Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 21_ The Unifying Force - James Luceno [163]
“Whether he’s desperate or mad, we have him on the run,” Han said, elated.
Harrar gazed at those around him. Judging by the nods of agreement, the always entertaining and sometimes perplexing Han Solo was expressing the sentiment of everyone gathered at the landing platform—his wife, Leia; Master Luke Skywalker and his wife, Mara; the twins Jacen and Jaina; Yuuzhan Vong-marked Tahiri; the military-minded Jedi Kenth Hamner; Zonama Sekot’s Magister Jabitha; the two numerically named machine intelligences—droids—who sometimes seemed as alive as their makers and owners; and the pair of Noghri, who appeared at once to be bodyguards, familiars, and friends.
The rest of the Jedi had taken to the skies in the Sekotan ships, or had been lofted by shuttle to their orbiting warcraft. Han Solo had ridden up the gravity well with the Wild Knights, but only to retrieve his battered freighter, Millennium Falcon, which, with Sekot’s permission, was now parked on its landing disks and warming alongside Mara Skywalker’s Jade Shadow. Word of the conflagrations spreading across Yuuzhan’tar had come from Booster Terrik, the penultimate link in a communications chain that began with the commando team that had penetrated Yuuzhan’tar’s defenses, and had apparently included the giant warships Right to Rule and Mon Mothma.
“How could even Shimrra convince the dhuryam to do something harmful to Yuuzhan’tar?” Jacen asked.
“All things Yuuzhan Vong answer to Shimrra,” Harrar said. “The dhuryam is responsible for integrating the activities of all our planetshaping biots. It is not a servant, but a partner—fully intelligent, fully aware, capable of making decisions based on information it receives from telepathically linked creatures, and from the Supreme Overlord himself. But Shimrra may have convinced the dhuryam that intense fires were needed to open latent seedpods, so that trees could grow to replace those lost during the recent landquakes. He may have suggested to the dhuryam that it fashion clearings in the forests, so that saplings might glean additional light, as well as nourishment from trees felled and reduced to ash by the fires.”
“All the more reason for us to get to Shimrra now,” Han said, pacing at the foot of the Millennium Falcon’s landing ramp. “If Page got his transports past the dovin basals, I know I can get the Falcon through.”
Harrar shook his head.
“What now?” Han asked, planting his hands on his hips in a posture of impatience.
“Capturing or killing Shimrra may not be enough to save the planet. Actions taken by the World Brain are incontrovertible. Once tasked, it cannot be swayed to alter its plan—even by Shimrra.” Harrar glanced at the Skywalkers. “If you are to save your capital world, the brain, too, will have to be destroyed.”
“You can’t do that, Harrar,” Jacen snapped.
Harrar looked at the young Jedi. “Then go to it, and persuade it otherwise.”
“That’s our job,” Han said suddenly, reaching for Leia’s right hand. With the other Jedi, Magister Jabitha, and the pair of droids gazing at him in sudden alarm, he added: “D’you think we were just going to give the rest of you a ride there?” He jerked his thumb at the Millennium Falcon. “This ship ain’t no air taxi.” He snorted ruefully, then grew solemn. “Besides, we started this together in the Outer Rim, and we’re going to end it together.”
“Or his name isn’t Han Solo,” Leia said, in a way that mixed amusement and resignation.
Han grinned in a lopsided fashion. “Took the words right out of my mouth.”
THIRTY-SIX
Three hundred armored warriors borrowed from the Citadel garrison and on loan to Prefect Nom Anor raced through the squares and byways of the sacred precinct like an avenging army, putting coufee and amphistaff to every heretic and Shamed One who hadn’t had sense enough to go into hiding—which turned out to be many.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Enraptured by the prophesied arrival of Zonama Sekot, certain that thousand-eyed