Star Wars - Hero of Cartao - Part 2 - Hero's Rise by Timothy Zahn

Author:Timothy Zahn [Zahn, Timothy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2003-08-20T14:22:47+00:00

Doriana never did learn how many droids the Neimoidians had left inside the Binalie mansion. All he knew was that there were eight of them between the three humans and the outside door. Tories dealt with all eight swiftly, efficiently, and amazingly quietly.

There were a few others on patrol outside, strutting around in the gathering dusk as if they owned the place. The Jedi dealt with those, too.

It was over five kilometers to the staging area Roshton and his lieutenant had settled on during their brief comlink communication. Fortunately, two of the clone troopers had managed to sneak a small landspeeder through the droid patrols and were waiting for them at the eastern edge of the Binalie estate. A short ride, with frequent zigzags and occasional pauses under cover, and they were there.

The clone trooper lieutenant was waiting when the landspeeder pulled up, standing quietly in the concealment of a group of trees perhaps a kilometer from the blank walls of the Spaarti plant. “Welcome, Commander,” he greeted Roshton as the newcomers stepped up to him. “Glad you could make it.”

“So am I,” Roshton said. “Situation?”

“I’ve pulled together two hundred troops,” the lieutenant said, gesturing around him. Doriana looked around, but wherever the troops were hiding, they were doing a good job of it. “The rest are still in the city, dodging the droids’ house-to-house search,” the lieutenant continued. “At last report the gunships were still approaching from the south; they should reach missile range in approximately five minutes, and laser-cannon range two minutes after that. Their first salvo will be our troops’ signal to attack.”

“What about the control ship?” Roshton asked.

The lieutenant nodded his helmet slightly upwards. “That attack seems to have already begun.”

Doriana looked up. It was difficult to tell through the light clouds drifting across the sky, but he thought he could see faint flickers of laser fire. “Any idea how it’s going?” he asked.

“General Tiis hasn’t taken the time to keep us up to date,” the lieutenant said, a bit dryly.

“That’s all right,” Roshton said. “If and when he destroys it, it should be easy to figure out. What’s the local enemy status?”

“The Number Two C-9979 is approximately three kilometers to our south,” the lieutenant said. “Most of their troops have been deployed to the spaceport and eastern Foulahn City, but there are at least three AATs and probably two hundred battle droids standing by on guard duty.”

“Three kilometers,” Doriana said, peering off that direction at the deceptively cheery city lights in the distance. “Isn’t that a little close?”

“It’s extremely close,” Roshton agreed. “And deliberately so. If you’d ever fought the Neimoidians before, you’d know they dearly love overwhelming odds. I’m betting that the chance to catch our group in a crossfire will be too tempting for them to pass up.”

He turned to Tories. “Any last thoughts or suggestions, Master Tories?”

For a moment, Tories gazed out toward the wall of the plant, now little more than a vague shape against the darkening sky. Doriana gazed in

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