Star Wars_ The Han Solo Trilogy 02_ The Hutt Gambit - A. C. Crispin [116]
Falan Iniro never had time to complete the thought. The Carrack-class light cruiser’s heavy turbolasers engulfed the little freighter in a wash of green fire, utterly obliterating the Take That! in less time than it takes for a human eyeblink.
Ten seconds later not even spacedust remained.
Within seconds of following Falan Iniro’s Take That! out of hiding, Niev Jaub knew that he’d made a terrible mistake. The little Sullustan was flying his small light freighter (modified, of course), the Bnef Nlle, and when he’d seen the Take That! blast out of hiding, he’d assumed he’d missed Mako’s order, and followed the other vessel. The moment he was out in the “open,” Jaub noted that only one other ship was with them. They’d obviously jumped the gun and the attack hadn’t started yet.
For a moment Jaub considered trying to swoop back and hide again, but it was too late. A green blast from a TIE fighter nearly singed his whiskers. Jaub sent his small freighter (which rather resembled one of the shelled reptiles of his homeworld) skittering to his right in an evasive maneuver.
Unlike most of the defenders of Nar Shaddaa, Jaub was an honest trader, who happened to do business on the Smuggler’s Moon, delivering exotic foodstuffs to the once-elegant hotel-casinos. There was a sizable Sullustan enclave on Nar Shaddaa, and the little sentient had kin and friends living there. So, when Mako’s call for help had gone out, Jaub had figured it was his responsibility to respond. He couldn’t let his friends and family be injured, and not try to help them!
Now what? he wondered, firing at a TIE fighter. I can’t compete with these pilots! I’ve never even fired my weapons before, except in target practice!
But there was no turning back now. The Carrack-class light cruiser had entered the fray. Jaub’s already huge eyes went even wider as he saw the Take That! impaled in a green burst of turbolaser fire.
Sickened, he watched as the Corellian’s ship was vaporized.
If Jaub had thought he could outrun any of these ships, he might have tried. But he knew better. All he could try to do, he figured, was to stay alive and maybe get in a lucky shot. Mako was bound to order the real attack any second now!
Jaub zigged again as a TIE roared by him, seemingly out of nowhere. The evasive maneuver brought him within range of the Carrick-class ship’s turbolasers. The Sullustan pilot squeaked in utter terror as the barest edge of green licked past his vessel.
I’m all right, he didn’t hit me, he didn’t hit me, he didn’t … oh, gods … he hit me … the Sullustan thought.
His power indicators were dropping. That blast had barely brushed him, but it must have wiped out his stern shields and disabled his engines. The Bnef Nlle was still hurtling along, still in the grip of inertia, but his engines were dead.
Jaub tested his maneuvering thrusters and realized they still functioned. He couldn’t brake, or speed up, but he could turn his vessel.
He looked around, saw that two TIEs were bearing down on him from the rear. In seconds, they’d catch him and blast him into atoms.
The Carrack-class ship was obviously content not to have to waste its heavy turbolasers on the likes of one small, crippled freighter. The big Imperial ship was sailing serenely along, parallel to and a little behind Jaub’s flight path.
Seconds … I’ve got only seconds. Make them count, Jaub thought. He didn’t think of himself as particularly brave, but Sullustans were known to be a practical species.
Jaub sent his ship rolling over, using his maneuvering thrusters hard, deliberately sending the Bnef Nlle into an uncontrollable spin. Stars and space debris revolved in his viewport, making his stomach flip over.
“Bnef nlle, everyone!” he screamed as he hurtled toward the flank of the Carrack-class ship.
“Bnef nlle” meant “good luck” in Sullustan.
At first Jaub thought he wasn’t going to make it, that the Carrack-class