[Last Of The Jedi] - 07(23)

It was not the way a Jedi was supposed to see or hear. It was not the way a Jedi was supposed to feel. A Jedi shouldn’t want to go back. A Jedi should accept where he was. He was conscious of Dona at a nearby table. That helped to steady him. He was able to survey the room, look for exits and strategies should they be discovered. Only then did he look back and feel pleasure at seeing Roan again.

He sat at the table. “It was so strange to see you sitting here.”

Roan knew exactly what he meant. “Like nothing had changed.”

“When everything has.”

Roan’s sad eyes were the same clear green-gray. He was growing healthier by the day. The torture procedures he’d undergone at the Imperial prison had not changed him as Ferus had feared they would.

“Trever?” Ferus asked.

“Is fine. He’s here, on Bellassa.”

Ferus nodded. The relief he felt made his legs feel weak.

“He came to the base in a new ship, thinking we’d all welcome him with open arms. Well, we welcomed him.”

Ferus smiled. “At least he came back.” “That’s what he said.”

Roan allowed a moment to pass, a moment of shared silence. His hands rested on the table, one hand cupped inside the other in a way that only Roan had.

“Why did you call for me?” Ferus asked. He didn’t know how much time they had, but it wasn’t much.

“The Eleven are concerned with your role on Bellassa,” Roan said. “Sentiment in Ussa is running against you. I realize that for you that’s a secondary consideration. But it is a blow to the resistance movement. And we’ve had many of those lately. Are you learning anything we can use?”

“Not yet,” Ferus admitted. “I’m kept on a very short leash. But I did get a quick peek at Vader’s code cylinder files. There’s something on it called Twilight that I want to look into. A large-scale operation. And then there’s the question of the factory retooling here in Ussa. What’s really going on with that?”

“Are the two related?”

“Could be, but I don’t think so. Twilight has all the earmarks of a snare operation, like Order 66. The plans here involve something big, some kind of technology that the Empire is developing that’s so secret only a few at the top know about it.”

“Who? Vader?”

“Vader, for one. Moff Tarkin, too.”

“Tarkin. He’s a nasty piece of work. Seems to have his fingers in plenty of pies.” Roan thought for a moment. “Can you get us in to where they keep records?”

“I don’t know. I’ll have to do some investigating first.”

“They’d have to keep some sort of files at the factory itself. At the beginning of an operation, things can be messy — systems aren’t in place, the chain of command isn’t quite set. We’d have to get in, probably at night, and snoop around.”

Ferus nodded. “If we find out what it is, I’m ready to quit. I’m done.”

“Tired of Vader’s company already?”

He grimaced. “If we can expose what they’re doing here, suspicion will fall on me. They won’t trust me with anything after that. And if I can walk away and go underground here in Bellassa …”

“It will embarrass them.” Roan nodded. “I think you’ve put in enough time.”

“It’s just that… Twilight. Whatever that is. I need to find out.”

“There are other ways. You don’t have to be in Vader’s pocket. They might never give you the clearance to find anything significant anyway.”

“That’s what I thought. But… if I stop working for the Empire, I can’t stay on Bellassa. I’ll need to go back to the base for a time. Then head out and look for more Jedi.”

“I know,” Roan said. “I’m glad you brought that up. I’ve finally seen your secret base, and can I tell you this? You need help.”

Ferus let the implications sink in. He knew what it meant. Roan was offering to come with him.

“You always said your job was here, on Bellassa.”

“My job is to help you,” Roan said. “If that means helping with your crackpot plan to find the Jedi, I’ll do it. We’re part of the same struggle now. I’m replaceable here on Bellassa. There are those who can take my place. You need help there. I agree with this Flame person when it comes to one thing: We have to look at galactic resistance. It’s the only way. We can’t do it only on one planet. Sooner or later, what you’re doing will link up with what’s being done elsewhere.”

“I hope so,” Ferus said. “I’m just glad you’re coming.”