Star Wars_ Darksaber - Kevin J. Anderson [148]
He exercised the better part of valor and went not to the superlaser control systems, but off to his private launching bay, where he dashed over to the small inspection scooter he had used to watch the final construction of the great weapon.
Everyone on board the Darksaber had been called to their stations, so the bay stood empty and dim with only standby systems lighting his way. Lemelisk strutted over to the single scooter and climbed into the hatch, working his stiff knees and weak arms until he settled into the seat. The cramped cockpit still smelled awful, and he wished he had thought to order the Taurill to clean the upholstery—but it was too late now.
He strapped in and powered up the inspection scooter, drifted through the atmosphere-containment field and away from the enormous weapon.
Bevel Lemelisk would take his chances out in open space.
CHAPTER 53
“Battle stations!” Wedge Antilles cried.
“The Hutt weapon is moving out,” the tactical officer said, stating the obvious as the cylindrical behemoth powered up its rear engines like a star exploding.
“It’s huge,” Qwi whispered. “I understand it now, what they’ve done—they got rid of the extraneous super-structure and channeled all of the power directly into the superlaser. This weapon should be more maneuverable than the Death Star, more easily recharged, able to fire more frequently.”
“We won’t let it escape,” Wedge said.
“Bad news, sir,” the sensor chief said, a lieutenant with close-set blue eyes and a pointed nose. He turned away before he continued. “We’ve … sir, we’ve lost the signal from General Madine’s transmitter.”
The news struck Wedge like a blow to the stomach. He slumped in his seat. “Oh no.”
Qwi didn’t understand. “But we’ve found the weapon,” she said. “We don’t need the transmitter anymore, do we?”
Wedge’s voice was hoarse. He intended to speak only to her, but the bridge fell quiet enough that everyone heard his words. “That transmitter is keyed to Madine’s life monitor. If the transmitter has stopped, that means—”
He sat up straight and gestured violently forward. “All weapons on full. We must not let them get away. The Yavaris and the Dodonna will dive in directly. Corellian Corvettes will target the main engines to slow it down.” He clenched his teeth. “This time, the Hutts picked the wrong people to tangle with.”
On the Darksaber’s command deck, the Devaronian sensor chief squawked in alarm. He jerked his horned head up. “Lord Durga, Rebel fleet approaching! They’re powering up weapons.”
“What?” Durga recoiled, blinking his lanternlike eyes. “How did they find us?” Then he turned to Sulamar. “It’s time to test your piloting skills.”
The engines fired again, and the Darksaber heaved into motion, picking up speed. The thrum vibrated through the hull with barely contained power. The Darksaber built up momentum. Durga laughed with delight at the performance of his superweapon.
Deep down within the core, a loud groaning sound came from the engines, followed by a clunk and a thud.
Durga looked around in concern. Sulamar concentrated on the piloting controls, biting his lips and pretending to hear nothing out of the ordinary. Sweat streamed from his temples. The strange sound faded away, and Durga ignored it.
“Power up the superlaser,” the Hutt crime lord said. “We must be ready to fire a shot when the time is right. We’ll blast the Rebel fleet into space dust.”
The New Republic warships streaked after the Darksaber as it plowed through the flying rubble of the asteroid belt. The shields sent out bright flashes as they disintegrated small rocks that crossed their path. Several large chunks broke through, though, pounding the hull of the Yavaris.
“That Hutt weapon is like a battering ram, breaking up the rubble,” Wedge said.
One of the Corellian Corvettes was struck broadside by a large spinning meteoroid and fell behind in the pursuit.