Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 21_ The Unifying Force - James Luceno [41]
“Where’s Jag—Colonel Fel?” she asked. “I thought the Chiss were going to participate.”
“Vanguard was held back at Mon Calamari,” Kyp said. “Something big is brewing.” He sends his love, the Jedi Master added.
The sending caught Jaina by surprise, and her face took on sudden color. Kyp’s remark couldn’t have been better timed.
“Twin Suns, Scimitar, and the Yellow Aces are tasked,” she told the recent arrivals firmly. “Don’t feel shy about asking for help if the gunships put up a fight, Blackmoon Leader.”
Saz laughed. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Colonel.”
From its socket behind the X-wing’s canopy, Jaina’s R2-B3 unit, Cappie, relayed an urgent message to the cockpit. She studied the translation display screen and chinned her comm again. “All pilots, sensors are showing intensifying hyperdrive emissions in the Peace Brigade freighters.”
“Copy, Twin One,” Harona said. “They’re ramping up to make the jump to lightspeed.”
Jaina reached for the throttle. “They’re not leaving without our permission. All flights, move in to intercept and obstruct. Target hyperspace drives and shield generators. Be precise with your shots. We don’t know where the prisoners are being held.”
Jaina watched Peace Brigade ships break formation, the lead freighters veering to either side, and midline vessels angling for cover behind Selvaris’s moon. Elements of Kyp’s Dozen and Blackmoon swept in to cut off the enemy ships.
Jaina pulled back on the yoke and sent her craft into a predatory bank that would have knocked the wind from her in atmosphere, but, here, with the inertial compensators enabled, felt like nothing more than a slow glide. Laser beams and molten projectiles streaked from the convoy escort ships, tearing into the ranks of starfighters. Two X-wings disappeared in globular explosions. Kyp’s Dozen broke into four shield trios, accelerating in an attempt to overtake the fleeing freighters.
Some of the Peace Brigade ships were faster than they looked. Thrusters blazing, they raced Rimward, even with Blackmoon and Scimitar starfighters hanging on their tails, raking fire across their hulls and engine nacelles. But the pursuit was ill timed.
“I count one, two, three Brigade ships away,” Harona said as the freighters made the jump to hyperspace and vanished. “Should we go after them?”
“Negative,” Jaina said quickly. Their orders were to rescue as many prisoners as possible, not chase the enemy clear to Coruscant. “Just make sure no others get past us.”
Kyp’s Dozen hurtled forward to make sure that none did, paying out concussion missiles and torpedoes as necessary to corral the fleeing freighters. Poorly shielded, the unwieldy ships heaved to, one of them already immobilized.
The carriers, however, were quick to react.
“Skips away!” Harona’s voice boomed in Jaina’s headphones.
Jaina slewed to starboard in time to see the enemy fighters drop from the undersides of their carriers and form up in clouds around the remaining freighters and Yuuzhan Vong gunships. Pearlescent red wedges of yorik coral, the enemy fighters were nimble and lethal. The sight might have sent her heart racing had she not grown accustomed to the enemy’s tactics. Still, she knew from personal experience not to underestimate the vitality of the coralskippers or the single-mindedness of their pilots.
She allowed her sense of exhilaration to run its course, then eased back into the Force-meld. Lowbacca, Alema, and Kyp acknowledged their readiness.
“One Flight,” she said, “change to course one-zero-one ecliptic. Set lasers for out-of-phase fire. Remember to toggle your grab-safeties if dovin basals pull your shields.”
Lowbacca and Alema touched her briefly through the Force as their separate four-fighter contingents altered vectors accordingly and began to accelerate toward the tethered carrier.
Following the rout of Tsavong Lah’s forces at Ebaq 9, and almost