Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 21_ The Unifying Force - James Luceno [117]
But it was Jag who arrived. Twin Suns’ X-wings were suddenly forming up on Jag’s clawcraft, and he in turn was leading them to her.
The fighting was the most intense at the perimeter of the fluttering tentacles. Alliance frigates and corvettes were trading fusillades with Yuuzhan Vong escort vessels and cruiser analogs—mataloks—opening dozens of new fronts along the flanks of the cluster. Starfighters and coralskippers pursued one another through blinding volleys of fire, as the capital ships continued their long-distance duels.
Even so, the armada managed to maintain its yammosk shape.
Then, without warning, three groups of enemy war vessels peeled away from the core, carrying countless coral-skipper tentacles with them.
It was as if the yammosk had undergone mitosis.
Jaina considered briefly that the Yuuzhan Vong had decided to divide the battle into separate arenas. Instead, the coralskippers of the newly created flotilla began to return to the waiting arms of their carriers, in a kind of reverse deployment.
“Three battle groups have detached from the main cluster,” Alliance control reported over the battle channel. “Coral-skippers are withdrawing. Monitoring the new cluster for possible microjump to Mon Calamari. Primary planetary defense is at Code Red, with all shields raised. Iceberg Three attack squadrons will regroup and stand by for jump coordinates.”
Jaina watched the smaller of the two clusters streak sunward and disappear.
“Enemy secondary has jumped. Waiting for verification of hyperspace vector …”
Jaina’s breath caught in her throat. If the new cluster jumped directly to Mon Calamari—
“Iceberg Three attack squadrons are re-formed and in position …”
Jaina waited in her crippled ship. Time seemed to drag out, even while the battle continued to rage around her.
Then the voice of control returned: “Vector confirmed. Secondary flotilla has jumped for the Perlemian Trade Route. HoloNet transceiver ships at Quermia transit point are under attack. Primary flotilla is accelerating for Sep Elopon and Mon Eron. All starfighter wings regroup.”
Out of the fight, Jaina pivoted the X-wing to starboard in an effort to observe the re-formation of the scattered squadrons. Twin Suns survivors were flying with Rogue Squadron, and Blackmoon and Scimitar were similarly mingled. Vanguard was down to six clawcraft, but Jag was still leading them.
She sent him luck as the fighter wing streaked off to reengage.
Then she coaxed what life she could from the damaged fusial engines and crippled shields and followed him.
Under guard of six warriors who could barely stay on their feet, Team Meloque, including Han, had been herded into the yammosk chamber and left there to marinate in blorash jelly while the female shaper and the cadre of slayers departed Caluula. From deeper inside the minshal had come the sounds of at least three craft lifting out of their berthing spaces.
An hour had passed since then, and something strange was beginning to happen to the blorash jelly. Though it had held everyone fast when they had first been thrown into it, the jelly was losing viscosity. When it liquefied to the point that Leia could sit upright, she immediately started to crawl on hands and knees toward Han, who had been returning slowly to consciousness the whole while.
The first words out of his mouth were “What stinks?”
Leia ignored the question and clamped her arms around his chest, hugging him to her.
He blinked, stretched his eyelids open, blinked some more, and began to glance around. “You’re getting blorash all over us.”
Leia put her face close to his. “Just my way of making sure we stay together—no matter what else happens.”
“Welcome back to the fun,” Page yelled from across the chamber.
Han raised his right hand in a curt wave to the captain, Kyp, Wraw, and Meloque, who were more or less sitting