Jedi Under Siege Page 9

  Down one level, Lowbacca slashed with his bronze lightsaber in one hand

  while picking up a white-armored figure with his other. He tossed the

  stormtrooper into three other attackers, knocking them all down.

  The Imperial soldiers were crowded too closely together to use their

  blasters. They seemed intent on taking down the angry

  ^ Wookiee through the sheer force of their own numbers.

  It was a big mistake.

  Up on the command deck the Nightsister circled, eyeing her young quarry

  with amusement. Tenel Ka held her lightsaber steady, locking her

  granite-gray eyes on the violet inses of her opponent.

  Overhead, TIE bombers swooped down, though the pilots seemed more

  interested in the duel on the battle platform than in their bombing

  runs.

  The Nightsister curled her hands, and a ball of blue lightning crackled

  in each palm, gathering strength. Tenel Ka knew she had to use the

  Nightsister's moment of concentration for a quick surprise.

  Tamith Kai stood near the edge of the upper command deck as Lowie and

  the stormtroopers continued to battle one level below her. The

  Nightsister raised her hands.

  Evil fire crackled at her fingertips, waiting to be released.

  Tenel Ka feinted with her lightsaber and then, completely without

  warning, used the Force to reach forward like an outstretched hand. She

  nudged the Nightsister, pushing her just enough that she stumbled over

  the edge. With a wild shriek, Tamith Kai

  ^ toppled backward. Bolts of blue lightning sprayed harmlessly into the

  sky and barely missed a heavily armored TIE bomber that swooped

  overhead.

  The Nightsister crashed among the stormtroopers and Lowbacca, who

  snarled at her.

  Stormtroopers rushed the Wookiee, trying to drag him down, but Tamith

  Kai blindly released her anger, blasting them all away from her.

  From the command deck Tenel Ka looked up toward the loud sound of an

  approaching engine-and saw a TIE bomber cruising in low, targeting its

  laser cannons on her!

  Brilliant shots streaked out, melting holes in the deck plating at her

  feet.

  The warrior girl danced from one side to the other, using her attunement

  with the Force to second-guess where the bolts would strike. The

  high-powered weapons were too strong for her to deflect with a mere

  lightsaber. She stood all alone, unprotected-an easy target.

  Grimly, she made up her mind. As the Imperial fighter roared overhead,

  Tenel Ka locked her lightsaber blade on, then carefully estimated the

  proper trajectory. Underhanded, she hurled her rancor-tooth weapon up at

  the craft.

  ^ She had spent a great deal of time practicing her aim, throwing spears

  and knives, striking her chosen target every time. But here the timing

  was rushed and the distance greater. Still, she never doubted her

  ability.

  The TIE bomber arched upward, gaining altitude as it curved around for a

  final attack run.

  Her lightsaber cartwheeled through the air and, with a blazing turquoise

  flash, struck the side of the TIE bomber. It did not slice off one of

  the power-array panels as she had hoped. Instead, the energy blade

  sheared off a stabilizer device and ripped open a hole in the bomber's

  hull. Her lightsaber passed completely through, then plunged downward

  into the jungle thickness below near the edge of the river.

  Unable to articulate words, the Nightsister lunged back onto the command

  deck with a yowl of vengeful rage. Her black cape flapped like the wings

  of a raven swooping in for the kill. Tamith Kai's eyes blazed with

  violet fury.

  Seeing the one-armed girl standing all alone without so much as a

  lightsaber, the Nightsister began to laugh. Her deep, guttural chuckle

  was filled with derision. "And

  ^ now you are disarmed," Tamith Kai sneered, looking at the stump of

  Tenel Ka's arm. "You waste my time, child. Why don't you save us both

  some trouble and just lie down and die?"

  Tenel Ka glared at the Nightsister coldly and moved a step forward,

  showing no sign of hesitation. "I may be disarmed," she said, "but I am

  never without a weapon."

  With that, her left foot flashed out, swept around, and caught Tamith

  Kai just behind her heel. At the same time, Tenel Ka slammed her palm

  into the center of the Nightsister's chest and pushed forward, toppling

  her opponent to the deck.

  She heard the stormtroopers shouting in panic-then overhead came the

  rattling whine of a TIE bomber in trouble. Tenel Ka flicked her glance

  up, and reacted instantly.

  The TIE bomber she had struck with her lightsaber had managed to circle

  backalthough its rear compartment was now in flames. Entirely out of

  control, wobbling and careening from side to side, the desperate craft

  came toward the battle platform.

  Tenel Ka could vaguely sense the pilot's terror. He didn't know what to

  do and saw the platform as his last chance, a place where he might make

  an emergency landing. But Tenel Ka could tell from the speed of his descent and his

  total lack of maneuverability that a landing was impossible.

  Seeing nothing but her own rage, the Nightsister lunged with one clawed

  hand to grab Tenel Ka's ankle. The dark woman didn't even notice the

  approaching danger.

  Tenel Ta could waste no time fighting with her. She snatched her booted

  foot free and leaped over the black-clad Nightsister, landing among the

  stormtroopers next to Lowie.

  The stormtroopers, though, had already seen the incoming TIE bomber and

  scrambled to clear the deck.

  "Lowbacca, we must go now," Tenel Ka said, grabbing his hairy arm.

  He roared, and Em Teedee chimed in.

  "Indeed. I believe that is a most sensible suggestion."

  She and Lowbacca hurried to the edge of the hovering platform and looked

  down at the sluggish river below and the overhanging jungle trees.

  Up on the command deck, Tamith Kai finally realized the impending danger

  as the TIE bomber came in, its engines building to a sputtering roar.

  The Nightsister screamed for the pilots inside the battle platform to

  ^ start its repulsor engines and evade the impending crash.

  They would never make it.

  Lowie and Tenel Ka dove overboard, hoping for a safe place to land.

  Behind them, the TIE bomber crashed into the Shadow Academy's battle

  platform and exploded in an instant. Its entire cargo of remaining

  explosives detonated along with the engines, blasting a hole entirely

  through the immense vessel.

  Armored plates flew like metallic snowflakes in all directions. A gout

  of fire and smoke blasted into the sky, and the cumbersome battle

  platform plummeted, choking and rumbling.

  The mass of unrecognizable wreckage exploded several more times as it

  plunged into the river. . . .

  ^ 6 -----------------LASER BLASTS FROM the pursuing TIE fighters spanged

  against Jaina's stolen Imperial ship. One blast sizzled off a corner of

  the hexagonal power array, sending up a shower of sparks.

  She fought to maintain control as her ship began to spin. She lost
>
  power, but still her ship flashed onward, propelled by its stealth

  drive. The silent engines had been made for covert action-not for

  all-out speed. Behind her, the furious TIE fighters closed the distance.

  Jaina flew a frantic evasive action, up and down, diving toward the

  jungle treetops and then pulling up, hoping the Imperial pilots would

  make a mistake-slam into a tree branch or collide with each other or

  something.

  No such luck.

  The three pursuers had reached pointblank firing range, and Jaina had to

  take

  ^

  ^ one last gamble. Using the mental speed given to her by Jedi training,

  she spun the TIE fighter about like a rotating ball, up and over, so

  that an instant later she headed not away from them, but straight toward

  them! The distance closed in a flash. Jaina had time for only a single

  shot.

  And she didn't waste it.

  The blast from her laser cannon ripped open the bottom of one of the TIE

  fighters, severing its controls, breaking the cockpit's airtight seal.

  The pilot fell through the hole and tumbled toward the jungle.

  Jaina roared between the other two TIE fighters, heading as fast as she

  could in the opposite direction. They wheeled about, taking longer to

  complete a three-hundred-sixty-degree turn in the air, but within

  moments they were following again in hot pursuit.

  Jaina flicked her gaze across the control panels, searching for anything

  that might help her, some secret weapon this TIE fighter might have. She

  doubted she would find anything that her pursuers couldn't counter.

  Then her eyes fixed on a small button: 'RWIN ION ENGINE SHUNT. Suddenly

  she realized

  ^ this would add the TIE fighter's normal engines back to the

  low-powered stealth drive her fighter had been using.

  Without hesitation, she toggled the button off, deactivating the

  shunt-and with a screech of power, her TIE fighter leaped forward. The

  roar of acceleration slammed her back against the seat, jolting her lips

  into a grimace. The ship pulled forward faster than anything Jaina had

  ever felt.

  If she could gain enough of a lead and head straight up into orbit, if

  she could swing around the jungle moon out of visual range, she could

  cut her engines for a while and drift out into black space. The stealth

  coating on this ship's armor would be an enormous advantage. If she

  could just get out of sight, she could make her ship invisible . . . and

  she would be safe.

  Making use of the ship's acceleration, working with her hands against

  the increased gravity from the thundering flight, Jaina tilted upward on

  a straight-line course through the atmosphere, up into space.

  The remaining pair of Imperial fighters streaked after her. She didn't

  know if her acceleration allowed her to fly much faster than the TIE's

  normal power, but she knew

  ^ she had to gain distance and use all of her wits.

  The atmosphere thinned to a deeper purple, and then the midnight blue of

  space. To her dismay, she saw that the remaining TIE fighters had closed

  the distance again, not as much as before, but to within visual range.

  Her plan wouldn't work-she could never dodge them and disappear against

  the silent blackness. Her stealth armor would be useless now.

  She wondered if she should fight them head-on again. There was a chance

  that she could take out both Imperial ships before they shot her down .

  . . but she doubted it.

  She was done for.

  Just at that moment of despair, Jaina saw a glimmering in the blackness

  as new ships emerged from hyperspace-reinforcements! New Republic

  warships! Her heart leaped. It was a small fleet, but well armed, ready

  to take on the Shadow Academy. Her brother's distress signal must have

  gotten through.

  With a whoop of delight, Jaina adjusted course and shot like a

  projectile straight toward the fleet of Corellian gunships and

  ^ corvettes, the quickest bunch the New Republic had been able to muster

  for the Jedi academy.

  Her stolen TIE fighter vibrated as she pushed the acceleration far

  beyond the red lines. She was still losing power from her damaged side

  array. "Come on, come on,Jaina said, biting her lip. The ship had to

  last only a few moments longer. Just a few moments.

  The front Corellian corvette loomed closer and closer. But the enemy TIE

  fighters clung right behind her, still shooting.

  Jaina spun and dodged until finally she came into range of the New

  Republic ships.

  They began firing huge turbolaser bolts that streaked so close to her

  ship that the crackling beams dazzled her eyes.

  It took Jaina a moment to realize that the gunships were shooting at

  her!

  She quickly understood her folly. Here she was in an Imperial ship

  diving toward the fleet with two more TIE fighters right behind her,

  laser cannons blasting. It must have looked like all three craft were on

  some sort of a suicide run.

  She grabbed the comm system, toggled it to an open channel, and

  broadcast at full

  ^ power. "New Republic fleet-don't shoot, don't shoot! This is Jaina

  Solo. I've commandeered an Imperial fighter."

  More ships appeared at the side, heavily armed hodgepodge vessels

  bearing the insignia of GemDiver Station, Lando Calrissian's Corusca-gem

  processing facility that orbited the gas giant Yavin.

  "Jaina Solo?" Lando's voice came over the comm system. "Little lady,

  what are you doing out here?"

  "Turning into space dust, if you guys don't take care of the two TIE

  fighters on my tail!"

  Admiral Ackbar's voice broke in. "We're targeting now," he said. "Do not

  fear, Jaina Solo."

  "I'm in the front one," she reminded him nervously. "Don't hit the wrong

  TIE fighter!

  Well, what are you waiting for?"

  A flurry of turbolaser strikes lanced out around Jaina in a pattern so

  dense that space became a web of deadly weapons fire.

  Dozens of bolts shot from the Corellian gunships and Lando Calrissian's

  private fleet.

  Within moments the two TIE fighters were vaporized, and Jaina let out a

  long sigh of relief.

  ^ Sending a signal from the front Corellian corvette, Admiral Ackbar

  guided her to the forward docking bay. "Please come aboard, Jaina Solo,"

  he said. "We will offer you sanctuary for the time being while we combat

  the Shadow Academy. We believe that is the best way to protect personnel

  on the surface." 'Sounds good to me," Jaina said. "But as soon as it's

  clear, I want to get back down to fight next to my brother and friends."

  "If we do our job well," Ackbar said, 'there won't be much of a fight

  left."

  After docking, Jaina climbed out of the stolen TIE fighter, perspiring

  heavily and glad to be free of the Imperial ship. She no longer felt a

  great desire to fly one of the craft. Her first experience had been

  exciting, but not necessarily one she wanted to repeat.

  Greeting some of the New Republic soldiers, Jaina quickly ran her

  fingers through her long, straight brown hair and the
n rushed to a

  turbohft. When she arrived on the bridge, she stood beside Admiral

  Ackbar and watched the fleet attack the ominous spiked station.

  New Republic warships pummeled the Dark Jedi training center in orbit

  over

  ^ Yavin 4. The Shadow Academy's powerful shields remained up, but the

  constant bombardment took its toll.

  Lando Calrissian's ships swooped closer, adding their weapons fire.

  Under the combined onslaught, the Shadow Academy would surely be

  destroyed before long, Jaina thought.

  Ackbar sent out a transmission. "Shadow Academy, prepare to surrender

  and be boarded."

  Jaina didn't have time to relax, though.

  The Shadow Academy did not bother to answer, and one of the tactical

  officers suddenly shouted, "Admiral Ackbar, we're detecting a surge in

  hyperspace, off to starboard. It appears that an entire-" As Jaina

  watched the viewscreen, a group of terrifying Imperial ships appeared,

  Star Destroyers that looked as if they had been hastily assembled and

  modified. Hasty or not, their weaponry was new and lethal.

  "@ere did that fleet come from?" Lando squawked over the comm channel.