Star Wars: The New Rebellion (61 page)

Wedge watched as the
Falcon
disappeared over Almania. The space yacht, identified as the
Wild Karrde
, had come into the fray, firing all laser cannons, on the side of the New Republic. Wedge wasn’t sure who owned the yacht, and at the moment, he didn’t care. He was losing this battle. He could use all the help he could get.

His ship had sustained massive damage. There were fires on several decks. Somehow the command center had avoided the worst of it.

There were no more A- and B-wings to deploy and the TIE fighters seemed to have multiplied. General Ceousa’s ship seemed to have lost all weapons systems, and was floating in space.

The
Tatooine
had exploded. The death screams had been hideous.

Wedge had come up against more firepower, but never this fierce determination, this desire to win at any cost. It was almost as if Kueller’s soldiers didn’t care if they lived or died, only that they won in the process. He had no idea what kind of creature could create a response like that. Not Thrawn, nor Daala, nor the Emperor had ever aroused such mindless devotion. It was almost as if the ships were being piloted by droids.

Wedge glanced at the hunched droid near the console. Luke’s odd message had warned them to shut off all droids. “Sela,” he said. “I want that droid disassembled now!”

“But sir, we can’t spare the personnel!”

“We can spare it all right, and more if we have to.” The secret lay in the droids. He would find it as he fought.

The TIE fighters circled the
Wild Karrde
like flies over spoiled meat. The
Karrde
was blasting them, exploding fighter after fighter, but the others kept coming. The Star Destroyers were closing in on General Ceousa.

If Wedge were a droid, he would follow a set battle plan, and not give up until the end was achieved. No creativity, no deviation, no care for the losses.

The mistake had been his. He was following a set battle plan when everything had erupted in his face.

“Ginbotham, I want you to shoot at the
Wild Karrde
.”

“Sir?” Ginbotham said as if he hadn’t heard the order correctly.

“Shoot the
Wild Karrde
. Miss, but make it clear you’re aiming for the space yacht. Then whirl this bird around and do the same to the
Calamari
, General Ceousa’s ship.”

“Our ships, sir?”

“Yes, our ships, soldier,” Wedge said. He grabbed on
to the railing, wishing he could send the other commanders the insight he had just received. They would simply have to react to it.

The first shot went out, and went low, narrowly missing both the
Wild Karrde
and the TIE fighter below it.

“Keep going,” Wedge said.

Shots streaked red across the blackness of space, missing both the
Wild Karrde
and the TIE fighters, but not by much.

“We’re getting a message from the
Wild Karrde
, sir.”

“Let’s hear it,” Wedge said, bracing himself because he knew what it would be.

“What are you doing? I’m trying to help you, you stupid fool!” The voice was male and angry. Very angry.

“Response, sir?”

Wedge moved away from the communications controls. “Shoot at General Ceousa’s ship.”

“What? Sir, have you gone mad?”

Wedge turned to the offending officer. “Whether I’m mad or not is none of your concern. I’m your commander. You do as I say.”

“But, sir, the new rules established by Admiral Ackbar state—”

“That you can force me to step down if you can prove I’m unfit. They also state that simply because the commander gives orders you disagree with does not mean the commander is unfit. Fire now, or I’ll have you all relieved.”

The Hig turned back to his screen, and shots went off at the Star Cruiser, narrowly missing, as before. A TIE fighter got nicked in the ricochet and fell, twisting, away from the
Tatooine
.

“Wedge? Wedge?” General Ceousa’s voice came over the communicator. “Wedge, are you still there?”

“Present and accounted for, General.”

“You’re firing at the
Calamari
.”

“Sorry, General, just doing my duty.”

“Wedge, are you all right?”

“Fire again, soldier, and this time aim at both ships.” Wedge had clasped his hands behind his back, trying to hide his glee. It was working. The TIE fighters had actually stopped firing on the
Wild Karrde
and on the
Calamari
. It was the Star Destroyers that concerned him more.

The shots went out on all sides, hitting two TIE fighters and bouncing off the
Wild Karrde
’s deflector shields.

“I told you not to hit the ships,” Wedge said.

“Sorry, sir,” Ginbotham said. “Precision shooting is for A-wings.”

“Missing a target the size of a moon shouldn’t be difficult, Ginbotham.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Fire again.”

“Wedge!” Ceousa’s voice echoed over the speakers. “Wedge!”

“I’m here, General. Forgive me, but President Organa Solo put me in charge of this mission.”

“I’m well aware of that, Wedge, but you’re firing on our people.”

“Am I, General? Am I really?” Wedge ran a hand over his throat, severing all communications. That was all the hint he would give Ceousa. Either the general trusted him or he didn’t. It didn’t matter. The next few moments would decide everything.

The Star Destroyers came closer.

“I have them in range, sir,” Ginbotham said.

“I have the targets set up for the Star Destroyers, sir. If you’ll allow me to—”

“No, soldier. I want you to fire on both the
Wild Karrde
and the
Calamari
again.”

“Sir—”

“And this time, when you miss, take out a TIE fighter
on one of the ricochets. They’re beginning to look like they want to fight again.”

“Yes, sir.” Ginbotham seemed subdued. The shots went out. Wedge watched, clutching his hands together. The first shot hit a TIE fighter’s solar panel, ricocheted off, and hit another fighter. The
Wild Karrde
swerved away, and headed toward the
Calamari
.

At that moment, the Star Destroyers started for Wedge. The TIE fighters continued to trail the
Wild Karrde
and
Calamari
.

“We can’t defeat two Star Destroyers on our own,” Sela said.

“I know,” Wedge said. He hoped they wouldn’t have to.

A
lmania looked deserted. Han emerged from the
Falcon
with his blaster in one hand, and the ysalamiri in the other. He hated the things. They reminded him of Corellian grass snakes, except they were big, they were furry, and they had claws.

No one had told him about the claws.

They also weighed a lot. Their nutrient cages, made with frames of pipes to support and nourish the creatures, weighed even more. Mara had kept her distance. Both Han and Chewie had agreed to allow her to stay far behind them—far enough so that she wasn’t caught in the ysalamiri’s anti-Force bubble.

But Han wished she were closer. He should have known better than to rely on her Force abilities when she had been so close to ysalamiri. Obviously she had been wrong. Leia couldn’t be nearby. This place was deserted.

He had landed the
Falcon
in a wide plaza. Around him were towers, most of them partially destroyed. Rubble everywhere. No bodies, though. For that he was grateful.

Then he heard rocks tumble beside him. He and
Chewbacca whirled at the same time. The ysalamiri cages swung out and back, nearly making Han lose his balance.

The tower’s main door had been smashed open, and the door’s frame had collapsed. Something white and ghostly moved in the doorway.

“Great,” Han said. “Just great. Not only does she fail to find Leia, she leads us to a ghost.”

Chewbacca growled softly. Han squinted. Chewie was right. That wasn’t a ghost. Something was alive in there. He pulled out his blaster and moved forward.

Then a woman yelled in the distance.

Han raised his head as his heart jumped. That wasn’t Mara. That was Leia.

“Through the alley, Chewie. We’ll get this thing later.” Han turned and ran for the alley as a male voice answered Leia’s. They were too far away to be heard clearly.

Behind him, Chewie grunted, followed by a massive thud. Han glanced over his shoulder. Chewie was on the ground. A huge, furry creature had one paw on Chewie’s back. With its other paw, it was holding the ysalamiri cage and was trying to suck the ysalamiri through it like a piece of spaghetti. When that didn’t work, the creature swallowed the ysalamiri, cage and all.

Han swore and leveled his blaster at the big creature. Chewie was yowling, and it took Han a moment to realize that Chewie was telling him not to shoot.

Han decided to ignore his partner. The creature’s throat swelled and bulged as the ysalamiri cage slid down. Then the creature looked at Han. Its eyes glowed red as it eyed Han’s nutrient cage.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Han said. He tried to hide the cage behind his back. Chewie was still yowling, but the creature had taken its paw off him.

Han fired his blaster, but as he did, the thing leaped
for him, grazing him with its massive paws. He landed on his back, knocking the cage from his hand. He raised his blaster, but it was too late. The creature already had the nutrient cage in its mouth. With a quick shake of its jaw, it tumbled the cage to the back of its throat, and swallowed it.

Blood from a scrape was running down Han’s shoulder, staining his shirt. The creature tilted its barn-sized head at the blood, then its fur-stained tongue came out. Han crawled backward, away from it, on his hands and feet, trying to stand at the same time.

Chewie was getting up, but he hadn’t pulled his bowcaster.

Through the alley, Leia yelled again.

“You can’t eat me,” Han said to the big furry white creature. “That’s my wife. And you just swallowed my plan.”

Chewie yowled at him.

“I’m not shooting at it,” Han said.

He scrambled to his feet. The creature hadn’t moved any closer. Chewie gave it a small wave as he ran past it. Then Han flanked Chewie, and they headed into the alley.

The creature did not chase them.

“You mind telling me why you’re suddenly friendly with a giant turbali? Is it a cousin?”

Chewie wailed, the precursor to his angry yell.

“All right, all right. Forgive me,” Han said. “I got a little upset when that thing ate the creatures that would ensure the rescue of my wife.”

Chewbacca didn’t respond to that. He kept pace with Han as they hurried through the alley.

His shoulder hurt something fierce, and the air on this planet was a bit thinner than he was used to. He tripped on a rock, but regained his footing after a moment. Rubble was strewn all over this alley.

He hadn’t heard Leia yell again.

Something thudded behind them. Han glanced over his shoulder again, to see the giant creature try to squeeze into the alley, fail, and turn away, dejected.

“Great,” he mumbled. “The thing’s feelings are hurt because it’s too fat to fit into the alley.”

Chewie growled a warning. Han grimaced. How did Chewbacca and that thing become such fast friends?

He was nearly to the mouth of the alley when Leia yelled again. This time, though, the word was clear.

It was Luke’s name.

And she said it in a voice that Han had never heard before, but he knew what it meant.

It meant he was too late.

Her hands were useless, and Kueller was no longer listening to her arguments. He was watching Luke.

Luke, who looked like a man possessed.

Luke, who had always warned her not to give in to anger, was giving in to his.

And Kueller was smiling. He seemed to be growing taller, and broader, the aura of power around him so great that it made him seem invincible.

Then a look passed across Luke’s face. It was a familiar look, but it wasn’t his. She had seen it before.

On the day she met him, so many years ago.

She had seen that look the only time she had seen Obi-Wan Kenobi alive. He had been fighting Darth Vader, and then he smiled, and raised his lightsaber—