“Wait.”
He could make it out through the smoke, a
Sentinel
-class shuttle.
“They think we’ve crashed,” Valin said.
“Yes,” Anakin replied, punching the engines back on.The modified shuttle tried to swing around as he rose out of the trees, but it was too late. He fired his last proton torpedo, and the Peace Brigade ship became a ball of fire, sinking into the already burning jungle.
“Anakin!” Sannah shrieked.
Instinctively, Anakin threw the ship skyward, but not before multiple impacts ripped through the failing transport.
“There you are,” he muttered. “After you, I’m done.”
Of the three ships that had chased him halfway around the moon, only this one—an E-wing—remained. Unfortunately, while Anakin’s commandeered transport was limping so badly it would soon go down on its own, the speedy little fighter was undamaged.
“You only have to hit it once, Sannah,” Anakin said. “Maybe twice.”
“I can’t get a bead,” she shouted back.
The little ship made a pass, and the air suddenly smelled sharply of ozone and vaporized metal as the transport tremored.
“Let me have a shot!” Vehn demanded.
“What?”
“Look, I don’t wanna die. This is my ship, those are my guns. I know ’em better than that kid back there. She’s never even handled a gun before, that much is clear—yii!” Vehn blanched as Anakin put the ungainly craft in a barrel roll.
“You think I trust you?”
“Use your poodoo-stinking Jedi powers. Can’t you tell I’m serious?”
To Anakin’s surprise, he really didn’t sense deception from the fellow.
“You’d shoot down your own friends?”
“They’re not my friends.”
Again, no deception.
Anakin made his decision. “Valin, uncuff him. Takehim to the gun. Vehn, I promise you, if this is a trick, no matter what else happens,
you’ll
be sorry.”
“Sorrier than I am now? I doubt it.”
Anakin dropped low again, trying to buy a few more seconds. He had only one engine left on-line, and one more hit would finish that quickly enough.
“I’m on it,” Vehn reported from the turret. “Give me a little altitude, that’s all I ask.”
“You’ve got it,” Anakin said. Once more he put the ship in a climb. The E-wing saw its opportunity then, darting in and chewing what was left of the engine to shreds. It coughed off-line, and for an instant the transport seemed to hang suspended a hundred meters above the treetops. In that in-between moment, Vehn needled red lines across the sky, stitching through the E-wing. It spun wildly out of control. Then the transport was falling, and Anakin hit the repulsors, and the sound of tearing metal deafened him.
Anakin came to with the taste of blood on his tongue. He didn’t know if he had been out for seconds or days, and a glance at the controls didn’t help. Through the cockpit transparisteel he could see only crushed vegetation.
“Sannah! Valin!”
“They’re okay,” Remis Vehn said from behind Anakin. “A little battered, but no worse for the wear.”
Anakin twisted in his seat and found himself confronting the muzzle of a blaster. He blinked, then looked up at the young man’s cool gray eyes.
“You want to put that down, don’t you?” Anakin asked, pushing with the Force.
“Well …,” Vehn considered.
“You’ll put it down,” Anakin commanded.
“Sure,” Vehn replied. “I’ll put it down.”
“Great.” Anakin unfastened himself from the flight harness. He took the blaster and stuck it in his belt.
“Vaping moffs!” Vehn swore. “You Jedi
are
sorcerers.”
“Keep it sealed,” Anakin warned him, turning to Sannah.
Sannah was unconscious but breathing evenly. Valin was awake, but the hull near him had crimped in such a way that Sannah’s harness was stuck. Anakin sliced through it with his lightsaber. The Melodie girl moaned softly.
“Vehn, carry Sannah out,” Anakin told the Peace Brigader. “The ship may have a few surprises for us yet.”
“My
He could make it out through the smoke, a
Sentinel
-class shuttle.
“They think we’ve crashed,” Valin said.
“Yes,” Anakin replied, punching the engines back on.The modified shuttle tried to swing around as he rose out of the trees, but it was too late. He fired his last proton torpedo, and the Peace Brigade ship became a ball of fire, sinking into the already burning jungle.
“Anakin!” Sannah shrieked.
Instinctively, Anakin threw the ship skyward, but not before multiple impacts ripped through the failing transport.
“There you are,” he muttered. “After you, I’m done.”
Of the three ships that had chased him halfway around the moon, only this one—an E-wing—remained. Unfortunately, while Anakin’s commandeered transport was limping so badly it would soon go down on its own, the speedy little fighter was undamaged.
“You only have to hit it once, Sannah,” Anakin said. “Maybe twice.”
“I can’t get a bead,” she shouted back.
The little ship made a pass, and the air suddenly smelled sharply of ozone and vaporized metal as the transport tremored.
“Let me have a shot!” Vehn demanded.
“What?”
“Look, I don’t wanna die. This is my ship, those are my guns. I know ’em better than that kid back there. She’s never even handled a gun before, that much is clear—yii!” Vehn blanched as Anakin put the ungainly craft in a barrel roll.
“You think I trust you?”
“Use your poodoo-stinking Jedi powers. Can’t you tell I’m serious?”
To Anakin’s surprise, he really didn’t sense deception from the fellow.
“You’d shoot down your own friends?”
“They’re not my friends.”
Again, no deception.
Anakin made his decision. “Valin, uncuff him. Takehim to the gun. Vehn, I promise you, if this is a trick, no matter what else happens,
you’ll
be sorry.”
“Sorrier than I am now? I doubt it.”
Anakin dropped low again, trying to buy a few more seconds. He had only one engine left on-line, and one more hit would finish that quickly enough.
“I’m on it,” Vehn reported from the turret. “Give me a little altitude, that’s all I ask.”
“You’ve got it,” Anakin said. Once more he put the ship in a climb. The E-wing saw its opportunity then, darting in and chewing what was left of the engine to shreds. It coughed off-line, and for an instant the transport seemed to hang suspended a hundred meters above the treetops. In that in-between moment, Vehn needled red lines across the sky, stitching through the E-wing. It spun wildly out of control. Then the transport was falling, and Anakin hit the repulsors, and the sound of tearing metal deafened him.
Anakin came to with the taste of blood on his tongue. He didn’t know if he had been out for seconds or days, and a glance at the controls didn’t help. Through the cockpit transparisteel he could see only crushed vegetation.
“Sannah! Valin!”
“They’re okay,” Remis Vehn said from behind Anakin. “A little battered, but no worse for the wear.”
Anakin twisted in his seat and found himself confronting the muzzle of a blaster. He blinked, then looked up at the young man’s cool gray eyes.
“You want to put that down, don’t you?” Anakin asked, pushing with the Force.
“Well …,” Vehn considered.
“You’ll put it down,” Anakin commanded.
“Sure,” Vehn replied. “I’ll put it down.”
“Great.” Anakin unfastened himself from the flight harness. He took the blaster and stuck it in his belt.
“Vaping moffs!” Vehn swore. “You Jedi
are
sorcerers.”
“Keep it sealed,” Anakin warned him, turning to Sannah.
Sannah was unconscious but breathing evenly. Valin was awake, but the hull near him had crimped in such a way that Sannah’s harness was stuck. Anakin sliced through it with his lightsaber. The Melodie girl moaned softly.
“Vehn, carry Sannah out,” Anakin told the Peace Brigader. “The ship may have a few surprises for us yet.”
“My
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