Star Wars_ Young Jedi Knights 11_ The Emperor's Plague - Kevin J. Anderson [45]
Stunned and suspicious, Raaba peeked back around the comer, only to find that the droid had apparently lost all interest in them. Instead, IG-88
clanked slowly, almost mournfully, through the vault door and into the steaming, sparking plague chamber. Although Raaba did not understand why the droid had given up his attack, she wasted no time questioning their good fortune. Instead she grasped Nolaa Tarkona's arm and propelled the Twi' lek leader down the long corridors toward the place where the Rising Star waited. As they ran, Raaba explained that the New Republic fleet had arrived to drive back the Diversity Alliance armada.
Without slowing, Nolaa Tarkona attempted to switch on her mobile comm unit. When there was no answer, Raaba snatched the comlink from her belt and handed it to her. They were almost to the Rising Star now. A burst of static and then a squawk of surprise and delight came over the comlink.
"You're alive! Esteemed Tarkona, is it truly you?"
"Yes," she said. "Raaba and I will be with you shortly, but we need your help to escape from this accursed asteroid."
"Anything, Esteemed Tarkona," the voice on the comlink replied.
"Drive the human fleet away from here," Nolaa said. Apparently out of breath, she coughed a few times and gasped. "We'll join you soon. And then I will personally lead you to victory."
HAN SOLO WAS taken by surprise when the Diversity Alliance armada did an abrupt about-face from its cautious retreat and surged toward the New Republic fleet. Like a pack of nek battle dogs, the battered survivors of the little armada pressed their attack, pushing back the ships under Han's command. Chewie roared beside him, and Han gripped his controls.
"I see it, I see it!" He swerved to avoid an oncoming strike cruiser, adding more power to his front shields, then did his famous corkscrew maneuver to elude the turbolasers. One of the New Republic snub fighters behind him wasn't so lucky, and spiraled out of control with a damaged S-foil.
"Boy, those guys just got inspired!" Han said. "I wonder what they're trying to defend."
Chewie roared.
Han agreed. "Right. Or who."
He toggled the Falcon's comm system to the coded military frequency.
"All right, blue and green groups-attack formation delta. Remember your training."
Han knew that sooner or later he would turn the plague-storage asteroid into cinders, but first he had to make sure his kids were safe. At the moment, though, all resources were engaged in fending off the Diversity Alliance.
As the New Republic fleet harried the scattered Diversity Alliance warships, Jaina watched from the cockpit of the Rock Dragon, still desperately trying to return to the Imperial weapons depot to help her stranded friends. She flew near the Millennium Falcon, protected in part by her father's shields and his talent with the laser turrets-but she knew that she and Jacen could shoot as well as Chewbacca, and she wanted to do her part in the fight on her way back down to the asteroid.
Diversity Alliance ships orbited the weapons depot, reluctant to retreat into hyperspace: somewhere down there on that rock, their leader Nolaa Tarkona still had business to complete. Jaina spotted the blown-out atmosphere containment dome she had wrecked during her escape earlier.
Right now, she wished she knew what was happening to Zekk, or Lowie, or the others they had left behind.
She needed to be sure her friends were away from the depot before the New Republic fleet blasted the asteroid to incandescent dust. The space battle was sheer chaos. The Diversity Alliance ships fought vigorously, taking