Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order_ Dark Tide 02_ Ruin - Michael A. Stackpole [72]
“We live and learn.”
Kre’fey flashed fangs as he smiled. “If we live, we learn.” Without looking back, he growled a question. “Sensors, no anomalous system readings?”
“No, Admiral, all is within normal limits. Fine gravitational fluctuation readings do not indicate any increased mass hiding around moons or asteroid belts. If the Yuuzhan Vong are hiding ships out there, they must be very tiny.”
“Thank you, sensors.” The Bothan turned and nodded to a dark-furred officer at the communications console. “Lieutenant Arr’yka, send a message to Colonel Horn. Tell him we are here to pick him up. Request transmission of his intelligence reports as he comes up. Deploy a communications relay drone here to capture and send out the report in case we have trouble.”
“As ordered, Admiral.”
The snowy Bothan then looked over at Tycho Celchu at the flight operations command center. “Colonel, if you would be so kind as to put our fighters on alert.”
“Done, Admiral.”
Kre’fey came full around, his eyes narrowing. “It would seem a decision to advance would be difficult, but it’s really not. We made a bargain with Horn and his people. They go into danger, we get them out. I will uphold that bargain.”
“I think you should, though others may question your judgment if the Vong are waiting for us.” Wedge gave the Bothan a grim grin. “But then, hindsight criticism is always based on fantasy foresight. What we should have known will be touted as facts we chose to overlook.”
“If you think I’m overlooking anything, do let me know.”
“Yes, Admiral, I will.” Wedge nodded toward Garqi. “Right now the only thing I want to overlook is Garqi’s horizon and see a ship coming up to greet us.”
“I agree. Helm, execute primary egress-vector plot. Look alive, people. We have heroes to rescue.”
Jaina Solo, locked in the cockpit of her X-wing, didn’t so much feel the microjump into the interior of the Garqi system as much as she picked up sensations of uneasiness from crew members who didn’t like making jumps. As those impressions faded, she immediately got a launch authorization and jammed her throttle full forward. The fighter jetted down the launch tube and shot out beneath the belly of the Ralroost, between it and Garqi’s spinning sphere.
She brought her X-wing up on Anni Capstan’s port side and began to orbit. “Sparky, sensors at full, filter for Vong flight characteristics.”
The droid tootled an acknowledgment of the order.
Jaina resisted the urge to reach out through the Force to sense her brother. She’d been stung by the deception earlier, when the task force had been inserted into Garqi. Intellectually she understood the need for operational security, and she could remember the shock of everyone on board the Ralroost when the task force was believed dead. Gavin had been correct about the tragedy and subsequent revelation creating a sense of unity between the crew and the pilots. Not knowing made them all one, and using the Force now would violate that trust.
The latest briefing did say they had casualties, including a Jedi. She knew it wasn’t her brother; no matter the distance from her twin she felt certain she would know if he’d died. And she did acknowledge there was a huge difference between casualty and fatality, but somewhere in the back of her mind she’d imagined Jedi were somehow special and not the sort of heroes to fall in combat. Logically, and based on even the most recent history of the Jedi, she knew that wasn’t true, but the depiction of heroism in the Jedi tradition allowed her to accept the fantasy as true on an emotional level.
Right now the only