Halt's Peril (3 page)

Silhouetted against it were the dark, tumbling shapes of Kyp and their prisoner. Then, suddenly, both men stopped.

Jaina continued to hurtle forward. She made out the regular shape of a metal grate, and then a heartbeat later she slammed headlong into it.

Coolant continued to surge through the narrow tunnel, pinning her to the grate like a mynock stuck to an accelerating starfighter. She struggled to free herself, but the force of the rushing fluid was just too great.

She felt Kyps touch through the Force, and then she was sliding to one side of the grate, moved by a psychic shove more powerful than the swift-flowing stream. The flare of Kyps lightsaber darted toward the hatch, and the lock gave way.

The three of them tumbled out, falling into a wide, shallow tank.

Jaina struggled to the side and hauled herself over. She tumbled to the floor-- and came to a stop just short of several pairs of booted feet.

Strong hands seized her and dragged her upright. Inner warmth flooded through Jaina in a sudden wash of power, and her chilled limbs awoke to a thousand sharp prickles of pain.

She dun? to the guard's wrists, certain that shed fall if he let her so. Though every instinct prompted her to fight, Jaina focused on the struggle within. She was perilously close to losing consciousness. If she did, then all would be lost.

A bright flare of light filled the room, a burst of power that shattered Jainas faltering concentration. She slid to the floor, no longer supported by the guard, and let the darkness claim her.

The dull humming in Jainas ears rose swiftly to a shrill wail and then dissipated in a sharp, sudden burst. She sat up abruptly, feeling dazed and disoriented. After a moment, she remembered her mission, and the bruising tumble that had brought them this far.

She looked around. The Hapan had recovered consciousness. He leaned heavily against the now-empty coolant tank, eyeing her with undisguised horror. Jaina's gaze quickly slid away from the accusing stare. Four guards lay sprawled across the floor. Kyp Durron knelt by one of them, rhythmically pumping the man's chest with both hands. The guards body suddenly jerked, and the bluish color began to fade from his face.

The Jedi Master rose to his feet and extended a hand to Jaina. She took it and let him pull her up.

"Wow," she said, gazing at the Force-blasted guards. "Who did this, you or me?"

"We've got to keep moving," Kyp said, ignoring her question. "The longer this takes, the slimmer our chances of walking out of here."

Jaina nodded. "Before we go, I need you to show me how to wipe away memories. They can't remember they saw us here."

When he did not respond, she continued her argument. "The scientist is a political prisoner. Secrecy is vital, not only so we can get our prisoner where he needs to go, but also to stave off more reactionary response to the Jedi."

Kyp held his silence for a few moments.

"No."

"No?" she repeated, incredulous. "You said yourself that no one can know about this."

"And I hold to that. But I'll do it myself."

She lifted one brow in challenge. "Whats the matter? Not the sort of lessons you had in mind?"

"An apprentice should learn from a Master, not repeat his mistakes."

"This is no different from the little Jedi mind tricks that every Jedi uses without a twinge of guilt," she argued, "Youre just better at it than most. If I'd wanted to become a singer of ballads, I'd be traveling with Tionne. You want to win the war against the Yuuzhan Vong.

That's why we re here. Show me."

The Jedi Master let out a profound sigh. He grimaced as if steeling himself for an unpleasant task, then dropped to one knee. "Watch, feel and follow," he instructed, and then reached out to one of the prisoners.

Jaina felt the older Jedi's power reach into the mans mind. Kyp formed the image of a morning-misted sun, barely visible above the forest horizons of Gallinore-- about the time, Jaina recalled, that they had landed. With smooth, cool strokes, Kyp swept away the memory from that moment to this. He eased away, like a thief creeping from a plundered home.

Slowly Kyp broke the contact with the fallen guard and lifted his eyes to hers. His face was still pale from the chilling tumble, and the deep shadows beneath his eyes made them look vividly green. The power in them, though fading, was both eerie and compelling.

"Now you."

Jaina nodded and reached out to another guard. But instead of envisioning the morning sun, she focused upon an image of a chronometer.

Slowly she forced it into backward motion, stripping away moments from a man's life.

When the task was done, she looked to the Jedi Master. He studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable.

"You have a knack for this," he said at last. "Good control. Very precise. You take that one, I'll do the other. Lets get this over with."

In moments they were back on their way to Sinsor Khal's lab. Jaina placed her hand on the palm reader, and the door slid open. A small, thin man glanced up from his work. At first glance there was nothing particularly unusual about him. His sandy hair was neatly groomed, and his beard short and trimmed. He wore a red lab coat marked with a few dark spots.

"Professor Khal?" Jaina inquired.

"I am he. And you'd be Ta'a Chumes young protege," he said easily.

"Welcome."

He came forward, one hand extended in greeting. At close range she noted the faint, coppery scent emanated from the red garments, and realized that the color was chosen for practicality, or perhaps camouflage. This was a man who dealt in blood, and his red lab coat served the same purpose in this venue that the green flight suits did above.

Jaina took Sinsor Khals hand, noting as she did that the scientist was not much taller than she. She could look him directly in the face without tipping back her head-- an unusual experience for the small young woman.

The scientist did not return her scrutiny. In fact, his eyes never settled on her or the two men behind her. Obviously he was aware of them, but he seemed strangely detached. Most people would have commented on their wet clothes, their disheveled appearance. Curious, Jaina reached out through the Force. There was little to read. Sinsor Khal was strangely closed to her. The only perception she could pick up "was a neutral curiosity, devoid of almost any emotional flavoring and far different from any human response shed encoun-tered before. They were not persons but specimens, perhaps...

She quickly withdrew her hand and gestured toward the tall Hapan.

"This man has the implant."

"Just put him over there," he said, gesturing.

"There" was a long table, bordered with a small gutter and slanted downward slightly toward a pair of drains.

Kyp turned a dubious stare toward Jaina. ''It'll be fine," she asserted.

The prisoner didn't share her optimism. The struggle to get him onto the table ended abruptly when Sinsor Khal placed a small blaster-shaped weapon against the mans shoulder and pressed the trigger. The Hapan slumped over the table.

"Now then," the scientist announced. "All set for a quick vivisection and a general tune-up. A figure of speech," he added cheerfully, as if he perceived the stormcloud frown gathering on Kyp's face.

Jaina and Kyp worked together to shift the big man onto the table.

As she straightened, hands to the small of her aching back, Jaina felt a flash of mental power, a force of mind weirdly similar to that of a Jedi.

She whirled toward it and stared directly into Sinsor Khals face. The scientist was looking at her, really looking, with an intensity that suggested he saw things most people could never fathom.

"I know you," he observed.

Jaina shook her head. "From what Taa Chume said, you were already a guest of Gallinore's government when I was learning to walk. I've never been to Gallinore before."

An odd smile slipped onto Sinsor Khal's face. He held his hand out, palm up. A small, sharp tool rose from the tray and settled down into his grasp with practiced ease. Jainas jaw fell, but the scientist hardly seemed to notice his own feat.

"I didn't say we'd met," the failed Jedi specified. "I said I know you "

Kyp started forward. Jaina placed one hand on his arm.

"We've got to get back," she said softly. "We still have some work to do to make sure there's no record of our passing."

After a moment, Kyp nodded agreement. They left their prisoner in Sinsor Khal's dubious care and retraced their steps through the corridors, seeking out all those they'd encountered. The older Jedi insisted on doing most of the work. Jaina was content to let him do as he willed. She'd stretched her Force powers to new levels today, and the scientist's words echoed through her thoughts like mocking laughter. She could not ignore them, could not deny them-- not considering the task still before her.

Finally Kyp retuned to the ship, leaving Jaina to deal with Lowbacca. As she entered the research center, all the chill and pain of the tunnels seemed to come back to her, centering in a cold lump in the pit of her stomach.

Lowbacca was still seated at the terminal, his furry face engrossed. The dark-haired tech had grown bored of her assignment and sat wearily at another workstation. A faint smile touched Jaina's lips. The Wookiee loved computers. He probably had scant perception of the hours that had passed since his arrival. In a way, that made her task easier.

Jaina came up behind him and leaned down, resting her chin on his shoulder. Her eyes drifted shut, and she drew in a Ions, steadying breath. The familiar, musty scent of Wookiee fur filled her senses. She reached out through the Force and for a moment savored the solid, loyal presence that was Lowbacca. The only friend who truly trusted her, the only Jedi who looked at her and saw the Jaina she once had been.

She stealthily slipped him a holocube. The Wookiee quickly transferred the needed information and returned it to her. When he slipped it into her hand, she caught his big paw and clung to it for a moment. He tipped his head to one side and slanted a curious look back up at her. His nose wrinkled at the scent of coolant that duns to her nearly-dry flight suit.

"Long story," she said softly. "I need you to get into the security records. I was never there. Make that happen."

The Wookiee nodded and erased her footsteps with a few deft movements. When a satisfied srunt announced his success, Jaina reached out through the link between them and brought to mind an imase of a Wookiee sun dial. Slowly, inexorably, she forced the shadows to deepen.

A few moments later, Jaina straightened up and turned toward the tech. Puzzlement and then concern swept the woman's thin face. Suddenly Jaina was aware of the damp tracks of tears on her cheeks. She wiped them away, as shed wiped the past few hours from Lowbacca's memorv.