Chapter One
He always heard the breathing first. The disembodied rasp of the inhalation, the echoing wash of the exhale. It never failed to spook him. Hed have the sudden urge to run, to find the tiniest hole in the galaxy and crouch in it.
Not exactly a heroic response, Ferus thought, but he was no hero. That particular unpleasant fact was becoming clearer to him by the day.
And he had a feeling that even the tiniest hole in the galaxy would be found by Darth Vader and cleaned out with Vaders usual ruthless efficiency.
Instead, Ferus Olin was here a former Jedi, a former resistance fighter, now an Imperial agent. A double agent, of course, but if hed known how trapped hed feel taking on that particular role, he would have stayed back in occupied Bellassa with the stormtroopers breathing down his neck. And now here he was on an Imperial ship, some sleek, powerful prototype from the Sienar yards. He didnt even know where he was going, because nobody had bothered to tell him. Nobody trusted him enough.
The door to the lounge hissed open.
Staying out of sight, I see, Darth Vader said.
Ferus kept his face neutral and tried not to let his nerves jangle the energy in the room. Just enjoying the ride.
Vader remained in the doorway, filling it with his presence, sucking the artificial light into the massive plastoid armor he wore.
Ever since Ferus had agreed to work for the Empire, hed been an annoyance to Darth Vader. That was clear. A petty annoyance, because if he had truly challenged him, Ferus had no doubt that Lord Vader would have crushed him. So hed gotten used to lurking beyond his vision, occasionally meeting with him, and always retreating. It was easier to stay out of sight.
There was only one flaw in this plan: Vader wasnt going along with it. On this trip, Ferus had noticed that Vader had made a point of talking to him. He even initiated conversations. It was clear that these conversations were designed to unnerve him. The Emperor had forced Vader to bring Ferus along on this trip Ferus had no idea why and Vader wasnt happy about it. Instead of ignoring Ferus, hed decided to play with him, the way a felinx might bat around a field mouse before devouring him in one gulp.
In that breath mask, Vaders expressions couldnt be seen. But Ferus felt his contempt.
Feruss blood rose. He struggled to stay calm. Vaders mere presence was bad enough; when Ferus felt his scorn, it inflamed the deep rage and the bitterness he felt.
Less than a week ago, Ferus had gambled, and he had lost. He had been certain that Vader was planning an invasion of Samaria, where Ferus had made contact with the resistance. Vader had outmaneuvered him.
Hed invaded the neighboring planet of Rosha instead. And Ferus had just sent his friend and companion, thirteen-year-old Trever, there.
Vader had taken particular pleasure in showing Ferus the smoking ruins of Roshas capital city. Theyd even flown over it before they left the two-planet system. On the HoloNet, Ferus had seen the destroyed hulk of Trevers ship. It had been blasted to pieces.
He didnt know whether Trever was dead or alive.
And the others… his friends. Did they make it to the secret base? Was his partner Roan Lands still there, or had he returned to Bellassa? How were Astri and Lune? Ferus had helped Astri Oddo escape Samaria with her eight-year-old son. Her ex-husband, Bog Divinian, was determined to take the boy from her. Darth Vader and the Emperor had just installed Divinian as the ruler of Samaria and Rosha.
He had no way to find out if his friends were safe.
He hadnt thought that becoming a double agent would be easy. Hed been prepared for danger and the possibility of his own death. But he hadnt prepared for the loneliness.
He was in too deep. It was too dangerous to contact his friends. He was forced to wait, hoping things would improve and hed have some freedom to remove himself from Vaders presence.
It had been a long time since hed felt this alone. Surrounded by Imperials, Ferus missed his own life more than ever. But that gave him something to fight for.
It was his own fault he felt so marooned. He had made so many mistakes. He had turned left when he should have turned right, gone forward when he should have remained still. He had sent off Trever instead of keeping him close.
He had been chewing on the hard pieces of his remorse for several days. Time and again he almost led on the double agent idea and wondered if he could jump ship at the next stop. He needed to get back to Rosha. He needed to look for Trever.
Ferus knew that Vader could pick up fear and confusion, so he tried to push back all these thoughts. It was exhausting to constantly do this, but it had to be done.
Ferus heard a muffled sound coming from Darth Vaders helmet. He knew Vader was wired into the ships comm system. No doubt he was receiving a message. Without another word, he turned and stalked out. In addition to being a terrifying sort of guy, Vader had no manners.