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But Dorsk 81 was already dead in his arms.

CHAPTER 47

Admiral Daala’s black Knight Hammer arrived, the second wave of the assault on the Jedi stronghold. The ship hung as an opaque wedge eight kilometers long, silhouetted like a knife blade against the pale orange sphere of Yavin.

Daala’s troops were on full alert, and her weapons systems had been powered to maximum levels. She stood on the bridge deck looking out over the sweeping metal plain that formed the Knight Hammer’s upper hull.

By the time she reached the system, she had expected to find Pellaeon virtually finished with his attack, so she could enjoy the final destruction of the Jedi Knights. But as the Knight Hammer sliced through space, Daala felt her enthusiasm crumble into astonishment. She saw no sign of Pellaeon’s fleet in orbit around Yavin 4.

The bone-white Imperial Star Destroyers were simply not there. Space around the green jungle moon was empty.

“Where is he?” Daala demanded. “Open a channel. Find Pellaeon.”

“Scanning the area, Admiral,” the sensor chief said. “No sign of Star Destroyers in the Yavin System.”

Daala glowered down at the jungle moon, appalled and speechless.

“He was here, sir,” the tactical officer said. “The jammer satellite net is in place. The Jedi Knights have not sent any signals, as far as we can tell, and I do detect some ground activity. Heavy weapons fire in the jungles. Ground assault troops have been deployed—but the Star Destroyers are no longer here.”

Daala ran a gloved finger along her chin. She scowled. “Something has gone terribly wrong.” She turned back to the sensor chief. “Expand your scan,” she said. “Look across the entire planetary system, not just near the gas giant. Did Pellaeon retreat? He knew I was coming.”

The sensor chief checked and rechecked her readings, shaking her head. She looked up at Daala. “There’s no sign, sir. I’ve run a sweep all the way to the outer planets and I find no ships. No wreckage either. Vice Admiral Pellaeon was here at the jungle moon—but now he’s gone.”

Daala felt cold needles of sweat prickle her scalp as anger raised her body temperature. She looked down at the jungle moon and thought of the Jedi Knights down there, fledgling sorcerers wielding a Force she did not understand. They should have been such an easy target.… Daala knew where to channel her anger.

For most of her professional life, Daala had restrained a wealth of spite and venom, barely controlled fury that would have eaten its way out of her if she had not found a way to express it.

Life had been peaceful for her once, long ago, when she had been young and in love—but that was before the Carida military academy, before Tarkin (whom she admired more than loved). Now she was left with only anger.

Luckily for the Empire, her methods of releasing that inner pressure had often resulted in devastation to the enemy. She could keep herself psychologically strong only if she had a target—and now she decided that target must be the Jedi Knights on Yavin 4. They had ruined her straight-forward total victory.

The Knight Hammer’s launching bays were packed with thousands of TIE fighters and TIE bombers, fully loaded and ready to be deployed, but Daala decided against it. Pellaeon would have taken that tack, and if the Jedi Knights somehow had a secret defense against individual fighters such as those, she must adapt—and use a different strategy.

“Order all TIE pilots to stand down for the moment,” she said. “Have them return to their crew quarters and remain on full alert. I won’t be launching their ships just yet.” She wanted to waste no time.

“Do we have plans for an attack, Admiral?” the weapons chief said from his station, looking disappointed as he assessed his array of weaponry.

“Yes,” Daala said. “We strike from orbit. All turbo-laser batteries, full strength. Fire at will, targeting any structures in the jungle.”

“Yes, Admiral!” the weapons chief said with obvious enthusiasm.

Lances of brilliant energy shot down to the placid surface