[Dark Nest] - 3(111)

Leia’s blood began to burn with a very Barabel-like rage. She would not die at the hands of some Twi’lek dancing girl-or at the claws of some jungle flunky. She went on the attack, forgetting her slow reactions and foggy head and uneven footing, and let the battle take her-let her lightsaber block and slash and stab of its own accord, let her feet dance back and forth over the bouncing limb.

Alema came at her just as strongly, kicking with her half foot, stretching out for long lightsaber lunges, pushing constantly through the Force-steadily driving Leia back toward the hungry presence that she could now sense coming up behind her.

Then a wisp of hot breath brushed the back of Leia’s neck, and she knew it was time. The Princess tried a throat slash and swung wide, deliberately leaving herself open for a heart thrust. Never having been one to resist temptation, Alema could not help lunging for the kill.

Leia had already flexed her knees and was springing off the sagging branch, bringing her feet up over her head in an open Force flip. She saw the Twi’lek stretched out below her, not quite off balance-but not far from it-her neck craned back as she watched her target fly overhead.

Leia brought her lightsaber down, striking for the head. Alema could only whip her lightsaber up in a desperate block. The blades clashed in a growling shower of sparks and light, then the Princess was swinging down behind her, twisting around to plant one foot between the Twi’lek’s shoulders and send her stumbling toward the shaggy mass that had been creeping up behind Leia.

There was no time to tell what kind of creature the thing was. All Leia saw was something the size of a bantha taking Alema’s sword arm in its jaws. The Twi’lek screamed in pain; then four spiky pedipalps emerged from the side of the creature’s mouth and began to feed her in.

Alema’s legs were still outside, kicking wildly, when Leia felt the thing’s attention fall on her and noticed six beady eyes peering out from beneath the mossy scales that covered its head. Before it could spring, the Princess brought her lightsaber down, cutting the branch away at her feet.

Instead of plummeting toward the jungle floor, the creature swung outward, hanging suspended by a thick, ropy tail that ascended more than ten meters to a branch above. It was even larger than Leia had first imagined, with a long slug-like body that had dozens of tiny feet wriggling on the underside. Alema remained in its mouth, kicking her feet and presumably screaming into its throat. Leia locked her lightsaber blade in the on position, then used the Force to send it spinning through the tail.

The predator-whatever it was-did not open its mouth or roar in pain. It simply plummeted groundward, filling the jungle with a terrific banging and cracking as it crashed through the mogo boughs, then finally splashed into the dark river below.

Leia called her lightsaber back to her hand, and had barely switched it off before Han’s voice came over her earpiece again.

“Leia?”

“Don’t worry, Han,” she said. “I’m still here.”

“That’s good.” Han sounded more impatient than relieved-or even surprised. “But about those bombs… you’d better hurry. The Chiss’ scanners must have picked something up from that fight you and Saba were having, because you’ve got a bunch of clawcraft headed your way.”

“Great.” Leia sighed. “Can’t a girl catch her breath?”

Still feeling a little unsteady from her fight-especially the head blow-Leia peered over the side of the branch toward the silver blur she had glimpsed earlier.

The blur was gone, and in place of the bough upon which it had been resting, there was only the jagged stub of a broken limb.

“Bloah!” Leia cursed. She snatched the scanner off her utility belt and found a very weak signal down at ground level, slowly moving away. “It’s in the river!”

A loud sissing sounded behind her, and Leia looked back to see Saba standing near the mogo trunk, studying her own scanner and holding a thermal detonator in her hand.

“Nothing ever goes according to plan, does it?” the Barabel asked. “This one does not know why you bother with planz at all.”

“It’s a human thing, I guess,” Leia said. “Did you destroy the other bomb?”

“Of course,” the Barabel replied. “Not all of us were wasting our time fighting bughuggerz and knocking ourselvez in the head. The parasite bomb is destroyed.”

“Then what are you doing just standing there?” Leia demanded.

“This one has been watching.” Saba displayed her entire set of fangs. “She is very proud.”

“Proud?” Leia cried. “I could’ve been killed!”