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d the air. The barrels of the laser cannons looked like tunnels that went on forever. Jaden and Khedryn stood still on the frozen ground, cloaked in the fighter's faint shadow. The ship dipped its nose so that the cockpit had a clear view of them and they of it. The transparisteel was dimmed so that they could not see within. Jaden reached out with the Force-even that small effort tried him, after all he'd been through-and felt the Force presences of ten beings."They do have children aboard," he said. "Or there were more clones than we thought."Khedryn lowered his blaster, a symbolic gesture only. The blaster could not have penetrated the CloakShape's hide."Maybe they don't know who we are or what… happened."Jaden shook his head, his eyes fixed on the cockpit. "No. They know I killed one of them. The holo-log said they had an empathic connection, maybe even a telepathic one. They know.""Stang," Khedryn murmured.For a time they stood there, staring up at the unseen crew through the swirl. Finally Jaden shouted up at the cockpit."If you leave I will have to come after you."He gave that a moment to register and still received no response. He deactivated his saber, turned away from the fighter, and walked through the cold and snow for Flotsam."Let's go, Khedryn.""Go?" Khedryn said, and hurried after him, looking back over his shoulder at the fighter."We are either dead or we're not. Their choice."Khedryn fell in beside him, partially hunched as though in anticipation of a blow.Jaden did not flinch-though Khedryn did-when a shriek tore through the sky, not the cannons on the CloakShape fighter, but the wail of engines failing, of superstructure collapsing.Jaden turned, already flashing back to his vision, and looked up to see