Book 4 - Backlash by Aaron Allston

Author:Aaron Allston [Allston, Aaron]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Fiction
ISBN: 9780099542742
Publisher: Del Rey
Published: 2010-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

CARRACK FIRED NINE TIMES. HALFWAY THROUGH THE SEQUENCE, the first shell exploded in the distance. When he’d fired his final shell and waited for it to detonate a few seconds later, he turned to Han. “One for each of ’em.” He raised his weapon and sighted in through the infrared optics. He swung the weapon in a slow, broad arc. “They’re all moving. Well, seven, anyway. So are the Skywalkers. I’d better hold off firing any more until things go stationary again.”

“Um.” That was Leia. She caught Carrack’s attention and pointed up.

Over their heads, in five separate groups, the sparkflies were clustering.

Carrack looked up. “Not good.”

“Not good for us.” Han gave the mercenary an injured look. “You’re in armor.”

“The armor has gaps. Gaps that are big doors for bugs.”

“Leia? Lake?”

She nodded and bolted toward the water’s edge.

Han followed. He pointed the flamethrower nozzle straight up and held the trigger down.

He needn’t have bothered. All five groups of sparkflies descended on Carrack.

Han skidded to a stop and swiveled, sweeping the sky over Carrack with his gout of flame. His aim was good. Perhaps two-fifths of the insects went away.

The rest swarmed Carrack, clustering upon him, adhering to him. The big man was suddenly alive with lights as every one of the insects, it seemed, tried to burn its way through his armor. Han heard the man yell in pain as sparkflies got through gaps in the joints.

Carrack wasn’t standing still, either. He’d bolted after Han and Leia toward the lake edge. Even now, with hundreds of thousands of the things on him, weighing him down and hindering him, he moved at a walking pace, but his speed was slowing.

“Han, get ready.” Leia threw her sleeves back and gestured toward Carrack.

Han let off the trigger and swung the nozzle around toward the lake.

He’d guessed right. Leia spun, exerting herself through the Force, and Carrack was suddenly airborne, on a ballistic trajectory toward the water.

The instant he hit, Han cut loose with the flamethrower. His gout of fire swept along the flight path of Carrack’s tormenters, not just catching the ones that had stayed with the big man all the way to the water but also incinerating those that lagged behind. In an instant the greatest population of attacking sparkflies was gone.

A moment later Carrack stood up in the water. He looked around, his movements stiff, and popped the helmet from his head. There were at least a dozen burn marks around his neck, and he looked miserable. “Medic.”

The remaining sparkflies dissipated into the night sky. The Dathomiri and offworlders began to assess damage and figure out what had happened.

Nobody had been stung enough to perish, but several were badly injured, Carrack the worst of them. The burns at his knees, elbows, armpits, and neck were enough to send him into shock. Yliri and a healer of the Raining Leaves tended him, wrapping his burns in clothes soaked in a plant infusion the Dathomiri said was good against burns.

Han looked over the wounds as Carrack was being bandaged.

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