Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 20_ The Final Prophecy - J. Gregory Keyes [68]
It kicked as it went by.
Cursing silently, she chinned her microphone. “Be advised, Mon Mothma control. The skips are dropping grutchins.”
Grutchins were insectlike creatures the Yuuzhan Vong had developed that could survive for a time in vacuum. Their mandibles secreted a solvent that could cut through hull metal.
“That explains the suicide runs,” Jag said. “There must be grutchins everywhere, and the fleets haven’t even engaged. They’re probably going for the Star Destroyers.”
“Advised,” the voice of control said.
Jaina, meanwhile, had flown straight into one of the release trails. She kept up a steady stream of laserfire, blazing any of the bugs that got in front of her. The remaining skips suddenly broke formation, curving up from her operational horizon.
Something thumped against her hull, and Cappie, her astromech, reported a grutchin on the hull. Snarling, Jaina pulled the stick, hard, and pushed the drive to maximum, then rolled like crazy, trying to detach it before it could start making a meal of her starfighter.
Why couldn’t the Yuuzhan Vong use normal weapons? Concussion missiles, lasers. Why did it always have to be miniature volcanoes and giant bugs?
To her satisfaction, her particular bug-nemesis of the moment lost its grip and fried on the way through her ion trail.
In the meantime, of course, one of the skips had taken the opportunity to latch onto her tail, so now it was volcano time …
“We’ve got close to two hundred grutchins on the hull, sir,” Cel informed him.
“Electrify it,” Wedge said.
“They’ve already tried, sir. It’s not working.”
“Not working—great.” Yes, the Yuuzhan Vong were adapting. Not good.
“Seal off the outer sections and get people in vac suits with blasters in there.”
Of course, that wouldn’t stop them in the engine areas.
The Yuuzhan Vong capital ships had drawn up in a defensive formation and were no longer pushing forward. Wedge had his ships nearly stationary as well, and both sides were keeping their starfighters close, the grutchin carriers aside. For the moment, it was a long-range game. That would probably change soon—the Yuuzhan Vong were waiting to see how well their grutchin stunt had worked. When they knew, they would renew their attack.
That meant his starfighters would be free for a short time.
“Have some starfighters make close runs on our capital ships,” he told control.
“Sir, with all due respect, the grutchins are attached to us. Some of the pilots are bound to miss, and they could easily do as much damage as the bugs.”
“I don’t want them firing. I want them to singe the things off with their exhaust.”
The officer’s eyes widened. “That will take some pretty precise flying.”
“Then pick the squadrons well. And fast, because soon we’ll need them against skips.”
“I have him, Twin Leader,” Jag said. Even as he did so, glowing chunks of yorik coral bloomed out into the void.
Jaina breathed a sigh of relief. That pretty much did it for the fast-skip wave.
“Thanks, Four.” She glanced down at the new battle orders scrolling.
“Uh, guys,” she said. “You aren’t going to believe this, but …”
TWENTY-THREE
Nen Yim glanced at Yu’shaa. He’d been working quietly on the task she had given him, entering the genetic sequences of various flora and fauna into her qahsa. Now he seemed to be having trouble.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It ceased granting me admittance,” he said. Somewhere in the distance, something mewled, and another something chattered a response. The sky was clear and the air still.
“Did you try to access data forbidden to you?” Nen Yim asked.
“Not too my knowledge, Master Yim. I was merely attempting to enter the freman signatures you asked me to.”
“Pheromone,” Nen Yim corrected. “It may be my security prohibitions were too broad. Let me see it.”
He handed her the bulbous living memory in compliance.
“No,” she said. “Because it is not keyed to you, after a time it rejects your entry.” She examined