Star Wars: Dark Tide II: Ruin by Michael A. Stackpole

Author:Michael A. Stackpole
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, mobi
Tags: Science fiction, Fiction, High Tech, Adventure, General
ISBN: 9780345428561
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2000-06-06T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

Jacen looked at the digital readout on the sedative injector in his right hand. One dose left. The two captives had received enough of the drug to keep a small gang of men down for a week, and still they could move - though, not much, given how tightly the Noghri had bound them.

Just how tough the Yuuzhan Vong's creations were slammed into him, along with bloody visions of a long war against them.

He turned from the back end of the Best Chance, sidled past where Ganner sat with a reddened pressure bandage against his face, and slipped out the hatch. Jacen crossed quickly to where Corran stood talking to Rade. He nodded to the both of them, but waited for their conversation to end before he said anything.

The Garqian smiled wearily. "I appreciate the offer, Corran, but I'm not going to take up one of those open slots you have on the ship. I can't abandon my people, and they'd refuse an order to evacuate. We're here for the long haul."

"I'm not being altruistic here, Rade. You've got great intel on the Vong, and we need it."

"But what you need more is us being active here, making the Yuuzhan Vong think the whole Xenobotanical Garden fire was just a terrorist act."

The resistance leader clapped the elder Jedi on the shoulders. "Your coming here meant a lot, and we'll get more information out to you. You have to go so you can find a way to turn our people back into our people.

We need to be here to make sure there are some folks remaining to welcome the returnees back." Corran's green eyes narrowed. "You're not being abandoned, you know. We'll be back to liberate Garqi."

Rade's smile broadened. "Better hurry back. We're planning to do the job ourselves."

Jacen held up the injector. "Our guests are down, but I'm not sure for how long. There's one dose left. Can I give it to Ganner?"

"Did he ask for it?"

The young man shook his head. "He's suffering, though."

Corran thought for a moment, then nodded. "Ask him if he wants it.

If he says no, give it to him anyway."

"Are you joking?"

Corran shook his head. "He's a Jedi and he's in pain. I don't want him twitching TK that breaks something. We can't go until we get a signal, and I want us ready to sky when that happens. Our escape window here isn't going to be that big."

The idea that he should shoot Ganner full of a sedative against his will struck Jacen as a gross violation of Ganner's privacy and dignity, and he almost suspected Corran gave him the directive because of the friction between the two older Jedi. But Corran's reasoning made perfect sense, and his deliberation before telling Jacen what to do suggested he was searching for any way around adding insult to Ganner's injury. The order, though it would be a blow to Ganner, would be for the sake of the mission. Clearly Ganner's wishes, or those of anyone else, had to be secondary to what they were doing.

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