by Troy Denning
The colored glare of an outgoing turbolaser barrage flashed through the viewport and lit up the Ackbar’s flight deck. A couple of seconds later the tactical display showed strikes against three different targets.
“Affirmative hits,” the sensor officer reported. “No shields, damage unknown.”
The unknown-vessel triangles began to assume three-dimensional shapes, each with a figure ranging between 7,952 and 8,234—its length in meters—shining inside it. They looked like fifteen egg-shaped rocks, all trailing stubby tails of ion efflux. The fighters were just clouds of tiny slivers, but an inset in one of the swarms displayed the image of what was basically a dartship mounted on an oversized ion engine.
“Interesting.” Bwua’tu seemed to be speaking to himself. “The Killiks have some new toys. I wonder what other surprises they may have brought us?”
Leia’s thoughts went instantly to all the busts of Admiral Bwua’tu she had seen aboard the Ackbar. They resembled spinglass too much to be anything else. She turned toward the one watching over the TacSal and did not even need to reach out in the Force to know she was right. A bolt of danger sense shot down her spine, so cold and crisp that she broke into goose bumps.
Leia turned to Wurf’al. “Excuse me, Captain, where is the nearest disposal chute?”
“Disposal chute?” Wurf’al frowned as though he was going to question her need for one. Then the rest of the Ackbar’s batteries cut loose, filling the command deck viewport with a multihued glare and causing the overhead lighting to flicker and dim. He pointed absentmindedly toward a spotless cover-flap on the far wall. “There.”
“Thank you.”
Leia used the Force to slide the bust, which was about forty centimeters high, free of its mounting. A Mon Calamari lieutenant commander let out a startled cry as it drifted out of the niche, then stepped in front of Bwua’tu to shield him.
“Sorry to alarm you,” Leia said. She floated the bust over to disposal chute and began to push it through the flap. “But this thing has to go.”
“The admiral!” Wurf’al cried. He dived after the piece, jamming his arms into the chute up to his shoulders. “It’s okay. I have him!”
Leia felt the barrels of several blasters swing her way. The petty officer in charge of her security escort warned, “Don’t even think about moving, Princess.”
She kept her hands in plain sight but did not otherwise acknowledge the threat.
Bwua’tu peered over the shoulder of the lieutenant commander in front of him, scowling first at Leia, then at Wurf’al.
“Captain, what the blazes are you doing with your arms down in a disposal chute?”
“Holding on to your bust, sir.” A muffled clink sounded inside the chute. “Bloah!”
Bwua’tu frowned. “Captain?”
“Sorry, sir, but something—rodder!” Wurf’al suddenly straightened and pulled his arms out of the chute. His hands and wrists were covered in dozens of blue, thumb-sized insects. “They’re biting!”
“They’re Gorog!” Leia reached out in the Force and pulled the chute cover closed. “Dark Nest Killiks!”
Wurf’al dropped to his knees, screaming and trying to shake the insects off. Those that came free buzzed up to his head and alighted on his eyes. His screams grew primal, but the TacSal seemed frozen in its confusion, and even Leia was at a loss as to how to help the aide. After a couple of seconds he threw his head back and collapsed, a raspy gurgle coming from his throat.
The assassin bugs exploded into the air, spreading their wings and droning off in every direction.
“Commando raid!” Bwua’tu yelled.
He pulled his sidearm and blasted a Killik from the air. Half a dozen bolts sizzled past Leia’s shoulder, taking out another insect. Then the rest of Bwua’tu’s staff began to react, drawing their own blasters and lacing the air with fire.
They were not entirely effective. A Duros lieutenant commander slapped at his throat, then fell to the floor and began to convulse, and perhaps two dozen of the insects escaped out onto the command deck.
Once the shock of the initial assault wore off, Bwua’tu stepped over to the disposal chute and slapped the VOID button to suck the contents down into the Ackbar’s waste tanks.
“Well done, Princess.” He slapped the button again. “What alerted you?”
Leia used the Force to flick an assassin bug away from his ear, then splattered it against the wall. “Jedi sorcery.”
“Marvelous stuff.” Bwua’tu eyed the blue-and-yellow smear, then looked past Leia to the petty officer in charge of her security escort. “You, take your detail and secure this deck.”
“Sir. And the prisoner?”
“Prisoner?” Bwua’tu snorted. “She was never your prisoner, son. She was just being polite.”
“Thank you, Admiral,” Leia said. “I don’t know what the Killiks are up to, but I hope you understand that the Jedi aren’t—”
“Say no more.” Bwua’tu raised a hand to stop her. “The Jedi may be idealistic fools, but they are not traitors—as you have already proven.”
“I’m glad we understand each other.” Leia tried not to bristle at being called a fool; under the circumstances, she was glad just to have earned Bwua’tu’s trust. “If I might make a suggestion, Killik nests share a collective mind—”
“Of course.” Bwua’tu turned to the intercom and opened a shipwide channel. “Infiltration alert. Seal all hatches, blast anything with six limbs, and dump all statuary down the nearest disposal chute. This is not a drill.”
Bwua’tu paused a moment to look out at the chaos on the Ackbar’s command deck—at least a dozen stations were empty while the crew fought the remaining assassin bugs—then returned to his place at the holodisplay.
“All right, people, we’ve got a battle to win,” he said to the TacSal staff. “Back to your stations.”
Leia stepped to the holodisplay with his officers. Most of the Killik fleet was headed straight for Mon Mothma and the heart of the Choke, and clouds of insect starfighters were already boiling past the thin screen of Alliance defenders. But a small task force—five ships and several thousand dartships—was veering toward the Ackbar, preparing to intercept it and prevent it from reaching the Mothma.
Knowing how valuable any intelligence about one’s foes could be in a battle, Leia oriented herself to the fighting, then turned toward the Killik ships and, one by one, began to reach out to them in the Force. She sensed the presence of a single Killik nest aboard each of the large ships, often accompanied by dozens or even hundreds of Joiners, and she even recognized the stoicism of the Taat and the artistic sensibilities of the Saras among the vessels headed for the Mothma. But when she came to the last ship of the group moving to intercept the Ackbar, she felt no presences at all, only an empty place in the Force.
“Something you wish to share, Jedi Solo?” Bwua’tu asked.
Leia looked up to find the Bothan studying her. She pointed at the image of the “empty” vessel in the holodisplay.
“I think that is the Dark Nest’s ship,” she said. “Of course, we don’t know how the Killik fleet is organized, but that will be as close to a flagship as they have.”
“I really shouldn’t be surprised by what you Jedi can tell, but I am.” Bwua’tu thought for a moment, then turned to the Mon Calamari captain who had tried to shield him earlier. “We won’t show our hand yet, Tola.”
“Very good, sir.”
“But when that ship enters effective range, let’s be ready to give it everything we have,” Bwua’tu said. “Maybe we can surprise them for a change.”
“Yes, sir,” Tola said. “I’ll have all batteries lock it in as a secondary target now.”
“Good. Designate it Bug One.” Bwua’tu turned back to the holodisplay, but said, “And one more thing. Have the capture bay stand down. All Jedi craft are free to come and go as they require.”
Tola acknowledged the order, then turned to pass on the admiral’s commands.
Leia smiled. “Thank you, Admiral,” she said. “But if I can be of some service here—”
“I was thinking of your StealthXs, Princess,” Bwua’tu interrupted. “They’re going to need a place to refuel and rearm.”
“They are?” Leia asked. “I mean, if the Jedi can be of any help—”
“They will be.” Bwua’tu began to pace, but his gaze remained glued to the holodisplay. “Inform them that they’re now under my command.”
“Uh—”
“Is there a problem with that?” Bwua’tu demanded.
“No, sir,” Leia answered. “Just thinking about the best way to let them know.”
“The way that makes it clear. These are bugs with a plan, Princess.” Bwua’tu stopped pacing and scowled along his snout at her. “We need to stop them here, or we won’t stop them at all.”
Leia swallowed. “I know that, Admiral. I’ll do my best.”
She closed her eyes, then stretched her Force-awareness out into the Choke. She found Mara and her team first, very calm and focused. A bright circle of ion glow, surrounded by the stern of a large rocky vessel, appeared in Leia’s mind; they were sneaking up on a Killik ship. She filled her thoughts with good feelings about Admiral Bwua’tu and silently repeated the word respect.
Mara and the others seemed puzzled, but willing.
Leia reached out to Kyp’s squadron next and was immediately engulfed in a conflagration of fear and exhilaration and anger, all blasting her at once. She allowed herself to sink into the emotional turmoil and began to glimpse flashes of exploding dartships and fiery white propellant trails.
Kyp’s presence touched Leia, assuring her that he was on his way. She replied as she had with Mara, by filling her mind with good thoughts about Bwua’tu and silently urging Kyp to respect him.
Kyp poured indignation into the Force. Leia repeated the sentiment more strongly, trying to impress on him that the problem was the Killiks, not the Fifth Fleet. Kyp grew frustrated, but his stubbornness slowly gave way to willingness.
Leia opened her eyes in time to see Tola, the Mon Calamari, drop to his knees, gasping for breath and clawing at his throat. Bwua’tu glanced over and calmly smashed the butt of his blaster into the back of Tola’s skull. There was the sound of crunching chitin, then the lieutenant commander pitched forward, a string of insect gore momentarily connecting his head to the admiral’s blaster handle.
“Stay alert, people!” Bwua’tu ordered. “I can’t have my staff dropping dead around me.”
A pair of security guards stepped into the TacSal to carry the convulsing Mon Calamari away. Leia pushed aside the sorrow she felt for him, then caught Bwua’tu’s eye.
“The StealthX crews have agreed.” She pointed into the holodisplay, indicating the five Killik ships moving to intercept the Ackbar. “Mara’s team—half a squadron—is somewhere behind this group, moving up on one of the ships.”
Bwua’tu frowned. “What’s her status? Mara’s team can’t be combat-ready after so long in space.”
“They can make one attack run, but dogfighting is out of the question until they refuel,” Leia said. “Other than that, they’re good.”
Bwua’tu looked doubtful.
“Trust me, Admiral.” Leia smiled. “It’s Jedi sorcery.”
Bwua’tu snorted. “If you say so.”
Leia pointed at a cluster of dartships that seemed to be gathered between the two groups of Killik ships for no apparent reason. “I think Master Durron’s squadron is engaged here.”
“On their way to free you and Master Sebatyne,” Bwua’tu surmised. “We don’t need them here. Have them withdraw toward the Mothma.”
“It might be more precise if you spoke to our teams yourself.” Leia went to the comm station and opened a channel to the StealthXs. “They can’t acknowledge, but they’ll hear your orders.”
“Very well.”
Bwua’tu stepped away from the holodisplay and told the StealthXs what he wanted. Leia felt acknowledgments from everyone except Mara, who seemed firmly opposed to abandoning the target she had already selected. When Leia allowed her bewilderment to rise to the surface of her mind, Mara flooded the meld with concern for Luke and Han.
“Everyone except Mara is a go,” Leia reported. “Mara is going to stay with her current target. It has something to do with Luke and Han.”
Bwua’tu cocked his thick brow. “Something is a rather imprecise term, Princess.”
“I’m sorry, Admiral.” Leia reached out into the Force, searching for her brother’s presence, and felt nothing. “That’s all I know.”
Bwua’tu frowned, clearly unaccustomed to having his commands modified in this manner. “That will . . .”
He let the sentence trail off as the leading elements of the Killik fleet filled the holodisplay with flashes of light. Mon Mothma’s image changed to yellow, indicating that its shields were absorbing more energy than they could rapidly disperse. The Ackbar’s image remained blue.
“Enemy weapons are identified as turbolasers,” the sensor officer reported. “Unknown manufacturer, but clearly Alliance technology.”
“At least we know who the Tibanna tappers have been supplying,” Bwua’tu observed. He turned to Leia. “Have Master Sebatyne prep the Falcon for launch. The StealthXs may need a mobile refueling platform.”
Leia retrieved the comlink Saba had left on her bunk. “Master Sebatyne, would you prep the Falcon for launch? Admiral Bwua’tu may need it to refuel the StealthXs.”
“It is prepped,” Saba retorted. A muffled phew-phew sounded in the background. “But this one does not know how long we can keep it that way.”
Leia frowned. “Is that the Falcon’s blaster cannon I hear?”
“Of course!” Saba replied. “Those little Gorog are everywhere!”
Leia started to report to Bwua’tu, but he was already at a wall display, punching codes into the control panel. He paused, then punched more codes and cursed. The screen never showed anything but static.
“These bugs are good,” he growled. “They’ve been cutting our status feeds.”
Leia activated the comlink again. “We’re blind up here, Master. What can you tell me about the situation?”
“It’z bad!” Saba said. “If this one had not already disabled the capture bay batteriez, you wouldn’t be talking to her now. The crew is down, and bugz are everywhere.”
“Okay,” Leia said. “Maybe you’d better launch now.”
“Without you?” A rhythmic hissing came out of the comlink. “You are alwayz joking, Jedi Solo.”
Saba closed the channel.
Leia looked up to find Bwua’tu speaking to a young Sullustan ensign wearing the double-lightning bars of the engineering staff.
“—didn’t Captain Urbok inform me the Ackbar’s situation was this bad? Damage assessment is her responsibility.”
“B-because she’s dead, s-sir?” the lieutenant stammered.
“What about Lieutenant Commander Reo?”
“Also dead, sir.”
Leia could sense Bwua’tu’s anger building, but he maintained a civil tone. “And Lieutenant Aramb?”
“Paralyzed and unable to speak, sir,” the ensign reported. “Apparently, the Killik venom isn’t as effective against Gotals.”
“Well, then, who is running engineering?” Bwua’tu demanded.
The Sullustan looked back toward the decimated command deck, then asked, “You?”
“Wrong, Captain Yuul.” Bwua’tu pointed to the ship engineer’s chair. “Now get to your station, get on the comm, and find out the condition of this ship!”
“Sir!”
As the Sullustan turned to obey, Bwua’tu looked to Leia and shook his head. “These Killiks are beginning to worry me, Princess. What other surprises do they have tucked under their chitin?”
Without awaiting a reply, he returned his attention to the holodisplay. The Mon Mothma was concentrating its fire on the lead ship, blowing off so many pieces that the thin
g looked more like an asteroid field than a capital vessel. But the Killik dartship swarms had already overwhelmed the Alliance fighter screens, and for every turbolaser strike the Mothma delivered, it took ten.
The Ackbar was faring better, at least outside the hull. Although space beyond the viewport was bright with turbolaser blossoms, the Killik gunners seemed to be having trouble accounting for the gravitational effects of the binary stars behind the Star Destroyer. Most strikes fell short or passed harmlessly below the Ackbar’s belly, and the few that landed were not powerful enough to seriously challenge its shields.
The Mothma’s likeness suddenly changed to red, indicating that it had suffered a shield breach. Bwua’tu sighed audibly, then turned to a female human who had been sticking close to his side.
“Grendyl, tell Commodore Darklighter to withdraw. Have all surviving Fifth Fleet starfighters disengage and meet him at Rendezvous Alpha.”
Grendyl’s eyes grew round. “Even our fighters, Admiral?”
“That’s what I said, blast it!” Bwua’tu barked. “Is something wrong with those little pink flaps you call ears?”
An astonished silence settled over the surviving members of Bwua’tu’s staff, and all eyes went to the holodisplay.
Bwua’tu took a breath, then said, “I apologize, Grendyl. That was uncalled for. Our unfortunate situation has put me rather on edge, I’m afraid.”
“It’s quite all right, sir.” Her voice was about to crack. “I’ll send the message at once.”
“Thank you,” Bwua’tu said. “And make it a direct order, to both Commodore Darklighter and the starfighter squadrons. I won’t have them wasting valuable Alliance resources on pointless displays of bravery. The Ackbar is lost.”
Grendyl brought her hand up in a smart salute. “Sir.”
The rest of Bwua’tu’s staff remained silent, staring into the holodisplay and contemplating the admiral’s grim conclusion. The Ackbar was trapped with its back against a binary star, with five Killik capital ships and a swarm of several thousand fighters coming at it with nothing in the way except a few atoms of hydrogen. The situation was hopeless, and Bwua’tu was both astute enough to see that early on and sensible enough not to deceive himself or anyone else about their chances of escaping the trap.
