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Star WarsThe New Jedi OrderEmissaries of the voidby Greg Keyes###############################################################################Chapter 2: Dark Tidings"What a nice start to the day," Klin-Fa Gi commented, cutting her dark eyes at Uldir. Her sarcasm wasn't lost."At least we're alive," he said. "That was anything but a given last night."Klin-Fa's mouth settled in a thin line. Uldir wondered if he would ever see the young Jedi smile. She was pale, her short brown hair matted and full of silt from the flood they had survived the night before, and the bump on her forehead had gone a shade of purple he'd heretofore seen only in certain nebulae. Still, he felt if she smiled, she'd be pretty.Annoying, almost insufferable, but pretty."Yes, we're alive," she admitted. "Bravo. Terrific job. Now if you'll just take care of that search patrol and the � what? Eight enforcement fliers? Maybe I'll forget that if it weren't for you I wouldn't be in this mess at all."That was a little too much. "CSA was chasing you before I ever laid eyes on you," Uldir said. "Without me they'd have you by now.""Doubtful," Klin-Fa retorted. Then she sighed. "Also irrelevant. Do you have any weapons?""No. I lost the blaster." My hands were full saving you from drowning, he silently finished."At least I still have my lightsaber.""Yeah," Uldir said, eyeing the ever-nearing search party coming down the arroyo toward the cave where Klin-Fa and he were hiding. "Look, I'll admit you're pretty handy with that thing, but against these odds � ""The Force can prevail against any odds," she insisted firmly. "Anyway, it's not like we have a choice. They'll find us soon enough. Unless you have a plan.""I do, as a matter of fact. Sit tight until the rest of my outfit shows up. They're bound to be here soon. If you want to use the Force, try to project the thought that we're in a different direction."Klin-Fa's mouth twisted as if she'd just chewed a sour thom, but she eased her head in a reluctant half-nod. "That might work � even at this distance, I might be able to project a suggestion. But it won't fool that Yuuzhan Vong down there." She lifted her chin toward one of the members of the search party. Even from this distance, Uldir could make out the scars and tattoos that marked him as a member of the extragalactic invaders bent on conquering the galaxy � and doing a more than competent job of it so far."True," he admitted, "But he doesn't know where we are. He'll have to trust his local guides."Klin-Fa grunted what he guessed was agreement, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She reached out her arm, and the fingers of her right hand fluttered slightly. Uldir felt the Force in motion, which had the affect of deepening his frustration with the whole situation. He'd studied at the Jedi academy but left it a failure, having no natural aptitude for the Force. The most his training had left him with was a slight ability to sense Jedi when they worked with the Force, and what some would say was an uncommon sort of luck. Still, the experience had taught him something important � sometimes it didn't matter how hard you wanted something, you weren't going to get it. You lived with what you did have and took pride in your real assets, not the ones you wished you possessed. He'd thought he was over useless self-remonstration at his failure, and he had been. He really had � at least until Klin-Fa Gi had bounced off the center of his table in a local cantina, pursued by law enforcement officials of the Corporate Sector Authority. Her attitude had managed to wake the old resentment in him. Why did someone like her have such strong affinity with the Force, while he could only hear it whisper?It wasn't fair, which made him even angrier, because he knew the universe wasn't fair.But it ought to be balanced. That was what the Force was all about, right? And there was something very unbalanced about Klin-Fa Gi. When she had used the Force to cushion the crash of their atmospheric flier, he'd almost thought he sensed something dark.Her eyes were still closed, and Uldir studied her. She didn't look evil, in her tattered yellow skirt and black leggings. She looked young and intent.Ah, what do I know? Uldir asked himself. I couldn't tell a Sith from Master Yoda himself, not with my puny senses.She'd said she was on a secret mission for Master Skywalker. He'd believe her until proven wrong. Anyway, she was Jedi, and Uldir's job was to rescue Jedi from the Yuuzhan Vong and their agents. He might not be able to use the Force, but no one had ever said he wasn't good at his job. There wasn't a better rescue pilot in the business.Of course, right about now it would be nice to have something to pilot.The group of searchers was pointing up the other side of the arroyo. He heard shouting, and then they broke into a trot."You did it," Uldir breathed."Yep," she said. "It won't fool them for long." She started forward, out of the cave mouth."Hang on," Uldir said, waving vaguely upward. "There're still the fliers to consider.""You consider them. You're the pilot.""No. We should wait on my people, or make some kind of plan."She pushed a straggling lock of hair from her face. "Hey, you had a good idea, jets. Don't spoil it by thinking too much.""Now, listen � hey!"Too late. She'd already sprinted from the cover of the cave and was starting up the arroyo slope in the opposite direction in which she had sent the search party."Vaping Moffs!" Uldir snarled, and did the only thing he could do, the thing he'd been doing from the start of this whole mess � he started after her.He came over the lip of the ravine in time to see her vanish down into another one. Bonadan had lost most of its natural life forms to the brutal industrialization of the Corporate Sector, and without roots and rhizomes to hold them in check, erosion had fast furrowed the highland soils outside of the spaceport, peeled back their planetological history, and turned them into a badlands.Somewhere, Uldir heard the whir of fliers, but he didn't see them. They were probably conducting some sort of grid search. They likely had satellite intelligence, too. The broken nature of the terrain gave them a chance, but only a small one.He caught up to Klin-Fa Gi as she hit the bottom of the next ravine at a dead run. "Where do you think you're going?" He snapped, trying to keep his voice down and match her pace at the same time."Away," she said. "Away from the Vong."He got it then. "You're scared of them. The Yuuzhan Vong.""Scared? No. I'm scared of nothing. But my Jedi powers are useless against the Vong. If I fight, I might lose, and I can't afford that. The galaxy can't afford it. My mission cannot fail.""Hey, I've dealt with Yuuzhan Vong before," Uldir chuffed. "They aren't invincible.""It's great you feel that way. Why don't you go hold 'em off for me?""Maybe I'll just do that," Uldir snapped. "It's better than � down!" He yanked her against the wall of the ravine, just as the shadow of a flier moved across their feet. The steep angle protected them, mostly, but Uldir still held his breath.The shadow moved on."That was too close," he said. "Next pass we might not be so lucky.""Fine," she said. "What do you think we ought to do? Your friends don't seem to be showing.""I can signal them," he said, indicating his comlink."You're just now thinking of that?""No," Uldir said reluctantly. "I called them last night.""Last night? They're taking their time.""Our ship's in dry-dock. It might have taken them all night to get it out. Besides, it's not like I had exact coordinates to give them.""Maybe you would have if you hadn't had the stupidity to fly into a sweeper storm," she reminded him."Me?" Uldir growled. "I was just trying to make the best of a bad situation, and you were no help. Maybe if you weren't so closed-mouth about what it is you're up to...""Uh-uh," she said. "I can't trust you.""Not even now?""No.""That's just great.""Why don't you stop whining and call your shipmates?""I could do that, but those fliers would get a fix on us. If my friends aren't around, we'll only get caught faster."Klin-Fa slowed to a halt and gave him a glance as hard as durasteel. "Fast or slow, makes no difference," she said. "Either your crew found some way out here or not. Either we'll get caught or we won't. What, do you have a cushy retirement planned?"Uldir returned her glare, but she was right. He keyed on the comlink."This is catchhawk one," he said. "Catchhawks, do you copy?"Static drizzled for a moment, then the voice of his second-in-command, Vega Sepen, answered him."I hear you boss-boy. You're still alive, I guess." There was nothing in the tough Corellian woman's tone that suggested she'd been worried about him."I'm in a bad spot, two, right between a supernova and a black hole. Did you manage to find some legs?""Ah... sort of," Vega replied."Great. Got a fix on me?""Sorry. Don't have that sort of equipment on board, I'm afraid." There was a background gabble he couldn't quite make out � Vega talking to someone else � and some sort of music. Then Vega's voice came back. "Vook thinks he can triangulate with our comlinks. Can you keep sending?""Sure," Uldir said. "Asyui-ln.""Understood. We'll get you boss-boy, sit tight.""What's that music?""Nothing.""What in the Force are you flying, two?"Vega didn't answer."If you keep sending, they'll be able to track us," Klin-Fa snapped."Shh." He laid the comlink under a nearby rock. "I know that.""But your frien... [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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