Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 21_ The Unifying Force - James Luceno [184]
Pressed against the dejarik table with his blaster in one hand and his other gripping Leia’s shoulder, Han dodged lashes and amphistaffs and thrusts from coufees, but he refused to yield until at last one of the warriors managed to press the tip of his serpentine weapon to Leia’s throat. Then, grimacing, he dropped his blaster arm to his side in a gesture of surrender.
“All right, you’ve got us,” he said to the advancing warriors. “I’m sure we can work something out …”
It was unlikely that any of them understood Basic, but they took Han’s meaning when he set his blaster down and Leia did the same with her deactivated lightsaber.
Moments later a female Yuuzhan Vong with a crest of tentacles and an eight-fingered right hand edged through the tight press of warriors in the forward compartment. On seeing her, R2-D2 loosed a prolonged and mournful whistle.
C-3PO nodded his head. “You’re right, Artoo—a shaper!”
The shaper appraised Han and Leia, then turned to one of her warriors. C-3PO understood her to say: “ ‘Gather their weapons, and bring everyone out of the vessel.’ ”
Cakhmaim, Meewalh, R2-D2, C-3PO, Leia, and Han were marched from the Falcon in single file. Harrar was already outside the ship. As they were being prodded toward the entrance of the yorik coral dome, two Yuuzhan Vong males emerged, both of them finely clothed, and the shorter of the pair wearing a high turban.
“High Prefect Drathul and High Priest Jakan,” Harrar whispered to Han and Leia.
The shaper waved her hand in a way that flung droplets of sweat or some other bodily secretion on the thorn hedge, which immediately began to sprout new branches.
Within moments the Falcon was fully encased.
“I’m told that this particular ship has been the cause of much unrest,” the shaper told Drathul and Jakan. She gestured to her seven prisoners. “Worthy captives. Including a Jeedai, no less.”
Jakan’s eyes widened in delight when they fell on Harrar. “All of us thought you were in the Outer Rim!” He laid his thin hands on the priest’s shoulders. “You’re home now, my friend. In fact, you will have the honor of officiating at the sacrifice we will perform in the Well of the World Brain.”
Harrar held Jakan’s gaze but didn’t return his relieved smile. “You fail to grasp the truth, High Priest,” he said in Yuuzhan Vong. “I’ve come to neutralize the brain.”
Near the outer-system world of Muscave the battle was still raging. Hundreds of coralskippers and fighter craft, and dozens of war vessels had been sacrificed to an engagement that had degenerated into a shameless brawl. Local space was a constantly shifting web of fire and light, harnessed to ill purpose.
Warmaster Nas Choka couldn’t have been more pleased.
He stood in the most forward area of the command chamber’s blister transparency as if a bowsprit figurehead, his folded arms resting on his slightly protruding belly and his finely whiskered jaw raised in defiance.
“The enemy commanders continue to trade blows with us not because they are valorous, but because they believe that by feigning honor they hold us from returning to Yuuzhan’tar. They rely on the fact that we would never be the first to quit a contest of such magnitude.” He turned slightly to face his chief tactician. “We will encourage their blunder. Order our Supreme Commanders to allow their vessels to fall back and begin to disperse. Let the Alliance admirals think they have us on the run.”
The command chamber shook as a burst of turbolaser fire evaded the vessel’s shielding singularities and blasted pieces of yorik coral from the starboard hull. Thick fluid poured from an already damaged area of bulkhead, and strips of the luminescent lichen died, increasing