[Legacy of the Jedi] - 02(7)

“I have no doubt. And by the looks of that cruiser, he might be able to outmaneuver us. It’s a SoroSuub light freighter.”

Adi’s mouth set grimly. “Nobody outmaneuvers me.”

Qui-Gon gave a wry smile. “I didn’t mean to suggest it. Deflector shields down.”

The Republic cruiser was an agile craft, but it was built to ferry diplomats and serve as a base for high-level meetings. Adi was an excellent pilot, but she would not be able to hold out against a heavily armed SoroSuub for very long.

By the posture of her shoulders, he knew exactly when she admitted this to herself. “Find us a safe port nearby, just in case.”

Qui-Gon began to search the star chart on the nav computer. “We’re close to Quadrant Seven,” he said.

“I know,” Adi said. “But what about a planet?”

“The planet’s name is Quadrant Seven,” Qui-Gon explained. “It’s not in the Republic - it doesn’t have a Senator and it’s not particularly friendly to outlanders, but it doesn’t forbid them, either.” Qui-Gon entered the coordinates into the nav computer.

Adi pushed the ship to a faster speed. Obi-Wan and Siri got up and moved into the cockpit.

Taly followed. He leaned in close to the nav screen, sending a bluish light onto his features. “He’s going to catch us,” he said.

Qui-Gon met Adi’s gaze. They both knew the boy was right.

Laser cannonfire thundered around the ship, rocking it. Taly gripped the console.

Adi kept the ship moving. She could not maneuver the way she would like, but she was able to swerve to avoid the next barrage. It boomed harmlessly in space.

“This is how he works,” Taly said. “He uses everything. He never stops. He has blasters and grenades and missiles and… everything. I beat him, and that made him mad, because I’m just a kid. He won’t let me go this time.”

Qui-Gon looked at Taly. He had put the battle in terms of a young boy, but it made sense. Qui-Gon felt it, too, through his connection to the Living Force. This bounty hunter went beyond determination. This was a grudge.

“What should we do?” Adi asked. Her voice was perfectly calm despite the cannonfire that shook the ship. But Qui-Gon knew the situation must be dire, because Adi never asked him what to do.

Suddenly, a large blow rocked the ship.

“We’ve lost the horizontal stabilizer,” Adi said. “It’s affected the hyperdrive.”

“We must send off the salon pod,” Qui-Gon said. “He might think we escaped on it.”

“But why would he fall for it?” Taly asked.

“Because then we’re going to crash this ship,” Qui-Gon said.





CHAPTER 6


“Maybe you’d better fill me in on this one,” Adi said drily. “After all, I’m the pilot.”

“This ship has a double-reinforced cargo hold,” Qui-Gon said. “The work was done in order to protect a shipment of vertex on its last mission. So if we were hit there, it would cause minimal damage. We could make it look worse. We could trick him into thinking the ship was failing. Then we eject the salon pod. He knows that salon pods on these cruisers are capable of long space flights.” Qui-Gon leveled his gaze at Adi. “Can you do it?”

She would know what he was asking. Adi could be high-handed at times. She could be dismissive of other ideas than her own. But they had worked together often enough to be able to put their minds in sync when they needed to.

“Yes.”

Qui-Gon turned. “Obi-Wan, Siri, Taly, get all the soft material you can and bring them to the cockpit. Flotation devices, roll-up sleep couches, bedding, pillows, cushions. Fast.”

Obi-Wan, Siri, and Taly dashed out of the cockpit. The Republic cruiser was built as a diplomatic ship. There were plenty of cabins to raid. Within minutes, the cockpit had filled up with soft bedding. Qui-Gon directed the three to place it around the walls and hard surfaces as carefully as they could.

“We’re going to have take a missile blow,” he told the others. “Brace yourself.”

Adi maneuvered the ship so that the blow would fall on the cargo hold. It would take perfect timing and a lot of guesswork. She had to make the bounty hunter think that he had outmaneuvered them and struck the death blow.

The ship screamed through space, twisting like a corkscrew. The Force filled the cabin as Adi concentrated, beads of perspiration on her high forehead. They saw the flash as the laser cannon boomed. They had less than a split-second to prepare.

The blast shook the ship and blew them like durasheets through the cabin. They bounced off the cushions and mattresses. Qui-Gon felt helpless as his wrist slammed against the edge of the console. He pulled in the Force to give him stability and balance. Adi crawled to the pilot chair.