Rebel Stand: Enemy Lines II by Aaron Allston Read Free Book Online Page A

her X-wing was attached something that looked like a missile, the newest experimental weapon in the Twin Suns’ arsenal, but it was longer than the X-wing’s cockpit and heavy enough to turn her starfighter into something as maneuverable as a flying boulder.
    “Don’t worry, Tilath. No one has to do the dishes every time.” Jaina hit her thrusters and accelerated toward the enemy. “Let’s do this thing.”
       Charat Kraal and Harrar watched as the battle developed. The Yuuzhan Vong capital ships were being used as mobile artillery, keeping up a steady bombardment on the biotics building and the buildings around it to test, and potentially overwhelm, the infidels’ protective energy shields. Their coralskipper squadrons were charged with protection of the capital ships and elimination of enemy starfighters. It was a simple enough situation, and Harrar grasped the details readily as Charat Kraal explained them.
    “Where are the Starlancer vehicles kept—the pipefighters?” Harrar asked. He referred to the craft that had, not long before, set up a complicated energy matrix in space in the Pyria system, then fired a laser attack—one that had been somehow accelerated through hyperspace and had actually struck the Yuuzhan Vong worldship in orbit around Coruscant.
    Charat Kraal indicated a square, flat building near the biotics building. “That is where their elites keep their vehicles. Jaina Solo’s squadron is housed there. It is not atarget of today’s exercise, since most of the vehicles housed there are now coming against our forces.”
    “And where are they growing their lambent crystal?” The recent spying efforts, involving a controlled human male, had indicated that the Starlancer project required the implementation of a gigantic crystal, one grown from Yuuzhan Vong techniques and material, to increase the long-distance laser enough for it to do real harm to distant targets.
    Charat Kraal pointed to the biotics building. “There. Our agent was unable to search every portion of that structure, but eliminated many. Before he was lost, he communicated to us that he thought the deepest levels of the building, which are among those shut off from the common soldier, were the most likely location for the crystal-growing …” He had a hard time saying the next word, so hateful was it in this context. “…  machines. Our next agent will find it and arrange for its destruction, if our bombardments do not destroy this facility first.”
    “Excellent. Now, let us discuss the capture of Jaina Solo.”
       Jaina let off her trigger as the coralskipper in front of her detonated. Its pieces rained down on the jungle below. A quick check of her sensor board revealed that her wingmates, Jagged Fel and Kyp Durron, were not far away and were inbound toward her.
    Ahead was the Yuuzhan Vong cruiser, hundreds of meters of yorik coral and organic weaponry. “Let’s give its big guns something to think about,” Jaina said. Sheswitched her lasers over to quad fire and began pouring coherent light blasts at the points where the cruiser’s giant plasma cannons sprouted from its hull. “What’s your status, Tilath?”
    “Lined up on final approach. I’m fifteen seconds from optimum firing range. Fourteen.”
    “Fire when ready, don’t wait for my command.”
    “Ten.”
    Jag and Kyp joined their laserfire with Jaina’s. The voids protecting the cruiser analog had no difficulty moving into position and swallowing the destructive energy from their weapons.
    “One. Firing.”
    The missile dropped from the belly of Tilath’s X-wing. It fell a dozen meters; then its rear ignited, driving it forward at missile speeds.
    Jaina clicked her comm board over to operational frequency. “Execute ‘Low Bounce.’ Repeat, ‘Low Bounce.’ ”
    In the vicinity of the target cruiser analog, New Republic starfighters began gaining altitude. They didn’t flee; they just rose until they were above the cruiser analog’s