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Twice he fired, clipping the pursuing ships with plasma bolts. One of the Hornets exploded into shards of metal; another managed to evade the shot. But the flying debris ripped through the thin metal of the third ship’s wings, sending it into an out-of-control spiral.

A surge of dismay came from Ganner, and his next shot went deliberately wide.

“We’re under attack,” Jaina reminded him.

“I might have hit that ship!”

“Sure, if it was the size of a battle cruiser! If you’re not going to hit them, at least give them an argument.”

The older Jedi turned away, his jaw clenched and his thoughts carefully shielded.

Meanwhile the Hapan ships continued to batter the Yuuzhan Vong vessel. Tesar did his best with the shields, but the shots were too many and too close. Again and again the ship shook as laserfire chipped at its hull. Worse, Jaina sensed that the overburdened dovin basal was nearing the limit of its strength. The escape pod soared off into the darkness, and none of the Hapan ships followed.

Now that Tenel Ka was safe, Jaina swung around and poured all the energy the ship could muster into an apparent retreat. The Hapan ships gave pursuit for several moments, then abandoned the effort.

“They’re off to spread the word about us,” Alema said somberly.

The Twi’lek pointed to the viewport. Beyond, tumbling slowly amid a drift of metallic debris, was one of the ships Ganner had accidentally destroyed. The Hornet was largely intact—only the rear segment of its insectoid body was missing.

“If we’re going to salvage that ship for parts, we haven’t much time.”

“The comm system! Good thinking,” Jaina agreed.

She turned back toward the battle scene. After a couple of experiments, Tesar managed to calibrate the dovin basal to use just enough gravity to pull in the damaged ship.

The ship was unpiloted—perhaps the pilot had had time to go EV. But the controls looked to be intact, and Lowbacca acted positively cheerful at the prospect of working with circuits and metal.

It didn’t take him long to find what they needed. Bellowing triumphantly, he strode into the cockpit, lugging the disembodied comm unit and an attached power pack. He set the device on the floor, set hailing frequency, and handed the speaking unit to Jaina.

“This is Lieutenant Jaina Solo, a Rogue Squadron pilot, flying a commandeered enemy frigate. Come in.”

She repeated her hail several times before an answering crackle came over the comm. “I never thought that static could sound so good,” she murmured.

“This is Hesha Lovett, captain of the Hapan royal vessel,” a female voice announced. “We’ve had reports of a Yuuzhan Vong ship. Yours, Lieutenant Solo?”

“I don’t like to brag,” Jaina said dryly. “We’re seeking permission to land. The sooner we get out of this thing, the happier we’ll be.”

There was a moment’s silence, then the comm crackled to life again. “By all means, Jaina. All of Tenel Ka’s friends are welcome on Hapes, however they may choose to arrive.”

Jaina jolted with surprise. The resonant, cultured voice with the crisply clipped accent was unmistakably that of Ta’a Chume, Tenel Ka’s grandmother.

She quickly scoured her mental database for the proper way to address Hapan royalty. “Thank you, Queen Mother. I wasn’t sure we’d find a welcome. We were forced to fire upon Hapan ships.”

“Hornet Interceptors,” the woman said dismissively. “Pirates, most likely. The scouts who witnessed the battle were nearly as displeased by their presence as they were by yours. Is my granddaughter with you?”

Actually, Jaina was hoping that she’d been picked up by the Hapan scouts. “Well, not exactly. She went ahead in an escape pod to prepare the way for us. We didn’t have any other way to communicate until we pulled in one of the Hornets and salvaged its comm.”

“I will alert all patrols to watch for my granddaughter’s arrival. By all means, land at the royal docks and come directly to the palace. I’ll make sure the officials are expecting you,