Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order_ Dark Tide 02_ Ruin - Michael A. Stackpole [118]
Heavier shots poured down from the enemy ships. Some sank into the voids, but the rest punched past the defenses. They peppered the hull, walking in a line from prow to midship. Half-melted yorick coral panels broke off and whirled free. The front half of the ship disintegrated under the barrage. Agony’s Child twisted in flight, snapping off the skeletal structure that had been its front half, and began to orbit Ithor as a new, dead moon.
What is happening? We had a strategy. Deign Lian watched as another ship came under a withering assault. It began to glow white and spread out like ice on a hot rock. That can’t be happening!
In an instant, Deign Lian knew what he had to do. He issued an order to all ships, commanding them to pull back to the daylight side of the world. He concentrated his own fire on the smaller enemy ships, discouraging pursuit, and slowly let the world’s green disk eclipse the enemy force.
Seething, Deign Lian pulled his head from the cognition hood. He knew this would happen. That is why he is down there. He did this on purpose, to shame me.
The Yuuzhan Vong nodded solemnly. And he sent for reinforcements. He’ll not have them from me. I hope he is dead. If he isn’t, I might just have to kill him myself.
The Jedi jungle task force hit the Yuuzhan Vong command center hard. Jacen triggered two shots from the speeder bike’s blaster cannon. They struck a Yuuzhan Vong warrior, spinning his headless body around and smashing it against the hull of the crate. Other blaster shots killed reptoids, though several Jedi dismounted to finish the last few with their lightsabers. Jacen knew it was less because they wanted the kill than it was to prevent themselves from feeling so distant and insulated from the life they took.
Corran leapt from his speeder bike’s seat and tugged the case free of its bindings. With his lightsaber unlit in his right hand, he ran to the crate. Jacen followed close at his heels, and Ganner came right behind. Jacen pounded up the landing ramp with his lightsaber at the ready, but found Corran alone in the ship’s interior save for one cowering reptoid tucked down in a corner.
The elder Jedi stood before a bank of villips and studied them. Most bore the likeness of a Yuuzhan Vong, though Jacen could not really tell them apart. A few of the villips slackened and smoothed as he watched, leading him to assume the Yuuzhan Vong or villip paired with it was out of commission.
“How do you know which one to talk to?”
Corran had set the case down and had his left hand pressed to his mouth. “I’m looking for one who looks important. Chances of Shai being here are slender, but whoever is in command would have his . . . well, whatever the Vong have that passes for ears.”
Jacen shrugged. “Sort on ugly?”
“That might work.” Corran smiled suddenly. “It’s a good day for our team. Can’t forget that ugly face.” He reached out and slapped a particular villip none too softly. “Shedao Shai, this is Corran Horn. I own your command center, and it’s my people harrying your flanks. You have some regular New Republic commandos on your right, and Noghri on your left. Bet the left is real quiet.”
The Yuuzhan Vong villip visage hardened. “You have less honor than a ngdin.”
Corran glanced at Jacen, but the young man shrugged. “I don’t know what it is, but it doesn’t sound good.”
“I might not have any honor, but I do have a packet of bones here. I think you wanted these.”
“Their return does not mitigate your treachery.”
“They haven’t been returned yet, pal. I have a deal for you. You don’t agree, I send these bones into the sun.”
The Yuuzhan Vong’s eyes became slits. “Your deal is?”
“What we both want. You, me, our seconds: the bones against Ithor. You win, you get the bones. I win, I get the planet.” Corran’s voice