Tales of the New Jedi Order by Star Wars

Author:Star Wars [Wars, Star]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sci-Fi, &, Fantasy
Publisher: Lulu Publishing
Published: 2019-04-20T16:00:00+00:00

Part V

As the No Luck Required tumbled laconically though the void, Vook Gehu watched the stars drift across his view, remembering a Duro maxim older than some species.

If a star should but blink, it would miss all of our history.

The stars did not care who won this war. They did not care if Vook was freeze-dried in vacuum or blasted into vapor. That he would die without companions did not trouble them.

Vook found an odd comfort in that.

He checked to make sure the emergency transponder was working properly. It was, pulsing a steady distress call. He hoped it would be answered soon, or this would all be moot.

He needn’t have worried. Five minutes later, a response came, and Vook’s blood seemed to drop to the temperature of surrounding space. He searched the stars a few more moments before he found the newcomer—an irregular darkness that was not a distant nebula, but something much nearer.

Something that—unlike the stars—did indeed take an interest in what happened to Vook.

In this, he took no comfort at all. His mind wandered back to the conversation—only an hour or so before—that had crashed him into this situation, and he sighed.

He answered the hail.

“This is Vook Gehu of the No Luck Required. I need help. The rest of the crew is dead, and I am injured. My sensor grid is down and my ship is badly damaged. I am in great need of assistance.”

The comm unit sputtered and clucked, then spoke to him in a harsh, nasal baritone.

“You have found your assistance, infidel,” the reply came. “I am Vintul Qat of the Yuuzhan Vong. Shut down all of your auxiliary systems and prepare to be boarded.”

Vook vented another sigh and keyed the return. “Hello, Yuuzhan Vong,” he said. “So runs my luck—I hoped to attract a friendly ship, but I see my gamble has failed.”

“There is no luck,” Qat replied. “There are only the gods and what they will.”

“Yes? Then you may tell your gods I will not be boarded, Vintul Qat, not by you or any other of your despicable kind. I shall die before surrendering.”

“By your own admission you have no sensors,” Qat replied. “Your ship is losing atmosphere.”

“My weapons are still online,” Vook replied. “And my reactor is damaged, yes. Indeed, in its condition it might well make a better weapon than a power source. Consider that, and come for me at your peril.”

“My ship is full of captives,” the Yuuzhan Vong said. “Some of your own kind. Should you manage to destroy it, you will kill many more infidels than glorious Yuuzhan Vong.”

“Better they die than receive the fate you offer them,” Vook said.

“In any event, it is moot,” Qat snapped. “We are out of your range.”

“For the time being,” Vook replied. “Try and board me.”

“I can be patient,” Qat replied. “In a short time, your reactor will either go critical or fail. If it overloads, I’ll watch you die. If it does not, I will take you then.”

“Delude yourself if you wish,” Vook muttered.

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