Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order_ Dark Tide 02_ Ruin - Michael A. Stackpole [64]
“Then he would understand.”
Anakin frowned. “I don’t—”
“No, and you never could.” She turned away and began to fiddle with the comlink’s settings. “I need to talk to your uncle again.”
Chalco slowly roused himself and pulled himself up against the wall. “I’d try to untie you, kid, but, ah, my fingers aren’t working too good yet. My head . . . my head is throbbing.”
“Mine, too.” Anakin shoved off from the wall and righted himself again. His head hurt, his knees were sore, and his throat ached. Daeshara’cor’s comment about Chewie had hurt horribly.
He caught sight of a vein pulsing at Chalco’s temple. It kept time with the pounding in his own head, as if it were hammering his braincase. He sighed.
His head came up for a second, then he let it hang again lest Daeshara’cor notice him. Carefully, slowly, concentrating very hard, he pushed his discomfort aside and touched the Force.
Daeshara’cor spun as he gathered it to himself. She took one step toward him, then the blaster carbine rose from the floor and careened solidly into her forehead. Her eyes flickered, then she sagged to the floor.
Anakin sank back on his heels and reached out through the Force to find his uncle. He did, and quickly, for Luke was far closer than Anakin expected.
Anakin opened his eyes and saw Chalco looking at him with a huge, self-satisfied grin. “What’s so funny?”
“You’re lucky I happened along. Without me, she’d have gotten away cleanly.”
“You think dealing with you tired her out?”
“No, not hardly.”
“And klonking her with the blaster, that was something you did?”
“Nope.” Chalco shook his head. “But if I’d not brought it along, you’d have had nothing to use against her.”
Sighing, Anakin used the Force to slide the blaster carbine over to Chalco. “Now, pump a stun bolt into her to keep her out, and then you can see if your fingers are well enough along to untie me.”
“Give me a minute.”
“I would if we had one, but my uncle is on his way.” Anakin gave the older man a smile. “Now, knowing he’s going to be upset that we’re here, in this situation, do you think it’s better I’m all trussed up, or free?”
“Gotcha. You are a smart kid.” Chalco whipped the miriskin from around his neck and tossed it off into another corner. “Our secret about that?”
“Sure, Chalco, our secret. We’re in enough trouble as it is.” Anakin smiled. “My uncle doesn’t need to know everything.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I’m not going to kill the people I should be protecting! Jacen snarled, then summoned the Force, shoving back hard against the onrushing throng of armored human slaves. The two in the lead stumbled back, knocking down others of their number. Jacen grabbed one of the fallen humanoids and shoved it back, low, slamming it into the knees and thighs of the other slaves. Bodies flipped high in the air, then crashed back down.
Off to his right, Corran and his silver lightsaber entered the fight. He swept past and through two reptoids, spilling smoking bodies left and right, then met the Yuuzhan Vong leader on equal footing. The Jedi feinted high, then slashed low. The lightsaber’s argent blade sparked off the vonduun crab armor covering the Yuuzhan Vong’s shins, but did not penetrate to the flesh.
The warrior took a half step back, then scythed his staff around in a cut that came at Corran’s left flank. The Jedi spun inside the arc of the cut and parried it wide with the blade held in his right hand. This left Corran standing with his back to the Yuuzhan Vong’s front, just for a second. He continued his spin, pivoting now on his right foot, and brought his left foot up in a roundhouse kick that cracked his heel against the Yuuzhan Vong’s face mask.
The Yuuzhan Vong staggered backwards and caught his legs against a planter. He fell back, off balance, and found his limbs trapped by the branches of a spindly ornamental fruit tree. Corran closed and