Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order_ Dark Tide 02_ Ruin - Michael A. Stackpole [104]
Luke nodded solemnly. “There is a great deal I don’t like about this, but . . .” He glanced at Corran. “I trust your judgment. I know you will do the right thing.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Luke reached out and patted Corran on the shoulder. “We’ll work out a way to get the message to Shedao Shai. I will get you the plans as soon as we have them.”
Kre’fey stood and offered Luke his hand. “Just in case it never gets said, I appreciate the sacrifice you and your Jedi are making here. I wanted you to know that, in case we don’t make it through to the other side of this conflict.”
The image of Chewbacca flashed through Luke’s mind for a second, then he banished it with the sensation of meeting the Bothan’s firm, dry grip. “Thank you, Admiral. May the Force be with us all.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Jacen Solo watched the freighter captain accept the datapad back from Corran, check the receipt flashing on the screen, then wave forward the binary loadlifter with the brushed aluminum case. “You should know that Dr. Pace said she was going to protest this appropriation of Yuuzhan Vong artifacts to the highest levels.” The captain shook his head.
“Noted.” Corran gave the man a curt nod. “Thanks for the diversion here. I won’t keep you.”
“Not a problem. Your wife’s done me some good turns in the past. Glad to return the favor.” The man gave Corran a quick salute, then directed the loadlifter back to his freighter.
“Want me to get that, Corran?”
The elder Jedi hefted the case by its handle, then extended it toward Jacen. “Has your mind changed about this? You didn’t like the idea at the briefing. Second thoughts?”
Jacen accepted the case and was surprised by how light it really was. “Not really. You’re making part of this war personal, you against Shedao Shai. That’s not right. It’s divisive. It’s of the—”
“Don’t tell me it’s of the dark side, Jacen.” Corran held up a hand and shook his head. “I’m not in a mood—”
“Yes, you are, Corran, you’re in a mood. And you don’t want to hear it because you know it’s true.” Jacen got a step ahead of the other Jedi, glancing back at him over his left shoulder. “You’re the one who told me we all have to be pulling in the same direction, but you’re going off on your own. You want revenge for your friend. I can’t blame you for that, but were the situation reversed, you’d be arguing with me to subordinate my feelings to what others thought was best.”
“That’s probably true.”
“So, why doesn’t the same work for you?”
“Because . . .” Corran frowned, then grabbed a handful of Jacen’s tunic and tugged him down a side corridor. “Come here.”
The two of them walked along in silence and emerged on a walkway that gave them a view across the expanse of the bowl that was the Tafanda Bay. Had Jacen not known they were floating over the Mother Jungle, he could have easily been led to believe that the Ithorian ship was a domed city nestled comfortably on the planet below. The transparisteel dome displayed a bright blue sky through which freighters streaked toward space, and the verdant foliage throughout the city let the white walls and walkways peek through only here and there.
“Look out there, Jacen. This is a city that is now abandoned by the people who love it, who labored to create it. Why? Because it’s a target. We know the Vong are going to hit it, so we’ve moved the people and have rigged up some surprises for the enemy. We’re doing that on the planet itself, too.”
The youth nodded. “I understand that.”
“Well, understand this: Shedao Shai, because of what I did at Bimmiel, because of what we did at Garqi, has decided I’m a target. He’s going to be looking for me—and for the bones in that case—which means he’s going to be distracted. That’s what we want, because a distracted leader is one who will give us some time and, ultimately, is going