Star Wars_ Legacy of the Force 07_ Fury - Aaron Allston [117]
Saba pushed her dead foe over, sending it crashing to the deck plates, and eyed Ben. “Good tacticz,” she said. “But warn this one next time. The stream of boltz crossed this one when the droid turned.”
Ben winced. “Sorry, Master.”
“Do not be sorry. Learn.” She turned forward and resumed her advance toward the bridge.
Luke grinned at him. “What did she say first?”
“Good tacticz.”
“Don’t lose track of the praise even in a stream of constructive criticism. Or vice versa.” Luke turned to follow the Barabel Jedi.
His feet ringing on the metal deck plates, Koyan sprinted through what seemed like endless corridors of Centerpoint Station, racing toward an air lock that his datapad map said was less than a kilometer away.
Which, he realized as he was forced to jump over the bodies of a GAG trooper and two dead CorSec security guards, meant that the enemy was within a kilometer of the fire-control chamber. Things were bad.
Though the corridors were narrow and unfamiliar here, the glow rods dim and the metal beams and panels of every passageway resembling those of every other, he found his way to Air Lock Epsilon Thirty-four G. He entered it, noted that there was a shuttle interior visible through the opposite viewport, and cycled it.
Moments later he stepped through into safety. But here, in the main cabin of the troop carrier shuttle, there was no one to be seen. “Hello?”
“Yes?” The voice carried back from the cockpit.
“Get me to Coronet immediately.”
The pilot rose from her seat and stepped out to stare at him. White-haired and almost as pale as an albino human, with a prominent supraorbital ridge and eyes as black as space, she was a Chev…and dressed in the blues of a Galactic Alliance officer.
Koyan grunted and reached for his hideaway blaster.
The Chev was faster. She drew from her holster and fired. Her bolt caught Koyan at the sternum, throwing him back and down.
All of a sudden, sounds reaching his ears were oddly watery and distant, and his vision began to close in. All he could see was the ceiling of the shuttle cabin. He couldn’t do anything anyway—the pain in his chest was excruciating.
He heard the pilot speak. “Kork. Forgot to set it to stun.” His vision closed in more. “Chinnith to Anakin Solo. You’ll never guess who I just shot.”
Koyan’s vision failed entirely and he drifted through painless void.
Syal’s starfighter rocked. Everything outside the canopy glowed in eye-hurting red, and then she was past her opponent, curving around for another exchange.
Wait—her enemy, designated ROGUE 6 on the sensor board, was breaking away. And Rakes One and Two were headed in toward her position.
She continued her maneuver anyway, clear sign to her opponent that she was still in the hunt, that she was not relying on her squadmates to end this fight for her. But her opponent chose not to face three Rakes all at once. It turned back toward a cluster of Rogues, doubtless to return when it had a wingmate.
Wedge and Sanola drew alongside her. Her father’s voice came across her helmet speakers. “Four, this is Leader. Report status.”
“I’m intact. Minor damage to my thrusters and starboard topside laser.” As she continued, pain crept into her voice. “A minute ago, I just vaped a Rogue.”
“I did, too. Rogue Leader. A Duros named Lensi. A good man. They’ve made kills against us: Six is dead, Eight is dead or extravehicular, and Two here is so shot up I’m sending her out of the combat zone.”
Sanola’s voice came across, a protest laced with pain. “I’m still fit to fly—”
“Then you’re fit to obey orders. Get back to our staging vessel.”
“Yes, sir.” Rakehell Two banked away, and Syal could see a continuous stream of sparks emerging from her starfighter’s underside.
“Four, you’re my wing.”
“Yes, D—sir.”
chapter thirty-five
CENTERPOINT STATION
Seyah slid to a stop, looking intently at the surrounding walls and doorways, at the letters and numbers painted by Corellian mappers, at the symbols incised in the walls by ancient builders or scholars. He nodded. “Here.”
Kyp, alert for more attackers, came alongside.