Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 21_ The Unifying Force - James Luceno [173]
This close, the mountain was revealed to be as craggy and pocked as any of the Yuuzhan Vong worldships Luke had seen. But Shimrra’s was adorned with a pair of filigree wings that lent something insectlike to its appearance. The way it sat in the crater that served as its cradle, it might almost have been nesting.
Flights of X- and E-wings were taunting the crown, but voids blacker than the stormy sky were devouring everything the starfighters hurled at them. Two of the snubfighters were circling closer when plasma projectiles geysered from launchers above the wings. The X-wings might as well have been flying without shields. Caught on their starboard sides by the superheated missiles, they began to spiral down, S-foils and ion engines slagged. Luke could see pieces fly from the fighters as they struck outcroppings in the Citadel’s coarse hull. They disappeared into the smoke at the foot of the mountain, and, seconds later, roiling fire mushroomed into view.
Luke’s silence spoke volumes. As he turned and leapt out onto the bridge, a resonant bellowing issued from the far side, and two huge eyes stood out in the gloom. As if under strobing light an enormous beast waddled into view around the shoulder of a ruined building. It wasn’t the first Yuuzhan Vong creature he had seen since leaving the Falcon—the sacred precinct was literally crawling with escaped animals—but it was certainly the largest.
“A mon duul,” Jacen said, yelling to be heard. “If it’s been implanted with a villip, the belly can function like an amplifier. It’s harmless, either way.”
Page kept his blaster rifle raised regardless. “If you say so, kid.” He motioned with the barrel. “But you cross first.”
No sooner had Jacen and Luke started forward than the mon duul sat on its haunches, with its tympanum of a belly aimed out over the canyon. In a deep and menacing voice, someone began to speak in Yuuzhan Vong.
“ ‘Perish,’ ” Tahiri translated. “ ‘Perish, all of you who would stand between me and exaltation, who would seek to profane me in our finest moment.’ ”
“Shimrra?” Luke asked.
Jacen shook his head uncertainly. “Could be.”
“ ‘I battle the gods on your behalf,’ ” Tahiri continued, “ ‘and you repay me with rebellion. Perish then. Go to your deaths and your gods, while I remake the world.’ ”
“Too bad we can’t answer him,” Mara said.
“We will soon enough,” Luke assured her.
Jacen and Tahiri walked slowly toward the seated mon duul. In eerie unison they motioned with their right arms, and the four-metric-ton beast lowered its front legs to the ground and began to trundle off.
Their Vongsense, Luke thought.
Jaina hurried forward to drape her left arm around Jacen’s shoulders. “You always were good with animals.”
He responded with a wry smile, and hurried forward.
The three young Jedi crossed the span together and turned east toward the Citadel. Ahead of them, clad in vegetation, a palisade of ruined buildings extended all the way to the western access to Shimrra’s mountain. Luke, Mara, and Kenth had just caught up with the trio when Jacen and Tahiri called everyone to a halt. Lightning flashes disclosed the presence of a group of skeletally thin humans and humanoids, dressed in dripping, frayed garments and aged robeskins.
“Come forward,” Tahiri said in Yuuzhan Vong.
Two Shamed Ones approached, a male and female. “Jeedai,” the young male said, his eyes fixed on Luke’s thrumming lightsaber.
More Yuuzhan Vong began to appear, along with a dozen or so Coruscanti