Free Star Wars - Constant Spirit by Jennifer Heddle Page B

Rafe threw himself into the chair beside her and strapped himself in.
    “How are we doing?” Leia asked Minna.
    “Hanging in for the moment, but I don’t know how long our deflector shields are going to hold up under their attack.” As if on cue, the ship shuddered ominously. Minna blew a black curl of hair out of her face as she checked her console. “Just what I was afraid of: shields are fading fast,” she said grimly. “Down fifty percent already.”
    “Gorhan?” Leia asked.
    “Doing what I can,” he responded. “ Their shields seem to be holding better than expected.”
    “Naturally,” Leia said under her breath. “Youk, how are those calculations going?”
    “It’ll still be a few more minutes, Your High—” He ended with a yelp as another blast rocked the ship. “My apologies.”
    “It’s all right, Youk,” Leia said, trying to sound calm. “I know you’re doing what you can.” Despite her tone, her mind was racing. If this mission failed, it would reflect badly not only on her, but on her father. She was determined not to let that happen.
    Then again, if she wound up dead, it probably wouldn’t matter much to her either way.
    “Just got in a good hit!” Gorhan shouted. “We’ll have them on the run yet!”
    Leia grimaced. They must really be in trouble if Gorhan was pretending to be optimistic.
    With the next impact against the hull, Minna spat a curse. “Shields are gone,” she barked. “I’m doing what I can, but if something good doesn’t happen fast…” The ship banked hard again as the pilot tried her best to continue to evade the larger craft.
    Leia looked over at Rafe to solicit his advice, but the man was breathing loud and fast, almost as if he were having a panic attack. He looked back at her, and his gray eyes revealed his agony. “I can’t do this anymore,” he said.
    He pulled off his safety harness and ran out of the cockpit.
    “Where are you going? Rafe!” Leia considered going after him, but the ship shuddered again and she stayed put. She’d have to deal with him later.
    Another hit, and alarms started blaring. “That last blast took out the hyperdrive,” Youk said in dismay. “And disabled the alluvial dampers.”
    A pit opened in Leia’s stomach. “I think we’re in trouble.” She bit her lip, wondering what her father would do in this situation. Not get himself into it in the first place, most likely. “For now just keep trying your best to outfly them, Minna. And Gorhan, keep barraging them with gunfire.” And I’ll try to come up with something brilliant .
    “Guess now we find out if my best is good enough,” Minna said. She was gripping the yoke so tightly that the brown skin on her knuckles was turning white. Leia reached over to squeeze the other woman’s shoulder.
    “Senator, something’s happening… We’ve lost our escape pod,” Minna said in confusion. “It just launched by itself. Youk, check to see if it’s a malfunction.”

    The Mon Calamari pressed a few keys. “It doesn’t appear to be, no.”
    “Rafe,” Leia said with a gasp. “It has to be. But what is he doing? Turning himself in?”
    A moment later, the pod came into view, headed directly for the Imperial ship — more specifically, the Gatekeeper ’s bridge — and as they waited, the pod made no indication of changing course.
    “I don’t believe it. He’s going to ram them,” Minna said breathlessly.
    “Can you open up a comm channel to the pod?” Leia asked.
    “I’m trying, but he isn’t responding,” Youk informed her.
    Leia moaned. How would she ever explain this to her father?
    “It’s as crazy a plan as I’ve ever seen, but if it works, he just might save our skins,” she heard Gorhan say.
    Everyone in the cockpit seemed to be holding their breath as they watched the pod make its way toward the larger ship. The Gatekeeper , presumably intent on finishing off its more important quarry, didn’t take action against the pod until it was too