"We speak oddly?" Khedryn said.

"You do not know the name of Grand Master Skywalker?" Jaden asked, incredulous.

"I have been away from Coruscant and the Order for some time, on a mission for Master Nadill."

"Master who?" The name bounced around in Jaden's mind, seeking purchase in his memory. He felt as if he should have known it.

"There is no time for this," the man said. "My name is Relin Druur. I need to get back aboard Harbinger."

Khedryn stepped forward. "Back aboard? That damaged cruiser, you mean?"

"Sith dreadnought," Relin said, nodding. "I tried to bring it down with my Padawan and managed only to damage its hyperdrive. I was caught in its draft when it misjumped. We ended up here."

"Your Padawan?" Jaden asked, and wished he had not.

Relin's jaw tightened. Pain stained his eyes. "He's dead."

"Sorry," Khedryn said awkwardly. "And sorry about shooting at you, but you did ram my ship and-"

"What are your names?" Relin asked.

"Jaden Korr. This is Khedryn Faal and this is his vessel."

Relin took a deep breath, wincing with pain as he did so. "Listen to me, Jaden and Khedryn. Harbinger cannot be allowed to jump away. The cargo it bears, a special ore, enhances the power of those who use the dark side and could turn the battle for Kirrek into a rout. Unless you wish the galaxy to fall under Sith dominion, you will assist me."

"Ore? What are you talking about?" Khedryn said. "You need medical attention, man. Look at you."

Relin's eyes flared and he advanced a step on Khedryn. "There is no time! If Naga Sadow is victorious on Kirrek, we may not be able to stop the Sith at all."

Jaden's mind tried to make sense of Relin's words. Some kind of ore on the cruiser enhanced the power of a dark side user. The presence of the ore explained the free-floating dark side energy that had caused Jaden such unease as the cruiser had approached.

"I need to commandeer this ship," Relin said. "I am sorry but-"

"You aren't commandeering so much as a caf pot, Jedi," Khedryn said, his fists bloodless around hammer and ax. "This is my ship."

More of Relin's words registered with Jaden, but he could not shape them into anything coherent.

"Did you say Naga Sadow?" he asked distantly.

Sadow's name triggered memories of ancient history lessons from Jaden's time in the Jedi academy.

"Yes, Sadow," Relin said. "His forces marshal at Primus Goluud even now while we debate trivialities. Hear me, Jaden. I need your help and I need it now."

The pieces of Relin's story started to fall into place-Kirrek, Nadill, Sadow, his ignorance of Grand Master Skywalker, his obsolete lightsaber, the oddly made blaster he bore.

Jaden's suspicion hit him like an unexpected punch in the stomach. How could this be? How?

"This is not possible," he whispered.

Relin mistook his meaning. "It is not only possible, it is essential. I need to get back onto Harbinger." He looked at Khedryn. "Unless this ship can bring it down?"

Khedryn scoffed, put the hammer and ax back into their wall mounts. "This is a freighter, not a warship. I don't have ship-to-ship weapons. Jaden, are you all right?"

"Nothing at all?" Relin asked.

"Nothing," Khedryn said to Relin. "Jaden? Are you all right?"

Jaden swallowed through a throat gone dry. When he spoke, his voice sounded as mechanical as that of a protocol droid. "The Battle of Kirrek was fought more than five thousand years ago. Naga Sadow has been dead for centuries. If what you've told us is correct, your misjump didn't just move you through space." He let the moment hang there for a moment, allowing Relin to brace himself, before he said, "It moved you through time."

"You are mad," Relin said, but he took half a step back. His eyes flicked to Jaden's lightsaber, his blaster, the ship, to Khedryn, his blaster.

"Seconded," Khedryn said to Jaden, his lazy eye and good eye seemingly split between Relin and Jaden. "That cannot be right. Can it?"

"Look at my lightsaber," Jaden said, and held up the hilt of his blade. "Lightsaber technology left the power pack behind long ago."

Relin took another step back, resisting the evidence before his eyes. "You have a more advanced lightsaber, but it means noth-"

"Look at this ship, Relin," Jaden said. "His blaster. Mine." He held up his own DL-44.

Relin's eyes widened, his pale skin growing a shade more pallid. "This is… a mistake. I… "

He visibly concentrated, once more testing Jaden's Force presence.

"I am a Jedi," Jaden said, understanding his purpose. "You are not being misled."

Relin sagged and Khedryn stepped forward as if to help Relin keep his feet, but the Jedi waved him off.

Jaden continued: "The galaxy just endured a civil war caused by a Sith Lord named Caedus, but he was defeated by the Order and its allies. My Jedi Order. Before that, the Jedi were instrumental in overthrowing a galaxywide Empire ruled by a Sith Lord named Palpatine."

"Jaden… " Khedryn said, holding out a hand to Relin as if to steady him. "Come on, let's tend to those ribs. We can work this out later. I am sure there's an explanation."

"I just gave it," Jaden said, more convinced than ever.

Relin stared at Jaden, started to speak, and then stopped. He shook his head.

"How can this be?"

Jaden had no idea. It seemed impossible, yet he sensed no lie in Relin, and the facts he had were the facts he had. "Get Marr," he said to Khedryn, thinking the Cerean, with his mathematical gifts, might be able to explain what had happened.

Khedryn licked his lips. "Just so I know what to tell him: you're saying I have an old Imperial distress call coming from a moon no one's charted before, a five-thousand-year-old Jedi aboard my ship, and a five-thousand-year-old Sith dreadnought with some evil ore aboard flying through my sky?"

Neither Jaden nor Relin said anything. Jaden understood Khedryn's need to make light. That was how he coped.

"If this is work to you, Jaden," Khedryn said, "I'd love to see what you do for excitement." He activated his communicator. "Marr, you will not believe this."

Saes hurried through Harbinger's corridors, bays, and lifts. Damage-control teams saluted him as they hurried by.

The bone rings holding his hair in a long tail bounced against his back with each stride. He still felt a joyous light-headedness, an after-effect from his use of the Lignan.

When he reached the secondary bridge, he found the night watch already taking their stations. The viewscreen remained dark. Harbinger was blind. All of them, males and females, human and nonhuman, stood and raised a fist in a salute. They smelled of stale fear.

"Captain on the bridge," said Lieutenant Llerd, standing at attention and sticking out his barrel chest.

"As you were," Saes said to the crew, and they returned to work. "You are acting executive officer, Colonel Llerd."

"Thank you, sir," said the human.

"Status?"

"Most of our instrumentation is down, so I've ordered a full stop," Llerd said. "Repair teams are trying to repair blown bulkheads. The primary bridge has been sealed off."

"Get our instrumentation operational and get a scan under way. I want to know where we are. And get the viewscreen up."

"Copy, sir," the human answered.

Someone activated the bridge's communications system. Static crackled for a moment; then the damage reports started pouring in. Saes noted them absently, but his mind was on Relin. He recalled the mirth in Relin's eyes in the moment before the charges on the hyperdrive had blown. The recollection summoned anger. He put a finger to the tip of the horn jutting from his jaw, pressed until the finger bled and he had his anger controlled.