Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 11_ Dark Journey - Elaine Cunningham [100]
“Getting better.”
“So you had a good idea of how many skips were patrolling that sector. And you sent up two men.”
“We don’t have enough of the implants yet, or the delivery weapons, to justify sending up more,” Jaina argued. “You would have made the same decision.”
“Which brings us to the next issue. These pilots apparently think I ordered this mission.”
Jaina merely shrugged. “You used my name and influence when it suited you. I’m here to learn from the master.”
A tall, slender woman moved toward them, and a nod from her brought guards hurrying to disperse the small crowd of pilots and mechanics that had gathered on the perimeter.
“Difficult times call for hard decisions, young man,” Ta’a Chume said sternly. “Selecting a leader is a difficult thing, and should never be done lightly. Once done, however, a constant second-guessing of a leader is worse than having none at all.”
Kyp blinked and then turned to Jaina. “Who is this?”
“The former queen of Hapes,” she said curtly. “Ta’a Chume, this is Kyp Durron, Jedi Master. He’s training me.”
For some reason the woman found this amusing. “If you have anything worthwhile to impart, I suggest you stop whining and get to it.”
Ta’a Chume turned to Jaina. “I will be offworld for a day or so. We will speak again upon my return.”
She glided off, and Kyp drew Jaina aside. “You said you were here to learn. Listen carefully, and see if you can wrap your mind around this: from now on, anything you do will be cleared through me. You will not assume that my actions, past or present, justify yours.”
“Oh, please,” Jaina scoffed. “Next thing I know you’ll be telling me, ‘Do as I say, and not as I do.’ ”
“That’s the general idea.”
Her sneer faded. “You’re serious.”
“As a thermal detonator. Start filling me in.”
Jaina nodded. “A quick recap. A yammosk communicates with smaller ships through some sort of telepathy. The daughter ships move, shield, and navigate through gravitic fluctuations. These are both created and received by the dovin basal. Each of these creatures has a genetic imprint, a distinct and unique voice that’s formed by its gravitic signals. When the dovin basal picks up information, they know what ship originated it. You with me so far?”
Kyp nodded. “Go on.”
“Danni Quee discovered how to jam a yammosk signal: we took that one step farther.” She described the process Lowbacca had used to isolate and define the pattern of the captured ship’s signature.
“The pattern is very subtle. Right now we can disrupt it, using the coral implants.”
“Yes, I just saw that demonstrated,” Kyp noted.
“We’ve learned a lot from the skips we’ve managed to mess up. What we’re doing now is trying to get the skip so confused that it loses contact with the yammosk altogether.”
“I’d say you’re there.”
“Next step, then. All skips seem to fly and shield in pretty much the same way. It’s the navigation that depends upon unique information. Lowbacca has been working on a small mechanical device, a repulsor, that could mimic the Trickster’s gravitic code. This would overlay another ship’s ‘voice,’ letting us create decoys that will lure the Vong into traps. The Yuuzhan Vong are looking for the Trickster. We’re going to make sure they find and destroy her—not once, but several times.”
He stared at her for a moment, then let out a long, slow whistle. “It’s good. I’m in.”
Her answering smile reminded him of a predatory tusk-cat. “Lead on, Master Durron.”
TWENTY-FOUR
Isolder walked down a row of Wookiees, all intent upon the jumble of small metal parts on the tables before them. The furred technicians hardly seemed to notice his passing.
He turned to his mother. “What is it, precisely, that you wanted me to see?”
The former queen picked up a small device and handed it to him.
His eyes narrowed as he noticed a strange mark etched into the metal. “I have seen this before, on the dossier of a Yuuzhan Vong spy, a priestess Elan. This is the symbol for