Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order_ Dark Tide 02_ Ruin - Michael A. Stackpole [123]
Luke ran to where Corran was dragging his legs from beneath the Yuuzhan Vong’s body. “Stay down, I’ll get you out of here.”
“Wait.” Corran clutched at Luke’s shoulder. “Help me up for a moment.”
The Jedi Master complied with the request.
The Corellian Jedi pointed his lightsaber at Deign Lian. “You witnessed this fight. You know our bargain. Take his body and go.”
The Yuuzhan Vong waved Corran’s comment aside. “I witnessed, but I will not take his body. He died at your hands. He is no longer of the Yuuzhan Vong.” Deign Lian gestured uncaringly. “His body is yours.”
Corran shook his head. “I’ve no use for it.”
“Then our business is concluded.” The Yuuzhan Vong spun on his heel and disappeared beyond the edge of the clearing.
Luke started to turn Corran toward where they had landed their shuttle. “Let’s go.”
“Wait, just a second.” Corran pointed at the mask Shedao Shai had discarded. “I want that mask.”
“Why?”
Corran’s eyes closed for a moment as pain washed over him. “Elegos’s bones. They’re watching something. That mask will show him that the Vong are not invincible, and for Ithor at least, there will be peace.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Upon his solitary return to the Legacy of Torment, Deign Lian assumed command of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet. Appropriating Shedao Shai’s suite, he immediately issued an order, the preparation for which he had begun over a month before when he realized it was the most expedient way of dealing with Ithor. Shedao Shai had rejected it, but Deign Lian’s other master had approved.
From a dozen coralskipper sockets that had been refitted launched twelve seed-shaped, yorik coral pods. While not nearly as sophisticated as a coralskipper, these unpiloted craft did possess a rudimentary intelligence. It enabled them to use the dovin basals to lock onto Ithor’s planetary mass and speed their descent into its gravity well. Their outer sheathes began to heat up and ablate as they entered the Ithorian atmosphere. The twelve pods fanned out, streaking through the sky on courses that spread them all over the daylight side of the planet.
In the Ralroost’s medical bay, Admiral Kre’fey turned away from where Corran Horn floated in a bacta tank, and raised his comlink to his mouth. “Kre’fey here. Report.”
“Sensors here, Admiral. The Rainbow reports a dozen gravitic anomalies from the Yuuzhan Vong fleet.” The Bothan officer growled. “It looks like coralskipper traces, but they’ve gone into the atmosphere. Rainbow is reporting airbursts.”
“Airbursts? I’m on my way to the bridge. Relay the data to the Chimaera.” The admiral flicked off his comlink and turned to ask Luke Skywalker what he might make of such strange behavior. His question went unasked as the Jedi Master winced in pain and slumped against a bulkhead.
The airbursts over the Mother Jungle vaporized each Yuuzhan Vong weapon’s payload, expanding into a vast cloud. The aerosol droplets descended over the jungle in a fine mist. The bacteriological agents in the mist touched down unharmed. The jungle was to them what a herd of tauntauns would be to a hungry wampa ice creature. The bacteria began to metabolize everything and reproduce in an exponential progression.
Black slime teeming with bacteria dripped from high leaves on down, streaming along branches. So quickly did the bacteria work that the fetid fluid seemed almost acidic. Branches fell, splattering the bacteria over other branches and onto arboreal creatures. A leather-winged shamarok flitter launched itself skyward, but black droplets on its wings quickly holed them, sending the beast circling down in a spiral of agony to crash on the ground.
An arrak snake slithered over and scooped the flitter up. Opening its jaws, the snake began