Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 11_ Dark Journey - Elaine Cunningham [23]
Jaina drew her personal shield closer around her and slid an objective gaze over the young Jedi. “You look better.”
“Better than what?” Tahiri said.
Bitterness twisted the girl’s tone, and wrath rose from her like steam. The scars on her forehead—marks resulting from her captivity on Yavin 4—had been augmented by a livid burn and a small but nasty cut. Apparently she’d refused treatment for these wounds.
Zekk and Ganner exchanged a quick, concerned glance, one that spoke of a familiar subject revisited. This realization sent a surge of irritation through Jaina. Tahiri would survive—had survived. She was not the only one who had lost Anakin. They’d all been diminished. Dwelling on their losses wouldn’t solve the problems this moment presented.
“The ship’s not doing well,” Jaina said without preamble. “Judging from what I’m getting through the pilot’s hood, and what Lowbacca has learned from poking around, I think we can fix it and feed it.”
“Feed it?” Ganner broke in. “Should I be afraid to ask what it eats?”
“Only if you’re a rock,” Jaina shot back. “We have to put the ship down as soon as possible. The question is, where?”
“We’ve been gone only a few days, yet we return to find the Yuuzhan Vong on Coruscant itself,” Alema Rar observed. “How can we know what worlds are occupied, and which are not?”
“This one suggestz we go to Barab One,” Tesar said. The reptilian Jedi bared his fangs in what Jaina took to be a feral smile. “The Barabel homeworld is not in the invasion path. That is good. But if the Yuuzhan Vong come, that is better.”
Jaina was beginning to develop an ear for the dark humor that underlay Barabel speech, and she suspected there was a clincher line to come. “Let’s hear it.”
A sly expression crossed the scaly face. “On Nal Hutta, the Vong are invaderz. What doez one call them on Barab?”
“Prey?” she suggested.
Tesar flashed his fangs again and swatted her companionably on the shoulder.
Ganner rolled his eyes. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of our systems, how about a serious suggestion? Lowbacca named Gallinore. Since we’ve gotten this far without hitting any dovin basal mines, I add my vote to that.”
“Makes sense,” Zekk agreed. “As far as I know, the Yuuzhan Vong haven’t targeted that system yet. But here’s something else to think about. Hapes is closer than Gallinore. It’s also more heavily populated, and most likely we could get back into active duty sooner if we didn’t have to trek across a wilderness planet.”
“True enough, but the inhabitants of wilderness planets are less likely to shoot Yuuzhan Vong ships out of the sky,” Alema Rar pointed out.
Zekk acknowledged this with a nod. “I’ve been poking around the ship a bit, and I found something that looks like an escape pod. If we can figure out how to launch it, one of us could go ahead to prepare the way.”
They all looked expectantly at Tenel Ka. “If this is the decision, I will go,” she agreed, “but there are things about Hapes you should know. My father’s homeworld has a history of anti-Jedi sentiment.”
Ganner let out a brief, humorless laugh. “That’s hardly an original notion these days. We should feel right at home.”
“There is more,” Tenel Ka began.
The others glanced at Jaina, then their eyes slipped hurriedly away.
She lifted her chin and met the issue head-on. “Centerpoint,” she said, naming the superweapon that had accidentally destroyed hundreds of Hapan ships. “It was Anakin who enabled the weapon, a Solo relative who fired it. I’m sure more than a few Hapans will blame any and all Solos for this loss. So let’s put the sabacc cards on the table, Tenel Ka. What kind of reception are Solos and Jedi likely to get?”
The warrior woman gave this question several moments’ consideration. “An interesting one,” she decided, speaking without the slightest inflection of humor.
Alema huffed and folded her arms. “Oh, good. I for one could use the excitement.”
The others added their