Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 21_ The Unifying Force - James Luceno [210]
Onimi looked hard at Jaina.
He’s seeing me through the Force! she told herself. As much as the realization shocked and confused her, it gave her hope.
“Even now I can see the glow of the divine in you, Yun-Harla. As Yun-Yammka glows in the Jeedai called Skywalker; Yun-Shuno in the Jeedai called Jacen; Yun-Ne’Shel in the Jedi called Tahiri …”
Onimi allowed his words to trail off, and grew introspective. When he looked at Jaina again, his lolling eye was narrowed, as if in amusement.
“Shimrra is dead,” he announced. “Your god-cohorts have killed him, Yun-Harla. Now let us hope they will pursue me, as well. Then not only will I have the satisfaction of outwitting you at Zonama Sekot, but I will also have the pleasure of killing you, as my first act in exterminating everyone and everything in this foul galaxy.”
Arms draped over Mara’s and Kenth’s shoulders, Luke was carried out of the Hall of Confluence through the warrior’s membrane, then down the corridor that led to the Citadel’s south entrance, where a temporary bridge linked the fortresses to the public square in which the scraped, scratched, and dented Millennium Falcon sat on her hard-stand. Heading for the freighter, Harrar, Tahiri, and Captain Page walked point through groups of nonplussed Shamed Ones. Elsewhere squads of commandos, resistance fighters, and YVH droids were disarming captured elites, warriors, and the few reptoid slave-troops that had survived the assault. To all sides rose piles of coufees, tactical villips, and crab armor. Three hundred amphistaffs were stacked like firewood.
Smoke was drifting across the sacred precinct and the sky was a patchwork of contrails and missile tracks, but the area surrounding the Citadel had been secured. On the far side of the square, huge armored beasts were resting quiescently.
Cakhmaim, Meewalh, C-3PO, and R2-D2 were waiting at the foot of the Falcon’s landing ramp. On seeing Luke—chin resting on his chest and booted feet dragging behind him—the astromech mewled plaintively.
“Master Luke has been wounded!” C-3PO cried in distress. “Someone call for a medic!”
Mara and Kenth lowered Luke to the paving stones to check his status. “Force trance,” Mara said. “He’s trying to heal himself.” Turning to the Noghri and the droids, she told them to get the Falcon primed for launch.
No sooner had the four disappeared than Jag Fel pushed his way through the crowd and hurried forward.
“Where’s Jaina?” he asked no one in particular.
“Somewhere inside with Jacen,” Kenth said. “Han, Leia, and Nom Anor are looking for them.”
Jag put his hand to his brow and gazed up the summit. “I’m going in,” he said.
He hadn’t moved before Mara stretched out her arm to restrain him. “No, you’re not, flyboy. We don’t know what’s going on in there. We’ve got to get Luke to one of the hospital frigates, so if you want to help, the Falcon could use an escort.”
Jag looked from Luke to Mara and nodded. “I’ll bring my starfighter around.”
As Jag ran off, Harrar turned to face the knot of elite captives. At the front, High Priest Jakan and Master Shaper Qelah Kwaad were being restrained by the Yuuzhan Vong warriors who had defected to the side of the heretics—if not the side of the Alliance.
“Supreme Overlord Shimrra is dead,” Harrar said in a morose voice.
The announcement met with shouts of celebration from the Shamed Ones and bellows of dismay from the captives. Shocked and demoralized, many of the priests fell to their knees and began to mutter incantations and prayers. Genuflecting, the weaponless warriors snapped their fists to their opposite shoulders and lifted their blood-smeared faces to their captors in unabashed pride.
“Congratulations, Jeedai,” Jakan said to Mara, Kenth, and Tahiri while the heretics were chanting for Yu’shaa, the Prophet. “You have brought down our civilization.”
Mara answered for the three. “As you intended to do to ours.”
Harrar looked at Jakan.