[Legacy Of The Force] - 08(104)

The sensor scans went wild.

Why didn’t I feel them before, at such close quarters?

Jedi. That’s where they were, putting all their effort into blocking his senses, no doubt persuading themselves that they were defending the civilian workforce or the orbitals. That fitted. Not rebel enough to come right out and fight side by side with Fondor but pious enough to aid their…

“Incoming! Brace brace brace…”

Nevil’s voice was unnaturally calm, as it always was. But despite shields, the turbolaser volleys that struck the Anakin Solo were enough to shake the bridge and fill the viewscreen with brilliant, blinding, white-gold light.

Caedus took it in his stride. This was meant to be, to put him in the right frame of mind to win. The bridge around him distorted a little and the colors seemed to leach out, but he recognized his anger and grabbed the reins to make it serve him. Unlike the bloodfin’s unlucky rider, he wouldn’t fall and be devoured by it.

He reached out to his commanders and imbued them all with a little more aggression, a little less willingness to play by the rules of engagement.

Nevil, looking at Caedus’s face, seemed frozen to the spot. Ah, my eyes have changed. They’d have to get used to that. The vague sensation of ships streaking in hyperspace had gone now.

“Captain, “Caedus said, “at least we know where they are. And why I didn’t sense that they were waiting for us.”



SECOND BATTLE OF FONDOR: COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER (CIC), GALACTIC ALLIANCE WARSHIP OCEAN

Niathal stood with both hands braced on the holochart table in the CIC, dismayed. The removal of Jacen Solo would have to wait.

Fondor was putting up a credible fight and it was turning into a long slog, longer than she’d expected. The mine network would have made life so much simpler. But she’d taken her decision, and now she had to deal with it. Admiral Makin, stranded here with her because the battle was too fierce for him to transfer back to Sarpentia, drummed his fingers on the edge of the table as he moved around it, examining it from every angle.

And I said we’d offer them terms after we softened them up a bit….

“Admiral Niathal.” Jacen’s voice had an edge to it. “I in-tend to break this stalemate before we lose too many ships.”

“I suggest we disengage and regroup.”

“We will not run.”

“I said regroup.”

“And then what? What kind of assault will get us any farther than we are now?”

The comm went silent. They watched the Anakin Solo’s blue icon moving steadily through the three-dimensional plot, making for Fondor. Flagships did not rush into the thick of the battle and fight like frigates, but maybe Solo hadn’t got to that page in the manual yet.

“He’s not a team player, is he?” Admiral Makin said quietly.

“Colonel Solo.” Niathal rarely knew which way Jacen would jump in a fight, and he was getting more unpredictable every time. “Colonel, can you hear me?”

There was the faint chatter of static. “Yes, Admiral.”

“Please confirm your position and intentions…”

“I’m advancing.”

“Yes, I can see that. Why?”

“To bring this to a quicker conclusion.”

Niathal looked at Makin. The veteran Mon Cal commander made a gesture that indicated he wasn’t convinced of the firmness of Jacen’s grasp on the situation.

“Colonel, I really think you should fall back and concentrate on managing the battle, “said Niathal.

The Anakin Solo didn’t deviate or decelerate. “I can do that from here. Just keep the Fondorians as busy as you can. I’m going to target Oridin City.”

“The ground batteries, you mean. Can you identify targets a little more precisely, please?”

“I mean Oridin City. As in capital, commercial capital, strategic target capital.”

“Wait one.” Niathal switched the comm through to Bloodftn, cutting Jacen out of the circuit. “Gil, can you fol-low this?”

“Yes. He’ll have to get the planetary shield down first, and we’ve got our hands full with the Fondorian fleet, so he’s on his own.”

“If he didn’t have a ship’s company of decent beings with him, I’d be rooting for the Fondorians to do us a favor, “she said. “He treats that ship like it’s his Stealth. This fighter ace mentality infuriates me.”

“You can’t stop him, and we have our hands full.”

“I’ve just seen your sitrep.”

“Yes, Cha. Two destroyers and eight cruisers-even we notice those losses.”

GA blue icons were clustered within the inner cordon, as they’d rapidly taken to calling the space between Fondor and its orbitals. The other side, the outer cordon, showed amber and blue icons-GA and Imperials-scattered more loosely in clusters, Star Destroyers attempting to target each other while frigates and the rest of the battle group around each of them tried to shield them. Another blue icon-a frigate-vanished from the plot and appeared on the tote board as lost. Sometimes, that happened simply when they lost power to certain systems. Niathal hoped for the latter.