Star Wars: Heir to the Sith (Part 3)

Chapter 40: "He's begging for help Captain."

The explosion blew a pillar of fire straight up above the Assassin's upper hull. As Pina watched, the light of the star ship's engines died and she listed to port in the start of a lazy roll.

He glanced at his tactical display. The power aboard Sarn's flagship was failing. He checked for the cause of the explosion, to see if there would be any more, when a new signal appeared on his screen, launched from the Assassin's forward hangar.

"Tractor beam control," he commanded. "Get a lock on that shuttle. I don't want it escaping."

The officer gave a single look at his monitors and shook his head.

"Negative Captain. Our tractor beam coverage is too damaged on our lower hull. We can't lock on to it."

"Scan for life signs," Bauhaus ordered the sensor pit.

"If Sarn's aboard that shuttle, he cannot be allowed to escape," Pina instructed. "Janus - target it with an ion burst."

"How many life signs are aboard?" Bauhaus asked impatiently.

Lieutenant Triem at the sensor console replied with a nervous look. "O-only one sir. But it's not a human signature."

"Not human?" Bauhaus said, turning to Pina. "What non-human would have authority to launch a shuttle in such a circumstance if not Sarn?"

Pina knew. He realised there was only one being with such capacity.

"It must be our Assayer," he said in a whisper. "This Titus Perdition. Janus? Destroy that shuttle with all means at our disposal. Do it now."

"Firing now Captain."

Every functioning turbo laser that faced the shuttle opened up. Streams of green laser fire flew across the void toward the speeding white ship.

Only for it to vanish as it made the jump to light speed in the final second before impact.

"Plot a pursuit course," Pina instructed. "We need to finish this."

Bauhaus leaned forward. "If we do that Captain, there will be no chance of any rescue for the Assassin, and we will have to pull our protection from the Awakening."

Pina felt his hands clench into fists.

"How long until the Awakening is out of danger?" he asked.

"Less than thirty seconds Captain," came the answer.

Pina knew what that meant. Thirty seconds would be enough time for the shuttle's pilot to exit hyperspace after a short jump and make another, losing them.

"And the Assassin?" Bauhaus said quietly. "Do we abandon them entirely?"

Pina checked his console. Sarn's ship was finished. The shields had collapsed and the vessel was turning in a slow corkscrew fashion, without any control. Its guns had ceased to fire. Its engines were silent and cold.

Without his protection, thousands would die a horrible death.

"They still haven't surrender–" he started to say.

"A signal from the Assassin Captain Pina!" a delighted Ord shouted. "Sarn is surrendering in person." His face fell as he interpreted the next transmission. "He's begging for help Captain. The radiation - it's killing them."

Pina shut his eyes and kept them closed.

There was no alternative.

"We'll shield the Awakening until they are out of danger. Get a shuttle ready to get to her with whatever aid we can deliver," he said. "Then we move to cover the Assassin with the maximum speed. Titus Perdition will have to wait."

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