“Blast it,” Loden said as the remaining villains, about eight, vanished into the crowd. “Some of them are still armed. They might take hostages. We need to get after them, now.”

“I know, Master, but how do we—”

A snap, and suddenly Bell saw nothing but golden light—bright, blinding—filling his vision. His nostrils filled with the scent of overheated, ionized air. Heat and light and color—a lightsaber blade. A blaster bolt caromed harmlessly into the sky, a streak of light that until just a moment before was destined to drill a hole into Bell’s forehead.

Bell understood. His master had just saved his life.

He looked past Loden’s blade to see that the Ranoraki guards, still at their posts atop their still-sealed gates, had lifted their weapons and were firing directly at them.

“Fools,” Loden said.


Star Wars The High Republic Light of the Jedi Chapter 13