[Dark Nest] - 3(41)

“It’s your own fault,” Sligh said. “We’re not responsible for what happens.”

“That’s it!” Han grabbed the yoke and throttles, preparing to bring the Swiff around to attack. “There’s not going to be enough left of you-“

Leia reached over and pulled his hands off the yoke. “Han, no.”

Han frowned. “No?”

“Think about it.” Leia deactivated the comm microphone. “Why did they really come after us? Why did they put a death mark on us?”

Han thought about it. “Right. They still haven’t come clean with the Killiks about Juun and Tarfang-“

“No.” Leia shook her head. “The Squibs vouched for us to Lizil. If we tell the Alliance what the Colony is planning, it’s on their heads.”

Han let out a long breath. “So they’re trying to distract us.”

“Exactly,” Leia said. “They don’t need to hire us or kill us. If they can just delay us for a while, maybe even get lucky and actually put us out of commission-“

“We’re going to keep going, aren’t we?” Han interrupted.

Leia nodded. “We have to.”

She transferred the jump coordinates to the guidance system, and Han’s heart suddenly felt as heavy as a black hole. Even if the Squibs talked their way out of being held responsible for “Lord Rysto’s” betrayal, they were sure to lose a fortune when the coups failed-and Squibs hated losing money. They would do their best to make good on their threat.

The Deal began to accelerate, then the lock-alarms began to chirp, announcing that the Swiff was being scanned by targeting sensors. Sligh’s voice came over the comm channel.

“I can’t believe you’re making us do this, Solo. Don’t you love your daughter?”

Han tried to ignore the Squib, but the question was too painful. Of course he loved his daughter. He would move stars to protect both of his children, to keep from losing them as he and Leia had lost Anakin. But that was growing more difficult every day. First Jaina had become a Jedi, then a Rogue Squadron pilot, and now she and Zekk were Joiners, fighting on the wrong side of a war that might never end. When you had a daughter as headstrong as Jaina, there was only so much a father could do-even when that father was Han Solo.

“They’re not bluffing, Leia,” Han said, leaving his comm microphone off. “You know they’ll do it.”

“They’ll try,” Leia said. “Jaina can take care of herself.”

“Yeah, I know.” Han pushed the throttles forward and began to accelerate away from the Deal. He knew Leia was right, that any assassin the Squibs sent after Jaina would be sorely outmatched-but that did not make it any easier to place the Alliance’s welfare ahead of her safety. “I guess it runs in her blood.”

“What runs in her blood?” Leia asked.

“Being a Jedi,” Han answered. The attack alarms began to screech as the Deal opened fire. “Whatever Luke does with the order, it’s pretty clear you’ll be staying in it. Duty always comes first with you.”

Leia looked hurt, but reluctantly nodded. “I’m not the only one, Han.”

“I know, Princess.” The Swiff shuddered as the Deal’s first salvo hit the rear shields. Han activated the hyperdrives, and the stars stretched into an opalescent blur. “And Luke won’t even give me a lightsaber.”





ELEVEN


The convoy was only minutes from the Verpine capital, arcing over the distant yellow dot that was the Roche system’s sun, on final approach to the glow-speckled lump of asteroid Nickel One. With their underpowered ion drives and puffed-wafer silhouettes, the Slayn & Korpil Gatherers looked more like a long line of returning foragers than a deadly assault force. Mara could sense only a dozen presences aboard each ship, but some of those presences were a little too diffuse to be Verpine, and there was an electric hum in the Force that reminded her of one of those hot jungle nights when all creation seemed ready to erupt into war. There was definitely something wrong with that convoy.

She slid her StealthX into attack position behind the last vessel in line, then waited patiently as Luke and Jacen worked their way forward, using the Force to redirect the attention of the belly gunners as they passed beneath the ungainly Gatherers. Despite the diffuse presences they sensed aboard the transports, Luke was pouring caution into the battle-meld, urging Mara and Jacen to show restraint.

The holo the Solos had sent warning of a massive insect coup had been so flickering and distorted that even R2-D2 could not confirm that the voiceprint was Leia’s. Luke and several other Masters had immediately suspected that the message was a forgery, designed to trick the Jedi into attacking legitimate convoys. Luke had decided to dispatch a team to each insect culture belonging to the Alliance, but with strict orders not to engage in battle unless it grew clear that the Killiks were indeed staging a coup.