The New Jedi Order 09: Star by Star

Author:Troy Denning
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science Fiction, Star Wars Fiction, Space Opera, General, Fantasy, Adventure, Life on Other Planets, Fiction
ISBN: 9780345428677
Publisher: Del Rey
Published: 2001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Ganner said, "I counted a hundred and four warriors - probably three platoons and an overseeing officer."

Anakin's expression did not change, but Jacen felt a rare surge of anxiety in his brother. Their first plan had already failed, and now their second was coming apart. He did his best to mute Anakin's apprehension and prevent it from affecting the others through the battle meld. Lomi stepped to Anakin's side. "We can escape into the training course. There's an exit into the laboratory complex."

Jacen saw Welk's face pale - and felt his terror through the Force.

"What's the training course?" Jacen asked.

"It's where the Yuuzhan Vong teach voxyn to hunt us," Lomi explained. She narrowed her eyes, clearly resentful at being questioned. "It will be dangerous - but less so than the spaceport."

"And we know the terrain better than the trainers do," Welk said. Despite his fear, he was eager to support his master - perhaps because she frightened him more than the voxyn did. "The voxyn won't be a problem, not for so many of us."

"Unless Skywalker's students do not live up to their reputations?" Lomi taunted Anakin with a sneer.

"The choice is yours, young Solo."

"We deserve our reputations," Anakin said.

The unarmored Yuuzhan Vong with Nom Anor pointed down the colonnade toward the detention warren where the group was hiding.

"I don't think he's telling them how to find the refresher," Ganner said. "Things are getting dangerous."

"Not dangerous, just interesting," Anakin replied. He backed out of the archway, then waved Lomi deeper into the detention warren. "Lead on."

Zekk started after him. "Anakin, what are you doing?"

Jacen did his best to dampen the alarm and indignation pouring into the battle meld, but Zekk's feelings were too powerful. They cascaded through the group, evoking enmity and resentment from Raynar and Eryl, and something more deadly from the Barabels.

Anakin glanced back at the landing pit, where Nom Anor and Vergere were waving to their troops.

"We'll never make it around the spaceport. We need to follow Lomi through the training area."

"She's a Nightsister!" Zekk continued. "You can't trust her - you can't even bring her."

"Zekk, we don't have any choice," Jacen said. He was glad to have an opportunity to support his brother

- maybe that would convince Anakin to forgive him for his mistake aboard theExquisite Death .

"Abandoning them would be the same as killing them."

"Worse," Lomi said, leading the way past the detention cells. "I doubt you have any spare lightsabers, but perhaps a blaster -"

"I said we need you, not trust you," Anakin said.

Lomi smiled guilefully. "As you wish."

She turned down a corridor lined so thickly with ysalamiri trees that Jacen felt as though he were traveling through the jungle floor back on Yavin 4. The battle meld broke briefly as they entered a deep region where the ysalamiri had not smelled the pheromone capsule, then the corridor entered a throat of yorik coral so narrow that even Tekli had to turn sideways. Had the walls not been covered with a slippery blanket of mildew, Lowbacca would not have been able to squeeze through at all.

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