Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 05_ Agents of Chaos 02_ Jedi Eclipse - James Luceno [10]
Danni Quee, an ExGal scientist who had been captured shortly after the Yuuzhan Vong’s arrival at the ice world Helska 4, had told Skidder of the final days of another captive, Skidder’s fellow Jedi and close friend Miko Reglia. Quee had recounted the psychological tortures the Yuuzhan Vong and their tentacled yammosk—their so-called war coordinator—had inflicted on quiet and unassuming Miko in an attempt to break him, and of Miko’s death during his and Quee’s escape.
Vengeance went against the Jedi Code—as the code was taught by Master Skywalker, at any rate. Vengeance, according to Skywalker, was a path to the dark side. But there were other Jedi Knights, as powerful as Skywalker in Skidder’s estimation, who took issue with some of the Master’s teachings. Jedi Master Kyp Durron, for one. It was whispered, even on Yavin 4 in the wake of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, that there were times when darkness had to be fought with darkness. And the Yuuzhan Vong were nothing if not the blackest evil since Emperor Palpatine.
Skidder was astute enough to recognize that he was motivated in part by a desire to show Skywalker and the rest that he was not some brash kid but a Jedi Knight of old, willing to put his life on the line—to sacrifice himself, if necessary—for a greater cause.
He rose from the shadows.
The outsize, insectile creatures loosed from the drop ship had succeeded in herding everyone to the center. Some of the creatures were beginning to curl themselves into rings, corralling their captives and employing their numerous sucker-equipped legs to prevent anyone from making over-the-top escapes.
Skidder tossed aside the lightsaber he had fashioned to replace the one he’d lost at Ithor, along with everything else that might identify him as a Jedi Knight. Then he chose his moment. As one of the creatures approached, pushing a score of beings in front of it, Skidder rushed forward, infiltrating the fleeing group before the creature had made a complete circle of itself—and much to the bafflement of a group of Ryn in whose midst he landed.
As the bioengineered creature joined its head to its tail parts, Skidder found himself pressed face-to-face with a Ryn female, whose oblique eyes mirrored her terror. He reached down and took her long-fingered hand.
“Take heart,” he said in Basic, “help has arrived.”
THREE
“Handles just as well as she always did,” Han announced confidently, as the newly matte-black Millennium Falcon left behind a lush little world of green and purple forest.
“A simple coat of paint and you’re feeling invulnerable,” Droma said, frowning. “Who would have guessed?”
Han made adjustments to the Falcon’s drives. “Next stop, Sriluur. Somebody once described it as the source of every foul wind that blows through the galaxy, but—”
“You figure they were just being kind,” Droma completed.
Han glanced at the Ryn, absurdly small in the oversize chair that had been Chewbacca’s. “Haven’t I warned you about doing that? Anyway, quit your worrying. I’ve been to Sriluur more times than I can count. And let me tell you, dodging Imperial bulk cruisers was a lot harder than dodging Yuuzhan Vong battleships.”
“Han Solo has been to Sriluur,” Droma pointed out, growing more agitated. “Unless you plan on revealing your true identity, you’re just another scruffy spacer with a freshly painted ship and a death wish.”
Han scowled, stroking the mostly gray growth on his chin as he tried to catch a glimpse of his reflection in the closest of the cockpit’s transparisteel panes.
“Quit your worrying,” Droma mimicked him, “the beard looks fine. But it’s not going to keep us from arousing suspicion when we start asking questions about Yuuzhan Vong prisoner ships.”
“Maybe not, but Sriluur’s worth the risk. The Weequays might not be the most attractive