The pods seemed about the size of an X-wing.
Beviin flicked open the comlink in his helmet. “Mand’alor,” he said. “Patch into my video circuit, will you?”
“I can see it fine from here.” Boba Fett’s voice was perfectly calm. “In fact, I can see more of them …”
“That’s navigating.” It was Briika’s voice on the comlink now. All their helmets and systems linked to share data. “That’s a fleet.”
“We’ve seen fleets before.”
“Not like that one, Mand’alor.”
“We don’t know if it’s hostile or just freight passing through …” Beviin, doing what he’d been drilled to do without question or argument all his life, moved into formation with the other fighters to flank Slave I. “But it isn’t in my Mandos’ Big Book of Friendly Warships, so let’s not get caught with our kut’ike around our ankles, shall we?”
A battle formation was usually four Gladiators linked to a Pursuer, yet this motley squadron slotted together, wordless and automatic. Beviin watched his comrades’ weapon icons illuminate almost simultaneously in his HUD. Slave I already had missile, cannon, and torpedo lock on the vanguard ship. No, Fett wouldn’t get caught with his pants down either.
The other asteroid vessels were now visible, line astern, both on the scan and in visual range. One eased out to port and broke from the line, heading tor the Mandalorian squadron.
“Steady,” said Fett. “Whites of their eyes …”
Cham’s snort was audible. “They better have eyes.”
The lead ship-if that was what it was-would have stretched from one end of Beviin’s farm boundary to the other. It was monstrous in every sense of the word, and all the worse for being frankly unrecognizable as a vessel. The audio feed in his helmet clicked as Fett transmitted.
“Unidentified vessels, this is Slave One.” Fett should have been anxious, Beviin thought, but there was never a trace of it in his voice. Maybe after you survived the Sarlacc, nothing ever really scared you again. “I have no transponder code for you. Identify yourself.”
There was softly-hissing silence, and Beviin somehow expected nothing else. Which one would respond? His attention moved between his cockpit scan and the void beyond his canopy, now both full of targets that could only be a fleet of vessels. No natural phenomenon behaved with that much purpose. He tightened his fingers around the control stick and rolled his thumb across the tilting ball that would fire one or all of the four cannons. If they could make more than a dent in the fleet-well, he’d take out what he could.
Why do I automatically assume they’re hostile?
Why didn’t I call home and talk to Medrit when I had the chance?
I knew I’d never die in my sleep, but this isn’t how I thought it’d be.
He’d lost count of the behemoths now. His scan screen was so full of points of light tagged UNIDENTIFIED that he couldn’t put a pin between them. The void of space that filled the transparisteel canopy was peppered with stars of reflected light, as if a new galaxy had suddenly arrived.
The cloud of objects-of ships-was on course for Belkadan.
“Mandalotians,” said a familiar voice over the comlink. “We come to free you and your entire galaxy from the heresy of technology and teach you respect for the Great Ones.”
“Udelen …” Beviin said.
“I am Nom Anor, executor, and what you see is the vanguard of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet. It has taken decades to reach here, and now your galaxy will be reformed. Transformed.”
Beviin heard Fett’s slight intake of breath. Coming from him, that was a yelp of surprise.
“I think some people might want to discuss that first.” Fett’s weapons were still locked on. “Depending on what you mean by reformed.”
“You would call this an invasion. And you have the privilege of being among the first infidels to witness our arrival.”
Beviin hung on a frozen second, unsure whether to open fire or wait for Fett’s orders. Yes. It really was a new galaxy chat had come to visit. He struggled to take it in. On the open comlink, everyone’s breathing was audible, and it sounded urgent, shallow-afraid.
“Fett, follow these coordinates and enter my ship. We’ll show you the future of your galaxy, and how you’ll play your part in achieving this much-needed transformation.”
Fett’s response would normally have been a well-aimed ion-cannon round and a fast escape. Nothing changed or charged up on the shared HUD display. Beviin heard him swallow before responding.
“I’ll leave my troops to await my safe return, then.”