[Dark Nest] - 1(155)

“From where I stand, you’re in no position to stop us.”

Alema gave a sly smile. “We believe we are.”

A muffled rustling rolled up the tunnel, and a wall of Gorog warriors appeared in its mouth. Though they lacked the canopies that had protected the dartship pilots, they were much larger and armed with both tridents and electrobolt assault rifles. The rifles, Mara knew, were relatively feeble weapons, cheap and reliable but requiring three or four hits to take down most targets. Unfortunately, she did not think the Killiks were going to have any trouble massing their firepower.

A shrill chorus of squeck-squecking began to spread outward from the dark corners of the chamber, the sound of hundreds of Killik feet rushing across the sticky wax that lined the nest. Mara swept her helmet lamp over the walls and found them crawling with Gorog warriors, and the anger she felt toward Alema assumed an acid taint.

“Tell your masters they’re about to wish they had died in the Crash.” Mara slipped a fresh power pack into her blaster pistol. “We’re coming for them.”

Alema smirked, and Gorog warriors began to pour out of the tunnel behind her. “You will need more than lightsabers and blaster pistols, we think.”

*

The Falcon’s darkened air lock slid silently open. The four YVH “bugcruncher” war droids-on loan from Tendrando Arms and

specially programmed to Han’s specifications-jumped into the pitch-black hangar. Next went the four Jedi-Kyp, Saba, Octa Ramis, and Kyle Katarn-in their combat-rated vac suits. Han was just glad he had convinced Meewalh and Cakhmaim to “help” Juun and Tarfang guard the Falcon, or he and Leia - bringing up the rear in standard-issue EV suits-would have had to follow them, too.

“I’m the captain of Millennium Falcon,” Han grumbled into his faceplate. “That used to mean something.”

A moment later, Leia took his wrist, and they jumped out of the air lock. She drew him along through the weightless darkness, using the Force to move them away from the Falcon so they would not need to activate their jet belts and make targets of themselves. To Han, it was like making his way through a cargo hold during an all-systems failure. He kept bumping into stuff, and stuff kept bumping into him.

Finally, the YVHs gave an all-clear and activated their thrusters, briefly illuminating the airless, flotsam-choked launching bay before they shot through a hole in the rear wall. Conversing through the Jedi battle-meld if at all, Kyp and the other Masters activated their green combat lamps and used the Force to pull themselves after the war droids. Leia drew Han by the wrist and followed. He felt like a little kid being dragged through a bad dream, what with all the loose bug heads and chunks of thorax chitin floating around.

As they passed through the hole, Leia’s helmet lamp came on. Han activated his own light and found himself in a small repair hangar. The YVHs led the way into a small utility tunnel filled with Gorog bodies. Most of the insects had burst eyes and dark strings of tissue extruding from the breathing spiracles on their thoraxes-signs of

a

quick-but-painful decompression death.

Kyp motioned the rescue party forward, then activated his belt thruster and led the way up the passage. Glad to finally be under his own power, Han started his own thrusters and followed at Leia’s side. The accumulation of insect bodies grew thicker as they advanced, and soon the group almost seemed to be swimming through them.

Han touched his helmet to Leia’s so they could speak without breaking comm silence. “Luke and Mara did all this?”

“Kyp seems to think so.”

“Huh.” Han started to wonder who might need rescuing more-the Skywalkers or the bugs. “Nice of them to leave us a trail.”

They passed through the tattered remains of a hatch membrane and continued deeper into the twisting warren of tunnels, following a steady trail of dead Gorog and gouged walls. Han began to think the Skywalkers had decided to hunt down Welk and Lomi Plo on their own.

The rescue party came to another hatch, this one intact, and progress slowed to a crawl as the bugcrunchers pushed through one by one. Kyp and Octa Ramis followed the droids, and suddenly the membrane grew bright with battle flashes.

“Enemy located,” Bug One reported, terminating comm silence. “Engaging now.”

Han armed the T-21 repeating blaster he had brought along as bug repellent, then started toward the membrane.

Leia put out a hand to stop him. “Not yet,” she said over the comm. “Kyp’s suit has been punctured.”

She did not need to explain further. With Kyp’s suit damaged, it would not be smart to draw more fire in the hatch’s direction.

“Well, tell ‘em to hurry up,” Han said. “My trigger finger is getting itchy.”