Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 21_ The Unifying Force - James Luceno [194]
Recalling what Harrar had said about the Well actually being a self-contained sphere, capable of surviving even the destruction of Coruscant, Han couldn’t help feeling that the entire quaking structure was either about to explode or lift off. Considering the grip Leia had on his right bicep, she evidently felt the same.
Han glanced at the shaper, then Harrar. “What’s it going to be?”
Harrar exchanged a flurry of sharp words with Qelah Kwaad. “She says that only Shimrra can communicate directly with the dhuryam.”
Han scowled. “Yeah, well, Shimrra’s not here, so she’s going to have to take a crack at it.” Reaching out, he grabbed the shaper by the arm and flung her to the edge of the platform. “Maybe if I just send you for a swim—”
“No!” Qelah Kwaad said in Basic. “The dhuryam cannot be touched! Take your hands from me and I promise to do what I can.”
“I figured you’d listen to reason,” Han said, grinning as he let go.
The shaper composed herself and leaned over the pool. Sweat began to bead her trestled brow, then fall into the agitated pool. Almost immediately the dhuryam breached the surface—a yellow eye as big as a starfighter glaring up at those on the platform. Then its mate appeared, blinking and fixing on everyone. A spray of powerful tentacles surrounding the creature’s mouth sliced through the humid air, faster than Han’s eyes could follow.
“Seems a bit upset,” he said, backing away from the edge and readying the detonator’s thumb trigger.
Inside the dhuryam’s tentacle-ringed mouth gnashed giant teeth shaped like swords.
“Perhaps we should all wait outside,” C-3PO started to say.
Then all at once the Well stopped shaking, and the dhuryam grew quiescent. Two of the longer tentacles stretched out to touch Qelah Kwaad, then Harrar, in what seemed a display of submission or compliance.
The shaper and the priest traded looks of incredulity. “It’s as pliant as a young yammosk,” Harrar said.
Han thumbed the grenade’s arming trigger forward.
Leia blew out her breath in relief. “Jacen talked to it.”
Qelah Kwaad ridiculed the idea. “If anyone convinced the dhuryam to yield, it was the Supreme Overlord. He knows that whatever you do here won’t matter, because we will have proved our worthiness, and the gods will rid this galaxy of all infidels.”
Harrar shook his head ruefully. “If the gods judged us by our military might, they would never have banished us from paradise.”
The shaper sniffed in derision. “This war will take care of itself. We prove our worth by destroying Zonama Sekot.” She held Harrar’s gaze. “It is not long for this galaxy, Eminence. The Supreme Overlord discovered a way to poison it.”
“Shimrra lies,” Harrar said.
Mara shoved Nom Anor forward. “The shaper’s right,” she said in a grim voice. “Nom Anor can explain.”
At Zonama Sekot the battle had reached a fevered pitch. One thousand kilometers from the living world the Hapan line was holding, but three additional Yuuzhan Vong battle groups had arrived from Muscave to strengthen the original task force. The double hulls of many a Battle Dragon were perforated, or showed great crescents at their edges where plasma balls had seared through failing shields. Similarly overwhelmed, several Nova-class cruisers had been snapped in half or blown to pieces.
Because his fighter was without display screens of any sort, Kyp was left to imagine the intense fighting, but Lando had painted a vivid picture when he had commed Kyp from Errant Venture. Booster’s Star Destroyer had been forced to retreat, with both Lady Luck and Wild Karrde back on board, and six Smugglers’ Alliance ships unaccounted for. Under the joint command of Wedge Antilles and Keyan Farlander, elements of the Alliance Second Fleet had withdrawn from the engagement at Muscave and launched for Zonama Sekot, but without