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

altitude. They continued fighting on their way up, continued fighting at their new altitude.
    At the same instant, Jaina, Kyp, and Piggy armed and fired proton torpedoes, one each.
    Half a kilometer short of the cruiser analog, Tilath’s missile did what it was supposed to.
    It did not shatter and fly in all directions; it was too sturdily built for that. Most of the missile was an extremely durable metal tube, open at one end. The rear closed portion was packed with a plasma-based explosivecharge. The forward two-thirds, sealed only by the fragile nose of the missile, was packed with metal ball bearings the size of human heads.
    The plasma charge detonated, superheating the ball bearings and firing them toward the target.
    They shot out, a spreading display of superheated projectiles.
    Not one of the ball bearings would do significant harm to the target when they hit; the best-placed shots that actually hit the yorik coral hull would punch through and lodge within, while the rest would bounce harmlessly away.
    No, the danger they represented was not from hitting. Each ball, heated by the plasma charge, was now identical, in specific gravity and temperature, to the proton torpedoes catching up to them from behind.
    The cruiser analog’s dovin basals sensed the incoming horde of missiles. They did not panic; fear was not part of their nature. But they knew they could not project their voids into the path of even a fraction of the incoming missiles. Instead, each prioritized, projecting its voids over the most vulnerable portions of the vessel’s flank, protecting the command crew compartment, weapons emplacements, and itself.
       Charat Kraal and Harrar watched as the Twin Suns launched four missiles—one, the largest, ahead of the others. The largest one detonated short of its target, showering the matalok with red-hot debris, but the others flashed straight in to hit, one-two-three, against the matalok’s side. The infidel weapons flashed impossibly bright,creating clouds of explosive force and debris that had once been the side and internal organs of the matalok.
    The vessel heeled over, mortally wounded, and began to turn away from the engagement. Plasma poured from its injury. It gained altitude for a moment, then settled into a straight-line course. And now its dovin basals concentrated their void protection only over the main weapons emplacements.
    Charat Kraal knew what that meant. The matalok would not make it back to space, so its commander was ordering the weapons to build up tremendous charges of plasma energy, charges that would destroy the vessel from within.
    Charat Kraal sagged as energy and pride left him for a moment. He slammed his fist into the floor next to the viewing lens. “How did she do it?” he asked. “How did she persuade the dovin basals to let their missiles through?”
    “I do not know.”
    Charat Kraal met the priest’s gaze. “It is not my place to ask this. You may choose to order me to my death for asking. But I must know. You are a priest of Yun-Harla—surely the truth is in your mind. Is Jaina Solo an avatar of the goddess?
Is
she the goddess?”
    “Of course not. She is an infidel who mocks our goddess.” But Harrar knew that he was no longer able to project confidence when he said such words. He no longer knew whether he was telling the truth.
    Charat Kraal, no new satisfaction or peace on his features, turned to a villip that lay on the floor next to him. He spoke into the Yuuzhan Vong warrior features it revealed. “Are you in position?”
    “No, Commander. It is early yet.”
    “Begin your run anyway. We cannot wait for the best moment.”
    “Understood, Commander.”
       Corran Horn saw the flight of three coralskippers peel off from the main north-side engagement and loop around toward the west side of the biotics building. “C’mon, Eight. Let’s deal with these strays.” He banked, a tight maneuver to put him in the path of the trio. Leth followed suit,