Reunion: Star Wars Legends: Force Heretic, Book III

Leia literally took a backseat during the flight to Esfandia. Trying to compete with her husband and Droma was too exhausting, and, ultimately, pointless. At times it seemed their affinity wasn’t entirely amicable, but it was perfectly natural. They’d hardly stopped talking since the Ryn had come aboard. Bringing each other up to date on events since they’d parted at Fondor, they covered everything from sneaky tactics to Anakin’s death. After the latter, Droma had left the bridge for a while, to sing a plaintive lay in a language Leia didn’t understand, but then he’d returned with a story about one of his exploits in the Senex sector. The tale was as tall as a Bolenian hillspinner,but it served its purpose by easing the pall of melancholy that had engulfed the Falcon.“So they started taking apart the tanker module,” Hanwas saying now, relating one of his own stories to Droma,his mood far removed from the grief that had consumedhim earlier.“Which you said was filled with liquid hydrogen.”“Yeah, but destroying the tanker didn’t stop the hydrogen.If anything, it spread out a little, exactly asplanned.”“Why?” Droma asked, frowning. “Hydrogen won’tburn without oxygen.”“That’s what Goldenrod said. That’s the trouble withdroids: no imagination. As our shields failed, I told Leiaand Jacen to punch holes through the cruiser’s hull withour quads. Before I could tell those scarheads to eat ions,there was more than enough oxygen for the hydrogen toreact with. The cruiser went up so fast we had a toughtime dodging the pieces. After that, it was just a matter ofgetting out of there. The few skips we left behind weren’tputting up much of a fight.”“Understandably. I hear Vong skips are useless oncethey’re cut off from their yammosks.”“Well, they’re not completely useless,” Han said, “butit does give you an advantage.”Droma shrugged. “Speaking of yammosks, I’ve heardsome stories about them that would make your tail standon end!”Leia listened to the banter but offered nothing towardthe conversation. Instead, she concentrated on the informationDroma had provided them: communications hadindeed been lost with the Unknown Regions. The destructionof the base on Generis and the attack on Esfandia appearedto be the source of the disruption. A free-floatingproto-world, Esfandia had long since cut free from whateverstar had given birth to it, but still had enough radioactivitybubbling in its core to sustain a liquid atmosphere.It wasn’t the most hospitable of places, but it didn’t needto be. A skeleton crew of about a dozen people, mainlytechnicians, normally inhabited the relay outpost, whichhad been hastily converted from a scientific station atthe beginning of the war with the Yuuzhan Vong. SinceLuke’s mission had entered the Unknown Regions, theGalactic Alliance’s military presence around Esfandia hadbeen upgraded to two squadrons of X-wings and a frigateby the name of Corellian Way. What had happened tothose forces was unknown. The relay staff only had timeto broadcast a message alerting their superiors on MonCalamari that they were under attack by the YuuzhanVong before all communications had been lost.That wasn’t necessarily a sure sign of disaster. Therelay base was designed to resist such attacks. ImperialAT-AT technology had been adapted to the cold soup ofEsfandia’s environment, creating a giant, mechanical, crablikeconstruction capable of moving from place to placeat a slow but steady pace. Such mobility was an advantage,given that most of the world was studded withreceivers sensitive enough to detect transmissions fromdeep in the Unknown Regions. The base was designed tocircumnavigate the globe, maintaining the receivers, whilethe technicians remained safely inside. That the ability tomove made it easier to hide when attacked was a bonus.The base, therefore, could have simply gone to ground,tucked away in a crevasse or under the thick silt of the atmosphericsoup. If it could be found, it could be reactivated.Assuming, of course, that the Yuuzhan Vong hadn’tfound it first and destroyed it for good.Leia sent her thoughts outward, far beyond her locationin hyperspace, beyond Esfandia and whatever awaitedthem there, to her brother, Luke. The last message CalOmas had received from him suggested he’d found apromising lead and was setting off to investigate. Hehadn’t specified what that lead consisted of or where hewas headed, and now there was no way they would knowunless they repaired the communications outage. Leiahad no doubt that, were anything terrible to happen tohim, then she would know about it. She would feel it,just as she had in the past. Nevertheless, she was concerned.So much was invested in his mission—personally,and on a galactic scale—that if something were to gowrong, it would be a disaster of unimaginable proportions.The conversation between her husband and his oldfriend shifted as the Falcon’s console began to beep andflash, announcing that they were nearing their destination.“Right on the nose,” Han said proudly, flipping switchesin readiness for the return to realspace.“And we didn’t even have to get out and push,”Droma said dryly.“Yeah, that’s real amusing,” Han returned withoutsmiling. “Now you want to move your funny, fuzzedupself out of that chair so Leia can come forward andhelp me?”“No, that’s all right, Han,” she said as Droma beganto stand. “I’m sure Droma can manage.”She couldn’t say that she was enjoying the break fromroutine, but it was interesting to watch Han’s interactionwith the Ryn. Memories of the terrible time when Hanhad pulled away from her while grieving for Chewbaccastill stung, but only Droma had witnessed how low Hanhad really sunk back then. If having the Ryn aboard didremind Han of those painful times, he certainly wasn’tletting it show.“You remember how to operate the copilot’s board?”Han asked Droma without looking up from what he wasdoing.“Follow orders, and curse when something goeswrong,” Droma replied with a smile. “Which it invariablydoes.”Han affected an indignant expression on behalf of hisbeloved freighter. “Hey, she may be old—”“But she’s still got it where it counts, right?” Dromasaid.“What have I told you about doing that?” Han saidirritably.Droma laughed. “Anyway, it’s not the age of the shipthat worries me,” he said, flicking a couple of switches ofhis own. “It’s the age of the pilot I’m more concernedabout.”The navicomputer bleeped, cutting off any retort Hanmight have been about to offer. Both faced the front justas the sweeping streaks of hyperspace dissolved into acold and distant starscape. There was no primary to dimthe stars with its glare; the nearest inhabited system inthis section of the Mid Rim was more than ten light yearsaway, and the nearest star of any kind was half thatdistance. There was nothing for trillions of kilometersbut space dust, and the tiny bauble that was the lonelyworld of Esfandia.Or so it should have been. As Pride of Selonia alongwith Twin Suns Squadron emerged from hyperspace alongsidethe Falcon, Droma’s eyes checked the sensor consolefor the orphaned planet. The Falcon’s sensor suite wasstill ahead of standard tech, and it soon acquired the target.It was covered with thick clouds, and glowed a burntorange in artificial colors that looked wrong to Leia’seyes until she realized what was missing: because Esfandiahad no sun, its sole source of heat lay at its core. Andwith no orbit to follow, that meant it would have no seasons,either—which in turn meant no icy poles, and nobroiling equator. It would be the same temperature allover.Closer scans, however, revealed that not to be entirelythe case. There were at least six hot spots on the hemispherefacing them, and even as they watched, anotherblossomed into life.Droma zoomed in closer to examine the cause.“Aerial bombardment,” he said. “Someone’s droppingmines from orbit.”“They’re taking out the sensors,” Leia said. “The YuuzhanVong are still here!”Han’s eyes darted across the displays in front of him.“I’ve got a strong presence in close orbit. Seven capitalvessels, nine cruisers. Not many skips detached, though.No sign of the local defenses, or the reinforcements fromMon Cal.”“I think I can guess why not, too,” Droma commented.Leia knew exactly what he meant. The Yuuzhan Vongforce in orbit over Esfandia was enormous by any standard.Against the two squadrons and one frigate Esfandiahad possessed, plus the two squadrons Mon Calamarihad dispatched to investigate, it was almost obscene.Overkill didn’t cover it.“I thought the Vong’s resources were stretched,” Dromasaid.Han just grunted. A crackle of information flowedacross newly reopened communications lines. CaptainMayn and Jag were looking for instructions.“Tell them to hold off for a moment,” Leia ordered.“We can’t go in like this. It’d be suicide.”Han turned in his seat to face her. “We can’t just leave,Leia.”She nodded in agreement. “The relay base must still bedown there, otherwise the Yuuzhan Vong wouldn’t bewasting time taking out the sensors. Without the base,none of it would work.”“So what are we going to do?” Han asked. “They’regoing to see us any second.”Leia stood to look over Han’s shoulder, placing a handgently on his neck. The Yuuzhan Vong forces were formidable.“If we can get past the capital ships, we mightbe able to make it down into the atmosphere and find thebase before they do.”“Then what?” Droma asked. “We’d be in exactly thesame position as the base. It would just be a matter oftime before they find us.”She could feel her frustration mounting as a solutionto the dilemma failed to present itself. If they had toabandon Esfandia, they might still be able to jury-rig anotherrelay base elsewhere that would allow them toreestablish contact with Mon Calamari.She shook her head irritably. It would still mean leavinginnocents here on Esfandia to die, and the thought ofthat simply made her feel ill, reminding her as it did ofthe time back on Gyndine, where so many had to beabandoned to a cruel fate.There has to be another way, she thought.Almost in answer to the thought, a bleeping soundedfrom the sensor suite, announcing hyperspace emissionsfrom the far side of the planet.“Incoming,” Droma announced, his tail wrappedaround the base of his chair, gently twitching.“That’s all we need,” Han muttered. “Maybe it’s timewe bid a hasty retreat, after all.”“Hold on.” Leia switched vantage points to look overDroma’s shoulder. “I don’t think they’re Yuuzhan Vong.Broadcast an emergency on the Imperial codes.”“Imperial—?” Han started, but clammed up at a glanceat the scanner display. The corner of his mouth curled upinto a grin as he sent off the coded transmission. “Well, Inever thought I’d be glad to see a Star Destroyer.”Not just one of them, Leia noted. Two of the massivevessels were lumbering out of hyperspace over Esfandia,fully equipped with support vessels and TIE fightersalready streaming from launching bays. The way theyswooped in to engage the Yuuzhan Vong filled her withan immediate sense of optimism and kinship.She didn’t immediately recognize the markings on theStar Destroyers, but judging by the blast scoring andother minor damage, it looked like they’d both recentlyseen combat.The Falcon’s comm bleeped, and Han quickly answeredit. It was Grand Admiral Pellaeon.“I should have known I’d find the Millennium Falconhere,” he said. “You’re always at the heart of trouble.”Leia felt a smile creep across her face. “It’s good tohear from you, Gilad.”“As it is you, Princess,” he said.“That’s not Chimaera you’re flying,” Han put in. “Itlooks too old.”“It’s Right to Rule,” Pellaeon said. “One of the oldestin the fleet. We’ve been chasing this sorry bunch halfwayacross the galaxy, trying to restrict the amount of damagethey inflict. We lost them at the last jump, which iswhy we’ve only just arrived. Our intelligence data on yourremote stations is sadly out of date.”“Not as good as theirs, obviously,” Leia said.“We’re here to try to turn our luck around now.”“I’m glad to hear it.”“Are you joining us?”“We’re at your command, Admiral.” Leia said.“I’ll have targets for you shortly. Commander Answeenwill relay them to you.” Then, almost as an afterthought,the Grand Admiral added: “Nice to be fightingbeside you finally, Captain Solo.”Han looked up at Leia when the line closed a momentlater. “We’re taking orders from an Imperial now?”“Things have changed,” she said. Her heart was tellingher that Pellaeon could be trusted, and the Force wastelling her the same thing. “He’s defending a Galactic Allianceasset. Think how strange that must feel to him.”Han chuckled ruefully. “I guess. It’s just that I’ve neverbeen one for taking orders—from anyone. I hope thisnewfound camaraderie between us isn’t going to makehim think that’s about to change.”Leia smiled at her husband; one hand fondly massagedhis neck. “I’m sure Pellaeon’s fully aware of that, Han.”The comm unit crackled back to life, this time with afemale voice—obviously the commander whom the GrandAdmiral had mentioned.“Your primary target is the destroyer Kur-hashan,”she said. A flood of charts and other data accompaniedthe message on the Falcon’s monitors. “This is a yammoskbearingvessel. Secondary targets are support vessels. Engageat will. Right to Rule out.”Han punched a course into the navicomputer. “Yougot that, Selonia?”“Loud and clear,” came back the voice of CaptainMayn.“Jag?”“Twin Suns awaits your orders, Captain,” Jag said.He sounded calm and controlled, but underneath thecool exterior Leia knew he was primed and ready forcombat.“Are we about to do what I think we’re about to do?”Droma asked, somewhat nervously.“You’re the one always second-guessing everyone,”Han replied. “You tell us.”“It doesn’t take much foresight to know we’re stilloutnumbered. While it’s nice that we have company andall, it still only makes two Star Destroyers against sixteenof the big uglies.”“I know,” Han said, a wide, familiar grin settling ontohis face. “It makes it so much more interesting when theodds are stacked against you, don’t you think?”