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had a friend there, a native of that world who had trained briefly at the academy and returned home. He could feel her, very faintly. Yavin 4 was just around the rim, where he had other friends. In a way, the whole system was like a familiar room to Anakin, the sort he could walk into and immediately know if something was out of place.
    And something felt very out of place.
    In the Force he could feel the Jedi candidates, for they were all strong with it. He could feel Kam Solusar and his wife Tionne, and the ancient Ikrit, not students but full-fledged Jedi. These were seen as through a cloud, suggesting they were at least trying to maintain the illusion that hid Yavin 4 from the casual eye.
    But even through that, one presence shone brilliant, made brighter by familiarity and friendship. Tahiri.
    She felt him, too, and though he could not quite hear any actual words she might be trying to send, he did feela sort of rhythm, as of someone talking quickly, excitedly, without pause for breath.
    One corner of Anakin’s mouth turned up. Yes, that was Tahiri, all right.
    What felt wrong was a little nearer and much weaker. Not Yuuzhan Vong, for they could not be felt in the Force, but someone who shouldn’t be there. Someone slightly confused, but with a growing sense of confidence.
    “Hang on, Fiver,” he told his astromech. “Get ready to run or fight in a hurry. It might just be Talon Karrde and his crew here ahead of schedule, but I’d sooner bet against Lando Calrissian in sabacc than to count on it.”
    AFFIRMATIVE , the display blinked.
    They tumbled into sensor range, and his computer built a silhouette from the magnified image.
    “That’s not so bad,” he murmured. “One Corellian light transport. Maybe it
is
one of Karrde’s bunch.” Or maybe not. And maybe there were a hundred Yuuzhan Vong ships on the other side of the gas giant or Yavin 4, invisible to his Jedi senses and hidden from his sensors. Whatever the case, waiting around wasn’t going to improve matters. He powered up, corrected his tumble, and engaged the ion engines.
    He activated his comm system and hailed the stranger. “Transport, acknowledge.”
    For a few moments, he got nothing, then the audio crackled. “Who is this?”
    “My name is Anakin Solo. What are you doing in the Yavin system?”
    “We’re Corusca gem miners.”
    “Really. Where’s your trawler?”
    Another pause, then words underlined with a bit of anger.
    “We can see the moon now. We knew it was here all along. Your Jedi sorcery has failed you.”
    THE TRANSPORT IS ARMING WEAPONS SYSTEMS , Fivernoticed. Anakin nodded grimly as the other vessel swung toward him.
    “I’m only warning you once,” Anakin said. “Stand down.”
    For an answer, he got a blast from a laser cannon, which at that distance he managed to avoid as easily as he might deflect a blaster shot with his lightsaber.
    “Gee,” Anakin muttered. “I suppose that says it all.” He opened his S-foils. “Fiver, give me evasive approach six, but I still want the stick just in case.”
    ACKNOWLEDGED .
    He dropped toward Yavin 4 and the transport at full thrust, spinning and dancing as he went, and when he felt his target firmly enough in the Force, he sliced the night of vacuum with ruby red. The transport returned fire and began its own evasive maneuvers, but that was like a bantha trying to dodge a mace fly.
    They had good shields, though. As Anakin completed his first pass, his opponent was still essentially untouched. To make matters more interesting, four winks of blue flame and his instruments agreed that the transport had just fired proton torpedoes at him. Anakin had been preparing to turn for another pass; instead he continued his noseward plunge toward the moon.
    “Four proton torpedoes. These guys really don’t like us, Fiver.”
    THE TRANSPORT SEEMS HOSTILE , Fiver acknowledged. Anakin sighed. Fiver was a more advanced astromech than R2-D2, but he missed his uncle’s droid’s personality