Han grunted. “At least we know now why they hit Bpfassh and the others. Wanted to pull enough ships here to make an attack worth their while.”
The words were barely out of his mouth when the emergency comm channel suddenly came to life again. “Emergency! Imperial TIE fighters in orbit-dock area. All ships to battle stations.”
Luke started. “That sounded like Wedge,” he said, punching for transmission. “Wedge? That you?”
“Luke?” the other came back. “We got trouble here-at least forty TIE fighters and fifty truncated-cone-shaped things I’ve never seen before-“
He broke off as a screech from the X-wing’s etheric rudder came faintly over the speaker. “I hope you’ve brought a couple wings of fighters with you,” he said. “We’re going to be a little pressed here.”
Luke glanced at Han. “Afraid it’s just Han and me and the Falcon. But we’re on our way.”
“Make it fast.”
Luke keyed off the speaker. “Is there any way to get me into my X-wing?” he asked.
“Not fast enough,” Han shook his head. “We’re going to have to drop it here and go in alone.”
Luke nodded, getting out of his seat. “I’d better make sure Lando and the droids are strapped in and then get up into the gun well.”
“Take the top one,” Han called after him. The upper deflector shields were running stronger at the moment, and Luke would have more protection there.
If there was any protection to be had from forty TIE fighters and fifty truncated flying cones.
For a moment he frowned as a strange thought suddenly struck him. But no. They couldn’t possibly be Lando’s missing mole miners. Even a Grand Admiral wouldn’t be crazy enough to try to use something like that in battle.
Boosting power to the forward deflectors, he took a deep breath and headed in.
“All ships, commence attack,” Pellaeon called. “Full engagement; maintain position and status.”
He got confirmations, turned to Thrawn. “All ships report engaged, sir,” he said.
But the Grand Admiral didn’t seem to hear him. He just stood there at the viewport, gazing outward at the New Republic ships scrambling to meet them, his hands gripped tightly behind his back. “Admiral?” Pellaeon asked cautiously.
“That was them, Captain,” Thrawn said, his voice unreadable. “That ship straight ahead. That was the Millennium Falcon. And it was towing an X-wing starfighter behind it.”
Pellaeon frowned past the other. The glow of a drive was indeed barely visible past the flashing laser bolts of the battle, already pretty well out of combat range and trying hard to be even more so. But as to the design of the craft, much less its identity … “Yes, sir,” he said, keeping his tone neutral. “Cloak Leader reports a successful breakout, and that the command section of the freighter is making its escape to the periphery. They’re encountering some resistance from escort vehicles and a squadron of X-wings, but the general response has so far been weak and diffuse.”
Thrawn took a deep breath and turned away from viewport. “That will change,” he told Pellaeon, back in control again. “Remind him not to push his envelope too far, or to waste excessive time in choosing his targets. Also that the spacetrooper mole miners should concentrate on Calamari Star Cruisers-they’re likely to have the largest number of defenders aboard.” The red eyes glittered. “And inform him that the Millennium Falcon is on its way in.”
“Yes, sir,” Pellaeon said. He glanced out the viewport again, at the distant fleeing ship. Towing an X-wing … ? “You don’t think … Skywalker?”
Thrawn’s face hardened. “We’ll know soon,” he said quietly. “And if so, Talon Karrde will have a great deal to answer for. A great deal.”
“Watch it, Rogue Five,” Wedge warned as a flash of laser fire from somewhere behind him shot past and nicked the wing of one of the X-wings ahead. “We’ve picked up a tail.”
“I noticed,” the other came back. “Pincer?”
“On my mark,” Wedge confirmed as a second bolt shot past him. Directly ahead, a Calamari Star Cruiser was pulling sluggishly away, trying to get out of the battle zone. Perfect cover for this kind of maneuver. Together, he and Rogue Five dived underneath it-
“Now.” Leaning hard on his etheric rudder, he peeled off hard to the right. Rogue Five did the same thing to the left. The pursuing TIE fighter hesitated between his diverging targets a split second too long; and even as he swung around to follow Wedge, Rogue Five blew him out of the sky.