But reinforcements were already on the way. Han heard them surging down the corridor, crying for blood. He got to his feet, then helped Leia and C-3PO to theirs. Simultaneous with the snap-hiss of Leia"s lightsaber came the drone of launched thud bugs. Leia fielded those she could. Taken by surprise, a dozen Caluula soldiers were dropped in their tracks. The volley of deflected bugs flew back down the corridor at the approaching Yuuzhan Vong, only to be returned by several warriors at the head of the pack. Han caught a glimpse of five comparatively short warriors, smeared head to toe in black blood rather than sheathed in the usual arthropod armor. Odder still, was the way they were holding their amphistaffs to parry thud bugs and blasterbolts.
"They"re using them like lightsabers," he said.
"That seems to be the idea," Leia replied breathlessly.
Han shook his head in incredulity.
"More new models?"
"I don"t think we should wait around to ask!"
The Mandalorian-armored cadre apparently felt the same. Taking aim on a portion of bulkhead close to the deck, two of the troopers used missiles to blow a gaping hole into the adjoining hold. The Caluula defenders began to scramble through, with C-3PO, Leia, and Han bringing up the rear. They raced through the adjacent hold and into a wide corridor, lowering blast shields wherever they encountered them. Greeted with an intersection, Han knew enough to ask.
"That way!" C-3PO said.
Han gave a last glance at the armored fighters, then turned to follow Leia and C-3PO. The side corridor led directly to the connector that ran between Caluula"s number three and four modules. Outside the tube"s curved transparisteel walls, laserbolts and plasma projectiles cleaved the darkness. Coralskippers and starfighters chased one another in chaotic circles. The volcanolike launchers of enemy capital ships fired again and again. Han, Leia, and C-3PO hadn"t set foot inside the number four module when something shook the entire station.
"The ychna," Han said. Leia agreed. "You know how hard it is to satisfy those things."
Farther along, Garray"s meaty adjutant motioned them from the pack of withdrawing soldiers.
"Captain, Princess Leia, the Falcon is ready for departure."
Han stared at him.
"You"ve got to be kidding." He gestured broadly. "It"s worse out there than in here!"
"I concur, sir. Nevertheless, she"s patched up and ready to go.
Nowhere near good as new, but you should be able to limp her to Mon Calamari in a couple of microjumps."
Han and Leia traded doubtful looks.
"Each officer we rescued from Selvaris could rally ten thousand additional troops to our cause," Leia said.
Ultimately, Han nodded.
"A bunch of people a lot smarter than me figured this out, so I guess we have to trust that they"re right."
Leia smiled.
"Spoken like a true enlisted man."
Garray"s adjutant directed them back to where the Falcon was berthed. With nearly every s.p.a.ceworthy craft launched, the place was practically deserted. Cracken, Page, and the rest of the Selvaris roster were cl.u.s.tered at the foot of the landing ramp. The station"s klaxons began to blare triplets. Garray"s adjutant cursed, then adopted a resigned expression.
"The commander has issued the evacuation order." Han nodded cheerlessly. "You have to know when to fold."
"I"ll be leaving you here."
Han saluted him.
"We"ll win this thing yet, Chief."
He turned to give the Falcon a quick glance. Leia noted Han"s discouraged look.
"Well, he did say limp her to Mon Calamari."
"Crawl"s more like it."
The mechanic responsible for the several add-ons emerged from beneath the starboard mandible.
"We spared as much blaster gas as we could for your quad lasers, but I"d go light on them if I were you." He gazed up at the Falcon and smiled. "Great ship. Good journey."
Han pumped the man"s hand in thanks. A powerful explosion rattled the bay. Paint chips and other objects showered from the vaulted ceiling.
"Everybody get on board," Han said, "before we end up EV without a ship."
When Pash Cracken and a few of the other officers didn"t move, he stormed over to them.
"You waiting for a formal invitation?"
Cracken almost smiled.
"With all due respect, Han, we"ve decided to remain here and do what we can."
Han made his lips a thin line.
"Pash, this is bigger than Caluula, and you know it. Alliance command is counting on you people to rally support in your home systems.
Besides, you can"t make a difference here. Those are evacuation klaxons you"re hearing."
"Han"s right, Major," Leia said.
Cracken still didn"t move.
"We"ll take our chances, Princess."
She blew out her breath.
"Your father"s never going to forgive us, Pash."
"He"ll understand." Han nodded. "Then may the Force be with all of you. In other circ.u.mstances, I might make the same choice."
He turned and, without a backward look, hurried Leia and C-3PO up the landing ramp. At the top, he waved Page and the rest of the officers into the forward cargo compartment. He told Leia to begin the startup sequence, and he sent Cakhmaim and Meewalh to the gun turrets. He ran to the stern to check the status of the escape pods, then raced forward to the c.o.c.kpit. By the time he arrived, Leia was strapped in and the repulsorlift was cold-started. Han leapt into the pilot"s chair while Leia lifted the Falcon, turned her about, and sent her streaking through the magcon field.
Local s.p.a.ce was crosscut with magma projectiles and turbolaser bolts. Dead ahead, the bloated yncha floated motionless in s.p.a.ce, amid a debris cloud created by coralskippers that had thrown themselves against Caluula"s shields. X-wings and other starfighters drifted lazily. Three of the station"s modules were wide open to vacuum and expressing what little atmosphere they still contained. Below, explosions were blossoming on the beige and green surface of Caluula itself, with wounded coralskippers plunging into the atmosphere like fiery meteors.
Han watched a dozen escape vehicles launch from an undamaged module. Caluula was finished.
"Three skips converging on us." Leia glanced at him. "It"s our old friends."
Han"s eyes darted to the authenticator screen.
"The ones that tracked us from Selvaris! What is this, a personal vendetta?"
"Maybe they don"t like our paint job."
"Then I"m on their side." He clamped his hands on the yoke. "Hang on."
Han leaned toward the intercom.
"Watch the fuel levels, you two. Last thing we need is to be left high and dry." He glanced over his left shoulder. "Jump coordinates for Mon Calamari coming in."
Leia studied the navicomputer display.
"We"ll have come around to three-zero-three. That means back toward the station."
"I was afraid of that."
An explosion shook the ship before it was halfway through the turn.
"There goes the only new piece of equipment they installed. But we can get by without it."
"I"m counting on that, dearest."
One of the curve-tailed, tandem-piloted coralskippers appeared in the wraparound viewport, coming straight at the Falcon.
"Take the shot!"
Han said into the intercom. Singularities formed in advance of the approaching skip, but sheer firepower overwhelmed them, and the vessel came apart in roiling fire.
"Cakhmaim is really getting good," Leia said.
Han shook his head negatively.
"That wasn"t him."
He leaned back in his seat to glance through the upper panes of the viewport. A cla.s.sic Firespray-cla.s.s security patrol craft shot overhead.
A cross-shaped ship affixed to an oval engine suite, it was followed by four Gladiators, so named because they looked like swords thrust to the hilt through circular shields.
"It is Fett! And he"s clearing a lane for us!" Han snorted. "Just like him to make sure he has the upper hand on a debt."
"Incoming transmission," Leia said. "From the Firespray."
Boba Fett"s voice crackled through the comm.
"Just wanted to remind you, Solo, that my personal fight was always with the Jedi. You were nothing more than cargo."
Han snorted.
"For what it"s worth, Fett, you were never more than a nuisance."
Fett laughed shortly.
"To better days, Captain."
"Count on it."
Sowing mines far to port and starboard, the Firespray continued to break a trail for the near-weaponless Falcon; then Fett tipped the patrol craft"s short wings in salute and vanished.
"Ready for lightspeed," Han said.
Leia collapsed back into the copilot"s chair, shaking her head back and forth.
"I have now officially seen and heard everything." She turned to Han with a half smile. "I"m almost ready to believe this war will actually end. "
With the Jedi Knights reduced to half their strength since the start of the war, Luke Skywalker"s seven incommunicado in the Unknown Regions, some-including the twenty or so Jedi children-still sheltered at the Maw Installation, and others partic.i.p.ating in various Galactic Alliance military operations, Kenth Hamner could gather only a dozen Jedi for the meeting held in Tresina Lobi"s quarters on Mon Calamari. Though understated, the circular room at the top of Coral City"s Quarren Tower was s.p.a.cious and enjoyed a 360-degree view of the tranquil sea and sparkling reefs. In the continued absence of Luke and Saba-and with Kyp frequently flying missions with the Dozen-Tresina Lobi had become an important voice on Cal Omas"s Advisory Council.
A Chev, she had a narrow face with angular features, and short black hair. Tresina, Markre Medjev, and Cilghal, the Mon Calamari Jedi healer, had spent the morning preparing food, and the circular table in the sunroom was already spread with the appetizing results of their labors by the time Kenth and the others arrived. Gradually they seated themselves at the table, except for Kenth, who was too restless to eat or stay put. Clockwise from Tresina"s armchair sat Cilghal, Jaina, Kyp, towering ginger-furred Lowbacca, the Twi"lek female Alema Rar, salt-and-pepper-haired combat instructor Kyle Katarn, Chandrilan Octa Ramis, slight and terribly scarred Waxarn Kel, and young and darkly handsome Zekk.
"Some of you might not be aware that operative Baljos Arnjak didn"t return from Wraith Squadron"s infiltration mission to Coruscant," Kenth said as he circled the table. "Bhindi Drayson was supposed to have remained onworld, but it was Arnjak who stayed, and has been furnishing the Alliance with intelligence ever since, mostly with the help of a kind of droid-fungus he and his teammates let loose during the mission."
Kenth came to a stop between Cilghal and Jaina, then leaned forward, planting the palms of his hands on the table.
"Arnjak"s latest report states that Yu"shaa, the so-called Prophet of the heretics, was recently seen on Coruscant. By recent, I mean within the past local week, since it took that long for a string of couriers to move the information from the Core to Mon Calamari."
"Has his ident.i.ty been verified?" Kyle asked from across the table.
Kenth nodded.
"Which means that he either didn"t go to Zonama Sekot with Corran and Tahiri-"
"Or that he returned without them," Kyp said. "Is there some way we can establish whether he arrived back on Coruscant in the same vessel everyone left on?"
"No," Kenth said.
[Or if they even reached Zonama Sekot], Lowbacca"s voice issued from his droid translator.
Kenth glanced at the Wookiee.
"Exactly. Unlike most of the HoloNet transceivers, Esfandia is still functioning-if inconsistently. So, a.s.suming nothing has befallen Jade Shadow, Luke and Mara should have been able to contact us."
"We"ve waited long enough," Octa Ramis said. "It"s time we sent a ship."
Everyone fell silent for a long moment, then Cilghal said, "I doubt that we"ll find Zonama Sekot at the coordinates to which we"ve been transmitting messages. I suspect that the living world has moved."
"Based on what?" Alema asked.