Force Heretic III: Reunion (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 17)

The Jedi move one step closer to saving the embattled galaxy— only to confront a formidable wall of resistance. The harrowing search for Zonama Sekot is finally over for Luke Skywalker, Jacen Solo, and the others aboard the Jade Shadow. But joy turns to alarm when the living planet sends a defiant message: it refuses to follow them back to a galaxy full of war, exploitation, and misery. While Luke works feverishly to persuade the elusive planet to reconsider, the Yuuzhan Vong launches a full-scale attack aimed at the heart of the new alliance. Sent to defend a major communications base, Han and Leia find themselves hopelessly outnumbered. Reinforcements are just too far away to help before everything is destroyed. So the courageous pair must now fight an unrelenting battle against staggering odds. Whether they actually survive is another matter. . . . About the Author Sean Williams and Shane Dix are the bestselling and award-winning coauthors of the Evergence series. Their last novels were Echoes of Earth and its sequel Orphans of Earth . Individually, both have numerous short story credits, and Williams is a successful author in his own right. His novels include Metal Fatigue and The Resurrected Man . His fantasy series, The Books of the Change, concluded in December 2002. Williams and Dix both live in Adelaide, South Australia, a city Salman Rushdie once described as the ideal setting for a horror story. Dix lives with his wife, Nydia, and has two children from a previous relationship. Williams lives with writer Kirsty Brooks and DJs in his spare time. For more information, please visit www.seanwilliams.com.au. Excerpt. В© Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Leia literally took a backseat during the flight to Esfandia. Trying to compete with her husband and Droma was too exhausting, and, ultimately, pointless. At times it seemed their affinity wasnвЂTMt entirely amicable, but it was perfectly natural. TheyвЂTMd hardly stopped talking since the Ryn had come aboard. Bringing each other up to date on events since theyвЂTMd parted at Fondor, they covered everything from sneaky tactics to AnakinвЂTMs death. After the latter, Droma had left the bridge for a while, to sing a plaintive lay in a language Leia didnвЂTMt understand, but then heвЂTMd returned with a story about one of his exploits in the Senex sector. The tale was as tall as a Bolenian hillspinner, but it served its purpose by easing the pall of melancholy that had engulfed the Falcon . “So they started taking apart the tanker module,” Han was saying now, relating one of his own stories to Droma, his mood far removed from the grief that had consumed him earlier. “Which you said was filled with liquid hydrogen.” “Yeah, but destroying the tanker didnвЂTMt stop the hydrogen. If anything, it spread out a little, exactly as planned.” “Why?” Droma asked, frowning. “Hydrogen wonвЂTMt burn without oxygen.” “ThatвЂTMs what Goldenrod said. ThatвЂTMs the trouble with droids: no imagination. As our shields failed, I told Leia and Jacen to punch holes through the cruiserвЂTMs hull with our quads. Before I could tell those scarheads to eat ions, there was more than enough oxygen for the hydrogen to react with. The cruiser went up so fast we had a tough time dodging the pieces. After that, it was just a matter of getting out of there. The few skips we left behind werenвЂTMt putting up much of a fight.” “Understandably. I hear Vong skips are useless once theyвЂTMre cut off from their yammosks.” “Well, theyвЂTMre not completely useless,” Han said, “but it does give you an advantage.” Droma shrugged. “Speaking of yammosks, IвЂTMve heard some stories about them that would make your tail stand on end!” Leia listened to the banter but offered nothing toward the conversation. Instead, she concentrated on the information Droma had provided them: communications had indeed been lost with the Unknown Regions. The destruction of the base on Generis and the attack on Esfandia appeared to be the source of the disruption. A free-floating proto-world, Esfandia had long since cut free from whatever star had given birth to it, but still had enough radioactivity bubbling in its core to sustain a liquid atmosphere. It wasnвЂTMt the most hospitable of places, but it didnвЂTMt need to be. A skeleton crew of about a dozen people, mainly technicians, normally inhabited the relay outpost, which had been hastily converted from a scientific station at the beginning of the war with the Yuuzhan Vong. Since LukeвЂTMs mission had entered the Unknown Regions, the Galactic AllianceвЂTMs military presence around Esfandia had been upgraded to two squadrons of X-wings and a frigate by the name of Corellian Way . What had happened to those forces was unknown. The relay staff only had time to broadcast a message alerting their superiors on Mon Calamari that they were under attack by the Yuuzhan Vong before all communications had been lost. That wasnвЂTMt necessarily a sure sign of disaster. The relay base was designed to resist such attacks. Imperial AT-AT technology had been adapted to the cold soup of EsfandiaвЂTMs environment, creating a giant, mechanical, crablike construction capable of moving from place to place at a slow but steady pace. Such mobility was an advantage, given that most of the world was studded with receivers sensitive enough to detect transmissions from deep in the Unknown Regions. The base was designed to circumnavigate the globe, maintaining the receivers, while the technicians remained safely inside. That the ability to move made it easier to hide when attacked was a bonus. The base, therefore, could have simply gone to ground, tucked away in a crevasse or under the thick silt of the atmospheric soup. If it could be found, it could be reactivated. Assuming, of course, that the Yuuzhan Vong hadnвЂTMt found it first and destroyed it for good. Leia sent her thoughts outward, far beyond her location in hyperspace, beyond Esfandia and whatever awaited them there, to her brother, Luke. The last message Cal Omas had received from him suggested heвЂTMd found a promising lead and was setting off to investigate. He hadnвЂTMt specified what that lead consisted of or where he was headed, and now there was no way they would know unless they repaired the communications outage. Leia had no doubt that, were anything terrible to happen to him, then she would know about it. She would feel it, just as she had in the past. Nevertheless, she was concerned. So much was invested in his mission—personally, and on a galactic scale—that if something were to go wrong, it would be a disaster of unimaginable proportions. The conversation between her husband and his old friend shifted as the Falcon вЂTMs console began to beep and flash, announcing that they were nearing their destination. “Right on the nose,” Han said proudly, flipping switches in readiness for the return to realspace. “And we didnвЂTMt even have to get out and push,” Droma said dryly. “Yeah, thatвЂTMs real amusing,” Han returned without smiling. “Now you want to move your funny, fuzzedup self out of that chair so Leia can come forward and help me?” “No, thatвЂTMs all right, Han,” she said as Droma began to stand. “IвЂTMm sure Droma can manage.” She couldnвЂTMt say that she was enjoying the break from routine, but it was interesting to watch HanвЂTMs interaction with the Ryn. Memories of the terrible time when Han had pulled away from her while grieving for Chewbacca still stung, but only Droma had witnessed how low Han had really sunk back then. If having the Ryn aboard did remind Han of those painful times, he certainly wasnвЂTMt letting it show. “You remember how to operate the copilotвЂTMs board?” Han asked Droma without looking up from what he was doing. “Follow orders, and curse when something goes wrong,” Droma replied with a smile. “Which it invariably does.” Han affected an indignant expression on behalf of his beloved freighter. “Hey, she may be old—” “But sheвЂTMs still got it where it counts, right?” Droma said. “What have I told you about doing that?” Han said irritably. Droma laughed. “Anyway, itвЂTMs not the age of the ship that worries me,” he said, flicking a couple of switches of his own. “ItвЂTMs the age of the pilot IвЂTMm more concerned about.” The navicomputer bleeped, cutting off any retort Han might have been about to offer. Both faced the front just as the sweeping streaks of hyperspace dissolved into a cold and distant starscape. There was no primary to dim the stars with its glare; the nearest inhabited system in this section of the Mid Rim was more than ten light years away, and the nearest star of any kind was half that distance. There was nothing for trillions of kilometers but space dust, and the tiny bauble that was the lonely world of Esfandia. Or so it should have been. As Pride of Selonia along with Twin Suns Squadron emerged from hyperspace alongside the Falcon , DromaвЂTMs eyes checked the sensor console for the orphaned planet. The Falcon вЂTMs sensor suite was still ahead of standard tech, and it soon acquired the target. It was covered with thick clouds, and glowed a burnt orange in artificial colors that looked wrong to LeiaвЂTMs eyes until she realized what was missing: because Esfandia had no sun, its sole source of heat lay at its core. And with no orbit to follow, that meant it would have no seasons, either—which in turn meant no icy poles, and no broiling equator. It would be the same temperature all over. Closer scans, however, revealed that not to be entirely the case. There were at least six hot spots on the hemisphere facing them, and even as they watched, another blossomed into life. Droma zoomed in closer to examine the cause. “Aerial bombardment,” he said. “SomeoneвЂTMs dropping mines from orbit.” “TheyвЂTMre taking out the sensors,” Leia said. “The Yuuzhan Vong are still here!” HanвЂTMs eyes darted across the displays in front of him. “IвЂTMve got a strong presence in close orbit. Seven capital vessels, nine cruisers. Not many skips detached, though. No sign of the local defenses, or the reinforcements from Mon Cal.” “I think I can guess why not, too,” Droma commented. Leia knew exactly what he meant. The Yuuzhan Vong force in orbit over Esfandia was enormous by any standard. Against the two squadrons and one frigate Esfandia had possessed, plus the two squadrons Mon Calamari had dispatched to investigate, it was almost obscene. Overkill didnвЂTMt cover it. “I thought the VongвЂTMs resources were stretched,” Droma said. Han just grunted. A crackle of information flowed across newly reopened communications lines. Captain Mayn and Jag were looking for instructions. ... ISBN : 9780345428721 Formats : AZW3, EPUB, MOBI, PDF

the Jedi Move One Step Closer To Saving The Embattled Galaxy— Only To Confront A Formidable Wall Of Resistance.

the Harrowing Search For Zonama Sekot Is Finally Over For Luke Skywalker, Jacen Solo, And The Others Aboard The Jade Shadow. But Joy Turns To Alarm When The Living Planet Sends A Defiant Message: It Refuses To Follow Them Back To A Galaxy Full Of War, Exploitation, And Misery.

while Luke Works Feverishly To Persuade The Elusive Planet To Reconsider, The Yuuzhan Vong Launches A Full-scale Attack Aimed At The Heart Of The New Alliance. Sent To Defend A Major Communications Base, Han And Leia Find Themselves Hopelessly Outnumbered. Reinforcements Are Just Too Far Away To Help Before Everything Is Destroyed. So The Courageous Pair Must Now Fight An Unrelenting Battle Against Staggering Odds. Whether They Actually Survive Is Another Matter. . . .