Something happened up ahead. Bell and Loden heard a blaster fire, and a moment later a person was thrown from the cart. The Nihil sped on, leaving the body lying motionless on the hard ground.

“That wasn’t a Nihil,” Bell said. “No mask. Did they kill one of the hostages?”

Loden remained silent.

The Jedi raced forward, details becoming clearer with every meter. The victim was the mother.

“She’s alive,” Bell said. “I can still sense her.”

As if to validate Bell’s words, the woman lifted an arm from where she lay—a weak, pain-filled gesture, even at a distance.

Beyond her, the Nihil had almost reached their ship.

The Jedi reached the woman. They pulled their steelees to a stop and leapt from the saddles. She had a smoking hole in her side—probably non-lethal, at least not right away.

“Please,” she said, her voice small, thin, “my children, my husband. Please, you have to…”

“We will,” Loden said, his voice confident—whether real or for the woman’s benefit, Bell did not know. “What is your name?”

“Erika,” she said. “Erika Blythe.”

Loden reached a hand toward her blaster wound.

“Erika, I can help with your injury, using the Force. I can stabilize you long enough to get you back to our outpost—there’s medical treatment there.”

“But my family,” she said, her voice getting stronger as Loden did what he could for her wound.

“We’ll save them,” he said again.


Star Wars The High Republic Light of the Jedi Chapter 30