Star Wars_ X-Wing 02_ Wedge's Gamble - Michael A. Stackpole [135]
The building began to sag in on itself, then it swelled at the center. The roof rose up volcanically, then an explosion shook the building. Half-molten granite blocks split apart and sloughed to the side like rotting vegetable matter as a gout of steam shot skyward. It billowed out and thickened as it hit the layer of cooler air above it. The expanding vapor darkened precipitously, then Corran saw golden highlights illuminate it from within.
The first silvery lightning bolt slashed down at the Imperial Palace. Corran laughed aloud. “Even the elements want the Empire dead!”
He keyed his comm unit. “I hope you can hear me, Wedge. You’ve got one fantastic storm brewing out here. Keep it going.”
The image of Coruscant floating in front of Captain Uwlla Iillor on the bridge of the Corusca Rainbow began to change. Beneath the twin shields the datastream began to sketch in an angry red storm centering itself over the Palace district. Gold pinpoints marked lightning strikes and quickly became so numerous that flecks of red floated like islands in a golden sea.
Jhemiti inclined his head toward the image. “The storm appears to be fierce.”
“The worst Coruscant has seen in generations, I would imagine.” She leaned forward and studied the image through half-closed eyes. “Rogue Squadron must have caused this storm somehow. It becomes a weapon of fantastic power, but it is very difficult to direct.”
The Mon Calamari nodded. “Perhaps the Jedi Knight …”
“Can control it? I doubt the Emperor could have controlled a storm of this magnitude. This I take as a good thing because it means the Empire cannot stop it.”
The inner shield sphere flickered and went dark. Jhemiti pointed at the holographic projection. “There, the shields are coming down.”
“Perhaps.” Iillor looked at the chronometer. “We have five minutes until the fleet comes through. Begin initial power up of the gravity well projectors.”
Jhemiti’s eyes half shut. “But the shields.”
“The shields still exist.” Captain Iillor gave her First Officer a cold stare. “We’ll give Rogue Squadron time to finish their mission, but if they cannot, we will finish ours.”
Wedge came around the corner and into the computer center after getting an all-clear from Gavin. Because the construction droid had the same anti-intruder system installed on it, Mirax, Iella, and he had been able to appropriate breathing gear from it before they made the run to the center. He immediately crossed to the workstation where Winter sat while Iella and Mirax took up defensive positions near the door.
“How are things going?”
Tycho looked over at him while Winter typed furiously on her datapad. “Good and bad. The storm is fierce enough that skyhooks are detaching and moving off. Better yet, the inner shields have come down. Unfortunately, it appears their collapse has resulted in a shift of resource allocation programs within the computers. The storm is taking some power plants off-line, but others have been directed to shunt their output through previously unused conduits.”
Wedge frowned. “You’re telling me that the destruction of one layer of shields has diverted power through backup systems to reinforce the remaining shields?”
Winter nodded. “No one knew the backup system of conduits existed—no power ran through them so folks scouting for places to tap the grid never found them. In essence, this is a whole new power grid. It allocates power to essential services, of which this center is part, but it means that main shield isn’t coming down.”
This is not good. Wedge leaned with one hand on the workstation. “Can you pull a map of this grid up?”
“Not available.”
Emtrey tottled over. “If I might suggest, sir …?”
“Please do, Emtrey.”
“Lightning will travel along the easiest course from the ground to the clouds and vice versa. The new grid, and especially its substation transfer points, will leak a