Halt's Peril Read Free Page A

inquiry shows that you're free of any further treasonous intent, your pardon will take full effect."

    "Why?" he repeated in a stronger tone.

    "We're trying to win back deserters, especially those who might possess valuable infor mation about the Yuuzhan Vong. Hapes needs all the good pilots it can get."

    Wary blue eyes searched her face as the man weighed her claim.

    "And the other two men? The pirates who escaped with me?"

    "They'll be picked up before they leave Hapess atmosphere. Since were circumventing Hapan law, we've got to keep this quiet until we know for sure that the effort is worthwhile. Your friends set-away ships will be reported as destroyed. That way, if they don't rehabilitate, they'll already be listed as dead."

    Jaina lifted one eyebrow, underscoring the choices before him. She deliberately made her story grim enough to be plausible and added a powerful nudge of Jedi persuasion. After a moment the man accepted his
    "reprieve" with a nod. The two Jedi helped him to his feet and flanked him as they headed toward the pilot refresher facility.

    "We're going in through the ventilation tunnels," Jaina explained as they slippec into a dimly lit side corridor.

    They stopped before a large, circular hatch. Kyp caught her wrist as she reached for the controls. "Wait. The light in this hall could trigger an alarm."

    He drew his lightsaber and swept it in a shining arc toward the ceiling lights. They flared sharply and then blinked out, leaving the hall in darkness.

    Immediately a profound chill swept through Jaina. She reached out for their prisoner with a hand that suddenly was heavy and numb. Her fingers closed around the Hapar.s wrist. His skin felt cold to the touch.

    "What is this?" he demanded thickly. "What's happening?"

    "I have to lower our body temperature to match the air temperature in the tunnels," Kyp responded. "It might not be comfortable, but its necessary. Move slowly, keep alert.

    Remember, if we're caught, the Gallinore officials will send you right back to that Hapan prison."

    "I copy," the man mumbled.

    Jaina eased the door open and hauled herself into the tunnel. The rounded passage was just big enough to crawl through, and it sloped downward. As Jaina pulled herself along, she quickly became grateful for the decline. The tunnels were cold, and her chilled limbs felt sluggish and unresponsive.

    Finally the tunnel leveled out, and an almost imperceptible bluish glow dawned at the end. Jaina picked up her pace. The tunnel opened into a rounded corridor big enough to allow them to walk upright. She rolled out, reveling in the soft light. The tunnel was still painfully cold, but after the utter darkness of the side tunnels, the faint diffused light felt oddly reassuring. She stepped aside to allow the Hapan to emerge.
    The big man crawled out and stretched, then rolled his shoulders to loosen cramped muscles.

    He fell into step with the two Jedi, walking nearly as quietly as his much-smaller captors. Jaina reached out with the Force, trying to measure his mood and intentions. She picked up a high level of anxiety, but under the circumstances that see reasonable.

    They moved silently through a maze of tunnels, counting off sidetunnels and drainage shoots, following the pattern that Kyp had committed to memory. Finally the Jedi Master pointed to a hatch on the far wall.

    "That's it," he said softly.

    Without warning, the Hapan dropped to the floor and executed a quick leg sweep. His attack was unbelievably quick - - would have been even if he hadn't been chilled to near-immobility. Kyp went down, and his tumble save Jaina time to stumble back a couple of paces. The prisoner completed the spin and came up in one fluid movement.

    He pivoted to one side, brought his knee up and snapped off a quick kick. Instantly Jaina fell back into lessons learned during her brief apprenticeship with Mara Jade. Recognizing the feint, she ducked - under the first high kick. She pivoted hard toward