away.
“You’re the closest thing we’ve got to an expert,” Jaina reminded her. “This is no time to defer. Report?”
Tahiri grimaced and shrugged. “She’s as ready as she’ll ever be. I’d rather go myself, but it’s her world.”
“Tenel Ka?”
The warrior confirmed readiness with a somber nod.
“No lights,” Jaina reminded, nodding toward the fluorescent, lichenlike life-forms gathered in small colonies inside the escape pod. “Head for the outskirts of the royal city. It’s been two standard hours since sunset, so you’ve got at least a shot at secrecy. Get down as fast as you can, as close to the city as you can without drawing attention. We’ll keep them busy and give you as much time as possible.”
Tenel Ka looked to Tahiri. The young Jedi helped the one-armed woman pull the cognition hood over herhead. Tahiri stepped back. The pod’s opening irised shut, and the small vessel rose slightly from the floor.
The Jedi backed away. A door closed between them and the pod, and an exterior portal opened. The escape pod sped silently out into the dark vacuum.
Jaina headed for the cockpit, but came up short when Tahiri stepped into her path. The blond girl looked fragile but resolute.
“What can I do?”
“Go find Lowbacca,” Jaina suggested. “He’s still working on the tracking system. You know the Yuuzhan Vong language better than any of us. Maybe the ship will be more talkative if it’s got a good listener.”
Color drained from the young Jedi’s face, but without hesitation she took off in search of the Wookiee.
Jaina understood Tahiri’s fear, and respected the girl’s refusal to pamper it. Anakin had told her a few things about Tahiri’s rescue from Yavin 4. They’d stolen a ship, and the cognition hood had attempted to bypass Tahiri’s true identity to pierce the “memories” the shapers had implanted.
Interesting, she mused.
The frigate shuddered and pitched as Hapan missiles bombarded it. Jaina staggered through the corridor, bouncing from one wall to the other as the ship rolled and jinked.
She struggled to the cockpit and ripped the pilot’s hood from Zekk’s head. “You said I was doing just fine,” he said, showing a flash of wry humor.
“Obviously, I lied,” she replied in kind as she tugged the controls over her own head.
He quickly yielded the seat, but continued to gaze anxiously at the viewport as Jaina settled in.
The ship’s sensors flooded her with information, none of it good.
“Hyperdrive’s out,” she announced as she spun the shipin an evasive maneuver. “Dovin basal is about played out. Looks like we get to choose between shielding and running.”
“Run,” Alema suggested.
Jaina did her best, dodging through an ever-shifting minefield of strobing lasers and proton torpedoes. Doggedly she led their attackers away from Hapes, away from Tenel Ka.
Alema let out a sigh of relief. “You’re losing them! Good work.”
Jaina surveyed the skies behind, using the sweeping peripheral vision granted by the hood. The distance between the Yuuzhan Vong ship and its attackers was steadily growing. But they kept firing, though they were well out of range. Jaina noticed the subtle shift in their vector, and traced their new path to a small black dot—a ship so small that it would be imperceptible had it not been backlit by killing lights.
“Hutt slime! They found Tenel Ka,” Jaina said. She threw the ship into a tight turn and hurtled back into the fight.
“Looks like she’s picked up a swarm of Hornet Interceptors,” Ganner said. “Get me in closer. I can kill them from here, but not disable them.”
A concussion missile sped toward the ship. Ganner sent a burst of plasma out to intercept it, and Jaina jinked sharply to avoid the resulting explosion.
“The Hapan pilots don’t seem to share your concern,” she shot back.
The older Jedi sent her an incredulous glance. “So what are you saying?”
Jaina hurtled past a pair of Hapan
“You’re the closest thing we’ve got to an expert,” Jaina reminded her. “This is no time to defer. Report?”
Tahiri grimaced and shrugged. “She’s as ready as she’ll ever be. I’d rather go myself, but it’s her world.”
“Tenel Ka?”
The warrior confirmed readiness with a somber nod.
“No lights,” Jaina reminded, nodding toward the fluorescent, lichenlike life-forms gathered in small colonies inside the escape pod. “Head for the outskirts of the royal city. It’s been two standard hours since sunset, so you’ve got at least a shot at secrecy. Get down as fast as you can, as close to the city as you can without drawing attention. We’ll keep them busy and give you as much time as possible.”
Tenel Ka looked to Tahiri. The young Jedi helped the one-armed woman pull the cognition hood over herhead. Tahiri stepped back. The pod’s opening irised shut, and the small vessel rose slightly from the floor.
The Jedi backed away. A door closed between them and the pod, and an exterior portal opened. The escape pod sped silently out into the dark vacuum.
Jaina headed for the cockpit, but came up short when Tahiri stepped into her path. The blond girl looked fragile but resolute.
“What can I do?”
“Go find Lowbacca,” Jaina suggested. “He’s still working on the tracking system. You know the Yuuzhan Vong language better than any of us. Maybe the ship will be more talkative if it’s got a good listener.”
Color drained from the young Jedi’s face, but without hesitation she took off in search of the Wookiee.
Jaina understood Tahiri’s fear, and respected the girl’s refusal to pamper it. Anakin had told her a few things about Tahiri’s rescue from Yavin 4. They’d stolen a ship, and the cognition hood had attempted to bypass Tahiri’s true identity to pierce the “memories” the shapers had implanted.
Interesting, she mused.
The frigate shuddered and pitched as Hapan missiles bombarded it. Jaina staggered through the corridor, bouncing from one wall to the other as the ship rolled and jinked.
She struggled to the cockpit and ripped the pilot’s hood from Zekk’s head. “You said I was doing just fine,” he said, showing a flash of wry humor.
“Obviously, I lied,” she replied in kind as she tugged the controls over her own head.
He quickly yielded the seat, but continued to gaze anxiously at the viewport as Jaina settled in.
The ship’s sensors flooded her with information, none of it good.
“Hyperdrive’s out,” she announced as she spun the shipin an evasive maneuver. “Dovin basal is about played out. Looks like we get to choose between shielding and running.”
“Run,” Alema suggested.
Jaina did her best, dodging through an ever-shifting minefield of strobing lasers and proton torpedoes. Doggedly she led their attackers away from Hapes, away from Tenel Ka.
Alema let out a sigh of relief. “You’re losing them! Good work.”
Jaina surveyed the skies behind, using the sweeping peripheral vision granted by the hood. The distance between the Yuuzhan Vong ship and its attackers was steadily growing. But they kept firing, though they were well out of range. Jaina noticed the subtle shift in their vector, and traced their new path to a small black dot—a ship so small that it would be imperceptible had it not been backlit by killing lights.
“Hutt slime! They found Tenel Ka,” Jaina said. She threw the ship into a tight turn and hurtled back into the fight.
“Looks like she’s picked up a swarm of Hornet Interceptors,” Ganner said. “Get me in closer. I can kill them from here, but not disable them.”
A concussion missile sped toward the ship. Ganner sent a burst of plasma out to intercept it, and Jaina jinked sharply to avoid the resulting explosion.
“The Hapan pilots don’t seem to share your concern,” she shot back.
The older Jedi sent her an incredulous glance. “So what are you saying?”
Jaina hurtled past a pair of Hapan
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