She needed to be sure her friends were away from the depot before the New Republic fleet blasted the asteroid to incandescent dust. The space battle was sheer chaos. The Diversity Alliance ships fought vigorously, taking outrageous chances, careening toward New Republic cruisers and then flitting back. Nolaa’s space navy had performed no drills, made no concerted effort—they just shot at their enemies in a free-for-all that caused little damage but much confusion. The Diversity Alliance fleet hit their own vessels as often as they struck the New Republic ships. Jaina soared around in the Rock Dragon, seeking an opening where she could cripple one of the ships. New Republic vessels already outnumbered the enemy fleet, but Nolaa’s soldiers fought anyway, recklessly.
Then hyperspace shimmered, the folds of the universe blinked—and even more ships appeared. Another battle fleet.
“Blaster bolts!” Jacen exclaimed at her shoulder. “Who’s coming now?”
Jaina had a sudden dread that Nolaa Tarkona had access to additional warships hidden in reserve, another portion of her fleet armed with stolen weapons. Tenel Ka recognized the ships first.
“That is the Bornaryn fleet.” The massive form of the flagship Tradewyn took the head of a phalanx as the merchant convoy, surrounded by numerous security vessels and fast fighters, plunged into the fray. The comm system crackled with Aryn Dro Thul’s iron-hard voice.
“This is the Bornaryn fleet offering our assistance to the New Republic. I understand my husband and my son are down there.”
Jaina recognized another voice as Tyko Thul’s. “If you Diversity Alliance troops know what’s good for you, you’ll give up right now.”
The New Republic ships drew together, and the Bornaryn vessels closed in like the other half of a jagged jaw, squeezing the rampant alien ships. Turbolaser fire crisscrossed space, and Jaina added her own shots, but she didn’t cause any serious damage. One of the Diversity Alliance ships, a small but heavily armored strike cruiser, erupted in space, leaving yellow afterimages on Jaina’s eyes. The rest of the enemy fleet began to move away from the depot, driven out of the system. As part of the New Republic fleet peeled off in pursuit, Jaina swerved the Rock Dragon back toward the asteroid.
“That’s a good start at least,” Jaina said, watching the warships with satisfaction. Now they could at last go back to retrieve their friends.
Dodging turbolaser fire from the battle in space overhead, Jaina found a free airlock on the asteroid and docked the Rock Dragon again. Before Jaina had even finished powering down the cruiser’s engines,
Tenel Ka had opened the airlock and begun scouting out a route to the plague chambers. Grabbing a mobile comlink, Jacen flicked it on.
“Em Teedee, can you hear me? We need to know where you are so we can help you.”
A Wookiee roar blasted from the tiny speaker.
“Yes, Master Jacen, you are quite audible—but, Master Lowbacca urges you to reconsider. Several plagues have already been unleashed. It’s far too dangerous here! Do not attempt to open any safety interlocks. He says to set whatever explosives you have left and save yourselves. We will make every effort to find our own way out.”
The little droid gave an electronic equivalent of a gulp.
“Of course, we could be doomed.”
Deep in the asteroid tunnels, Zekk kept running with Lowie and Raynar.
“The Lightning Rods up here somewhere,” he said. “Once we’re away, we can get the New Republic fleet to open fire and blow this asteroid into powder.”
Raynar sniffed, overwhelmed by grief at the death of his father. “There’s nothing here worth preserving,” he said. “Let’s destroy it all so it can’t harm anyone else.”
Zekk’s green eyes looked at the young man with hard understanding. They rushed down the corridor through half-opened pressure doors and barricades that had been torn from their hinges by the assassin droid. They raced along tunnels past domed landing bays and access areas. Zekk knew the Lightning Rod was just down one of those corridors. He could almost smell the old cargo freighter’s lubricant fumes and exhaust. He wanted nothing more than to be off this weapons depot. Running ahead, though, Lowie skidded to a halt and let out a roar, grabbing for his lightsaber. Zekk felt the cold tingle of Jedi senses an instant before another cluster of Diversity Alliance soldiers emerged from the branching tunnels.
They had been lying in wait, ready to ambush the companions as they returned to their ship. These alien fighters were not interested in taking prisoners. The soldiers stepped out, drew their weapons, and with a mingled roar from various species, they opened fire. Zekk and Raynar threw themselves against the walls. Lowie held his ground, powering up his lightsaber and slashing to deflect blaster bolts. But he, too, had to press for shelter against the curve of the wall. The nine Diversity Alliance soldiers continued shooting. Blaster bolts ricocheted like a sideways-slanting rain of sparkling flames. Zekk yanked out the blaster pistol he had taken from the munitions chamber and fired.
His first shot struck a clumsy Gamorrean just above the knee. The creature squealed and fell on his side, out of commission. The others scrambled out of the way, but were more interested in shooting than in taking cover. After all, they were faced with only three young companions, and just one of them had a long-range weapon. Zekk shot again and again, but his opponents managed to keep to shelter. Lowie strode recklessly forward with his lightsaber, and Zekk followed behind him. This was their last chance, and if they couldn’t make it back to the Lightning Rod, he was going to go down fighting. After all this time of trying to find himself, searching for a way to remove the shadow of guilt from his past, Zekk understood that he had to get his friends out of this situation, even if it meant sacrificing himself so they could get to the ship. Lowie was a good enough pilot.
He could take Raynar out of here, back to safety. Zekk had been with the Shadow Academy, and he had fought against Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Knights on Yavin 4. He had gone to his birth world of Ennth in hope of rejoining his people, but he’d found no home there either. Then he had become a bounty hunter, searching for lucrative targets, but not understanding why he needed to seek them. He had not bothered to ponder the consequences if Bornan Thul were caught. No matter what his skills, no matter how good he was at his job as a bounty hunter,
Zekk could never be just a mercenary. He had to think through his actions, and he had to choose what was right. Luckily, Zekk had learned his lesson in time, so that he could fight on the right side—and now he had to carry that fight to its finish. He stood next to Lowie, prepared to fire. Diversity Alliance soldiers pushed forward until the volley of blaster bolts grew so thick that Lowie could not deflect them all. A long bolt singed the ginger fur on his arm.
Then, just when they were at their most vulnerable point in the middle of the corridor, Boba Fett emerged from a side passage. The grim man in battered Mandalorian armor stepped out boldly. He held a blaster pistol in each gauntleted hand. The Diversity Alliance soldiers cheered, welcoming Nolaa Tarkona’s crack bounty hunter. They stopped firing, happy to let Boba Fett finish their job for them. Fett trained both blaster pistols at Zekk, and Zekk was more afraid of those guns than of all the other weapons held by the alien guards.