Refugee: Force Heretic II Read Online Free PDF Page B

Know, however, that I will not remain in this system for long. Comply with my request, or face the consequences.”
    The image winked out.
    “Well, you heard the commander,” Luke said to the pilot, who had watched the show with interest. “I guess we’d better get moving …”
    “All X-wings,” came Jaina’s voice over the subspace combat channel, “lock S-foils in attack position. Clawcraft: arm and target approaching vessels. Battle plan A-seven.”
    “Copy that,” Jag returned on behalf of Twin Suns’ Chiss pilots.
    Leia watched as the formation of fighters split into three groups—two pairs and a triplet, Galactic Alliance and Chiss fighters flying alongside each other with perfect precision. The calm command in her daughter’s voice made her proud; no matter how surprised by the sudden attack Jaina must have been, she didn’t let it show. Neither was there any suggestion of concern for the fact that her squadron hadn’t had any experience in combat against Ssi-ruuvi fighters.
    Any sign of composure that General Panib had displayedearlier now evaporated totally in the face of this abrupt turnabout of events.
    “Please, wait,” he urged frantically. “There’s been a terrible misunderstanding!”
    “You bet there has,” Han said. “One we intend to clear up for you very shortly. Those ships belong to the enemy, and we’ll knock them out of your skies if they come anywhere near us. You got that?”
    “More launches,” Leia said, registering fighters coming from
Defender
. “A-wings and B-wings, this time; not Ssi-ruuk.”
    Han glanced at the scanner board. “Those had better be coming to help us, Panib.”
    “Falcon
, I beseech you not to order your ships to open fire!” All semblance of calm had left the general’s voice; only panic remained. “All these ships comprise a peaceful envoy to ensure your safe passage to orbit.”
    “All of them?” Han snorted. “Yeah, right. If enteching humans and using them to fly those fighters heading our way constitutes peaceful behavior, then I don’t think we’re speaking the same language. Those fighters have precisely thirty seconds to turn around before we start opening fire.”
    “Han, look at this,” Leia said, studying the display before her. It showed one of the Ssi-ruuvi vessels up close. The image was fuzzy but clear enough to make out some details. “Do those engine housings look familiar to you?”
    Han frowned at the image. “What about them?”
    “They look an awful lot like ion jets to me.”
    “So?”
    “Since when did the Ssi-ruuk start using standard engines on their fighters?”
    “What are you saying, Leia?”
    “That there’s more here than meets the eye,” she said. “You’ll note also that our transmissions are not being jammed.”
    Han’s frown deepened as his instincts conflicted with what Leia was suggesting. “It has to be a trick,” he said, shaking his head. “They want us to drop our guard.”
    Leia wasn’t convinced. “It doesn’t add up, Han. If they really wanted to do that, then why not just let us land first and
then
attack us?”
    She could almost see the thoughts behind his eyes racing through his mind. What if Panib
was
telling the truth? A mistake could be extremely costly.
    Then there was the matter of the mysterious intruder on the secure comm channels. He had been silent since the Ssi-ruuvi vessels had launched. If their intentions had been to stir things up between Panib and the visitors, in order to ensure the worst possible reception of the alien fighters, then they had certainly succeeded.
    “The pilots of those ships aren’t human,” Tahiri said, breaking into the discussion softly. Leia turned to face the young Jedi; the girl’s eyes were still closed, as though meditating. “They’re definitely alien. And—” She hesitated for a second, then her eyes flickered open. “Everyone’s heard the stories about the Ssi-ruuk and how awful entechment is. It’s supposed to be agony,