The hyperdrive disengaged, unable to make the jump.

“Kaysee?”

KC-78 made a sound like a lament, steeped in sadness. He started fiddling with the wiring again.

But they were out of time. They were plunging into the disruption field of the Stormwall. Get it wrong this time and they were stardust.

Avar gripped the edge of the terminal.

She closed her eyes.

And breathed.

The song of the Force rushed in, filling her sensorium. The tune was as broken and discordant as it had ever been, weaving in and out, a lilting melody that sounded wrong. And yet there were familiar patterns in it. Fragments of the song she had once known. Echoes.

She reached for them, feeling her way, seeking guidance.

The passage of time seemed to have stopped. There was just Avar and the song. She was a part of it, and it a part of her.

Her hands moved as if of their own volition, hovering over the controls.

KC-78 was still frantically tweaking the wiring beneath the console.

She waited. Breathless.

And waited…

And then the discordant song seemed to swell around her.

“Now.” She pushed the lever to engage the hyperdrive.

Shryke screamed, her earlier nonchalance replaced by sudden fear.

Avar opened her eyes.

The galaxy stretched.

Light filled her vision.

...

A ship slid out of hyperspace directly in front of them, stuttering to a halt as it slewed toward its port side, subspace engines flaring.

It was closer than Harlak had predicted.

Much closer.

Almost on top of them.

Bell peered at it.

The ship was alone. No escort vessels or other raiders. It was definitely Nihil.

It certainly looked like the Cacophony, but it was a mess. A wreck that was barely holding itself together. Huge craters had been chewed in its outer hull, blackened by the burn of blasterfire. Its main portside air lock had been blown, apparently with explosive force, and it looked as if something had erupted out of the rear hold—the back end of the ship was splayed open and effectively missing.

How anyone could be alive onboard, Bell didn’t know. How it had made it through the hyperspace Path without shaking apart into a thousand pieces was equally baffling.

What in the stars had happened? Had the Nihil turned on one another? That was the most likely scenario. Bell had known them to betray one another before, striving to one-up their rivals to attain greater recognition and strength.

Had someone moved against Melis Shryke?

It didn’t seem an outlandish idea.

“What are they doing?” said Amaryl Pel. “They’re just sitting there.” She turned to Burry. “Do you think it’s a trap? Do you sense anything?”

Burry shook his head. He told Pel that nothing would surprise him. Melis Shryke wasn’t beyond scuttling her own ship if it meant getting what she wanted.

But Bell felt differently. He felt…

…hope.

He didn’t know why. He couldn’t quite understand it. But something felt different. A ripple in the Force that he hadn’t sensed for months. Not since Starlight. Not since they’d all stood on that Eiram beach and shared in their mutual grief.

“Let me speak to them. Please,” he said, quietly.

Pel turned in her seat, offering him a quizzical look. “Be my guest.”

Bell crossed to Quarik’s terminal. “Would you mind? I want to transmit a message.”

Quarik smiled and tapped in the command. She gestured to indicate he was free to speak.

“The is Bell Zettifar of the Republic vessel Tractate. If you can hear me, Shryke, we have the Cacophony surrounded. If you try to escape or show any outward signs of aggression, we will open fire. Please respond to let us know you understand.”

Static crackled on the open channel.

No answer.

Bell turned to Burry. He shrugged.

He was just about to repeat the message when a voice broke through the static. It was mired in interference and cutting in and out, but the words were just about discernible.

“Bell! Bell? Is that really you?”

The voice seemed oddly familiar. Bell felt his pulse quicken, the hairs on the nape of his neck prickle. It reminded him of…

“Avar?”

He felt Burry’s hand grip his shoulder. His heart was pounding.

“Bell! It’s so good to hear your voice. Yes! Yes, it’s Avar!”


Star Wars The High Republic The Eye of Darkness Chapter 65