Legacy 9 Invincible.pdf

Invincible

by Troy Denning

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For my parents Robert and Jane Denning and the rescue dogs of the Longears Ranch

Many people contributed to this book in ways large and small. I would like to

thank them all, especially the following: Andria Hayday for her support,

critiques, and many fine suggestions; James Luceno, Leland Chee, Howard Roffman,

Amy Gary, Pablo Hidalgo, and Keith Clayton for their valuable contributions

during our brainstorming sessions; Shelly Shapiro and Sue Rostoni for their many

wonderful ideas, for their patience and insight, and especially for being so

much fun to work with; my fellow writers, Aaron Allston and Karen Traviss, for

all their hard work and their myriad other contributions to this book and the

series; Laura Jorstad, for her careful copyediting under pressure (with my

apologies); all the people at Lucasfilm and Del Rey who make writing Star Wars

so much fun; and, finally, George Lucas for letting us take his galaxy in this

exciting new direction.

Most of the jokes at the start of each chapter came from one of my favorite Star

Wars collections, Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta's Young Jedi Knights

series. Jokes were also contributed by Andria Hayday and Sue Rostoni.

Ben Skywalker; Jedi Knight (human male)

Boba Fett; Mandalorian bounty hunter, Mand'alor (human male)

Darth Caedus (formerly Jacen Solo); Sith Lord (human male)

Han Solo; captain, Millennium Falcon (human male)

Jagged Fel; Jedi support pilot (human male)

Jaina Solo; Jedi Knight (human female)

Leia Organa Solo; Jedi Knight (human female)

Lon Shevu; captain, Galactic Alliance Guard (human male)

Luke Skywalker; Jedi Grand Master (human male)

Mirta Gev; Mandalorian bounty hunter (human female)

Prince Isolder; father to the Hapan Queen Mother (human male)

Saba Sebatyne; Jedi Master (Barabel female)

Tahiri Veila; Sith apprentice (human female)

Taryn Zel; Hapan Security operative (human female)

Tenel Ka; Hapan Queen Mother (human female)

Trista Zel; Hapan Security operative (human female)

Zekk; Jedi Knight (human male)

Prologue

A LONG TIME AGO:

Jaina Solo sits alone in the cold, her knees drawn tight to her chest and her

arms wrapped around her legs to conserve body heat. She is fourteen, and she

hasn't slept in days because her captors flood her cell with harsh bright light

at odd intervals. She has never been so hungry, and her body aches from the

daily beatings her tormentors call "training." She knows what they are trying to

take from her, and she refuses to surrender it. But she is alone and frightened

and in more pain than she has ever before endured, and her will is a strand of

spider silk holding a crystal chandelier. One more beating, one more sleepless

rest period, one more hour spent shivering on a bare durasteel bunk, and she may

drop that chandelier. And that scares her more than dying, because it means

submitting to her fear, embracing her anger:because it means turning to the dark

side.

Then the place in her heart that belongs to her brother begins to warm, and she

knows Jacen is thinking of her. She pictures him sitting in his own cell in

another spoke of the space station, his brown hair wavy and tousled, his jaw

clenched with earnest resolve, and the warm place in her heart starts to grow.

She stops shivering, her hunger fades, and her fear turns to resolve.

This is the gift of their twin bond: that neither Jaina nor Jacen is ever truly

alone. They share a connection through the Force that will always sustain them.

When one grows weak, the other strengthens. When one hurts, the other soothes.

It is a bond that cannot be broken by any power in the galaxy, as much a part of

them as the Force itself.

So Jaina puts aside her despair and turns her thoughts to escape, because when

she and Jacen work together, nothing is impossible. They are on a space station,

so they are going to have to steal a spacecraft. They will have to find a way to

deactivate the hangar's containment field, perhaps through sabotage or by

forging a launch authorization. And that means they are going to need some time

before the guards realize they're gone-especially since they have to free their

friend Lowbacca before fleeing.

The only way to tell time in the cell is to count heartbeats, and Jaina is too

busy planning to do that. So when Jacen's place in her heart begins to grow

larger and more full, she has no idea how much time has passed. But she has felt

the sensation thousands of times before, and she knows what it means: her

brother is coming.

Jaina's pulse begins to pound with excitement, and soon she can feel Jacen's

pulse pounding to the same rhythm. He is very close now, coming down the

corridor outside her cell-and she cannot sense any other presences accompanying

him. She doesn't want him to know how frightened she has been-or how close she

has come to breaking-so she begins a Jedi breathing exercise to calm herself.

Then she feels him stop two cells away.

Not there, dummy, Jaina thinks. Keep coming.

There is a flutter in Jaina's heart as Jacen grows confused, and she worries

that her brother is about to open the wrong cell and ruin their escape. She

reaches out to him in the Force, trying to physically pull him toward her, and

soon the control pad outside her cell door begins to click.

Jaina breathes a sigh of relief, then folds her arms across her chest and leans

back against the wall. She knows this is going to take awhile, because Jacen is

really bad with machinery.

Somehow, though, he deactivates the alarm before he unlocks the cell, then

manages to unlock the cell without activating the intercom to the control

center. Finally, the door hisses open, and Jaina sees her twin brother standing

outside, smirking at her with a replica of their father's famous lopsided grin.

"Hi, Jaina," he says. "I don't suppose you'd like to-"

"What took you so long?" Jaina demands, interrupting her brother's fun. He is

always making jokes and wisecracks, and they are always lame. "I've been waiting

for you."

She slips off her bunk and steps through the door past him, then looks down the

corridor in both directions, searching for guards or other signs of trouble.

Jacen isn't much better at planning than fixing machinery, so-however he managed

to get this far-there is a good chance that the guards are on to him by now.

But the famous Solo luck seems to be with him today, and Jaina sees nothing but

the closed doors of other cells. She would like to free the other captives, but

she knows better than to try. Their wills have already been broken, and one of

them would be sure to alert the guards. So Jaina simply closes her own door and

leans closer to Jacen.

"What now?" she asks. "Have you figured out where Lowbacca is?"

Jacen flushes, then drops his gaze to the floor. "Not yet," he admits. "I was

sort of hoping you might have a plan."

Jaina smiles. "Of course I do," she says. "Didn't I say I've been waiting?"

Chapter 1

What do you call the person who brings dinner to a rancor? The appetizer!

-Jacen Solo, age 14, Jedi academy on Yavin 4

The tunnel descending into "Nickel One's Transportation" warrens was typically

Verpine: square, straight, and lined with so many tubes, ducts, and conduits

that it was impossible to see native rock. It was also crazy-clean in that

maybe-the-hive-mother-has-a-problem kind of way, with a spotless smoke-blue

floor and gleaming aquamarine pipe-work which made it virtually identical to the

rest of the passages Jaina had seen while touring of the asteroid's defenses.

Even with her Force abilities, she found it impossible to tell exactly where she

and Boba Fett were inside the insect colony:and whether they had any chance of

rejoining the Mandalorian garrison commandos before stormtroopers began landing.

It was three weeks after the battle of Fondor, and-following a series of threats

and overtures from all sides of the Galatic Civil War-the Verpine had invited

the Mandalorians to establish a base on Nickel One to deter anyone who might

think of forcing the issue. Obviously, the deterrant hadn't worked. Just a

standard hour earlier, Jana and Fett had been inspecting the asteroid's defenses

when an Imperial Remnant flotilla had unexpectedly arrived from hyperspace and

made a feint toward the primary loading docks. Half an hour later, a full

planetary invasion fleet had arrived and pounded Nickel One's surface defenses

into slag and dust. Soon the actual troop-drop would begin, and even the Verpine

entertained no hopes of repelling it. The only question was where the Imperials

would land first.

An urgent drone rose ahead, and the bitter taint of Verpine alarm pheromones

grew thick in the tunnel's muggy air. The guide-a thick-limbed insect with the

spiked carahide and heavy mandibles of the soldier caste-started to walk faster,

and Jaina began to worry that a swarm of frenzied warriors would mistake her and

Fett for the enemy. When Fett's hand drifted toward his holstered blaster, she

knew she wasn't the only one concerned.

Still, she didn't dare suggest that their guide comm ahead to remind his fellow

Verpine that she and Fett were on the hive's side. She knew how Fett would view

such an obvious precaution-and maybe he was right. Maybe any appearance of

weakness was a weakness.

Jaina had been training with the legendary bounty hunter for just a little more

than a standard month, but she had come to know him well. At times, she could

almost read his mind. When the Remnant flotilla had feinted toward the loading

docks, she had predicted that he would pretend to fall for the ruse:and watched

him send a wing of Bes'uliike out to "drive off" the enemy. When the actual

invasion fleet had arrived, she had guessed that Fett would counterpunch hard.

In fact, he had convinced Nickel One's High Coordinator to hurl her entire

starfighter force at the Remnant's flagship, the Dominion, and the Super Star

Destroyer had quickly become a flaming hulk.

Now, with the asteroid's capture a virtual certainty, Jaina knew Fett would not

meet the invaders on the surface. He would opt for a far bloodier strategy,

attacking them in the narrow access tunnels that led down from the air locks,

making them pay in lives for every meter they advanced.

And Jaina knew that her training had just come to an end, because Boba Fett

would not risk her-the tool of his vengeance against his daughter's killer-in a

battle he could not win. As soon as they passed a hangar with a serviceable

starfighter still inside, he would cut Jaina loose and tell her to go hunt down

her twin brother.

What Jaina did not know was whether she was ready. She could fight any three men

in Keldabe and be the only one left standing. She could splat a dyeball on

Fett's armor anywhere she wanted. She could outfly Mandalore's best pilots in

any vessel they chose, and shoot down an entire squadron in elite combat

simulations.

None of that meant she was good enough to bring down a Sith Lord.

And she had to be. If Mara had been frightened enough of her brother's

transformation to attempt killing him, then it was up to Jaina to finish the

job. Jacen-or Darth Caedus, as he called himself now-had to be stopped-for Mara

and Ben and Luke, for her parents and Tenel Ka and Allana, for Kashyyyk and

Fondor and the rest of the galaxy.

But was she ready?

After a few moments of descent, the alarm pheromones grew so thick that Jaina's

eyes started to burn, and the Force sizzled with the excitement and outrage of

thousands of insectoids. The drone ahead blossomed into a dull roar, and then

the tunnel opened into the worst pedjam she had ever seen. Swarms of thick-

limbed Verpine with spiked carahide and ryyk-sized mandibles were pouring into

the main transportation depot, climbing over one another or using their shatter

rifles like plow blades as they crowded into the cavern from a dozen different

directions.

Jaina and Fett's escort pushed into the writhing mass and was immediately shoved

first one way, then the other. Soon he became almost indistinguishable from the

rest of the Verpine mass-even to Jaina, who, as a former Killik Joiner, could

tell the insects apart far better than most humans. She grabbed hold of the

guide's ammunition belt and held tight, using the Force to shoulder aside any

warrior who tried to slip between them.

When they had made no appreciable progress after fifteen seconds, Fett butted

his way to the guide's side. "At this rate, the Imperials are going to be inside

before I can post my men. Is there another way to the command bunker?"

The guide rocked his tubular head, thinking, then blinked his bulbous eyes. "We

might be able to cross the surface-"

"Forget it," Fett said.

There was no need to explain his reluctance-not to Jaina. With an invasion fleet

bombarding Nickel One and an armada of assault shuttles about to descend on the

surface, trying to cross fifty kilometers of asteroid in a dustcrawler was a

long shot-and Fett always played the odds, especially when it came to risking

his life.

"You've got clearance from the High Coordinator," Fett said. "Tell 'em to make a

hole."

"I am," the guide replied. His voice was surprisingly thin and reedy for a being

nearly the size of a Wookiee, most likely because it was so seldom used. Verpine

usually "talked" using biologically generated radio waves, resorting to sound

only when speaking to other species. "But the enemy has launched its first swarm

of assault shuttles, and a thousand other combat directors and several battle

coordinators are also demanding the right-of-way. We all have priority one

clearance from Her Maternellence."

"I thought your kind was supposed to be organized," Fett growled. He pointed

across the vault toward a loading area that Jaina could barely see through the

swarm of huge insects ahead. "That our tube?"

"Yes-DownYellow Express FiftySeat," the guide said. "But they are running low on

passenger capsules, so we may need to switch-"

"So we need to get there first," Fett growled.

He squared his shoulders and started to shove ahead, but Jaina had anticipated

his impatience and was already using the Force to hold him back. "Ladies first,"

she said, gliding past. "Now that you're a Head of State, you might want to

learn some manners."

She began to use the Force to clear a path, her hand moving back and forth ever

so slightly as she sent Verpine warriors tottering aside or stumbling to sudden

halts. Fett grunted and followed close on her heels, with their guide-Osos

Niskooen-peering over both their shoulders in astonishment.

A couple of rib-battering minutes later, they emerged from the swarm onto a

yellow loading platform and found themselves teetering above a two-meter drop

into a transportation tube. At the bottom, Jaina could see translucent waves of

energy sweeping along a raised repulsor rail, carrying a steady stream of dust,

stone, and refuse at speeds in excess of two hundred kilometers an hour.

The Verpine behind them continued to press forward, and now Jaina found herself

holding the swarm back with the Force as a long durasteel capsule shot out of

the adjacent tunnel and whooshed to a stop in front of the loading area. The

capsule opened along its full length, the entire upper quarter sliding upward.

Jaina got a brief glimpse of two rows of inward-facing seats before Verpine

soldiers began to literally spill into the capsule.

"Come on, Jedi."

Fett grabbed her and jumped into the writhing mass, elbowing and kicking

alongside the rest of the passengers as he fought for a place. Jaina used the

Force to keep a small area around them clear until a loud hiss sounded above

their heads and the door slid closed. An instant later the capsule shot down the

transport tube and the entire mass of occupants was thrown toward the rear of

the passenger compartment.

As the capsule reached full speed, the Verpine quickly began to untangle

themselves. Despite the loading chaos, everyone seemed to have a seat. Jaina and

Fett sat across from a soldier she thought she recognized as their guide.

"Niskooen?" she asked.

"Correct," the insect replied. "Most humans have as much trouble distinguishing

our scents as we do yours."

"She's had practice," Fett said, turning his helmet toward Niskooen. "So what's

the situation topside?"

Niskooen fell silent for a moment as he consulted with his fellow Verpine, then

said, "Our surface batteries have taken a heavy toll, and the enemy's first

assault shuttles are starting to land. Their whiteshells are beginning to

debark."

"I could guess that much," Fett grumbled. "I mean where? Which air locks?"

Niskooen was quiet for a moment, then reported, "No air locks. The initial mass

is swarming HighGround RockyPlain TwentyKilometer Left."

Fett turned to Jaina. "The next time I do a base inspection, remind me to bring

my own communications officer-or better yet, not to get caught in a surprise

attack at all."

"Like you'd listen to a Jedi," Jaina retorted. She turned to Niskooen. "Isn't

that landing zone near your fusion plant's exhaust ports? Twenty kilometers down

the left side of the asteroid?"

"Correct," Niskooen said. "We assume that's how they intend to enter the hive."

Fett's alarm suddenly grew as sharp in the Force as the Verpine's pheromones

were in the air. "They won't enter."

Niskooen's antennae straightened. "You think they hope to sabotage our primary

power supply?"

"Hope isn't the way I'd put it," Fett said. He began to murmur into his helmet

mike, trying to issue orders directly to the commando company he had stationed

on Nickel One as a symbol of Mandalore's commitment to its mutual-aid treaty

with the Verpine. After a minute, he gave up trying to get a direct signal and

turned back to Niskooen. "Can you relay a message to Moburi?"

"I can reach Commando Moburi through my hive mates," Niskooen replied. "There

are still capsules coming behind us."

"Tell Moburi that he's in command until I get there," Fett said. "And that it

may be awhile. The power grid is about to blow."

Fett's declaration sent a clatter of dismay through the capsule, but none of the

Verpine questioned his certainty. First, when it came to killing and fighting,

his reputation was unmatched. Second, insects of the soldier caste were too

disciplined to question the pronouncement of a superior-even a superior from

another swarm. And they probably knew that he was right, anyway. Eliminating the

power plant would bring Nickel One's transportation to a screeching halt, and

limiting an enemy's mobility was always a good idea.

Fett turned to Jaina. "What do your Jedi instincts tell you about this attack?"

"That someone wants the Verpine munitions industry for themselves," Jaina

replied. "But you don't need Jedi instincts to know that. Verpine manufacturing

is nearly self-contained, which makes it a tempting target; the Verpine have

been supplying all sides since day one of the war, which makes them everyone's

enemy; and they're unaligned, which makes them ripe for the picking."

"They're aligned with us." There was some bristle in Fett's voice, but Jaina

could feel in the Force that there was no real irritation-he knew as well as she

did that Mandalore was suddenly playing out of its league. "But who is the

someone behind this? The Moffs I didn't kill already? Or did your brother send

them?"

Jaina thought for a minute, then shrugged. "My gut tells me it's too early for

Jacen to have the Moffs under control-but he is full of surprises."

Fett's helmet remained fixed on Jaina. "Not for you, I hope," he said. "Not

anymore."

"The only surprise will be if there are no surprises," she replied. "But I have

a few of my own now, too."

"Good answer."

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