In its haste to back up its besieged allies at Botajef, the Galactic Alliance fleet stationed at Celanon cut a straight vector from one system to the other in what should have been a ninety-minute sprint through hyperspace. It was their haste that doomed them. When they were wrenched from lightspeed midway through the journey, suddenly in empty void billions of kilometers from any star or planet, it took the crews a few frantic minutes to understand what had happened. Over two hundred pulse mass generator mines purchased from the Hapans and fitted with special sensor-jammers had been set in wait with artificial gravity wells up and ready to wrench any passing ship out of lightspeed. As the Alliance crews scrambled to locate the mines through the jamming, Imperial scout ships waiting far from the battle zone sent tight-beamed signals to their host ships, marking the trap as sprung. Less then ninety seconds after the Alliance ships were torn from hyperspace, they were surrounded by nearly twice as many Imperial vessels.
Almost a year of fighting between the Empire and the Alliance had taken a grueling psychological toll on both sides. As he stood on the bridge of the Imperial flagship Preeminence, Eshkar Niin could feel the tension running through its crew; more, he could feel the anger in so many of them. Despite the hundreds of worlds that had defected to the Empire or declared themselves neutral, the Alliance had gone into this war with a massive advantage in people and manpower, and after a few early Imperial victories they'd managed to grind the Empire's advance to a bloody halt. Every soldier of the Empire nowadays could name a friend who'd died in the past year. Niin knew many whispered that the war was a mistake, and alternatively blamed Fel, the Moff Council, of both. Yet now they faced their enemy, and for once they had a decisive advantage. The soldiers of the Empire wanted to win. They wanted blood.
Tokar Reave was ready to oblige them. The ambitious young admiral, a protégé of Morlish Veed, had put a lot of effort into this trap, and his eagerness bled off him in the Force. Yet while Reave was ranking officer aboard Preeminence, he was not the mission commander. That honor belonged to Empress Elliah Fel, who ordered the communications officer to prepare a broadcast to the entire Alliance fleet.
As the empress's bodyguards, Niin and his apprentice Draco had joined her on this rare excursion to the front lines. She wore a variation of standard Imperial Knight armor that was gleaming white instead of scarlet and contrasted elegantly with her straight black hair. Niin watched with admiration as Elliah stood regal in front of the comm station and spoke.
"I call on all Alliance ships to surrender," she said. "This is a battle you cannot win. We have no wish to kill you. You have my word, as empress, that all officers will be treated well. All enlisted crew will be processed and released. There is no need for anyone to die today. When you go back to your homes, please take with you word of the Empire's generosity, and the knowledge that we are not your enemies. This is a war none of us should be fighting.
"All ships that broadcast a surrender signal will not be harmed. All others will be attacked with full force. We will give you five minutes."
It was a clever and calculated ploy to sow discord on Alliance ships. Every one of their crew would see it. Yet Elliah spoke with the weight of earnest conviction. It came through in her voice, and Niin could feel it in the Force. If even a handful of Alliance ships surrendered- if they mutinied- it could change this war completely.
Elliah stepped away from the comm station and stood between Niin and Draco. Reave paced anxiously in front of the forward viewport, ready to get to the killing stage. The crew waited for five full minutes, tension mounting. Not a single Alliance vessel signaled its aim to surrender. Right when time was almost up, Preeminence received a hail from the Alliance flagship, Indomitable.
"Put him on." Reave snapped two fingers at the comm lieutenant. He didn't even give Elliah a chance to join him before a holo appeared in front of him.
"This is Admiral Gar Stazi of the Galactic Alliance Fifth Fleet." The Duros' flat face was difficult to read, but the strength in his voice was clear. "As you can see, we stand united against you."
"You are trapped, with no hope of escape. Your allies on Botajef are being crushed as we speak." Reave clasped his hands behind his back. "We did not choose a slaughter. You did."
"If that's how you'd assuage your conscience, so be it," Stazi sniffed. "Good day, Admiral."
The holo disappeared, and just like that the battle started. The Alliance ships opened fire first, not at the Imperials encroaching around them but at the pulse-mass mines. With over two hundred out there, they'd take a while to destroy, and Stazi's people would have bigger problems very soon.
As Reave began barking commands to his tactical lieutenant, ordering precise charge of his various battle groups, Elliah exhaled and said, "We tried our best." She emanated defeat in the Force.
"That we did, Majesty," whispered Niin. "That we did."
-{}-
When the first salvo impacted on Indomitable's shields the entire command deck shuddered. Jaius Yorub braced himself and stayed on his feet while other crew were caught mid-stride and knocked to their knees. The battle was going to get very fierce very fast, and it was essential for the ship's captain to project confidence and calm.
The squat Sullustan immediately began barking out orders. On Yorub's command, the gunnery crews took their targets and began returning fire at the nearest enemies: one star destroyer and a trio of frigates. At the same time, Admiral Stazi was at the tactical station, giving orders that were relayed throughout the fleet. As Indomitable and the other heavy cruisers took the brunt of the Imperial advance, the picket ships and starfighters would continue hunting down the interdiction mines.
During the long five minutes the Imperials had given them to surrender, Yorub and Stazi had not been idle. They'd managed to slip a communication through the jamming, relaying their situation to the second Alliance task force en route to Botajef from a staging point at Bandomeer. A simple response had slipped back: Hold position.
So they'd hold against dire odds or die trying. Not that Yorub had expected any other response from Stazi.
The Fighting Fifth had spent most of the past year on the front lines, pushing back the Empire's initial advance. The Alliance's advantages in resources and manpower- not to mention its Jedi helpers- were starting to show themselves, and the war now seemed at a tipping point where the Alliance could start taking Imperial systems. Common wisdom, or at least common hope, was that once Roan Fel started losing planets, he'd sue for peace.
But of course the Empire wasn't giving up, not yet. Their offensive at Botajef had caught the Alliance off-guard, and Coruscant had hastily hired a band of Mandalorians to salvage its defense until the fleets from Bandomeer and Celanon arrived. Now it looked like the Botajef offensive had been mere bait for this trap. The Alliance, hasty and overconfident, had jumped right in. Just like, some said, they'd jumped overeager into the war.
Yorub had his opinions, just like every soldier, but in the middle of battle they were a luxury. Once Indomitable's crew had their orders, the Sullustan walked carefully across a still-trembling deck to the tactical station. The tactical holo told him the sitrep he needed: Imperial forces encroaching from all sides, combat joined at seven distinct points, Alliance cruisers spread dangerously thin in order to cover the attacks on the interdiction mines. Once they cleared those the cruisers could tighten formation, assuming they didn't lose too many to the Imperials. Just as Yorub thought it, he watched one big green holo-marker flare and die.
"We've lost Mon Selona," the tactical lieutenant shook her head. "Should we send salvage crews?"
"Not now." Stazi scowled and shook his head. "They'd be too vulnerable."
The lieutenant nodded grimly. Yorub stepped beside Stazi and asked quietly, "Any idea how long we have to hold?"
"The message didn't say."
Lovely. Yorub looked at the holo again. The Imperial flagship was hanging back, avoiding direct confrontation, but a pair of hefty Pellaeon-class star destroyers were moving from the rear lines and vectoring toward Indomitable.
"Admiral-"
"I see it, Captain." Stazi exhaled, thought. "Lieutenant, patch me in directly with our Jedi friends."
"Yes, Admiral." The lieutenant's hands danced across her console. "Channel's open."
Stazi bent over her shoulder. "Master Qemar, do you copy?"
"I hear you, Admiral." The Nautolan's voice was static-marred.
"I need you to pull your fighters off mine-hunting duty. They're making a direct attack on Indomitable, two destroyers inbound. I'll send our squadrons to slow them down but they'll need your help."
"Affirmative. All my ships?"
"Please."
"Understood. Will comply."
The connection shut off. Stazi exhaled again, somewhere between a sigh and a growl. It was the most frustration he ever showed on the bridge. Yorub knew he didn't like relying on Jedi.
Since the war's beginning Jedi had loaned their aid, most often in the form of elite starfighter or infantry squadrons that spearheaded more traditional forces. Stazi's battle group included a mere two dozen Jedi pilots in Twintails, but they were worth a standard wing of normal fighters. They wouldn't stop those destroyers, but they could well slow them down.
"They'll buy us time," Stazi muttered. "Just a little more time."
-{}-
Imperial Knights were sworn to obey their emperor and Roan Fel has staunchly forbidden them from taking part in the fighting. Nonetheless, Niin could appreciate the battle for its complex strategy and dark beauty. The Alliance had initially tried to both hunt down the interdiction mines and defend against Imperial attacks, but as the battle got fierce the Alliance have up on mine-hunting and tightened formation of its capital ships. When Reave ordered two star destroyers to directly go after the Alliance flagship, they were repulsed by an especially fierce wave of starfighter attacks. When Niin suggested that it might have been Jedi pilots at work, Reave simply scowled and waved him off.
Even if the Jedi were blunting the advance, there were too few to stop it. The Imperials were nibbling away at the outer edges of the Alliance formation. Eventually they'd gnaw their way to the center. They'd take heavy casualties at this rate, but they'd still wipe out an entire Alliance battle group, and hopefully they'd succeed in taking Botajef as well. It was recipe for a badly-needed victory, and Niin found himself elated at the prospect.
Against his own confidence he felt Elliah's foreboding. He leaned close to the Empress and asked, "What's wrong? Do you sense something in the Force?"
"Not the way you think." Her lips made a flat line. "If we win here, we'll extend the war."
"That's what we need. If we took any more losses we'd be humiliated."
"But it would end, Eshkar. A victory here just forestalls defeat."
He was surprised by her pessimism. "The Alliance had advantages… But we can still win the war. We have the Force on our side." She looked at him, a question in her eyes, but nothing on her lips. "Yes, I believe that," Niin insisted. "By siding with the Vong, the Jedi have brought this war on us all. The sad thing is they can't even see it."
Her question was replaced by nebulous doubt. She looked away without saying more.
Niin watched through the forward viewport as another big Mon Calamari cruiser lit up in the distance. He nodded in approval as Reave gave the order to bring two more star destroyers forward, though Preeminence remained at the rear of the Imperial formation.
Just as the destroyers joined the fray, the tactical display lit up a wreathe of light at the very edge of the interdiction field. That could only mean new arrivals, and Niin's chest tightened as the markers all turned red at once. A second Alliance battle group had arrived to rescue the first, and it looked approximately the same size. The battle had turned from a route to a near-even match, only now the Imperials were the ones pressed on all sides.
It changed everything, but to his credit Reave didn't freeze up in shock. "Helm, swing us around. Prepare forward batteries!" he called. "All ships on the outer edge, stand by to defend. All inner ships, keep up the attack until I say otherwise."
"The mines, sir?" asked an officer.
Reave hesitated for just a second. "Deactivate them. If Alliance ships want to run instead of fight, let them. It'll just even the odds."
When he finished giving orders, Reave finally deigned to notice his empress and her Knights. "The day is not lost yet, Majesty," he said with stony conviction.
Elliah merely nodded, then let him get back to the fight.
-{}-
The arrival of the second battle group spread applause and badly-needed optimism across Indomitable's bridge, but it became clear that the fight was far from over. The Imperial ships that had pinned down Stazi's group continued their attack, even as the mines shut down and the interdiction field vanished. No matter the eventual victor, this would be a bloody brawl for both sides.
The pounding on Indomitable's shields didn't relent a bit, and Yorub had to make a round over the bridge, telling everyone to stay sharp and keep fighting. Stazi, meanwhile, hurried to the comm station to receive a transmission from the new Alliance fleet. Yorub circled around to join them for the tail end of the conversation and was surprised to see the flickering blue holo-image of Admiral Lekhwash himself.
"The Imperials are in no mood to relent, but we can spread their forces thin." The supreme commander's mouth-tentacles quivered.
"Admiral, we're taking a pounding here," said Stazi. "We need to find their weakest point and punch out."
Yorub stiffened; such a move would be decisive, but could be extremely costly.
"I understand," said Lekhwash. "The Imperials are still confused and trying to adjust formation. We'll have to act quickly. Do you see a break-out point?" Despite the Quarren's staid demeanor, his tactics could be as bold and risky and Stazi's.
Stazi scanned the tactical holo and made his decision quickly. "There's an open space just past Radiant and Alsakan Star. I'll order them to lead the charge. Everyone else will fall in after them. I'll keep Indomitable in the rear to guard. Admiral, did you bring a Jedi strike team with you?"
"They've just launched. Two squadrons."
"Send them in as vanguards. I'll have my Jedi meet yours."
The Quarren shook his head. "I'll send one squadron, Admiral. That should be enough."
"The other?"
His mouth-tentacles quivered, perhaps in excitement. "I'm sending them after the Imperial flagship. We'll see how well they direct a battle while under fire."
"Admiral, you should know. Empress Fel is aboard that ship."
"Truly?"
"She contacted us directly, asking for our surrender."
Yorub could see the consideration on both their faces, the ambition. To seize the empress alive, even to kill her, wouldn't just salvage the fight; it could end the war.
But there was no time to dwell on it. Indomitable had closer battles to fight. Lekhwash said, "Time to move. Good fighting, Admiral."
"You too, sir." The Duros snapped a salute. Lekhwash snapped it back, and the holo died. Stazi spun on his heel, mouth open to give necessary orders, but Yorub had already begun.
-{}-
Less than a minute after launching from Admiral Lekhwash's mighty Krakana, the formation of Jedi fighters broke formation and streak in divergent directions. Sitting tight in the cockpit of his Twintail, Lowbacca felt a twinge of farewell from his son as Karrashchakuk led his squadron toward the weak spot in the Imperial formation where the trapped Alliance ships were about to break through. Lowbacca, meanwhile, led his pilots on a long arc, skirting the battle zone entirely as they swung toward the distant pale wedge of the Imperial flagship, Preeminence.
The dispatcher aboard Krakana made their mission quite clear: harass and cripple Preeminence. That was a tall order for twelve snubfighters, even ones flown by Force-melded battle-hardened Jedi. Krakana had promised backup was on the way and specified nothing more.
It was the kind of situation the Jedi had found themselves in again and again since pledging their support to the Alliance in this war. The commanders, even otherwise canny ones like Lekhwash, seemed to think of Jedi as an invincible elite, capable of accomplishing miracles. It was flattering and frustrating at once, and Lowbacca had lost several Jedi in fights that never should have been fought in the first place.
Krakana had at least given a reason for this attack: Empress Elliah Fel was aboard Preeminence, which right now had most of its shields shunted forward, toward the approaching Alliance ships and away from the command deck.
Lowbacca maintained the battle meld as the twelve Jedi fighters soared in tight formation, flying wingtip-to-wingtip toward the star destroyer's long white profile. A handful of Alliance bombers were harassing its nose, but nothing else. As it drew close enough to stretch across Lowbacca's cockpit view, he sent a signal to the other Jedi to cut power to thrust engines. They did just that, and the Twintails continued to soar ahead, impelled by inertia toward the destroyer. Without thrusters blazing they'd be much harder to spot. Lowbacca felt tension and anticipation rising through the meld as Preeminence grew closer, closer, obscuring black space with its great white hull. He was tempted to reach out with the Force and find Empress Fel, but in doing so he'd alert her to their presence.
Instead he scanned the destroyer's flank with his eyes, watching every gun turret. When the long barrel finally swung their way, he alerted his pilots with a roar. The Jedi used the Force to nudge their fighters clear of the incoming turbolaser blasts and reignited their engines. No TIEs came swooping down for them, but it was only a matter of time.
Lowbacca commanded the Jedi to break into shield trios and pushed his fighter toward the destroyer's bridge. A century ago Imperial star destroyers had put their command decks on towers that begged for torpedoes; these Pellaeon-class ships had recessed bridges, harder to hit but still vulnerable. He aimed for the shield generators- no longer bulging spheres, but half-recessed domes several levels down on the tiered hull- and fired the second he reached range. Behind him, Wolf Sazen and his wingmate launched torpedoes of their own. The three Jedi broke formation but Lowbacca watched their warheads. There was a great flash, and first he thought the torps had impacted on fast-raised shields. Then he saw that at least two had gotten through and torn a flaming hole through the generator dome.
"Starboard generator is down," Sazen reported. "They're trying to compensate."
The port generator would be powered to full and expanded to protect the entire command section, but it had to be hit anyway. Lowbacca and his wingmates soared over the bridge, and as they passed it he felt a mind reach out to touch his in the Force, then quickly recede. Empress Fel or one of her guards. Roan Fel had ordered his Knights off the front lines, and Lowbacca was unspeakably glad not to have to battle other Force-users in this war. Today looked like a grim exception.
Preeminence was fully alerted to their presence. Turbolasers chased Lowbacca's trio as they spun away. Through the Force, he felt other pilots engaged in furious dogfights with newly-arrived TIE Predators.
He was about to patch in a call to Krakana and ask where their backup was; then he got his answer. A pair of sabertoothed Mon Cal assault frigates dropped out of hyperspace dangerously close to Preeminence. They opened fire immediately, catching the destroyer with its shields weakened, overpowering the energy barriers and gouging geysers of flame and debris out of its hull.
Lowbacca growled and glanced at his tactical scanners. More squadrons were on their way- old D-wing bombers, some Crossfire interceptors- plus a heavy Mon Cal cruiser. Lowbacca didn't know if the Alliance had enough ships to both free Stazi's fleet and capture Empress Fel's destroyer, but Lekhwash seemed determined to try. The supreme commander was a bold one, maybe too bold.
"All Jedi units, this is Fleet Command," the familiar voice from Krakana said. "Continue the assault of Preeminence! Concentrate fire on its engines! Our goal is to cripple the ship and capture its personnel."
Lowbacca roared his affirmative, and to his Jedi he spoke through the battle-meld. Continue fighting, he said. Fight and we can end the war!
-{}-
Everything had been going so well. Just minutes before the Jedi launched their sneak-attack on Preeminence, two Alliance cruisers trying to sneak past the Imperial blockade had been vaporized; then a report had come in from Botajef, saying that its Mandalorian defenders had suddenly switched sides mid-battle and withdrawn, leaving the planet securely in Imperial hands. The elation of that surprise victory was cut instantly short when their starboard shield generator blew; seconds later, the sabertooth frigates dropped off their port bow and began pounding them with reckless ferocity.
Just like that, the battle was upended. The bridge trembles fiercely as power failures cascaded through the ship, blinking out lights, dropping shields, and even straining internal gravity. Admiral Reave, who'd kept impressively calm until now, began screaming orders at a crew already in panic. Eshkar Niin could feel mortal dread rise like a drowning tide, from the crew and from Draco beside him, even from the empress herself.
It threatened him too but for only a moment. Then he remembered his duty. Gripping Elliah's arm he said, "Empress, we must abandon ship immediately."
He felt her uncertainty, saw it in her eyes. Reave was still giving orders to his crew, but beyond the viewport Niin could see more explosions tear open Preeminence's hull. The overhead lights flickered again, died, and did not return, leaving the bridge crew to move about in an eerie dull red emergency glow.
"Admiral Reave!" Elliah called.
Reave snapped out a few more orders, then hurried toward her. "Yes, Empress?"
"The ship is lost," she said in a lower voice. Not a question, a statement.
Reave opened his mouth to object, then snapped it shut. "The situation is dire."
"The Empress must escape alive," Niin said. "We'll leave for her shuttle immediately."
Elliah nudged him with the Force, quieting him. To the admiral she said, "I'm sorry to request this, Admiral, but please, command covering fire while we escape. After we're gone, you may fight or surrender as you see fit. I strongly recommend that, once we leave, you order a full retreat. We're going to lose enough ships and people today as it is. The Empire can't afford to lose more."
Niin felt the warring emotions peeling off the young admiral: anger, indignation, most of all shame at the ruin of his grand plans. To his empress, though, he saluted and said, "As you command, Majesty."
"Your service is appreciated." She raised her voice so the entire bridge could hear. "All of you are appreciated. You service and loyalty will not be forgotten today."
Niin understand that, as empress, it was her duty to show appreciation and solidarity for her people, but they were short on time. As she spoke, more explosions gouged deeper holes in Preeminence's hull. He tightened his grip on her arm and sent urgency through the Force. This time she acquiesced, and Niin and Draco ushered her the blast doors, off the bridge, down trembling hallways toward the lift that would carry them down to the private hangar.
On a Pellaeon-class ship it took exactly seventy minutes and twenty seconds to get from bridge to hanger at a clipped pace. When the rattling lift tube released them, he and Draco burst into a sprint. Elliah hurried along with them, three sets of boots clattering down the hall, announcing themselves to pedestrians and forcing them aside.
The Empress' personal transport, a scarlet Sigma -class shuttle more armed and durable than it looked, sat alone in Preeminence's secondary hangar. Whirling starfighters, strobing turbolasers, and explosions flashed through the great floor-to-ceiling portal. Reaves must have called down from the bridge, because deck crews were doing frenzied take-off prep and system checks as Elliah and the two Knights sprinted across the flight deck.
They got halfway across when an out-of-control TIE Predator smashed into the hangar mouth. The atmospheric force-field vanished instantly. Flaming debris flew through the hangar, then reversed as atmosphere gushed into the vacuum, taking three deck crew with it. In the corner of his eye Niin saw a piece of shrapnel come from nowhere and pin Elliah in the chest. the empress staggered in pain, then slid fast toward the portal.
For the first time since the battle started Niin knew true panic. Even as the deck slipped out from under his feet he reached out with the Force and grabbed Elliah. Her body lifted off the deck; escaping air whipped around her, flailing clothes and hair, spooling out a long string of blood. Niin felt her pain, felt her panic, and didn't notice that he, too, was being pulled out toward the portal until he felt Force-grip tug him back.
Keeping a firm mental grip on the empress he looked backward. As he used the Force to steady himself and Niin both, Antares Draco whipped a fiberchord cable out from his belt and threw it at the shuttle, which was too heavy to be sucked into space. His cable coiled magnetically tight around a landing strut and Draco tried to reel all three of them in.
A swell of pride for his apprentice tempered Niin's panic. The empress was wounded, terribly; if she died the emperor would never forgive him and worse, he'd never forgive himself. But impulsive, temperamental Draco had the situation under control. Niin pulled Elliah closer to him and himself closer to Draco. Through her pain, Elliah found the Force as well. When Draco put both hands on the landing struts the hangar's atmosphere was almost wholly gone, but Niin and Elliah were right behind him, and all together they stumbled up the landing ramp and inside the shuttle.
Now Niin acted quickly. He slammed the button that closed the shuttle ramp, sealing them in the pressurized, oxygenated space. Draco was right behind him and though Niin yearned to go back into the hold and check on Elliah's injuries he knew escape was above all else. He warmed the engines; Draco turned on the repulsors and retracted landing gear. More explosions flared outside the hangar, and Niin thumbed on the comm system.
"Preeminence, this is Knight One. Preparing to escape now."
"We'll give you fighter escort." He heard Reave's voice, relieved. "May the Force be with you."
"And you as well, Admiral."
Niin killed the connection and pushed power to the engines. Draco turned on the shields and announced weapons ready. The shuttle pushed swiftly out of the hangar, into the fray. A sabertoothed Mon Cal frigate sat off their starboard bow, but it was busy pumping laserfire into Preeminence's battered hull.
"Crossfires, coming in behind us," Draco reported, voice shaky. "Aft shields on."
As if one cue, laserfire rocked the shuttle but didn't breach defenses. Draco retuned fire, scattering the pursuers but not destroying them. At the same time, a group of TIE Predators fell in on their aft and flanks, forming a protective wall.
Niin tapped the comm line on. "Fighter escort, link your nav computers to ours and join us in hyperspace." As the TIEs sent affirmatives, Niin look to Draco. "Do we have a course?"
"Calculating," the young human scowled.
"Just plot a microjump and get us clear."
"There's so much inter- Damn!"
"What?"
"Twintail fighters, coming in fast." He looked at his master. "Jedi?"
"I don't want to find out," Niin growled, and against himself checked the scanners. The Twintails were coming from their port flank and the TIE Predators were shifting to block. Preeminence was a wreck behind them, and the battle otherwise was a confused tangle, with both Alliance and Imperial ships vectoring to escape and cutting eachother off in the process. Strategically this fight could be a draw, but it felt like a defeat.
"I've got an exit!" Draco announced.
"Do it," Niin said.
The human grabbed the throttle laying between them, pulled it back, and sent the shuttle leaping into hyperspace. As starlight surrounded them Draco released a huge held-in breath and slumped in his chair, but Niin bounded out of the cockpit, back to the hold.
Empress Elliah Fel had pulled herself over to one of the crash couches and found a first aid kit. Niin sat down beside her, took the kit, and looked over her wound. It was bleeding badly, and the sight of all that blood terrified him, but the shrapnel seemed to have taken her inside the shoulder, beneath the collar, tearing muscle but avoiding bones or major organs.
Nonetheless, he was frozen by the sight of her pale beautiful face as it contorted in pain. He should have been able to prevent this.
Then Draco joined them, and Niin came to his senses. He injected Elliah with anesthetic, then cut away her broken armor plates, disinfected the wound, wiped blood off her white shoulder and closed the tears in her skin.
All the while her body shuddered. Her eyes flicked and only gasps seeped through dry lips. Once Niin closed the wound her eyes opened and she reached a trembling hand up. It cupped Niin's face and he froze yet again. She'd never touched him like that before. He'd wanted her to, but not like this.
"Did we… escape?" Her thumb stroked his cheek.
"Yes," Draco said. "We're on our way to Agamar. We'll get you healed there."
"Healing…" Her eyes flickered again. "Eshkar… You… all right?"
"I'm fine," he swallowed.
"You... trembling."
"I'm all right, Your Majesty." He took her hand, firm but gentle, and pulled it away from his face. "We've saved you. That's all that matters."