THE HUTT GAMBI(103)

He looked around, saw that two TIEs were bearing down on him from the rear. In seconds, they’d catch him and blast him into atoms.

The Carrackclass ship was obviously content not to have to waste its heavy turbolasers on the likes of one small, crippled freighter. The big Imperial ship was sailing serenely along, parallel to and a little behind Jaub’s flight path.

Seconds … I’ve got only seconds. Make them count, Jaub thought.

He didn’t think of himself as particularly brave, but Sullustans were known to be a practical species.

Jaub sent his ship rolling over, using his maneuvering thrusters hard, deliberately sending the Bnef Nlle into an uncontrollable spin. Stars and space debris revolved in his viewport, making his stomach flip over.

“Bnef nile, everyone!” he screamed as he hurtled toward the flank of the Carrackclass ship.

“Bnef nlle” meant “good luck” in Sullustan.

At first Jaub thought he wasn’t going to make it, that the Carrackclass vessel was going too fast—but then he had one final second to realize that he was, indeed, going to impact against the big vessel’s port shields.

Joy filled him, and then there was nothing but fire …

“Blasted, stupid fools! Why didn’t they wait for my order?” Mako shouted as he stared into his tactical screen. Why did they jump the gun?

Maybe they’d misunderstood him. Mako had said, “Prepare to evade,” and just as he finished speaking, those three impetuous freighters went streaking out of cover. Mako had stared at the screen, cursing steadily in many languages, as he watched two of the errant ships get blown up.

At least that second guy, whoever he was, had made his exit count for something. And even the fool that had started the whole mess had nailed a recon TIE.

Now the third vessel was streaking back toward him, with a TIE fighter in hot pursuit. “Great!” Mako yelled. “Just lead ‘em right to where we’re hiding! If you live through this, I’m gonna personally hunt you down and strangle you!”

“Mako, he’s gonna buy it if we don’t do something,” Blue said tensely.

“I oughta let the fool pay for his mistake,” Mako growled, but a last check on his tactical screens convinced him that the Carrackclass vessel was far enough into the debris to be unable to turn quickly and get out of range. Close enough, Mako thought.

“All right,” he said to Blue and the gunnery crew, “let’s go save his worthless hide!”

Snapping on his comm, Mako said, “All right, commence attack! First Strike Element, attack now, boys and girls! Get those TIEs, and I’ll move in on that Carrackclass. Be prepared to back me up! We’re gonna nail that sucker!”

Blue was taking the Dragon Pearl out of hiding now, and the racing freighter saw them and swung toward them, like a child running to hide behind mama’s skirts. Blue gave a tense order to the gunnery crew, and the Hutt yacht’s six powerful turbolasers sent green blasts of destruction to impale the TIE fighter.

The TIE blew up spectacularly. “Waste of power,” Mako grunted.

“Stupid ships don’t even have shields.”

The Pearl was now moving toward the Carrackclass ship, which was only then realizing it was being challenged. “Blue, launch those Headhunters!” Mako yelled.

“Already did it two minutes ago!” she shouted back. “Quit tellin’ me my job!”

The Vigilance swung toward the yacht, and the two vessels engaged. The Carrackclass, of course, had the advantage in the fight. It was armored much more heavily than the yacht, had better shielding, and more weaponry.

It was also faster, but not by much.

However, Mako’s crew had two major advantages over the Vigilance. Blue was used to maneuvering through Nar Shaddaa’s debris, while the Carrackclass vessel’s pilot was not. The Hutt yacht was also smaller, thus far more agile.

Blue pressed that advantage for all she was worth, darting in to shoot, then straining every rivet in the big ship to evade the returning fire.

After being flung to the deck when the artificial gravity shorted out for a second from a hit, Mako got smart and strapped himself into his seat. He saw bursts of color reflected against the viewport from laser fire and turbolaser fire reflecting off shields, but he couldn’t see the Vigilance from his command center.

He had been worried that Vigilance might be one of the new, refitted models that were equipped with tractor beams, but apparently it was not.

The Hutt yacht shuddered with the blasts, over and over. “We’re losing the starboard shielding,” Blue said tersely. “Another hit there, and—” WHAM!

The Pearl lurched horribly, like a wounded animal dragged down by a predator’s claws. Blue swore. “Fire! Hit ‘em again!”