Leia was too busy flying to check the display, but she felt certain the Bothan would disagree with Han’s assessment. From a strategic viewpoint, saving Tenel Ka would be a secondary goal to destroying the Corellian fleet, since the latter would be such a crippling blow that it might well end the revolt. But Leia did not point this out to Han; it would only make him feel angry and betrayed-and the truth was, she already felt angry enough for both of them.
Seeing that it would be impossible to slip past the battle outside turbolaser range, Leia swung the Falcon around behind the usurper fleet and watched in horror and fascination as the combat grew larger and brighter. Within seconds the inferno filled Han’s side of the canopy entirely, flashing and boiling so brilliantly that it was impossible to see the planet behind it.
The brilliance began to slip toward the back of the canopy, and still no one fired on the Falcon. Leia began to hope the usurpers were simply too busy to notice one little transport zipping past behind them-until her entire spine began to prickle with danger sense, and she knew they weren’t that lucky.
“Seal the hatches!” she ordered. Leia rolled them up on their side, and the ship began to vibrate violently as the sticky vector plate caught again. A meter-wide shaft of blue fire stabbed past beneath the Falcon’s belly, then another shot by just an arm’s length above the canopy.
She pushed the yoke forward and felt it catch about halfway. The Falcon began to buck-then abruptly stopped when a turbolaser bolt hit the stern with a deafening clang.
Leia drew what she feared might be her last breath and turned to say good-bye to Han-then felt the yoke obey and saw stars whirling in front of them. A flurry of turbolaser bolts stabbed past harmlessly, growing thinner and more distant until they ceased altogether, and the sound of damage alarms filled the cockpit-which meant they still had air.
Leia drew back the yoke again. It was a bit sluggish, but the Falcon had stopped vibrating, and she quickly brought the ship under control.
Discovering that she was still looking at Han, she asked, “What happened?”
“Looks like a glancing strike to the starboard aft.” Hts voice was steady but determined, and his gaze was fixed on the control board. “I don’t think we even have the number three and four vector plates anymore … and maybe you’d better back off those throttles. We lost another coolant line.”
Leia dutifully throttled back, then realized the turbolaser attacks had stopped. “Han, that’s not what I mean. We’re still alive.”
Han finally looked up, smirking at the surprise in her voice. “Sure we are,” he said. “You’re a Jedi-remember?”
“Very funny,” Leia replied. She checked the tactical display and saw the reason no one was shooting at them. Bwua’tu’s fleet had finally rounded Megos and opened fire, ripping a hole in the flank of the usurper fleet that left no doubt about the final outcome of the battle. “But true. We just might survive this thing.”
Of course, that was when the proximity alarm blared to life again. Ribbons of color danced across space ahead, then blue halos began to wink into existence and swell into the backlit forms of an oncoming fleet.
“Another one?” Han gasped. “What is this, a war?”
*
On the journey back from Terephon, the Rover had managed to beat the Ducha to Hapes by shaving safety margins and pushing hard between jumps. But Ben was still bringing up the comm systems when the Galney fleet slid out of hyperspace beside them and began to accelerate toward the battle. At this distance, the conflict was little more than a smudge of radiance flickering against the planet’s jewel-colored face, but Ben could feel it tearing at him inside; could feel all those lives fluttering out. It reminded him of why he had tried to hide from the Force when he was younger-of the constant sensation of anguish that was all he remembered about the war with the Yuuzhan Vong. Except now Ben was older. He knew it was not the Force causing all that pain; it was people. He knew that people could be selfish and frightened and noble and brave, and when all those things got mixed up together, wars got started. That was why the galaxy needed someone like Jacen: to straighten things out so there wouldn’t be so much suffering. The comm system finally completed its postjump diagnostics, and Ben started to set it to Tenel Ka’s command channel.
“Jedi Skywalker!” Ioli snapped. She turned her noseless face toward Ben. “What are you doing?”
His hand hovered above the input pad. “If Tenel Ka lets the Ducha come in behind her…”
“The lieutenant knows what will happen, son,” said Tanogo, the chief petty officer who operated the snoop station behind Ben. “She asked what you were doing.”