a second for the quarter-master to find his composure ldquoRabolowrdquo

ldquoThatrsquos on the Ragnos Lakes isnrsquot itrdquo Seelah lookedtoward Ravilan and smiled primly ldquoThatrsquos where yourpeople were assigned to go yesterday wasnrsquot itRavilan Villages on the Ragnos Lakesrdquo

He nodded Theyrsquod all been there when it was beingdiscussed Ravilan cleared his throat suddenly dryldquoImdashI should speak then with my associate who justreturned from thererdquo He hobbled past Seelah turnedand bowed ldquoImdashI really should meet them Comman-derrdquo



ldquoYou do thatrdquo Seelah said Korsin said nothing stillflabbergasted by the recent news and the coincidenceHe watched Ravilan disappear from sight heading forthe stables

ldquoRider comingrdquoKorsin looked up Seelah thought he almost looked

afraid afraid of the news the rider would bring The news was of another city of death on another of

the Ragnos Lakes A third rider told of a third And afourth One hundred thousand Keshiri dead

Korsin goggled ldquoSomething to do with the lakesThatmdashwhat was itmdashalgae of Ravilanrsquosrdquo

Seelah crossed her arms and looked directly atKorsin stooped over and nearly her same height Shewas tempted to let the moment linger

but there was work to be done She called forTilden Kaah

Her worried assistant appeared from the direction ofthe ward holding a small container She took it and dis-missed him ldquoDo you know what this is Korsinrdquo

Korsin turned the empty vial over in his handldquoCyanogen silicaterdquo

It was from her medical stores on Omenmdashand alsofrom the stores Ravilan kept for the creatures in hiscare In its solid form she explained it was used as acauterizing agent by healers working with the MassassiShe had seen it used again and again in Ludo Kresshrsquosservice Nothing weaker could do anything to thosesavagesrsquo hides

ldquoItrsquos bad enough on its ownrdquo she said ldquoBut if mois-ture gets into it it breaks downmdashand intensifies a thou-sandfold One particle per billion could do anythingrdquo

Korsinrsquos bushy eyebrows flared ldquoWhatmdashwhat couldit do in a water table Or an aqueductrdquo

Seelah held his hands firmly and looked directly intohis eyes ldquoTetsubalrdquo




She explained the story behind the death of herwardrsquos bearer Beefy Gorem had been seconded toRavilanrsquos team to help reach what remained in crushedsections of Omen Hersquod apparently touched a staineddeck plate from the Massassi apothecary and died out-side not long after washing his hands Death was notinstantaneous but the victim never got far

Ravilan must have seen Goremrsquos death she said andrealized he had a tool against the Keshiri A weaponthat could force Korsin and the rest of the humans toforget about building on this worldmdashand recommit toleaving it

And now every city that members of the Fifty-sevenhad visited in the previous day had gone the same wayas Tetsubal

Korsin spun and shattered his bridge chair againsta marble column He didnrsquot use the Force He didnrsquotneed to

ldquoWhy would they do thisrdquo He grabbed SeelahldquoWhy would they do this when itrsquos so obvious Irsquod traceit back to them How stupidmdashhow desperate wouldthey have to berdquo

ldquoYesrdquo Seelah said curling around him ldquoHow des-perate would they have to berdquo

Korsin looked into the sun now beating down on themountain Releasing her he looked into the faces of hisother advisors all waiting and wondering

ldquoBring all the others inrdquo he said ldquoTell them itrsquostimerdquo


Chapter F our

Seelah had already set her mind on leaving LudoKressh before he executed her family It was trivial hisankle had been injured in a battle and she had failed tostop the infection Hersquod killed her father the first nightand his leverage lessened considerably after that Seelahfound her chance to go a few days later when one ofSadowrsquos mining teams stopped on Rhelg to refuel Shedidnrsquot have anybody left by then anyway

Devore Korsin had been her escape She saw hisimmaturity and recklessness but she also saw some-thing there to work with He too strained against theinvisible chains limiting his ambition He could be herally And in Sadowrsquos service at least something couldhappenmdashas long as Devore didnrsquot foul it up

And if he did well there was always their son

Lightsabers flashed in the night on the mountainmdashbut not on the main plaza Seelah walked calmly alongthe darkened colonnade now festooned with addeddecorations the tentacled heads of the Fifty-sevenstaked at even intervals

There was the young sentry from the tower trappedand killed Hersquod never abandoned his post To the rightwas Hestus the translator Seelah had been involved


personally in his takedown Korsin said theyrsquod comeback to Hestus in the morning to remove the cybernet-ic implants Who knew there might be something theycould use there

She could sense Korsin and his chief lieutenantsbeyond the outer wall now driving the remnant to alast stand beside the precipice where Omen nearly metits end No quarter would be offered she could seeKorsin hurling any who surrendered over the side

Well he has experience with thatThe stone silo of the stable master loomed before her

Uvak enclosures stretched out in all directions from thiscentral hub where Keshiri aides would wash the stink-ing beasts The Keshiri were gone tonight she saw asshe entered the round room At the center watchedonly by a guard in the shadows hung the limp butbreathing body of Ravilan Strong cords of Keshiri-woven fiber lashed his splayed arms to cornices high oneither side of the structure The arrangement wasdesigned to keep uvak from bolting during their bathsNow it was doing the same for Ravilan his feet dan-gling mere centimeters above the ground Seelahstepped back as a rush of water poured from slots highin the tower gagging the prisoner

The flow stopped after a minute but it was longerbefore the weary Ravilan registered the presence of hisvisitor ldquoAll gonerdquo he choked ldquoRightrdquo

ldquoAll gonerdquo she said stepping into his sight ldquoYou arethe lastrdquo Ravilan had been caught early his bad legfailing him once and for all

Ravilan shook his head ldquoWe only did it one timerdquohe said his throat a gravelly trail ldquoIn Tetsubal Theseother citiesmdashI donrsquot know We never plannedmdashrdquo

ldquomdashfor merdquo Seelah said It had been surprisingly easy once shersquod realized

Ravilanrsquos ploy in Tetsubal The only element was time



Shersquod returned to the mountain retreat in the night andsummoned her most trusted aides from the ward Soonafter midnight her minions were in the air propellingtheir creatures toward the lake towns of the south thatRavilanrsquos people had been instructed to visit the daybefore Her ward had held the only other surviving sup-ply of cyanogen silicate now it was in the wells andaqueducts of the lake citiesmdashand in the bodies of deadKeshiri Time was the key elementmdashbut shersquod had helpcoordinating it all

ldquoY-you did thisrdquo Ravilan coughed and managed aweak chuckle ldquoI guess thatrsquos the first time you likedone of my ideasrdquo

ldquoIt did the jobrdquoRavilanrsquos crumpled grin vanished ldquoWhat job

GenociderdquoldquoYou care about the Keshiri nowrdquoldquoYou know what I meanrdquo Ravilan strained at his

bonds ldquoMy peoplerdquoSeelah rolled her eyes ldquoNothingrsquos going on here that

wouldnrsquot have happened in the Empire eventually Youknow how things were going Whose movement wereyou in anywayrdquo

ldquoNaga Sadow didnrsquot want thisrdquo Ravilan raspedldquoSadow valued power where he saw it He valued theold and the new He valued usmdashrdquo

She nodded to the guardmdashand another crushing bar-rage of water slammed Ravilan

It took longer for him to recover this time ldquoIt could have workedrdquo he choked ldquoWe could have

worked together like the Sith and the fallen Jedi ofold If only our childrenmdashmy childrenmdashhad lived rdquo

Ravilan looked up water streaming from his saggingface ldquoYourdquo

Seelah fixed her silent gaze on the chutes still drip-ping near the ceiling high above



ldquoYourdquo he repeated louder ldquoYou ran the cregraveche Youand your peoplerdquo His face twisted into an agonizedscream The future of his people had already beensmothered long before ldquoWhat did you do What didyou do to usrdquo

ldquoNothing you wouldnrsquot eventually have done to usrdquoShe stepped toward the shadows near the guard ldquoWeare not your Sith We are something new a chance todo it right A new triberdquo

ldquoYounglingsmdashinfantsrdquo Wilted Ravilan moanedldquoWhat what kind of mother are yourdquo

ldquoThe mother of a peoplerdquo she said looking towardthe guard in the shadows ldquoNow my sonrdquo

The guard stepped forwardmdashand Ravilan saw theanimal form of Jariad Korsin coming at him bladedrawn the wild-eyed face of his father under jet-blackhair The teenager leapt at the prisoner wielding ajagged vibroblade without remorse At the last he drewhis lightsaber and cut Ravilan down in a violent flashof crimson

ldquoYoursquove changed the world todayrdquo Seelah said step-ping close to her son and confederate Hersquod been key tocoordinating the previous nightrsquos gambit getting heraccomplices where they needed to go It was right thathe should have part of this moment

The boy panted looking down at his victim ldquoHersquosnot who I want to killrdquo

ldquoBe patientrdquo Seelah said stroking his hair ldquoI havebeenrdquo

Tilden Kaah walked quietly along the darkened path-ways of Tahv only recently paved with stones The Sithhad dismissed the other Keshiri attendants earlier in themorning when the excitement began he had been oneof the last to leave The streets usually peopled withmerrymakers even at this hour were alarmingly still



He only saw one middle-aged member of the Neshtovarstanding station at a crossing stripped of his uvak yearsbefore the figure looked bored

Tilden nodded to the watchman and passed into aplaza near one of the many village aqueducts Sheets offresh mountain water tumbled in long crescents fromflumes a cooling presence in what had become a hotnight Arriving before a wall of water Tilden donnedthe robe he was carrying raised the hood and steppedinto the downpour

Or rather through itTilden walked dripping down the dark passage lead-

ing deep into the stone structure He followed hushedvoices to the end of a passage There was no lightmdashbutthere was life Tilden heard agonized chatter as heapproached the horrible news from the south hadbegun to arrive The superstitious Keshiri would prob-ably be expected to absorb the horror quietly a voicesaid from the shadows The Destructors would proba-bly be blamed

ldquoIt is donerdquo Tilden spoke to the darkness ldquoSeelahhas rid the Skyborn of the Fifty-seven Of the peoplenot like them only the bumpy man Gloyd remainsrdquo

ldquoSeelah doesnrsquot suspect yourdquo returned a husky fe-male voice from the blackness ldquoShe doesnrsquot read yourmindrdquo

ldquoShe doesnrsquot think Irsquom worth it And I speak of noth-ing but the old legends She thinks me a foolrdquo

ldquoShe canrsquot tell our great scholars from our foolsrdquosaid a male voice

ldquoNone of them canrdquo said another ldquoGood Letrsquos keepit that way Seelah has done us a favor reducing theirnumbers She may do morerdquo A blinding flash appearedas an old Keshiri man lit a lantern There were severalKeshiri there huddled in the cramped spacemdashtheirattentions not on Tilden but on the figure stepping



from the shadows behind him Tilden turned to recog-nize the woman who had first addressed him

ldquoStay strong Tilden Kaah With your helpmdashand withthe help of all of us heremdashthe Keshiri will finish thejobrdquo Anger glistened in Adari Vaalrsquos eyes ldquoI broughtthis plague upon us And I will end itrdquo



Read on for an excerpt from

Star Wars Fate of the Jedi Backlash by Aaron Allston

Published by Del Rey Books

The rainforest air was so dense so moist that evenroaring through it at speeder- bike velocity didnrsquot bringLuke Skywalker any physical relief His speed justcaused the air to move across him faster like a greasy scrub- rag wielded by an overzealous nanny- droiddrenching all the exposed surfaces of his body

Not that he cared He couldnrsquot see her but he couldsense his quarry not far ahead the individual whosehome hersquod crossed so many light- years to find

He could sense much more than that The forestteemed with life life that poured its energy into theForce too much to catalogue as he roared past Hecould feel ancient trees and new vines creeping preda-tors and alert prey He could feel his son Ben as theteenager drew up abreast of him on his own speeder- bike eyes shadowed under his helmet but a competitivegrin on his lips and then Ben was a few meters aheadof him dodging leftward to avoid hitting a split- forkedtree the recklessness of youth giving him a momentaryspeed advantage over Lukersquos superior piloting ability

Then there was more life big life close ahead withmalicious intentmdash

From a thick nest of magenta- flowered underbrushtwice the height of a man just to the right of Lukersquos


path ahead emerged an arm striking with great speedand accuracy It was humanlike gnarly gigantic longenough to reach from the flowers to swat the forwardtip of Lukersquos speeder bike as he passed

Disaster takes only a fraction of a second Oneinstant Luke was racing along intent on his distantprey and enjoying moments of competition the nexthe was headed straight for a tree whose trunk fourmeters across would bring a sudden stop to his travelsand his life

He came free of the speeder- bike as it rotated beneathhim from the giant creaturersquos blow He was still headedfor the tree trunk He gave himself an adrenaline- boosted shove in the Force and drifted another coupleof meters to the left allowing him to flash past thetrunk instead of into it he could feel its bark rip at theright shoulder of his tunic A centimeter closer and thecontact would have given him a serious friction burn

He rolled into a ball and let senses other than sightguide him A Force shove to the right kept him fromsmacking into a much thinner tree one barely sturdyenough to break his spine and any bones that hit it Heneeded no Force effort to shoot between the forks of athird tree Contact with a veil of vines slowed him theytore beneath the impact of his body but dropped hisrate of speed painlessly He went crashing through amass of tendrils ending in big- petaled yellow flowerssome of which reflexively snapped at him as he plowedthrough them

Then he was bouncing across the ground a denselayer of decaying leaves and other materials he reallydidnrsquot want to speculate about

Finally he rolled to a halt He stretched out momen-tarily stunned but unbroken and stared up through thetrees He could see a single shaft of sunlight penetratingthe forest canopy not far behind him it illuminated a

34 Aaron Al l s ton


swirl of pollen from the stand of yellow flowers hersquodjust crashed through In the distance he could hear theroar of Benrsquos speeder bike hear its engine whine as theboy put it in a hard maneuver trying to get back toLuke

Closer there were footsteps Heavy ponderous foot-steps

A moment later their origin the owner of that hugearm loomed over Luke It was a rancor humanoid andbent

The rancors of this world had evolved to be smarterthan those elsewhere This one had clearly been trainedas a guard and taught to tolerate protective gear Itwore a helmet a rust- streaked cup of metal largeenough to serve as a backwoods bathtub with leatherstraps meeting under its chin Strapped to its left fore-arm was a thick durasteel round shield that lookedridiculously tiny compared to the creaturersquos enormousproportions but was probably thick enough to stop oneor two salvos from a military laser battery

The creature stared down at Luke Its mouth openedand it offered a challenging growl

Luke glared at it ldquoDo you really want to make meangry right now I donrsquot recommend itrdquo

It reached for him

S E V E R A L D A Y S E A R L I E RE m p t y S p a c e N e a r K e s s e l

It was darkness surrounded by starsmdashone of themthe unlovely sun of Kessel closer than the rest butbarely close enough to be a ball of illumination ratherthan a dotmdashand then it was occupied suddenly inhab-ited by a space yacht of flowing graceful lines and peel-ing paint That was how it would have looked a vessel

Star Wars Fate of the Jedi Back lash 35


dropping out of hyperspace to those in the arrivalzone had there been any witnesses nothing there thensomething an instantaneous transition

In the bridge sat the ancient yachtrsquos sole occupant ateenage girl wearing a battered combat vac suit Shelooked from sensor to sensor uncertain and slowbecause of her unfamiliarity with this model of space-craft Too there was something like shock in her eyes

Finally satisfied that no other ship had dropped outof hyperspace nearby or was likely to creep up on herin this remote location she sat back in her pilotrsquos seatand tried to get her thoughts in order

Her name was Vestara Khai and she was a Sith ofthe Lost Tribe She was a proud Sith not one to hideunder false identities and concealing robes until some decades- long grandiose plan neared completion andnow she had even more reason than usual to swellwith pride Mere hours before she and her SithMaster Lady Rhea had confronted Jedi GrandMaster Luke Skywalker Lady Rhea and Vestara hadfought the galaxyrsquos most experienced most famousJedi to a standstill Vestara had even cut him a grazeto the cheek and chin that had spattered her withbloodmdashblood she had later tasted blood she wishedshe could take a sample of and keep forever as a sou-venir

But then Skywalker had shown why he carried thatreputation A momentrsquos distraction and suddenly LadyRhea was in four pieces each drifting in a separatedirection and Vestara was hopelessly outmatched Shehad saluted and fled

Now having taken a space yacht that had doubtlessbeen old when her great- great- great-grandsires werenewborn but which to her everlasting gratitude heldin its still- functioning computer the navigational secretsof the mass of black holes that was the Maw she was

36 Aaron Al l s ton


Star Wars Fate of the Jedi Back lash

free And the impossible weight of her reality and herresponsibility were settling upon her

Lady Rhea was dead Vestara was alone and herpride at Lady Rhearsquos accomplishment at her own nearsuccess in the duel with the Jedi was not enough towash away the sense of loss

Then there was the question of what to do next ofwhere to go She needed to be able to communicatewith her people to report on the incidents in the MawBut this creaking slowly deteriorating SoroSuubStarTracker space yacht did not carry a hypercommunit Shersquod have to put in to some civilized planet tomake contact That meant arriving unseen or arrivingand departing so swiftly that the Jedi could not detecther in time to catch her It also meant acquiring suffi-cient credits to fund a secret no- way- to- trace- it hyper-comm message All of these plans would take time tobring to reality

Vestara knew deep in her heart and within thewarning currents of the Force that Luke Skywalkerintended to track her to her homeworld of Kesh Howhe planned to do it she didnrsquot know but her sense ofparanoia trained at the hands of Lady Rhea burnedwithin her as though her blood itself were acid She hadto find some way to outwit a Force user several timesher age renowned for his skills

She needed to go someplace where Force users wererelatively commonplace Otherwise any use by her ofthe Force would stand out like a signal beacon toexperienced Jedi in the vicinity There werenrsquot manysuch places Coruscant was the logical answer But ifher trail began to lead toward the government seat ofthe Galactic Alliance Skywalker could warn the Jedithere and Vestara would face a nearly impossible- to- bypass network of Force users between her and herdestination

37


The current location of the Jedi school was notknown Hapes was ruled by an ex- Jedi and wasrumored to harbor more Force sensitives but it wassuch a security- conscious civilization that Vestaradoubted she could accomplish her mission there insecrecy

Then the answer came to her so obvious and so per-fect that she laughed out loud

But the destination shersquod thought of wouldnrsquot be ona galactic map as old as the one in the antique yacht shecommanded Shersquod have to go somewhere and get amap update She nodded her pride sense of loss andparanoia all fading as she focused on her new task

T R A N S I T O R Y M I S T S

Jedi Knight Leia Organa Solo sat at the MillenniumFalconrsquos communications console She frowned herlips pursed as though she were solving an elaboratemathematical equation as she read and re- read the textmessage the Falcon had just received via hypercomm

The silence that had settled around her eventuallydrew her husband Han Solo to her side his boyishoften insensitive persona was in part a fabrication andhe well knew and could sense his wifersquos moods The chilland silence of her complete concentration usually meanttrouble He waved a hand between her eyes and the con-sole monitor ldquoHeyrdquo

She barely reacted to his presence ldquoHmrdquoldquoNew messagerdquoldquoFrom BenrdquoldquoAnother letter filled with teenage talk I assume

Girls speeders allowance woesmdashrdquoLeia ignored his joking ldquoSithrdquo she saidldquoAnd Sith of courserdquo Han sat in the chair next to

38 Aaron Al l s ton



hers but did not assume his customary slouch the newskept his spine rigid ldquoThey found a new Sith Lordrdquo

ldquoWorse I thinkrdquo Finally some animation returned toLeiarsquos voice ldquoTheyrsquove found an ancient installation atthe Maw and were attacked by a gang of Sith A wholestrike team With the possibility of more out thererdquo

ldquoI thought Sith ran in packs of two Vape both of rsquoemand their menace is ended for all time at least for a fewyears until two more show uprdquo Han tried to keep hisvoice calm but the last Sith to bring trouble to thegalaxy had been Jacen Solo his and Leiarsquos eldest sonThough Jacen had been dead for more than two yearsthe ripples of the evil he had done were still causingdamage and heartache throughout the settled galaxyAnd both his acts and his death had torn a hole inHanrsquos heart that felt like it would last forever

ldquoYeah well no Apparently not anymore Ben alsosaysmdashand wersquore not to let Luke know that he didmdashthat Luke is exhausted Really exhausted like hersquos hadthe life squeezed out of him Ben would like us to sortof drift near and lend Luke some supportrdquo

ldquoOf courserdquo But then Han grimaced ldquoBack to theMaw The only place gloomy enough to make its nextdoor neighbor Kessel seem like a garden spotrdquo

Leia shook her head ldquoTheyrsquore tracking a Sith girlwhorsquos on the run So it probably wonrsquot be the Maw Itmay be a planet full of Sithrdquo

ldquoAh goodrdquo Han rubbed his hands together as ifanticipating a fine meal or a fight ldquoWell why not Wecanrsquot go back to Coruscant until wersquore ready to mounta legal defense Daalarsquos bound to be angry that we stoleall the Jedi she wanted to deep- freezerdquo

Finally Leia smiled and looked at Han ldquoOne goodthing about the Solos and Skywalkers We never runout of things to dordquo

39


C O R U S C A N TJ e d i T e m p l e

Master Cilghal Mon Calamari and most proficientmedical doctor among the current generation of Jedipaused before hitting the console button that woulderase the message she had just spent some time decrypt-ing It had been a video transmission from BenSkywalker a message carefully rerouted through sever-al hypercomm nodes and carefully staged so as not tomention that it was for Cilghalrsquos tympanic membranesor in fact for anyone on Coruscant

But its main content was meant for the Jedi andCilghal repeated it as a one- word summation makingthe word sound like a vicious curse ldquoSithrdquo

The message had to be communicated throughout theJedi Order And on review there was nothing in it thatsuggested she couldnrsquot preserve the recording couldnrsquotclaim that it had been forwarded to her by a civilianfriend of the Skywalkers Luke Skywalker was not sup-posed to be in contact with the Jedi Temple but thisrecording was manifestly free of any proof that theexiled Grand Master exerted any influence over theOrder She could distribute it

And she would do so right now

D E E P S P A C E N E A R K E S S E L

Jade Shadow onetime vehicle of Mara JadeSkywalker now full- time transport and home to herwidower and son dropped from hyperspace into theempty blackness well outside the Kessel system It hungsuspended there for several minutes long enough forone of its occupants to gather from the Force a sense ofhis own lifersquos blood that had been in the vicinity then it

40 Aaron Al l s ton



turned on a course toward Kessel and vanished againinto hyperspace

J A D E S H A D O WI n O r b i t A b o v e K e s s e l

Ben Skywalker shouldered his way through the nar-row hatch that gave access to his fatherrsquos cabin A red-headed teen of less than average height he was wellmuscled in a way that his anonymous black tunic andpants could not conceal

On the cabinrsquos bed under a brown blanket lay LukeSkywalker Similar in build to his son he wore the evi-dence of many more years of hard living includingancient faded scars on his face and the exposed portionsof his arms Not obvious was the fact that his right handso ordinary in appearance was a prosthetic

Lukersquos eyes were closed but he stirred ldquoWhat didyou find outrdquo

ldquoI reached Nien Nunbrdquo Nunb the Sullustan co- owner and manager of one of Kesselrsquos most prominentmineworks had been a friend of the Solos andSkywalkers for decades ldquoThat yacht did make landfallThe pilot gave her name as Captain Khai She some-how scammed a port worker into thinking shersquod paidfor a complete refueling when she hadnrsquotmdashrdquo

Luke smiled ldquoThe Force can have amdashrdquoldquoYeah so can a good- looking girl Anyway whatrsquos

interesting is that she got a galactic map update Nunblooked at the transmission time on that to determinethat it was pretty comprehensive In other words shedidnrsquot concentrate on any one specific area or routeNo help thererdquo

ldquoBut it suggests that she did need some of the newerinformation New hyperspace routes or planetary listingsrdquo

41


ldquoRightrdquoldquoAnd shersquos gonerdquoldquoHeaded out as soon as her yacht was refueled By

the way its name is Shersquos a ChancerrdquoldquoSomehow appropriaterdquo Finally Luke did open his

eyes and Ben was once again struck by how tired hisfather looked tired to the bone and to the spirit ldquoI canstill feel her path Irsquoll be up in a minute to lay in a courserdquo

ldquoRight Donrsquot push yourselfrdquo Ben backed out of thecabin and its door slid shut

S E V E R A L D A Y S L A T E RJ a d e S h a d o w I n H i g h D a t h o m i r O r b i t

Luke stared at the mottled multicolored world ofDathomir through the forward viewport He noddedfeeling slightly abashed Of course it was Dathomir

Ben seated to Lukersquos left in the pilotrsquos seat peered athim ldquoWhat is it Dadrdquo

ldquoIrsquom just feeling a little stupid Therersquos no world bet-ter suited to be the home of this new Sith order thanDathomir I should have realized it long before we wereon our final leg hererdquo

ldquoHow sordquoldquoThere are a lot of Force- sensitives in the population

most of whom are trained in the so- called witchcraft ofDathomir Therersquos not a lot of government oversight todetect a growing order within the population There arelots of individual secretive tribesrdquo Luke paused to con-sider ldquoJacen was here for a while on his five- year trav-els I wonder what he learned and whether it relates tothe Maw And there are mentions in ancient recordsthat there was a Sith academy here long long agordquo

Ben nodded ldquoWell Irsquoll prep Momrsquos Headhunter andget down there Irsquoll be your eyes and ears on the groundrdquo

42 Aaron Al l s ton



Luke gave his son a confused look ldquoIrsquom not going downwith you Irsquom feeling much better Much more restedrdquo

ldquoYeah but therersquos a Jedi school down there Theterms of your exile say that you canrsquotmdashrdquo

Luke grinned and held up a hand cutting off hissonrsquos words ldquoYoursquore a little bit behind the times BenMaybe you need your own galactic map updatedMore than two years ago when the Jedi turned againstJacen at Kuatmdashrdquo

ldquoYeah and we set up shop on Endor for a whileWhat about itrdquo

ldquoWe pulled everyone out of the Dathomir school atthe time Jacenrsquos government shut the school down TheJedi have yet to reopen itrdquo

Comprehension dawned on Benrsquos face ldquoSo therersquos noschool and itrsquos legal for you to visitrdquo

ldquoYesrdquoldquoThatrsquos kind of getting by on a technicality isnrsquot itrdquoldquoAll law is technicality Ben Get authorization for

landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R

Half an hour later Luke had to admit that he waswrong Most of law was technicality The rest was spe-cial cases and he apparently was a special case

He stood on the parking field of the Dathomirispaceport Perhaps ldquospaceportrdquo was too generous aterm It was a broad sunny field grassy in some spotsmuddy in others with thruster scorch marks here andthere Dull gray permacrete domes most of them clear-ly prefabricated dotted the field the largest was somesort of administrative building the smaller oneshangars for vehicles no larger than shuttles andstarfighters A tall mesh durasteel fence surrounded the

43


complex elevated watchtowers dotting its length andLuke could see the wiring leading to one of the perma-crete domes that marked it as electrified The spaceportfacilities offered little shade so the Skywalkers stood inthe darkness cast by Jade Shadow but even without theheat of direct sunlight the moist windless air was stillas oppressive as a blanket

Luke poured thoughts of helpfulness and reasonabil-ity into the Force but it was no use The man beforehim nearly two skinny meters of red- headed obstruc-tiveness would not yield a centimeter

The man who had given his name as Tarth Vamesagain waved his datapad beneath Lukersquos nose ldquoItrsquos sim-ple That vehiclemdashrdquo His wave indicated Jade ShadowldquoNeither it nor anything with an enclosed or enclos-able interior can be inland under your control or yourkidrsquosrdquo He turned his attention to Ben who stood armsfolded across his chest beside his father Ben glared butdid not reply

Luke sighed ldquoIs any other visitor to Dathomir oper-ating under that restrictionrdquo

ldquoDonrsquot think so nordquoldquoThen why usrdquoVames thumbed the datapad keyboard so that the

message scrolled downward several screens ldquoHereright here An enclosed vehicle according to theseprecedentsmdashtherersquos about eight screens of legal prece-dentsmdashcan be interpreted as a mobile school especial-ly if yoursquore in it especially if its presence constitutes acontinuation of a school thatrsquos been here in the pastrdquo

ldquoThis is harassmentrdquo Benrsquos words were quiet butloud enough for Vames to hear

The tall man glowered at Ben ldquoOf course itrsquos notharassment The order came specifically from Chief ofState Daalarsquos office Public officials at that level donrsquotharassrdquo

44 Aaron Al l s ton



Ben rolled his eyes ldquoWhateverrdquoldquoBenrdquo Luke added a chiding tone to his voice ldquoNo

point in arguing Vames are you also prohibited fromanswering a few questionsrdquo

ldquoAlways happy to help So long as itrsquos within lati-tudes permitted by the regulationsrdquo

ldquoWithin the last couple of days have you seen anysign of a dilapidated yacht called Shersquos a ChancerrdquoLuke knew the yacht had to be here he had run hisblood trail to ground on Dathomir and the girl had notdeparted this world But anything this man could addto his meager store of knowledge might help

Vames entered the ship name in his datapad thenshook his head ldquoNo vehicle under that name madelegal landfallrdquo

ldquoAhrdquoldquoDilapidated you say A yachtrdquoldquoThatrsquos rightrdquoVames keyed in some more information ldquoLast night

shortly after dusk local time a vehicle with the opera-tional characteristics of a SoroSuub yacht made a sud-den descent from orbit overflew the spaceport hereand headed north There was some comm chatter fromthe pilot about engines on runaway that she couldnrsquotcut them or bring her repulsors online for landingrdquo

Ben frowned at that ldquoLast night And you didnrsquotsend out a rescue partyrdquo

ldquoOf course we did As per regulation Couldnrsquot findthe crash site No further communication from thevehicle We still have searchers up there But no luckrdquo

ldquoActually that is helpfulrdquo Luke turned to his sonldquoBen no enclosed vehiclesrdquo

ldquoYeahrdquoldquoRent us a couple of speeder bikes would yourdquoBen grinned ldquoYes sirrdquo

45


Pre-order a hardcover copy of

STAR WARS FATE OF THE JEDI BACKLASH

by Aaron Allston On Sale March 9 2010

Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

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Also available as an eBook And Audiobook Download

DL

BALLANTINE BOOKS bull NEW YORK


P A R A G O N

JOHN JACKSON MILLER









ISBN 978-0-345-51940-5




4985 BBY




Chapter One












































































Chapter Two









































































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom









ISBN 978-0-345-51940-5




4985 BBY




Chapter One












































































Chapter Two









































































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom


4985 BBY




Chapter One












































































Chapter Two









































































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom












































































Chapter Two









































































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom


































































Chapter Two









































































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom























































Chapter Two









































































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom















































Chapter Two









































































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom






































Chapter Two









































































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom





























Chapter Two









































































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom




















Chapter Two









































































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom






Chapter Two









































































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom


Chapter Two









































































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom






































































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom






























































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom




















































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom











































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom
































Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom



















Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom









Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











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40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














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Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

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RandomHousecom


Chapter Three






































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











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40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














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Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom


































































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











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40 Aaron Al l s ton












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42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














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Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom
























































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











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40 Aaron Al l s ton












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42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














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Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

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RandomHousecom











































































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











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40 Aaron Al l s ton












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42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














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Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom


























































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














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Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom















































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














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Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom







































Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom



























Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom












Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

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RandomHousecom


Chapter F our









































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom




































































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom

























































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom











































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom
































34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom





















34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

Powells

RandomHousecom

















34 Aaron Al l s ton








It reached for him











36 Aaron Al l s ton








37










38 Aaron Al l s ton











39









40 Aaron Al l s ton












41













42 Aaron Al l s ton










landingrdquo

D A T H O M I R



43










44 Aaron Al l s ton














45





Amazoncom

BarnesandNoblecom

Borderscom

Books-a-Million

IndieBoundcom

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Documents

Lost Tribe of the Sith#3 PARAGON - Star Wars Universe