Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order_ Dark Tide 01_ Onslaught - Michael A. Stackpole [102]
The bolts hit and burned through the coralskipper’s stony flesh. Something evaporated in a burst of steam, then the skip’s aft began to drop. Seconds later the last of the laser bolts burst from the other side of the craft. For a half second the skip hung in the air, its nose pointing skyward, then Nevil’s second flicker-shot barrage stippled the skip with glowing red points. One must have hit a dovin basal, killing it, because the skip then plummeted from the sky and crashed unseen into the ground below.
Ahead of Gavin the sky lit up like the Coruscant cityscape during a celebration of Liberation Day. Plasma bolts arced into the sky. Laser bolts, both red and green, as well as blue ion bolts, slanted down toward the ground. Flashes of color illuminated the two huge shadowy shapes moving through the night, but Gavin could not make out much in the way of detail. He almost asked Catch to switch him over to ground-attack mode on his sensors so he could get an idea of what the Yuuzhan Vong were bringing to assault the base, but incoming fighters demanded his attention.
And they’ll get it. He spitted one on his aiming reticle and tightened up on the trigger. My undivided attention.
The nervous anxiety of the pilots woke Luke first, but the roar of the snubfighters taking off guaranteed to keep him awake. He pulled a tunic on, then looped his lightsaber belt over his shoulder before emerging from his tent. He watched the fighters head south and, just for a moment, wished he could be up there in one with them. Once again, with Artoo behind me, rolling through a dogfight.
He shivered, knowing that such remembrances were not quite the thing a Jedi Master should dwell on. An affinity for combat was a necessary evil, but one that could be tolerated only when a Jedi held himself back and used it only to defend people. Seeing the line between offensive action and defensive was, at the best of times, difficult, but as he watched sleepy people emerge from tents, rubbing their eyes and beginning to murmur, he knew where it lay in this case.
Mara appeared at his side. “Where do you want me?”
The urgency in her voice belied the weariness on her face.
“You want the honest truth?”
Mara hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I trust your judgment, Luke.”
“Good. I want you to find Leia. She’s going to be running around herding the noncombatants. Right now I need you to be there and back her, so we don’t get any grief from them. I know you want to be—”
Mara reached out and touched a finger to his lips. “I said I trusted your judgment. I trust you will have me where you need me, and if I am needed elsewhere, you will let me know.”
Luke reached out and pulled Mara into a firm hug. “I love you very much, Mara. For this and for everything else.”
“I know, Luke.” Mara pulled her head back a bit, then rested her forehead on his, noses touching. “Each of us doing our parts will defeat the Yuuzhan Vong. Count on it.”
“I do.” Luke kissed her and held her as if it would be the last time, then reluctantly let her slip from his arms. “May the Force be with you.”
“And you, my love.” She winked at him and backed away toward the center of the camp. “When you need me, I’ll be there.”
He nodded, then jogged out toward the southern perimeter. He quickly found Colonel Bril’nilim, a Twi’lek in charge of the New Republic troopers, scanning the distance with a pair of macrobinoculars. Luke sensed frustration coming off the commando leader, so did nothing to disturb him.
The Twi’lek turned and offered him the vision device. “Perhaps you can see something more than I can.”
Luke waved the macrobinoculars away. “The Yuuzhan Vong are out there, but that’s obvious. The troops