Kelta frowned as Halyn re-entered the bridge. The Ul\u2019akhoi didn\u2019t say anything or meet her gaze as he moved back to the command chair. She moved away from the wall and walked over, dropping into a crouch beside his chair. \u201cSomething wrong?\u201d she whispered in his ear.<\/p>\n
Halyn shook his head without looking. \u201cNothing important right now. Just two overeager old Rebels convinced I\u2019m going to lose the war.\u201d He raised his voice to be heard. \u201cSituation, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Vong are attempting to push through our defenses,\u201d came the tired reply. \u201cThey\u2019ve only made serious progress in one place, and Jedi Lusp is there now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I should be out there<\/em>, Kelta thought as she glanced down at the lightsabers belted to her waist. I may be a sensitive, but I\u2019m trained to fight. I could be doing Kativie a lot of good as her backup.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cRotate fresh units in,\u201d Halyn ordered. \u201cConcentrate on the areas that have taken the least beating in the last two days.\u201d<\/p>\n Kelta frowned and leaned back in. \u201cThe least active units?\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn shrugged. \u201cThe Vong can only keep up the same old tactics for so long.\u201d He nodded at the tactical holograms surrounding them. \u201cWith our aerial defenses still in place, keeping the Vong from resupply, they\u2019re going to be getting desperate. Even the Vong have a limit on how many warriors they can throw away by storming over the bodies of their own dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy now?\u201d Kelta asked.<\/p>\n The Zabrak shrugged again. \u201cCall it instinct.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSir, Jedi Lusp is reporting in,\u201d one of the officers called.<\/p>\n \u201cTransfer the signal to my comlink,\u201d Halyn ordered, hooking a headset over his ear and offering a second to Kelta. The Jedi Knight took it wordlessly and slid it on.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you there, big brother?\u201d Kativie\u2019s voice rang in Kelta\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here with Kelta,\u201d Halyn replied. \u201cWhat\u2019s your status?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve blunted the Vong\u2019s attack at this point,\u201d Kat answered. \u201cOur forces here are holding. When can they expect reinforcements?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSoon,\u201d Halyn lied. \u201cHow\u2019s morale on the line?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrustrated, but determined.\u201d Kat\u2019s voice faded for a moment as an explosion echoed over the comm, then strengthened again. \u201cLot of warriors out here frustrated because they\u2019re being pushed back. Or,\u201d she added wryly, \u201cbeing pulled back. Every one I\u2019ve talked is determined to fight to the end, though. No one thinks the Vong are unbeatable, and there\u2019s no talk of surrender or retreat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood.\u201d Halyn closed his eyes. \u201cI need you to stay out there on the front lines. Make sure we hold.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll hold,\u201d Kativie said determinedly. \u201cI could use another Jedi out here, though,\u201d she added with a touch of hope.<\/p>\n \u201cNot yet,\u201d Halyn said. \u201cYou\u2019ll see her again soon enough, though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh? Getting restless on the Cathleen<\/em>, big brother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomething like that.\u201d Halyn smiled. \u201cCan\u2019t have the Ul\u2019akhoi only standing back giving orders. Iridonians won\u2019t follow me if I don\u2019t lead from in front.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re the Hero of Iridonia and the Ul\u2019akhoi. The warriors here would follow you into a black hole if you asked them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope they\u2019re not that<\/em> foolish,\u201d Kelta joked.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they thought that black hole would swallow the Vong, they certainly are,\u201d Kat said with a touch of grim humor. \u201cSee you soon, big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the plan, Katie.\u201d<\/p>\n The link went dead and both Halyn and Kelta pulled their headsets off. \u201cYou\u2019re planning on going back out to the front line?\u201d Kelta asked with a raised eyebrow. \u201cThe last time you did that, you were nearly filleted by an amphistaff.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood thing I have a Jedi to watch my back, then,\u201d he replied with a straight face. \u201cOr at least patch me up when the Vong get done with me.\u201d<\/p>\n Kelta shook his head at his battlefield humor. \u201cEven after all these years, your jokes haven\u2019t gotten any better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut my tactics have,\u201d Halyn said with a small smile. \u201cTake a look at the tactical hologram.\u201d<\/p>\n Kelta looked up at the holo, but she couldn\u2019t see what he was talking about until one of the bridge officers lit the appropriate sector with crimson. \u201cThe Vong are making a push there, where you\u2019ve moved your forces away,\u201d she breathed.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause they were needed elsewhere,\u201d Halyn agreed. \u201cExcept they weren\u2019t moved away. There go the reinforcements.\u201d On the tactical hologram, two Muurian transports dropped straight into the hot zone, deploying the already prepared warriors. The Zabrak nodded in satisfaction. \u201cThey\u2019ll hold.\u201d He turned in his command chair. \u201cWhat\u2019s the status on Ocopaqui\u2019s special forces group? Have they deployed yet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, they have,\u201d the comm officer said. \u201cThey\u2019re deploying right now into a hot zone.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn shrugged. \u201cGuess I\u2019ll go without them, then. Prepare a Muurian for me. See if you can get Kativie on the line again\u2014if you can raise her, have her meet me at the New Horizon Designs building. Kelta, Ceikeh, you two are with me.\u201d<\/p>\n Kelta had been so intent on Halyn that she had missed the presence of the Zabrak Senator standing against the wall. She looked over, returned his nod of greeting, and rose to her feet.<\/p>\n \u201cSir,\u201d Kryi Rinnet protested, \u201cthe New Horizon Designs building is right near where the Vong are probably going to strike next.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep. That\u2019s the idea.\u201d He headed straight back to the turbolift. \u201cKryi, mind the shop while I\u2019m gone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n The turbolift door hissed open to reveal Anishor. Halyn didn\u2019t even slow as he walked past the giant Wookiee. \u201cC\u2019mon, furball. Could use you\u2014that\u2019ll make our team four.\u201d<\/p>\n <Four?> Anishor asked as the door hissed shut, with Kelta and Ceikeh barely slipping through in time. <Where are we going?><\/p>\n \u201cTo fight the Vong,\u201d Halyn said dryly. \u201cI figure the four of us are worth a scarhead army.\u201d<\/p>\n Anishor\u2019s only reply was a fierce, fang-baring grin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe enemy has anticipated you, tactician,\u201d Triak Kraal said with a note of displeasure. \u201cYour attempt to deceive the infidel has failed.\u201d<\/p>\n Ret Kraal bowed his head. \u201cI have failed you, Supreme One. If it is your will, I will take my life in recompense for my failure.\u201d<\/p>\n Triak snorted. \u201cHardly, tactician. Where would I find a suitable replacement? No, it is not your time. Your death would not benefit the Yuuzhan Vong.\u201d<\/p>\n Ret rose to his feet. \u201cThe enemy warmaster is more clever than I have given him credit for.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is easy to think less of an infidel because of his mere existence,\u201d Triak mused. \u201cWith the gods at our backs, how could any infidel stand against us? How could they possibly be more clever than the children of the gods? Truth that may be, but it is a trap of our making. We have defeated ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not defeated,\u201d Ret objected.<\/p>\n \u201cThe war is not lost, but the infidels have blunted this attack,\u201d Triak agreed. \u201cWe will need a new plan, a new strategy to defeat these Zabrak.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYet how much longer can we hold?\u201d Ret pressed his Commander. \u201cOur supplies grow short. These Zabrak destroy every food, contaminate every water they leave behind. Their accursed aerial defenses strangle our supply lines in an impossible grip.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou are the tactician,\u201d Triak growled. \u201cYou present problems\u2014now present solutions!\u201d<\/p>\n Ret bowed deeply. \u201cI have failed you yet again, Supreme One.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot yet. But defeating the enemy must be your highest goal. Upon you rests the redemption or Shame of our entire domain.\u201d Triak stared at his subordinate. \u201cShould you fail to find a solution, we shall forever be cast out of the Yuuzhan Vong!\u201d<\/p>\n A villip tender interrupted, her head bowed in humble subservience and hands filled with a villip. \u201cSupreme One, my life in compensation, but the traitor\u2019s villip has inverted.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNylah,\u201d Triak snarled as he turned and took the villip from the tender.<\/p>\n The Zabrak traitor\u2019s face was calm but clearly tired. Triak knew enough about these infidels now to recognize the signs\u2014drooping eyelids, bloodshot eyes, loose skin under the eyes. \u201cThe traitor dares show her face again,\u201d he spat.<\/p>\n \u201cCommander,\u201d she said evenly. Her tone, as near as Triak could decipher it, held no trace of the weariness her face betrayed. \u201cThe battle flows in your favor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you only contact me to gloat?\u201d Triak growled. \u201cFoolish infidel. If that is your decision, I will very personally hunt you down and remove your head.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHardly, Commander. I have already sold out my people, and I don\u2019t doubt my betrayal will become known if the Zabraks win. My only chance of survival is in your victory.\u201d Her tone was contrite.<\/p>\n \u201cI have little time for your games,\u201d the Yuuzhan Vong commander said. \u201cThe battle demands my full attention.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will be brief, then, Commander,\u201d Nylah replied. \u201cI offer you the life of the Zabrak general, our Ul\u2019akhoi, Halyn Sanshir.\u201d<\/p>\n That<\/em> comment brought both Triak and Ret\u2019s full attention to the villip.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you are too preoccupied to speak of it now, I will try to make contact again later,\u201d Nylah continued. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to inconvenience\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpeak, infidel.\u201d Triak\u2019s voice was low and cold. \u201cYour fate hangs on the edge of a coufee. Make good on your offer, and your life and your precious credits will be long and many. Fail, and only death awaits.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI offer the fruit on the vine,\u201d Nylah countered. \u201cIt is up to you to pluck it and consume it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGive us this fruit, then,\u201d Triak said shortly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Ul\u2019akhoi makes his base of operations in the wreckage of the Star Cruiser Cathleen<\/em>, which you pulled out of orbit,\u201d Nylah began.<\/p>\n \u201cOur readers surmised as much,\u201d Triak countered.<\/p>\n \u201cHe also makes his home<\/em> there, among the ruins. He has surrounded himself with those unable or unwilling to fight. The young and the elderly, the wounded and infirm, all are hidden within the remains of the Cathleen<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow does that make him vulnerable?\u201d Triak asked contemptuously. \u201cEven the weak and infirm can raise an alarm, can trouble an invading force. We would fight our way through a thousand sick and dying to strike down your infidel leader, and it would take far too long to prevent him from slipping the attack.\u201d<\/p>\n Nylah shook her head, with the villip doing its best to match the motion. \u201cNo, Commander. I offer you the specifics\u2014where the Ul\u2019akhoi\u2019s personal quarters are.\u201d<\/p>\n Triak and Ret exchanged glances. This leak could end the life of their most hated foe and turn the tide of the battle for Rak\u2019Edalin in a single night.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have all the information an assassination team would need,\u201d Nylah hedged. \u201cThe hull was fractured and breached in many places in the crash; a team should be able to find an infiltration point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you know the Ul\u2019akhoi\u2019s location, slit his throat yourself and your rewards will be doubled,\u201d Triak offered. \u201cBring us his head and live the rest of your life in infidel riches.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA tempting offer, but one I cannot take up at this time,\u201d Nylah said with a trace of sadness. \u201cThe Ul\u2019akhoi has divided up all of us who give him counsel and dispatched us to different fields of battle. He has kept only a few around him\u2014a Jedi bodyguard and a handful of others. Were I to attempt to slay him, I would be quickly caught and executed for my treason, most likely without succeeding.\u201d<\/p>\n Triak and Ret exchanged looks again. The infidel warmaster had changed his methods of operation. No doubt he suspects there is a traitor within his own domain<\/em>, Triak told himself. The death of this traitor would be no great loss to Domain Kraal, but she will hardly sacrifice herself for our case. She is, after all, an infidel.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cTell me, then,\u201d Triak said as he leaned toward the villip. \u201cWhere does the Zabrak warmaster sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThis is the third stupidest thing you\u2019ve done that I\u2019ve known about in the last twenty years,\u201d Kelta hollered over the rush of wind.<\/p>\n \u201cThird, huh?\u201d Halyn shouted back. \u201cDoes that count Endor?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo! You were under orders there!\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn snorted and shook his head at the red-headed Jedi Knight. In spite of his best efforts, he kept seeing flashes of her with eyes twenty years younger. You\u2019re not a kid anymore,<\/em> he told himself firmly. And neither is she.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSo what\u2019s the second dumbest?\u201d he asked as the rush of wind was replaced by the whine of repulsorlifts.<\/p>\n \u201cThinking that bringing the Vong down to the surface of Iridonia was a good<\/em> idea,\u201d she yelled.<\/p>\n Halyn laughed aloud, though the repulsorlifts drowned it out. Through the open hatch, he could see Rak\u2019Edalin spread out before him, and the thin line of demarcation between the Iridonian defenders and the Yuuzhan Vong invaders.<\/p>\n About half of the city was now in Yuuzhan Vong hands. The sections of it still in the hands of the Zabraks stood tall and bright, untouched by the ravages of war. The broad swaths that had fallen were smoking ruins, quite often literally. The Yuuzhan Vong would destroy every blasphemous creation the Zabraks left behind, but Halyn had given orders to deny them that capability. The defenders had carried with them everything usable they could scavenge and pack, and destroyed everything else.<\/p>\n Halyn\u2019s strategy for victory relied heavily on cutting the Yuuzhan Vong supply lines and starving the invaders of the materiel they needed to conduct a war. The old veteran had understood very well that merely cutting the supply lines wouldn\u2019t do the entirety of the job; while the Vong wouldn\u2019t soil themselves by touching or wielding infidel weapons, they very well could<\/em> use Zabrak food and water, which would keep them fighting for a very long time.<\/p>\n Still, it was difficult to see so much of Rak\u2019Edalin in ruin. Halyn closed his eyes. It\u2019s necessary. You knew this from the beginning. You knew it wouldn\u2019t be a quick or easy war, and that you\u2019d have to make the hard choices. You knew that, when it\u2019s all over, you may not be welcome on your own world, but you also knew no one else could make these decisions.<\/em><\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean you have to like them, though.<\/em> He grasped that thought for a moment. You haven\u2019t become the villain\u2014not yet, anyways. You\u2019re sacrificing a little to save Iridonia, and there\u2019s not another way. Not with the New Republic in shambles and no other friendly forces to save you. No, it had to be that way, and you knew it.<\/em><\/p>\n He forced his thoughts away from the grief gnawing at his heart, staring out into the open air. The New Horizon Designs building was squarely ahead now, like a zhaboka jutting up from a beach. It was the tallest building in all of Rak\u2019Edalin, more than double the height of the now-fallen Capitol.<\/p>\n The building had went up several years after the battle of Endor. New Horizon Designs had decided that Iridonia, with its focus on starfighter defenses over traditional star-faring fleets, was the ideal headquarters for a starfighter development and manufacturing company. NHD\u2019s research facilities had led to some of the refits to starfighters across Zabrak space, and their manufacturing capabilities had turned out nearly half of the T-wings built for Iridonia\u2019s defenses.<\/p>\n After the peace treaty with the Empire, however, New Horizon Designs had moved their headquarters to Coruscant. Some of the company\u2019s facilities, employing Zabrak engineers and laborers, were still producing equipment, which included a very large part of the supplies needed to keep Iridonia\u2019s fighter defenses in the air. The headquarters building, however, had been reduced to a maintenance staff.<\/p>\n Staff which had been evacuated when the Vong landed outside Rak\u2019Edalin.<\/p>\n The New Horizon Designs building was now abandoned and, as a pinnacle of engineering, would be a juicy target for the Yuuzhan Vong.<\/p>\n Halyn adjusted his duster to fall more comfortably across his shoulders. He checked his sidearm, a Power5 pistol, confirmed his zhaboka was still slung across his back with a tip of his head, and ensured the long, Wookiee-forged blade was hanging securely inside his duster.<\/p>\n Around him, he saw his three companions doing similar checks: Anishor warming up with a rykk blade, Ceikeh Alari using his zhaboka as a simple pole to help stretch tight muscles, and Kelta now dropping into a meditative posture, a lightsaber in either hand.<\/p>\n Halyn smiled. It\u2019s been twenty years since we all fought together in the Civil War\u2014well, aside from Ceikeh\u2014but they\u2019re still as sharp as ever. Maybe they\u2019re even better than they were back then.<\/em><\/p>\n The whine of the repulsors seemed to grow even louder as the Muurian\u2019s forward flight slowed further. The transport was descending now, the ground growing nearer. Halyn peaked out the open ramp and was satisfied to note that no dizziness or vertigo assaulted him. I\u2019m still as good as I ever was<\/em>, he thought smugly. I could still step into a starfighter without a problem.<\/em><\/p>\n Kelta Rose appeared beside him and flashed him a stunning smile. Without hesitating, she walked to the end of the open ramp and jumped into the open air.<\/p>\n \u201cShow-off!\u201d Halyn shouted after her, though he doubted she could hear him.<\/p>\n Anishor and Ceikeh both snickered behind him. The Ul\u2019akhoi turned and glared at his friends. \u201cWhat are you laughing at?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing, boss,\u201d Ceikeh said with a grin. \u201cYou should\u2019ve been the Jedi in your family, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn snorted as the transport slowed its descent, his knees taking the pressure. \u201cNo one wants to see the galaxy where I<\/em> was a Jedi,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Dust billowed up from the sand in front of the New Horizon Designs building as the repulsors kicked up loose material. Halyn ran to the end of the ramp, dropping the last meter to the ground in an imitation of Kelta\u2019s graceful leap from a hundred meters up. Anishor and Ceikeh followed a moment later, and Halyn turned back to wave the pilot off. The Muurian lifted up on its repulsorlifts, spinning away and rising quickly on a jet of ions.<\/p>\n Halyn turned back and saw now why Kelta had leapt from the transport: an emerald lightsaber blade was flashing through the dust, as bright as the sun itself. Even as he watched, twin purple flames joined it, the three lightsabers the only visible sign of anyone in the choking cloud.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I didn\u2019t come here for drinks!\u201d Halyn shouted above the now-fading din of the Muurian\u2019s engines. \u201cC\u2019mon!\u201d<\/p>\n Unhooking the zhaboka from his back, he rushed towards the already-engaged battle, a Wookiee berserker and an ex-mercenary at his back.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kativie parried madly, her teeth clenched tightly as another Yuuzhan Vong bore down on her with maddened strength. \u201cNot today,\u201d she snarled, thrusting his attack aside and spinning around. Her lightsaber blade flicked neatly through his neck, leaving the decapitated warrior to fall bonelessly to the ground.<\/p>\n She barely had time to block the next attack: a Yuuzhan Vong warrior leapt straight over the body of his falling comrade, bringing his amphistaff down in a powerful overhand strike.<\/p>\n The Jedi\u2019s wrists strained with the shock, barely holding the hissing staff at bay. You\u2019re a small woman<\/em>, her master had once told her during a lightsaber sparring exercise. You will almost always face opponents who are taller and stronger than you. Use your quickness, and don\u2019t allow a\u00a0fight to devolve into a contest of strength.<\/em> And, more insidious, the voice of her very first instructor in the ways of the Force: you cannot match me, strength for strength. Turn my attacks aside instead of blocking them.<\/em><\/p>\n She slipped out from under the amphistaff, spinning aside. Her lightsaber flipped up in a defensive pattern. Kativie couldn\u2019t see, couldn\u2019t feel any incoming attacks through the Force, but her shining blade pushed away two strikes nonetheless. She smiled as she set herself, ready now to face her opponent.<\/p>\n Except it wasn\u2019t one opponent; it was three.<\/p>\n Before she could strike, dust billowed across all three of them as the whine of a transport\u2019s repulsorlifts assaulted her ears. Barely able to see, she flicked the blade defensively again, fending off another pair of strikes probing for her through the haze. She was grateful again, in that moment, that Master Skywalker had developed the technique after the outbreak of war with the Yuuzhan Vong\u2014a pattern developed from the old Form III of lightsaber combat, Soresu. It had saved Kativie\u2019s life a hundred times over, and she had no doubt it had saved many other Jedi as well.<\/p>\n Purple fire erupted in the dust near her, and her Force senses were filled with the shining presence of another Jedi. Kelta!<\/em> Nearby, Kativie could sense three other presences as well: the brilliant light of the berserker Anishor, the calm determination and inexhaustible energy of her brother Halyn, and the grim experience of Senator Alari.<\/p>\n Oh, maybe this won\u2019t be so bad.<\/em> Kativie sprung forward through the dust, lightsaber striking instinctively. A Yuuzhan Vong warrior went down in with a howl, a mass of scorched flesh where his eyes had been. She stabbed her lightsaber down into the amphistaff\u2019s head, killing the serpent before it could strike at her feet.<\/p>\n Two left. One<\/em>, she amended as she saw another Vong fall in three pieces, victim to Kelta\u2019s twin lightsabers.<\/p>\n The last Vong warrior snarled and turned to engage the closer Kelta. Instead of attempting to rush him, Kativie released the grip on her lightsaber. The Force flooded through her, bending to her will: the green-white blade stabbed forward impossibly fast, impaling the Yuuzhan Vong warrior. As he crumpled to the ground, the hilt returned to her hand with a satisfying smack<\/em>.<\/p>\n The dust was just starting to clear when Halyn, Anishor, and Ceikeh slid to a stop, weapons in hand.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a little slow for a rescue,\u201d Kativie remarked wryly.<\/p>\n \u201cHardly,\u201d was her brother\u2019s dry reply.<\/p>\n Kativie looked back through the clearing dust cloud. A hundred Yuuzhan Vong warriors stood ready fifty meters away, amphistaffs in hand. \u201cDo-ro\u2019ik vong pratte!\u201d they shouted as one.<\/p>\n \u201cTactical retreat,\u201d Halyn suggested. He turned. \u201cKelta, you take lead. Get us up to the roof of New Horizon Designs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d she said, as if in a daze. She turned and sprinted towards the skyscraper, lightsabers blazing.<\/p>\n The remains of the Zabrak squad that had been guarding this section of the battlefront abandoned their pitifully sparse cover to join Kativie and the others. The survivors only numbered a half-dozen. \u201cSir,\u201d said the ranking officer, a boy of no older than seventeen, \u201cOrders?\u201d<\/p>\n The Yuuzhan Vong began to walk towards the Zabrak defenders. \u201cRight,\u201d Kativie said with a nod. \u201cFollow us. This is going to get ugly, so try to keep up.\u201d She looked over at Halyn. \u201cI assume you have a plan besides trapping us on top of the tallest building in Rak\u2019Edalin?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy does everyone complain about my plans?\u201d Halyn asked theatrically.<\/p>\n The door into New Horizon Designs fell to the ground with a thump. \u201cAre you guys coming?\u201d Kelta shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I think it\u2019s time to leave this party,\u201d Halyn said agreeably, flicking the zhaboka back around to lock into place against his back. \u201cBlasters only,\u201d he advised. \u201cNo stopping to duel. Everyone follow Kelta. Anishor, you ride drag on our Iridonian defenders here. Katie, borrow a blaster\u2014we\u2019ve got rearguard. Now let\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n The Yuuzhan Vong were beginning to trot now towards the pitifully small band of defenders. On Halyn\u2019s orders, the band sprinted towards the New Horizon Designs building. The Vong let out a roar of outrage, picking up their own pace to pursue.<\/p>\n Kelta was well in the lead, leaving a smoking pile of doors in her wake. Ceikeh led the half-dozen warriors as closely behind her as he could manage, but even with the disadvantage of breaking trail, Kelta was able to keep lead over them. Her twin lightsabers carved through doors twice as quickly as Kativie\u2019s single blade would have managed.<\/p>\n Kativie and Halyn lagged behind, firing almost continually at their Yuuzhan Vong pursuers. Kativie held her lightsaber in her off-hand, only bringing it up to pick off incoming thud bugs and razor bugs.<\/p>\n The siblings were indiscriminate with their blasters, burning holes through floors, walls, ceilings, and Yuuzhan Vong. The invaders, finding their initial attacks ineffective, resorted to blast bugs instead. Halyn and Kativie both attempted to shoot them out of the air, though their detonations still blew holes through the thin walls and floors of the structure.<\/p>\n Kativie grimaced as their pursuers choked the stairwells below them, all of them determined to get a crack at the Jeedai<\/em> and the mad Zabrak defenders. As she pulled a thermal detonator from her belt, she wondered briefly if the Yuuzhan Vong had recognized her brother as the hated Ul\u2019akhoi. She thumbed the thermal detonator to life with a three-second timer and pulled her arm back to throw.<\/p>\n Halyn snatched the detonator out of her hand, his own closing to hold the trigger in place. \u201cAre you crazy?\u201d he shouted. \u201cYou\u2019ll bring the building down on us!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou have a better idea?\u201d Kativie shot back.<\/p>\n \u201cTake your lightsaber to the stairs!\u201d<\/p>\n Grimacing, she brought her almost forgotten blade down to slash away at the stairs below her. They groaned in protest as supports gave way. The Vong howled and rushed even faster, barely slowed by Halyn\u2019s rapid-fire blasts in their ranks. Kativie retreated further up the stairs, Halyn moving more slowly as he attempted to slow the Yuuzhan Vong attack. It wasn\u2019t working; in spite of their leaders falling to repeated hits to the face and torso and belly, they continued their intense pursuit.<\/p>\n Kativie reached the next landing and slashed her blade through the stairs. Deprived of support both above and below, the stairs rumbled and started to fall away. Abruptly, her brain caught up with her. Halyn is still on the stairs!<\/em><\/p>\n She dropped her lightsaber, the blade hissing into oblivion as the deadman switch in the handgrip killed its power. She swung her free hand out, grabbing Halyn\u2019s outstretched arm as the stairs fell away. His sudden weight nearly pulled them both into the hole, but the Force rooted her into place on the stairs, and gave her the strength to pull him up.<\/p>\n They stood shakily for a moment, both breathing hard. Kativie called her lightsaber back to her hand, and Halyn just stood and trembled. \u201cThat,\u201d he said, \u201cwas too close.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNext time, I\u2019ll give you the lightsaber,\u201d Kativie joked.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll hold you to that.\u201d He looked back at the collapsed staircase and the crowd of Yuuzhan Vong now freeing hordes of flying bugs from belts and bandoleers. \u201cThat\u2019s not going to hold them off for more than a minute or two. We\u2019d better catch up with the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kelta frowned as Halyn re-entered the bridge. The Ul\u2019akhoi didn\u2019t say anything or meet her gaze as he moved back to the command chair. She moved away from the wall and walked over, dropping into a crouch beside his chair. … Continue reading