Leia and the others barely had time to start forward before a brilliant flash filled the corridor behind them. Leaving Bug Four to handle rear-guard duty, they followed Kyp and the other Masters forward. Another crump sounded from the front of the line. Another detonator exploded. The tunnel behind them filled with Gorog, and Bug Four launched a detonator.
“Blazt!” Saba shut down her lightsaber. “Where is the fun in that?”
Moving much faster now, they passed through another crater and started around the next corner-then stopped short when a deafening storm of electrobolt fire sent Bug One tumbling back into the adjacent wall. His armor was blasted down to the frame and his internal systems were hanging out, sparking and shooting green lubricant.
“Major eneeemyyy conceeeee…” He raised his arm, and a detonator floated out. “Deeeeee… eee… e…”
His systems shut down, leaving the detonator floating in front of him, its red warning light blinking the countdown.
“Misfire! Misfire!” Bug Two started toward the detonator. “Please seek-“
“Stand fast!” Leia ordered.
She raised her finger toward the detonator, but Saba or Kyp or someone had already sent it sailing around the bend. It detonated with a brilliant flash, then Bug Two led the charge forward.
When the rescue team followed, they found themselves entering a vast, murky vault filled with Gorog warriors. Leia could sense Luke and Mara a dozen meters above, hidden in a tangle of insects so thick and large she could not see the glow of their lightsabers.
“How about it, Saba?” Han asked. “That enough fun for you?”
Before the Barabel could answer, some of the Gorog recovered their senses and fired a volley of electrobolts. Leia’s lightsaber came up automatically, as did those of Kyp, Saba, and the other Masters, but there were just too many strikes to block. She took a scalding hit in the shoulder and heard Han curse as he took one, then a pair of crumps sounded as Bug Two and Bug Three launched more detonators.
‘Careful!” Kyp warned. “Master Skywalker-“
The rest was lost to a pair of earsplitting crackles, and Leia’s sight flashed to white. The air shuddered as the bugcrunchers opened up with their blaster cannons. By the time her vision cleared, both droids had activated their thrusters and were shooting toward the combat tangle above. Kyp and the other Masters were close on their heels.
Leia looked over at Han. A hand-sized expanse of blistered flesh showed through a hole in the stomach of his vac suit.
“You all right?” he asked.
“Fine,” Leia said. She started to remark that Han’s wound looked worse than hers, but stopped when Jaina and Zekk touched her through the battle-meld, wondering what the blazes was happening and assuring her that help was coming. She grabbed Han’s wrist. “Han, there’s something I should tell you.”
“Now?” He leaned down and kissed her on the lips. “I love you, too, but maybe-“
“Not that,” Leia said. “I mean, it’s Jaina. She’s on her way.”
“Here?” Han scowled. “Good thing or bad?”
Leia could only shrug and shake her head. “I’m pretty sure she and Zekk are Joiners.”
Han let his chin drop. “Just shoot me-“
A volley of electrobolt fire crackled up the tunnel behind them. Bug Four retreated around the corner, armor smoking, a deep melt-crease along one side of his head.
“Okay-I didn’t mean that.”
Han dropped one of his electrobolt rifles and grabbed Leia around the waist, then activated his belt thrusters. They jetted toward the combat above, plowing through an ever-thickening morass of blood globules and drifting bodies. The largest part of the Gorog swarm had turned to face Kyp and the other Masters, but Luke and Mara were still trapped a few meters above the main combat, their lightsabers weaving brilliant snakes of color as they spun and slashed and killed.
Leia and Han were about halfway to the fight when she noticed that no Gorog were firing in their direction. Faced with a line of Jedi Masters and bugcruncher droids, apparently Leia and Han just did not seem like much of a threat.
Leia hated being underestimated.
“That way!” Leia reached across Han’s face, pointing away from the battle at an angle. “Flank ‘em!”
“I was just about to think of that.” Han turned in the direction Leia had indicated, then dropped his second assault rifle and drew his trusty DL-44 blaster. “Take the stick!”
Before Leia could ask for clarification, Han braced his blaster hand across his free arm and pointed the emitter nozzle at one of the Gorog attacking Luke and Mara.